Fresheeeee Cabbage Rolls

Fresheeeee Cabbage Rolls

1 large cabbage (I like Napa), leaves cleaned

1 lb. ground beef
1t chili powder
1t Lawry's seasoned salt
1t cumin
1c marinara

1 large tomato, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2c parm cheese
2t roasted garlic, minced
1t oregano
1c marinara sauce


Steam cabbage leaves in boiling water. Only 1-2 mins, just until tender. Remove and set aside to cool.

Start browning ground beef with spices. Mix with 1 cup of marinara sauce.

Meanwhile, mix tomato, pepper, parm, garlic, and oregano in separate bowl. Set aside.

Scoop meat mixture into leaves, roll, lay in 9x13" baking dish that has a thin layer of sauce on the bottom. Spread tomato pepper mixture over the top of the rolls. Bake for 20 mins at 350*.

I usually make a double batch because this meal freezes well! If you make this, please let me know, I'd love to hear what you think, what you did differently, etc!!!!

Tomatillo Soup

Food Network Magazine has some great recipes in this months issue! I altered their recipe for Tomatillo Soup to fit my family's tastebud!

Tomatillo Soup

1 lb turkey breast, braised

1 med carrot, 1" pieces

1 med parsnip, 1" pieces

3 green onions, 1" pieces

1 red pepper, 1" pieces

5 small red potatoes, thinnly sliced

3t fresh parsley

3t fresh cilantro

2t cumin

1t chili powder

3/4c salsa verde

6c chicken or veg stock

Once you've braised turkey, put all ingredients in pot and let simmer until potatoes and carrots are cooked through. Garnish with fresh herbs and dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt!

James even said he loved that it tasted very fresh!  Salsa verde is salsa made with tomatillos, sometimes hard to find in "mild." However, when I make this again I will make my own using this recipe.

Salsa Verde

12 tomatillos, roasted, then diced

1 med spanish onion, diced

1c fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 lemon, squeezed for juice

Salt and pepper

For heat: jalpeno or serrano pepper (but I don't add this because of kiddos)

Pulse in food processor. Do a little research on roasting tomatillos!

Soupy Thursday

Clearly, I've been delayed with updating my blog. Through the process of setting and adjusting to a new schedule with three kids, my computer crashing, me taking over my hubby's netbook, and normal life, I continue to feel like "I'm getting there!" I made this soup with leftovers for THIS recipe. It was outstanding, I used decaf coffee just because the caffeine factor needed to be addressed! And the carmelized onion compote is not to be forgotten, they were delicious!

Soupy Thursday:
1/2c leftover carmelized onions
6 strips leftover steak
3 bouillon cubes
6c water
1 can butter beans, drained

Simmer on low on stove for at least 30 minutes.

Your Cranberry Salad

This year my Cranberry Salad has these ingredients:

2 c hot water mixed with 1 one box of raspberry jello

4 c cranberries, chopped

1 c sugar

1 pineapple fruit cup

1 apple, diced

1 orange, diced

And of course chilled overnight, I anxiously look forward to tomorrow to taste this with a dollop of whipped cream!

Soupy Thursday

Cannellini Minestrone
adapted from CP Classics

4c chicken broth
1 14.5 can diced tomatoes
1 12 can tomato-veg juice
2c escarole or spinach
1c green onions, chopped
1c carrots, chopped
1c celery, chopped
1c potatoes, chopped
1/4c dried cannellini beans
2T chives, fresh & chopped
1/4t salt
1/4t pepper
2oz uncooked ditalini pasta

Dump in CP, except pasta, stir, set to Low for 6-8 hrs or High 4-6 hrs. Last 20 mins, add pasta, stir again, cover and cook.

Soupy Thursday

Easy Italian Wedding Soup

This is one of my go-to recipes as a nice alternative to the usual soups. I think started making this five years ago and love it each time I make it! And I've not changed one ingredient from this recipe!

10 meatballs (I love to use the Turkey Trader Joe's meatballs or my own)
1 bunch of fresh spinach
2T of Italian seasonings
8 cups of broth
1-2 cups of small pasta, like orzo, letters, choo-choo wheels
1/4c diced onions
1t garlic

Dump all ingredients into pot on stove, bring to a boil, simmer 10 mins until pasta is done! I usually serve this with Italian Semolina bread and EVOO with fresh cracked pepper!

Soupy Thursday

Irish Stew
adapted from Crock Pot Classics

1c chicken broth
1t dried marjoram
1t dried parsley
3/4t salt
1/2t garlic powder
1/4t black pepper
1 1/4 lbs whited potatoes, cut 1" pieces
1 lb lean lamb, cut 1" cubes (I used a beef roast)
8 oz frozen green beans, thawed
2 small leeks, sliced (I used green onions)
1 1/2c carrots, 1" pieces

Additions I Added:
1 1/2c shredded cabbage
1c celery, 1" pieces

Combine all herbs and broth in CP first. Add meat and potatoes next. Cover and cook low 7-9 hours.

Tip: Thicken cooking liquid with a mixture of 1T cornstarch and 1/4c water. Stir this mixture into cooking liquid; cook on High 10-15 minutes.

Happy Soupy Thursday!

Soupy Thursday

Today starts my Autumn Kickoff of Soupy Thursday! WooHooo! I've have gathered some easy, Crock-Pot friendly soups and stew recipes that are sure to keep us warm as the weather changes! Please let me know if you make any of these, I'd love to hear feedback and any changes you make!

Fresh Lime & Black Bean Soup
adapted from CP Recipe Collection

2 15 oz cans of black beans, undrained
1 14 oz can of chicken broth
1 1/2c onion, chopped
1 1/2t chili powder
3/4t cumin
1/4t garlic powder
1/8-1/4t red pepper flakes
1/2c sour cream
2T EVOO
2T cilantro, chopped
1 medium lime

Dump all ingredients except sour cream, EVOO, cilantro, and lime. Cover; cook on low 7 hours or High 3 1/2 hours.

Remove 1 cup of soup and puree in blender, return to CP. Repeat this process until desired consistency. (I like mine smooth and creamy.)

Garnish with 1T of sour cream, drizzle of EVOO, and a splash of fresh squeezed lime juice!

All in a Morning's Work

I have had a strong bug to be in the kitchen. I have been wanting to make my own bread each week for our family. My Artisan Bread cookbooks arrived last week and I spent one morning reading the intro chapters.

If you really want to know how bad I've wanted to be in the kitchen, listen up! Last Thursday, I line up all the ingredients to make the Oatmeal Pumpkin bread, I unloaded the dishwasher, had perfectly clean counters, my excitement was over-the-top! Only to have it immediately crashed when I realized I didn't have the dough hook for my KitchenAid mixer. I mean the recipe even called for the dough hook or a food processor. I looked high and low, dug through two random kitchen boxes in the basement.

THEN, I remembered why I had not made bread for a couple years. My dough hook was all metal and accidentally was put in the dishwasher and ruined. I called Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I called Williams & Sonoma, Mom even looked at Macy's, her W&S, and everyone said they could order it for me. With severe disappointment, I put all those beautiful ingredients away! But that was Thursday and today is Wednesday and wooohooo I have homemade bread!

This morning I made:
Honey Butter
Pureed Spinach
Pumpkin Cake dusted with powdered sugar from Amish Baking cookbook
Oatmeal Pumpkin bread from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
1 Batch of Triple Berry Jam



Aren't you wondering how I was able to make bread today? Well Mom to the rescue, brought me a Cuisinart food processor! Woohoo, thank you Mom! But I am taking my 20%off coupon to BBB tomorrow to order the dough hook.

Lame Entry

I know this is a lame entry, but I just had to tell you that I've been doing recipe "research" and have decided to add a Foodie Blog List to my blog. Please scroll down to view the right column and check out these blogs for delicious motivation for baking and cooking!

Recipe

Recently, my friend, SUSIE, drew me to this recipe, I did my own little modification by switching up the dressing. Instead, I used a White Balsamic dressing! It was delicious and refreshing, which is perfect for summer! Enjoy!

Recipe from Sunset Magazine:

6 ears corn
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 large avocado cut into 1/2-in. cubes
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cubed avocado (optional)
1/2 chopped red pepper (optional)


Instructions
1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook corn until warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes. Rinse with cold water until cool.

2. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, onion, avocado, and basil in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients to make the vinaigrette, whisking until blended.

3. Cut corn kernels off cobs and add to salad, then pour in vinaigrette and toss gently to combine.

If you don't have the Champagne vinegar my friend said she used white wine vinegar and it works just fine.

A Morning in the Kitchen

After a comedy of errors, like Jackson gagging because he put too many apple pieces in his mouth which resulted in him throwing up, a frozen banana falling out of the freezer and hurting my foot, Maizie dropping her cereal bowl all over the kitchen floor, I decided I needed to do something relaxing and familiar. You would think I would retreat and say take a shower and get ready for the day. No, instead I spent the morning in the kitchen! It started with Herbed Lamb Shanks in the CrockPot.

Then, I pulled my Amish Baking cookbook and decided to make Peanut Butter Swirl Bars, only to realize that my granulated sugar level was at zero. Oh well, I typed Brown Sugar into my fav recipe website and found BROWN SUGAR MUFFINS!! I think I will make a Maple Butter to accompany these little tasteys!SideNote: Oh KitchenAid Mixer how I missed you! I brought all the attachments and hope to start shredding/slicing/grinding just so we can spend more time together! I did notice that KitchenAid has released a pasta attachment, oh how divine would that be!

So with a large meal in the works, I decided to invite James' coworkers, we'll see who attends, I mean not everyone likes Lamb the way I do! I will probably venture to the grocery store and pickup a few things for a dessert, I just need a tally of coworkers and a good pantry check first!

Recipe: Stir-Fry

I experimented with a few things and surprised myself:

Chicken Stir-Fry

1) Prepare 1 Cup Rice as instructed on packaging adding 2 teaspoons of parsley!
2) Sautee chicken strips in EVOO until lightly golden (and done)!
3) Steam a variety of Asian vegetables for 8-10 minutes preserving some crisp & crunch!
4) Pour following recipe over chicken and veggies immediately then serve with the rice!

Sauce Recipe:
2 teaspoons cilantro
3 teaspoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 gloves garlic, chopped
1/4c Soy Sauce
3T Worshershire Sauce
1/4c pureed pumpkin
1T peanut butter
3T EVOO (or Sesame Seed Oil if you have it)

Please give this sauce a try and let me know what you think!

Now you are wondering what to do with the rest of the canned pumpkin! Well you do what I did, you make THIS CAKE while cooking the stir-fry! Then by the end of eating your dinner, you have a warm dessert coming out of the oven!

Yes, I know the recipe calls for the whole can, but I used what was left and it turned out perfectly! Do you want to know another secret to making this Pumpkin Cake recipe strumptous? Add two teaspoons of real Maple Syrup to the pumpkin batter! (FYI- this is the picture from Allrecipes.com, this is not the one I made.) Alas, it is time for me to leave the desk and follow my nose to the aroma of a sweet Autumn-inspired dessert!

Baker's Delight

Having tasted some delicious food recently and made a Goal for 2010 of baking bread, I started with some simple inspiration. Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Bread was my first loaf for the new year! This is James' favorite version and I'm excited for him to come home and eat this tonight!

Since we are gearing up for moving again in a couple weeks, I'm cleaning out the freezer. As you all know, each January I clean my freezer of old bananas and bake a dozen loaves. Well, this year, I have you know, I only made the two! I did make changes to the recipe, I used natural peanut butter, oat flour, and whole wheat flour, in addition to the other ingredients!~




I found a few new recipes to be inspired in the coming weeks!

Pumpkin Cookies (didn't get to make in Autumn)
Orange Cranberry Biscotti (cut very thinly)
Lemon-Butter Cookies (I am disappointed in this picture because I picked up MixingBowl's Mag at Walmart and that pic is amazing!)
Brown Butter-Carrot Cupcakes (a healthy change for my Cupcake Princess!)

Maizie and I made cut-outs this morning too! Since we are portion-controlling, this weekend we purchased some adorable and small cookie cutters! Tea Pots, Car, and the Canadian Maple Leaf! Maizie loves the frosting...and Mommy likes the chocolate & almonds!

Dress My Temporary Nest

In my crazy attempts to make this boring-ly decorated apartment more like home, I have completed a few projects. First the doily pillow, found the idea in blogland and I used fabric Mom gave me. The ruffle is made out of Alexander Henry's bird fabric and I love it soooo much because Maizie's winter hat is the purple version.

Secondly, I finished this quilt in two days with one Moda JellyRoll! I made it a lap-size width but longer in length so James can use it! I am sooooo in love with the fabric colors and quality is fantastic! I spent over an hour working on hand-sewing the binding and only sewed a few feet. So this is my TV project for the next few nights!

Finally, here is a simple side dish I made last night with Wheat Berries (a grain with 7 grams of protein per 1/4 cup):

1/4 cup wheat berries, prepared like package instructions
2 cups of frozen peas, thawed
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 cup turkey bacon, diced
salt & pepper to taste

Raw Kale Salad Recipe

I think Kale gets a bad-rap! After eating this basic premade simple salad from Whole Foods, I have changed my mind about Kale! This recipe was an easy intro for my tastebuds into Kale. I made some additions listed below the simple recipe and loved, loved, loved this change from mixed greens to Kale!


Raw Kale Salad
Main Ingredients:
Purple & Green Kale
Cranberries
Pine Nuts
Sun-dried Tomatoes

Dressing:
Lemon Juice
EVOO
S&P

Additions:
Smoked Turkey Jerky
Cheese
Sliced Pears
Cucumbers