Childhood Memories of Jello Salad

How many of you remember those jello salads at family dinners or holidays? I know I do!!! In recent years, I've come to associate jello with being sick or having a medical procedure. Not a good association. While cleaning the basement, I ran across my jello molds. I am not sure if these came from my mom or Tim's mom. Finding these brought a smile to my face and memories of those jello salads from childhood.

I am not sure I have ever made a molded jello salad.

Julie's Jello Salad

1 box of Tropical Jello
2 cups boiling water
1 can of crushed pineapple
2 bananas
1 carton of Strawberry Greek yogurt

Add the boiling water to the jello, stir well. Chill until partially set. Whip until fluffy, gradually add yogurt, whipping until smooth. Add crushed pineapple.

Grease jello mold with cooking spray. Pour jello into mold. Add sliced bananas. Chill until set.

When ready to serve, dip the jello mold into a sink of hot water. Don't leave it in the hot water too long. Place a plate on top of the mold. Flip over to invert.

No SMS Today - No Knead Bread

After being on the scales at the doctor's office recently, I was reminded to cut back on baking sweets. I don't know about you but if they're in the house, I have NO willpower. I eat them!!

This week's Sweet Melissa Sunday's recipe, Roasted Pecan Cake, was chosen by the creative and talented Leslie at Lethaly Delicious. Sorry, Leslie but I had to pass one this one! You can also find the links to the other SMS bakers here!

Instead I am posting about another food I love, bread. Okay I think I see why those scales are going the wrong way, desserts and bread!! But what's better than the warm, wonderful smell that fills the kitchen while bread is baking? Maybe eating it while it is warm?

Last week while browsing the blogsphere, I found this recipe for No Knead Bread. No Knead Bread seems to be all the buzz these days. Sounds easy enough, why not give it a try?

The recipe calls for cracked peppercorns. Not easy to do. I ended up using my wooden meat mallet. Even with that, I ended up with some uncracked ones! Next time, I think I will use my coffee grinder. The dough is very, very sticky. Basically it's the type of dough you would expect with out kneading.

No Knead Bread is known for it's beautifully browned, crisp crust. None of my dutch ovens are safe in a 450 degree oven, so I used a glass casserole pan. My crust was browned but not as crisp as I would have liked. I am browsing the aisles at Goodwill in hopes of finding an old cast iron dutch oven.

We enjoyed the peppery flavor of this bread. We used the leftovers for grilled cheese sandwiches. Yum! I want to try making this bread with rosemary and garlic. I love the smell of rosemary while something is baking!

What ingredients would you like to use in this recipe?






Peppercorn, Potato, and Parmesan No-Knead Bread
- makes one 1 1/2-pound loaf -

Adapted from The Art of Eating In by Cathy Erway.

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
About 3 tablespoons black peppercorns, cracked (I placed mine in a Ziploc bag and rolled over it with a rolling pin several times)
1 5/8 cups water that was used to boil a potato, slightly cooled
Parmesan

Procedure
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, and pepper. Add water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest for at least 12 hours, preferably about 18 (or two days), at warm room temperature, about 70°F.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball, tucking folded parts underneath. Sprinkle and gently pat grated Parmesan across the top of the loaf. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, semolina, or cornmeal, and place the loaf seam-side down in it. Coat another towel with flour and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, the dough will me more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least half an hour before dough is ready, preheat oven to 450°F. Put a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex, or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slid your hand under the towel and place dough Parmesan side up in the pot. Cover with lid and bake 20 minutes; then remove lid and bake another 15 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

One Year Ago Champagne Asparagus Risotto.

Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts

While shopping at Costco recently, my husband suggested we purchase brussels sprouts! Amazing! This is a guy who a year or so ago refused to even think about eating brussels sprouts.

I have a couple of brussels sprouts recipes that we love. There's this one, given to me by son and this one I found on the internet! I wanted to make something different this time. I found this recipe on 101 Cookbooks, Heidi Swanson's wonderful blog!

These are delicious and so easy to make!



I am sharing this with all of the other Foodie Friday participants over at Designs by Gollum. Check them out, there's a ton of great posts.

Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts
24 small brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice - I used Robusto

Wash the brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact (or if you are lazy just toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil).

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Don't overheat the skillet, or the outsides of the brussels sprouts will cook too quickly. Place the brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they're tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese.

Western Iowa Wine Trail - Outdoor Wednesday's

Last Saturday was a beautiful sunny day. We spent the day along the Western Iowa Wine Trail. It was their Mardi Gras celebration. There are 7 wineries on the trail. We went to 5 of the 7. Each winery had a Mardi Gras food dish and wine tasting! While Iowa wines aren't the traditional wines, each has their own characteristics and made for a fun day of wine tasting.

The day ended with this beautiful Western Iowa sunset. Stop by Outdoor Wednesday's to find links to all of the other beautiful Outdoor Wednesday pictures!

Buttermilk Cornbread

Have you ever made cornbread from scratch? I must admit those little blue Jiffy Mix boxes have been in my cabinets for years. Not the same boxes :)

In my never ending quest to "Use It Up", this weeks leftover ingredient was buttermilk. I found this recipe on All Recipes.

This recipe makes a delicious, moist cornbread. It's easy to put together and I think if you didn't have buttermilk, regular milk could be substituted. Of course, we'd have to change the recipe title!

Buttermilk Cornbread
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2.Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

One Year Ago - Mint Brownie Pie

Sugar Cookies - SMS

This week's Sweet Melissa Sunday's recipe was chosen by the talented Nina of Nina's Cupcakes. You make a sugar dough that can be used for pie crust or cookies. I thought it was very interesting this recipe didn't give the time or temperature to bake the cookies. Several of the SMS baker's felt this recipe was lacking in flavor. I followed their advice and tried to add some more flavor. I added lemon juice and a little extra sugar.

This sugar cookie dough is chilled and then rolled for cutouts. I have a plastic storage container filled with cookie cutters. As I was going through it trying to find a cutter to use, I found lots of Halloween, Easter, Valentines Day and Christmas cookie cutters. Guess I need to get a few any occasion cutters. I used my medium sized round biscuit cutter. I should have rolled this dough a little thicker, the cookies are too thin.

I baked them at 350 for about 10 minutes. I gave one to Tim to taste. "Kind of blah? What are these?" I decided to turn these into an easy version of black and white cookies by dipping them in chocolate. Doesn't chocolate make everything taste better?!! The chocolate did add some much needed flavor but still I don't think I will make this recipe again.

Shame on Me! No Chocolate With Francois.

Okay you know how you belong to a baking group and you're allowed to opt out of posting a couple of times? Well...this is it for me! To make it worse, I am the leader of this group, not much of a leader, am I?

This reminds me of when my son Justin was in middle school, maybe 7th grade. He had a HUGE school project, Language Arts is Colorful. Amazing how I remember the name, 20 some years later. The night before the project was due, he tells me about it. Had he started it? Nope! We spent hours that evening working on this project. I don't remember what all I did but I am sure it was more than I should have. I still have the project in a drawer and smile everytime I see it.

Well you see this is what I did with the Chocolate Paris Brest, this month's recipe chosen by my blogging pal, Susan of Baking With Susan . I've known about this recipe for months. Why did I save it to the last minute? Shame on me!

Do I have any good reason for saving this to the last minute? (I think I must have asked Justin that, too.) Well...I don't own a pastry bag, it's on my list to buy but haven't gotten it done. I've been sick this week with a horrible sinus infection. Not great reasons but the best ones I have!

You can find the links to my dedicated and better planning CWF blogger buddies here.

Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon

I've started buying vegetables in bulk at Costco. The prices are so reasonable. The challenge with buying in bulk is making sure you use them up. Otherwise, your good deal is no longer a good deal.

I love soups! I am always looking for new soup recipes. I found this recipe on epicurious and it got rave reviews. Tim came into the kitchen and asked what I was making. Carrot Soup??, turning up his nose. I knew I'd get this reaction, as I've mentioned many times on my blog, Tim's a meat man!




Instead of chicken stock, I used homemade vegetable stock. I love the beautiful color of this soup. This is a hearty soup with a nice mild carrot flavor. The addition of the lemon juice and zest gives it a nice kick.

Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon
Recipe courtesy of Epicurious
Yield: Makes 4 Servings

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 pounds medium carrots, peeled, chopped (about 3 cups)
2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons sour cream

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; sauté 1 minute. Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Ladle into bowls. Top each with sour cream and grated carrot.

The Best Presents

Last week I celebrated my birthday. We took a weekend trip to see our friends Karen and Larry in Kansas City. We hadn't seen them since October. The snowy December weather kept up from making a trip to Kansas City at Christmas. This picture was taking during our Saturday brunch at Lidia's, Lidia Bastianch's wonderful Italian restaurant. The gnocci is the best I've ever eaten and such an inspiration.




On my birthday, I received a big box from my son Justin. Justin created this picture from these. I am going to hang it in the bar area of our recently finished basement. What a perfect present! I love it! Thanks, Justin!!!

During our recent trip to the Caribbean, Tim talked me into purchasing a chameleon sapphire ring from one of the many jewlery stores in Cozumel. He said this can be your birthday and Valentine's Day present. :)

On my birthday, Tim brought me home these roses. As they opened, they became even more beautiful. Thanks, Tim!!!

What great birthday presents but the best presents are my friends and family! I love you all!

My 1st Blogversary and My 50!

Happy Blogversary to you! Happy Blogversary to you! Happy Blogversary dear Little Bit! Happy Blogversary to you!

Seems like just yesterday, this blog was only a wild and crazy thought in my mind. A year ago, I was looking for something to challenge my brain and a purpose for my cookbooks and recipe clippings.

Except for a short period of time last summer when my health got in the way, I've been motivated to keep up my blog. I've tried recipes I would have never tried, like this one from Sweet Melissa Sunday's . I've met a lot of great bloggers and continue to meet new friends. There's so many talented and creative food bloggers out there, my list of daily reads continues to grow.

One thing that helps me stay on course is keeping a list of upcoming posts and recipes to try. A couple of weeks ago, I started thinking about my Blogversary, what recipe to post and what to write about. One of the reasons I began blogging was to make recipes from all of my recipe clippings and cookbooks. One of my 2010 blogging goals is to make more recipes from the 100+ cookbooks I own. What do I do? I keep buying more cookbooks. Currently I have a dozen or more on the list of ones I want to buy. My Blogversary recipe is a Creme Brulee from an old issue of First magazine. You know those recipes that are like old friends? You can always count on them? This recipe is one of those old friends. If you haven't made Creme Brulee before, give this recipe a try. You won't be disappointed!


Creme Brulee
6 Servings

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 to 12 tablespoons sugar

Heat oven to 300. Heat cream and 1/2 cup sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot. Whisk egg yolks to combine. Slowly pour cream into yolks, whisking quickly so the hot cream doesn't curdle the eggs. Stir in vanilla.

Pour into 6 creme brulee dishes, custard cups or individual souffle dishes. Line the bottom of a roasting pan with paper towels and set the filled dishes on top. Set on oven shelf and pour warm water into pan to come half up the sides of the dishes.

Bake until a knife stuck in the center comes out coated with thickened custard, about 1 hour. (For souffle dishes and custard cups bake about 1 hour and 30 minutes). Let stand in water bath 10 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Chill overnight.

To glaze, sprink about 1 tablespoon evenly on top of the custard, smooth the surface. Using a kitchen torch melt the sugar to form the carmalized top.

I've been working on My 50, a list of recipes I haven't made before. There's lots of other recipes I want to make but these are those more "Julia Child like" recipes. With the exception of gnocci, I have never made anything on this list. I've made gnocci a couple of times but it's been at least 10 years ago. It wasn't all that good, certainly not that melt in your mouth gnocci you get at a good Italian restaurant. Compiling this list wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I had a hard time coming up with 50 but in the end, I am happy with my list.

Julie's Top 50

BREAD
1 Bagels
2 Baguettes
3 Brioche
4 Croissants
5 Focaccia
6 Pretzels

DESSERTS
7 Baked Alaska
8 Baklava
9 Bananas Foster
10 Beignets
11 Carrot Cake
12 Crepes
13 Decorated Tiered Cake
14 Filled Cupcakes
15 French Macaroons
16 Lemon Curd
17 Merinque
18 Panna Cotta
19 Pie Crust
20 Pots de crème
21 Profiteroles
22 Pudding
23 Shortbread
24 Tres Leches
25 Trifle
26 Truffles
27 Bubble Tea

MAIN DISHES
28 Beef Bourguignon
29 Beef Tenderloin
30 Butter Poached Lobster Tails
31 Chili Rellenos
32 Croque Monsieur
33 Dutch Baby
34 Gnocci
35 Gumbo
36 Lobster Bisque
37 Miso Soup
38 Pad Thai
39 Paella
40 Pizza Dough
41 Puttanesca Sauce
42 Ravioli
43 Sage Brown Butter Sauce
44 Sushi
45 Vodka Sauce

SIDES
46 Duchesse Potatoes
47 Caesar Salad
48 Chutney
49 Polenta
50 Rice Pilaf

Do you have a favorite or no fail recipe for any of the dishes on my list? I'd love to hear about them, let me know!

Lavender-Lemon Pound Cake

Two of my favorite things are lavender and lemon. When I saw this recipe on Savoring Time in the Kitchen, I knew I had to make it.

I've been wanting a mini bundt pan. We're making Chocolate Canneles on Chocolate With Francois in March. I don't own the molds but Sarah, our host for the month says we can use muffin tins. Wouldn't mini bundt pans be perfect? Two recipes, for sure I need the mini bundt pan. I bought this pan and I just love the different shapes. I bought mine at The Kitchen Connection and only paid $19.99.

We're lucky enough to have a Pezney's in Omaha. A few months ago, I purchased culinary lavender. I made Lavender Simple Syrup, a wonderful addition to cocktails.





This pound cake is a delightful recipe. The beautiful lemony batter is lightly scented with lavender. It doesn't have a typical pound cake texture. The texture was much more like a traditional cake. This cake was great with a small scoop of the Lemon Sorbet I made last week.

Recipe Courtesy of Monica Glass, Pastry Chef
12 miniature cake molds or cupcake molds

For the cake:

2½ cups sifted all-purpose flour*
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons dried lavender, coarsely crushed or ground
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature

For the sugar glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Generously grease two 6-cup mini Bundt pans or muffin cups with butter or non-stick cooking spray and dust lightly with flour, knocking out excess. Do not preheat oven.

Sprinkle the lavender into the buttermilk and let sit for 10 minutes. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula. Then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating only until incorporated after each addition. Mix in the zest, lemon juice and vanilla.

Mix in the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Beat the final addition only until smooth. Do not over mix.

Spoon the batter into each cup, filling it only ¾ full and distributing it evenly between the 12 Bundt or muffin cups. Tap each pan several times on the counter to eliminate air bubbles and level the tops. Place both pans in the cold oven and turn the oven to 325? F. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the tops (which will eventually become the cake bottoms) are risen and golden. Do not open the oven until at least 30 minutes into baking so your cakes will not fall.

Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 30 minutes, then run a thin knife around outer edge of each cake to loosen and unmold by inverting the pan over onto a wire rack. The cakes will be right-side-up at this point.

Prepare the glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir with a rubber spatula until the glaze is smooth and of drizzling consistency. Spoon the glaze over the top of each slightly cooled cake, letting some run down unevenly on the sides. Zest the lemon over the tops of the glaze and serve.

Wrapped in plastic or aluminum foil, the cakes will keep for 3-5 days at room temperature and for up to 3 months in the freezer.

*Sift the flour, then measure for accurate results.

Strawberry Lemonade - Sweet Melissa Sunday's

Today in Nebraska marks the 78th day with at least one inch of snow on the ground. Even though I have lived in the midwest all of my life, I've never experienced a winter quite like this one. Strawberry Lemonade reminds me of summer picnics. It was so nice to enjoy this reminder of summer on what is yet another snowy winter day.



The lemonade is a delicious, easy recipe and one I will make again. I had a few raspberries leftover from last weekend, so I added those to the syrup. I made the sugar syrup on the stove. I never seem to be able to "melt" the sugar without doing it on the stove.

Thanks to Jessica of My Baking Heart for choosing this recipe to give us a wonderful reminder of summer.

Lemon Buttermilk Sorbet

Participating in Sweet Melissa Sunday's, Chocolate With Francois and Martha Stewart's Cupcake Club have encouraged me to try recipes I wouldn't have tried otherwise. It's also increased the amount we spend on food. I buy ingredients I don't normally stock in my kitchen. I always try to "Use It Up". It's fun searching for a recipe to use the rest of those ingredients.

I found this recipe for Buttermilk Sorbet. Four ingredients, three really since lemon zest and lemon are the same ingredient. How simple is that? Speaking of simple, Santa brought me one of these. This makes squeezing a lemon quick and easy!

This sorbet is amazingly delicious. It has a nice hint of lemon but isn't too lemony. It's so creamy, you would think you are eating ice cream. I can't wait to make this sorbet with summer berries. I am just loving anything these days that reminds me of summer!

Lemon Buttermilk Sorbet
Recipe from Bon Appetit

Makes approximately 7 cups
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon zest
4 cups buttermilk

Stir sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Add buttermilk, stir until sugar is dissolved. Chill until cold, at least 4 hours. Process mixture in ice cream freezer, approximately 20 minutes. Transfer to contained with lid; freeze. (Can be made 3 days ahead.)

My notes on this recipe: I added about 1/4 cup of vodka to this recipe. I drizzled it in while it was in the ice cream freezer. You know how homemade ice cream can get too frozen to scoop? I think the little bit of alcohol helps prevent it from freezing so hard. The recipe says this can be made three days ahead. I made this a week ago and it's still good.

My First Blogger Award!

(With a look of amazement and delight!)

Uh...oh my....I wasn't expecting this and I have no speech prepared. (Wiping away the tears.) Okay, I hope I can remember all of the people I want to thank.

First, I would like to thank the lovely and talented Susan of Baking With Susan for awarding me the (Bald Faced Liar) Creative Writer Award.

If you haven't visited Susan's blog, please take the time to do so. She's funny, generous and bakes the most beautiful cakes!

Second, I want to congratulate the other bloggers who received this award. You'll find them listed here.

Okay, okay, let's see who I am forgetting? Oh my gosh...my husband, Tim. He's my very patient and talented photographer, recipe tester and all around great husband.

I probably should thank some teacher from the dark ages when I was in grade school. So long ago, I can't remember her name. I am sure she encouraged me to enjoy writing.

Now on to the rules of this award.

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you.
4. Tell us up to six outrageous lies about yourself and at least one outrageous truth.
5. Allow your readers to guess which one or more is true.
6. Nominate seven "Creative Writers" who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.
7. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
8. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

As you read my lies or truths, they may not sound as outrageous as some but trust me, some of these are really OUTRAGEOUS!!!

1. I am a natural blonde.
2. I have driven an 18 wheeler from New York to Los Angeles.
3. I competed in a triathalon in Hawaii in 2006.
4. I have fired 9mm and 40 caliber pistols.
5. I am a size 4.
6. I've written a self help book entitled Help Yourself, No One Else Will.

Now the difficult decision of naming the seven blogs I would like to nominate for this award....

1. Candace of Candy Girl
2. Natalia of gatti fili e farina.
3. Velva of Tomatoes on the Vine.
4. Nina of Nina's Cupcakes
5. Karen of Karen's Cookies, Cakes and More.
6. Sarah of Teapots and Cakestands
7. Maggie of The Other Side of 50. This one is a double nomination. Maggie was already nominated by Linda, who nominated Susan, who nominated me. Got that?

If you haven't stopped by these blogs, find the time to do so. I promise you won't be sorry you did!! They are all talented writers and creative cooks!

Smores Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Cupcake Club

Blogging certainly takes committment. In my case, it also takes a wonderful husband. Tim is my photographer, taste tester and never minds when we have to hold up dinner to take pictures of a dish. Thanks, Tim for all you do!!

Last Saturday, after a long day of shopping and errands, I remembered I needed the graham flour for this recipe. Tim thought we were headed home but instead we were headed to Whole Foods. Omaha only has one Whole Foods and it's always crowded. After two circles around the parking lot, we finally find a spot. First we head to the bulk foods section...no graham flour, then to the flour aisle...no graham flour. The trip isn't a total loss, we walk through the cheese section and taste some wine and cheese. We tasted a robusto cheese. It was so delicious.

Figuring I would use the whole wheat flour I had in the freezer, I went to the freezer to dig it out. Only to discover it was WHOLE WHEAT GRAHAM FLOUR!! Sorry, Tim!

We had too many sweets in the house, so I cut this recipe in half and in half again. It made 6 cupcakes.

I love Smores. They remind me of campfires and childhood. How do you like your marshmallow? As a kid, I always burned mine. Now I can take the time to just toast them until golden. Cake decorating is on my list of things to learn this year. Until then, I don't own a piping bag, so needless to say, my frosting doesn't look at all like the frosting in the book. I did make a couple of these in honor of my childhood smores, a little burned!




I loved these cupcakes. They taste just like a Smore. Once I learn how to pipe frosting, I will be making these again. Thanks to Mary Ann from Meet Me in the Kitchen for choosing a great recipe. You can find the links to all of other Martha Stewart Cupcake Club bakers here.

Easy Chocolate Mousse - Sweet Melissa Sunday's

Happy Valentine's Day!

Quick post and iPhone picture for me today. We are in Kansas City with our good friends Karen and Larry!

Easy Chocolate Mousse? I guess it depends on how you define an easy recipe? To me, easy doesn't require three bowls and two different rounds with the mixer. I've never made chocolate mousse so maybe compared to other recipes this is easy.

Mine didn't quite turn out as it should have. Instead of whisking the egg whites into the chocolate I folded them in. I read the recipe SEVERAL times but still messed up. I hate it when that happens. My mousse ended up with little chunks of chocolate in the mousse. Everyone really liked it and we renamed it Chocolate Chip Mousse.



Thanks to Spike of Spike Bakes for choosing a great Valentine's Day recipe. You can find the links to all of the other Sweet Melissa Sunday's members here. I'm sure you'll find lots of pictures of beautiful chocolate chip mousse (without the chips).

Pasta, Risotto Style

Do we have a relationship built on trust? I hope so because you will need to trust me on this one. This dish tasted so much better than it looks. I love pasta and risotto. When I ran across this recipe, I knew it was one I had to try. I am so glad I did. It makes a quick and easy weeknight supper.

This recipe has endless posibilities, shrimp instead of chicken, adding broccoli or another vegetable. Broccoli would sure help add color to the dish, something it really needs. Next time I would add the chicken a little earlier. By the time the chicken was done, the pasta was a little too done. Although this recipe says it serves 4. My husband and I ate most of it. Also, it doesn't reheat well, so plan your amounts so you don't have lefovers.




Pasta With Chicken and Mushrooms, Risotto Style
Recipe from the New York Times

2 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed
1 shallot or small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups crimini, shiitake or button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
1/2 pound cut pasta like gemelli or penne, or long pasta broken into bits
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
3 to 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 boneless chicken thighs, diced
Chopped fresh parsley, optional
Freshly grated Parmesan, optional.

1. Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. When hot, add shallot, garlic and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms soften and begin to brown on edges, about 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy and coated with oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Add a little salt and pepper, then wine. Stir and let liquid bubble away.

2. Ladle stock into skillet 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring after each addition and every minute or so. When liquid is just about evaporated, add more. Mixture should be neither soupy nor dry. Keep heat at medium and stir frequently.

3. Begin tasting pasta 10 minutes after you add it; you want it to be tender but with a tiny bit of crunch. When pasta is about 3 to 4 minutes away from being done, add chicken and stir to combine. Continue to cook until chicken is done — it will be white on inside when cut — and pasta is how you like it. Taste, adjust seasoning, garnish with parsley and Parmesan if using, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Outdoor Wednesday - Winter Snow

We've had more than our share of snow this year. To say people in Omaha are tired of winter would be an understatement.

Last week we received yet another snow. This snow was different from the other snows this season. It was really pretty. Early last Saturday morning my husband and I went to a lake near our home to take some photos. Here's one of our favorites!

I am linking this to Southern Daydreamer's Outdoor Wednesday's.

Baking Gals

In December I read Susan of Baking With Susan's post about Operation Baking Gals. Operation Baking Gals was started in 2008 by Susan of She's Becoming DoughMessTic. She asked her fellow bloggers to join her in baking for a cousin who was stationed overseas. Susan (Baking With Susan) has baked in 13 of 16 rounds. Way to go Susan!

A couple of week's ago I read Susan's post that she was hosting this round and looking for people to join her team. I signed up and joined her team. We're baking for Dan. Dan is the boyfriend of the grandaughter of a customer of Susan's and a 1st Lieutenant in Iraq.




I baked 6 dozen chocolate chip and 4 dozen oatmeal raisin. I also included a few bags of hard candies for the guys to enjoy. It made me feel so good to be able to do a little something for someone who sacrifices so much for our country.

I plan to bake in every round I can. If you have an extra afternoon and want to show a soldier how much you appreciate all they do, stop by BakingGals, sign up and join a team!

Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday, is there any other event where the hype is what it is for the Super Bowl? I had the endless hours of pregame coverage on, if nothing else as background noise while I was baking and doing laundry.

What's up with The Who as the halftime entertainment? Can you imagine how many people are watching saying "Who are The Who anyway?". The lightshow was awesome, the vocals...well what can I say?

Of course, there's the commercials. Amazing how many people watch for the commercials. What were your favorite commercials? I thought there were a lot of funny ones, no one in particular stood out.

A few that I liked were the Dog Collar Doritos, Mom's Date Doritos, Casual Friday Careeer Builder, Plane Crash Bud Light and Sock Monkey Kia.

Our Super Bowl snack....



Hooter's Buffalo Chicken Wings
Recipe from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes

1/4 c butter
1/4 c Frank's Red Hot Cayenne Sauce
1/2 c flour
1/4 t paprika
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t salt
10 chicken wing pieces

On the side

Blue cheese dressing
Celery Stick

Combine flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt in a small bowl. Put the wings into a large bowl and sprinkle the flour mixture over them, coating wings evenly. Put the wings in the refrigerator for 60 - 90 minutes. This will help the breading to stick to the wings when fried.

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees. Combine the butter, hot sauce and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Heat until the butter is melted and all ingredients are well blended. Put the wings in the hot oil and fry for 8 - 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the oil to a paper towel to drain. Quickly put the wings into a large bowl. Add the hot sauce and stir, coating all wings evenly.

Serve with blue cheese and celery sticks on the side.

Classic Red Velvet Cake - Sweet Melissa Sunday's

It's a good day. A week after returning from vacation, I feel like I am back in the groove. It's Sunday and I am baking Sweet Melissa Sunday's. Unlike a lot of bloggers, I tend to bake and post all in the same day. I always feel really together when I have a couple of posts waiting in my queque. Today, there's....ZERO!!

I decided to make cupcakes instead of a cake. That way, hubby or I or both can take them to work. I also cut the recipe in half. A while back I found the greatest site for decreasing or increasing recipes. Since I am not a math whiz and tend to cut a lot of baking recipes in half, this site is a lifesaver!!!

This recipe is a breeze to make. I frosted them with the cream cheese frosting and decorated with some Valentines Day themed sprinkles. I baked these for 25 minutes but should have pulled them out of the oven at 20 minutes. I read everyone's hints about how the baking soda turns red food coloring brown AFTER I'd baked these. Mine are definetely more brown than red. The flavor of these didn't wow me. They are good but not great.




This recipe was chosen by the talented baker, Rosy of Rosy Lip and Lavender. You can find the links to all the other bakers here. I am anxious to read everyone's posts and see if anyone's cake turned out red.

Scallops with Citrus and Quinoa

At least every couple of weeks, I try to spend an hour or two sufing the blogsphere. A few weeks ago, I came across Tomatoes on the Vine. Velva's recipes and photographs are lovely and definitely worth a look. I know I've added her blog to my daily reading list.

Earlier this week, I was thrilled to find her recipe for Scallops with Citrus and Quinoa. We had Citrus Glazed Scallops on the cruise. They were delicious and I wanted to find a recipe to try at home.

I've been trying to use Quinoa more often as a side dish. It's a nice change from rice or pasta. Plus it's so good for you. My husband came home tonight and said, "Oh we're having King Wah?". I guess to him it's named after some famous king.

I didn't have the oranges, tangerines or the coriander. I used clementines and omitted the coriander. I don't think it was as citrusy as it might have been but they were still delicious.



Scallops With Citrus And Quinoa
Serves 4
Recipe from Food Network

Ingredients:
3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed well
Kosher salt
3 oranges
4 tangerines
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1- 1/4 pounds sea scallops, tough foot muscles removed
Freshly ground pepper
1 teasppon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Combine the quinoa, 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, ntil the water is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, grate 1 teaspoon orange zest, then juice all 3 oranges and the tangerines into a bowl. Sprinkle the sugar in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until dark amber, about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the vinegar, citrus juices, zest, and the coriander. Return to medium heat and boil until thick, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter; keep warm.

3. Season the scallops on one side with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the scallops seasoned-side down and sear until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook until golden on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes more minutes.

4. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and divide among plates. Top with the scallops, drizzle with the citrus sauce and sprinkle with parsley.

What Motivates You?

Routine is such an important thing for me...at work and at home. On the other hand, I need a periodic break from the routine to rejuvinate myself. That break came for me last week with our much needed warm weather cruise. Much to my dismay that cruise also came with the stomach bug. Heading back to work on Monday seemed more difficult than normal after a vacation. I am sure that was because this vacation didn't turn out as I had hoped. It only took me a couple of days and I am back in the routine!!! I love my job, so going to work every day comes pretty easily. Considering I need to work OR we won't be taking those wonderful vacations. I guess that means my motivation for working is vacation (and paying the bills)!!

I love blogging and am envious of those of you who are retired and have more time than I do to blog. I have really challenged myself these past months to post at least twice each week. Prior to vacation, I was in the groove and doing a great job posting on a regular basis. Since vacation, I am having trouble finding the energy or the motivation to blog. Tonight I have the time but no motivation. What motivates me to blog is my love of cooking, those comments you guys leave and my family, co-workers and friends enjoying my creations. I so want to be back in the blogging groove this week. It's not that I don't have ideas, I have a great list of future blog posts. I will be back this weekend for sure! Please don't go away, stay tuned.

How do you stay motivated?

Back from Vacation - No Sweet Melissa Sunday's

Well we're back from our cruise. I'd hoped to be able to post pictures of some of the wonderful foods we ate while cruising. Unfortunately both my husband and I were bitten by the awful (and I mean awful) Norovirus. Tim got sick on Tuesday night, just before dinner. Eventhough I sprayed Lysol constantly, I still got the bug, Thursday afternoon for me. We spent the last two days of the cruise in our cabins. Fortunately, we did have a balcony, so we were able to step out for some fresh air and sunshine.

We ended up going to the medical center on the ship, which I must say is quite impressive. My questionaire asked where I thought I had contracted my illness. I filled in the blank with MY HUSBAND. :) Tim said sounds like there will be another cruise in our future.

No Sweet Melissa Sunday's for me this week. Jennifer of Maple n' Cornbread chose Butterscotch Pudding for this week's recipe. Maybe this will be a rewind post for me in the future.

Chocolate Pets De Nonne

Traveling home from our cruise today so my Chocolate With Francois post will be delayed!!

Pets De Nonne means nuns farts. Check out the blog of this month's hostess Maggie at The Other Side of 50, I am sure she has a hilarious story for us about her choice. You can find the links to the other Chocolate With Francois bloggers here.

Flourless Chocolate Mint Cake

As you read this we are enjoying a sea day aboard the Crown Princess. Sailing towards the Princess Cays, the ships private island in the Bahamas.

I love flourless chocolate cakes. They're so rich and decadent. And of course, they just scream chocolate! In keeping with my Use it Up theme, I had mint chips in the freezer. I checked out the Andes website and found this recipe.

The recipe says don't bake past 12 minutes. At the end of 12 minutes this cake was what I would call soup. I couldn't bring myself to take it out, fearing it wouldn't turn out. I left it in another 5 minutes. At the end of the 17 minutes, it was still very liquid in the center. I let it cool at room temp and it still was somewhat soft in the center. I was concerned if I removed the sides of the pan at this time it would crack and break, so I put it in the refrigerator. After three hours, I removed the sides. It did crack just a little and it was a little hard to get it off the bottom. I'd love to make this for a party but before I do I want to perfect getting it out of the pan.

We loved this cake, so rich and chocolately with a nice mint flavor. I can't wait to try this recipe with some different flavors, maybe peanut butter?



Flourless Chocolate Mint Cake

12 oz. dark chocolate (60% cocoa recommended)
2 cups (10 oz.) Andes Crème de Menthe Baking Chips
3 1/2 sticks of butter
5 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup sugar

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 325° degrees. Prepare a removable-bottomed cake pan, 9 inches in diameter, lined with parchment or wax paper and buttered.

In a 2-quart saucepan, over very low heat, gently melt butter, Andes Baking Chips and chocolate broken into small pieces. Stir occasionally until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and let cool.

Mix eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until mixture becomes three times the original volume (about 3-5 minutes). Through a strainer, add 1/4 of the chocolate mixture into the bowl. Using a spatula, mix gently until thoroughly incorporated. Add remaining melted chocolate through strainer to catch any solid pieces and fold in gently until well mixed.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes. The cake will be slightly soft to the touch, not firm. Don't be tempted to bake it for any longer than this. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. When cool, cover pan and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Remove pan sides, invert cake onto large plate and remove pan bottom and peel away parchment paper. Invert cake again on another plate or serving platter. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder immediately before serving.

Serves 16 -24

Kitchen Aid French Bread

As you read this post, we're in Roatan, Honduras. Tim's looking forward to snorkeling the world's second largest barrier reef.

In keeping with my 2010 resolutions, I made another batch of homemade bread. I am encouraged about my bread baking skills. My biggest challenge in making homemade bread is the kneading, so I am trying to make recipes using my Kitchen Aid to do the kneading for me. I really want to start making whole wheat breads, since we all know the story about white flour but I didn't have any whole wheat flour in the house, so it's white bread again this time.



Kitchen Aid French Bread

2 packages active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups water (105F to 115 F)
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon melted margarine or butter
7 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon cold water

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add salt, butter, and flour.
Attach bowl & dough hook to mixer, turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute or until well blended. Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer. Dough will be really sticky.
Put dough in large greased bowl, turning to coat.

Cover and let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll each half into 12" x 15" rectangle. Roll dough tightly, from longest side, tapering ends, if needed/wanted. Place loaves on greased baking sheets, dusted with cornmeal.

Cover and let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk. With sharp knife, make 4 diagonal cuts on top of each loaf.

Bake at 450F for 25 minutes. Place 3 -4 ice cubes in the bottom of the oven. Remove from the oven. Beat egg white and water together and brush each loaf with this mix. Return to the oven and bake 5 minutes longer. Immediately remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks.

My notes on this recipe: This dough is really, really sticky. Next time I make it, I am going to try kneading a little longer and seeing if that helps. My loaf turned out pretty flat. I think I didn't roll the dough tightly enough. I didn't use the egg wash and the crust was beautiful. The color of the finished bread was a golden color, not the typical white you think of with French Bread. The bread was denser than I would have liked but the flavor was still very good. After learning some things about this bread recipe, I will try it again.

Black Bottom Brownies - SMS

As you're reading this post, we're enjoying the sunshine of a Caribbean cruise. We're enroute from Fort Lauderdale to the Cayman Islands aboard the Crown Princess.

Brownies are one of those desserts that can so easily overbake. I have the hardest time telling whether or not they are done. These were no exception. The cream cheese filling began to brown, so I pulled them out a few minutes early. The texture and flavor were perfect. Not sure what I did but my cream cheese seemed a little too soft and as a result my chocolate chips sank down on top of the chocolate layer. Everyone at my house loved these, they were gone in no time!!!




Thanks to Cynthia of Bakingtherapist for choosing a yummy recipe. Check out the other baker's creations here!

Bon Voyage!! Pomegranate Infused Vodka

A cocktail post seemed appropriate on our departure day for the cruise!! We fly to Ft. Lauderdale today. We're leaving a couple of days early, just in case we encounter any midwest weather. We set sail for the Caribbean on Saturday. To all of my blogging friends, I will catch up on all of your great posts when I return on the 30th.

Hubby's camera was packed, so sorry no photo on this one!

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to purchase quite a few pomegranates at a really good price. What an interesting fruit! You cut the end off and break the fruit open and scrape out the ariels. Don't do this unless you have some time, it takes a while to get all of the ariels out of the fruit.

Now that I had all of these ariels, what am I going to do with them. I did some reading and saw the suggestion you can eat them. I tried them and while I didn't dislike them, I didn't find them particularly delicious. Maybe on top of salads or something like that but not just to eat alone.

When we owned our lake house, I used to make infused vodka. It made beautiful summer drinks or incredibly strong shots. Either way, it was an often requested item during the summers at the lake. Pomegranate drinks seem to be all the rage these days, so how about pomegranate infused vodka? I did some reading and based on several recipes, created my own version.

Pomegranate Infused Vodka

750 ml bottle of Vodka
2 cups ariels
Peel of two medium limes
Cinnamon Stick

Pour all of the ingredients into a large glass jar with a lid. Using a potato masher, smash the ariels. Secure the lid. Shake to mix all ingredients. Place jar into a cool, dark place for two weeks. Strain and pour into a clean vodka jar. Use immediately or allow to age further.

Grapefruit Granita

I love fresh citrus fruit. Grapefruits are so beautiful and a wonderful breakfast treat. Since we're getting ready to leave town, I am following my "Use It Up" philosophy and trying to make sure I use as much as I can before we leave town. I was trying to think of something fun to make with grapefruits. I've never made a granita. They are so pretty and easy to make.

Grapefruit Granita

Juice of 2 ruby red grapefruits
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey

Bring water to a simmer, remove from heat and pour in the honey. Allow to cool and stir in grapefruit juice. Pour into 9 x 13 glass pan. Freeze for at least six hours. Scrape with the tines of a fork and place into a pretty glass for serving.

There's so many possibilities for a granita...add a splash of vodka or tequilla, citrus fruits, coffee, herbs. I can't wait to experiement and create some new combinations.

Lemon Walnut Sour Cream Pound Cake - SMS

This week's Sweet Melissa Sunday's recipe was chosen by Raeann of Basically Baby Boots . Great choice, Raeann!!! I love pound cake!! I couldn't wait to try this recipe. Sour cream pound cakes are my favorite!!! This cake batter had the most beautiful lemony color and fragrance.

I have a habit of not always reading a recipe thoroughly and missing a ingredient or a step. Not this one, this recipe came together perfectly. Somehow I messed up the timer and went to check how long left and what? it wasn't counting down. I had to estimate how long it had been in the oven, so I began checking it way before it was done. I believe it took close to 1 hour and 30 minutes to bake. I did feel that some of the edges were getting too brown before the center was done. I covered it with foil for the last 10 minutes.

The end pieces of the pound cake were a little dry. Once you made it to the middle, those pieces had a nice moist texture and the best flavor. This recipe is a keeper!!!


Next Sunday's recipe, Black Bottom Brownies.

Please Donate!

I don't know about you but sometimes I take all we have for granted. Clothes, food and shelter! I pause to be thankful for my family and my friends but too often forget to say thanks for those everyday pleasures that I know I take for granted.

I was traveling on business this week and watched quite a bit of the coverage on the earthquake in Haiti. Words cannot describe the tragedy in Haiti. As a food blogger, I'd like ask all the food bloggers to donate to the relief efforts in Haiti. Skip a post and donate the money you would have spent on the food for that particular post.

Use It Up!

Sandy Gluck does a great segment on Everyday Food on Martha Stewart Living Radio called "Use It Up". She takes the ingredient(s) you have in your refrigerator and comes up with a dish to make with them.

My Use It Up for this week is Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Pomegranate Soup. I had butternut squash leftover from the risotto, sweet potatoes in the pantry and pomegranates on the counter. I was actually looking for something to do with my pomegranates and ran across this recipe on the POM website.

This is such an interesting combination of flavors. Would I like it or would it be a failed recipe? I loved this soup. It has the wonderful butternut squash soup flavors with sweetness added from the sweet potatoes and pomegranates. The texture is beautifully creamy and smooth. This one's a keeper!!!

Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Pomegranate Soup
Adapted from POM Wonderful
Serves 6

1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup arils from 1 large pomegranate
1 1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons green chiles, chopped
3 cups chicken broth (or water)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white pepper
1/2 cup dry sherry or other white wine
1 cup milk (nonfat or low fat)
1 cup crispy corn tortilla chips
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Score 1 fresh pomegranate and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranate underwater to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.).

To make pomegrante juice, place arils in the blender, pulse until juiced. Strain, reserving juice.

Place butternut squash and sweet potato on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Roast at 400 for 30 minutes.

In a stockpot, add butternut squash, sweet potato, green chiles, chicken broth and pomegranate juice. Cook over medium heat until hot and flavors are well combined. Add salt, pepper and sherry or white wine. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Process soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.Return soup to the stockpot, add 1/2 - 1 cup of milk and reheat. Serve in bowls with crisp corn chips, pomegranate arils and sunflower seeds.

French Toast

Alton Brown is one of my favorite Food Network chefs. French Toast is a weekend breakfast favorite at our house. Imagine my delight when looking for a new French Toast recipe to try, I found Alton's recipe. I have lots of french toast recipes that require soaking overnight, baking in the oven and consquently take quite a bit of time. I was looking to spice up a quicker version of French Toast.

I added vanilla and cinnamon to the recipe. Vanilla and cinnamon are two of my favorite flavors, especially in French Toast. Alton's recipe browns the French Toast on the stove top and then finishes it in the oven. I decided to just make it in my electric griddle and it turned out fine.

This French Toast is amazingly delicious! The addition of the honey gives it a nice sweet flavor and the half and half adds a bit of extra richness. Okay after all the holiday goodies we have eaten, did we need this richness. No, but it sure tasted good!




French Toast
Adapted from Alton Brown

1 cup half-and-half
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat a stove top or electric griddle to medium heat/350 degrees. Melt the butter.

Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Place slices of bread into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

Chocolate Pie Crust - SMS

Why doesn't pie crust like me? Maybe it's like an animal and smells my fear. Santa brought me pie weights and a pastry blender for Christmas. Like a kid on their first day of school, I was excited about making this pie dough. I didn't feel like the dough came together like it should, it seemed a little too crumbly. I added a little more water. Concerned about overworking the dough, I formed the ball and put it in the frig. After the alloted time, I cut my circle of parchment formed my crust. I sprinkled on the shiny new pie weights and in the oven it went.

Tim's favorite pie is pecan. I needed a pie for Christmas Eve dinner and Sweet Melissa's Chocolate Pecan seemed like a natural. I didn't have any maple syrup or dark corn syrup so I substituted honey and light corn syrup with a little molasses.

Unfortuntely, my crust was like all of the other pie crusts I've made over the years, hard and not flaky. The color on the pie crust was too brown and the flavor rather bland. The filling was okay but not as good as other pecan pies. All in all is was really disappointed in these recipes. I will keep trying, pie crust is one of those cooking challenges that I want to conquer.


Donna of L’Amour de Tarte chose this week's Sweet Melissa Sunday's, Chocolate Pie Crust. We could choose whatever filling we liked. Stop over to Sweet Melissa Sunday's and see some of the other baker's beautiful flaky pies.

Next week, Lemon Walnut Sour Cream Pound Cake!!

35" and Counting!!

Breaking a record can be a good thing. Not these records!! We have had 38 inches of snow so far this season and most of it is still on the ground. Our seasonal average is 30 inches.

The other record we're going to either break or tie tomorrow night is temperature. The forecast low is 24 below zero. The record is 24 below set in the 1800's.

This could be a long winter!!

Kitchen Aid Sixty Minute Dinner Rolls

Okay this is good, I am following through with one of my 2010 blogging goals, baking bread. Kitchen Aid 60 Minute Dinner Rolls, homemade bread in 60 minutes, it doesn't get much better than that! I followed the recipe I found on Erin Cooks.



KitchenAid Sixty-Minute Dinner Rolls
Makes: 24 Dinner Rolls

1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter
3 packages of dry active yeast or 6 3/4 teaspoons
1 1/2 cups warm water (105F – 115F)
5 – 6 cups all-purpose flour

In a small saucepan, stir milk, sugar, salt and butter together. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool until lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4 1/2 cups flour to yeast mixture, and using a dough hook, mix on low speed for about 1 minute. With the mixer still going, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix about 1 1/2 minutes, or until dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl. Knead on low speed for about 2 more minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic – the dough will still be slightly sticky to the touch.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning it to grease the top. Cover the dough with a clean, dry dish towel, and let it rise in a warm place, free from draft, for about 15minutes.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 24 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball, and place in a greased muffin pan. Using kitchen shears or a pizza cutter (a knife will also work), cut each ball in half, then in quarters, and place in the muffin pan. Cover the muffin pan with the dish towel, and let the dough rise for about 15 minutes.

Bake at 425ºF for 12 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Remove from pans immediately, and cool on wire racks.

My notes on this recipe: I thought they could have used a little more flavor, maybe some herbs? Rosemary next time? Still this recipe makes beautiful dinner rolls in an hour.

Butternut Squash Risotto

It's a cold winter night in Nebraska. We received another 3 1/2 inches of snow overnight, making our grand total around 20 inches. Cold winter nights just beg for comfort food. Risotto is a delicious comfort food. Many people are intimidated by risotto. I took a risotto class years ago and have always had good results.

I think the most challenging thing about this risotto was chopping up the butternut squash. When is that knife skills class anyway? I thought I would never finish chopping this squash. AFTER, I finished chopping up the squash, I searched for helpful hints. There's a great post over at Simply Recipes. If only, I had read it BEFORE I chopped the squash.

I found this recipe at Bay Area Bites. The only change I made was to use shallots instead of onion. This risotto has a beautiful creamy texture and a wonderful slight cinnamon flavor. It went well with our Bourbon Apple Pork Loin.


Butternut Squash Risotto
Serves: 10-12

1/2 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
16 oz chicken broth
1 shallot, diced
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
1 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cups Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
Olive oil for roasting and finishing

Roast the Butternut Squash
Preheat oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle.
Microwave the entire squash for 3-4 minutes so that it's easier to cut through. Halve squash lengthwise and discard seeds.
Peel and cut into 1-inch dice. Place in a baking pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.. Bake the squash, stirring the diced pieces occasionally, until tender and browned lightly, 20-25 minutes. Set aside.

In a saucepan bring broth to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer.
In a large pot melt the butter and add onion, carrot, garlic, and ginger. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened. Stir in rice and let it toast a bit, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
Add wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Stir in the broth ¼ cup at a time, stirring constantly, until absorbed. Keep the risotto at a simmer throughout. Continue simmering, stirring, and adding broth, letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until about half of broth has been added. Stir in diced squash, honey, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and continue simmering and adding broth in same manner until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still slightly al dente, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in the grated Parmigiano and combine.
Spoon risotto into serving bowls and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a few curls of Parmigiano using a vegetable peeler.

Chocolate Creme Caramels - SMS

When I read the Sweet Melissa Sunday's recipes for January, I was thrilled. January is going to be a crazy month for me. I am traveling on business and we are going on a cruise!! I knew I needed to have these posts done in advance. I decided to make the Chocolate Creme Caramels for the holiday treat bag for my staff at work!

I was a little nervous because I'd heard how tricky caramel could be. Even as I was making these, I heard Sandy Gluck on Martha Stewart Living Radio talk about the challenges she'd had when making caramel. EEEKKKKK! I hope these turn out!!

There are two recipes in the cookbook for Carmels. The base recipe is Honey Creme Caramels and to make the Chocolate Creme Caramels, you just add...Chocolate. The carmel mixture is the most beautiful honey brown color while it is cooking.

Well turn out, they did! These are the most delicious caramels and remind me of one you might purchase at a fine candy store. Now with that said, don't make this recipe if you are in a hurry, it's not a quick one. The caramel took about an hour to get to 248 degrees. It seemed like it took forever to get from 225 to 248!!! I didn't have an 8 x 8 pan, so I'd planned to use a 7 x 7. I ended up with enough caramel for for two 7 x 7 pans.

These caramels made a wonderful addition to the treat bags for my staff. Thanks to Jeanette of The Whimsical Cupcake for choosing this fabulous recipe. You can find the recipe on her site and links to all of the other Sweet Melissa Sunday's members here!

Next up...Chocolate Pie Crust and Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie.

Cranberry, Pecan and Chocolate Cookies - SSB

This month's Sweet and Simple Bakes will be the perfect Christmas cookie...next year. The flavors in this cookie are meant to go together, cranberries, chocolate and pecans. Yummy!

This recipe is easy to put together. Measuring the ingredients is a snap using my scale. I am so glad I purchased one!!! The only change I made was to use semi-sweet chips instead of white chocolate chips. White chocolate is the ONLY kind of chocolate I don't like.



Stop over to Sweet and Simple Bakes and check out the other bakers cookies.

Little Bit of Everything in 2010

Little Bit of Everything will celebrate it's 1st blogversary in February of 2010. This year has gone so fast. I feel like I learned a lot but still there's so much more I want to learn. In 2010, one of the things I am really looking forward to is partipating in Adopt a Blogger and learning from one of the many talented bloggers out on the blogsphere.

What else do I want to accomplish in 2010?

In 2009, I took a series of cooking classes, Culinary Boot Camp. I'd love to take more classes, a bread baking class and a knife skills class, as well as a cake decorating class.

I think my friends and family consider me a good cook but I want to learn to be more like a chef. I can follow a recipe and most of the time, it turns out great. I want to learn to create dishes without always following a recipe.

Create cocktails using herbs and infusions. These make for interesting and fun cocktails.

Explore the recipes from my collection of cookbooks. 100+ cookbooks, full of great recipes just waiting to be created!

Make more of the recipes from the recipe cards that belonged to my mother. These are such a special memory and should be shared.

Make more homemade bread! I love bread and nothing is better than warm homemade bread.

Let's consider these my blogging resolutions. Oh boy, resolutions!! I don't know about you but I am never very good at carrying out my resolutions. So let's just call them goals and maybe I will do better. Okay now I need a favor from everyone, help me to stay on task to achieve these goals.