Tasty Tuesday

Easy, Simple, Delicious. I make this for dessert alot! Its great for holidays, summer, spring, fall, winter...in general any time :)

Pound Cake with Amaretto Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients

-Sara Lee Pound Cake in freezer section

-Blueberries fresh or frozen

-White Granulated Sugar

-Amaretto

-Cool whip/redi whip/homemade whipped cream

Directions

-Defrost pound cake

-In small pot put about a cup of blueberries, about 1/2 c of sugar, and a couple splashes of amaretto (really as much as you'd like)

-Stir while the blueberries get warm and sugar melts and alcohol starts to cook off. When it starts to simmer mush some of the blueberries. To make thicker add more blueberries, to adjust sweetness adjust sugar, and to make thinner add more sugar or amaretto :)

Meatless Monday

Hmmm I know I'm late on this one but meatless monday...I'm actually kind of stumped with this one :) OH

Caprese Salad Pasta (I know, like last monday...bear with me)

Ingredients
-Box of spaghetti
-Can of diced tomatos (basil, etc added into it)
-Package of the teeny mozzerella balls
-Fresh basil (optional)
-Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Directions
-prepare spaghetti as normal
-drain and put back in pot, add mozzerella (drained) then toss
-in seperate pot heat tomatos to hot
-pour in with spaghetti, toss, let mozz melt a little
-you can top with basil (chiffonade, or torn or however you'd like) and balsamic if you'd like
-EAT!

This is also fantastic with italian sausage (mild) cut up, or shrimp. My normal is with the sausage but its meatless monday! Its a great side dish for fish or any number of light entrees. Also sorry for no mouthwatering picture...I couldn't find one that did this justice!

Sweet Sunday

Thank you to my seester, Julia, who has been on the phone with me for like an hour trying to find it in my mom's cookbook, since I lost my copy :( I was 98% sure it was in my mom's old Betty Crocker cookbook...well turns out it was the other 2% haha it was in her step by step cookbook! Sorry baby seester you're the best!! These aren't hard all the way through like the ones you buy in the store. These are light and airy and kind of gooey in the middle and it melts in your mouth! If you want them dry all the way through just cook them longer. Feel free to swap out different extracts for the peppermint. You can find everything from butter nut to raspberry to lemon. Fun for holidays and special occasions especially when you add food coloring. Christmas we make red/pink and green. Other times we'll make purple...blue...anything :)

Meringue Cookies

Ingredients
-3 egg whites
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/4 tsp cream of tartar
-1/4 tsp peppermint extract (optional)
-pinch of salt
-1 c white sugar

Directions
-Preheat oven to 275 degrees F
-In small bowl beat eggs whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, whatever extract you are using (if any) and salt until soft peaks form
-Gradually add sugar about 1 tbsp at a time and beat until very stiff peaks form. Drop or pipe by about an inch, inch and a half apart. (they can be as big or small as you want them. if you don't have a piping bag do what I do, take a big freezer bag and load the mixture in, seal closed, snip an end off and squeeze out! so easy and much neater than using a spoon)
-Bake for 30 minutes

Speedy Saturday

Short post, like last night! Sorry I've been super busy all weekend :) I haven't even had time to update my other blog...bad Rachel! However...here is one of my go-to recipes when I'm tired. I realize there is no veg in here except the dried onion, feel free to add celery or carrots. In my house it wont get ate. Also super easy to double or triple! This recipe is for 2-3 people though. When there are 4+ I normally double the broth, soup, and biscuits. I'm sorry it looks so rough, this was one that I accidentally cooked and this is literally how I tell people to cook it. Goulash next Saturday care of my mother in law :)

Chicken N Dumplings

Ingredients

-1 chicken breast per person or a couple (2-3) tenderloins, boneless and skinless

-1 box of chicken broth, 32 oz

-1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, (the smaller cans not family size)

-1 can buttermilk biscuits (not the flake layer ones, just normal biscuits I use walmart brand small tube)

-Salt and pepper

-Dehydrated chopped onion (in spice section)

Directions

-Empty broth into pot and put chicken in, if broth doesn't cover chicken add more broth OR water

-Bring to boil

-Cook chicken thru

-Remove chicken from pot, shred/chop/or leave whole

-Whisk in cream of chicken soup and the onion

-Bring back to simmer or boil

-Open biscuits, tear into small pieces and roll into dime/nickel sized balls, throw into pot

-Continue till all biscuits are gone

-Cook until the dumplins are to your liking (this completely depends on the texture you like)

-Add chicken back in, cook together a couple min

-Salt and pepper to your liking

Fakeout Friday (alittle late)

Lentil Cookies

Ingredients

-9 and 1/2 oz whole wheat flour (by weight, apprx 2 c)

-1 tsp baking powder

-1 tsp salt

-1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

-1/2 tsp ground allspice

-8 oz sugar (again by weight, apprx 1 c)

-6 oz room temp butter, apprx 3/4 c

-1 egg

-2 tsp vanilla extract

-1 1/2 c lentil puree, recipe follows

-3 1/2 oz rolled oats, apprx 1 c

-4 oz dried fruit, apprx 1 c (i'd use crasins :) yum)

-2 1/4 oz unsweetened dried coconut, apprx 1 c

Directions

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

-In medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt cinnamon, allspice

-In bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment cream together sugar and butter on medium speed. Add egg and mix until just incorporated. Add vanilla and lentil puree until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in oats, dried fruit, and coconut.

-Form dough into balls about 2 tsp in size, place on baking sheet w/ parchment paper leave 1 inch between each. Bake 15-17 minutes or until internal temp is 195 degrees F

Lentil Puree

Ingredients

-4 oz lentils, about 2/3 c, picked over and rinsed

-2 c water

Directions

-In small pot over medium heat combine lentils and water, bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 30-40 min, or until lentils are tender. Remove from heat and puree. If using immediately, let cool. Puree may be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freezer for 2-3 months

Tot Thursday

Thank you Lisa for the "t" name idea! My brain hasn't been working lately :) silly hormones.

Anyway, food has always been a HUGE part of my family. Including the preperation and cooking. My 2 year old helps me every single day in the kitchen whether it be putting cookies on the baking sheet, to stirring pasta for mac and cheese (she knows you don't put the pasta in till you see bubbles in the water already...my little chef in the making) and yes, I know the kitchen is a dangerous place but I am a very firm believer in its dangerous only if you don't watch them and the danger grows with age and ignorence of how to use the tools IN the kitchen. Proper supervision and teaching are wonderous. Yes, I feel the same way about firearms...although I have no choice about having them in my house haha.

List of things your tot/child can do.

-Rinse veg and fruit

-Tear lettuce and herbs

-Stir dry ingredients for baking, and with you right there stir in the wet ingredients

-They have dull knifes for children to start learning on that wont cut them now

-Rolling dough

-Putting cheese on things

-Eating said cheese (lets be honest...snacking is the best part of cooking)

-Putting cookie rounds, or chicken nuggets, or fries etc on cookie sheets

Etcetcetc. Kids love helping prepare their food, and if they make it they're more likely to eat it. Very good news for moms with picky eaters like me! (note : this doesn't work with husbands...I've tried. That's why we have fake out friday tho!)

Quick Chicken Salad with Veggies (I know I know...no measurements haha I'm sorry. Make the amount you think your family will eat!)

Ingredients

-Lettuce of your choice, we like romaine hearts

-Vegetables of your choice, suggestions colorful ones like bell peppers and carrots

(side note my hampster is in his food cup...is incredibally cute...Ihad to share)

-Cheese of your choice, preshredded or you of course can shred it

-Chicken Nuggets, cooked (ours are easy to microwave in about 2 min, but follow package directions. Of course you may use grilled leftover chicken breast or the precooked bagged chicken in the salad area of the store)

-An array of dressings in cute little cups with plastic spoons in them

Directions

-Cut bottom off of the lettuce if you're using romaine hearts, let your child tear into pieces and put into a collander or salad spinner. Have them run water on the leaves and show them how to move them around so they all get clean. Dry well (this is probably your turn moms and dads) Have kids put into a big bowl

-Slice veg into small pieces or strips, if you have a childproof knife or your kid is good with a butter knife give them a few of the strips and let them have fun. Neeeever give kids sharp knives...I know for most that goes without saying but I'm covering bases here. Have kids put into bowl with lettuce

-Cut up chicken into pieces or leave in nuggets/strips your choice. Have kids put in bowl previously mentioned

-Let kids put all the cheese you want into salad. Its good for them!

-Have fun tossing all the ingredients together, both of you.

-Serve in individual bowls, let kid choose dressing and let them put it on their own salad (thus the cups of dressing with spoons to drizzle) trust me, to them they just made dinner all by themselves and they're going to be so proud!

Side note!

Tasty Tuesday will probably stick...even tho we have Sweet Sunday. Kid friendly Thursday is looking for a T beginning...but thats the jist of it. Then it will be Speedy Saturday for all you moms on the go!

Healthy Hump Day

Quick and easy corn chowdern that Carolyn made for me and proceeded to send me the recipe because it was beyond amazing. This is DELICIOUS. I don't care if you don't think you like chowders...its not very thick its way more soupy :) so friggin delicious!

Ingredients

-2 Tbsp butter or margarine

-1/2 c chopped onion

-1/4 c all-purpose flour

-1 3/4 c chicken broth

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp black pepper

-1/8 tsp cayenne (no it doesn't turn out super spicy)

-1/2 c half and half

-1 can (11oz) Green Giant Southwestern Style corn, undrained (yes, very important you get green giant, southwestern. no other works)

-2 tbsp chopped chives

-Chopped Chives (or my mom used chopped cilantro) for garnish if desired

Directions

-In 2qt saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, cook 3-5 min, stirring occasionally, until tender

-Stir in flour until well blended. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Stir in salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cook, stirring frequently, until thickened

-Stir in half and half, corn and 2 tbsp chives. Cook until thoroughly heated. Garnish if desired

ENJOY!

Tuesday Tastiness

Bananas Foster...yum. But not just ANY bananas foster today. This is COPELANDS bananas foster, the most amazing sexy dessert ever. I'll admit this is not an everyday dessert but oh its fantastic. Incredibally rich.

Ingredients

-1 stick of butter, cut in half

-4 whole bananas cut lengthwise and in half to make 4 pieces

-1 teaspoon cinnamon

-1 cup light brown sugar

-1/4 cup half and half

-1 shot each banana liquor (like bolls or 99 bananas) and clear rum

-vanilla icecream

Directions

-place half stick of butter in heavy skillet or pan and melt

-add sugar, half and half, and cinnamon, cook until sugar dissolves

-add bananas and liquor (if cooking on open flame, such as gas stove remove the skillet or pan before adding liquor please!!)

-add remaining butter and stir till combined

-cook until bananas are soft and liquid is syrupy

-serve over vanilla icecream

Quick post

So quickly here is around what will be going on weekly.

Meatless Monday

Healthy Humpday

Fakeout Friday (usually getting veggies into unsuspecting kids and husbands)

Sweet Sunday

Between that on T,R,Sa will be various other ones because my brain doesn't work right now :)

Mangia people...and enjoy!

I guess I'm starting this blog for the simple fact that I'm so sick of A - people complaining about healthy food being tasteless or hard to cook or expensive. B - the other end of the spectrum people complaining that you'll get fat and die if you eat anything with butter or cooked with fat.

I love food. I cook every kind of food and yes, I cook with BUTTER and BACON FAT. I'm a good southern girl. I love flavor and let me be honest with you...you just can't get the same flavor from veg oil or nonstick spray that you can from butter and fat. Deny it all you want, it's true. Would you rather have the culinary equivilent of a symphony or one man playing a tuba? That's right...symphony.

So in every post I'll blog a couple things. First being a recipe. Sometimes it will be so healthy you could eat it every day. Sometimes...well lets just say it will be an indulgence! After that will with potentially be a wine or cocktail (recipe included!) annnd every now and then a song and book of the day as I remember!

Many of my recipes have no measurements and for this I apologize. I tend to just throw things together, I'll try try try my hardest to give you specifics but if I say "to taste" just season and taste until its tasty enough for you!

So without further waiting...recipe #1. In the sunny south it's finally getting warm and I am so excited, therefore I'll give you my very favorite summer snack/appetizer/meal/salad...yes it can be any of these!

Caprese Salad

Can I just point out that I HATE tomatos with a fiery undying passion? Got it? Ok lets continue

INGREDIENTS

Tomatos - As many as you'd like, whatever kind you like and looks good that day.

Mozzerella - REAL Mozz please, not the square ones from the cheese rack under the shredded. Go to the specialty cheese section with the brie. Get the big o' ball of soft mozzerella. not the teeny little ones. altho if using cherry and/or grape tomatos that'd be super cute appetizers

Basil - Easy to find fresh in the produce section of the store, just get a pack or pick your own if your grow like my mom

Salt and pepper - yep

Balsamic Vinegar - No you cannot substitute any other kind. No. Don't ask. Blasphemy.

Directions

You'll need 1-1-1 ratio of tomato/mozzerella/basil leaf. So pretty much cut what you'll need. Well, cut more than you think you'll need. They're addicting.

Lay slice of tomato on plate, salt and pepper to your taste, lay basil leaf on top of the tomato, lay slice of mozzerella on top of the tomato and basil, salt and pepper that if you'd like as well...completely optional, drizzle balsamic vinegar over stack.

You're done!! MANGIA!! Enjoy.