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Homemade Fruit Leather

While growing up fruit roll ups were a rare treat. My sister and I always begged for them, or the fruit gushers that were the hallmark of being a real winner in the packed lunch arena. Now that I look back I wonder why those artificially colored and flavored packages of high fructose corn syrup are supposed to be part of a "healthy lunch". Fruit leather is the fruit roll-ups healthier cousin. We were allowed to have fruit leather on occasion and when I got old enough to go grocery shopping for myself it was one of the things I always bought. Even store-bought fruit leather often has artificial coloring or corn syrup, plus preservatives.

Making your own fruit leather is so easy! Plus it's pure fruit, no added sugar or preservatives. You can customize to your taste and make whatever fruit makes you happy. I was gifted with a huge bag of mangoes a couple weeks ago while I was kind of trespassing in someone's yard at work. During mango season anyone with a tree just shoves fruit off on literally anyone who walks by. Anyway, I have several bags of chopped mango in the freezer waiting for me to use them. I pulled a bag out, probably the equivalent of one mango, let it thaw and threw it in the blender. I let it puree until totally smooth then added a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of cloves. Then you turn the puree out onto a sheet pan lined with a silpat or parchment paper and you get it as smooth and even as possible. An offset spatula makes it much easier. My offset spatula has been commandeered by Tyler who claims it is the "most perfect cream cheese spreading device", so I had to clean mine off first. Then you put it into the oven and let it dry for several hours. Easy!

The next day I made a big pot of applesauce in the crockpot to use up some apples in the fridge. I set aside about a cup of the applesauce and blended it and repeated the same process. The results are tasty concentrated fruit flavor that is portable and good for you!


Fruit Leather

• 1 cup fresh fruit puree 
• pinch spices to taste

Blend fruit and spices if using and spread evenly on sheetpan lined with silpat or parchment paper. Try not to get edges thinner than center or they will get crispy before the center is done. Put into preheated 175 degree oven and let dry for 3-4 hours. Keep and eye on it and test the top with your finger. When it is dry to the touch it's done. If necessary you can flip over and let bottom dry for a while. Let cool. Roll up and cut into strips. Keep in airtight container and finish in a week. 

Chicken and Dumplings

My mom found this recipe several years ago as a way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it has become a tradition to make this the week after Thanksgiving. It's so freaking delicious. The soup part is creamy and rich and the dumplings are light and airy. I am sick this week so this was a pretty easy dinner that is comforting and soothing. It's not exactly healthy but there's vegetables in it! Usually there aren't any leftovers when my mom makes it so if you are feeding a crowd or want leftovers double the recipe, as written it serves 5-6.

Also this week I made a rotisserie chicken do double duty for me so I used half of it in this recipe and half in another recipe I'll post later. I'm trying to buy less meat so I'm pleased this week I only bought one chicken and didn't need any thing else.

This meal is easy enough for a weeknight but special enough for holiday time. It's a perfect way to use up leftover chicken or turkey. If making dumplings intimidates you, don't be nervous, just make sure you don't overfill your pot. It really couldn't be easier. I hope this dinner makes you as happy as it makes me.


Chicken and Dumplings

• 2 Tblsp butter
• 2 stalks celery, chopped (I buy the pre-chopped package because I hate all the extra celery sitting around)
• 3 carrots peeled and chopped
• 1 pkg sliced mushrooms (sometimes I put in 2 packages cause I love mushrooms)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 3 cups chopped cooked turkey or chicken
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 can (14 oz) reduced sodium chicken stock
• 2 packets McCormick's turkey gravy mix, mixed according to package directions 
• 1 1/2 cups bisquick
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 Tblsp chopped sage
• 1 tsp pepper

In Dutch oven or any pot with a lid, melt butter. Add next 5 ingedients. Allow to saute for about 5 minutes until onions are translucent and  mushrooms are getting color. Add turkey, peas, and broth. Stir in the turkey gravy. Bring to a boil over high heat. In separate bowl combine last 4 ingredients until combined. When soup comes to a boil drop heaping spoonfuls of dumpling mixture over the top. Maintain a low boil and let cook uncovered 10 minutes. Cover and cook another 10 minutes until dumplings are dry and airy on the inside. 

Crock Pot Sesame Chicken

I got a new job recently, which is good for having a paycheck but bad for being home to cook dinner. Cooking dinner is actually pretty enjoyable for me and I like being home in the evenings to relax and make a home cooked meal I can enjoy with Tyler. Adjusting to my new schedule with two jobs, one of which is through dinner time, is difficult. I've had to work much harder to plan dinners and get them made when I'm home in between jobs or made ahead of time so it can just be reheated. Tyler helps a lot but he works too.

The crock pot is the answer to my problems. I made the sauce at night so in the morning it started in the crock pot and was ready by the time I got home from my first job. It's easy, fast and convenient.

This may seem like a weird combination of ingredients but it tastes really good. I like serving it over rice because it's kind of Asian-inspired flavors.

Here's a picture of this dummy up to his usual shenanigans. He's managed to completely knock over the easy chair by himself a couple times. He jumps on the chair at full speeds and just knocks it over backwards, then looks shocked that it happened.

Exhibit A.



Crock Pot Sesame Chicken

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup canned tomato sauce (once I used spaghetti sauce in a pinch and it worked)
• 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tblsp vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• sesame seeds

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper and place in crock pot.Mix everything but the sesame oil and sesame seeds together and pour over chicken. Cook on low 3-4 hours, shred the chicken with two forks and allow to cook another half hour or so. Mix in the sesame oil and serve over rice. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Potstickers

I am a dumpling FIEND. I would gladly eat dumplings every day. I don't discriminate in my dumpling adoration. Pierogies, spaetzle, chicken and dumplings, gnocchi, dim sum, every culture has their own riff on dumplings and I love them all. The one nearest and dearest to my heart though, is the potsticker, or gyoza. Sometimes I crave them like crazy and there's not a lot of options for getting them into my mouth. Don't be intimidated by these, they're actually really easy to make.

Previously only attainable at restaurants or from the freezer section I now bring you a recipe to make your own potstickers, and they're amazing. I put fresh ginger, garlic, and green onions in some ground pork and wrap it in a wonton wrapper. You can find them in the refrigerated vegetable section.

Here's the pork mixture pre-wrapper.

In the process. Take about a tablespoon at a time in the middle of the wrapper and wet your finger and run it along the edges to make it stick together. Try to get as much air out as possible. Otherwise they might burst when you cook them, which is only aesthetically troublesome but still.

This recipe makes about 40 dumplings. I cooked up some the night I made them and I put the other plates into the freezer. You want to freeze them in a single layer and then move them into a bag or container or they'll stick together and you'll be sad. I know from experience. There may have been a dumpling tantrum the first time I made them when they all stuck together after freezing.

To cook them, fresh or frozen, heat about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet and place 5 or 6 in the pan. Let brown on the first side and turn over. Add 1/4 cup water and put a lid on it. Let simmer and steam until the water evaporates. It should be all cooked through at that point. Place on a paper towel and serve with dipping sauce.

Enjoy the fruits of your labors. Tasty, fresh potstickers that don't have any weird ingredients or preservatives and since you froze some, you can make them whenever you want!!!!! POTSTICKERS FOR LIFE.

Potstickers

• 1 lb lean ground pork
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 Tblsp soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 pkg wonton wrappers
• vegetable oil

Mix first 8 ingredients together until well mixed. To fill wontons wrappers, place a small spoonfull of filling in the middle of each wrapper, use your finger to moisten the edges with water and press tightly to seal. Place flat in single layer on plate or tray. At this point you can cook right away or freeze.

When you're ready to cook heat a Tblsp of vegetable oil in skillet and heat over medium-high. When you drop the dumplings in they should sizzle immediately.Don't crowd the pan. Cook for a couple minutes until the first side is golden brown and flip over. Add 1/4 cup water into pan and put a lid on. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the water evaporates and they are cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

I made a dipping sauce with 1/4 cup soy sauce, a drizzle of sesame oil, and a pinch of fresh grated ginger and sliced green onions. Yummy!

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies (Only Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe You'll Ever Need)

I'll just let you read that title again.Not only is this the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I've ever tried, I went ahead and added NUTELLA. GET YOUR TASTEBUDS READY.

My search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe was long and trying. The Tollhouse cookie recipe was the one I usually went to but I was never really thrilled with the results. They come out crispier and flatter than I prefer. I like my cookies chewy and soft with perfectly crisp edges. Thankfully I found this recipe and there is no looking back. This should be your go to chocolate chip cookie recipe.

I think it's an important life skill to be able to make a perfect chocolate chip cookie.

Here's the most important bit. It's not really about the ingredients, they are all pretty standard chocolate chip cookie ingredients. The secret to perfect chocolate chip cookies is letting the dough sit. The recipe calls for at least 2 hours but I will make a couple chocolate chip cookies a day for several days and let the dough sit in the fridge and the cookies turn out better and better the longer the dough sits.Some kind of magic happens in the fridge. The chocolate chip cookie gods smile upon them and bless them or something.

The point is, let your dough set for a while and you too can have the most amazing chocolate chip cookies. It takes some patience but it's totally worth it.

Throw some nutella on there too and you'll be the hero wherever you take these.


Nutella Swirled Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla 
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2-3/4 tsp salt (I used 3/4 tsp to make them saltier because the salty/sweet combo is my favorite)
• 11/4 cup chocolate chips
• Nutella

In a large bowl whisk together flour, soda, cornstarch and salt.

In another bowl beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add egg, yolk, vanilla, and beat until smooth. Slowly stir in flour mixture until batter comes together. Stir in chocolate chips.

IMPORTANT: Cover and chill dough at least 2 hours or up to several days, the cookies get chewier the longer you let it sit. 

When ready to bake preheat oven to 325. Scoop dough onto cookie sheet. Flatten slightly and scoop 3/4 tsp nutella onto each cookie. Top with some more cookie dough.

Bake cookies 11-13 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Let cool.

Grandma's Kumquat Cake

When I was growing up my cousins and I would go over to my uncle's yard and steal all kinds of goodies off his trees. There were loquats, mulberries, tangerines, oranges that he would cut so we could drink the juice, sugarcane stalks to chew, and of course, kumquats. Kumquats are these weird little citrus fruits that have a thick skin and a very tart flesh. You can eat them whole, or what we learned to do was eat the skin and throw the inside away. Kind of counter-intuitive but that's how we do.

Sometimes my grandma would task us with collecting some kumquats so she could make her kumquat cake. I have no idea where she found this recipe but this cake was beloved by the whole family. It's a good way of using up the fruit and making it tasty instead of being very sour.

 This past year one of my cousins reminded me about that delicious cake so I went to my grandma's cookbook that is falling apart and colored with age and countless uses and actually found the recipe! My cousins and I went out that night after dark to pick what remained from the kumquat tree and I baked this cake the next day. The first bite brought me right back to sitting at my grandma's kitchen table eating this cake and talking to her about whatever we used to talk about. It was a powerfully emotional experience because taste memory is so strong. Do you have a flavor that just brings you back to a time and place like that?

Around that time I made another cake to bring to Tyler's house for dinner and his mom fell in love with the cake. She said that she wanted this to be her birthday cake, which was quite the compliment! Since her birthday is in August and there are no kumquats to be found that time of year, I froze some kumquat puree so I could make it for her.

And here we are! I pulled some of the puree out of the freezer and made this for her birthday. Everyone loved it! It's such an embarrassingly simple cake but it has such a nice flavor. It's citrus but it's different from the usual lemon or orange. If you can't get your hands on kumquats you can substitute Calamondin oranges or a meyer lemon, I think, but it won't have the same signature flavor. Kumquats are hard to find and have a short season. I pick mine from my uncle's tree but you can find them in stores in the winter. If you're a kumquat nut like me make sure you're prepared for the long off-season!

This cake holds a lot of memories for me and is one of my favorite things to make. I love using fruit that grows on my family's property and I love making a cake with such personal ties. I always think of my grandma when I make it and thank her for a recipe that is still making people happy to this day. So if you make this, please enjoy and know that the recipe comes from a loving Grandma's kitchen.

Grandma's Kumquat Cake

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 cup kumquat puree, divided
• eggs
• vegetable oil 
• 2 cups powdered sugar

To make the puree slice and seed the kumquats and place in a blender. They should puree without any additional water but you can add a little water if you need to.

To make the cake, substitute 3/4 cup of the puree for the water called for in the recipe.If the recipe calls for more than3/4 cup water, add the remaining amount of water. (So if it calls for 1 cup water, add 3/4 cup puree and 1/4 cup water). Add the remaining ingredients to make the cake as normal. Bake according to box instructions.

Take the remaining puree and add 2 cups powdered sugar and stir until combined. If too runny add more sugar, if too thick add some water. It should be thick enough to not run all over the place.

Once the cake is done prick all over with a fork and let cool. Spread the glaze all over the top of the cake. Enjoy!

Peanut butter Jelly Bars

I needed something quick to whip up before dinner guests came over and this recipe seemed promising. It came together quickly and tasted like a jacked up peanut butter cookie. Everything you love about peanut butter and jelly sandwich in bar form.

Some people go years without having a peanut butter jelly sandwich but I advocate frequent consumption. Those babies got me through my freshman year of college and are getting me through this summer of field work. What's your favorite flavor of jelly? I was raised on grape which will always have a special place in my heart but I really prefer raspberry most of the time. Last time I bought jelly I decided to get wild and crazy and bought blackberry which is what I used in these bars.

I halved the recipe and made it in an 8x8 pan and it worked really well. We didn't need a whole pan of these sitting around. They were a great hit at dinner! It's a good summertime treat.

Peanut Butter Jelly Bars
 Adapted from girlversusdough.com

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 extra-large eggs, room temperature
• 18 ounces creamy peanut butter (I used Skippy Natural!)
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 18 ounces raspberry jam
• ⅔ cup salted peanuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease it again.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.
3. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour to the peanut butter mixture and mix until combined.
4. Spread ⅔ of the dough into the prepared cake pan, making sure it covers the entire surface evenly. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Sprinkle with the peanuts. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool and cut into squares.

Steak Tips with Peppered Gravy

My camera is on the fritz and all the pictures turned out really weird. I apologize. It's not as brown as it looks. It also didn't help the sun had gone down before I made dinner so the lighting is garbage. Which, by the way, I'm already depressed summer is ending and days are getting shorter. I'm not done with summer yet! Anyone else feel like this or am I alone? Sure it's hot and muggy but I love every bit of summer in Florida. As I type the afternoon thunderstorm is brewing and the rumbles of thunder roll about outside.

I haven't made this recipe for a couple years for some reason but it won't be another couple years before I make it again. It comes together pretty quickly and works perfectly for a week night dinner. It got two thumbs up from the boyfriend so it's sure to make a repeat performance soon.

I have a few ideas for next time, I think a splash of red wine would be quite tasty and give a little more depth of flavor. Also it's probably possible to cook this in the crock pot instead of the stove top. I'll report back.

Steak Tips with Peppered Gravy

• 1 pound sirloin steak, cut into cubes
• 1 Tblsp butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 pkg sliced baby bellas
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tblsp soy sauce
• 3 Tblsp flour
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• egg noodles

Heat pan over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Brown steak on all sides, does not have to be cooked through. Remove from pan, cover. Melt butter in pan and add shallots, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute until softened. Stir in soy sauce. Sprinkle flour over and cook for a minute. Add broth, stirring constantly. Add pepper, thyme, and salt. Bring to boil, cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Return beef to pan and cook for several more minutes until gravy thickens and steak is cooked through. Serve with egg noodles.

Crock pot Barbeque Chicken

I'm sorry for the hiatus! We've had so many social obligations I've hardly had to cook at all, and then I was visiting my family in Washington, D.C. But before I left I made this delicious barbeque.

 I've been craving barbeque for months but it's never on my radar when we go out to eat and most recipes call for using a whole pork butt which makes A LOT of food. So I switched pork for chicken in this recipe and my craving was satisfied. I apologize for the pictures but Tyler and I were so busy shoving this dinner in our faces I didn't have time to take good pictures. We seriously ate this over the kitchen sink because we couldn't be bothered to take our plates and sit at the table like civilized people. It was that good. Consider yourself warned.

I made a mandarin orange slaw to go along with it, and I was really excited about it but the flavor wasn't as different as I hoped. It kind of just tasted like regular slaw.

By the way, I've mentioned how much I love my crock pot right? It's the best. Dinner cooked itself and all I had to do was toast the buns a little and cooked up some tater tots because why not. I used just 2 chicken breasts and wondered if it would be enough for the two of us but we actually got 2 square meals out of it so it was economical too!

Crock Pot Barbeque Chicken

•  2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 2-3 lb pork tenderloin)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup barbeque sauce (I like Pat's Homemade Barbeque Sauce available at Publix)
• hamburger buns
• pickles or slaw for serving

Spray crock pot lightly with cooking spray and place meat in the bottom. Mix the brown sugar and spices together. Sprinkle evenly over meat. Mix the garlic, juice and bbq sauce together and pour into bottom of crock pot. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Shred chicken with 2 forks and allow to cook another 30 -60 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns with pickles or slaw of your choice. 

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops with Applesauce

For years I tried to cook pork chops and I was disappointed over and over again. Then I tried this recipe and it became my go-to recipe for pork chops. It has great flavor and if you're careful you can get really tender, juicy pork. It's really easy too!

 

I grew up eating applesauce with my pork chops and now applesauce is an absolute necessity whenever I eat pork. After making applesauce from scratch I vowed to never buy it again because making it is so easy and cheap. This particular batch I threw in the freezer so I just took it out the day before and then warmed it gently on the stove when I was cooking dinner.

It took a while to decide what to serve along the pork  and applesauce and I finally decided on risotto. Tyler and I both go nuts over risotto and it's pretty easy even though it has a reputation of being fussy and difficult. For a while I was weirdly mystified by risotto, I don't know if it was the reputation it has or the fact that I couldn't yet buy wine with which to make it. Now I have it down cold and it's nothing to be scared about. It's really more of a method than recipe. Anything that makes you come back to the stove to eat it directly out of the pot has to be a good thing.

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

• 2-4 pork chops (bone in or not, I buy whatever is on sale) 
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (the real stuff, not the green can stuff)
• 2 Tblsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic 
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat. Mix the garlic, cheese, rosemary, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Salt and pepper one side of the pork and place seasoned side down in hot skillet. Let cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and turn over. Evenly divide the parmesan mixture over the pork. Place into oven for about 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chops. I use a thermometer to make sure the pork is cooked to 160 degrees. For the last 5 minutes I turn the oven off and turn the broiler on high to crisp the cheese on top. When it's done let sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Applesauce

• 5-6 apples (doesn't matter what kind)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar (optional)

Peel and chop the apples into small pieces and place in saucepan. Add the cinnamon, water, and sugar (if using). Heat over medium-low until simmering. Let cook for about 30 minutes, until the apples are tender. Mash. If it seems loose it will tighten as it cools. You can mash as much as you want for a smoother or more chunky sauce. I like mine on the chunkier side. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to a week or freeze for longer.

Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells

 This dish just sounded really good when I found it and after I made it I realized it's actually pretty healthy. It's a departure from the usual stuffed shells I make, and I really liked it. It's pretty lightened up with light ricotta, boneless skinless chicken, spinach, and tomatoes. 

 

 It came together pretty quickly, except it takes a while to individually scoop the filling into the shells. I wish there was a faster way to do that. I served this with roasted broccoli which was good. The only thing I might change would be to add some mozzarella for extra cheesiness, parmesan doesn't get all melty and oozy as much. 

Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells 

Adapted from Heart Mind and Seoul

24 shell pasta, cooked according to package instructions

2 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

1 cup reduced fat ricotta cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded + more to sprinkle

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed

1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves

salt and pepper to taste

your favorite pasta sauce

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, spinach, sundried tomatoes, basil leaves, and salt and pepper and mix well using a fork.

Stuff each cooked shell with the chicken filling carefully with a spoon. Place them in a baking dish. Drop spoonfuls of your favorite pasta sauce onto the shells. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes.

Shepard's Pie

My family, being amazing, celebrates two Thanksgivings a year. Once on Thanksgiving and once in July. The food is too good to only have once a year! This year was the best yet! What does this have to do with shepard's pie you may ask? Well somehow when our Thanksgiving in July was over I ended up with ALL of the mashed potatoes. So, being resourceful, I whipped up some shepard's pie to use them up.

I can't say I'm an expert on shepard's pie, even though it is the food of my people. So if this isn't what you expect from shepard's pie don't kill me. It tasted good and it used up the rest of my mashed potatoes! I had enough to make 2 small dishes of it so I stuck one in the freezer for some day down the road. It wasn't until I had stashed the dish in the freezer that I realized I had accidentally used a serving dish and I really have no idea if it's oven safe so I guess we'll have to wait and see how reheating it goes. Pray for me and my shepard's pie.

It's been a while since Joker made an appearance. He's still my kitchen helper!


Shepard's Pie
Adapted from my brain! 

• 1-ish pound lean ground beef or ground sirloin
• half onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped carrots (I used baby carrots cause I had them)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 carton baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 3 Tblsp flour
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 1 can beef broth
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup frozen peas
•  Mashed potatoes 
• 3/4 cup grated cheese (cheddar or colby jack would be good)

In one pan, start browning the beef until no longer pink. Drain if needed.

In another pan start sauteeing the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and carrots in a dash of olive oil. Once the vegetables have softened and released some water add the flour and stir around for a couple minutes. Deglaze with the red wine and stir until the flour dissolves and it comes back to a boil. Add the broth, Worcestershire sauce,thyme, the cooked beef, salt and pepper to taste and let bubble until it thickens. If it thickens too much add a little water to make a nice gravy. Add the peas at the last minute and just stir to warm them through. Pour the mixture into a baking dish. Cover with mashed potatoes as evenly as possible. Sprinkle cheese over the top. Put into preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until the beef is bubbling and the potatoes are warmed through. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Crock pots are the best. I love my crock pot, except for the fact that my cat once knocked the lid off the kitchen counter and broke the handle off. So now every time I take the lid off the crock pot I burn myself. After turning to the internet I found that a new replacement lid is the same price as a whole new crock pot. So I have not found it in me to get an entirely new device when I have a perfectly functional one. Cats are why you can't have nice things.

This is one of my favorite meals and it's stupid easy. Just dump, stir, and let cook all day. I think the recupe came from someone in my family, so if you're reading this, thank you! It was originally called "Beef Boogie Woogie" which is the stupidest name ever so I changed it. Anyway, whatever you feel like calling it, it's delicious.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

• 1 pkg stew meat
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 pkg sliced cremini mushrooms (sometimes I add 2 pkgs cause I love mushrooms)
• 1 packet beefy onion soup mix 
• 2-3 cups baby carrots (I leave them whole)
• 1 cup red wine (the stronger the better) 
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• pepper

Dump all ingredients together in the crockpot and stir to combine. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally. I like to serve over egg noodles but mashed potatoes or rice would work too.  

Breakfast Strata

Calling this a strata is really just a fancy way of saying "savory bread pudding". If that sounds totally weird to you, trust me on this one. This was a delicious meal even if the pictures don't look like much.

The recipe calls this "overnight" strata but I decided at 7:00 p.m. one night that I wanted it for dinner THAT NIGHT. So I made the shortcut version, willing to bet that the results would not kill me, and I was right. It was delicious. This was awesome for dinner but would be equally delicious as breakfast or brunch. If you were going to do it for breakfast I would start it the night before and refrigerate it overnight but you can whip it up in less than a couple hours if the mood strikes you.

It's super customizable so add whatever makes you happy. I had some cooked sausage hanging around in the freezer so I used that and sauteed some mushrooms up. You could add sauteed spinach, bell peppers, thick sliced ham or chopped bacon instead, or just plain.

Breakfast Strata

• Slices of bread, left out overnight to dry out
• The recipe called for French bread but the store was out so I used Publix's Chicago style white bread and toasted it for a few seconds until it was a little dried but before there was any color on it to dry it out a bit. 
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups half n half (I used fat free)
• 1 carton cremini mushrooms, cooked
• 1/2 lb breakfast sausage, cooked
• 1 cup cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
• salt and pepper

Lightly grease 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Place one layer of bread on the bottom. Sprinkle half the mushrooms and sausage over top and then half the cheese. Repeat with another layer of bread and more sausage and mushrooms. Mix the eggs and half n half together with salt and pepper and pour over entire pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and put something heavy on top to make it absorb into bread. At this point you can refrigerate up to 12 hours, or just as long as you have. I only waited maybe 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until golden brown around the edges and set in the middle. Let cool 10 minutes and dig in! Leftovers are good too. 

Not a Recipe, Just a Cool Food Place

When you see a sign like this you know you are in a good place. You owe it to yourself, nay, humanity to investigate further. Lucky for you, dear reader, I took this burden upon myself and I am here to explain what I discovered at the most wonderful place on earth. It was a happy accident that we found this place. Tyler and I were wandering around a small town in Minnesota and I happened to look down a side street and saw this sign. I exclaimed, "CHEESE SHOP?!?!?!" and we went in. It's called the Wedge and the Wheel.

The little storefront smelled faintly of the best grilled cheese you could imagine. We looked at the menu and saw that you could get a sampler of cheese for a decent price. Tyler and I finally settled on the "American" and the chef's choice.

 

The chef chose some harder cheeses for us, and unfortunately I can't remember exactly what they were. The one in the middle on the left was my favorite, an exquisite aged gouda that was nutty and slightly crunchy. The one on the right had an American blue cheese, which was very good, some kind of cheddar that also had mold on it, which was good and a new experience for me. The last was a goat cheese aged in grape leaves. They were all fantastic and amazing. They came with some bread, dried apricots and some mild olives that paired perfectly. 

I was so happy.

The bathroom walls were decorated with all the stickers from the cheeses and it looked really cool. Some of the sticker art was really pretty.

If you want to visit their website click here:  The Wedge and the Wheel

I would highly recommend visiting a store like this. We had a great time eating cheese and absorbing the smell of the store. The only bad thing about the experience was getting a stomachache from eating too much cheese. Tread carefully, my friends.

Crepes

Remember all those strawberries I talked about in my last post? We're still trying to make our way through them. Tyler's mom suggested having crepes for breakfast so we could stuff them with strawberries and I thought it was a great idea. I've never made crepes before but I was up for the challenge. I went through my recipes and found a recipe for "foolproof crepes" that I bookmarked a long time ago. Tyler's brother helpfully pointed out that since the crepes were "foolproof" if I screwed them up I must be pretty dumb.

The recipe called for blending the ingredients together, which is pretty standard for making crepes. Alas I could not find a blender in the kitchen so I just used a whisk. The batter could have been smoother so I think I would use a blender if you have one, but whisking worked in a pinch.

Making crepes is all in the technique. Luckily the kitchen has one of those green pans you may have seen on television.
                                            
It worked perfectly! You don't need any oil or butter, which makes it easier and healthier to make the crepes. I would highly recommend using this for crepes. I poured in 1/4 cup batter into the pan and then swirled it around in the pan until it gets around all the edges nice and flat. I actually scraped up some of the thicker areas to make it more uniform. Let it cook, flip it, let that side cook and you're ready!

We filled ours with nutella, strawberries, bananas, and some jam. It would also be awesome with peanut butter, other fruit, or whipped cream. Whatever makes you happy. They turned out delicious! I don't even like crepes all that much normally. They weren't too difficult either, about the same as making pancakes but it takes longer because you can only make one at a time. The good news is you can store leftovers in the fridge or freezer and thaw as many as you need. Give them a try some time!

"Foolproof" Crepes
adapted from kitchensimplicity

½ cup water
½ cup milk
1 cup flour
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
2 Tblsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tablespoons oil (olive oil or canola)
 
Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Ladle ¼ cup batter into the pan while you tilt it in a circular motion to spread evenly. Cook until the edges start to curl up, flip and cook until both sides light golden brown. Set prepared crepe on a plate and continue with remaining batter, stacking crepes on top of each other (you can keep them warm by placing the plate in an slightly warm oven). Top with desired toppings and roll up to serve.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Greetings from Minnesota!

  

Today we went to pick our own strawberries at the most adorable little farm outside of White Bear. It was an awesome day with awesome people and we had a lot of fun! We also picked a lot of strawberries. 

Tyler's family has been raving about my baking skills so the pressure was on to create something tasty for dessert tonight. I picked up The Pioneer Woman's new book at Tyler's aunt's house and flipped to the perfect recipe! Strawberry Shortcake Cake fit the bill perfectly. It is basically just a giant strawberry shortcake instead of individual ones. I did make some adjustments to the recipe with which I am very pleased. Please forgive the quality of the pictures, they were kind of an after thought while everyone was eating.

The cake comes together quickly, I appreciate a cake that only uses one bowl. I forgot to buy cake pans so I used a 10 inch skillet and made it a single layer cake instead of two layers. It worked out just fine.

Originally the recipe called for a cream cheese frosting but I thought that might be way too sweet so I topped it with just some lightly sweetened whipped cream. Everyone loved it! It highlighted the fresh strawberries in the best possible way. With fruit that fresh and perfect I think you should keep their integrity as much as possible. It's a great summer dessert, light and refreshing and doesn't weigh you down. 

Strawberry Shortcake Cake 

 Adapted from The Pioneer Woman 

• • 1 1/2 cup flour
  • 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 9 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
  • 1-1/2 cup Sugar
  • 3 whole Large Eggs
  • 1/2 cup Sour Cream, Room Temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla 
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • sugar 

IMPORTANT: Be sure to use a cake pan that’s at least 2 inches deep! Before baking, the batter should not fill the pan more than halfway.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.
Cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.

Pour into greased and floured 10 inch skillet. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.

Stem strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.

Slice cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices.

Whip the cream with 2Tblsp sugar. Spread over the strawberries and serve. Refrigerate leftovers. Enjoy!   

Summertime Pasta Salad

I created this pasta salad on a whim a couple years ago. It just sounded like what I wanted to eat in the summer. It's almost like a caprese salad, so if you're in to that you'll like this. It's mayo free so that makes it perfect to bring on picnics or potlucks and you don't have to worry about it sitting out. Plus you can totally customize how much you make so you can feed just a couple people or a whole crowd.

  

 Tyler is obsessed with this, surprisingly. He requested it a while ago and I ended up making a whole bunch more to bring to a family pot luck! It was a huge hit with everyone, especially Tyler. He suggested that we make it with whole grain pasta next time for added healthiness. Other than the white pasta it's really pretty healthy.  It gets better the longer it sits so I usually make it the night before and let it marinate for a while. It's also endlessly customizable so if you want to add or subtract any ingredients do whatever makes you happy.

This recipe makes a ton so halve it if you don't need to feed the whole neighborhood. 

Summertime Pasta Salad

• 1 box pasta, I prefer shells but corkscrews or elbows would work
• 1 carton grape tomatoes, halved
• 3 ears corn, shucked
• 1 large ball fresh mozzarella, cubed
• 1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
• 1 large can cannelini or northern beans, drained and rinsed
• salt and pepper
• balsamic vinaigrette, homemade or bottled  

Bring a big pot of water to boil. Put the pasta in and then put the corn in for the last 6 minutes of cooking. Strain and rinse with cold water until cooled. Chop all the rest of the ingredients. Mix all the ingredients together, adding enough vinaigrette to moisten everything but not be soupy. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can serve immediately but it's better when it sits for a while.