Domestic Mess

Olive Garden Parmesan Crusted Chicken

2011-08-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I love the Olive Garden and sadly there isn't one anywhere near me. I actually have to drive about 4 hours just to get the delicious unlimited breadsticks and delicious pasta. I have tried for years to find a recipe that would hail in comparison to their Parmesean Crusted Chicken, and luckily I was able to find a quick recipe on a website that had similar-to-restaurant recipes. I found this gem and doctored it a bit to my tastes.

Do you have any Olive Garden recipes?!
Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients
1 C. Plain Bread Crumbs
2 Tbsp. Flour
1/4 C. Kraft Parmesan Cheese
1 C. Milk
6 (1/2″) Thick Pieces of Chicken Breast Strips
Vegetable Oil ( frying )
2 C. dry Bowtie Pasta
2 Tbsp. Butter
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Crushed Garlic
1/2 C. White Table Wine (Chablis)
1/4 C. Water
2 Tbsp. Flour
3/4 C. Half and Half
1/4 C. Sour Cream
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Basil Leaves
3/4 C. Mild Asiago Cheese ( finely grated)

Directions
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Wash and drain chicken strips. Mix breadcrumbs, flour, and Parmesan cheese together. Place milk in dish for dipping. Dip chicken in breadcrumb mixture and then in milk and then back in breadcrumbs. Place in fry pan that the oil has bee heated and fry at medium to medium low temperature until golden. Remove and drain chicken. In a saucepan on medium heat, melt butter, add olive oil. Whisk in flour until mixture is blended. Quickly add garlic, water, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt stir well. Add wine and blend. Immediately add half and half and sour cream stir. When mixture is smooth add grated cheese stir until melted. Finally sprinkle fresh basil in the sauce and stir lightly and remove from heat.

*Tip: I make my own mixture of breadcrumbs for this, and other recipes. I use an almost stale bagette and break it up into small sizes and toss it into the Magic Bullet. Along with the breadcrumbs, I throw some grated parm, garlic powder, a sprinkle of paprika, and a sprinkle of parsley.

Garnish
4 Broccoli Florets (lightly steamed)
2 White Mushrooms (quartered lightly steamed)
1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper

Ta Da!
Place 2 cups pasta in individual a pasta dish. Spoon about 1/2 – 3/4 cup sauce over pasta, add broccoli and mushrooms. Place Parmesan Chicken on pasta and sprinkle red crushed pepper and add grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Granola Bars

2011-08-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

I have made this bars several times, each time varying what I put in it. I also like to free pour the maple syrup and brown sugar. You can make these bars to your specific tastes, and include or exclude anything you don't like.

•1/2 cup (125 mL) butter
•1/2 cup (125 mL) maple syrup
•1/4 cup (50 mL) packed brown sugar
•2 1/2 cups (625 mL) rolled oats (not quick, instant or one-minute)
•1/3 cup (75 mL) wheat germ or bran
•2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
•1 tsp (5 mL) finely grated orange rind
•1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
•1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
•1/3 cup (75 mL) dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, cherries, or finely chopped apricots, figs and/or pitted dates)

1.Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a 9-inch (2.5-L) square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch (2.5-cm) overhang on two sides so you can easily lift the baked bars out of the pan.

2.In a large saucepan, heat butter, maple syrup and sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil for 1 minute; remove saucepan from heat. Stir in oats, wheat germ, vanilla, orange rind, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Stir in dried fruit until well combined.

3.Spread mixture evenly in pan, pressing down firmly using base of a measuring cup. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a deep golden colour. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Once cooled, use parchment to lift to a cutting board; cut into bars with a large serrated knife. (Save any crumbs; they’re delicious sprinkled over yogurt or fruit.) Bars can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Makes about 20 bars, and takes approximately 40 minutes from start to finish.

DELICIOUS!

Meal Planning: The Planner

2011-08-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

I was able to find a template for meal planning (yay!) and have been digging around for recipes. I have decided to start my plan on Sunday, August 14, so I'll have the remainder of this week to plan. Hopefully on Saturday and Sunday I can start to prepare some things for the week. If anyone would like a copy of the meal planner, send me an email and I'll forward it along to you.

Any recipe suggestions? What quick and easy things do you make for the work week? I find trying to come up with things to make for lunch, other than sandwiches, is one of the hardest things ever. I am so picky so it makes it that much harder for me. By the time I get home from work, I am starving because I threw my sandwich out/didn't bother to make one. I eat whatever is lying around (chips, crackers, etc), or I go through a drive-thru.

I need help!! Suggestions welcome.

Whole Wheat Crackers

2011-08-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

WHOLE WHEAT CRACKERS

3 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c flaxseed
1/2 c wheat germ
1/2 tsp salt
1 c water
1/3 c olive oil
salt or other spice to sprinkle

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix first 6 ingredients together (I like to use my kitchen aid mixer). Do not overmix. Divide dough into 4 sections. Take each section and roll it as thin as you can get and to roughly the size of a cookie sheet - when you think it's thin enough, roll it some more to get it even thinner. Try to get it roughly as thick as Wheat Thins would be. It's helpful to roll the dough on parchment paper and then place the dough and paper together onto a cookie sheet to bake. Prick dough randomly with a fork. Using a knife, lightly score the dough into squares or rectangles. Sprinkle with salt or your preferred spice and bake for 15-20 minutes or until they're browned and crispy. When they're cooled break them apart along the scored lines and enjoy!

Other spices I like to use:
Paprika, Garlic, Thyme, Savory. Also, it's fun to use parm (not fresh), or the Kraft Cheddar (think Kraft Dinner cheese).

*Tip: Tap the crackers with a fork to make sure they're crispy. If they're not, bake them for another few minutes and check again.

Meal Planning

2011-08-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

I work 50+ hours a week, so coming home at the end of a busy day at work and after battling the ridiculous traffic, cooking is the last thing I really want to do. I'd like to develop a weekly meal plan and try to stick with it. I'm also extremely frugal and would like to do a budget friendly meal plan.

Does anyone meal plan? Do you have any great tips or tricks to meal planning? Any links you would like to share? There are lots of great ideas out there, I'm just having a hard time finding anything!

Any recipes you would like to share?

Tomato Sauce

2011-08-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

You can, without a doubt, use pureed or crushed tomatoes as I did in this recipe. Reduce the cook time to 35 minutes and don’t worry about crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot.

Ingredients
28 oz canned whole peeled tomatoes
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Directions
Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan (it fit just right in a 3-quart) over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste. I actually chopped up some of the onions and left them in the sauce.

Serve with spaghetti, with or without grated Parmesan cheese.

Stuffed Potatoes

2011-08-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients
6 medium potatoes
1 big red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 chicken breast, cut in 1/2 inch pieces (I left this out this time)
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 tsp fresh lovage, chopped (I used dill this time)
80-100g grated cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F). Scrub potatoes, pierce them with a fork and put them in the oven rack for 30-40 minutes until soft.

2. Meanwhile prepare the filling. In a large frying pan heat oil or butter over medium high heat. Saute the onion with garlic for about 5 minutes until soft. Add red pepper and chicken small pieces and cook until meat has lost it's raw color. Stir in fresh lovage, salt and pepper an remove from heat.

3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle cut potatoes in half lengthwise, scoop the interior out of each leaving about 1/4 inch shell of potato flesh and skin. Add the scooped-out potato flesh to filling mixture, and stir.

4. Turn the oven to 250°C (480°F). Grease a baking sheet with oil. Fill the potato shells with the filling mixture and place them on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese on top. Bake for 20 minutes until potatoes turn golden brown.

Cheddar & Scallion Scones

2011-08-07T16:27:00.001-07:00

Ingredients
2 Cups Flour

2 T baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 cup shredded cheddar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped scallions

Directions
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Add eggs, melted butter adn cheddar. beat until combined. Add sour cream and scallions and mix until combined. Mixture will be light and fluffy. Drop by spoonful into greased small muffin pan. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Carmelized Onion Bread

2011-08-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

Carmelized Onion Bread
(This will make two small loaves)

Caramelized Onion
1 large onion, chopped or thinly sliced
1 bunch green onion bulbs, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
salt

Dough
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
25 g fresh yeast
1 bunch green onion leaves, finely chopped
250-300 ml warm water

Directions
1. In a frying pan heat oil over medium high heat. Cook onion for about 5 minutes until soft. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking until golden brown. Season with salt. Set aside to cool.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour with salt. Dissolve the fresh yeast in water and add to the flour mixture. Mix everything togheter then add caramelized onion and green onion leaves and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl. Cover it and let it sit for about 1 hour at room temperature, to let the dough rise until doubled in size.

3. Preheat oven to 240C (470F) 30 minutes before baking. Spoon 1 tablespoon flour into a small baking tray, put the dough in the tray and let sit until the oven is hot. Optional sprinkle salt and few green onion chopped leaves on top.

4. Put an empty baking pot in the oven ten minutes before baking. As you put the baking tray in the oven, add a cup of hot water in the empty pot, in this way it will instantly boil and create steam. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Remove the bread from the baking tray and cool on a wire rack.

Vanilla Cupcakes

2010-10-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is the easiest and most delicious cupcake/cake recipe!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 for cupcakes, 30 for a cake
Makes about 12 cupcakes

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk

What to do:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners.

2.In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.

3.Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

I made these for my niece's first birthday. When I was mixing them up, I threw in some bright pink food coloring to make hot pink cupcakes!

For the frosting, I stuck with a simple buttercream frosting.
2/3 cup butter, softened
5-1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
1-1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk

In a mixing bowl, cream butter. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Add milk until frosting reaches desired consistency.

Photos to come!

Smokey BBQ & Cheddar Individual Pizza

2010-09-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

Mmmm. I love love love BBQ sauce. I would put it on everything if I could. I love making home made pizzas and using BBQ sauce instead of Pizza Sauce. Here is my dough and sauce recipe, as well as one of my favorite pizzas; Cheesey BBQ Pizza.

Dough
I make my dough days/weeks in advance and either freeze it in little balls in freezer bags, or I divide it up into little pizzas and bake it, then freeze thoughs. I prefer the latter option.

This recipe is delicious, but takes a lot of time (because it has to rise/proof), so make enough to freeze and have later on!

Prep Time: Half hour
Cook Time: Six Minutes
Proof time: 10 hours

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup bread flour, or more if needed
1 tablespoon olive oil

1.Pour the warm water into the pan of a bread machine, sprinkle in the salt, and add the flour to the pan so the flour sits on top of the water. Make a hole in the top of the flour, and spoon the yeast into the hole. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes to moisten the flour. Set the bread machine to the knead setting, and knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead in 1/4 cup more flour or as needed, adding the flour about 2 tablespoons at a time, to make a wet, sticky, but elastic dough. The dough should be super soft. Form the dough into a round shape. If you don't have a bread machine, you can also put the warm water into a deep bowl, add the salt and flour, and then add in the yeast. You can knead the dough on your own, but it may take a little longer for it to become the right texture. It will, just keep working it. This mixture is VERY sticky, so it'll be harder to do it with your hands. If you're finding it to be too sticky and you're getting frustrated, add some flour to your fingers.

2.Wipe the inside of a large bowl with olive oil, and place the round ball of dough into the bowl. Turn the dough over a couple of times so the dough picks up a thin coating of oil. Cover with a cloth, and refrigerate the dough for 10 hours or overnight. OR if you're not using a bread machine, do this step in a seperate bowl.
3.The next day, allow the dough to come to room temperature before rolling out on a floured surface and adding toppings as desired. Roll the dough out thin with a thicker edge before adding toppings. Usually I don't add any toppings at this stage because I like to make it, seperate it, and then freeze it.

4.Place a pizza stone into oven, dust it with a little flour, and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the pizza on the stone in the preheated oven until the bottom of the crust is browned, 6 to 8 minutes. I broke my pizza stone, so now, I just throw it in on the racks.

Sauce
Trust me, it's delicious.
2 cups root beer

2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup no-pulp orange juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Stir together the root beer, ketchup, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, and molasses in a saucepan. Season with ginger, paprika, chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator up to a week.

To make my Smokey BBQ & Cheddar Individual Pizzas, I use 8" pieces of cooked dough and slather on the BBQ sauce. I use Reggiano cheese, Balderson Cheddar (aged 2 years), Mozzarella, Medium Cheddar and Goat Cheese. I also sprinkle a little parm on the top. Once I've got the cheeses mixed up and loaded onto the pizza, I bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 5 minutes.

By freezing the doughs, you can have pizza in under 10 minutes once thawed. It's delicious NY style dough, and freezes really well!

Pictures to come soon!

Cheesy, Garlic Savory Cupcakes

2010-09-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

*I didn't take pictures, but envision the savory cupcakes below, but a little darker, a lot cheesier and no chives.

2 Cups Flour
1 T Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 stick melted butter (1/2 stick = 1/2 cup)
1 Cup sour cream (I prefer restaurant style)
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar
1/2 Cup Shredded Reggiano
1/4 Cup Shredded Parmesean
Parsley to taste (I probably used about 2 tablespoons)
Paprika to taste (I probably used 3 tablespoons)
Garlic to taste (I probably used.... way too much lol. Use as much as you're comfortable usuing. I love Garlic so I over load everything with it).
Pepper to taste (Probably a tablespoon)
Sea Salt to taste (probably a tablespoon)
Oregano to taste (Probably a tablespoon).

Mix all of your dry ingredients together in one bowl. Add the melted butter and mix, then add the sour cream, eggs and cheeses and mix together. Beat the mixture on medium speed, until everything is combined. Sometimes, it's easier to beat for a little while, then use your hands to kind of knead the mixture. It blends easier when you do it with your own hands, I find. Once mixed together, (it'll be a sticky, clumpy mixture), put into a greased muffin tin. At this point, I used my sea salt grinder, and put a little fresh sea salt on top. I did the same with a bit of pepper. Cook on a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

I duplicated this recipe, and cooked it in a bread pan and sliced it up into a small loaf.

DELICIOUS! You can add flavors you like and take out the ones you want. I love the garlic, but some of my family didn't, so make it without (or less) if you're not a garlic fan. Want to spice it up a bit? Add more paprika! You can switch it up by varying the cheeses and spices.

Cheddar & Chive Cupcakes

2010-08-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

Cupcakes
2 Cups Flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1 Tsp salt
2 Eggs
1/2 Stick butter, melted
1 Cup shredded cheddar
1 Cup sour cream
1/2 Cup chopped Chives
Pepper to taste
Parsley to taste

Directions

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, melted butter, and cheddar, and beat until combined. It'll look like a crumbly, flakey mess. Add sour cream and chives and mix until combined. Mixture will be light and fluffy. Drop by spoonful into greased small muffin pan. I used a regular sized muffin tin and got 12 decent sized cupcakes. I added some parsley and pepper to the top of each once they were in the pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Best served warm or reheated in the oven.

Once cooled, I put a little bit of whipped cream cheese and some fresh chives. They were delicious. For those who didn't eat them with cream cheese, they were just as delicious with butter.

Red Velvet Cake with Buttercream Icing

2010-08-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

Cake
1 1/4 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 T cocoa powder
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 T red food coloring
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, egg, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. While mixing at medium speed, gradually add dry mixture to wet mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into a spring form pan (I used a 8"). Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until an insterted toothpick comes out clean.

Icing

1 stick room temp. butter
2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
a dash of almond extract

Beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar, milk, vanilla, and almond extract and beat until spreadable consistency. Add additional sugar if needed. I also free pour vanilla, generally. Use fresh and not extract, it'll make a difference.

One the cake cools down, ice with a small spatula. I find that it's best to make the icing once the cake is completely cool, as the icing only takes a few minutes to make and generally hardens up a bit just as quickly, which makes it harder to spread. If you do notice that it has thickened up, just take the beaters to it and that should do the trick. If it's still kind of hard, add a teaspoon of milk and beat until soft. If you find that you've added too much milk, just free pour icing/confectioner's sugar, and that'll thicken it up!

Ignore the sloppy icing job. It was after mid-night and I just wanted it done!

Worms in Dirt Cupcakes (2 versions)

2010-06-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my nephew's graduation from pre-school to kindergarten. We're having a little party for him tomorrow so I thought I would make some cupcakes for the boy!

I made Worms in Dirt. Of course 1 kind wouldn't be enough for a crazy four year old, so I made two!

Worms in Dirt (1.0)

Cupcakes
2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
¼ cup muddy cocoa
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup milk
8-10 Gummy Worms (you're call on this one, as they will melt when you cook)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. After you have broken up the worms, you can add them to the mix by folding them into the batter. FYI: they will melt when you make them so there really is no point to this, other than the taste of the gummy worms being in the cupcakes. Personally, I don't like the taste, but all the kids do.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost.

Chocolate Frosting w/Oreo Bits

1 Cup Butter (room temperature)

1/3 Cup Cocoa

3 Cups Confectioner's Sugar

1/3 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup crushed Oreo's

12 Gummy Worms

Beat butter on medium speed until creamy. Add in remaining ingredients except for Oreo's.

Once cupcakes are cooled, spread the frosting on them, and then roll the tops of them in the crusher Oreos (I put the Oreos on a piece of wax paper). Garnish with remaining worms.

Version 2.0

Cupcakes

2/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

¼ cup milk

3 Drops Green Food Dye (neon)

1 Drop Blue Food Dye (neon)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

3 Cups Confections Sugar

1 Cup Butter (1 cup=1 stick)

1/4 Cup Milk

2-3 Dashes of Vanilla

3/4 Cup Crushed Oreos

12 Gummy Worms

Beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat together until combined. Add milk & vanilla and beat until combined. Fold in Oreos. Once cupcakes have cooled completely, ice them (I didn`t have any Wilton bags so I used a Freezer bag and cut a small hole in the tip). Once iced, add a few pieces of the Gummy Worms

Blueberry Cupcakes with Maple Butter Frosting

2010-06-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my pictures from tonight!

I used about 3/4 of a pint of blue berries in the cupcakes!

After it's beaten, gently fold in your blueberries (roll them in flour beforehand and they won't bleed or break as easily).

They made 12 small cupcakes. If you want bigger ones, I'd suggest only making six.

When you make the frosting, make sure you wait until the cupcakes are cooled down because this gets hard fairly quick. You don't want to put frosting or icing on a hot cupcake because it'll melt and drip everywhere (and it can make the cupcakes kind of gooey).

Mmmm. NB maple syrup. The recipe calls for three tablespoons. I free poured. I probably put about 1/4 of a cup or more. I'm a maple syrup whore.

Here's a tip for putting your frosting/icing in a Wilton bag: Get a milk jug (the jug you put the bags of milk in), and stand your wilton bag in it (with the wilton tip in it already, not cut). You can bend the top of the Wilton bag over the side of the jug (one side will go down, but it's not wide enough to totally fold it over). Then use a spatula to scoop your icing/frosting in). You can use a tall glass or vase too! Once you have all the frosting/icing in, push down on it all and get it as close to the tip as you can. Folding down the top of the Wilton bag before you push will make sure nothing spills out of the bag from the pressure. Once it's down as far as it will go, you can cut the tip of the bag and push down a bit more and the Wilton tip will slide into place.

You'll see that the tip of the bag is still on and that there is an air space between the frosting and the wilton tip. Once you cut the tip of the bag and push down a bit, that'll go away. By folding down the top of the bag, I limited how much frosting would spill out of the top when I was pushing the frosting down into the bag.

They weren't as big as I had hoped, but they came out a beautiful white & purple/blue.

Final Result. Add a few blueberries for garnish on top!

Blueberry Cupcakes with Maple Brown Butter Frosting

2010-06-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

UPCAKES

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk
1 cup blueberries

Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix butter and egg lightly. Add buttermilk and milk. Add milk mixture to flour and mix until just blended. Toss blueberries in a tablespoon of flour and fold into batter. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

ICING
1 stick butter
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup milk
3 T maple syrup

In a saucepan, melt butter at medium temperature until golden brown. In a bowl, add butter to sugar, then add milk and syrup. Beat until smooth.

Coffee Cupcakes with Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting

2010-06-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

I cheated with this one and used a boxed cake & added to it because I was feeling lazy.

Cupcakes:
Betty Crocker White Cake Mix
3 Eggs
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cups oil
1/3 cup cocoa
3 tbsp coffee
1 tbsp nutella

Frosting:
1 C butter (room temperature)
2 1/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 C butterscotch
1/4 C milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
Dash Almond extract

Cupcakes
First thing I did was mix the coffee & water together until it was blended. Add cake mix, water mix, oil & eggs to bowl & mix with beater. Add in cocoa & nutella and mix on high until well blended. Once mixed together, put into lined muffin tin. Bake for 16-21 minutes st 325. These took about 20 minutes to cook.

Frosting
Mix butter on high for a few minutes until it looks soft & whipped. Add in butterscotch and let that soften, while beating on high. Add icing sugar, milk, vanilla, almond extract and butterscotch into bowl and mix on high. Once it is blended and soft (it should be fluffy), load into a pastry bag.

Once cupcakes are cooled, you can add it to the top & voila!

Leek Soup

2010-05-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

1 Package of Knorr Cream of Leek
3 Cups of Water
250ml of Cream (we use Cereal Cream)
2 tbsp Garlic
1 Leek stock (I buy bagged leeks, so we just free poured about two hand fuls)
1/2 cup mozarella
1/4 cup romano
1/4 cup parmesean
1tbsp butter

In a large saucepan, mix eeks, butter & garlic. Saute for a few minutes until leeks get a bit soft. Add Knorr Cream of Leek mix and three cups of water. Stir for a few minutes, then gradually mix in the cream and a little bit of parmesean. Boil until it thickens. Once thickened, place in french onion soup bowls, and cover in cheese. Put under broiler until browned!

If you want (what we did) before you put the cheese on, place a sliced piece of sourdough bread on top of the soup, then coat with cheese.

Cheese FYI: We do not measure cheese. We free pour and put as much as we want. We both love cheese so we tend to end up with a super cheesey dish!!

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

2010-05-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

CUPCAKES

1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 T cocoa powder
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 T red food coloring
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, buttermilk, egg, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla. While mixing at medium speed, gradually add dry mixture to wet mixture until just combined. Fill cupcake liners. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until an insterted toothpick comes out clean.

ICING
1 stick room temp. butter
2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
a dash of almond extract
Maple Syrup (I just dump it in)
Beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar, milk, vanilla, and almond extract and beat until spreadable consistency. Add additional sugar if needed.

2010-05-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

This is what the boy is getting for his birthday cupcakes! I get the recipe from this site. I'll take my own pictures and let you know how it goes!!

I also picked up some cupcake liners that I think are super cute for my Navy-boyfriend. They're little pirate cupcake liners that have little skull flags to put into the cupcake.

Birthday Boy!

2010-05-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

This year the boy is turning the big 33! Actually, his birthday is on Thursday. I won't likely see him until Friday or Saturday, but I've decided to make him cupcakes. I bought little pirate cupcake foils with little pirate flags to go in them. I also bought two 'three' candles to put in two of them (since you can't actually buy a '33' candle).

I'm mulling over a few ideas, but I think I'm going to make dark chocolate cakes with marshmallow frosting (think Fluff).

Here is the recipe for the frosting:

Marshmallow Frosting
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 large egg whites
1 jar (about 7 ounces) marshmallow fluff
1 to 2 teaspoons of coconut extract

Put sugar, water and eggwhites in a medium sized heavy saucepan, cooking on low heat beating continuosly with an electric mixer on high until soft peaks form (about 2 to 3 minutes). Remove the pan from heat and add the marshmallow fluff, beating with the mixer until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes more. Make sure you make this after your cupcakes are cooled, if it sits around it will dry out and you won't be able to spread it.

Thoughts? Got another Fluff Frosting recipe?

Creamsicle Cupcakes

2010-04-27T18:23:00.000-07:00

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract (I always put more)

1 tsp. orange extract (again, I always put more)

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

¼ cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and orange extract.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost.

MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 (7½ ounce) jar Fluff, or similar marshmallow cream

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat butter in a large bowl with mixer on high speed until creamy. Beat in marshmallow cream. Reduce speed to low, and beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Increase speed to high; beat until fluffy.

Frost cooled cupcakes
(I also used some neon food coloring to fancy it up haha)

I don't cook them on a cookie sheet, I just put them on it to cool

Bright green!

Purple & Green!

Cupcakes!

2010-04-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling rather domestic lately. HA! I made cupcakes with my nephew the other day.

Vanilla Cupcakes
(so not exciting, but delicious)

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract (I kind of free pour because I love vanilla)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost.

Aiden & I frosted. I let him go to town with it. I tried to write with it, but I'm frosting-dellusional.

This is our attempt at writing names, making flowers, and clearly making a ton of squiggly lines! We're so far from professionals!! Haha

We made one for boyfriend. ... and Teej.

... and obviously Aiden got his own, as did T-Bone, which looks more like J-Bone, but whatever

Jaspy & Dizzle got some too.

Cupcakes!

Open Faced Sandwiches

2010-04-27T18:03:00.000-07:00

I never update this damn thing. I tend to forget to take pictures or write down my concoctions.

Tonight, for dinner, I made open faced sandwiches on fresh italian bread.

Ingredients
3 whole chicken breasts, thawed
1 small red pepper
1 small green pepper
1 small yellow pepper
2-3 stocks of green onion
1/2 small red onion
BBQ Sauce of your choice (I went with Jack Daniel's Honey Smokehouse)
Large Baguette, French Bread, Italian Loaf, Kaizers, etc. (whichever you prefer)
1 cup of grated cheese (I use an aged cheddar)

Directions:
Once chicken is thawed, chop it up into strips. Toss into frying pan with a little bit of cooking oil. While it's cooking, wash & chop all of your veggies. Once the chicken is cooked, put enough BBQ sauce to coat the chicken and stir. Toss in all the veggies and cook until they're done enough for you (I like mine a little bit crunchy, so mine just get thrown in for a few minutes). Before you remove the chicken & veggie mix, add some more BBQ sauce to your liking. On sliced baguette or on the roll, pile on the chicken & veggies and top with cheese. Put them in the oven until the cheese is melted. Makes 6 Kaizers or 3 long pieces of Italian Bread. ENJOY!

(I wish I had finished product pictures, but all I have is mixed up/cooking).

Vegetarian...?

2010-02-18T16:05:00.000-08:00

I've decided that I am going to cut meat out of my diet, once again. I was 'vegetarian' for about 8 years prior to going to university, but once I realized how crappy food was in the dorms, I quickly started to eat grilled chicken breasts almost daily (it was either that or fried grey meat with sauce).

This is a new journey for me, as I have never cooked as a vegetarian. When I stopped eating meat the first time, I was 10. I didn't eat meat again until I was about 18. Tonight, I picked up my first grocery order, including some Tofurky sausges and some tofu, along with quinoa and loads of veggies.

I don't think it'll be all that hard to give up meat, as I never really ate it much anyway (unless I craved bacon or Wendy's).

I'm going to utilize this blog to capture the mishaps and failures of my 'vegetarian' cooking!

Ps- if you haven't already, see Food Inc. You may go vegetarian as well.

Holiday Cooking!

2009-12-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

It's been a really long time since I've posted ANYTHING here, and that's mainly because I haven't done any cooking! I'm lazy when it comes to supper time, so I generally through in whatever and eat that for supper. But, I thought I would share some of my favorite recipes below! These are things I am going to cook over the holidays (some of which I finished cooking this week and threw in the freezer).

Super Cheesy Mac & Cheese

Ingredients
•1 tbsp. olive oil
•1 lb. rotini noodles (or noodle of your choice)
•1/2 cup butter
•1/2 cup shredded Swiss Cheese
•1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese
•1/2 cup shredded Mild Cheddar cheese
•1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
•1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
•1/2 cup shredded Asiago Cheese
•2 cups half and half
•1 tsp yellow mustard
•2 lg eggs beaten lightly
•1/4 tsp seasoning salt
•1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter a deep 2.5 quart casserole.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, add the oil then the rotini and cook until the rotini is just tender
3.Drain well and return to pot.
4.Add the butter and mix it into the rotini.
5.In a large bowl mix the muenster, mild and sharp cheddar cheese, asiago, monterey jack cheese and the swiss cheese together.
6.Then to the macaroni add the half and half, 1.5 cups of the shredded cheeses, the mustard and the eggs and mix well.
7.During this time you should season with salt and pepper to your own liking.
8.Then layer the rotini mixture and remaining cheese.
9.Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbling around the edges.
Put under broiler for approximately 4 minutes to just crisp up the cheese so it's a bit crunchy/dark. To make the crunchy topping, you use bread crumbs!

Moose Milk
26 oz light rum (7 oz)
26 oz dark rum (7 oz)
7 oz kahlua (2 oz)
7 oz rye (Canadian Whisky) (2 oz)
8 litres egg nog (1 litre)
8 litres whole milk (1 litre)
16 litres french vanilla ice cream (2 litres)
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
Makes 2 big pickle buckets, so half of everything in each.
-add egg nog, milk and ice cream, stirring and mushing
-add everything else, stirring and mushing
Edits: You can swap out the French Vanilla ice cream for Butterscotch Ripple or add Peppermint Schnapps.

WHITE ROLLED CHRISTMAS COOKIES
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. soda
1 c. butter (margarine may be used)
2 c. flour1 egg, well beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract, if desired
Work like pie crust. Add: This dough can be rolled and rerolled as often as necessary for cutting desired shapes. Will not get tough. Frost with favorite powdered sugar icing and decorate.
*Also may be rolled in balls and pressed flat to 1/4 inch. Bake at 300 to 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

CHRISTMAS CHEESE BALL
2 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 (8 1/2 oz.) can crushed pineapple
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
2 tsp. chopped onion
Dash of Tabasco
Soften cream cheese, add well drained pineapple. Mix well. Add onion, salt, Tabasco. Mix well. Refrigerate until hardened. Form into loaf or balls. Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

CHRISTMAS HOLLY
1/4 stick butter or oleo
1 pkg. reg. marshmallows
1 tsp. green food coloring
1 tsp. almond extract
Melt together, stir constantly as it will burn easy. After it is melted add: Stir until well coated. Drop by teaspoon on wax paper. Put red coated cinnamon candies in center.

Parm Dip
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan (fresh, not powdered)*
1/8 cup vinegar
2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp sugar
dash basil, oregano and garlic
½ Cup of old or medium cheese, shredded
Mix well, then cover the top with the medium or old cheese. Bake 400F, 10 -15 minutes, and enjoy.

Pitas for Dip
1 Package of Greek pitas
1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese
Dash of garlic salt or powder
Slice pitas into triangular shaped pieces and place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle cheese and garlic over and bake until lightly toasted.

Cream Cheese Mints
1 pkg (3 oz) softened cream cheese
1/2 tsp liquid peppermint flavor
3 cups powdered sugar
Candy paper cups
Food coloring (optional)
Mix together cream cheese and peppermint flavor.
Gradually add 2 - 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Knead until no longer sticky.
Divide into portions (one for each color). Knead in food colors of your choice.
Shape into 3/4 inch thick balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Flatten balls w/ a fork (or press your thumb into the center).
Set in Christmas candy papers. Let dry at room temperature. Store loosely covered in fridge.
Makes 6-7 dozen mints.

Chocolate Haystacks
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
3 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (opt.)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
dash of salt
In sauce pan bring first four ingredients to a full boil. Remove from heat, stir in remaining ingredients. Drop quickly from teaspoon onto waxed paper. Cool. Makes 48 stacks.

PULLAPART BUNS
3 cups warm water
2 tbsp quick rise yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
7-8 cups four
Mix yeast with 4 cups of the flour, beat eggs, oil, sugar and water, add to yeast mixture with a whisk
add remaining flour and salt.
Let stand 15 minutes, punch down on dough. Repeat.
Shape into golfball size buns and put in a greased 9x13 pyrex (or glass) dish.
Let rise 1 hr covered with a tea towel.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until brown on the top.

Brownies
Serves: Makes 16 brownies
Prep 10 min,
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups mini marshmallows
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Grease a 9-inch square pan.
2. In a bowl, combine melted butter, cocoa powder, eggs and sugar. Beat well. Stir in flour.
3. Pour batter into pan and bake 35 minutes or until barely firm to the touch and edges of brownies have pulled away from sides of pan slightly.
4. Top brownies with a single layer of marshmallows and broil for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Watch carefully.
5. Let cool in pan before slicing into 2-inch squares.
Tip: Warm brownies in microwave and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Cheesy Cheddar Biscuits
Serves: Makes 12 biscuits
Time: Prep: 10 min.
On the table: 30 min
Ingredients
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
Pinch cayenne powder
½ cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 cup coarsely grated extra-old cheddar
1 cup milk or buttermilk
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a food processor, pulse first 6 ingredients until well blended. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cheddar and pulse until combined. Pour milk through feed tube while pulsing just until mixture comes together.
3. Divide mixture equally (about ⅓ cup each) into a standard muffin pan and bake until golden, about 20 to 22 minutes.
If you don’t have a food processor, these biscuits can be made easily by hand. Sift dry ingredients together. Cut butter into small pieces and add to flour mixture. Use fingers to blend together until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cheese, mix well and add milk, stirring just until mixture is moist and comes together.

Cakeballs
You can do this with any flavours you like!
Bake a cake according to directions on the box. Let cool, and then break up cake into tiny pieces (In a large bowl, mix in one can of frosting of your choice, with the cake crumbs. Use an ice cream scoop to form balls of cake. Freeze on sheet pan until hard. Melt approximately one bag of coating chocolate in a pot or in the microwave (stiring often). Dip cakeballs in chocolate and let excess drip off. Decorate with sprinkles or different coloured chocolate. You can also get different colors of coating chocolate, so mix it up with different colors. Also, try different types of cake and frosting! Other ideas: Add nuts, toffee, candies, etc!

Apple Crisp ...mmmmmmmmmmm.

2009-10-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not a sweet fan at all so I normally stay away from treats, but tonight I had a craving for some apple crisp. I made a delicious 9x11 pan of apple crisp with caramel topping.

Here's my recipe:

3-4 c. apples, chopped

3 tbsp. flour

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. oatmeal
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
Combine apples, white sugar, 3 tablespoons of flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend well and place in 9"x13" greased baking dish. Combine brown sugar, oatmeal and 1 1/2 cups flour. Into this mixture, cut butter and mix until it becomes crumbly. Spread over the apples. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve hot or cool with cream or ice cream.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-10-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

Supper tonight:
- Cranberries
- Home made pickles (thanks Mom!)
- Potatoes, squash, turnip, carrots and corn
- Rosemary turkey
- fresh baguette with cranberry/cinnamin goat cheese

Desert:
- Pumpking Pecan Cheesecake (with chocolate drizzle and home made whipped cream).

Recipes to follow!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Festive Pumpkin Cheesecake

2009-10-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

So I've been major slack on cooking at all around the house lately. I've eaten pizza and whatever random stuff gets cooked . I really haven't made a meal in a long time. I need to get back on it though because I am truly slacking.

With the holidays approaching (and Thanksgiving this weekend), I thought I'd whip up something 'festive.' I was going to make this for Saturday's family supper, but I got bored and made it today.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Ready in 1 hour, 10 minutes
Serves: 12

•1 cup Ginger cookies, ground up (I put them in a freezer bag and roll a rolling pin over them or smash them down with a coffee mug). You can also use crushed oreo cookies, or regular baking crumbs.

•3 Tbsp. butter, melted

•1 cup canned pumpkin

•3 eggs

•1/2 firmly packed brown sugar

•1 tsp. ground cinnamon

•1/2 tsp. ground ginger

•1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

•3 pkg. (250 g each) Brick Cream Cheese, softened (I leave it on the counter for about 2-3 hours to soften)

•1/2 cup sugar

•1 Tbsp. cornstarch

•2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

•1 cup whole pecans

- Combine crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

- Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

- Beat cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch in large bowl; blend in pumpkin mixture. Pour over crust. Bake at 350°F for 50 to 55 min. or until centre is just set. Remove from oven, cool 5 min. and run knife around rim of pan. Cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate overnight.

- Remove side of pan. Drizzle chocolate in random pattern over cheesecake. Place pecans around side and in circle in top of cheesecake.

My version of rice & stir fry

2009-10-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

So I was chatting with a fellow MG tonight about new things to cook, etc. and I told her about my favorite rice & stir fry. It's absolutely delicious and you can totally change it up to your tastes and cravings.

Rice:
Serves 6ish
Takes about 20 minutes

Ingredients:
White, minute rice
Soy Sauce (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon of butter
1 can of Cream of Chicken soup (Campbells is my favorite)
1 can of water
Green onions (use as much as you want)
celery (also, use as much as you want)

In a large wok, combine can of Cream of Chicken soup, water, soy sauce, pepper and butter. Mix well until slow boil has begun (cook on high heat). Once the boiling has begun, pour rice in mixture until the mix is no longer liquid. All rice should be covered. It should not be soupy looking at all. Once mixed well, cover and turn heat to low. Mix in your veggines with the rice. Once on a low heat, mix frequently. Takes about 20 minutes to reach desired texture (rice should NOT be hard).

Chicken Stir Fry
2-3 chicken breasts
Red pepper
Green pepper
Yellow pepper
Red onion
1 tablespoon of butter
1 jar of dry garlic (or honey garlic) sauce
half cup of brown sugar

Cube chicken and fry in frying pan (add butter so it doesn't stick). While chicken is cooking, mix 3/4 of jar of dry garlic sauce & brown sugar (should form a thickish liquid). Once chicken is cooked, pour half of the mixture into the chicken. Toss in cut veggies. Cook until they are the desired texture.

*I like to make the chicken as I'm making the rice so I can have the rice soak in the garlic sauce.

The remainder of the honey garlic sauce can be used to pour over your rice or on top of your chicken & veggies.

Delicious!!! =)

Lunch today

2009-09-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

Today I sliced up the chicken left over from the Chicken Cordon Bleu, toasted some whole grain bread and made a sandwich. I put some honey mustard on the bread, with a few pieces of lettuce and my sliced up, cold chicken/ham/swiss cheese and it was delicious!

I'm not a big fan of left overs, but in a time crunch lunch, it was delicious!

Din Din!

2009-09-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

I love Chicken dishes. I feel like there is no way you can screw up chicken (well unless it's undercooked and you get sick and die, but I'm not that bad of a cook haha). I love it in many variations.

Tonight, I thought I'd give Chicken Cordon Bleu with garlic mashed potatoes a try. I know, I know, not really demonstrating any skill here right? It's a basic dinner, but is always delicious. I cooked it toight and it was pretty delicious. I made 4 servings and tried to feed the family, but no one likes to try new things so I ate alone and now have a ton for sandwiches I guess.

Here's the recipe I use:
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35-45 minutes
Ready in: 45-55 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 slices Swiss cheese
4 slices cooked ham
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
OR
honey mustard (sometimes it's good mixed with a drop of brown sugar)

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 7x11 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2.Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness.
3.Sprinkle each piece of chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on top of each breast. Roll up each breast, and secure with a toothpick. Place in baking dish, and sprinkle chicken evenly with bread crumbs*.
4.Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from oven, and place 1/2 cheese slice on top of each breast. Return to oven for 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove toothpicks, and serve immediately.

* If you choose to go with bread crumbs. I'm not a fan so I use a sweet honey mustard. It's even delicious is you mix some brown sugar into the mustard. Use a basting brush to coat the chicken.

Creamy Garlic Potatoes
Ingredients
6 medium Russet Potatoes
4 Tbsp. Margarine or butter
1/4 to 1/2 C. Milk
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
Garlic to taste (I prefer using a garlic powder because it's easy to mash in and always in the cupboard if we don't have fresh)

Directions:
Wash potatoes thoroughly, cut into uniform pieces, and drop into salted boiling water. Cook potatoes until they are fork tender. Take potatoes out of boiling water and drain. Peel most of the potatoes, make sure you leave about one fifth of the area not peeled. Place potatoes into bowl with other ingredients and mash the potatoes. I would not use an electric mixer; you do not want to take all of the lumps out, if you do, just be careful not to totally mash the potatoes. Makes 4 servings.

Potato Hint: If you want really great tasting mashed potatoes, do not boil them, bake them. Baking brings out a a great roasted taste.

Pita Chips

2009-09-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

So I'm a snacker. I love crunchy snacks. Chips are probably my most favorite snack and I can easily polish off a large bag before I realize I have. I'm trying to gear my taste buds away from the delicious treats, but I can't. I will always be a potato chip person.

I've recently discovered the delicious Pita Chip. I like them because (1) I can make them at home with ingredients that are lying around (2) they are healthier; and (3) I find that after I cook and clean, I'm not all that hungry anymore.

Here is one of my favorite ways to make Pita Chips:
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Ready In: 17 minutes

INGREDIENTS
3-4 pita bread pockets
1/4 cup olive oil (I like Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Bertolli)
1 teaspoon of Oregano
1.5 teaspooon of garlic powder
1/2 paprika
Parmesean Cheese to taste (works best with powdered cheese & not fresh)

..DIRECTIONS

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.Cut each pita bread into triangles and seperate them (split pocket open/in half).
3.In a small bowl, combine the all ingredients. Brush each triangle with oil.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 7 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. Watch carefully, as they tend to burn easily!

These are delicious on their own or with dip.

I am the domestic mess

2009-09-27T17:31:00.000-07:00

For the past 2.5 years I've been dating Mike. Mike is in the military and has been for 10+ years. Prior to enroling in the Forces, he went to George Brown where he received his Culinary Degree. During his teenage years and into his early twenties, he worked in some of the most famous, elite restaurants in downtown Toronto.

All throughout our relationship he has pushed me to cook more, be more involved in the kitchen, and to try new things. I'm fairly hesitant when trying new foods becase (a) I'm extremely picky; and (b) I grew up in a house where variety was not the spice of life. As a child, dinner's were always plentiful, but mainly consisted of Shake & Bake chicken, mashed potatoes and canned veggies. I became almost immune to the bland tastes and become increasingly more picky with what I would eat.

Once I got to university I had no choice but to eat what was being served in the caf, regardless of what it was. I quickly learned the greatness that was a hot pot. Also, the greatness of having a Chinese neighbor with a rice cooker.

Mike and I love making dinner together. It is one of our favorite things to do together after spending so much time a part. I've quickly developed a love for cooking, and even though I'm not the greatest or best chef in the world, it's usually edible!

This blog will be a collection of some of our favorite things to cook together and some things I was able to master on my own while he was away.