Peppermint Marshmallows

These are good!  For the first time in 7 years (or more) we put fresh candy canes on our tree!  I know, gross!  Make a mental note never to eat a candy cane off our Christmas tree because you will never know how old they are (unless you come this year...they are brand new)!  And, maybe buying candy canes each year will become a new tradition because I used up most of the remainders to make these peppermint marshmallows.  They are very easy and require no candy making skills.  Candy making thermometers and I do not get along so this was a good thing.


GO HERE for a great tutorial and recipe!

I have added them to both my hot chocolate AND my coffee.  Both tasted better because of these dainty little treats. 

Chocolate Pretzel Rings

Salty, sweet....what's not to love.  Oh yeah, and easy!

I've gotten a little slack lately for this section of the blog not being updated.  Fair enough.  My friend Meggan sent me this recipe:

• Preheat oven to 225
• Spread aluminum foil on a pan
• Get those pretzels only available this time of year that are a "O" shape
• Spread them out on the aluminum foil
• Place a hershey's kiss/hug/caramel fill kiss....whatever you want in the center
• Bake for 2 minutes - just enough to melt the chocolate
• Remove from oven and immediately push an M&M into the middle
• Let cool.  Peel from foil and enjoy!

Super delish and easy!  Thanks Meggan!

Dump Cake

Remember when I told you, here, that my style was easy and leaned towards healthy?  Well, with today's post, you can forget all about that "healthy" bit.  Healthy is not how I would describe this dish.  Not in the least.  Easy though...easy is definitley in the description.

Here's what you need:

1/2 cake mix (I think yellow tastes the best with this)
1 can pie filling
1 stick of butter

Here's what you do.  Oh, and I should note, I have cut this recipe in half because that's plenty of dessert for us.  But, it's traditionally made in a 9x13 pan instead of a pie plate.

Okay, on with the show.

Preheat the oven to 350

Spray a pie plate with nonstick spray and dump the pie filling in.

Now take the cake mix, and dump half of it on top of the pie filling.  If you have a good eye, just guess where "half" is.  If you're a nerd like me, you can calculate that half of the cake mix is 258 grams and use your kitchen scale to get an exact measurement.  Save the other half for next time.

Now take that stick of butter (preferably right out of the fridge) and cut it into little pats (or is it "pads"?) and arrange them on top of the cake mix.

Then just pop it into the oven for 45-60 minutes.  When the filling is bubbling and the top looks golden, it's done.  Now would be a good time for me to insert a completed Dump Cake picture.  But, stop searching.  It won't be making an appearance today because as soon as it was done, we went over to our neighbors for game night and the dump cake went with us. No time for pictures.

Traditionally, when you do not half the recipe, a lot of people use one can of cherry pie filling and one can of crushed pineapple.  Maybe that sounds more appealing to you, but I will stick with my raspberry bliss.

Godiva Chocolate Martini

I didn't take that picture.  I'm not a photographer, that's my sister's job.  And someday, when I figure out how to make millions by keeping a blog, I will pay her to be my photographer.  In the meantime, I'm going to legally steal images that I find on the internet.

Why?  Because doesn't that look yummy?  It is.  Trust me!  Or, stop on by and I'll make you one.  They are delicious.  Smooth as chocolate milk and just as easy to consume.  Just ask my mom.  There is a funny story there and I'll happily tell you over a chocolate martini someday!

Here's the recipe:

1.5 shots Godiva chocolate liqueur

1.5 shots Creme de Cocoa

1/2 shot vodka

2.5 shots Half n' Half

Pour all the above into a shaker and shake it up.  Pour it into a glass, drink, and repeat.  But, remember to get up and walk around a bit inbetween each martini...right mom?

Peppered Steak

This is a recipe that Rob brought to the marriage.  We make it all the time.  Especially when our garden is spitting out all those peppers and tomatoes.  Also, because I was getting free stew meat from Target about 6 months ago and I have enough, in the freezer, to last us a lifetime.

Ingredients

1 lb stew meat
1/4 c worchestershire sauce
1/2 c beef broth
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 green pepper, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 tomato, sliced into pieces
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
salt, pepper

Brown the meat in a large skillet with the garlic, salt, and pepper.  Once the meat is browned, add the worchestershire and beef broth.  Once that reaches a boil, pour everything into a crockpot set on low.  I usually start this around 1pm and we eat at 6pm....do what works for you.

Right before dinner, transfer the goodness back into the skillet.  Add the pepper.  Bring to a boil  .  Mix the cornstarch and water and pour it, while stiring, into the meat mixture.  Continue this process until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.  Add the tomato last.  I don't like mushy tomatoes, so I add them just before serving making sure they have just enough time to heat through

We serve this over brown rice.  It's really great with some garlic bread too....but that's a luxury around here and only appears with this meal when I'm really on the ball.

Chipotle's Carnitas

A couple people have asked me for the recipe for the Carnitas we made for the Fiesta this past summer.  I posted it in the comments section there, but we have been making these pretty routinely around our house, so I thought I'd post the recipe here as well.

The Carnitas end up tasting very similar to Chipotle's carnitas, and if we ever figure out how to successfully duplicate their rice, you'll be the first to know.

Here's what you need:
•One 7lb pork butt, cut into 10 large chunks
•1 very large onion, quartered
•5 chipotle chiles in adobo, seeded & chopped, plus 3 tablespoons adobo sauce from the can
•1 tablespoon ground cumin
•1 tablespoon ground coriander
•1 tablespoon dried oregano
•1 tablespoon salt
•2 bay leaves
•2 to 3 quarts low sodium chicken broth
•2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Just so you know, it's almost impossible to find a 7 lb pork butt.  Also, it's embarrassing to yell the words "Pork Butt" to the local butcher across a crowded meat section.  Take it from me.

Okay, moving on.  You will most likely end up with a 5 pounder at most so just adjust the ingredients accordingly.

Rob usually makes this.  I spent 7 years in a food safety lab do far worse things to raw meat than just cutting it up, but still, if I can avoid it, I do.

Add the onions.

It's nice that you don't have to cut the onions much, just big chunks.  You know what my super power is?  Cutting onions....they don't bother me at all.

From here, you just add the rest of the ingredients right into the pot, except for the oil...save that for later.  A note on the chiles, they can be found in the authentic Mexican food section of your grocery store, not the "Ortega Taco Mix" Mexican section.  Take it from Rob.

A little 7.5 oz can will give you plenty of chiles.

Then just pour in enough chicken broth to cover everything up (I don't measure that part, but one super large can was enough for this one).  Stir it up, cover it, and bring it to a boil.  Once it's boiling, uncover it and let it simmer for 3 hours. 

After only a half hour, your house will smell delicious.

After 3 hours you'll be drooling, but take this moment to heat your oven up to 450.  Drizzle some olive oil (or vegetable oil) on a shallow pan.  Use a slotted spoon to take out the large meat chunks and place them on the pan.  With a fork, you can pull apart the meat into smaller, more manageable pieces.

Pop that baby in the oven for 20-30 minutes until it's nicely browned.  The picture above is pre-oven.  Just picture it slightly darker and you have post-oven.

We serve ours with a semi-tasty version of Chipotle's Lime Rice plus cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.  Whatever you happen to like.  Rob makes his into tacos or burritos.  I prefer the burrito bowl style.

Spooky Pumpkin Muffins

Just in case you need a really last minute treat to bring to a Halloween party....here you go!  Grab a box of your favorite muffin mix (I used pumpkin because it seemed seasonally appropriate).  Once the muffins are cooled, put some ready made cream cheese frosting into a ziploc baggie.  Snip off the corner and pipe on the ghosts.  I raided Ellie's candy to find some mini M&Ms for the eys, but chocolate chips would work just as well.

Happy Haunting!!!

Rice Meatballs

I made it last night.  It's easy, and it is one of the only meals that every single child eats.  And EATS!  This was a favorite of mine growing up (and still is) and it's not rare for Austin to match me meatball for meatball.

We always pair it with "smashed" potatoes and corn.  The recipe is a bit versatile too.  If you want to, substitute brown rice for the white rice.  Or, ground turkey instead of ground beef...whatever floats your boat.  Another reason I like this is becuase I can make it the night before or during naptime and just let it hang out in the fridge until "go time".

Rice Meatballs

1 lb ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1 can water
1 egg
1 c rice  (if you use instant rice, I find 3/4 cup is plenty)
salt, pepper, garlic salt

Mix ground beef, egg, rice, and seasoning together (use your hands...gross but effective).  In a seperate bowl mix together tomato soup and water.  Form about 1.5 inch balls out of the meat mixture and plop them into the tomato soup mixture.  Bake at 350 for one hour, stirring half way through.

The next day, cut leftover meatballs in half, lay them on a hoagie bun, layer that with a bit of cheese (provolone, white american, etc.) throw them in the toaster oven to heat them up and for a whole new meal!

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Final Installment

I have narrowed it down to two cookie recipes.  Both delicious for their own reasons. 

Cookie Recipe #1

This is the tweaked version of the original recipe.

1c butter (softened)
1 1/2 c packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 c chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugar together.  Add room temperature eggs, one at a time until well mixed.  Add vanilla.  Mix all dry ingredients in a seperate bowl.  Make sure when you measure the flour, that you spoon it into the measuring cup instead of scooping with the measuring cup.  This packs in more flour and give an inaccurate amount.  Add dry ingredients slowing to butter/sugar mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Refrigerate the dough for 2+ hours.  Bake at 375 for 8 minutes.  Take the pan out, let the cookies sit on the pan for a minute or two before removing them to a cooling rack

Why I liked this cookie
It was chewy.  It also remained chewy for quite some time.  Days.  And, of course, it was very tasty.

Recipe #2 (Patrick, this is yours +vanilla)

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 c cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (12 Oz's) semisweet chocolate chips

Cream the sugars with the butter.  Add a room temperature egg, mix well.  Add the vanilla.  Combine dry ingredients in a seperate bowl and mix well before slowly adding them to the butter/sugar mixture.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool on pan for a few minutes before removing to cooling rack.

Why I liked this cookie
For one, it looked prettier than #1 when it was done.  It had a very crispy "outer shell" but a soft center.  Not quite as chewy as #1.  However, these didn't seem to stay soft quite a long.  As I've said before, that's not usually a problem around here.

And those are my picks for chocolate chip cookies. 

Moving on.....

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Part III

Since my last cookie post, I've had a couple people send me their recipes.  In addition, my friend, who works as a Principal Food Scientist enlisted the help of her whole building for suggestions.  In her building, is the Cargill Bake Lab.  Also, there is a guy who's title reads "Certified Master Baker".  I'm not sure what the certifcation process involves but, back in the day, he made all the formulations for Mrs. Fields.  I think I'm in good hands.  The unanimous response from her building was that I needed to use cake flour instead of all purpose flour.  It gives "shoulders" to a cookie.  Today, I finally found said flour at Walmart (both Super Target and Cub were out when I tried to get it a week ago).  His other sugestion was that I increase my flour by about 20% to increase my flour to fat ratio.  Also, I was informed my all butter cookie is destined for failure in terms of shelf life.  However, that does not concern me because none of my cookie attempts sit around this house for more than a day before we devour them. 

Other suggestions included: using a convection oven (not possible for me), using a butter/margarine combination, using karo syrup or honey in place of some of the sugar (but then increase the flour to make up for the extra liquid).

Today, I just went with the substitution of cake flour, plus I added 20% more flour than I have been previously used.  I'm also going to chilled the dough because that seemed to help a bit last time.

The results
They were okay.  I watched them in the oven and I really thought this was going to be it.  They were plumping up beautifully.  But, by the time they were done, they fell flat.  The taste is fine and the texture inside wasn't "cakey" which I was worried about.  The outsides were a bit crispier than before, and they seems to be a tiny bit hard along the edges already. 

I don't doubt that the above suggestions were accurate.  I am not about to argue with a whole building of food scientists.  But, it didn't create my perfect cookie.  I think that second cookie batch I made (original recipe but with a chilled dough) was my best tasting so far.  Perhaps I will just add a little extra flour to that recipe and see what happens.  I also have, in my hands, one more recipe that is just a bit different than others I've recieved.  After I try out those two options, I will pick my favorite and call it good.  Too many wonderful recipes out there to get hung up on one...right?

BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

This is a quick meal.  Really quick.  Most of the ingredients we usually have on hand.  Plus, it's versatile so even if you don't have the required ingredients on hand, you can improvise.

We stole this recipe from the Cheesecake Factory.  I mean, we don't actually know their recipe, but we made ours based on theirs.  And I'm guessing our final recipe is about a 1/4 of their recipe since most of their dishes designed for a single person could easily feed 2-3 people.

Anyway, onto the recipe.  Here is what the Cheesecake Factory's looks like:

And then here's what you can more realistically expect your salad to look like:

I realize that second salad does not look appetizing at all, but, trust me, it is.  I also have no dreams of being a great food photographer, so I will never learn how to make my food look scrumptous.

Anyway - onto the recipe.

Chicken

Lettuce (spinach, romaine, iceburg, whatever you have on hand)

Can of black beans (rinsed)

Can of corn (or bag of frozen cooked first)

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Ranch Dressing

BBQ Sauce

You can make your chicken however you prefer, or you could even just use those pre-cooked seasoned strips you can find by the deli meat.  We like our chicken just a little bit crispy on the outside though, so I heat up some olive oil, toss in a tiny bit of butter.  While that is getting nice and hot, I season (salt, pepper, garlic salt) the chicken, then I sprinkle a bit of flour on each side.  I'm not going for the "fried" chicken effect, so it's not much flour....just enough for a tiny bit of crispiness.  Cook both sides of the chicken until they are a nice golden brown.

And from here, it's really up to you and your pantry.  Tonight, we didn't have a cucumber on hand, and I wasn't feeling like tomatoes. Our spinach, which we normally use (added health benefits), was looking a little sad so I went with traditional iceburg, but would have preferred romaine.

Black beans aren't normally on my list of foods I seek out, but they really add something in this salad.

Mix the ranch dressing and BBQ sauce together in a 2:1 ratio (respectively) and enjoy!

Cupcake Bites for Halloween

Last time I made the cupcake bites, my brother, ever so politely made the comment that they looked like eyeballs.  It made me think....why not?  So I went all out with the idea.

Same cupcake bite as before.

This time with iris colored M&Ms and a few bloodshot lines.

Eyeballs.  It's what's for dinner.

Oreo Pops

I came up with this the other day.  Well, I can't say for sure that no one else has ever achieved the greatness that I call "Oreo Pops", but what I mean is that this idea is without a recipe or inspiration from someone else.  Maybe it's because I'm attracted to all the colors that Wilton Candy Melts come in.  When I saw orange at the store, I immediately thought of pumpkins and I needed something round to go with them.  Hello Oreos!

They are fairly easy.  Just stick a lollipop stick in the frosting of a double stuff oreo cookie.  Melt the candy melts according to the direction on the package.  I also add about 1-2 teaspoons of shortening to thin the melts out a bit.  I think it helps with the dipping.  Never use water to thin out candy melts.  Vegetable oil and shortening are your best options.  I stuck mine in an empty box to stand upright while they dried.

Then, I took an edible marker to draw Jack o'Lantern faces on the Oreo Pops.  I got tired of drawing faces, so I wrote words like "boo" and "eek" on a few of them.  Clever, I know.

Oreo Pops.  They're spooktacular!

Choclate Chip Cookies - Part II

Austin and I worked on the cookie recipe yesterday.  I read someplace that the reason for the cookies spreading so much could be as simple as the dough just needing to be refrigerated before hand.  While the girls were napping, Austin and I set out to test this hypothesis.  His words...not mine.  I'm raising a scientist.

We halved the batch because we don't need that many cookies lying around our house.  Austin might disagree but since he never gains a pound, and since I have no self-control, I win.  When the dough was ready, it sat in the fridge for an hour.

The results were better.  But not my perfect cookie.  Incidentally, if your perfect cookie is thin, crispy on the outside, and goey on the inside, then just ask, and boy do I have the recipe for you!  The cookies taste awesome.  But, I'm on a mission to figure out how to thicken them up.  I know the problem.  It's the butter.  It's adding a lot of moisture and causing the cookie to spread.  The other problem is that I love the taste of a buttery cookie so I will substitute with some shortening as a last resort.  Plus, the butter is also responsible for that crip outer layer I'm seeking. 

Therefore, I reject our hypothesis.  Next step...more flour to bind with the moisture.

Cupcake Bites

The Vikings play the Packers tonight.  We're suppose to be having an outdoor tailgate at our house and suppose to be watching the game on the big screen outside.  However, due to weather, I have a feeling it will be cancelled.  Nonetheless, I made these yesterday just in case.

Let me just start by saying, these are a pain in the butt.  I got the idea from Bakerella.  Basically, you take a baked cake, mash it up, combine it with a tub of frosting, roll little balls out of the mixture, and then coat them in candy melts of your choice.  I urge you to visit her site, because what I created is nothing what they are suppose to look like.
Actually:

There, that is from her site.  That is how they should look.  And, maybe you want to make me feel better and say "well, she probably makes hundreds of these and picks the best 5 for the picture".  True, she might.  But, I made at least 40 and I couldn't even find one that remotely resembled hers.

I mean, I had some really ugly ones.

However, they are delicious.  I had to hide them from Rob so he didn't eat them all, just in case the party does happen.

Either way, Skol Vikings!

Joe's Tomatoes

Last May, when we were in Vegas, our neighbor highly recommended we go to Joe's in Ceasar's Palace.  Specifically, we were to order "the tomatoes".  We asked her to specify which tomatoes and she just replied, "Just ask for the tomatoes, they'll know what you mean".  And so we did.  In my opinion, Joe's was only ok, but the tomatoes were indeed memorable.

Last night we set out to recreate them.

Ingredients

4 slices beefsteak tomatoes (1/2 inch thick)
1/2 cup creamed spinach
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons seasoned dry bread crumbs
3 slices real American cheese (not cheese food)

Directions

Preheat broiler to high.

Arrange tomato slices on a baking sheet and lightly salt them.

Combine creamed spinach with melted butter and breadcrumbs in a medium bowl.

Spread approximately 2 tbsp of creamed spinach on top of each tomato. Use up all of the spinach.

Dice American cheese slices, then pile an equal amount of cheese on top of the spinach on each tomato.

Broil the tomatoes for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese melts and browns. Serve hot.

I ran a couple of the finished products over to our neighbors.  Maybe she was just being nice, but she declared them exactly like Joe's.  It's too bad we only just now started making them since we've had more tomatoes than we knew what to do with all summer.  As proof that they are delicious, consider this:  I don't like tomatoes.  I don't like cooked spinach either.  (I have no problem consuming large amounts of cheese).  I thought these were great!

Here's the recipe we used for the cooked spinach:

Ingredients
3 tablespoons salted butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 (10 ounce) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour and heat for about 1 minute. Whisk in half-n-half.

Squeeze water out of the thawed spinach and add spinach to the saucepan. Add salt, nutmeg, and black pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes on low/medium heat. Spinach will be tender when done.

White Chicken Chili

I'll let you in on a secret.  I don't like cooking.

Well, that's not completely true.  If I had the time to cook a nice meal, without Austin, Ellie, and Riley's "help", I'd enjoy it a bit.  But, since the kids aren't going anywhere anytime soon, I don't look forward to making dinner.  Therefore, my cooking style is quick, easy, and yummy.  I lean towards healthy choices, but I also don't let a little extra fat or salt stop me from making a dish.

Enter:  White Chicken Chili

It's fast, it's fairly "hands off", and it's probably loaded with salt.  I don't know that for sure, because I haven't read the back of the package, but most mixes are.  But, aside from the salt content, it's a fairly healthy dish.

I doctor it up a bit, so here's my recipe:

~1 lb of cubed chicken breast
1 tsp olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic salt
1 pk of McCormick's White chicken chili ($0.88 at walmart)
1 can northern beans (not drained)
1 c water
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (drained)

Heat the oil in a large wok/skillet.  Add chicken, season it, and cook through.  Once the chicken is cooked, add the beans, water, seasoning packet, and tomatoes.  Mix well and simmer for 20 minutes.  The directions recommend covered but I've done both and don't taste a difference.

I serve it up with a mound of shredded cheese on top.  Everything is better with cheese.  The chili has a bit of a Santa Fe taste to it.  If you're worried about the spicy-ness of the dish, then I recommend omitting that can of tomatoes with green chilis.  On occasion, I've also thrown some frozen corn into the mix.

It's one of the easiest recipes we make around here.  Surprisingly, each one of the kids eats it.  Even Ellie, who refuses Kraft Mac and Cheese on occasion.  She's our toughest critic these days and last night she said "Mmmmm....yummy mommy!  I yike it!"

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

I'm on a mission.  I'm on a mission to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Of course, the "perfect chocolate chip cookie" is a matter of opinion for everyone.  For me, the perfect cookie is thick and chewy.  If I can be really picking, it will be slightly crispy on the outside.  I did some research and came across this site.  I thought the science behind the article was pretty interesting, but the recipe they have associated with "thick and chewy" did not, in fact, yield a thick cookie.  It did yield some of the thinnest cookies I have ever seen.  Tasty, for sure, but so thin, some of them dropped through the cracks of the cooling rack.

Thin.

After rereading that article, perhaps I need to add more flour to bind with the water, which will prevent the cookie from spreading out so much.

In the meantime, I'm on the hunt for a new recipe to try again next weekend.  If any of you have a recipe that fits my description of "perfect", send it my way.  I will try each and every recipe I get.  My kids will never eat dinner again because they will be filled with cookies.  Austin might even gain some weight.