Rosemary & Chipotle Spiced Nuts

Recently I was a little donut shop and saw a jar of Rosemary & Chipotle Spiced Nuts, I was reluctant to try them but bought a jar on my husbands insistence. Well....let's just say they were amazing. I decided I had to find a recipe myself and make them myself. I searched the web for a recipe and came across an Ina Garten recipe, however I did tweak it a little to my own liking. So here it is and trust me they are worth it.






Rosemary & Chipotle Spiced Nuts
Vegetable oil
1 bag (16oz) cashews
1 bag (16oz) whole walnut halves
2 bags (8oz bags) whole pecan halves
1 bag (16oz) whole almonds
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 freshly squeezed orange (I was lucky enough to use the blood oranges from the tree in my backyard)
4 tsp, crushed chipotle pepper add more for extra spice
6 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced (I was able to use it from my backyard too)
Salt

Preheat oven to 350
Brush vegetable oil on cookie sheet
In bowl combine cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds, 3 tbsp vegetable oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, orange juice and 3 tsp chipotle peppers.
Toss to coat evenly
Add 4 tbsp of minced rosemary and 4 tsp salt and toss again
Spread nuts in one layer on cookie sheet
Roast for 25 minutes, stirring twice until the nuts are glazed and golden brown
Remove from oven and place in bowl, sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp of rosemary, 1 more tsp of chipotle pepper (if want a little more spice) and 2 more tsp salt.
Toss well and stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Can be served warm or cool completely.

*** If you make the full batch I recommend cooling 1/2 the batch at a time to ensure the coating cools evenly.

Cranberry Relish

This is the only way I've ever known cranberries "sauce" at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Growing up I'd never met anyone who ate anything like this, it was always canned cranberry sauce.  Until I met my husband and his family has a very similar recipe. I love how fresh this recipe is and it pairs perfectly with the Thanksgiving dishes, we also serve at Christmas

Cranberry Relish
4 large orange quartered, seeded (leave skin on)
2 bags fresh cranberries
5 Tbsp brown sugar 
2 tsp cinnamon
4 lg apple (I like granny smith)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp nutmeg

Put orange, cranberries, & apple into food processor (you want it the consistency of a pickle relish). I use my KitchenAid mixer with the sausage attachment medium grind. 
Stir in remaining ingredients, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Chile Cheese Hors d'oeuvre

Need a new appetizer, or a potluck dish for some of those holiday parties that are coming up.  This is a recipe I grew up with and it was a go to potluck dish for any party my parents attended. My mom would actually bring copies of the recipe with her as it was inevitable someone would ask for the recipe.

Chile Cheese Hors d'oeuvre
8 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3 cups mixed jack & cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
2 4 oz cans diced green chilies

Beat eggs until light and fluffy.
In separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder & salt
Add dry mixture to eggs
Fold in cheese and chilies
Bake @ 350 in a 9X9 greased pan for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean

Chicken Pot Pie

I love Chicken Pot Pie, like absolutely love it. The perfect mixture of crust and filling, such a great comfort food on a crisp night. The kids have gotten really excited by using cookie cutters, so as you can tell they decorated the top of the pot pie using their pumpkin cookie cutter. I found this recipe in the Winter of 2008 and it's become a favorite. I think one of the things that make this such a great recipe is we make our own homemade crust which really does make a huge difference, it may seem like "one more step" but it's quick, easy and well worth the extra few minutes to have your own homemade crust.



Chicken Pot Pie
Crust:
2 cups flour (sifted)
3/4 cup butter salted, softened
6 tbsp cold water
Put flour in a bowl, cut in butter until crumbly
Add water until ball is created (may need additional water)
Put in fridge for 4 hours (I've made this both ways by refrigerating and not refrigerating and don't notice a difference. I will say if you do refrigerate make sure to take it out at least 30 minutes before you're ready to use otherwise it's impossible to roll out.)

Filling:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
1 tbsp garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 3/4 cup chicken broth (we use our homemade bone broth)
2/3 cup milk
1 lb cooked chicken, cubed
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery stalks, chopped
1 cup potatoes, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas

Preheat oven to 400F
Melt butter.
Add salt, pepper, onion and garlic
Whisk in flour, then add chicken broth & milk (continue to whisk)
Cook & stir until thick
Add potatoes, carrots, celery & cook until desired firmness of veggies
Add chicken & peas
Mix well, pour into pie crust.
Cut slits into crust
Bake @ 400F for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Salted caramel is my kryptonite, but it has to be a good salted caramel. There's a lot of imitation salted caramels, I've had many  disappointments, many that got my hopes up so high only to be crushed by the first taste.  When you've tasted good salted caramel, you know what to expect, you know what your tastebuds are searching for. So I'm always very hesitant when I see a recipe/food "claiming" to be salted caramel. Well I found a recipe that definitely lives up to it's claim. So now I share my kryptonite with you...Enjoy

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 cups + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 egg yolk, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
6 wrapped caramels, cut into the size of half a sugar cube (I used Trader Jacques' Fleur De Sel Caramels)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Sea salt (I used pink Himalayan)

Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl, set aside
With an electric mixer or stand mixer, cream butter and sugars together.
Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla bean paste and mix well
Gradually add the flour mixture and stir until a dough forms
Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts
Chill dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator
Preheat oven to 350
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet
Gently press a few pieces of caramels onto the tops of the cookies
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are slightly browned
As soon as removed from oven gently sprinkle with sea salt
After cookies have set (about 2-3 minutes) move to cooling racks 

Since I've already tested this recipe I have definitely worked out a few of the bugs from the original recipe. I added walnuts, because personally I cannot eat a chocolate chip cookie without them and it adds a nice texture and a little bit of additional salt.  I also found the original recipe called for the caramels to be much bigger, but I made them quite a bit smaller for a few reasons. I didn't want to have a really sticky, chewy piece of caramel in my cookies, more than anything I just wanted the caramels for added flavor so the size I used worked perfectly for flavor and didn't leave a huge chunk of caramel in the cookie. So keep in mind if you're wanting that chewy, sticky piece of caramel then make sure to cut your caramel bigger.  This could easily become one of your go-to cookies this holiday season during cookie exchanges, dessert parties, a plate of cookies for the neighbors... etc as this cookie not only has great flavor but is something more unique than your standard chocolate chip cookie. 
Enjoy!  

Butternut Squash, Sausage & Kale Soup

In my effort to experiment with more and more Fall produce I searched out a recipe to utilize a butternut squash, we typically eat the butternut in a pureed soup (I posted the recipe last Fall if you want to try that one as well). Originally this recipe called for sweet potatoes but I opted for butternut squash knowing the flavors would work.

Here it is...

Butternut Squash, Sausage & Kale Soup

2 tbsp oil

1 lb sausage

1 lg onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups chicken broth (we use our homemade bone broth)

2 cups butternut squash, diced into squares 

1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes     

1 cup dried pasta (loved it with Orecchiette)

1 cup roughly chopped kale

salt & pepper to taste

Parmesan for garnish

Heat oil in large stockpot over medium-high heat 

Add onion and sausage, cook for 5-7 minutes, until onion is translucent and sausage is slightly brown

Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes

Add chicken broth, butternut squash and tomatoes, stir to combine

Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes

Cook pasta on side until al dente and add to soup (you could cook the pasta in the soup but we are very particular about how al dente we like our pasta so we always choose to cook separately)

Stir in kale and season with salt & pepper

Serve with Parmesan

Enjoy!

French Onion Soup

We've been in search of a French Onion soup for a while, and every recipe I read just wasn't quite right. That was until I read Chef Gordon Ramsey's cook book and found the recipe I had always dreamed of, I think one thing I like most about this recipe is we made our own brown chicken stock for the base of the soup. So here it is, one of the best French Onion Soups I've ever had. I'll start with the recipe for the brown chicken stock

If you don’t have time (or let’s be real energy) to make your own stock. Just use 6 cups bone broth 

Brown Chicken Stock

1 chicken carcass

1 carrot

1 onion

2 sticks of celery

1 leek

olive oil 

a sprig of thyme

1 bay leaf

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 tbsp of tomato puree (we love Pomi)

2 tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 400F. 

Place chicken carcass in a roasting tray and put in oven for 15-20 minutes

Chop carrot, onion, celery and leek into large chunks. Heat some oil in a pan and add the chopped vegetables, along with thyme, bay leaf and garlic. 

Sauté for a few minutes until golden brown, stirring frequently. 

Add the tomato puree and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the mixture is rich brown in color. 

Five minutes before taking the chicken carcass out of the oven, lightly dust it with flour. The flour acts as a thickening agent, and soaks up all excess fat. Return carcass to oven for final 5 minutes, then add the bones to the pan of vegetables. 

Now cover bones with just enough cold water (cold water only) to cover the bones. 

Bring stock to boil, turn heat down, skim the scum off the top and let simmer for an hour. 

Pass through a sieve and it's ready to use as a base for your French Onion soup.

French Onion Soup

5 tbsp butter

5 onions, peeled and sliced

1-2 heads of garlic peeled and sliced 

5 bay leaves

4 tbsp apple cider vinegar (recipe calls for Sherry vinegar but I couldn't find it)

2 tbsp flour

6 cups chicken stock (we used a mixture of stock and remainder water)

12 slices of baguette (depending on how many you're feeding 2 per bowl)

2/3 cup Gruyere cheese, grated

Heat the butter in pan

Fry onions, garlic and bay leaves slowly until golden brown and caramelized

Add the vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the brown residue

Sprinkle in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes

Add the hot stock and bring to boil, then turn heat down and simmer for 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 475F

Pour soup in heatproof bowls

Top with 1-2 slices of baguette and grated cheese

Place bowls on a baking tray and place in preheated oven until soup is bubbling up through the bread and cheese is golden brown

Enjoy!

Beef Stew with Parmesan Dumplings

With the crisp evenings upon us nothing sounded better last night than a comfort food and I remembered I had found a beef stew recipe with parmesan dumplings and I was more than excited to try them.  This turned out to be the best beef stew I've ever had in my life, and everyone in the family couldn't get enough. What was wonderful was the texture of the dumplings, they added a great saltiness every time I got a little bite with my stew.

Beef Stew with Parmesan Dumplings
1 lb stew meat
1 onion, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 sm can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup red wine
2 tins beef stock (use can from chopped tomatoes)
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup chopped mushrooms (I used cremini)
salt and pepper to taste

Dumplings
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup Parmesan grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk

Drench stew meat in flour, salt and pepper.
Sear in pot until browned on both sides
Remove from pot and set aside
In the same pot, fry the onion, celery, carrots until soft and fragrant
Add garlic and fry for another 30 seconds
Pour in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, wine and soy sauce and allow to come up to a simmer
Add the beef back into the pot and pour in the beef stock, add the bay leaf and thyme
Turn the heat down and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer until the beef is soft
Add the mushrooms and allow to cook for 10 minutes uncovered
To make dumplings:
Place the butter, flour, baking powder, salt and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs
With the motor running, pour in the milk slowly until the mixture comes together in a ball.
Remove and form dumplings, just slightly smaller than golf balls
Place the dumplings on top of the stew and cover with the lid. Allow to steam for 10 minutes (make sure the stew is simmering or they will fall apart)
When the dumplings are cooked through, remove the lid and serve immediately.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Fall is upon us and the weather has started to change, the leaves have started to turn colors.  The produce at the grocery store has become squashes, pumpkins and brussels sprouts.  I love trying new things inspired by the seasons, which brought me this recipe for Stuffed Acorn Squash.

1 lb ground beef
2 acorn squash (I got a small one for the kids to share and a large one for my husband and I to share)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp cornstarch
1-2 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350
Spread butter over the cut side of acorn squash
Sprinkle withe some salt and pepper
Place the squash, cut side down onto a baking sheet
Cook at 350 for 1 hour or until soft
While the squash is cooking brown ground beef
Add the garlic, onions and mushrooms, cook until onions are translucent
In small bowl, beat the egg,  add cornstarch
Add milk and 1/4 cup of cheese
Add milk mixture to beef mixture and mix well
Season with salt and pepper
Allow mixture to thicken for about 5 minutes
Stuff beef mixture into the cooked squash
Top with remaining cheese
Bake for 30 minutes
Enjoy!

Chicken Bone Broth in the Crock Pot

Start to an amazing Bone Broth

I've recently been fascinated with learning all I can about food for its health benefits not just for how tasty it is. In my search I've been experimenting with home fermentation. I have mastered a mean sauerkraut (both a Japanese one as well as a traditional one), I've made some pretty great kimchi.  I have delved into making medicinal pickled garlic, today I'll be making some medicinal oils, and one of the families all times favorites is what is now become a weekly ritual of bone broth.  Not only is it really tasty, either by itself, with an egg stirred into it, used as a stock for risotto, soups, or added to any cooking where you would traditionally use chicken/beef broth. But the health benefits are plentiful.

Bone broth is an excellent source of minerals and is known to boost the immune system and it helps improve digestion.  The broth itself is high in calcium, magnesium, amino acids and phosphorus which is great for bone and tooth health.  Bone broth has a high collagen content which supports joints, hair, skin and nails.  In cases of stomach bugs or vomiting, bone broth works to calm the stomach and can help shorten the illness.  

You can make bone broth from bones of chicken, lamb, fish, turkey, beef...etc.  Add in some vegetables, herbs of your choice and you have an amazing immune boosting liquid.  You can add egg shells, which are also rich in minerals and the egg membranes have nutrients that are supportive for joint health.

One thing I love about this is every time I make it it turns out differently depending on what I have in the house to add to it. We have only made chicken bone broth at this point because it's easy to find an organic whole chicken to start the broth. Although I am determined to find myself some organic grass fed beef bones so that I can make a beef bone broth, but as I said the chicken is easy.  We typically each drink a glass or so a day just heated up.  One of our favorite ways to use the broth (other than in cooking) is heat up some soup and whisk in an egg until cooked (similar to an egg-drop soup).

I buy the whole chicken, we roast it for dinner, eat all the meat and all the bones (and giblets) become the base for the broth.

Here's what you need:
2 lbs or more bones, although at this point I've only ever used 1 chicken carcass and it's turned out really good (they need to be high quality, organic/grass fed animal/wild caught fish)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (this is crucial as it helps draw more of the mineral content out of the bone)
Salt/Pepper to taste
*chicken feet, optional (for extra gelatin)

Here's what else you can add:
**The great thing about this is this can now become your "compost" (if you don't typically compost this is a great place to put all your vegetable scraps). Throughout the week as you cut up onions, vegetables, cook with eggs you can put all the scraps and egg shells into a Ziploc and store in the freezer to use when you're ready to make your bone broth.  The options are endless depending on what your family eats.

Here's just a run down of my typical bone broth
1 onion (no need to peel, just cut in quarters put peel, roots and all in broth)
4-5 carrots (rinse and chop roughly)
4-5 stalks of celery including leaves (can use base of celery too)
3 garlic cloves (just crushed, skin and peel left on)
3 roughly chopped green onions including root
2 ends of fennel heads and tops
1 shallot (cut in half, peel and all)
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp sea salt

Here's ideas of other things to add:
Egg shells
Broccoli stalks
Carrot tops & peels (if you happen to peel your carrots)

Here's how to cook it:
Add bones to pot
Cover with water (about an inch above bones)
Add Apple Cider Vinegar and let sit for 20-30 minutes
Now add all your vegetables/herbs/garlic and salt
Cook on low for 24 hours (for poultry)
Cook on low for 48 hours (for beef)
Cook on low for 8  hours (for fish)
When done, strain (with cheesecloth or a very fine strainer) and store in fridge for 5 days or in the freezer.
During the first few hours of simmering you may need to remove the impurities that float on the surface (although I've never had a problem with this), throw this part away. Usually check every 20 minutes for the first 2 hours.

Now don't be concerned if once you put your bone broth in the fridge that it becomes jello like, as that's a good sign. That's a sign of high gelatin content, feel free to scrape that off and use the gelatin for roasting vegetables, or other cooking uses.

Natchitoches (Louisiana Meat Pie)

Natchitoches, pronounced "Nack-uh-dish" is a meat pie that originated in the city of the same name near the Texas border in Louisiana. I was determined to mix up our dinner menu this week after being stuck in a rut for a little bit, and found this recipe and it sounded good. The original recipe did call for the meat pies to be deep fried but we don't typically fry things so we opted to bake them instead.

It's a simple recipe and one of the great things is you can make all the ingredients and freeze them to be served later.

Filling for Natchitoches

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, chopped fine

1 green bell pepper, minced

6 scallions, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth

Mix all ingredients and set aside until dough is ready.

Dough

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

4 tablespoons butter (or vegetable shortening)

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 large egg lightly beaten

Mix flour, salt and baking powder in stand alone mixer (or food processor if yours is big enough). 

Add butter/shortening and mix until it resembles coarse cornmeal.

Add broth and egg until dough just comes together

Transfer dough to lightly floured surface and knead until dough forms smooth ball (about 20 seconds)

At this point you can refrigerate the dough if wanted, or work with it immediately

You can choose to make individual meat pies or a large one. 

Roll dough out and place meat filling in middle. 

Seal meat pies and make sure to cut slits in the top before placing in the oven

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

***You can make them and then wrap in foil and place in freezer before cooking to be eaten later. 

Coconut Drip Cake

Some call this a "drip cake," a "poke cake," "tres leches." I call this cake the most amazing cake I've ever eaten. Seeing that our wedding cake was coconut I've dreamed of a good coconut cake since my wedding 14 years ago and sadly haven't come close. That was until yesterday. I was a little hesitant when I made this cake for a few reasons but the main reason I like a moist, but not soggy cake. I hate eating cake and ice cream together because the ice cream melts and ruins the texture of the cake. So when I read this recipe although all the ingredients together sounded delectable it would really depend on the final product to see if the texture was too mushy.  It wasn't, instead it was the most moist, delicious, coconut cloud on a plate.  This is only the second time I've used cake flour and I will say I can never go back to All Purpose flour for my cakes or cupcakes, the cake flour really does make such a difference. I also will never use vanilla extract again now that I've found vanilla bean paste, it is the experience of actual vanilla beans without having to buy and scrape my own vanilla beans.

Cake
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup buttermilk

Topping
1/2 can condensed milk
1/2 can unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Generous handful of unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350
Grease a 9X9 cake pan
Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In bowl of stand mixer beat butter and sugar at medium speed until pale and fluffy
Beat in vanilla
Add eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the down the bowl after each addition
At low speed beat in buttermilk until just combined
Add flour mixture in three batches mixing until each addition is just incorporated
Spread batter evenly in pan and tap on counter to eliminate air bubbles
Bake 35-40 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean
Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes
Use a fork to puncture all over the surface of the cake
Combine condensed milk & coconut milk and pour all over cake
Let cake cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours
Using whisk attachment on a stand mixer, gently whip up cream, sugar and vanilla bean paste
Spread over cake and cover with a sprinkling of shredded coconut.
***The original recipe was double this, so 4 cups + 2 tablespoons cake four, 1 full can condensed milk, 1 full can coconut milk, etc. However seeing that there was only a few of us to serve I didn't want a ton of cake. If I was taking this to a party I would definitely double this recipe.

Chicken Pot Pie

Today I have hard time believing Fall is coming, the heat outside feels like walking into a furnace when you open the door. Ok, that is a little dramatic seeing that where I live people would laugh that I think it's hot. It's 91 and 10:30am, with 41% humidity, this is about as hot as we get but to us it is HOT.  This has been such a mild summer I've had a hard time not thinking that Fall has already arrived, today has reassured me that it's still summer. At the beginning of this week when I was menu planning though the weather was still very Fall like and I found one of my favorite recipes that I realized I haven't shared. So here it is:

Crust
(you may think making your own crust isn't worth the time or hassle, but trust me it's easy and definitely worth it)
2 Cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter
6 T cold water
Combine flour, salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add water until ball is created (may need more water).
Put in fridge for 4 hours (I don't always do this step, if you forget to put in fridge I typically just put in fridge while I make the filling and it works well.)

Filling
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt & pepper
1 tbsp garlic
1 onion chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 lb chicken
Carrots
Celery
Potatoes
1 bag frozen peas

Melt 1/2 cup butter, blend in flour, salt, pepper, onion and garlic
Stir in chicken broth, stir until thickened
Turn burner to medium
Add chicken, cook for 5 minutes
Stir in carrots, celery, potatoes, cook for 5 minutes
Add peas (I don't typically add a whole bag, just eyeball how much I want), cook for 2 minutes
Mix well.

Roll out pie crust on a floured surface and place in a greased pan (making sure to save some to use as a cover)
Pour filling into crust and cover with remaining crust.
Cut slits in crust
Bake @ 400 for 30 minutes or until crust is brown and filling is bubbly.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding w/Whiskey Hard Sauce

Now I'm not typically a bread pudding fan, to be honest I don't think I've had a single one I've liked. Well that was until I was at a friends house and had the most amazing bread pudding of my life. I went back for seconds (well actually I went back for fourths) it was that good. I found my friend who was hosting the party and asked her for the recipe. I then found out the "secret" to the amazing bread pudding and I'm about to share it with you...are you ready???  Make sure you're sitting down because this secret is a doozy, here it goes, the secret to the most amazing bread pudding you've ever had...Hot Dog Buns!!!! No joke. Seriously. Hot Dog Buns. You will never look at a hot dog bun the same way again, and you will never never never want bread pudding any other way.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding - (Keep Refrigerated)

12 oz. White Chocolate (chips or chunks cut in pieces).
10-12 Hot Dog Buns cut in approx. 1" sections
1 cup granulated Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
½ t cinnamon
1 Pinch of Nutmeg
7 Egg Yolks
2 whole Eggs
6 cups Heavy cream, ½ & ½ or Whole Milk (depending on how rich you want it to taste, I
recommend heavy cream)


Put all cream/milk into a pot on the stove.
Stir in sugar, vanilla & nutmeg.
Combine whole eggs and egg yolks in a bowl, and whip till bright yellow and slightly frothy.
Add cream mixture and whip vigorously.
Add white chocolate.
Cut hot dog buns into 1” pieces. Arrange cut hot dog buns in a greased 9 x 12 baking dish.
Pour the milk mixture over buns.
Move and push buns in the baking dish to be sure all buns are saturated with liquid.
Push down on the top of the buns to bring any excess liquid to the top.  If there is no excess of
liquid, add milk or cream to allow a small amount of liquid to surface.
Cover with foil and bake for 45 mins. at 350.
Uncover and bake another 15 minutes (or until pudding is set).
Test with a toothpick in the middle of the dish to make sure that pudding is done, checking often until toothpick comes out clean.


Whiskey Hard Sauce  - (Keep Refrigerated Makes 1 ½ cups)

1 C Cream
½ C Sugar
¼ t vanilla
2 oz. Brandy or Whiskey
1 t cornstarch.

Heat cream just until it starts to simmer.  Simmer until slightly thickened. (about 1 minute)
Add sugar, stir until dissolved.  Add vanilla.
Mix cornstarch with brandy until dissolved.  Take cream off the heat and stir in cornstarch
mixture.  Stir until dissolved and then reheat stirring constantly until thickened.
Cool to desired temperature before serving.

Mango, Avocado, Black Bean Chop Chop Salad

I can feel it...can you? Summer is coming. This past Friday it was a 82 and beautiful and just made me crave those summer days. We ate dinner outside and I could picture swimming in the ocean, coming home after spending all day at the beach and eating something light and refreshing. Sipping a glass of wine and eating salad a delicious salad.  Today of course is raining and summer feels so far away, now this is coming from someone who lives where it's typically 70 and sunny so I'm not definitely complaining, I'm just dreaming of what this summer has in store. 

Mango, Avocado, Black Bean Chop Chop Salad
1 1/2 cup mango, chopped (I used frozen because it was easy)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can black beans rinsed
1 avocado, cut into chunks
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 cup chicken, cooked & chopped
Juice from 2 limes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup cilantro
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve over lettuce. 
*I actually made everything (excluding the avocado and tomatoes) this morning and it's in the fridge marinating to get extra flavor, the kids and I have tasted it a few times (hey a chef has to taste their food to make sure it's good) and I can say I'm super excited for dinner. 

Shepherd's Pie

Oh how I love a good Shepherd's Pie, but I usually find the recipes over involved or time consuming neither of which I have the patience or time for. I finally found a recipe that is quick easy and most of all delicious.

Shepherd's Pie

For the potatoes:
4-6 medium potatoes
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt & pepper

For the meat filling:
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp garlic
Your favorite veggies (I use 1 cup of frozen 4 pack of corn, green beans, carrots and peas)
4 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 water
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary

Turn on oven 400 degrees
Place diced potatoes in water and bring to boil, cook until tender
While potatoes are cooking, heat skillet add olive oil, chopped onion and garlic.
Add ground beef to brown.
Sprinkle meat with flour and toss to coat. Cook for another minute
Stir in the tomato paste, water, Worcestershire, rosemary & thyme. Combine well and simmer fro 7-10 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.
Add veggies (I really love a frozen organic foursome that I use so I add 1/2 the bag.) Cook until desired doneness
When potatoes are done cooking add butter and cream and mash until smooth
Spray baking pan with non stick spray, pour in meat & veggie mixture. Top with potatoes, make sure to use a spatula and smooth potatoes all the way to the edges this helps create a seal and prevents the mixture from bubbling out too much.
Place baking dish on cookie sheet and bake in middle rack @ 400 for 1 hour 

Cilantro Potato Salad

Summer time is coming, which means BBQ, cook outs and spending time outside. Here's a new potato recipe to try. I'm not one for potato salad, actually I don't really like potatoes typically at all but this potato salad was amazing. Not to mention they were fresh grown potatoes picked straight from our backyard yesterday morning. Actually all of the ingredients (except the mayonnaise) were from our backyard garden, even the garlic & green onions was from our backyard.

Cilantro Potato Salad
1 1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise
3/4 cup cilantro leaves chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
2 lbs small new potatoes, cooked
1/3 cup finely chopped green onion

In a bowl stir together mayonnaise, cilantro, green onion, garlic & salt. Add potatoes and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Crock Pot Lasagna

I was hesitant about this one, would the noodles get soggy? Would it taste like a good lasagna, cause I love a good lasagna. I was pleasantly surprised! I made a homemade sauce but you can always use a jar of your own favorite sauce.

Crock Pot Lasagna

1 26oz box/can strained tomatoes (we're a huge fan of Pomi)
chopped onion
2 tsp garlic
1 lb ground beef
1/3 cup basil
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup parmesean
15 oz container ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella
1 whole egg
lasagna noodles, uncooked

In large skillet ground beef and onion, add garlic.
Pour in strained tomatoes (or jar of sauce). I wanted a bolognese type sauce so this is where I added the heavy whipping cream (can be omitted) 1/4 cup parmesan, and 1/4 cup basil. Let simmer for 5 minutes
Mix ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 1/4 cup parmesan, egg and remaining basil.
Spray crock pot with non stick spray
Pour in 1 cup of sauce, place noodles on top (break into pieces to make fit if necessary), layer cheese. Continue until last layer is sauce.
Cook on low for 3-4 hours (depends on temperature of your crock pot, mine was done at 3 1/2, then I turned on to warm.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and let cook an additional 10 minutes until melted.
Serve

Crock Pot Ham Bone Soup

The question of what to do with leftover ham bone, there is so much good flavor and meat leftover on that bone you don't want any of it to go to waste. After Easter dinner, I started trying to come up with the perfect recipe for the ham bone. Seeing how much I love my crock pot it all just made sense to put together a soup that included the ham bone. Looking at our bone we assumed we'd eaten just about all the meat, boy were we wrong. After sitting in the crock pot for 7 hours we were shocked to see how much meat we still had.

Crock Pot Ham Bone Soup
1 ham bone with some leftover meat (ours was frozen)
1 onion diced
1 can crushed/diced tomatoes
1 can beans, drained & rinsed (we used great northern bean, kidney will be good to)
3 potatoes, cubed
1 bell pepper (we used yellow)
4 carrots chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
4 cups chicken stock
2 tsp garlic

Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours.
The ham bone itself has so much flavor there is no need to add any additional spices.

Crock Pot Fajitas

This was probably one of the easiest/quickest recipes I've thrown together. Just 4 ingredients and you're done.

Crock Pot Fajitas
1 lb flank steak cut into strips (you could use any meat you want for this recipe)
2 bell peppers sliced
1 onion sliced
1/2 a jar salsa (what ever is you're favorite, I use a salsa verde from Trader Joes)

That's it, place all in crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours.
We served with tortillas, guacamole, cilantro, cheese and more green sauce.
Enjoy!!!

Crock Pot Zuppa Toscana

Crock Pot Zuppa Toscana
1 lb Italian Sausage
1/2 lb bacon chopped
chopped potatoes (I added 4 medium sized potatoes)
2 cups chicken both
4 cups water
1 medium onion chopped
2 tsp garlic
1 cup kale
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Chop sausage into bite sized pieces and brown sausage in skillet and add to crock pot
Brown bacon until crisp, drain and add to crock pot
Place water, broth, potatoes, onion and garlic into crock pot
Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours, until potatoes are tender
Add kale and whipping cream and stir to combine, cook on low an additional 30 minutes
***recipe called for 1lb bacon cooked in skillet and added to crock pot, personally although I LOVE bacon I didn't think the recipe "needed a full lb", so I cut it to 1/2 lb.

Crock Pot Chinese Beef Strips with Snow Peas

I'm always looking for things to change up our weekly dinners, and I really like to utilize the crock pot as it gives daddy time to play with the kiddos or for all of us to go for a walk/bike ride after daddy gets home from work.  Seeing that daddy is usually the "cook" in the house (he really enjoys it, is really good at it and by the time he gets home I just need 10 minutes to myself), the days I crock pot are a break for him too. So I venture onto new recipes every once in a while, this week I found 4 to try. Last night we tried the first of the 4 and it was good. Here's the recipe:

Crock Pot Chinese Beef Strips w/ Snow Peas
1 lb flank steak (sliced into strips)
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic
1 bunch green onions
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 can bamboo shoots, drained
1/2 cup snow peas

Combine steak, beef broth, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and 2 chopped green onions in crock pot.
Cook on low for 5-7 hours
Turn to high. Dissolve 2 Tbsp cornstarch with the 2 Tbsp cold water. Stir into crock pot and mix well
Cook on high for 15 minutes or until thickened
During last 7 minutes (I like my snow peas still crunchy) add water chestnuts, bamboo and snow peas.
Serve over white rice.

Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding soup, named for how well the ingredients "marry."

I searched for a few recipes to finally find one that I liked and then I altered it and have mastered it by making it a few times. I love this soup because it's a great combination of flavors and really easy to make. 

Crock Pot Italian Wedding Soup
  Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
1 egg slightly beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped basil
  Soup
4 cups chicken stock
2 scoops Herbs de Provence
1/2 cup onion chopped
chopped celery
chopped carrots
1 tbsp garlic
2 small bay leaves
1/4 chopped basil
2 cups kale (or spinach, escarole...your favorite "green")
1/2 cup cooked pasta (I like to use acini di pepe)
Parmesan cheese for serving

Mix together meatballs and form into small balls.
Cook @ 350 for 10-15 minutes turning half way through
While meatballs are cooking place all soup ingredients in crock pot, excluding the kale and pasta.
When meatballs are done in the oven place in soup
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours
1/2 hour before ready to eat add pasta and kale
Serve with Parmesan

Crockpot Coconut Braised Pork

This was such a simple recipe and it turned out so good and moist!

Crockpot Coconut Braised Pork
2 tbsp oil (I used sesame but can use any)
1 lb pork (I used tenderloin) cut into 2 inch chunks
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 1/2 cup coconut water
1 can coconut milk (optional)*
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
5-6 scallions chopped

Cooked white rice

Heat large skillet with oil. In batches sear off the meat browning well on all sides, about 15 minutes total.
Transfer meat to crock pot, add the fish sauce and coconut water (make sure the meat is covered by about two-thirds if not add more coconut water.
Turn slow cooker on low for about 8 hours.
Serve with white rice, using some of the braising liquid on the rice.
Toss chopped cilantro and scallions on for extra flavor.
*For extra coconut flavor use the can of coconut milk

Coconut Buttermilk Pound Cake

I love me some coconut, so much that the top we had two of our wedding cake tiers as coconut. I search out recipes and have been disappointed by many of the ones I've tried, but this one is amazing and easy! As you can tell below I couldn't even get a picture of it whole as once I took a tiny taste I needed more. I omitted the frosting as I didn't want it overly sweet and I really enjoyed it without the frosting.

Coconut Buttermilk Pound Cake
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut (toast the coconut if you would like, I didn't)

Frosting:
2 tbsp buttermilk
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup confectioners sugar
(after cake has completely cooled, whisk together and drizzle over the top of cake)

Preheat oven to 350
Butter and flour a loaf pan
Whisk together flour & baking powder
In large bowl using a mixer beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy (about 8 minutes)
Add vanilla and then eggs one at a time beating well and scraping bowl down in between
With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with two 1/2 cup additions of buttermilk and beat until combined
With a rubber spatula fold in coconut
Pour in pan and bake for 60 minutes (or until knife inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached)
Let cool in pan on baking rack
Remove from pan and drizzle with frosting

Oatmeal Bars

Sorry I've been MIA we went through a period of everyone in the house being sick and seeing that kids seem to be fine during the day and then the minute the sun goes down they start their coughing and sneezing and all around feeling awful we spent many a night walking little kids in the cold air trying to help their coughing. But I'm back and will try to get to posting again.
I wanted to share this recipe that I recently found thanks to a friend testing a Pinterest recipe. What I love about this recipe is that it's a functional recipe similar to my scone recipe that I love so much.
Here's the basic recipe and then I'll give you some "alterations to it"

Oatmeal Bars
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I use unsweetened)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp melted butter or 7 tbsp coconut oil
1 lg egg
1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir together oats, flour, brown sugar, coconut, baking powder and salt.
Add egg and vanilla to melted butter and combine with dry ingredients.
Cook @350 for 20-25 minutes
***Can use mini muffin pan and then cook for 18-20 minutes.

Ok so that is the basic recipe, but what I really love about this is all the additions you can add.
I've really been into coconut oil so yesterday I made this same recipe but substituted the butter for 7 tbsp coconut oil (needed a little additional to keep the bars moist enough).
*****I also use whatever I have in the house to change up the flavor. I add 1/2 cup of whatever item it is I want to add.
Here's some ideas:
Chocolate chips, flax seeds, frozen blueberries, dried cranberries, walnuts, white chocolate chips, the options are endless and that's what I love about this recipe. It'll taste different every time so no one is tired of the "same old thing."
Try it out, change it up, and enjoy it!!!

Homemade Play Doh

Seeing that I'm a mom to 3 young kids I don't always cook just food, sometimes I also cook crafts. In this case I have found a perfect play doh recipe. What I love is I can make it fresh anytime we want it and in any color, it also has a good shelf life (ours lasts about a month or so). Yesterday we made yellow and purple (it was supposed to be purple mind you it definitely looks more gray) and seeing it's winter and we don't get "snow" here we decided to make play doh snowmen. Which is good seeing that I would never let me kids build a snowman with yellow and gray snow.

Enjoy!!!!


Homemade Play Doh
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tbsp cream of tartar
1 tbsp oil
1 cup water
food coloring

Mix first 4 ingredients in pot and add water.
Cook over medium heat stirring constantly 3-5 minutes
Dough will become difficult to stir and clump together at that point it's done.
Turn out onto flat surface and knead for 5 minutes adding food coloring of your choice