Monday, September 10, 2012

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins



Slightly sweet... Extremely moist... Muffins that you don't have to feel guilty about! Perfect for breakfast... Or just whenever :-)

what you need :

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup oat flour (ground old fashion oats roughly in cuisinart)
1tsp baking soda
1tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbl cinnamon
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
Scant 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup all natural smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1 lrg egg, lightly beaten
1tsp vanilla
scant 1/3 cup grade B maple syrup

1 Tbl maple sugar
1/2 Tbl cinn

Method:

-Preheat oven to 375°F and line a 12-cup standard muffin pan with baking cups then coat baking cups with cooking spray. Set aside.
-Whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1Tbl of cinnamon in a large bowl.
Make a well in the center of the mixture.
- Combine banana, yogurt, egg, water, peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk to combine.
-Add this wet mixture into the well that you made in the center of the flour mixture and stir just until combined. The batter will be thick.
-Fill each baking cup 3/4 full of batter. I use an ice cream scooper so the are even.
- In a small bowl, mix together the maple sugar and 1/2 tbl of cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the muffins.
-Bake for 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let muffins cool in pan set on a wire rack for 2 minutes before removing them from the pan to serve warm or cool completely.
-Eat and enjoy

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Cinnamon Maple Roasted chickpeas

It has been forever and a day since I posted anything....it has seriously been crazy town here... But now that life is getting back to normal.... Or well... Whatever normal is.... Anyway...We are back!!!

This afternoon I was really wanting some kind of snack that was a little salty... A little sweet and somewhat healthy! I know... Too much to ask...

But with a little help from Pintrest and changing up some ingredients.... I came up with Cinnamon Maple Roasted chickpeas.
The recipe I found on pinterest called for sugar and honey... I knew I didn't want any white sugar in these and I was more in the mood for the flavor or maple.







What you need....

- 1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) I use Eden Organic no salt added... The Can is also BPA free
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon divided
- 2 tablespoons grade B maple syrup divided
- a pinch of salt
Method....

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Drain chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and rinse them under cold water until starch is removed. Place chickpeas on a paper towel to dry. You can peel of the skins if you wish. I did... Not a fan of the skin

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon, pinch of salt, and 1tablespoon of maple syrup. Place chickpeas in bowl and stir until all of the chickpeas are evenly coated. Spread out the chickpeas on a large baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until chickpeas are crunchy and no longer soft in the middle. Took me about 42 min.

4. Place hot, roasted chickpeas in a small bowl and coat evenly with remaining maple syrup and cinnamon. Spread chickpeas out on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and allow to dry. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. If they last that long!!!!

5. Reminder, Wait for them to cool off before shoveling them into your mouth... Burning hot maple syrup does not feel good on your tongue!!!



Note: This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. Next time I may triple them... Way too good


Enjoy!!!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

A different take on Rice Crispy Treats...




I love rice crispy treats.... Kamal loves Rice Crispy treats... So today after the kids did a craft with fruity cereal and marshmallows (idea taken from Pinerest...which I am addicted too!) We had 1/2 a bag of mini marshmallows left... In my mind there was nothing else to do with them except make some treats!!!


These are a little different though... I added peanut butter and cocoa powder... Hence the brownish color... Oh and we used brown rice cereal. If you would like to try these Sweet yet salty treats... This is what you will need. I didn't really measure anything while throwing it all in a pot... But this is what I think it should be!

What you need:
-about half a bag mini marshmallows
-2 Tablespoons butter
-about 1/4 cup peanut butter
-2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
-about 3 cups brown rice cereal

Method:
-spray a 9x11 pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
-In a medium/large pot melt butter over med-low heat. When starting to melt at marshmallows. Stirring constantly. When marshmallows are almost all melted add peanut butter and stir until combined and then stir in cocoa.
-Take of heat and add cereal. Stir until all covered in marshmallow goodness.
-Dump all of the gooey sticky mess into pan and press down so it fills out the whole pan.
-Wait for it to cool and then cut and serve.
-Good luck waiting... Just try not to burn yourself!!!

Not to sure how many it should make... It all depends on how big you cut them.

Enjoy ;)

Monday, January 30, 2012

Veggies and Kitchen sink baked chicken Flautas....

I was originally not going to post this recipe... Why? Not too sure.. But after the second night of eating them... And the kids devouring them... Kamal said that I should definitely share. So unfortunately I do not have a picture of what they look like when done... But instead I have Annie and Nate eating them;)


I love the fact that the kids devoured them... Getting them to eat beans and veggies is always a bonus! I have noticed though that now that we have started juicing almost every morning.... They are eating more veggies and liking them! Well really Miss Picky Pants... She has always been my tough eater! Nate will eat anything you give him!

Today's juice was special for Daddy... Special because I don't like ginger and this had a ton!
It involved... All organic...
1 bunch of kale
1/2 pound of spinach
4 carrots
2 red apples
1inch of ginger
His bright green juice gave him supper powers! Or at least that is what he thought! Annie stayed far away from it today because we also had fruit smoothies... Nate on the other hand drank 2 cups full!!


Back to the baked yummies....

















What you will need...
-2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded (I had left over rotisserie chicken)
-1 can pinto beans drained and rinsed (can use black too)
-1/2 red onion chopped finely (or whatever kind you have)
-1/2 red pepper chopped fine
-1/2 green pepper chopped fine
-2 cloves garlic minced
- about 1 cup frozen corn (defrosted by running under cold water)
-about 1/2 cup salsa (heat of your choice)
-1/2 Tbl cumin
-1/2 Tbl chili powder
-salt and pepper to taste
-2 big handfuls of shredded cheese
-10 flour tortillas (I used fajita size)
-anything else you want to chop and put in
-sour cream and guacamole for dipping!


Method....
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
3. In a large bowl place all ingredients except tortillas. Mix until everything is married and happy.
4. Take a tortilla and place 2 large soup spoon full of mixture into tortilla. Or as thick as you would like.
5. Roll and place seam side down. Leaving about an inch around each one.
6. Repeat for all tortillas
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes keeping your eye on them so the edges get crispy... Not burnt!
8. Serve with sour cream and or guacamole.... And enjoy!


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Cake Break...



It is time to talk cake again... Yes again.... This next cake we are going to look at is so far my favorite cake that I have done! It was my first tiered cake... so my nerves were going... But I don't know what I was worried about... not so hard..



This cake was for a very special young lady who was turning 4... When it came time to start thinking about her cake, I asked he what she wanted.



Favorite color- purple, green, and pink

Flavor- chocolate and vanilla

Anything else- butterflies





So I got to thinking.. Butterflies? I knew I wanted to make everything edible so I had to make them out of chocolate.

I made a template and piped out the wings and antenna with chocolate and vanilla candy melts.









Next was the actual cake itself... On each tier she was given a layer of chocolate cake and a layer of vanilla... all with vanilla butter cream filling and then iced in vanilla butter cream as well.




















Next I covered the cake in homemade marshmallow fondant.... then stacked the layers.















I was then able to assemble with all the lovely butterflies










Final Product



Here is the cake at the party.. we added some sugar cookies with a little vanilla butter cream... some even got butterflies!


This by far has been my favorite.. I really like how clean fondant makes a cake look.. I can not wait to make my next cake!  who knows what it will be?!?


Thursday, January 19, 2012

Cake Glorious Cake.....

I love decorating cakes... I find it to be so much fun and very relaxing! So, when I get an opportunity to make a cake... I dive right in and just have fun with it.

My brother always asks for me to bake him something. That shouldn't be hard.. Right? Well.. It kind of is when he lives on the other side of the country. Not so easy to make, decorate and then ship a cake! So... When we knew he was coming this way I surprised him with a cake.




I made him a sour cream vanilla cake, with carmel buttercream filling and marshmallow fondant. As you can see, this is my first attempt of the Death Star! So much fun to make.. I have to figure out what to make him next!



This next cake, I made for my dads birthday... He wanted a Viking Ship... I had no clue where to start.. But I finally figured out that I wanted to make his ship.... And make it edible. So.... I shaped it with rice crispy treats, covered it with chocolate fondant boards... Then, made the sail and shields out of edible sugar paper. Now if I had really thought things thru, I would have scaled it down a bit... But that's ok... It makes it fun being so big!





The cake itself was delicious! Carrot cake with maple cream cheese frosting. I used 2 different carrot cake recipes... Took my favorite parts of both, then slathered it with not too sweet frosting!







The last cake to be shown today is the one I got to make for my 7 year old niece. What a fun cake.... When I told her I was going to make her cake, she got really excited. I told her to think about what she wanted.... and she did... So much so she sent me a picture of what she wanted. This picture had a mermaid, starfish, water and a turtle... She also wanted some sand.. So.. I did it... With some help from the gummy section of the candy store.....





We had a vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream... Made a beach out of crushed gram crackers and rocks from rock candy. Handmade white chocolate shells.. Gummy fish, shark, octopus, dolphins, turtle... Starfish!

I really love how the cakes make people happy... Not from the sugar high from eating them, but from the joy of looking at them.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Red Velvet MakeOver...


I used to be intimidated by baking...give me a box mix any day and I would be happy! But then I had some kids and really wanted to make things from scratch... mainly so I would know what went into the things I was feeding them!

Yes a ton of sugar goes into cakes and icing, but I have been trying to play with recipes to use less. Especially in icing! I am not a fan of 'sugar icing' found on most store bought cake... You now there is at least 3 lbs of sugar on top of your cake.

So when my husband kept asking for Red Velvet I never wanted to make it. Too much food coloring and the icing too sweet. But I switched out the colors, the amount of food coloring and poof... We have Purple Velvet Cake and awesome Cream cheese frosting.

So here I am sharing with you the awesomeness that is Purple Velvet Cake... And my own Cream Cheese Frosting recipe!




Purple Velvet Cake:

2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (15 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

1/4 tsp purple gel color

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda


Now this recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of sifted flour. This is always so confusing... Do I measure first.. Sift second.. Or the other way around?!? Easiest way to do it.... Put a piece of parchment paper on your counter, then put measuring cup ontop. Sift the flour into the measuring cup. Use parchment paper to reuse the sifted flour that didn't make it into the cup!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the purple food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

Now comes the fun.... Get your kids in the room, or really anyone who wants to see...

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight). (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

Em's Cream Cheese Frosting

2 bricks of cream cheese @room temp
1/2 cup of butter @room temp
2 heaping Tablespoons sour cream
Pinch of salt
2 cap full pure vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners sugar sifted
a couple of Tablespoons of milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment cream, cream cheese, butter and sour cream until smooth. About 2 minutes.
Change to whisk attachment , add Salt and vanilla. Mix on med low just until combined. Slowly add sugar. (so you don't wear it) and milk.
Beat on med high for 3 min until light and fluffy. Add a little more milk if it looks to thick and not spreadable.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Velvety Goodness......

Tonight we were invited to dinner.... So I asked "what can I bring?" answer... Something sweet.. This is totally up my ally... So I asked the husband what I should make.. He said Red Velvet cake.

He has been trying to get me to make him a Red Velvet cake for... Well it seems like years! But I have been dead set against it because of the amount of Red dye that it calls for... I mean 2 ounces ... 1 whole bottle of red.. And why? To turn a cake red... I don't know, maybe I am missing something..... I told him I would make it if I could change the color... And not use so much dye.


Research began on Red Velvet Recipes... That I would soon turn Purple! Yes purple! I used my gel colors, the ones I use for frosting, and only about 1/4 teaspoon. That seemed much better to me... Still fun... Less fake color.

I found so many different recipes on the right way to make red velvet... I didn't know there was a vinegar and baking soda science experiment involved.... But boy did Nate get a kick out of it! Finally decided on a mixture of two recipes and my own for the cream cheese frosting.

It was sooo good....and I would totally make it again!




Photo by Dana Morand

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Chocolate fudge....chocolate mousse....chocolate ganache...

And dark chocolate cake... How much chocolate can one put into a cake... Never too much.

If you read this post awhile ago, you are wondering to yourself.. Is this the same thing? Answer, No! For some reason my other post just up and disappeared... Like it never exsisted... Let's try again!

Since I stared baking and making cakes... In hopes of starting a business, which I am... Slowly but surely! I have been making cakes for family members... Someone has to be the guinea pigs for my creations!

Well, back in October was my moms birthday.. So I asked what she wanted. The answer was chocolate.. Which I already knew, because if you know my mom... You know she loves decedent dark chocolate cakes.

So, my research began into finding the best chocolate cake.... Not 'Death' by chocolate... But...'Bliss' by chocolate. Well I found it 26 oz worth of chocolate! So much so that I emptied the shelf at the store of their bakers and semisweet chococlate! Not only did this cake have a ton of chocolate, but it was labor intensive! Only took 10 hours to make...I know what you are thinking.. That I am crazy! You are right.. Mind you though this was between naps and playing with my children... But still the steps were long and this cake just took forever.. But well worth it!

Enough all ready.. I know... Let's get to the cake!

-bottom layer :dark chocolate fudge brownie
-middle layer :chocolate mousse
-top layer : dark chocolate cake



Drenched in chocolate Ganache!



After this was done.. I had to pack the car with the kids and cake... I put the cake in a carrier and then covered it with everything and anything I could find from the freezer... Thank goodness for Icepops! This had to make it the 3 1/2 hr journey ! Well it made it and was enjoyed by all!

 Did I tell I tell you how good it was???? Delicious!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Scrumdiddlyumptious Cookies...

aka No Bake- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with chocolate chips and raisins. The scrumdiddlyumptious came from Nate while eating them.

When looking for the recipe the first time, I noticed that every single one called for at least 2 cups of sugar! That.... Was way too much for my liking... So I swapped the sugar for less maple syrup, added chocolate chips and raisins to the mix... And well they are delicious! By the way.. For those who don't use dairy.. You can substitute soy milk and earth balance butter(not butter)... I love making these cookies when in a chocolate mood.. Especially since we usually have all these ingredients on hand...


What you will need...
1 cup maple syrup (I used grade B)
1/2 cup milk
1 stick of butter
3 Tablespoon of cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter
3 1/2 heaping cups of oatmeal (not instant)
1 cup chocolate chips (I used grain sweetened)
1 cup raisin

In a medium large sauce pan combine maple syrup, milk, butter and cocoa powder. Whisk together and heat till boiling. Boil for 1 minute. Turn of heat add vanilla and peanut butter.. Whisk together until combined. Next, fold oatmeal into the mix. At this point, if I notice it is really wet I will sprinkle a little extra oatmeal into it. Fold chocolate chips and raisins into the party.
At this point you can either spoon out onto wax paper, Or line mini muffin tin with cupcake liners. I use a mini ice scream scooper (2 Tbl) and scoop batter into tin. This time I ran out of liners so I also scooped onto wax paper.

This made 62 cookies!

We have made these with chunky peanut butter... Also very good, just a little dry and crumbly.


Enjoy!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Crazy... Crazy Weekends....

Weekends always seem to be jammed packed and not enough hours in the day! For some reason it was almost 65 degrees out on Saturday... Did I mention we are in New England... It should be freezing out with snow on the ground. But.. Well... Something is screwy and we had an absolutely beautiful day. So after naps and lunch.. The fam took a nice long hike... In terms of long... I mean long enough for a two year old to walk the whole thing without being picked up... about and hour and a half. It knocked the kids and the puppy out!

Sunday's usually end up being throw the kids in the car and see how many things we can get done in one afternoon. Tiring... Yes... But we need to do it. Today's quest, besides the usual stop to Target to get everything, was a hunt for a Juicer. Saturday night Kamal and I watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead... A wonderful documentary about a man who...well..was Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead... He turned to juicing, veggies and fruits! In a matter of months his whole life turned around and he became better. Totally recommend the documentary. Right now it is streaming on NetFlix .. So you should totally check it out.

What I am getting at is is that we want to start juicing.. Especially to get more veggies into the kids! If we can hide it in a drink.... Well that works for me! When our new Breville Juicer arrives... We will start experimenting and I will give out the kid approved recipes!

When the day has flown by and it is really late for dinner, we turn to kid friendly meals... Tonight consisted of quesadillas filled with sharp cheddar cheese and left over chicken, carrots on the side.... Then for those still hungry.. Tortillas filled with Hummus and pickles... Yes you heard me right ...Hummus and pickles... The combo is amazing!!!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Let's talk Fondant.....

Fondant... That sometimes thick gross layer of chewy sugar on top of cakes that usually gets pealed off and left on the side of your plate... Well I don't like it! At least that version.

Awhile back I started doing research on how to make my own, in hopes that it would taste better and I wouldn't have to buy it.

After hours of research .... Reading recipes, watching YouTube and actually testing it out... I finally came up with the best version that works for me... And it actually tastes Good! It happens to be a Marshmallow Fondant!

It takes marshmallows...vanilla...tons of sugar... And kneading... lots and lots of kneading! Did I mention kneading?


The result... Defiantly worth it!

This was my daughters 4th Birthday cake.

-Strawberry cake(with over 1lb of strawberries) with a layer of chocolate ganache, covered in chocolate buttercream, then covered in homemade Fondant.

-The cupcakes were chocolate with vanilla buttercream. Decorated with Oreo sunflowers and M&m ladybugs!


I absolutely love working with fondant! I think it can become something beautiful... And now that it can taste good.. Well we definitely have a winner!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Leftovers for dinner tonight.... So let's look at some Cake!

About a year ago I started to take cake decorating classes. Oh how I loved it... There is something so calming and relaxing to me when baking and decorating. Here are a few of my earlier cakes... This was a vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. Decorated with handmade sugar flowers(made with royal icing).





This next cake I made was for when the Vikings played the Pats last year. Unfortunately the cake did not help the Vikings at all.... They still LOST! Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream.


This last cake today was my first experiment with Fondant. This was not homemade Fondant so the fondant tasted... Well kinda gross... In a later post I will share my recipe for Fondant... So yummy and not too hard to make. This was a Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting covered in Fondant. Decorated with gum paste Daisies.





A few of my firsts. Next to come birthday cakes. I absolutely love how with a few ingredients you can make something beautiful and edible!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Black bean Soup - another one pot wonder!

It is freezing out! This weather makes me want to stay inside curl up on the couch under a blanket and just relax.... But ... That can't happen! Not with a 4 year old a 2 year old and a Puppy and because of said puppy I am outside in this freezing cold a LOT more then I want to be.
So... this then makes me want to make warm comforting easy meals for the family. This soup is super easy and I had on the table within a half hour.
The kids really liked it! Annie, the oldest, said it was 'tacos in a bowl'... Who doesn't like that?
Black bean Soup

1 med sized onion chopped fine
3/4 cup celery chopped fine
3-4 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 lb chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces (1/2 in)
2 cans black beans drain and rinsed
1 cup cooked rice (brown or white)
1 jar 16oz of salsa
1box 32 oz of chicken stock
1 tsp cumin
2-3 TBL olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
-For toppings
Shredded extra sharp cheese
Sour cream
Avocado
Tortilla chips

In a 5 quart Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, heat olive oil on med high heat. Season chicken bits with salt and pepper and brown.. May take a few batches. Remove from pot and set aside in a bowl.
Turn heat back to medium and add onion, celery and garlic. Sauté until translucent. Add black Beans and cumin and stir until combined and smelling delicious :)
Stir in salsa and stock until mixed together.
Add corn and rice.
Return chicken to pot with all juices.
Heat on med high until bubbly and yummy... Stirring occasionally for about 10 min.

Serve with any toppings you like!

This soup is not very soupy... If not enough liquid for your liking... Add 16oz more of stock.

For a vegetarian version.... Replace chicken stock with veggie stock and instead of chicken add another can of beans.

This recipe also works well with a mixture of black beans and pinto beans.

Enjoy;)

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Maple Banana Bread

When cooking for my kids, I rarely ever use cane sugar. Unless it is for a cake or cupcake... But for everyday use, I try to only use honey or Maple Syrup. So when my mom passed this recipe my way I was really excited! I have changed it a bit.. Less maple added some vanilla and cinnamon and it is great. At times I have even sneaked some zucchini in there and you can't even tell.

Maple Banana Bread

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg (room temp)
1/2 cup maple syrup grade B preferably (room temp)
3-4 good sized bananas mashed (all depends on how many I have)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 - 1 cup chocolate chips -I use malt sweetened(optional)
1 grated zucchini (optional)

PreHeat oven at 350 degrees F

With a mixer, beat together the butter, egg, maple syrup, vanilla and banana. Until creamed.
In a dif bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to the creamed mixture and stir until moistened. Fold in pecans or chocolate chips or zucchini if using.
Pour into a greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F, for 25 min. Turn the oven down to 300 and continue baking for around 30 min, or until the top springs back when lightly pressed.
Remove from oven and cool for 10 min on cooling rack. Take out of pan and completely cool.. (if possible.. i can never wait to let it cool completely before eating!!)





Sleep? Maybe.....

So, last night all I could think about was what to put on the this thing.... Boy did my mind race! So many things... Where to start....

I am always worried about what's for dinner... Needs to be easy healthy and delicious ... Both for kids and adults. I love one pot comfort food... The easier the better.

Here is one recipe that I have found and adapted for the family. The kids devoured it!

Thai coconut Curry -one pot-

Ingredients
1tbl olive oil
1lb chicken breast (tenders work best... Since I cut bite sized)
Salt and pepper to taste
1can 14oz coconut milk (lite works too if watching fat intake)
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 - 2 tsp Red curry paste
2 red peppers cut into 1/2 -1inch piecses
12 oz of green beans (if fresh- cut into 1inch pieces... But frozen cut work fine as well)
Cereal bowl full of frozen cut (I use crinkle for the kids) carrots (not thawed)
1 cup jasmine rice

- in a 5 quart Dutch oven, or heavy bottom pot. Heat oil on med high heat. Salt and pepper chicken pieces. In two batches, brown chicken, but do not cook thru. Take out and reserve on plate.
-to the hot pot, add coconut milk, stock, water and curry paste. Stir To make sure curry paste has been incorporated. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice, place chicken on top of rice with all juices. Add frozen carrots. Bring back to boil. Put top on and reduce heat to med/low. Cook for 15 min.
-take lid off, stir then add peppers and beans... Replace lid cook for 8-10 min stirring occasionally until veggies are crisp tender. I think next time I make this I will put beans in first, then add peppers after 4 min... They got a little mushy... But still delicious!

Enjoy :)

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Wedding Cake!!

I have been asked by a very good friend to make her wedding cake! Can I just say Awesome!!!!! I am so excited... So in the months to come keep posted to see how it is coming. I should point out that the wedding isn't until the summer... But I will be practicing!

Holiday Gifts

Two weeks ago we were in need of Holiday gifts for Annie's teachers and a few of our friends. So, we made Oreo Cheesecake Truffles and Peppermint chocolate cake truffles. Both addictive and very delicious.

Oreo Cheesecake Truffles
1 15.5 oz bag of Oreos
1 brick of cream cheese room temp
1 12 oz bag of semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs veg shortening

Take Oreos and put in a gallon size food bag. Take out all of our aggression and beat and smush until fine crumbs.

Place crumbs into bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment. Add cream cheese and mix on med-low until well combined.

On a wax paper lined cookie sheet roll mixture into small balls. I use a small 2oz ice cream scooper to make sure same size. Then hand roll into balls. Place balls into fridge for 30 min.

While balls are chilling, melt chocolate and shortening, either in a double boiler or microwave. Making sure to stir as you go.

Take tray of balls out of fridge. Then going to dip each one in the chocolate.
Place ball in chocolate, roll around, gently take out and shake off excess chocolate. Place back on wax paper. When finished with all, place back in fridge to set up. About 30 min.
Enjoy! Chocolate bark and Cake truffle recipes to come :)






Here we go...

Well... I am ready to share with you some tidbits of my life and what I love... Recipes, cakes, treats, the family and well some fun! So join me on this crazy adventure... It should be wonderful!