the musing foodie

Ready for Valentines Day!

2012-02-02T16:30:00.004-05:00

I am one of those people who simply adores Valentine's Day. I love putting valentines together for my children's classmates and teachers. I love going out to dinner with my husband, giving special treats to my kids...it's just a fun day where you want to wear red and eat 5 pounds of chocolate. Forget the cliche of a Hallmark Holiday - I enjoy it to the fullest!

Today I'm giving you a sneak peak at what my sons' valentines will look like for their friends and teachers (if you are one of their teachers, please postpone reading this post until 9:05am on February 14, lest you spoil a suprise coming your way).

Scouring Pinterest, I found a super cute activity where you make your own crayons. We happened to have an abundance of crayons that were broken or neglected and so this project was perfect! My two boys sat around the table with me, helping peel the wrappers off of crayons. I then chopped the crayons to chunks and baked them in a silicone heart mold (you can get these at most craft stores). Baking them at 230 degrees for 15 minutes, and then letting them cool on the counter for another 15ish minutes, the wax formed into these colorful crayons!

So here is the finished product, adding a card with a fun saying (attached with a glue dot).

And I have these fun party bags that were begging for a package of gummies to be added to each.

Put it all together and that is one Valentine I would love to receive!

Now for the teachers...I'm wishing some of them a "Sparkling" Valentines day with sparkling grape juice...amazing what some cellophane and fabric ribbon can do to dress it all up!

For others, I'm wishing them a "Sweet" Valentines Day with a chocolate bar and bottle of lotion. What's not to love?

Planning ahead on these little projects is helping me be stress free the night before when I'll no doubt be baking a zillion cookies or cupcakes.

I hope this helps spark some fun ideas as you plan your own! I'd love to hear what you've come up with!
CC

Southwestern Salsa

2012-01-17T16:20:00.003-05:00

I start out this post with a "Yippey I Oh Kai AYE!!!" Wow is this a delicious fix! Perusing one of my tried and true Southern Living Cookbooks, I came across this and put my own twist on it for a result that is non-stop eating until the dish is gone.

It's fresh, it's flavorful, it's basically a fiesta to your tastebuds and is perfect to accompany another mexican dish for dinner, served on top of fish, eaten as an any time snack, adorn a buffet table for a shower or luncheon...endless possibilities here friends!

Southwestern Salsa
2 t. cumin
2 (15 oz) cans black beans (rinse and drain them please)
1 (15 oz) can of whole kernel corn (drain please)
1 red pepper, finely chopped (I know, they are $3 each, it's worth it)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 c. chopped cilantro (no substitutes here - cilantro is key in this salsa!)
2 t. parsley
1/3 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil
3 cloves of crushed garlic
1/2 t. salt
1 t. crushed red pepper (like those little flakes you put on pizza)
1/2 t. black pepper

Chop your fresh ingredients...onion, cilantro and the $3 red pepper.

Add these ingredients to your corn, beans and seasonings. Give it all a stir and just as you're about to pounce on it with a handful of tortilla chips, put it in the frig for all the flavors to do a happy dance. Eat it a few hours later (thanking yourself for waiting on the happy dance) and devour!

Olay!
CC

California Calzones

2012-01-11T12:03:00.003-05:00

I love taking the road less traveled on a familiar dish. Calzones are super easy to make and I filled them with gourmet goodness for a delicious change.

Initially I made my own dough for the calzones. Two hours later, I told myself that NEXT time, I was going Pillsbury Pre-made pizza dough all the way. Easier, quicker and just as good. When you have time constraints, pre-made saves the day. So go buy a tube of pizza dough and we'll get started.

Ingredients
Pizza Dough
Olive Oil
6-8 thin slices of Proscuitto
Goat Cheese Spread (Or a basil or pepper goat cheese log works as well)
1 Tomato, sliced

How to Make Them:
Roll out your dough so you have one large flat surface. Divide this into 6 even rounds. Flatten each round and brush it with olive oil. Take your (no, I forgot to take multiple pictures, I'm sorry) Goat Cheese Spread and smear several tablespoons of it on a piece of proscuitto. Roll up the proscuitto and set it on the dough. Add a slice of tomato (salted and peppered) and fold the dough over to make a half moon. Smush down the edges so nothing can sneak out during baking.

Bake at 350 for 15ish minutes, or until the dough is turning a light brown.

I served these with side salads and they were a wonderful meal. The calzones were light and full of flavor and the tomato added a freshness that was a nice change to a traditional marinara sauce.(Note, while my children's palates aren't quite adjusted to the amazing tangyness of goat cheese, I made their calzones the traditional way with marinara sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese). Everyone was happy. :)

Enjoy!
CC

Orange Chicken

2012-01-10T10:31:00.005-05:00

I have a weakness for Orange Chicken and eat a bowl of it almost everytime I go to the mall. There's just something about Chinese Food from a mall food court that calls my name louder than a pizza slice or chicken pita. This is a very similar recipe that cuts down on the deep fried unhealthiness and leaves you with a delicious dinner.

Ingredients
3/4 c. chicken broth
3/4 c. orange juice
6 T. white vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 garlic cloves
1 T. ginger
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1.5 lbs. chicken - cut into bite sized cubes
3 T. cornstarch
2 T. cold water
2 T. vegetable oil

Whisk together the broth, orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and cayenne.

Next, marinate your little chicken bites in 3/4 c. of the mixture you just concocted for 2-4 hours.

Boil the remaining mixture. Stir together the cornstarch and water and add to the sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer. The sauce thickens and turns into a delicious orangy sweet sauce that looks extremely professional. It's pretty exciting folks!

Saute your chicken in 2 T. of vegetable oil until it's cooked through.

Stir your professional orangy sweet sauce into the cooked chicken and serve it over rice.

It's gooooood! As a final touch, I douse it in soy sauce as I like the salty sweet flavor combination.

Enjoy!
CC

Step Aside McMuffins!

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

While enjoying time off over Christmas and New Years, I found myself making a LOT of big breakfasts. Normally I throw bowls of cereal or some granola bars out, but not over the holidays!

I won't give you step by step instructions on this, as it's really a no brainer. This is moreso a 'hey, I can make that' type of reminder of what to feed your fam for breakfast - when you have some time on your hands.

My McMuffins
Scrambled Eggs seasoned with salt and pepper
Crispy Fried Bacon
2 slices of American Cheese (one for each side of the English Muffin)
English Muffins

My recommendation on this, while you are scrambling eggs and frying bacon, is to spread butter on the inside of each muffin and toast it in the oven. Then you can assemble your ingredients and sit back and wait for the "Mom, you are the best cook EVER" type comments.

Enjoy!
CC

Skeptical Sweet Rolls

2012-01-04T15:37:00.007-05:00

Well, my morning started off with an adventure. My two year old lodged a blue peppermint tic tac up his nose and was hysterically upset about it. It was a 10 minute process, but we conquered the tic tac and we can all return to our regularly scheduled programming. Life is never dull in a house full of boys! Now on to breakfast...

A dear friend gave me a recipe she'd grown up on. A delicious over night sweet roll recipe. I looked at it and frowned. It had butterscotch pudding listed as an ingredient. I don't like butterscotch pudding. She assured me there is no end result of butterscotchiness, so I gave them a whirl.

These rolls basically make themselves - you just layer the ingredients and then the magic happens.

Let the Skepticism Begin!
9 Frozen Dinner Roll Dough Balls (I used Rhodes)
3/4 c. chopped pecans
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 small package of Butterscotch Pudding (do not use instant)
1 stick of butter

Line an 8x8 square pan with foil (you'll thank me later). Sprinkle pecans over the foil.

Place the frozen dough in nice little rows and sprinkle with the brown sugar and pudding mix.

Dot it with butter. I love butter. Not margarine. Butter.

Cover it with plastic wrap you've sprayed with pam.

Now, here is where I got skeptical. (And you thought it was the butterscotch pudding!). The original recipe calls for you to refrigerate them over night. Magically they will unthaw from their frozen state and rise into fluffy goodness so that when you wake the next morning, all you have to do is place them in a 350 degree oven for half and hour. Right? WRONG!

I tested the theory and the next morning, the dough was every bit as frozen as when I made it the night before. Soooo, I left the pan covered and let the rolls rise in a nice warm climate for 2 hours, uncovered them and THEN baked them at 350 for 30 minutes.

The result is a buttery carmel pecan sweet roll tray of amazingness that you invert onto a plate and peel the foil from. It's ohhhhh so good and a fixer againer (without the overnight nonsense). You set them in the middle of the table and stand back as your family lunges towards them and gobbles them in minutes.

Enjoy!
CC

My New Fav Balsamic Dressing

2012-01-04T15:04:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year Friends! Are the last few bars of Auld Lang Syne still wafting through your head? Have you made a list of Resolutions? I personally, have not. I've prayed for God's wisdom and direction in 2012 and am looking forward to all He has in store for me. My seat belt is fastened and the ride has begun!

I've been seeing, hearing, reading and bombarded by blurbs, ads, tv and the like who all encourage weight loss. My jeans are fitting me just fine, so I'm content, but in the event your menu has you seeking salad over lasagna, I wanted to share one delicious dressing that I stumbled upon.

I found a sweet potato recipe that was 80 steps long and as I completed the 79th step, I realized the end result was not worth the effort and the dish wasn't that great. However, there was this balsamic sauce that I gleaned from it and have made it my new favorite salad dressing. It's warm, so it makes a delicious contrast in your mouth with some salad greens. Let's get started!

New Fav Balsamic Dressing
6 T. Balsamic Vinegar
1/3 c. Peach or Mango Chutney (these can be hard to find, so I took a picture of what I used and it was delish!)
2 T. Dijon Mustard
2 T. Honey
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 c. Olive Oil

In a sauce pan, over medium heat, combine all ingredients BUT the olive oil. Whisk ingredients together and allow to heat through, for several minutes.

Once heated, remove saucepan from the heat and whisk in the olive oil. Pour over mixed greens, spinach or your favorite lettuce. I added in some tomato, raisins and onion and it was a fabulous tasty treat.

Cheers to 2012!
CC

(Did I really just start off the year with a post on salad dressing?!)

Here, there and everywhere!

2011-12-16T16:52:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday Friends!

This week has been a blur of excitement with several catering orders, my son's preschool Christmas program, last minute shopping and three Christmas parties. The Holidays are in full swing and I'm enjoying every minute of it. I hope you're doing the same. It's easy to get overwhelmed (especially when making several hundred cookies in a single oven) but in the end, I take a deep breath, pray and it all works out.

I made some fun treats for a reception this week and wanted to share the photos. Don't Christmas cookies put you in a fun mood? (That and a 2 lb. box of Godiva you find calling out your name in the kitchen!)

My meals this week have been a trip to our favorite pizza place, burgers on the grill, pigs in a blanket and some tomato basil bisque with cheddar and ale grilled cheese sandwiches (a.maze.ing) but nothing overly gourmet or difficult.

I'll let you get back to your mad dashes through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh for the many festivities going on, but wanted to give you a quick hello.

One more week and we celebrate the most important Birthday of all!

Cheers,
CC

Show Stopper!

2011-12-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

I was recently asked to participate as a vendor in a Holiday Homemade Craft Show. Held in someones home, 7 vendors who all specialize in homemade gifts (think candles, art, ornaments, linens/pillows etc.) sold their specialties to anyone and everyone who stopped by. I have never done this and was excited about getting the word out about my catering business.

Naturally my foodie booth was placed in the kitchen of the home...strategically placed by the complimentary quiche and mimosas. I baked Snickers Popcorn, Banana Bread, Kit Kat Cakes, Red Velvet Whoopie Pies, Carmel Fudge Brownies, Homemade Hot Chocolate and other such fun.

Thanks to the support of all who stopped by, my booth was nearly a sell-out! I came home with 4 lonely little items that quickly disappeared to the joy of my children. I made some great catering contacts and was excited to take a step into unchartered territory for me and my little business.

God is good!
CC

Cheez-It Encrusted Chicken

2011-12-09T14:13:00.004-05:00

Greetings friends! I'm munching on Peppermint Bark while juggling my to-do list, wrapping gifts, chauffering my children, helping them learn the lyrics to their Christmas program, figuring out when we're going to get our family Christmas photo taken for our cards, putting away the laundry, vacuuming, attending choir rehearsals for our church cantata (this weekend) and praying that the mahi tacos I have for dinner turn out as good as I hope. Anyone there with me?

It's the most wonderful time of the year and I am in the full throws of holiday cheer, while trying to keep my head above the eggnog, err, water.

We've been living on quick fix meals that I can make several of at a time so that when I've got gift wrap coming out my ears, I can run to the freezer and thank the Lord for a meal that will be ready in 30 minutes to the tune of 350 degrees. One such wonder is a Cheez-it cracker encrusted chicken that received rave reviews from the fam.

It's so easy and I've literally had the recipe since 11th grade (good 'ol Home Ec. class really had some winners!). The exception was, we MICROWAVED this in 11th grade and it was nowhere as good as the version I have below. Such a hideous error. Baking is key. Let's fix it!

Ingredients
3-4 chicken breasts
Cheez-it crackers
1 stick of butter
salt and pepper
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Take 3-4 chicken breasts and cut them into large cubes.

Next, crush 1 1/2 cups of Cheez-it crackers, and melt a stick of butter. Keep in separate bowls.

Take a chicken cube, dip it in the butter (who are we kidding here? I make no low-fat claims in any of my recipes). Then roll in the bread crumbs before placing in a greased pyrex dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes and top with grated cheddar cheese 2 minutes before pulling it from the oven.

Honey, this is so good you can't even imagine! Pair it with some creamy mashed potatoes and a side salad and have yourself a merry little Christmas. The great thing is, it also freezes beautifully so you can pull out that extra pan in a pinch!

Happy Thanksgiving from The Musing Foodie

2011-11-22T12:21:00.004-05:00

The older I get, the more sentimental I become. It's as if I understand things better now than when I was younger - I can see the bigger picture, understand the deeper meaning and feel for a situation like it was my own.

I look around me and see people who can't afford a turkey, hear of a family who has just lost a child, watch marriages on the rocks, individuals who are alone, people who will spend their holiday in the hospital and others who would do just about anything for a job.

I could use this post to share my favorite turkey recipe or the ultimate pumpkin pie, explain the difference in using fresh herbs vs. dried and give you a dozen tips on my favorite side dishes...but I'm focusing on more than the meal today.

You see, it doesn't matter if your cranberry sauce comes out of a can or is made fresh. The pumpkin pie can have a store bought crust or come from a box in the freezer section. It's ok if the stuffing is a bit dry or someone forgets to bring half the paper products.

What matters is that you're sitting around a table, surrounded by those you love and giving thanks to God, who is the source of our very being. I wouldn't be where I am today without the goodness of the Lord. He's my constant companion, my ever present help in time of need and my strength...my life. He's blessed me with a loving family, amazing friends, a roof over my head and clothes to wear. I have a refrigerator with food in it that somehow comes together to nourish us. My blessings are too numerous to count and I take no credit for any of it.

Every good and perfect gift comes from above. I am so thankful, my heart overflows. God is good, He is faithful and I love Him!

So whether your meal is on strofoam plates or china, may you have a blessed Thanksgiving. Take time to remember what really matters and enjoy every moment.

Much love,
CC

Cranberry Cobbler

2011-11-16T16:07:00.004-05:00

Ahoy there! It's a rainy fall day in the Carolinas and I have a quiet minute to share a new recipe. This is cranberry season so I purchased a bag of fresh cranberries and whipped up this dessert the other night. It's been a hit in our house with the sweet cobblery-ness mixing with the tart cranberry...and of COURSE it's topped off with some vanilla bean ice cream. It's a unique twist that gives you something fun to do with cranberries besides make sauce.

Let's get started...
2 cups fresh cranberries
1.5 cups sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 beaten eggs
1 stick of melted butter
1 cup of flour

Thats it? That's IT!

Grease a 9 inch pie pan and pour your cranberries in there. Aren't they pretty?

Next, pour 1/2 a cup of sugar and the nuts on top.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, 1 cup of sugar, melted butter and flour. It turns into a gloppy goo that will eventually bake into an amazing cobbler crust.

Pour this over your cranberries and bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees.

While it's still warm, scoop out generous helpings into dessert bowls and top with vanilla bean ice cream.

It's sweet, it's tart, it's soooo good!

Have a delicious day friends!
CC

Kicked Up Krispy Treats

2011-11-01T14:09:00.003-04:00

So there I was...the kids were in bed, backpacks set out by the door ready for school the next day...I was forgetting something. Looking at the clock...it's 9:30pm....AHHH HA! I need to bake a treat for my son's special day at school tomorrow. Praise the Lord for Rice Krispys and Marshmallows! I whipped up a batch of the tried and true favorites that have been putting smiles on faces for decades. We all know the ratio of krispies to marshmallows with the 3 Tablespoons of butter...but how about adding a little pizzazz with a cup of M&M's and Reece's Pieces?! Now we're talking folks!

I added in this melt in your mouth - not in your hands treat as the final step before pressing them into the pan. How delicious!

I cut them in jumbo sizes and individually wrapped them.

And then, because by now it was 9:45pm and I simply had nothing else to do that evening, I added personalization and ribbon.

Think about the 3 gallons of Halloween candies you now have sitting in your pantry - a batch or two of these rockstar rice krispy treats can help you get through that candy in no-time.

Now, I'm going to sit back and relax and enjoy the two packages of Reece's Peanut Butter Pumpkins I just found at Walmart for 50% off. Never mind the 3 gallons of candy we have staring at me, calling out my name.

Have a delicious day!
CC

No Bake Granola Bars

2011-10-17T11:00:00.004-04:00

I had a bit of a bake-a-thon this weekend and made a few new must-trys that have turned into a huge hit in my home. We are granola bar fanatics. Before the gym, part of lunches, afternoon snacks, grocery store 'save the days' during a 2 year old meltdown. They are an integral part of our life, we eat them by the dozens.

Well step aside Nature Valley, Quaker and the like - I'm making my own now! You most likely have these ingredients in your house, so the cost savings is phenomenal and they are not chock full of preservatives, and taste great! The best part - they are ridiculously easy to make. Need I say more? Go scour your pantry and make these with me...ready?

No Bake Granola Bars
2 1/2 c. Rice Krispys
1 1/2 c. oats
1 c. mixed nuts (roughly chopped)
3/4 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. brown sugar
Craisins & Chocolate Chips optional

First, take a large sheet of foil and line a 8x8 square pan.

Then, combine the Rice Krispys, oats, nuts and your optionl Craisins or Chocolate Chips (I used a handful of Craisins, as I like something chewy).

Next, combine the peanut butter, brown sugar and honey in a microwave safe bowl.

Don't skimp on these proportions or you will have a crumbly mess that won't cut into neat bars (not that I have any idea about this whatsoever). Microwave these ingredients for a minute and stir to combine.

Pour this peanut butter mixture over your dry ingredients and stir to coat well.

Next, pour this into your foil lined pan and press it down nice and compact. If it's not pressed enough, it once again will not cut into neat bars. Let this cool.

Once cool, lift the foil out and peel it back, slice into bars and individually wrap for tasty treats that will disappear quickly.

Enjoy!
CC

Blogswap Gift Arrives!

2011-10-11T15:05:00.004-04:00

This past weekend I was out of town attending a retreat at The Cove, in the beautiful North Carolina Mountains. It felt like Fall and completely put me in the mood for blue jeans and comfort food - with a pair of knee boots and a latte. Upon my return, I found my highly anticipated Blogswap Gift sitting on the counter - just waiting to be opened. (Noelle, I put your gift in the mail today - being out of town put me a bit behind but you'll get it soon!)

Sweet Jeni had my name and put together a fun box of treats...having done some research on my blog and discovering my love of sweets.

For each letter of FALL, they all incorporate my kitchen.

F - Fall Fragrance. It was an Apple Pie scented reed diffuser. I do love the smell (and taste) of apple pie. This gets me in the mood to bake one!

A - Aerated Chocolate. OH HONEY! I'm hiding this from the kiddos. I LOVE the new aerated chocolate and these will go quickly. Thank you for feeding my sweet side!

L - Luminary. Such a precious accent for my kitchen that needed a splash of fall. I love that it's a flameless candle!

L - Linen. This will go perfect in the kitchen as well. Some of my kitchen towels are a bit care worn and I needed an excuse for a new one. This is just the right accent.

And Jeni also typed up the most beautiful poem titled 'God in the Seasons' by Joanna Fuchs. It's such a perfect reminder of seeing the Lord in every stage of life and in every circumstance.

Jeni, my heart is thankful - I appreciate the gifts you sent me!

Happy Fall from North Carolina!
CC

Pumpkin!

2011-10-11T10:44:00.006-04:00

It's a rainy fall day and I'm munching on the remnants of the best peach cobbler I've made to date for breakfast. This past weekend I enjoyed a retreat in the mountains with 300 other women from my church and have come back so refreshed and rejuvenated. The food was amazing and the fellowship and services even better. God is good!

I had a girlfriend call me just before I left telling me about the last of the peaches being sold at one of our favorite farmer's markets for the season. It's my families favorite fruit and I simply couldn't turn down a bushel of them. I was blanching peaches at 6am the morning of my trip and was able to weasel the secret family recipe out of my mother in law, so I could make "THE" peach cobbler. There were so many peaches, I had enough to make one humungus cobbler, and then enough filling for another for the freezer. Ah, the joy, the bliss, the delight! I was a hero in my families eyes as they had a special treat to enjoy while I was off.

But I'm not here to tell you about that recipe, it's a closely guarded family secret that I've only just stumbled upon. Nope, instead it's full speed ahead to fall and all things related to it. That means....Apples and Pumpkins! I have been on an apple kick and eat them with peanut butter, raisins and carmel dip. Apples just say Fall to me, as do Pumpkins.

I have such a great Pumpkin recipe to share with you - this one was a huge hit made by one of the sweet ladies I sing in the choir with at church. She brought it to an event and we all pounced on it like Tigger. After a helping or two and the evening drew to a close, women made up excuses to take some home...'Oh, I've GOT to share this with my husband, may I take a piece home?' - Innocent comments shrouded in the delusion of sharing. We all knew that none of us were sharing a crumb and that all evidence would be eaten, scarfed and licked clean on our respective rides home.

I had to have it, so sweet Sherri emailed it to me and I'm sharing it with all of you. Perfect for crowds or just a hungry family, here is the delicious pumpkin treat to tantalize your tastebuds....Enjoy!

Pumpkin Delight

1 can of pumpkin (15 oz.)
1 large can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1 stick of butter

Mix together the first five ingredients and pour in 9x13 pan. Mix 1 cup pecans with dry cake mix and sprinkle over pumpkin mixture. Melt one stick of butter and drizzle over cake mix. Bake one hour at 350 degrees. Let cake cool completely. Put icing on and refrigerate.

Icing
1 large container of cool whip
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese

Mix ingredients together and spread over cooled cake and refrigerate.

Happy Fall Y'all!
CC

I've been eating!

2011-10-05T15:16:00.007-04:00

I celebrated my birthday this past weekend and boy was it delicious! Somehow I managed to swing 4 celebrations out of it. There was a girlfriend birthday at Buca Di Beppo's where I ordered the largest slab of lasagna you can possibly eat. I was too full for dessert on that one.

Next, I celebrated with my side of the family - my mom makes the best homemade pizza and apple pie that have ever graced the lips of mankind. Soooo good, I can bareley contain my excitement over that wondrous meal. The flakey crust, the warm cinnamon apples with vanilla bean ice cream. Oh hold me back!

Then, I celebrated with my husband's side of the family. Can I just say that the Barbeque Ranch Chicken Salad from Cheesecake Factory is a rock star meal? Top it off with a fun Oreo chocolate chip ice cream cake and life is good!

I celebrated with my immediate family and polished off the perfect ice cream sundae after a mexican feast, and now I'm sitting here pondering the caloric intake and regretting that the Zumba DVD has been collecting dust over the past week.

That's where I've been folks - eating 'til my heart's content.

I hope you are well. Stay tuned for a fun fall dessert later this week!
CC

2 year old smile on a dreary Friday

2011-09-23T09:46:00.005-04:00

Happy Friday Friends! We made it! The end of the week is upon us and a date with my hot husband is just a few hours away. Whoo hoo!

It's pouring down rain outside and couldn't be more dreary. I've chosen to give you something to smile about in this post - no recipe, just a few crazy antics from my two year old.

The house will get strangely quiet, too quiet, so I know I have to find my son before permanent marker ends up on walls or a whole roll of toilet paper gets dropped in the water. One particular day this week, I found him all the way at the TOP of the pantry. I store the candy up there and he climbed up and got it, unwrapped several pieces and ate them before starting on the loaf of bread. (If you want to come help me organize my pantry, I would love you forever!)

Next, we like waffles around here and I found a jackpot of a deal and ended up with a freezer full of eggos. We won't have to buy them for months! For breakfast, to make it special, I will scatter a few sprinkles on the boys' waffles. Apparently I didn't put enough on there to my youngest sons' liking. I came downstairs to see this. We'll need new green sprinkles for Chrismas this year as mine are now gone.

The joys of motherhood! :) He makes me laugh and I wouldn't trade these moments for anything. I hope you have a wonderful weekend - don't forget to go to church on Sunday!

The house is too quiet, I'm off to find out what new mess I need to clean up.

Cheers!
CC

Chile Relleno Torta

2011-09-21T16:48:00.004-04:00

I am a quiche lover - give me Sausage and Cheese, call me Lorraine, throw in Spinach, Mushroom or Broccoli and Ham and I am a happy girl. Pair it with a side salad and you have an entree. Heat it up in a mad rush and you have a perfect breakfast or afternoon snack (depending on how hearty you slice that wedge!).

I was excited to run across a new quiche recipe - don't let my title fool you. Chile Relleno Torta is the schmancy way of saying "Mexican Quiche". This is a zippy welcomed change and I was pleased. It's not difficult and the result is a really pretty presentation with the layers of color and flavor. Say Ole and let's begin!

Ingredients
1 premade pie crust, uncooked
1/2 lb. grated cheddar
1/2 lb grated monterray jack
5 eggs
1/3 c. flour
1 2/3 c. half and half
4 oz. can of diced green chilis
1/4 c. salsa or picante sauce

Form the pie crust into a 9 inch pie pan. Layer the cheddar cheese, then the monterray jack. Beat the eggs, flour and half and half together and pour this over your two cheese layers. Spoon the diced green chilis over top and then spoon the salsa or picante sauce on top of that (great color with all the layers!).

Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles. Let set for 5-10 minutes and then slice and serve. So easy, so tasty and you'll be glad you tried something new.

Have a great day folks - get out there and enjoy this wonderful fall weather!
CC

Maple & Blue Cheese Steak

2011-09-16T10:29:00.004-04:00

I have to admit, one look at the picture in my husband's taste of home grilling magazine had me drooling and pulling ingredients as fast as I could to fix this. Since it was a steak recipe, I knew it would be a hit with my meat loving husband and sons. Since it involved blue cheese and a balsamic reduction, it had me at hello.

Ingredients
6 T balsamic vinegar
6 T maple syrup (I used pancake syrup)
3 1/2 T. Dijon mustard
1/4 t. dried Thyme
1 pound sirloin steak
4-5 T. chopped pecans
1 T. olive oil
1/8 t. each of salt and pepper
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, maple syrup, mustard and thyme.

Take your sirloin and stab it a few times with a knife to allow the marinade to get in and really flavor up the meat.

Pour the marinade over the meat and refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

Saute your pecans in the olive oil until toasted and set aside.

Now, head out to your grill and attempt to refrain from burning off your eyebrows by setting the heat to medium low.

Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper and grill the meat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness. I like my steak cooked medium so there is a nice pink on the inside.

Place the leftover marinade in a saucepan and bring it to a boil, cooking until it has reduced by half, which takes about 2 minutes.

Slice your meat and drizzle each portion with the plate licking sauce, pecans and blue cheese.

It's divine I tell you. Divine.

Have a delicious weekend, enjoy this fall weather and don't forget to go to church on Sunday!
CC

Cheeseburger Soup

2011-09-12T11:57:00.004-04:00

This past weekend I was in the mood for some hearty comfort food. With the air getting crisper, I took the opportunity to make my first soup of the season! The foodblog community that I belong to, FoodBuzz, gives a neat 'Top 9' rundown of the top 9 contributing recipes and this Cheeseburger Soup popped up, courtesy of The Country Cook

I was intrigued, in the mood for soup and that was enough to motivate me for Saturday night's dinner. This is sooo delicious and was an immediate hit with my family.

Cheeseburger Soup (Serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients:
2 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules (about 4 cubes)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
2 1/2 cups milk, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 oz. Velveeta Cheese
Optional: 1/4 to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Garnish: 1/2 lb. bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

Directions:
Brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease and set aside.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. Stir in beef and 2 cups of milk. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and remaining 1/2 cup milk until smooth. Gradually whisk into soup.

Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly (so mixture does not burn). Reduce heat; add cheese and stir until completely melted. Add cayenne pepper.

Garnish with bacon - it's key and really makes it.

Thanks Country Cook for sharing this great recipe!

Have a great day and we'll chat soon!
CC

Best Sweet Potato Casserole in the Universe

2011-09-09T10:58:00.004-04:00

With Fall approaching and me looking forward to wearing sweaters, jeans, knee boots and preparing endless crockpots of chili, my mind has also wandered to the holidays. I like to switch up the sides I fix to keep things interesting, so I start now by experimenting with a few to see if they are Thanksgiving and Christmas worthy.

I hit the jackpot with this sweet potato casserole recipe from Kraft. It's by far the best one I've ever had, surpasses those that taste like wallpaper paste that I've made in the past, and by golly, I think I have stumbled upon the ultimate sweet potato fixer againer!

Fasten your seatbelts folks, this is amazing!

What You Need
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1 can (40 oz.) cut sweet potatoes, drained
3/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
2/3 cup craisins
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1/3 cup cold butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped Pecans

HEAT oven to 350°F.

BEAT cream cheese, potatoes, 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon with mixer until well blended. Spoon into 1-1/2-qt. casserole

Top with the chopped apples and craisins. Oh, this is such a party!

MIX flour, oats and remaining sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle over fruit.

BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until heated through.

WATCH as your family devours it and your children and husband ask for seconds.

Have a delicious weekend and don't forget to go church on Sunday!
CC

Ricotta Cake

2011-09-06T14:34:00.004-04:00

Thumbing through a cookbook, I came across a recipe for a Ricotta Cake. I adore Ricotta filled Cannoli's and it's a MUST for lasagna, so I figure putting in a cake must be good too.

The ingredients were simple enough, so I went to town; fixing one for me and one for my new neighbors that I needed an excuse to invite to church.

I started by taking a yellow cake mix and mixing it according to the directions on the back. Then, I poured it into a greased 9x13 pan.

Then, I mixed together 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 pounds of ricotta cheese, 4 eggs, and 4 teaspoons of vanilla by HAND to avoid the ricotta from breaking down too much.

This was poured on top of the cake mix and spread in an even layer.

I baked it for an hour and in that time, it did a magic act where the cake mix rose to the top and the ricotta mix made a nice middle layer. So cool. I refrigerated it for an hour before serving and then cut it into squares, topped with a powdered sugar dusting.

The taste is a subtle not too sweet almost breakfast/brunch cake. If you enjoy Ricotta cheese, it's a tasty treat.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm eating leftover Jambalaya that I made last night and need to drink a gallon of water before I start breathing fire. I got too excited when it came to the seasoning and there might be hair growing on my chest right now. Gracious it's hot stuff.

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon!
CC

Pizza Cupcakes!

2011-08-30T14:43:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated my son's 5th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. I admittedly had reservations about that location as it tends to make you want to have a nervous breakdown with 80,000 kids running around, loud stuffed characters singing on a stage (that purple thing that plays the keyboard still freaks me out), and the games and pizza and overall insanity...did I really want to sign up for this?

But one gaze into those 5 year old crystal blue eyes and I couldn't say no. I opted for an early time slot so parents could get on with their lives...er, day. So from 9:30 to 11:30am, we had probably one of the best, funnest birthdays yet. There was hardly anyone else there at that hour, so the kids got to play on all the games without a wait! I even got to get in a round or two of skeeball and a good time was had by all.

Chuck E. Cheese will handle the cake too, but seriously, ME allow a commercially baked cake at my son's birthday? Who are we talking about here? Of course I was baking this treat. (Ask me this on an off day, I'll have a completely different answer). Since the kids were dining on pizza, I thought it would be fun to bake cupcakes and decorate them like mini-pizzas on top.

I made a buttercream frosting, dyed part of it red to make the 'sauce' and added cocoa powder to the rest to make the ring of 'crust'. The cheese was grated white chocolate and the pepperoni and green peppers were fruit roll ups. To add an extra step of flavor, I also filled each one with strawberry preserves. It's just fun to bite into a cupcake and find a tasty surprise of goodness.

I ate 3 and spooned down most of the leftover icing without guilt. They were adorable and delicious!

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon!
CC

Artichoke ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!

2011-08-24T13:39:00.004-04:00

I came across a recipe for artichoke squares that sounded ever so tasty. I love artichokes! I love them steamed with drawn butter, stuffed, marinated, over salads and in dip. I do not love them as squares though. No, Sam I Am, the squares, no matter where or how, just cannot do. I won't eat them here there, or anywhere.

Such a bitter disappointment. My mouth was set, my expectations soaring, my blogging fingers ready to perch atop the keyboard and write about something new and brilliantly delicious.

They, alas, had all the right sounding ingredients, but in conglomeration came out as a dense meatloaf textured bland side dish of dissapointment.

Oh well, you win some, you lose some. I'm off to have a glass of peach tea and bake a blueberry pie to chase away my thoughts of this dismal failure.

Until we meet again,
Cheers to better tasting dishes!
CC

Picnic Basket Winner!

2011-08-19T16:53:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Rose Van Stocken for being selected as the winner of the Picnic Basket Giveaway! Rose, thank you for 'liking' The Musing Foodie on Facebook!

More giveaways to be given, more recipes to be tried!

Have a wonderful weekend friends!
CC

Fried Green Tomatoes

2011-08-18T10:25:00.005-04:00

I've been enjoying the abundance of delicious tomatoes that spilled out of my father in law's garden this year and this past Saturday marked a sad day. The tomatoes were done for the season. All that remained were a handful of green tomatoes that refused to ripen.

I seized the opportunity to pick those green jewels and set out to make one of my favorite southern dishes - Fried Green Tomatoes. My first experience with this delicacy was in Charleston, South Carolina at the Sweetwater Cafe. One bite and I was in love. The tangy green tomato was perfectly encased in a fried cornmeal crust and I ate so many, a bottle of Tums quickly followed as fried foods are only my friend in careful moderation.

Since the Sweetwater Cafe is a 4 hour drive, I taught myself how to make this delicious dish and wanted to share it with you...should you find your tomato garden in a similar plight.

Ingredients
2-3 medium sized green tomatoes
2-3 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of white or yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
canola oil
sour cream
lemon slices
hot sauce (texas pete)

How to concoct the green tomats:
Prepare an egg wash by mixing together the eggs and milk in a bowl and set aside. In a separate dish, combine the cornmeal, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Slice your tomatoes to 1/2 inch thick rounds. Place the tomatoes in the cornmeal mixture to coat on both sides.

Then dip it into the egg wash.

Then give them another dip back into the cornmeal.

Now you can carefully place them in a skillet of canola oil. I put about 1/4 of an inch of oil in my frying pan.

Fry 2-3 minutes on each side until a nice brown crust forms. Drain on paper towels.

I serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dollop of sour cream. A dash or two of hot sauce adds some kick if you're in the mood as well.

These can be served as an appetizer or side (or breakfast if you're a nut like me).

Have a delicious day and signup for my picnic basket giveaway if you haven't already!
CC

A Tisket A Tasket - I'm giving away a Basket!

2011-08-17T11:41:00.004-04:00

Good morning from foodland! My kitchen has been in overdrive this week and it's a fun, satisfied feeling to see the results. I have a roast in the crockpot that has me positively drooling right now, I'm trying to forget about the Gooey Butter Cake I made last night that is hiding in the fridge and I polished off a batch of Fried Green Tomatoes that made my tastebuds do a happy dance.

I am due for a giveaway and this particular one is rather nifty, if I may say so myself. I have a beautiful picnic basket lined in blue gingham checked material with white plastic utensils, cups and plates inside to serve four that is just waiting to be given to one of you!

Now that the weather is cooling off, it's not too hot to have a picnic at a park or perhaps in the mountains on a hike.

I'm offering this up for grabs until 5pm on Friday, August 19. To be considered, all you have to do is 'Like' the Musing Foodie Facebook page or if you already like me, send it on to 5 friends and let me know by commenting below. For non face-bookers, comment below what your favorite picnic food is and you're in the running too!

Thanks for joining in the fun and I can't wait to give this beautiful basket away!
CC

Marriage Proposal Chicken

2011-08-16T12:02:00.004-04:00

Years ago, before I met my amazing husband, I was paging through an old church cookbook of my mom's. A recipe for Chicken Cordon Blue caught my eye when the I read the following phrase: "I fixed this for my boyfriend and 3 weeks later he proposed."

You can bet your bottom dollar I was hanging on to THAT recipe! I tucked that one in my back pocket and dreamed that I wouldn't die an old maid - hoping this recipe was my ticket to marital bliss.

When dating my husband, I realized he was THE ONE, my perfect match - so I pulled out the recipe and gave it a whirl - hoping for a ring to follow. For those of you who know me, the recipe indeed worked! I have been happily married to the man of my dreams for almost 9 years.

So here is your ticket to success friends - I hope it works for you as well! :)

Ingredients
4-5 chicken breasts, pounded flat
4-5 pieces of deli sliced ham
4-5 slices of mozzarella or swiss cheese
Lots of toothpicks
1/2 stick of butter
1 cup of flour
1 cup of water
1 chicken bullion cube
1/4 heavy cream
4-5 T. minced onion
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pound the chicken flat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a slice of ham and a slice of cheese on each chicken and roll it up jelly-roll style and secure it with toothpicks so it won't unroll as you cook it. I would take pictures of this, but my hands were covered in chicken and that does not bode well for picture taking santitation.

Coat each roll with flour and brown all sides in a skillet with 4 T. butter.

Remove chicken, add in minced onion and saute for a few minutes.

Add water and chicken buillion cube to onion.

Return chicken to the pan and simmer for 30 minutes - you want to ensure your meat is cooked all the way through so your prospective fiancee doesn't get food poisoning and change his mind. :)

After 30 minutes or being thoroughly convinced the chicken is completely cooked, remove the chicken once again and add the cream to the sauce in the pan. Whisk it all together, let it boil until it thickens.

Serve your chicken with rice or noodles and spoon sauce over it. It pairs nicely with a salad and side vegetable and is a WOW dish. (Don't forget to remove your toothpicks!)

Can't you just see that diamond solitare sparkling on your finger as you try this?

Have a delicious day and don't forget to send me an invite for the big day!
CC

I Scream for Ice Cream!

2011-08-11T16:20:00.005-04:00

It's hot outside and believe it or not, the egg I just broke on the side walk literally fried. That constitutes a free pass to the nearest ice cream parlor - who's with me?

I recently explored party options at Ben & Jerry's and am beyond pleased to share my findings. Here in the Queen City, you can have a child's birthday party at a Ben & Jerry's location for $225. It includes lots of fun and frivolity and if you have a summertime birthday, you're child will be the coolest kid on the block. I had a playgroup that desperately needed a cool indoor activity. So at the prompting of a friend, I contacted Ben & Jerry's to see what they could do to help me out.

Let me just applaud the fantastic manager, Anya, and her staff at the Ben & Jerry's at the Arboretum in South Charlotte. She opened the store early - just for my clan, gave us each ice cream cones to set the mood, had color sheets and toys readily available to help get the initial wiggles out and then the fun took off like wildfire.

A news team happened to be nearby and they capitalized on the cuteness of the kiddos, granting chocolate ice cream smiles on the 6pm news! Anya took the kids on a tour behind the counter and into the 'cool' freezer.

As we meandered past the pints of frozen deliciousness, we ended up outside for some sycadellic sillyness where each child donned plastic gloves and made tie-dyed t-shirts! They were gracious enough to put extra t-shirts on the younger t-shirt makers.

As if there could possibly be room for more fun, it was back inside for one more scoop of Cherry Garcia before heading home. All that and they were willing to work with some budget minded moms who needed a cool place to enjoy a play date.

I hold my waffle cone of Chunky Monkey high and give Ben & Jerry's a two thumbs up for their wonderful ice cream experience. Consider ice cream for your next party/outing and you won't be dissappoited.

Have a delicious afternoon!
CC

The Foodie in Maine!

2011-08-08T15:17:00.005-04:00

Greetings friends,

I've just returned from a wonderful week long vacation to Maine. In the midst of sifting through emails, digging out from under laundry and figuring out what is and is not a science project in the frig, I wanted to give you a quick shout out to say hello.

Here's the culinary version of my trip...beware, you'll be hungry by the end!

You simply can't visit Maine without having a lobster roll. I had to see what the craze was all about, so here's my lunch one day at The Colony Hotel: (it was a stone's throw from the Bush compound in Kennebunkport - amazing!). Lobster meat is chopped and combined with a little mayo and some celery and placed on a toasted bun. (Don't tell anyone, I liked the chips and pickle better - is that Maine sacriledge?)

We rented a house, which is far easier with small children. Having lots of room for them to romp and play, paddle boat and kayak...we cooked some of our own meals. We ate some of this...(not to highlight their corn, I just thought my son was cute)

But we ate a LOT of this:

We also went fishing for lake trout (utterly delicious) and I caught one! Didn't have to touch the thing thanks to my amazing husband and we ate trout for two meals. There's just something to living off the land (or water) that makes food taste extra sensational.

The best way to cap it all off was with a piece of blueberry pie. Maine blueberries are incomparable and I've emailed the master chef of The Colony Hotel to see if he'll let me in on his secret. Stay tuned on that one!

I've missed y'all - let me get back into the swing of things and we'll chat more soon.

Ciao!
CC

Figs wrapped in Proscuitto

2011-07-27T12:20:00.003-04:00

I've wanted to make this little recipe since I found it in a cookbook I purchased last December. I've had to wait all these lonely months in longing, and yesterday was my day. My friend HPS gave me a BASKETFUL of beautiful ripe figs and I sped to the store to buy the accompanying ingredients.

Black Mission figs are small and sweet and full of flavor. I rinsed them off, lopped off the stem and scored the top with an 'X' to place the treasure of goat cheese inside. The sweetness of the fig pairs so well with the tangyness of the cheese. From there, I wrapped each fig in proscuitto - a salty, cured Italian ham that is sliced paper thin. Securing it with a toothpick...I was ready to roll!

All of my beautiful figs were placed in an olive oil lined dish and baked at 350 for 15 minutes. The proscuitto crisps up, the goat cheese does this magic melting act...and what pops into your mouth is a bite of happiness. It's sweet, salty, tangy, rich - amazing and addicting to where you forget you've eaten 14 and still reach for more. Here's the 'just pulled it out of the oven' view:

Go buy figs, make this recipe - wow your family, friends, neighbors, guests of all ages - just MAKE THEM. You'll be so glad.

Figs. I love them. I now want them constantly.

Have a delicious day!
CC

Melt, Spill and POP!

2011-07-26T11:16:00.003-04:00

So, there I was, meandering through Food Lion for a few items, when I am given a coupon for a free two liter soft drink. Marvelous! I don't drink soft drinks, but it'll be a fun add to our church food bank. I pay for my groceries, head for the hills and decide to leave the 2 liter in the backseat of the car. Mistake.

Fast forward to that evening, we head to my parents for dinner and I end up coming home with a random open can of olives...it's precariously sitting with a few other items in the floorboard of my husband's car and then he has to hit the brakes. Ugh. Olive juice spills EVERYWHERE. We now have a black olive juice soaking the passenger side of the car. He puts the kids to bed, I opt for clean up duty and proceed to get eaten alive by mosquitos in the process.

Have I mentioned it's 102 degrees outside? Oh yes, 102. I'm in the garage sweating to death while cleaning up olive juice. It's not a pretty picture.

Fast forward to the next morning. I leave for choir practice with my mosquito bitten arms and legs and decide to take my four year old. I go to move the soft drink out of the way for him to sit down and lo and behold...the container of BUTTER I bought the day before is now a melted mess! All four sticks. All two dollars and ninety nine cents plus tax. The grocery bagger bagged the butter with the soft drink and I didn't realize it until now. It's oozed all over the drink, the bag and my car. Am I two for two in 102 degree weather or what? Big sigh, semi-quick cleanup and I'm on my way.

The plus in all of this is the most divine little fudgepop that I could possibly place in my mouth. One of my bestest friends placed a heafty catering order and one of the items I fixed: Brownie Pops. I must fix these for birthdays, showers, weddings, yard sales and random Tuesday afternoons for the rest of my life - they are AMAZING.

Fudge Brownie. Put it on a stick. Cover it in chocolate. Pure perfection.

Have a non-messy day - check your back seat for butter and please avoid spilling your olives.
CC

Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

2011-07-22T08:30:00.004-04:00

I eat ice cream sandwiches poolside by the dozens. Who can eat just one? Someone with serious self control. The chocolatey cookie, the soft vanilla icecream - it's something no one should live life without experiencing. Take it to a new level by putting it into a dessert and it's an instant hit at a party and you're not embarrassingly licking your fingers and the wrapper to get every last speck of enjoyment out of it.

This recipe has been circulated far and wide - you probably have it in your grandma's church cookbook, but it bears sharing again as I recently made it and am smitten with ice cream sandwiches.

What you need:
1 box of 24 ice cream sandwiches
1 container of coolwhip
1 jar of carmel sauce
Hershey's Syrup (for garnish)

That's IT? Yep, sweet and simple.

You have to work fast on this, as the ice cream melts quickly...grab a 9x13 pyrex and let's get started!

Layer the bottom of your dish with ice cream sandwiches.

Then slather half of a container of Cool Whip on top.

Next, take a jar of carmel sauce and drizzle it over the cool whip. Don't go nuts here, just a nice drizzle.

Place another layer of ice cream sandwiches on top of this and finish it off with a final layer of Cool Whip and some Hershey's Syrup to jazz things up and make it look schmancy. (Crushed candy bars are also divine).

Place this in your freezer for a good 30 minutes before serving so the ice cream can refreeze again.

Enjoy friends! It's a fun, easy summertime treat.

Have a marvelous weekend and don't forget to go to church on Sunday!
CC

Tomato Contest

2011-07-21T10:23:00.004-04:00

Top of the morning to you! Since I've been on a tomato tangent lately, I decided to continue with the theme and share my submission to the Earthfare Tomato Contest. Drumroll please....

I introduce to you: Professor Caterpillar! (can you tell I have children?)

I'm sending this off to Earthfare today and we'll see what happens. Half the fun of the contest was putting this together with my two boys. We were all sprawled out on the sidewalk, eating snacks and throwing rocks and I was answering 300 hundred questions about what we were doing, why we were doing it...while sneaking peanut butter from my son's pb&j to act as an adhesive for the googly eyes. It was a fun little diversion in our day and we enjoyed the fruits of our labor from the sidewalk to the salad bowl moments later for dinner. Success from every angle!

It's not too late for you to join in the fun! Contestants have until Friday to submit their picture to Earthfare.com

Have a delicious day!
CC

Eating my way through Summer - one Tomato at a time.

2011-07-18T12:23:00.004-04:00

I wake up each day drooling - already anticipating what I'm going to eat for lunch. It's almost embarrassing. I don't know what I'm going to survive on once tomato season is over. Each day holds a spectactular fresh tomato sandwich that is almost too easy to post about, but too delicious not to share.

I start with two slices of wheat bread and EXTRA sharp cheddar cheese. It all gets toasted so that the cheese is a thick layer of melted goodness. Once I pull it out of the toaster oven, I generously slather mayonnaise on the other slice of naked bread. Ha! Naked bread.

From there, I slice a tomato - not just any tomato, mind you. It's a fresh home grown beauty from my father in law's garden. Every time he gives me a bag of lucious perfectly grown tomatoes I secretly wish for a backyard that will have optimal light in which to grow my own someday. Hey - a girl's gotta have dreams!

I place the thick slices of the most perfect tomatoes on my sandwich, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and gaze at the best sandwich on earth.

THAT is how I'm eating my way through summertime...one delicious tomato at a time.

Have a delicious day friends!
CC

Don't be afraid of the funky food.

2011-07-15T13:53:00.003-04:00

Whenever I am eating out, I try to order something a little obscure to help broaden my culinary horizons. Now, there are limitations...but I am willing to try some unusual food combinations in hopes that I discover the next great food epiphany that forever changes my tastbuds.

I went out on a limb this week with a few concoctions that just downright didn't work...but a few others did and alas, I let out a contented sigh. There was a fun little tapas restaurant in St. Louis, Mosaic, that really had a fun approach to food. Order lots of small portions so you get to enjoy more of the menu. Had I not been sitting there with my boss, I would've housed the entire appetizer of hummus and deep fried artichoke hearts. The hummus was topped with fresh tomatoes, olives and goat cheese. Delightful!

I adore hummus, which reminds me that I need to add tahini paste to my grocery list so I can replicate this easy appetizer at home.

My meal started with the goofiest of salads - watermelon topped with goat cheese, black salt, mesculin and radish. It didn't work. I moved on to puff pastry filled with lavendar goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes and crimini mushrooms. It definitely worked. You can put goat cheese on everything but watermelon and it tastes amazing. I so wish I would have taken pictures...but again, sitting with my boss...hmmm. My final course was a seared duck breast with a carrot puree and some orzo bites with Indian spices. Mediocre and odd. It was like hunter meets baby food in New Delhi.

Dessert was the best thing I put in my mouth since the appetizers with a dulce de leche ice cream and cardomom flavored whipped cream topped with homemade almond brittle. Stunning presentation and delicious blend of flavors.

It was a funky meal and I'm glad I took the time to try the obscure. In similar fashion, I recently tried a flounder dish that was perched on top of a citrus and herb angel hair. How amazing was that? I was smitten with the use of the citrus in the pasta - it was the perfect complement to the fish. I was a bona fide member of the "Clean Plate Club" after this meal.

And finally, my summer love is fried green tomatoes - in a BLT! Why I have never thought of this combo before befuddles me, but here it is! There is a restaurant in Charlotte that makes a fried green tomato BLT but you should NOT order it. They serve it on a cheap wheat hamburger bun and it ruins the entire sandwich. It's so apalling, I almost want to give you the $8 to NOT eat it. Stick to a hearty grilled whole wheat toast for the ultimate in BLT experiences like the perfection pictured below.

Before you wrinkle your nose, give it a try. You might have a winner, a loser, or a mediocre non event but you'll never know until you take that bite!

Eat something delicious this weekend and don't forget to go to church on Sunday!
CC

Earthfare Tomato Contest!

2011-07-14T10:25:00.005-04:00

I've been traveling like mad and after clicking my heels 3 times, am glad to say 'There's no place like Home.' I came home to a minor crisis (besides the kitchen floor having a strange sticky film on it most likely from peach juice dripping from two and four year old chins) - we were down to one lonely little tomato. I had plans - big plans for baking some tomato pies and tarts and one little tomato put me in crisis mode.

Thankfully, it only took an email to my father in law to have a bag full of fresh picked wonderment appear at my front door within hours. I'm baking individual sized tomato basil tarts for a catering order and can't wait to get started.

Since we're on the subject of tomatoes, it might be fun to enter this great contest from Earthfare! If you have some spare time on your hands (What is that? Spare time? Huh?) or just feel the creative bones in your body aching for a fun contest, Earthfare is sponsoring a Tomato Contest. They have amazing prizes (to the tune of $500 in giftcards) and it involves photographing your tomatoes; clever, cute, crazy - you decide and upload it to their website.

I'll share mine when I squeeze a few minutes of spare time in my day...after baking these tomato tarts and mopping peach juice off the floor.

Have fun and I hope you win!

CC

Catalina Taco Salads

2011-06-29T16:02:00.003-04:00

I have grown up eating this Taco Salad. Literally, from birth I can remember the crunch of Fritos and the zesty tang of the Catalina Dressing. It's a favorite summertime entree that is hearty enough to fill you, yet light enough to save plenty of room for that homemade ice cream for dessert (Or Magnum and Klondike bars that might perhaps be spilling out of your freezer in every flavor. Just PERHAPS, I'm not committing to anything).

If only every meal could be this easy. Wistful Sigh....

Anyway, let's get on with the show - you're ready to put those pot roast and pot pie recipes to the back of the stack for chilly days that are months away. Let's focus on this tasty treat that makes you say Ole! - Catalina Style.

It's a basic taco salad...sans the sour cream and salsa. Ready?

Ingredients
1 pound of ground beef, cooked, drained and crumbled
1 packet of taco seasoning
5 cups of green leaf lettuce - rinsed, dried and chopped
1 can of kidney or pinto beans - drained
1 large tomato, chopped
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 bag of Fritos
1 bottle of Catalina dressing (look for the red stuff made by Kraft)

Directions
After cooking your ground beef, add the taco seasoning packet and stir well. That is the hardest, most labor intensive part of this entire meal. Next, you need to make an important decision...do I make one massive salad that everyone scoops from for their meal? OR do I make individual salads for each person? Let's make individual salads this round, shall we? In each bowl, layer the following: lettuce, ground taco meat, some beans, some tomato and some cheese. THEN you put on a big massive handful of Fritos. THEN you pour Catalina dressing on top and THEN you take two forks and toss it all up so the dressing goes through the entire salad and no frito is left behind when it comes to the saucy goodness of the dressing.

NOW, if you were to make this in one massive bowl and allow everyone to treat it family style, follow all of the above steps except for adding the Fritos. Let each person add their own. Why? Well, should you have leftovers, the Fritos will be soggy and gross the next day. You won't want to eat the salad because of the sogginess, but will feel compelled to because you can't stand wasting food. Then you regret not just allowing everyone to put their own on their salads in the first place and saving you the discomfort of eating soggy fritos. Trust me on this. Each Frito to their own salads!

Enjoy folks - this is a good one!
CC

Caterpillar Cake!

2011-06-27T09:35:00.004-04:00

This weekend we celebrated my youngest son's 2nd birthday. I decided early on in life that I was not a 'cake' person and so there really wasn't a maternal need in me to ever bake and decorate a cake for my children - I could always lean on the creativity of a bakery or ice cream cake creation. That was, until I had children of my own. Suddenly, it was as though I had a quest set before me to come up with totally adorable cakes that I made myself and decorated so that my children would remember and enjoy talking about them in the years to come.

Granted, I'm still not a cake person; give me a pie or torte or something crazy and decadent. But I certainly gained tremendous satisfaction out of creating this cute little caterpillar for my favorite two year old...and by the looks of it, he did too.

How did you do it CC? How DID you do it?? Well, it was time consuming, but simpler than I thought. I baked 4 individual round cakes in oven-safe capuccino mugs and iced them with a star tip. The orange dots are reece's pieces. I made the eyes out of white chocolate and milk chocolate. The antenna's are fun curly candles and the orange lips are two orange starbursts. How fun is that? Happy Birthday Denton!

Have a delicious day!
CC

Peach Cobbler and Great Aunt Blanch

2011-06-22T13:23:00.006-04:00

Yesssssssssssssss! Not only was yesterday the first day of Summer, it was also my husband's birthday. I whipped up his favorite dessert - a fresh, homemade peach cobbler and all I can say is YUMMMM. After purchasing fresh picked peaches and letting them ripen in my window for several days - warding off 2 year old, 4 year old and 30-something year old scavengers begging to eat them, yesterday afternoon I set out to bake perfection.

One minor road bump. Blanch. What? Blanch who? The only Blanch I know is a great aunt on my dad's side of the family. My recipe called for the peaches to be blanched. Undeterred, I followed the instructions to a 'T' and am now allllllll about blanching! Read on and we'll make a cobbler together and learn a somewhat foreign cooking term named after a lady named Blanch.

Here we go!

Ingredients for peach cobbler-y summertime deliciousness:
4 cups worth of peaches (6 ish peaches?)
1 c. flour
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. white sugar
2 t. vanilla
2 T. brown sugar
5 T. butter
A sprinkling of cinnamon

How to make it:
Start by blanching your peaches. Ummmmm. Ok, this is not hard and by all means makes the peeling part of peaches a breeze! Take a stock pot and fill it with water and bring it to a boil. Sounds easy...Add your peaches (peel and all) and let them boil 3-5 minutes.

Have a large bowl filled with water and ice cubes standing by. After boiling for 3-5 minutes we're going to shock the daylights out of the fruit by carefully removing them from the boiling water and placing them in the ice water. This is where the magic happens - the skin is pulling away from the fruit, which will make your life so much easier in about 3 minutes.

Guess what? You just blanched your peaches! Take them out of the water and use your fingers to gently peel away the skin. It slides right off! Oh the joy - think of the endless blanching possibilities here - peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots. Peeling as you know it, is a thing of the past. It's ALL about blanching.

I then slice the fruit and remove the pits - leaving nice big juicey chunks of peaches sitting in a bowl, waiting for you to add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a light sprinkling of cinnamon. The peaches are already chock full of sweetness, so you don't need to add as much sugar as some recipes call for. Goodness knows you already put a cup of sugar in the topping! Let's move to that step next.

While the peaches enjoy sitting in their bowl, prepare your cobbler topping. Combine the flour, 1 cup of white sugar, buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and stir until is smooth.

At this point, you're ready to assemble and bake! Put the butter in a 9x9 dish and allow it to melt in the microwave for a minute.

Put the peaches and all their juicey goodness on top of the melted butter and pour the topping over them.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until your cobbler topping is cooked through and nice and brown.

Serve in small dessert bowls with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Enjoy!
CC

Goat Cheese and Artichoke Spread

2011-06-20T13:40:00.005-04:00

This weekend was filled with Father's Day Celebrations and on Saturday I fixed a feast to honor my dad and husband. The menu was a huge success!

Goat Cheese and Artichoke Spread with Whole Wheat Crackers started us off on the right foot. Goat cheese was an acquired taste for me, but now that I've acquired it, I can't eat enough of it. I dream about it, crave it, try to incorporate it wherever I can when cooking. Love Goat Cheese.

Moving on to Shrimp and Steak Kabobs with Zuchinni, Grape Tomatoes and Mushrooms, Sutton Rice and a mouth watering Tomato Basil Tart (it's on my catering menu and worth every penny!) the entree was met with requests for 2nds, 3rds and 4ths. Dessert was individual flourless chocolate tartes that clung with a death grip to the sides of my ramekins but melted in your mouth once you got it there. Simply amazing. I'm still dreaming of it.

The Goat Cheese and Artichoke Spread was so delicious, I could've made a meal out of it and literally only took 5 minutes to prepare. I wasn't even hardly able to get a decent picture of it before it was eaten to smithereens!

So here's what you need to replicate this show stopper of an appetizer: (Thanks to Emeril Lagasse for the inspiration for this recipe that I tweaked. A lot.).
1 can of artichoke hearts, drained
1 large log of goat cheese
2 T. olive oil
2 t. lemon juice
3/4 t. minced garlic
1 t. parsley
2 T. minced fresh basil
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. Cayenne pepper
Crackers - I used Triscuits, but would recommend baguette bread for this too.

In a food processor, combine all of the above ingredients but the crackers. Process until smooth and creamy. Place in a nonreactive bowl (ie stay away from metal!) and refrigerate until ready to serve with your favorite cracker.

How easy, amazing and delicious is that?

Enjoy!
CC

Buttermilk Baked Mac 'n Cheese

2011-06-16T11:34:00.004-04:00

I'm on a buttermilk kick of late. I bought a quart of it, only needed a cup of it and am now fixing additional recipes that incorporate buttermilk so it doesn't go to waste. So far, I've made cupcakes, ranch dressing that was so good I want to haul off and drink it and some delicious Buttermilk Baked Mac 'n Cheese.

It fixed this recipe with very low expectations. Many of the recipes I've tried have had a considerable addition of steps from this one and it seemed a bit too easy to be marvelous. The fam was pleasantly surprised and we have gobbled it to our hearts content.

Here's whatcha need:
3 c. cooked elbow macaroni noodles
2 c. grated cheddar cheese (I use extra sharp since it has such a good bite)
4 T. finely (and I mean FINELY) minced onion
1 c. buttermilk (let this get to room temp please)
1 t. pepper
1/4 c. butter
salt to taste
A greased 2 quart casserole dish. Ready? Ready!

How to fix it:
Grate two cups of cheese (it has a better taste than the pre grated) and mince up your onion to microscopicness.

Once you have boiled and drained your noodles, to that very same stockpot, add in all of the above ingredients (less 1/2 c. of the cheese).

How easy is this? Now pour it into your greased casserole dish and bake it uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes.

Once you pull it out, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top and put a lid on your dish to trap the heat inside and allow it to melt the cheese on top and then serve it up! The buttermilk gives it a richer taste than regular milk and combines well with the sharp cheddar to give you a tangy bite of amazingness.

Enjoy!
CC

Shish Kabobs!

2011-06-14T09:37:00.004-04:00

One fun way to grill out in the Summertime is by making Shish Kabobs. Not only are they fun to say, but are fun to eat, healthy and delicious! At the beach this past week I made chicken kabobs and tonight I'm making steak kabobs. Grab your favorite veggies and hang out with me for a bit - I'll show you how to make this dazzling dinner in no time flat.

Whatcha Need:
Wooden or Metal Kabob Skewers
Italian Salad Dressing
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Your favorite veggies (yellow squash and zuchinni, mushrooms, onion, cherry or grape tomatoes, red yellow or green pepper all work great and hold up well while grilling)

How you make it:

Right after feeding the kids breakfast, I cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces and throw them in tupperware with a sealable lid and into the frig alll dayyy lonnnnggg after dousing them in whatever oil based Italian salad dressing I have on hand.

After playing super mom all day, it's time to make dinner. Much like the chicken, I cut up the veggies in bite sized pieces and pull out my skewers. Some people like to soak their wooden skewers in water while cutting up the veggies so the wood doesn't burn when you put it on the grill. Just a helpful tip for those who remember that step. I often overlook it and they still turn out just fine.

Now that everything is chopped, resist challenging your son to a duel involving kabob skewers and begin sliding chicken and vegetables onto the skewers in random order. I drizzle more Italian dressing over the entire skewer at this point - so the veggies don't feel left out. Once you have a hearty stack of beautiful kabobs - call your husband into the kitchen for the plate and have him use his manly grilling skills to dazzle and amaze even the faint of heart.

I serve these over Sutton Rice and the crowd goes wild!

Now I mentioned fixing steak kabobs for dinner tonight. I have an amazing marinade from my friend Kasey, who fixed this for dinner one night and I went stark raving mad until she handed over the recipe.

Steak Kabob Marinade:
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
1 T. olive oil
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. minced onion
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/8 t. pepper

Combine all the above ingredients and this is good for 2 pounds of steak. My marinade was fixed this morning after feeding my children cupcakes for breakfast. It looks like this:

And then I cut up the steak (sirloin is a good cut of meat for this) and it's happily marinating away in my frig as we speak and looks like this:

Can't wait for dinner - have a great day!
CC

Cherry Almond Cupcakes - Made to Order!

2011-06-13T13:05:00.005-04:00

Howdy Friends! I've just returned from a week at the beach with my family and have gazillions of things to share with you. Ok, maybe not THAT many, but enough to keep this week packed full of some fun tidbits to keep you eating well through these hot summer days. Nevermind that summer doesn't officially start until June 21 - I consider it 100% SUMMERTIME!

I launched my catering biz and am happy to share my first order with you! It was off the map a bit as the recipient was dying for cherry cupcakes. I haven't put these on my menu, but might just have to! Whipping up a Cherry Almond Cupcake, these fun little bites of delight have a cherry baked into the center and the Cherry Almond Buttercream frosting is the perfect 'icing on the cake'!

These cupcakes were made to order as a thank you gift (what a fun idea - thanking someone with cupcakes!). They are light, amazingly delicious and I'm glad I made a few extra so I could enjoy them as well.

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon!
CC

Easy Peasy Caprese

2011-06-03T13:30:00.003-04:00

The tastes of Summertime are among my favorite. Fresh vegetables from the garden or local Farmer's Markets, grilling out, homemade ice cream. There's nothing finer. I stopped by one of my favorite Farmer's Market Stands the other day and bought a bag full of red, ripe, fresh juicy tomatoes and have been serving Caprese Salads with almost every dinner this week. So good, so easy - here is my version of this summertime staple:

Ingredients:
1 large tomato
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese (or a big block of Sargento if you're in a bind)
A handful of fresh basil (thankfully we're growning our own)
Parmesan Cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Cheez-It Crackers

Directions (makes two servings)
Slice the tomato into 6 slabs and put 3 per plate
Slice the mozzarella to the same thickness as your tomato slices and place them on the tomatoes. Salt and pepper the tomatoes and mozzarella. Rough chop some fresh basil and sprinkle it on top. Then, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the top. I love to grate fresh parmesan cheese on top and throw on some crushed Cheez-It crackers for the grande finale.

It looks like a delicious mess, and tastes even better.

I couldn't pass up fresh zuchinni as I was picking out my tomatoes, so last night I sliced 3 of them and sauteed them in olive oil with half of a chopped onion. Since the parmesan cheese was sitting there staring at me, I added some to the top of each serving and had a blissful dinner. The caprese salad and zuchinni went perfectly with my buffalo chicken squares.

Stop by your local farmer's market or roadside stand for some delicious treats to get your Summertime flavor on too!

Enjoy the weekend!
CC

The Launch.

2011-06-01T12:19:00.004-04:00

Well, today is the big day! I've officially launched the catering aspect of The Musing Foodie. It's a BIG leap of faith and I look forward to seeing what happens. My nifty menu has been added as a page to this blog - gaze to the left and click on the link. I'd love to hear what you think about it!

It was a lot of fun to put it together and I drooled through it one item at a time, perhaps even gaining a pound or two in the process. They are all delicious recipes to me and I hope you enjoy them as well.

My basic concept is to provide catering that will supplement your parties and social engagements where you might run short handed. Need some cookies, cupcakes, sandwiches? I can help! How about a dazzling dessert for a special dinner? Oh yes! Everything will be presented in tasteful disposable containers so you do still get to use your mom's favorite serving plate to keep with your theme. (I know that was keeping you up at night). If you need the whole event caterered, that's right up my alley as well. Bring it on!

Here's the fine print: At this point in the venture, I don't plan on manning any events - my family is paramount and nights and weekends away from them just aren't part of the picture. It will be considered on a case by case basis, but is the exception to the norm. I also am still just a local yocal too. Shipping is being considered down the road.

Stay tuned on my facebook page - The Musing Foodie, as I chat about what's going on in the kitchen and any fun foodie giveaways that like to surface every now and then.

Above all, thanks for your support on this fun project. It's delicious good fun.

Be blessed!
CC

Memorial Day Picnic Tips!

2011-05-27T09:14:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was the last day of school and I was woken up by an excited four year old requesting jelly beans for breakfast. I compromised with a chocolate chip granola bar and the day proceeded with fun and festivities. The kids had an end of the year festival, I personally downed 3 snow cones and the laughter and excitement was the perfect ending to the school year and beginning of summer.
We've been pawing through big brown grocery bags sent home with each child - filled with art projects, mementos, pictures and gifts from the teachers. My kitchen looks like a disaster hit it.

In the midst of the school celebrations, I need not forget the start of National Burger Weekend as we enjoy an extended holiday weekend observing Memorial Day. I have a fun menu planned with some helpful tips to get you out of a generic burger rut.

I plan on spending time at the pool with my family and having a big cookout - burgers, baked beans, chip and dip, a huge salad (I love salad) and some fun desserts.

Consider creating a topping bar for your family to enjoy choosing some new items to top their burgers.

Start with cheese: Sharp Cheddar, Blue Cheese, Brie and Pepper Jack are fun diversions to the stand by of American.

Think outside the box: Lettuce and Tomato are staples...but what about grilling or sauteeing your onions? Guacamole adds an interesting twist and I have fallen in love with green chilis on my burger. Feeling italian? Why not add some marinara sauce, mozzarella and basil?

For sides, don't go nuts and wear yourself out - your focus should be on enjoying time with your family and friends. Baked beans, macaroni and cheese, a salad - nothing over the top. Think hummus, salsa, bruschetta. Give me a bag of chips with some ranch or french onion dip and you won't hear from me for hours.

Desserts are my weakness and I have a few healthy and non-healthy options. Fresh fruit is plentiful this time of year and so I keep my house stocked with fresh peaches, strawberries and watermelon. Sweet as candy, we see fruit as a breakfast, snack and dessert option. It might be fun to create your own fruit kabobs - skewer some grapes, bananas and strawberries. Eat them plain or combine 8 oz. of cream cheese with sweetened condensed milk or some marshmallow cream and dip until you can't see straight. Or just spoon down the dip and call it a day. :)

I love chocolate - so a pan of fudge brownies with vanilla bean ice cream is hard to beat...but what about making your own ice cream sandwiches out of chocolate chip cookies and ice cream? My friend AmyA made them for my family once and we loved them, scarfed them, couldn't get enough.

I have an ice cream maker and so I plan on making homemade peach ice cream. I can already picture myself dipping my toes in the pool with a gigantic bowl of homemade ice cream in hand right now. Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

As you kick off your summer and celebrate Memorial Day, I hope you have fun enjoying time with those you love. May your laughter be sweet, your conversations uplifting and you Chinet full of goodness.

I salute the service men and women who so valiantly have served and continue to serve our country to keep us safe and preserve the right of freedom. May God Bless You All!

Cheers!
CC

Crazed Juror Eats Cannoli Dip

2011-05-25T15:35:00.005-04:00

We have 30ish teachers and staff at my sons' Preschool and I thought it would be fun to bake some treats as an end of the year thank you snack. I set this up prior to remembering that I had received a Jury Summons. Playing the odds, I really didn't think I'd have to show up. Surely I would be among the multitudes who call the number the night before at exactly 5:30pm and get the 'You are Excused' message. Surely.

5:19pm I call. The number says I have to report. Surely I've just called to early and they haven't updated their system.

5:35pm I call. The number says I have to report. Surely I've just heard wrong.

5:56pm I call. Again. The number again says I have to report. Recognizing this is a real deal I am in a pickle. I'm baking for all the teachers, have to get my children to school and report to fulfill my civic duty all by 8am the next morning. Lovely. After calling in reinforcements, I have it handled.

I baked two batches of my favorite Bliss Bite Cookies. Bite sized chocolate chip cookie goodness with the crowning glory of a Bliss Milk Chocolate. What's not to love? Nothing. Exactly!

Then I baked a gigantic tray of chocolate carmel brownies that are pretty much to die for. A rich creamy layer of carmel nestled in between two layers of chocolate brownie make it a decadent dessert of deliciousness. If I could have, I would've eaten half of them myself. I used self control. It was hard.

Then there was a fun stawberry display that I complimented with a Cannoli Dip. I'm experimenting with the perfect Cannoli Cream right now and this was a success. Chocolate chips whipped into a sweetened Ricotta Cheese mixture...ahhhhh!

Fast forward to the next morning. My wonderful reinforcement arrived in time for me to make it to Jury Duty and angelically agrees to take the tasty treats with her to school. I dash off to the courthouse.

Amazed, dazed and confused - I am actually called for a case and told I'll possibly have two cases as they are short on people. Seriously? Seriously. Thirty jurors are chosen to sit on a DWI case. They will whittle us down to 12. I don't want to be whittled. I want to sit in the room of uncalled jurors feeling like a caged animal and read my book all day. I have my son's preschool graduation the next day and nothing will stand in its way. I will be there.

I make my way into the courtroom and it is EXACTLY like television. I felt like I was auditioning for a movie. There I sat, anxiously watching as juror after juror is excused. My odds of sitting on this case are getting greater by the minute. Lunchtime hits and it hits me, they still haven't selected a jury, this case will be a at least two days long. I will miss my son's graduation if I am chosen.

The courthouse cafeteria looked vile and inedible. Barely able to eat, I shove down a Philly Cheese Steak with onions, peppers, mushrooms cheese and marinara sauce from a restaurant across the street. I spurged on a cannoli for dessert since I'm comparing my recipe. Theirs was awful. Let's add insult to injury, could the day be worse? Yes.

I went back to the courthouse and talked to the administration. I asked to be moved to another day, another time - anything but where I was as I could not sit on this case. There was nothing the lady could do. That's when I lost it. I broke down and cried and told her I was going to miss graduation. Her eyes grew large, she took pity on me and advised me to write a letter to the judge. I did so and gave it to the baliff. (Is this like TV or what?).

With a red, splotchy, tear stained face, I walked up to the baliff and gave him my letter. He read it, took one look at me and gravely advised that we were at the mercy of the judge at this point. A black caped man with unruly gray curls and a bad striped bow tie.

I watched in horror as my group of fellow jurors continued to be whittled away. We were down to four and I had a 25% chance of being called. The state and prosecution finally stood and announced they were satisfied with the jury. I let out a sigh of relief. The baliff shot me a quick victory grin. I was off the hook.

BUT WAIT! The judge wanted an alternate juror. I almost threw up then and there. The next name announced was miraculously another woman and she passed the screening. I made it! I was officially off the hook and was attending my son's graduation. Praise the Lord!

Thankfully I was there today for this important picture to be taken:

Let's not talk about the rest of the cannoli dip that completely disappeared as a result of my stress relieving binge. Along with some brownies. Ok a LOT of brownies, but who's counting?

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon!
CC

Calzones!

2011-05-18T15:18:00.006-04:00

Awhile back I hit the absolute jackpot on some Rhodes Frozen Dinner Rolls. It’s the dough that you bake yourself. Since my freezer was full of dough balls, I asked around to see who among my friends got in on the deal and what they made with their said rolls. One of the suggestions was calzones and I simply had to try them for myself. Talk about easy and delicious! I could eat two right now just typing this. In fact, well never mind, I’ll be good and continue to drink my tumbler of water instead. Particularly since I ate cookies for breakfast.

On with the calzones! Two dough balls (or rolls) make one small calzone and I planned on two per adult and one per child. I simply followed the directions for the rolls on the back of the package, unthawing them at room temperature for several hours (under a Pam-sprayed plastic wrap layer to keep in the gases).

Each roll miserably deflates when you pick it up to turn it into a calzone.

Not to worry – redemption is two steps away! After mushing out a roll into the size of an adult’s palm, I spooned on some pizza sauce...

Then added some cooked crumbled Jimmy Dean sausage and black olives.

And don't forget a slab of mozzarella cheese...

Following suit by mushing out (love my technical terms here?) my second dough ball, I placed it over the top of the pizza looking thing I just created.

Gently pushing the seams together and rolling them under so all the goods don’t seep out, I repeated these steps until all my calzones were made.

Then I set them back into my oven to rise (the oven wasn’t on). I let the calzones rise again for about 20-30 minutes. I find the oven is a good place to let dough rise as it’s out of the way of kids running, Frisbees flying and the occasional toddler who climbs up on the counter to get candy without asking. You can see the amount it rose by in comparing these photos - 1 is prior to rising, 2is after I put it unter Pam-sprayed plastic wrap for the 20-30 minute timeframe.

They were picture perfect in my eyes and I baked them at 350 for 18ish minutes until they turned slightly brown. Some of the goods did unfortunately seep out of the one. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. No one has to see the cheesy goodness you scoop up and eat before you present a plate of perfection to your family.

I served these with ramekins of marinara sauce and they were a fantastic use of my dinner roll dough. I’ll be repeating this again soon.

Mangia!
CC

Monster Cookies!

2011-05-17T15:55:00.006-04:00

First of all, I have to tell you how excited I am about launching the catering aspect of The Musing Foodie. The final touches are being placed on the menu and it is going to be DELICIOUS! I so appreciate the many votes of confidence and the requests for this in the first place, to take me to this exciting new step. June 1 is right around the corner!

I've been on a cookie craving lately and came across a recipe I'd snipped out of the newspaper years ago. I adapted it for my means and enjoyed baking these delicious treats last night with my 4 year old son. He was thrilled to be involved and really did a great job, if I may say so myself.

The title of Monster Cookies doesn't adequately describle these. I might rename them "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" but it's not quite as catchy. I was thrilled to use up the plethora of candy that seems to multiply in my pantry, much to the chagrin of my thighs.

Without further ado, I present Monster Cookies...(thanks C. Gomez!)

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. granulated white sugar
1 t. Karo syrup
2 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
2 c. peanut butter
4 1/2 c. quick oats
6 oz. chocolate chips
6 oz. m&m's
6 oz. reece's pieces

Cream together the butter and the two sugars. Add eggs, Karo syrup, baking soda, vanilla and peanut butter. Beat until smooth. Add oats and mix well. Add chocolate chips, m&m's and reeces pieces, stirring them in by hand.

It will look like a big bowl of this:

Drop rounded teaspoonsful on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Depending on how generous you are on your teaspoonsful of dough that you plop on the cookie sheet, this will make approximately 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Have a delicious day!
CC

Enchiladas with Attitude.

2011-05-12T10:19:00.000-04:00

My Cinco de Mayo fiesta was bumped to Seis de Mayo as we forgot my husband had a work dinner to attend. As it also turns out, one of my bestest friends was helping me shake and bake for last weekend's bridal shower, so she got to join in the fiesta fun of my kicked up Chicken Enchiladas.

I've serenaded you with the enchilada madness before, so the basic recipe is the same, only you add this incredible sour cream jalapeno sauce before baking. What emerges from your oven is nothing short of a Mexican Miracle. Seriously. This sauce will make you swoon. Don't let the jalapeno scare you off - it's not hot, you won't grow hair on your chest, you won't have to put out tongue fires with a gallon of water. It's a delicious add that has me craving more more more!

You start with 1/4 cup of butter and melt it in a saucepan. Add in 1/4 cup of flour and whisk until it's nice and smooth. Add in 2 cups of chicken broth. Stir constantly until it's a thick consistency and starting to bubble.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in 8 ounces of sour cream.

And 2 jalapeno peppers (from a jar) that you have sliced and diced, which equates to 4-5 Tablespoons worth.

Pour half of the sour creamy deliciousness into a pyrex pan, add in the lovely row of chicken enchiladas and top it all off with the remaining sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with additional shredded cheddar if you need it and prepare to have your socks knocked off. It's amazing. It's delicious. It's so good you need to stop reading, head to the store and buy the ingredients to fix this right now.

Have a delicious day!
CC

Cupcake Mania

2011-05-10T11:15:00.003-04:00

Well did you have a good Mother's Day weekend? Mine was so full and fun, I want to do it all over again. We tend to make a weekend out of celebrations like this and I lived it up.

In the midst of cookouts and presents and soccer practice and a birthday party, I managed to help host a bridal shower where I was somehow put in charge of the food. I don't know how these things happen.

We were anticipating about 75 guests and I thought it would be hip and cool to bake cupcakes for the dessert. Strawberry cake, yellow cake, chocolate cake - swirly delicious icing and a fun personalized chocolate "W" in honor of the bride's new last name.

I was pleased with the outcome. Aren't they fun?!

I'm now all about cupcakes. And icing. And chocolate letters. I think I'm adding this to the catering menu. Ahem, June 1 launch date! Whooo hoooooooooooooooooo!

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon!
CC

An Early Mother's Day

2011-05-06T10:02:00.004-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I received an early Mother's Day gift. My husband was home early, we were feeding my almost 2 year old a snack in the kitchen and in the front door walks my 4 year old holding a small white box. He excitedly ran into the kitchen and grabbed my hand, pulling me away from everyone else and had me sit on the stairs.

Taking both of my hands in his, he looked into my eyes and sweetly sang to me a song about how mommies are for kissing and hugging and at the conclusion of the song, presented me with the white box. He went ahead and opened it, revealing two miniature blueberry muffins wrapped in waxed paper.

Handing them to me with an expectant look on his face, I asked him if one was for me and one was for him? He nodded and I gave him one of the muffins, which we enjoyed on the spot. No one else in the family knew of our special moment and my eyes filled with tears as I kissed him and hugged him. The contents of the little white box were more valuable to me than anything a blue box from Tiffany's could ever hold. His sweet little song will be forever etched in my heart and I may have just had one of the best Mother's Day's ever...a few days early.

I'm blessed to not only be a mom of two precious boys, but to have a wonderful mother who has been an amazing role model. I'm richly blessed. I wish all of you a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.

Don't forget to go to church on Sunday!
CC

Enchiladas and Meatball Subs

2011-05-05T11:25:00.006-04:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo Friends! It's grand day in the Carolinas and I want to extend a warm welcome to all of you visiting my corner of the world as a result of my guest post on The Carolina Clipper. That clipper and I have been friends for a long time and I am honored she'd allow me to go mainstream and share a few thoughts on fix 'n freezes.

Today is the perfect excuse to fix Mexican food - and I have a fabulous meal planned for the family. You've read before about my Chicken Enchiladas. Tonight I'm giving them a swift kick in the pants by adding a jalapeno sour cream sauce that will make you swoon. I'm also attempting chalupas for the first time so stay tuned for riveting details on our fiesta!

Going to an opposite culinary extreme in taste and heritage, I simply have to share with you a fabulous dinner I made as a result of a recent Fix 'n Freeze meal. One of my freezing groupies made outstanding Meatballs in a Marinara Sauce. I thawed them in the crockpot and decided to make open faced Meatball subs out of them.

Taking a loaf of Italian bread, I alotted two pieces per person and dipped the cut slices in melted butter infused with a minced garlic clove. Sprinkling some parmesan cheese on top and baking for 5ish minutes creates garlic bread from Heaven above.

Being the carnivorous meat eaters we are, I placed 4 hearty meatballs on top of each pair of garlic bread slices and topped with additional parmesan cheese. A delicious meal that from start to finish, took me less than 10 minutes to make and serve. The family raved and I am a happy camper. Consider me the #1 fan of Fix and Freeze's. (Thanks Donna for the delicious meatballs!)

I'm off to vacuum up about a 1000 lentils that were spilled on the floor while my husband was watching the boys this morning so I could sing at the National Day of Prayer breakfast. I'm sure there's a story behind this...

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon!
CC

It's Frappacino Time!

2011-05-03T16:20:00.004-04:00

Good Day Friends! I'm sitting here munching on Reece's Pieces and had to share some fun beverage news with you.

Starbucks just announced May 6-15 is Half Price Frappacino Happy Hour from 3-5pm! I immediately marked my calendar so I can feast upon my favorite beverage weakness: A Carmel Frappacino with Extra Whip.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I can taste it now. I'm such a savage when it comes to these drinks, I pop off the top and lick the carmel drizzle off the inside of the lid so as not to waste any of the sweet gloppy goopy goodness.

Now, for those of you not willing to foot the bill of a store bought frappacino delacacy, not to worry! The copy cats at Food Network developed a contraban version and published it for you 'do-it-yourselfers'!

For a Mocha Frappacino (which is a close second to my beloved Carmel) here is the inside scoop:

For the Coffee Ice
3 T. sugar
2 C. warm strong coffee

For the Chocolate Syrup
2/3 C. sugar
1/2 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 oz. milk chocolate - finely chopped
1.5 t. honey
1/2 t. vanilla extract

For the Frappe
1 C. reduced fat milk
Whipped Cream for the amazing topping.

Make the coffee ice by stirring the sugar into the coffee until dissolved, then let it cool. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid (around 3 hours).

Make the chocolate syrup by combining the sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan and slowly whisking in 2/3 cup of hot water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking until all of the sugar dissolves - 3 to 5 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate, honey and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cool.

Make the frappes by pureeing 8 coffee ice cubes, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/3 to 1/2 cup of chocolate syrup and 1 cup of plain ice in a blender until smooth.

Pour into 2 glasses and top with whipped cream and more chocolate syrup.

Enjoy my fellow foodies!
CC

When Prince Charming's on a Business Trip...

2011-04-29T15:06:00.005-04:00

It's been a long, whirlwind of a week and I can't be more pleased that it's Friday. My husband's plane touches down in a little over an hour and I can't wait to see my very own Prince Charming after a week long business trip.

I find that when he's away, I tend to eat bizarre foods and odd times and consider it nutritionally sound. I justify it because of being solo with my two young boys and yearning for the extra set of hands to help out.

I was stressed beyond measure earlier this week when I had to spend 4 hours on the phone with non-english speaking tech people to get my work laptop fixed. The language barrier sent me right to the refrigerator for a Whoopie Pie for breakfast.

After one tech guy got mad and literally hung up on me, I shot like a cannon to the freezer and enjoyed a bowl of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream for lunch. It was deserved, trust me.

After having a sick child one night and cleaning up after him, I was awakened 2 hours later by the other one who accidentally wet the bed. After getting him all set, I was woken up an hour after that to a thunderstorm and our dog going bezerk. Let's just imagine the food choices the next day. I believe I was sustained by Reece's Peanut Butter Eggs and Snapple Peach Iced Tea.

Dinners for my boys have been the most manufactured, easy way out a mother could ever take: Tyson's Chicken Nuggets, Stouffer's Mac 'n Cheese, Taco Bell and Burger King. I was so tired when going through the drive through at Burger King last night that I literally forgot to get my son's burger and fries. How does that happen? I embarrassingly turned around and drove back and got the food. Sigh.

Last night I splurged and got sushi for myself. It was so pretty, I had to take a picture.

Clearly my husband can't get home fast enough - we're ordering PIZZA for dinner. :)

Congratulations to Donna for winning the Debbie Myer Green Bags Giveaway! Donna, tomatoes are one of my all time favorite garden staples in the summertime too.

Have a delicious weekend everyone! Perhaps next week I'll reintroduce myself to my kitchen.
CC

Tuesday's Tip (AND Giveaway!): Fruit & Vegetable Longevity

2011-04-26T15:02:00.003-04:00

This time of year we begin to search out the roadside stands, Farmer's Markets and our own backyard gardens for fresh herbs, produce and fruits. There is nothing like the taste of home grown goodness - after all, we've been struggling through the winter on canned goodness. Give me fresh! Give me liberty or give me death!

While I'm not the extremist Patrick Henry was, I do have a fun little tip for extending the life of your fruits and veggies. Debbie Meyer Green Bags! This Debbie Meyer has it goin on - she somehow figured out how to make a magical green colored baggie that takes out all the Ethylene Gas (the yuck that causes rot and decomposition that occurs the second you make your purchase).

Simply place the fruit or vegetable in a bag and it will extend the life for 2 weeks or more! And the best part - you can wash and reuse them over and over and if you play your cards right, one box of these beauties will last you all season.

So who wants some green bags? I do! I do! I have a box for me and a box for you. Respond between now and Friday at 2:07 pm eastern time and tell me what your favorite homegrown produce is for a chance to win. I'll tell you mine - tomatoes, squash and peaches!

Chat more soon - have a delicious day!
CC

Easter Dinner

2011-04-25T14:22:00.005-04:00

As I found myself hiding in the pantry and munching on white chocolate truffles, I remembered I had many requests for what my Easter meal was this past weekend. Popping one more truffle, I waddle to the computer and am here to answer that request.

What a wonderful weekend! Lots of family time, a test drive with a car salesman I wanted to have the ground swallow whole and never hear from again, more family time, delicious food, egg hunts, ice cream cake and most importantly - remembering the Cross, the EMPTY Tomb and the wonderful gift of Salvation. Church was so good on Sunday, I'm surprised Jesus didn't come back during the Hallelujah Chorus.

Friday night my parents joined us for dinner and I pulled out all the stops - white table cloth (never mind that I don't iron, the plates hide the fold wrinkles - sort of) the China (that only gets used once, maybe twice a year), fresh flowers as a centerpiece and a crazy gourmet menu that received rave reviews.

We started with an Artichoke Dip and Whole Wheat Crackers. Not your ordinary Artichoke Dip - this was a kicked up version with Green Chilis. Yum.

For the main dish, I fixed Red Snapper and Shrimp in a Champagne Sauce. Ho-hum, I hadn't fixed it before - despite the recipe sounding amazing. I won't fix it again, it was good but not pa-zazzy enough for me, so I didn't take a picture.

Side items included an ultra amazing Brie and Carmelized Onion Tart with a Fig Glaze. OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS! Show Stopping fabulous. Of course we had rolls and butter to sop up all the goodness.

Then there was the ridiculous Cleopatra Salad with Grapes and Blue cheese and homemade Croutons and a dressing that makes you want to lose control and lick the bowl. I could have just eaten the salad and nothing else and died a happy woman. I'm glad to still be alive, but wow is this a good salad.

Dessert was tough for me. I couldn't decide on just one, so I made two! A cherry and pineapple cobbler, which made my husband ever so happy since he is a lover of fruit desserts. Then I made a Black and White Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake. It was so rich and decadent, you can't eat it all - you THINK you can, but seriously can't. I've tried. Four Times.

And that, my friends, was our "Easter Meal" as we actually ate out on Easter Sunday, followed by an egg hunt and Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Cake (have you tried the Praline Ice Cream Cake? Oh gracious!!!).

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon!
CC

Asian Chicken Salad

2011-04-20T12:39:00.007-04:00

I'm sitting here staring at a Reece's Peanut Butter Egg. The BIG full size version. It's a battle of the wills, of which I will surely lose. These happen to be my favorite chocolate in the entire world. I've filled my boys' Easter baskets with them and I've sampled more than my share. The perks of parenthood. :)

But today I want to share with you a sensational salad I fixed for dinner. It's light, yet filling and is so unique and delicious, you'll be craving it for weeks (provided that you don't burn the house down during the cooking process - but more on that later).

The ingredients are simple but come together to give you a little crunch, a little sweet and a LOT of good.

Start by roasting 1/2 cup of almonds at 300 degrees for 5-7 minutes - it brings out the flavor and gives it added crunch.

Then pull out of thin air: 2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken (remember when chicken went on sale and you put it in your slow cooker and then froze it in portions for times like these? Loving life right now, aren't you?) To that chicken, add toasted almonds and a tablespoon or two of roasted sesame seeds (I happened to be out of my seeds and the salad was still delish).

And then slice, dice and chop down 4-5 tablespoons of onion - microscopic is what we're aiming for, in case you have a non-raw-onion eating family like I do.

Stir it all up and let it sit while you work on the dressing.

Take 1/2 c. Canola Oil, 6 Tablespoons of Cider Vinegar, 4 Tablespoons of Sugar, 1.5 teaspoons of Salt and a teaspoon of Pepper. Combine these simple ingredients and shake well for a sweet and tangy dressing. Then pull out cool bowls (cool as in I love these bowls and bought them from a restaurant because I liked them so much) and put generous heaping mountains of green leaf lettuce in each.

Divide your chicken mixture and put it on each bed of lettuce and toss with the dressing.

Now for the sensational edgy-ness that transforms your salad into Spectacular Status: Rice Noodles. I'll forwarn you that this takes practice and you have to be careful on frying, or these will burn, burn your non-stick pan and potentially your house if you're not looking. Haven't I just set the stage for you to attempt this without fear? HAHA! I learned the hard way that you MUST use a deep fryer or a regular metal sauce pan (the oil gets too hot for a non-stick pan and will burn the non-sticky stuff and you'll have to get a new pan. UGH!)

Place a few tablespoons of Canola Oil in the pan...

and when it's sizzling hot, throw in the rice noodles. The turn into amazing cool white crunchy curly things that enhance the beauty and pazazz of your salad. See?

Now put all of the fried noodles on your salad and serve it up and sit back to enjoy the compliments that spill forth from the salad enjoyment.

Have a great afternoon and we'll chat soon!
CC

Tuesday's Tip: For the love of a Danish

2011-04-19T10:05:00.004-04:00

You've heard me say it before: I love a good Danish. They are perfect for breakfast and so when Entenmann's had a buy one get one free sale at the grocery store, I happy danced all they way in to Harris Teeter. Grabbing 5 of the Raspberry Danish Twist, I have a little tip to share with you. These delicious store bought beauties are perfect for breakfast before church on Sundays.

I sliced them into individual servings, placed them in sandwich bags and put them back in their respective boxes. The boxes went into the freezer and now I have a good 4 months worth of Sunday morning breakfasts fixed and frozen. Beautiful!

Now all I have to do is pull individual servings out Sunday morning before I get ready and by the time the lipgloss goes on and the hair is curled to perfection, they are defrosted. My family enjoys them warmed up for 20 seconds and breakfast is a huge hit.

Feel free to share some of your time saving ideas - I'm always up for a delicious time saver! (And for you locals, the sale is still on thru today at midnight!)

Have a great day!
CC

Bunny Cupcakes

2011-04-14T11:15:00.004-04:00

Last year at exactly this time, I was standing in line at the grocery store with my son. He excitedly pointed out a magazine cover that featured a picture of Bunny Cupcakes. They were adorable and he begged me to make them. They were cute, he was cute, I like to bake so it was meant to be. Since they were a huge hit last year, I made them again this year for his class at school.

Sauntering in from choir practice last night at 8:30ish, I made triple chocolate cupcakes from a box (4 year old tastebuds are fine with box mixes). Then I made Martha Stewart's recipe for Fluffy Vanilla Frosting and felt like a kid again as I decorated these cupcakes.

The ears are jumbo marshmallows, cut in half. I dipped the sticky side in pink sprinkles and used toothpicks to keep them in place in the cupcake. The rest is candy and marshmallows and icing. Such fun, so cute - you might want to consider these if you have little munchkins. They're a hit!

Have a delicious day!
CC

Apple Bread Loser meets Sesame Chicken Winner!

2011-04-13T11:45:00.005-04:00

I made what I thought would be the most amazing apple bread to ever grace kitchens across America. A delicious array of ingredients; apples, apple sauce, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, an applesauce brown sugar glaze that turns into apple butter when you bake it. Surely this one was going to be a winner?

Surely it was not.

The house smelled incredible while it was baking. We were all salivating on our shoes, just waiting for the 50 minutes of baking time to pass so we could pounce on this apple deliciousness.

The effort was not worth the outcome. It's a perfectly fine recipe - no glaring tastebud issues. It just wasn't aMaZiNg. And that's what I was seeking. Not one family member thinks it's all that great. So we're eating it for breakfast this week anyway (even though I scowl every time I look at it) and it's being nixed from the list, never to be fixed again (except for that apple glaze that has got to be good on something...I'll continue to ponder that one).

In the mean time, last night I had a party for dinner. No hats, streamers or gifts - just a fun night of party foods. Who says you have to have an excuse? There was an Asian themed appetizer that had been calling out my name and by golly it was a success! Finally!

I started by marinating chicken nugget sized pieces of chicken breasts over night in equal parts of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, 2 cloves of minced garlic and some sesame oil. Then I prepared a breading of flour, cornstarch and sesame seeds and breaded all of the chicken.

Next it was fry time. I fried all of the breaded chicken in a mixture of Peanut and Canola Oil (only because I ran out of Peanut Oil and needed more so Canola stepped up to the plate, good 'ol gal!)

While the chicken was cooking, I steamed several dozen snow peas and then quickly cooled them on ice to stop the cooking process (Yes, this was so Iron Chef, I was slightly giddy about this ice bath too).

Next, the cooked chicken gets wrapped in a snow pea and secured by a toothpick. And for your information, any food served on a toothpick gets automatic Party Food status. I whipped up a bunch of these with a chili dipping sauce.

We ooh'd and ahh'd and were so pleased with the end result. It's a fixer-againer!

And with that, I'll bid you good day! (With one slight confession that I simply have to share). I left my brain at home today. Have you ever used one of the vacuums at the gas station? You know, the super suckers that take quarters and you rush around like a nut trying to vacuum the entire inside of the car before the time runs out? Well, I used one today. I pulled out the kid's 2 car seats so I could get all of the crumbs, crackers, granola bar bits and oh there's that sock! I pulled away. I drove home. I got out of the car to go in the house.

I realized I left the carseats back at the gas station on the side walk.

Racing back to the gas station, praying the Lord would keep evil car seat stealers from helping themselves, they were thankfully still there and I felt like a fool as I threw them in the backseat and madly dashed off. Sigh. The chocolate bar I just consumed was merely for medicinal stress purposes.

Have a delicious day!
CC

What to do with leftover Bacon?

2011-04-11T11:30:00.006-04:00

Good morning and welcome to the start of a brand new week! I DID try a bunch of those recipes over the past few days and am pleased to report back to you the results.

I painstakingly made a Green Enchilada Casserole with a Salsa Verde from scratch. The results: mediocre at best. LOVE the Salsa Verde and will hang on to that portion of the recipe. The casserole won't be fixed again.

Black Bean Dip - promising. We enjoyed, but its goodness was overshadowed by the mediocrity of the aforementioned casserole (served the same evening). I'll give this one a second chance. (And how aweful are these photos? It looks like I took a picture of shredded cheese - there is a casserole and bean dip under there - I promise).

Pink Lemonade Cake with Lemon Buttercream Icing - HUGE success. I'm putting this one on the catering menu. Served in cupcake style, they were a crowd pleaser to family and friends alike. Refreshing, light and delish - they are fixer-againers!

Chewy Graham Brownies - decadent, delicious and disappeared before a photo could be taken.

I still have a few more recipes on my list from last week to try and I love the fact that I'm using my cookbooks to their full potential, trying new foods and adding some winners to the archives.

I'll leave you with this great tip concerning BACON! I love bacon - though I don't fix it very often. It's messy, greasy - almost more work to clean up than it's worth. I usually fix half a package for a Saturday breakfast once in a blue moon and the rest sits in the frig until it expires and has to be thrown away. Not anymore! I have resorted to a virtually mess-free bacon cooking experience.

Yesterday I wanted to doll up a side salad to fix with lunch and bacon seemed to be the perfect accoutrament. Not wanting to pull out a skillet and go through that whole frying ordeal, I grabbed two paper towels and a dinner plate. I put one paper towel down on the plate, placed 4 slices of bacon on top of that and then covered it with the 2nd paper towel. Microwaving it for 4 minutes gave me 4 slices of crispy bacon - all the grease had been soaked up in the paper towels. I crumbled it over my salads - delicious! How great is this?!

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon! (I think there are Reeces pb eggs in the house that I need to seek out and munch on).
CC

How did that happen?

2011-04-07T14:52:00.004-04:00

Wait a minute - it's Thursday? How did that happen? I should at least be on brand new recipe #3 or 4 by now and all I have to show for it is diaper rash cream in my carpets, yogurt smears on my windows, lipstick designs on my guest bedroom comforter (in true almost-2-year-old-style) and a very dead car.

What a week! Thankfully I had a Fix 'n Freeze swap this week that landed me 8 delicious entrees in my deep freezer and they have been sustaining us. So fingers and toes crossed that I can get to a new recipe goal of Green Enchilada Casserole tonight before my Tomatillos turn brown...otherwise it'll be another Fix 'n Freeze casserole to the rescue. Please Lord, don't let Denton make another mess this week. Please?

No recipe sharing right now friends, I've been in minor crisis mode. But not to worry! I will survive and we will eat well. I just need to talk myself out of eating a case of Cadbury Creme Eggs and a half gallon of ice cream. So far it's not working.

Chat more soon!
CC

Spice up your Kitchen Life!

2011-04-04T10:39:00.005-04:00

Happy Monday to you! The sun is shining in the South again, it's warming up to short sleeve and flip flop weather and I just had a marvelous weekend with my family. I'm blessed, plain and simple. I'm sitting here developing my grocery list for the week and...hold on, it's WAYYY too quiet in the house for my 20 month old. Be right back.

Lord Have Mercy. I went downstairs to discover my son wanted yogurt, opened it and preceded to create a Hansel and Gretel trail for me to find him. Yogurt all over the kitchen floor...on the outside and INSIDE of the silverware drawer....on the outside and inside of the french doors to the deck...all over the deck and outside windows and OH THERE HE IS behind the propane tank for the grill. Smiling. "Big Mess, Mommy" is the response I got from him. Gracious. Now that that mess is cleaned up, I'll get back to my post.

So I'm working on my menu and wanted to encourage you to break away from your tried and trues. Do you ever feel like you're fixing the same things over and over again? I feel like we use certain recipes as a crutch - they're easy, they're good, we know our family likes them - but after fixing them 247 times, they get a little ho-hum boring boring boring.

Spice up your kitchen life and pull out those dusty cookbooks! I have a guilty pleasure of a zillion cookbooks. I love them, read them, get them as gifts and often times will fix one or two recipes from them and then get another new one. There are clearly hundreds dare I say thousands of recipes that are delicious little nuggets of tastiness that just sit in my cabinets and never get fixed. I love trying new things and do it fairly often, but have decided to go crazy and fix ALL NEW recipes this week - pulling them from my archives of cookbooks.

You've GOT to be kidding me. I need to interrupt this broadcast once again folks - sorry. Denton found the spare prescription strength $25 a container of diaper rash cream. Oh no. It's bad. I'll be asking for a carpet steamer in my easter basket.

Sigh. Unbelievable. Two disasters in less than an hour - have the terrible twos hit 3 months early?!

So, in order to keep my recipes straight, I am a scribbler - I make notes by every recipe I fix in a cookbook so I can remember the next time I revisit it. You'd laugh at my notations as they vary from "Delicious! A favorite! and "Add Butter" to "Horrible! Never fix again!" Who wants to make the same mistake twice? Try it - the method helps.

I've pulled out a favorite cookbook and perused it for new inspiration. I challenge you to do the same - try something that sounds good to you and give it a whirl. You just might have a new "Delicious! A favorite!" in you cookbook that you never knew was there. I compiled a list and am excited at this week's culinary adventure...

Artichoke Dip (I have a large jar of marinated artichokes in my frig)
Black Bean Dip (Black beans taste amazing and I can't wait to try this!)
Sesame Chicken with Chili Dipping Sauce (Totally intriged - you wrap the chicken in sugar snap peas!)
California Pizza (This is perfect because I have a jar of basil pesto in my pantry that I haven't known what to do with).
Asian Chicken Salad (Ok, I'll admit - I've fixed this one before, but it's been about 2 years, we're due)
Green Enchilada Casserole (This involves a homemade tomatillo sauce - whoooaaaa!)
Lemonade Cake (This is a trial run for my friend HPS' mom)
Red Velvet Whoopie Pies (I was given a mix as a gift and it's burning a hole in the pantry shelf - I HAVE to fix them).
Apple Bread (I made Banana Bread over the weekend and it's great for breakfasts - now on to Apple!)

So that's my week - doesn't it sound delicious? I'm excited to see how everything turns out and it'll make for some great posts for me to write.

Have a great week and we'll chat soon! I'm off to get about a pints worth of smeared diaper rash cream out of my carpets. Wish me luck!
CC

The Simplicity of a Strawberry

2011-04-01T13:27:00.004-04:00

We're quickly approaching Strawberry Season, as evidenced by the lowered prices and better sales. I can't wait to gather the family and go picking at a huge strawberry patch near our home...but we're still about a month away from the truly local fruit. In the meantime, I purchased 3 containers from the grocery store (who can resist Buy one, get TWO free!) and we have been enjoying them allllll week long.

I've found these red juicy bites of fun to be a wonderful addition to breakfasts and lunches - just slicing them and letting the kids eat them plain. It was also a perfect side dish to a quiche I made for dinner the other night. And for dessert...vanilla bean ice cream with fresh sliced strawberries on top. I haven't had to add even a pinch of sugar - they were ripe and naturally sweet.

To go a bit more schmancy, I also made Strawberry Pochettes - a strawberry filled pastry cookie from Melissa D'Arabian. She actually fills the pastry with Nutella - which I must try after I get past my strawberry kick. I filled mine with strawberry preserves.

I just can't get enough of this delicious berry. We won't talk about the fact that I ate 6 of them without blinking. Here is a picture of the cookie display before I ate 6 of them.

Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to go to church on Sunday!
CC

Low Country Boil

2011-03-31T13:27:00.003-04:00

After chomping down on a caffe latte lollipop for breakfast, thoughts trended toward: food. I made a one pot wonder for dinner recently that was so ridiculously easy, I almost don't consider it cooking (almost). This recipe was inspired from a Food Network magazine that highlighted an article on Low Country Boil. The ease and beauty of this dish caught my eye. Truly, I needed to take a trip down the Bayou and recreate this fancy feast for my fam.

If you can boil water, you can make this dish - trust me.

It all starts with a big pot and some Old Bay Seasoning; key ingredients to the success of the dish. Fill a large stock pot with water and add several teaspoonsful of Old Bay Seasoning and bring it to a boil.

Next, throw in 4-5 red potatoes...I slice them into cubes because it takes eternity to boil a whole potato. Allow these to boil for a good 10-15 minutes. Go throw on a load of laundry or unload the dishwasher. This meal is great for multi-tasking.

Next, throw in 3-4 ears of fresh corn, broken in half. Allow them to boil a few minutes and then add in some links of Hilshire Farms sausage (you're just heating up the sausage as it's already cooked) and the last 3 minutes add in a handful or two of fresh or frozen shrimp. Once they turn pink, it's done! All said and done, in 20 minutes you made dinner, did a load of laundry and unloaded the dishwasher. Efficient meal planning at its finest!

Drain this wonder pot and pour the contents onto a big platter. Sprinkle it with a little more Old Bay and let your family dig in. The great part about this family style way of serving is that you pick what you want - if the kids just want the sausage and some corn, they can have the sausage and the corn. If the grownups want to hog the shrimp, they can hog the shrimp. Have some cocktail sauce, butter and salt on hand and gobble gobble.

Enjoy!
CC

Happy "Flour" Day

2011-03-29T10:13:00.003-04:00

This week is "Spring Fling" at Preschool and the kids are to wear a crazy shirt each day to help celebrate the new season (bearing in mind it frosted last night and we're all wearing winter coats - welcome Spring?). Regardless of the weather, today is Flower Day (wear a flowered shirt), tomorrow is Bug Day (wear a buggy shirt) and Thursday is Rainbow Day (wear your favorite color, which for us means Orange).

I'm perplexed. I have two boys and zilch in the closet containing anything remotely floral. Then, my food brain kicks in and I improvise with a play on words: "FLOUR" Day! Perfect! I can do this and won't have to buy Hawaiian floral shirts and it'll be fun. With a little cut and paste action from the internet, by boys went to school today with "Floured" shirts on. (Clearly my youngest is not quite sure of why he has pictures of White Lily and Pillsbury flour saftey pinned to his shirt - some thing tells me these won't last until lunchtime).

Happy Flour Day!
CC

There's No Place Like Home

2011-03-25T10:05:00.002-04:00

I feel like I’ve been hit by a freight train. Traveling and speaking all week long, spring allergies, a cold, and let’s toss in a sleepless night with an almost 2 year old last night that makes me want to curl up under my desk and hide and sleep until I feel better. Wishful thinking and enough of the wah-wah-wah. I’m thrilled to be back home with my family!

I left the Gateway to the West yesterday with a few new food experiences under my belt. The barbeque was tasty – I tried both their brisket and the turkey (both smoked, preferred the turkey - surprisingly) with some bacon mac ‘n cheese (ok YUM! Add bacon to just about anything and it's good), learned of a new super thin pizza crust style in St. Louis pizza (who knew they had their own twist on things?)…and discovered Ghirardelli has a Carmel Latte chocolate?! Let’s not talk about how many of those I downed. And though this wasn’t authentic to STL (though neither was the chocolate), I did down an amazing Wolfgang Puck pizza at the airport that has me wanting to re-concoct it at home – spinach and mushroom with fresh tomatoes, basil pesto and goat cheese! Ahhhh! My gourmet tastebuds were doing a jig. Loved it! Inhaled it. Craving it now. It would be better than the cookies I just ate for breakfast.

So, nope – no recipes to share today as I’m in a fog – but there’s always next week. I can’t remember what day it is, how to spell my name or what on earth I’m fixing my family for dinner, but I’m HOME and that means happiness.

Have a great weekend – don’t forget to go to church on Sunday and we’ll chat soon!
CC

Travel Blues

2011-03-23T09:40:00.003-04:00

I rarely have to travel for work, but yesterday I exchanged my views of a Carolina Blue Sky for the St. Louis Arch. My husband has a well stocked refrigerator and freezer, a list of no less than 43 instructions on how to heat up the pot roast, how to make the gravy, what clothes to put the kids in for picture day and what size pb&j goes in whose lunch. He's a trouper and good on everything but the extra trip out to buy candy for the preschool Spring Fling.

I had to laugh at my morning antics - why couldn't I have a stress free experience where I serenely feed my children waffles, we skip to the car holding hands and end up singing Old MacDonald all the way to school? Instead, I'm running around de-boning chicken I put in the slow cooker overnight so I could freeze it before my trip. The sale was outrageously good - I bought 6 packages.

While putting the chicken into freezer containers, wearing 4" heels, I'm making lunches, cooking sausage (to freeze for quiche and pizza at a later date), feeding the boys a quick breakfast of yogurt instead of the cherished waffles, brushing unruly blond hair, trying to figure out why my youngest won't stop crying and Old MacDonald renditions were replaced with lectures on being good while I'm gone. Did I mention my flat iron broke too?

At least I had it together enough to get their love notes from me and a toy for each set up to surprise them when they get home from school. So I'll bid you adieu for now. I wrote this while squished in a window seat, sipping a Decaf Peppermint Mocha and am looking forward to experiencing Midwestern Barbeque...but first I need to finish reading about the best bites to eat at restaurants in airports, courtesy of my in flight magazine.

Chat more soon!
CC

Lemon Chess Bars

2011-03-18T08:50:00.004-04:00

There is just something about a lemon bar. I enjoy them so much, I lose track of how many I eat. Before I realize it, half the pan is gone, I'm the only one home and the guilty party - still craving another. It happened again this week.

I was making lemon bars for a girlfriend who had a baby. I made a pan for her, and a pan for me. I truly meant my pan to be for my entire family, honest. After pulling them from the oven and inhaling their sweet citrus aroma, I did a taste test. It was just going to be a small corner, then it turned into the slice next to that...then I put on a load of laundry, went back for more, the kids came home from school, we each had one and literally before my husband could walk in the door from work, the pan was half gone. That, my friends, is the mark of a good lemon bar. I don't devour every dessert with such verocity.

The great thing is, this particular recipe isn't too sweet, isn't difficult to make and is such a crowd pleaser. You might just need to whip up a pan for the weekend, though they'll be gone by this evening...

Lemon Chess Bars (from Cooks.com)
1 box lemon cake mix
1 egg
1 stick of butter, melted

Mix together egg, cake mix and butter. Moosh into a well greased 9x13 pyrex pan orrrrr, you can put it in two smaller pie plate sized pans and give one away (mere suggestion here).

Topping:
2 eggs
8 oz. softened cream cheese
3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Blend together the eggs, cream cheese, vanilla and sugar with a mixer - we don't want cream cheese clumpys - this needs to be a smooth consistency. Pour over the top of the crust and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. You want the topping to be well set and a light golden brown.

Allow it too cool, cut it in to slabs (errr, squares) and enjoy one (or half the pan - I won't tell).

Have a great weekend - I'm off to explore a new cinnamon roll recipe, have homemade pizza for dinner and enjoy a boat load of quality family time.

Don't forget to go to church on Sunday!
CC

Strawberries and Bananas - musing foodie style!

2011-03-14T19:38:00.005-04:00

Fruits and veggies - one of the 4 basic food groups. Just keep that in mind as these recipes unfold. Last week I mentioned chairing a week-long teacher appreciation event at my sons' school. Tuesday of last week was a catered treat, made by yours truly. I had wayyyy too much fun concocting the menu - picking out delicious treats that make my mouth water and my knees turn weak just thinking about them. Here is a sampling of what I fixed...

My first order of the day was strawberries, nice healthy juicey red ripe sweetness. I left a few plain for the less adventurous non-chocolate lovers (is there reallly such a thing as a non-chocolate lover?) and I covered the rest in chocolate. Take a gaze at the beauty and wonderment of that platter of chocolate covered strawberries. Inhale. Exhale. Now that is deliciousness. They disappeared in a New York minute!

In staying with my fruit theme, I also made Strawberry Pochettes. A cream cheese pastry cookie filled with Strawberry Preserves. They were funky good fun and disappeared almost as fast as those chocolate covered berries up there. My healthy theme...so proud of myself. HA!

I moved on to bananas. A potasium fest - so good for you! Especially when you put them in a Carmel Banana Pie! The recipe for this extremely rich dessert follows...

Homemade Graham Cracker Crust (trust me honey, there is a huge difference between homemade and store bought)
1.5 cups crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup melted butter
3-4 T. granulated sugar

Combine crushed crackers, melted butter and sugar into a bowl, mush into your pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Allow to cool as you make the rest of the recipe.

Banana Pie Filling
3 ripe bananas (not banana bread ripe, you don't want total mush)
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
3 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a glass pyrex dish and set that in a larger pyrex dish filled with water - we're creating a water bath here so it doesn't burn. Cover with foil and bake at 425 degrees for an hour.

This makes a delicious homemade carmel. Allow this to cool. Don't be tempted to take a bite of this carmel right out of the oven, your tastebuds will be burned from your tongue forever more.

Slice your bananas and layer them evenly on the graham cracker crust. I had enough for 2 banana layers in a 9x13 pyrex.

Spoon the carmel over this.

You're almost done! Make whipped cream. Not out of the can, we're talking genuine creamy billows of fluffy dreaminess. Pop your mixing bowl and whisk attachement in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to chill. Once you're ready for this step, pour the whipping cream into the chilled bowl and your cream will whip to perfection. Choose a high speed and once it's to a stiff peak consistency, add in the powdered sugar, blend that in for a few seconds until it's well incorporated and then slather it all over the carmel layer.

Pop the whole thing into the refrigerator until you're ready to feast. I made this the day before it was served and the result was sublime. It's rich, so plan on serving small portions. Some versions of this recipe call for a chopped toffee bar or chocolate curls to be added for garnish. There is already so much rich flavor and sweetness going on, I opted out of the additional sugar coma. After all, SOMEONE has to make strides towards healthy eating, right? :)

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon!
CC

Long forgotten dinner rolls.

2011-03-11T13:02:00.005-05:00

Well I have to say, I've missed you guys! This past week I've been burning the midnight oil working on a week long Teacher Appreciation event at my sons' preschool. I've baked up a storm, made party favors, put together gift bags and delivered cheer, all in an effort to let 28 amazing preschool staff members know what incredible people they are. It's been rewarding, exhausting and delicious. I have a few fun recipes to share that came out of this week, and I'll post those this coming Monday.

In the meantime, I have a funny story to share with you. A few weeks ago, Rhodes frozen dinner rolls went on sale. With my expert couponing tactics, I got about a boatload of bags for $.25 each. Honey, I can't make 'em cheaper than that so I loaded the freezer. I've never had this brand or even tried a frozen-to-oven method, so the adventure unfolds.

I pulled out 7 little dough rounds, each about the size of a golf ball and put them in a pie plate to rise for the recommended 3 to 5 hours. I thought I'd just put it all in the oven, a nice draft free place that suddenly turned into the sea of forgetfulness. I didn't remember I put those silly rolls in there for days! Last night it hit me. I have dough in the oven.

Opening the oven door, the expanded dough had more than quadrupled in size, no longer remotely resembled rolls and completely filled the pie plate. I decided to bake this massive dough business anyway to see what would happen.

HA! They turned out great! They were light and fluffy and melt in your mouth good. Apparently I need to lose my mind and forget my dough more often.

Here's an after shot. The plate is now empty as we sliced them into wedges, slathered them with butter and made them dissapear in no time. Thankfully this mishap still turned out tasty.

Have a great weekend and we'll chat soon!
CC

Mueller's Neighborhood Grille - Restaurant Review

2011-03-11T10:59:00.004-05:00

I was jetting around uptown Charlotte, in between meetings and starving like a madwoman who hadn’t eaten in days. As I passed the traditional chains, nothing screamed out to me to be eaten….until I remembered there was a little sandwich place in the heart of Myer’s Park that I had yet to visit. Hmmm. Curiosity peaked, I swerved onto Huntley Place right there at the Providence and Queens and Queens and Queens intersection…right behind the old Myer’s Park Hardware store. You natives know where I’m talking about.

There was a little hot dog cart with a simple sign that read “Mueller’s Neighborhood Grill” pointing me to my destination – a humble lunchtime haunt for many, a diamond in the rough waiting to be discovered by the musing foodie. It’s no frills dining with an aroma of burgers and sandwiches wafting around that had me salivating on my shoes before I could even place my order.

Known for their burgers, I needed something a little ‘neater’ for the car ride to my next destination, so I settled on a Cuban Sandwich. Mr. Mueller himself was there to take my order and steered me in another direction as he happened to be out of his famous Irish Soda Bread that makes his Cubans all the rage. He recommended a Reuben…little did he know I love this sandwich more than my Kindergarten Teacher (and Mrs. Gun will always have a special place in my heart). He and his friendly staff whipped up a Turkey Reuben in no time, along with a pasta salad and a bite size dessert to go.

I was in my car in minutes and began enjoying this incredible sandwich…thankfully there was a red light. I stopped the car and savored what just might be the most perfectly grilled Turkey Reuben ever…and I used to eat them weekly, so I know my Reubens. Typically there is never enough Thousand Island Dressing…not on this one. The rye bread was buttery, grilled with a perfect crispy edge, the right amount of dressing slathered on to accompany the sauerkraut, turkey and melted Swiss. What’s not to love, drool and crave for days on end?

I finished my sandwich and was satisfied – not stuffed to where I needed a nap, not still hungry because it was a frou-frou miniature size. I have found sandwich bliss perfection in this new haunt that you should also pay a visit to; if you know what’s good for you. www.muellersgrill.com Lunch anyone? I’m craving a Cuban and word has it the famous bread is back in stock!

Now if I can just twist his arm to open for dinner instead of just lunchtime from 11-3pm. Mueller said fingers were crossed for April.

CC's Chicken Enchiladas

2011-03-01T16:09:00.005-05:00

Do you ever have a winning dish that people say "Wow - can I have the recipe?" and you have to blankly stare and then stammer the truth about it being 'a little bit of this and a little bit of that' because you made it up on the fly?

Enter stage right: My chicken enchiladas. I love them, my family loves them, company that comes over to eat them for dinner love them. I fixed them for my fix 'n freeze - they were a hit and now I'm being asked for the recipe. Shoot - I don't have it written down!

I decided to make them again and pay attention to what I was doing and the measurements of the ingredients, and here it is:

CC's Chicken Enchiladas
2-3 c. shredded chicken - don't talk back, it must be shredded
1 c. salsa
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
1 c. cheddar cheese (plus more for sprinkling, an extra cup?)
3 T. finely chopped onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Fajita Sized Flour tortillas (they are about 6 inches wide)

So, take your cooked and shredded chicken and put it in a large bowl. Mine happens to be in my grandmother's magical bowl. I know it's such because everything she ever fixed using this bowl turned out amazing, so the sentimental value of this bowl makes everything I cook in it amazing too.

To this you add your cast of characters: salsa, sour cream, cream of chicken soup (throw in a can of green chilis if you have them hanging out in the pantry).

Stir it all up.

Add in the onion, salt, pepper and cheese. Stir some more.

Now place generous heaping spoonfuls in the center of each tortilla.

Fold it over and place it seam side DOWN in a GREASED glass pyrex dish. (I only made two because I'm demonstrating for you and had them for lunch - this will make a whole panful to feed your hungry brood).

Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. Just before you're ready to pull them out, sprinkle some more cheese on top and put it back in the oven to melt.

I serve these beauties with sour cream and salsa on top and a side of black or refried beans.

Divine I tell you. These are divine.

Have a delicious day!
CC

Amazing Shrimp and a Tasty Treat!

2011-02-25T09:28:00.005-05:00

I recently participated in a Food Pantry Challenge with my friend, The Carolina Clipper. She encouraged everyone to dig into their freezers and pantries and use the food and ingredients they already have on hand. It served a two fold process...to save money on two week's worth of groceries and use up the surplus lurking on your shelves.

I know I am guilty of buying lots of this and that, getting it for free or next to free based on my sort-of-expert couponing skills...and then I forget about it and it clogs up my pantry and I continue to buy buy buy. Now - don't lump me in with the crazies who buy 87 jars of Vienna Sausages and a lifetime supply of Toothpaste - I'm not a freak! But I do have a comfortable amount of canned goods and rice, pasta, meat and condiments at my disposal so we won't starve if I can't get to the store one week.

Through this Pantry Challenge, necessity became the mother of invention (one of my favorite quotes from Little Women) and we became a bit more creative in fixing dishes towards the end of the two weeks. Recipes were shared and out of it I have two winners I'd like to share with all of you: Southern Style BBQ Shrimp and Jingle Bell Balls.

Shrimp freezes extremely well and I had a two pound bag just waiting to be made into Scampi...until my friend and fellow Pantry Challenge taker-on-er Aundrea (one of the best baby bib makers in the nation) shared this marvelous recipe. It's a recipe that's from a friend of a friend of a friend's friends friend. Those are the best, most likely found in a worn out church cookbook and a tried and true favorite of many.

I halved this recipe and gave it a whirl last night (didn't fix this one during the pantry challenge as I was shy a lemon). It was a refreshing deviation from my standby Shrimp Scampi recipe and hold me back on the sauce! I secretly wanted to put it in a glass and chug it when no one was looking, it's delish!

Southern Style BBQ Shrimp
1 c. butter
3/4 c. Worcestershire Sauce
1 T. salt
1 T. black pepper
1 t. dried rosemary
2-5 t. hot sauce (like Frank's or Tabasco)
1/8 t. Cayenne pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced (hello garlic press!)
2.5 pounds unpeeled large shrimp
2 lemons, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (I chopped this up into bits - your preference)
French baguette or any roll you can put your hands on to sop up the saucy wonderment while you are eating this.

Combine the first 9 ingredients, whisk them well and set aside. Rinse your shrimp and drain them. Now, technically the recipe calls for leaving the shells ON. I did this and it got down right messy for us to unpeel these after they were cooked and swimming in sauce. My humble opinion is to go ahead and save your guests or family the effort on the back end and shell these babies first. Once shelled, place them in a nice layer in a 9x13 pyrex dish. Pour the marinade over the shrimp, along with the onion and layer the lemon slices on top. I poked them down into the shrimpy business to ensure the juices cook into the dish when I popped it into the oven. (Remember, I halved this recipe, so I used a smaller dish and a pound of shrimp).

The great thing about shrimp is that it doesn't take long to cook them. Bake this uncovered at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes until your shrimp are a lovely pink - that's how you know they're done.

I served this in a bowl, with a ramekin of the sauce to dip away, and a large mountain of fresh baked rolls to have some serious sauce sopping action. Paired with some green beans or rice, it's a meal to cheer about.

Things that make you go MMMMmmmmm!

Now for my fun little dessert that you most likely already have the ingredients together for: Jingle Bell Balls. I found this fun little treat's recipe hiding on the lid of my Peter Pan Peanut Butter Jar. Clearly I've had the jar since Christmas and they felt it would be a good holiday treat and clearly I'm just now noticing it and feel it's fine to fix year round. Think rice krispy treats with peanut butter in them, bits of chocolate sprinkled in there to make your day extra zingy and formed into round balls instead of mushed into a pan and sliced.

Oh the joy of a fun treat that has your 4 year old saying "Mom!!! Don't eat ALL of them - save one for me!" (Guilty as charged, I was throwing down on them and had to ration them accordingly.) Something about peanut butter and chocolate make me lose my presence of mind.

Jingle Bell Balls
3.5 c. Rice Krispies
3/4 c. mini M&Ms (regular worked fine, chocolate chips would rock too!)
3.5 c. marshmallows (I've often thought this word should be spelled marshMELLOW since that's how we all pronounce it)
3 T. butter
1/3 c. peanut butter
1/8 t. salt

Combine the cereal and M&Ms in a bowl and set aside. Place marshmallows, salt, butter and peanut butter in a large saucepan and melt over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until all ingredients are smooth, stirring throughout the process. Pour this sauciness over the cereal/M&M combo and toss lightly until it's a gooey mess.

Shape the gooey mess into 1-1.5" balls and place on wax paper until set. Store in a covered container so they don't become as hard as rocks the next day. These will disappear before your very eyes and are a hit with the kids (and me!).

Have a delicious day, wonderful weekend and don't forget to go to church on Sunday!

CC

Well they SOUNDED good...initially.

2011-02-22T12:20:00.003-05:00

I purchased Andes mints on a whim and found a recipe that sounded utterly delish to me on the box. Essentially, it's shortbread with an Andes mint baked in the middle. I love shortbread cookies, I love Andes mints - surely this is a match? Think again.

I spent the better part of Saturday morning slaving away on these cookies, a complex process with an 18 month old holding onto my leg and crying because I refused to let him outside to help trim bushes with his dad and brother. The outcome left me disappointed and frazzled (from my crying child). The mint doesn't work at all with the shortbread - I have NO idea who came up this recipe, but if ever given the chance to speak with them, would recommend they have a tastebud checkup. I hate wasting ingredients, so I'm sufffering through eating them and sending them in school lunches. And here I had my mouth set, camera primed and blog readily waiting to wow you with the latest cookie phenomenon. Oh well. You win some, you lose some - they can't ALL be delicious, right?

On a super fun non-dissapointed note, I participated in my first ever "Fix 'n Freeze" today. If your not familiar with the fun, you get a group of friends together, they each fix one or two entrees - with enough portions for each member participating...then you get together and swap the goods and end up with a freezer full of entrees just waiting for you to hit defrost and bake at 350! I'm ecstatic! My freezer is packed full of goodness and it will save me lots of time in the coming weeks when I need to have a delicious meal on the table and time is not on my side. I did the swaparoo this morning and will be dining on Chicken Divan tonight. Yum!

I opted to make Chicken Enchiladas and Beef Potpie. It wasn't until almost 9pm last night that I realized I had neither pie crusts nor enough flour to bake them from scratch, so I renamed my dish "Crustless Potpie" - no biggie, it's still tasty and good! Think potroast with more veggies. I think it's a winner!

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon!
CC

I love weird food.

2011-02-17T16:26:00.005-05:00

So, I have a confession. I make this Beer Cheese Soup that is knock-your-socks-off fabulous. I love it, my family loves it...everyone I've ever fixed it for loves it. It's a rather funny sight when I go to purchase the ingredients though...I'm not a drinker and all I need is one cup of beer for the recipe (for which the alcohol gets cooked off in the process). I'm convinced I'm going to run into someone from church when I am buying the lone can of beer. Convinced. So I hide it under the Velveeta and pray no one runs into me and thinks me a closet alcoholic.

I made my amazing soup for some girlfriends one night and one of them exlaimed with glee that it tasted like a cheese sauce on her favorite sandwich called the Horse Shoe that she has only been able to find in Illinois. Random. So now that we solved the mystery to her cheese sauce wonderment, we set a date for Horse Shoe night.

I was a bit perplexed at the conglomeration of ingredients, but trust her taste so we made them. Picture a thick slice of Texas Toast (Oh how I love Texas Toast). Then picture a thin grilled hamburger sitting on top of the toast. Now feast your vision on French Fries - a mountain of them, perfectly perched atop the beef. Now pour an unhealthy amount of the beer cheese soup on top and you have a Horse Shoe.

Words were not spoken for the first 5 minutes of the meal as the crowd deliberated and chowed down with the final verdict of these crazy open faced weird burger sandwiches being a hit! Two thumbs up - they are fixer againers!

Jaci - this is your moment of Horse Shoe Fame - bask in the glory. :)

Have a delicious day!
CC

Ugliest Cupcakes EVER

2011-02-14T14:36:00.006-05:00

This weekend I helped host one of my dear friend's baby showers. Her little angel was a month early and so it was rather exciting to have the tiny guest of honor there to help open her gifts!

In the swirl of activity in planning for this shower, I somehow got assigned all the sweets. How convenient! So I made lemon bars, chocolate truffles, devils food cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes and super fun party favors - lollipop cookies.

Everything was perfect until I made the icing for the cupcakes. Picture four females in my kitchen all buzzing around working on various aspects of food prep. I did extensive research on Swiss Buttercream Frosting and was convinced I had the next ticket to cupcake stardom. For those of you not familiar with Swiss Buttercream - it's amazing, not too sweet and is so light and fluffy, you'll end up a contestant on Cupcake Wars for sure.

In my haste to make this, I overlooked one key word. WHITES. I simply read EGG...and proceded to put 10 eggs into the recipe when it specified EGG WHITES. This will make a marked difference in the outcome and I am feeling like the village idiot as I type this. A Swiss Buttercream requires extensive whipping and folks, let me tell you - I whipped the dickens out of this and still couldn't get a good consistency. But it tasted divine! We all grabbed spoons and began eating it plain. Who needs cake? In light of the recipe calling for two POUNDS of butter, I wasn't able to make another batch in time, so I just went with it.

Clearly these were the ugliest cupcakes of all time, iced with an oatmeal-like consistency of the best tasting icing ever. I hoped to redeem the ugliness with pink sprinkles, but wow - they looked rough. I couldn't stop eating them, despite the less than appetizing appearance, but if that is the only thing to go wrong for the shower, I was in pretty good shape.

When I get in the mood to play with two more pounds of butter, I'll remember egg WHITES and let you know the outcome.

In the meantime, have a delicious day!
CC

Dessert Diva - Chocolate Balloons

2011-02-14T13:34:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentines Day! The long awaited day of love and devotion is here and we're celebrating by having our kitchen and bathrooms re-grouted. Doesn't that sound romantic? Haha! Obviously date night will be taking place another evening.

So far, my children have been clad in matching red shirts, forced to smile for pictures with cupcakes I decorated and took to school, and given lots of special sweet treats. They're currently sleeping off their sugar highs, so I have a moment's peace to give you a tip on one of the most exquisite desserts I have ever made. Chocolate Balloons.

I watched an episode of something concerning amazing desserts about 12 years ago and decided to adapt one of the ideas and make it my own. The result was shockingly fabulous and I like to pull it out when I need the razzle dazzle of the wow factor.

So, I'll walk you through some of the steps and then show a few finished product shots. I begin this diva of a dessert by filling 4-6 water balloons with water. If you THINK this will turn into a water fight, make twice as many so you can throw half and eat the others. I merely fill them to the normal water balloon fillable-ness. Not trying to win awards for the biggest water balloon here.

Next, I take a double boiler and melt a ton of semi-sweet chocolate. Go for chocolate bark or chocolate chips - whichever you prefer. Once the chocolate is completely melted, holding the knotted end of the balloon, CAREFULLY dip the bottom of one balloon into the melted chocolate, give it a swirl to ensure you have nice coverage on the bottom of the balloon, and set it on a foil or parchment lined cookie sheet. The chocolate will puddle a bit and create a nice base for it to sit upright. Follow these steps with the remaining balloons and then set them into the refrigerator or freezer to set up (30ish minutes for freezer, an hour-ish for refrigerator).

Once you pull the fully set chocolate from the frig or freezer, turn the balloon upside down over the sink and puncture it with a sharp knife. The water will run out into the sink and the balloon will contract away from the inside of the chcolate. You might have to help out peeling it away. The ending result is a perfectly tulip shaped chocolate cup. Amazing! Aren't you proud of yourself?

Next, fill these beauties with whatever your family enjoys most...strawberries and grapes work great with a topping of fruit dip. A cheesecake filling works marvelously with a fresh strawberry topping (pictured below). You could whip up a chocolate mousse and pipe it in there...many many possibilities here.

I opted to fill them with a cheesecake filling and top with fresh sliced strawberries.

Then I added some razzle dazzle with whipped cream.

Plate these individually...and sit back and wait for the compliments. They're delicious, beautiful and will astound your guests.

XO!
CC

PS - these will be offered in my new catering menu debuting soon. Stay tuned! :)

Pancake Winner! Whoo hoooooooooooo!

2011-02-11T11:52:00.003-05:00

Well the results to my Perfectly Pink Pancake Mix contest are in! Thanks to random.org, Richelle was the winner selected to receive this fun little happy prize.

Her comment: I think the worst part of this post is the busted pipes and flooded basement. Really? I can't believe you can even talk about it. So sorry! I use to burn cookies all the time. Now I've learned to take them out when they don't "look" done to me and they are perfect.

Thanks so much to all of you who wrote in and gave me your oven burning experiences. It made me feel better to know I was not the only lone ranger to make such a horendous error. You guys made me laugh!

Richelle - enjoy making pink pancakes, I'll send you the fun mix asap so you can whip them up for V-day.

I'm now off, clad in my fat jeans, to have a bake-a-thon in preparation for a baby shower. Truffles. Lemon Bars. Cupcakes. Pinwheel Cookies. I'll have the camera taped to my face to capture the fun and share a recap post next week.

Have a delicious weekend and we'll chat soon!
CC

Dessert Diva - Lava Cakes!

2011-02-10T14:26:00.004-05:00

Go to a fancy schmancy restaurant and you will undoubtedly skip the NY Style Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie and Apple Tart Tatin for the obvious choice of Molten Chocolate Lava Cake. It's one of those wow moments when you are presented a perfectly sized personal portion of chocolate decadence. You poke your fork or spoon into the outer crust and drool as a stream of hot fudgey lava amazingness begins to pour forth. It's more than I can handle, I'm drooling right now.

Little do you realize that yes, you can go to a fancy restaurant to order them, yes...you can go to Trader Joe's and buy them frozen, yes...you can go to the gourmet dessert section of your grocery store and buy the box, but...why not make them from scratch and save yourself the trip out? Most have these ingredients lurking in your pantry. Believe it or not.

Turn yourself into the ultimate Dessert Diva by whipping up this chocolatey gourmet sensation - perfect in time for Valentines Day, trying to impress your in-laws or just having a weak moment and needing a chocolate fix. (I won't tell if you eat them all).

Diving into one of my Paula Deen cookbooks, this recipe emerges for your culinary delight:

Molten Lava Cakes
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
8 oz (1 cup) chocolate chips (recommend semi-sweet)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
OPTIONAL : 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur (Kahlua) OR 1 tsp. instant coffee powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray six - 6 ounce ramekins or large cupcake tins (I am in love with my ramekins - please go buy some so you can be in love with them too). In a medium microwavable bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter in the microwave for 60 seconds and then in 30 second increments until smooth (about 1.5-2 minutes total). Add flour and sugar to chocolate/butter sauce. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Add vanilla and coffee liqueur/instant coffee and mix everything until combined. Divide the batter evenly among the each cups. Place cups on top of a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates or you can serve each molten lava cake still in the cup.

I sprinkled some powdered sugar on top for a little extra pazazz and nestled the lava cake next to a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream. The result was nothing more than utterings of amazed delight as the plates were licked clean.

You can also add to the illusion of grandeur by throwing in a few strategically placed raspberries or strawberries - presentation is, afterall, everything.

This my friends, is a hit.

Have a delicous day!
CC

Sharing the happy - Who wants pancakes?

2011-02-09T16:16:00.003-05:00

Where in the world have I been? I've been asking myself the very same question, so I went looking. Lo and behold - there I was, climbing out from under a pile of laundry that rivals the altitude of Mount Saint Helens. With two sick kiddos, it added up fast. Both battled bad stomach viruses that one passed on to the other. Not fun. Sleep? What is sleep?

My Amish Friendship Bread was sadly neglected and decided to remind me of its presence by literally exploding. The gases built up inside the gallon sized bag and caused a minor explosion in the kitchen. Not to worry folks! I was still able to salvage the starter. Last night, in a fit of no sleep and a crazed, dazed schedule, I made muffins and bread with it - a double batch. I accidently filled one of the loaf pans too full. To what should my wandering nose should appear, but the horrid smell of bread goo igniting into flames in my oven as it spilled over the pan and hit the burner.

Mom to the rescue! I boldly donned oven mitts and set out to rescue the world! Note to self: one should never attempt to remove burning goo from an oven burner with a cloth oven mitt. The result is a burned up oven mitt, burned goo and an even worse smell. Clearly I will take this into consideration the next time I fill a loaf pan over 3/4 full when making Amish Frienship Bread.

MOM! What is that SMELL? Honey, go back to bed, your mother is just burning the house down - don't worry. I am now attempting to clean up my mess, while the remainder of the bread is baking. My garbage disposal revolts against the burnt goo and 6 eggshells I gave it by causing a pipe to bust and a small flood to form in my basement. Things could be worse, right?

This is the sight that met me when I finally pulled the bread out. How amazingly appetizing does this disaster look?

And so my friends, I need some happy - and I'm doing that by giving away the cutest little package of Perfectly Pink Pancake Mix. You need this - you WANT this. It's pink pancake mix with milk chocolate chips in it. What's not to love? I want to give it to one of you, so between now and Friday at noon eastern time, send me a shout out below with something you have burnt in your oven. If you've never burnt anything in the oven, I won't believe you, but make something up anyway.

Cheers to burnt mishaps, laundry piles and pancakes! :)
CC

Cold, Frozen Party Pooper

2011-02-04T14:54:00.003-05:00

I think I'm about ready to give up on Super Walmart. The closest one to me is scandalously dangerous, so I only go in the day time. I hopped on over there today to put together some fun Super Bowl prize packs for work and it just didn't quite turn out as I hoped.

I've been collecting the Hearts for Kids valentines and the care package items for soldiers in Afghanistan this week. My dining room is full of boxes and envelopes from around the country from my work teammates who have contributed. I always enjoy seeing them unite for such great causes. As a prize (I am the QUEEN of prizes), 4 participants are being chosen from those who participated and will each win a party in a box for them to enjoy the Super Bowl in grand style.

As I pull into the parking lot of Super W, the rest of the city of Charlotte apparently was present, buying their OWN Super Bowl party foods. I finally find a parking spot in South Africa and traipse through the pouring down rain in 34 degree weather wearing my little black Steve Madden flats and carrying my 18 month old. Lovely.

We make it into the store and my shoes have about half an inch of rain residing in them; my feet have turned into popsicles. We manage to grab one of the few dry carts and set out to find all things party-ish for these prize packs. Oreos, Fritos, Salsa, Popcorn, plates and napkins, oooooh wait - is that a hot fudge cake in a box? Grabbing 4 of those. It's cold outside, we need hot chocolate; four boxes of Swiss Miss coming right up! I top it off with nerf footballs and we inch our way through the long lines of party food purchasers. I am now sweating profusely due to having cold feet and keeping my winter coat on while running through the store with a packed cart and a child who keeps wanting to open the chips and cookies.

My grand total of $89.64 rings up and I promptly swipe my corporate card. The card is then promptly DECLINED as we discover it expired 4 days ago and the replacement hasn't been sent. BIG SIGH. I hand over my personal card, will thankfully get reimbursed and then lug the loot to the car - back out in the pouring rain. The Steve Maddens now have an inch of rain in them, I can no longer feel my feet and my hair that I straightened this morning is now attempting to go curly again. I look like a frizzy drown rat. Can you picture the beauty of my appearance?

My son is now crying because it's past lunchtime. My blood sugar is reminding me it's past lunchtime and we both end up eating a bizarre lunch of strange leftovers because of a Pantry Challenge I'm doing with my friend Richelle. So, here's to half a bowl of chili, two bites of turkey, 13 grapes and a handful of cheez-its with some grated cheese. On the bright side, how delish do those chocolate stuffed Oreos look?!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Enjoy the big game and stay warm!
CC

Minestrone with a Heart : Make Time for Change

2011-02-01T17:35:00.008-05:00

I'm very excited to parter with FoodBuzz, Frigidaire and actress Jennifer Garner through the Make Time for Change effort to encourage nutrition and positive eating habits with families and to raise money for Save the Children, a relief organization that provides food and medical supplies to children in the aftermath of disasters around the world.

Make Time for Change is encouraging families to get in the kitchen and cook together. Many times, the queen of the house makes the meal and summons the family to the table. Let's share the responsibility and get the kids (and dad!) involved.

I've found my son is willing to try new foods when he has a vested interest in the meal preparation. He's excited about the food HE helped make and wants to taste the fruits of his labor. I've encouraged his involvement by having him add ingredients to a recipe that I have pre-measured, or I will open ingredients/containers/boxes for his four year old little hands to easily transfer to a stock pot, frying pan or cookie sheet. He's also an expert table setter and takes pride in being a big helper.

Here's a kid-friendly recipe we make together that gets rave reviews. I took a basic minestrone recipe and added in a few tricks to keep high protein and save time all in one big stock pot.

Ingredients:
1 two pound flank steak
2 cans (14 oz. each) beef broth
1 c. thinly sliced carrot
1 c. thinly sliced celery
1 c. chopped onion
1 clove of crushed garlic
2 T. butter
2 cans (14 oz. each) diced tomatoes
2 t. salt
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried basil
1 t. pepper
1 16 oz. can navy beans, undrained
1 16 oz. can kidney beans, undrained
1 large zucchini, cult in half lengthwise and sliced.
1 c. uncooked elbow macaroni noodles
Grated Parmesan Cheese.

When you wake up in the morning, put the flank steak in your crockpot with 1 can of the beef broth and a few shakes of salt and pepper to cook all day.

Slice your veggies and let your little helper put them in a stock pot to saute over medium hight heat in butter. You want them crisp tender.

Next, add the 2 cans of tomatoes - once you open them with the can opener, they're perfect for your little helper to dump into the stockpot! Add in the spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Now that it's the end of the day and your flank steak is tender and delicious, pull it from the crockpot and cut it into bite size pieces. Add to the stockpot, along with the juices from the crockpot and the additional can of beef broth.

Let your little helper pour in the beans, noodles and the sliced zucchini. Bring all of this to a boil, reduce heat and simmer and additional 15 minutes until the noodles are tender.

Serve in a fun kid friendly bowl, normal mama bear and papa bear sized bowls and top with grated parmesan cheese for a hearty meal that actually has your child eating crazy amounts of good-for-you food that you were able to make together.

Have a delicious dinner and we'll chat soon!
CC

Blogswap!

2011-01-31T14:23:00.005-05:00

It's only Monday and this week is already feeling like Christmas. I'm in the midst of collecting items for soldier care packages to send to Afghanistan and homemade valentines for children in hospitals for the Hearts for Kids project. The packages are pouring in from my wonderful coworkers (95 of them to be exact) and what should come nestled in the packages but my highly anticipated blog swap prize from Nikki!

A group of fellow bloggers got together to have a blog swap and this was my first. I couldn't have been more excited...and I had two equally exuberant helpers as I opened the box. A sea of red tissue came spilling out with wonderful gifts inside.

The first was for my boys - a Valentine Book and a stuffed Monkey for each! They were ever so excited about this! You'll be pleased to know the book has already been read prior to naptime this afternoon and they are cuddled up with their monkeys fast asleep.

Next was a beautiful necklace bearing the names of both my boys and my husband. I am extremely sentimental and this gift touched my heart. I will wear this often Nikki - thank you!

I then opened a super chic desk calendar that I desperately needed. She has been reading my blog, as the next two had the musing foodie written ALL OVER them. A heartshaped bowl full of kisses. Sigh. Oh how I love chocolate. Then, a mix to bake red velvet whoopie pies - inspired from my pumpkin whoopie pie blogpost.Nikki, you nailed it! Thank you for the thought, creativity and effort you put into the perfect gift for a 'new' friend. I am indeed blessed.

Fellow blogswap friends, thank you for welcoming me into the group(riding on HPS' coat tails). And Please God, let Rose like my gift?

XO!
CC

Buffalo Chicken Squares

2011-01-31T10:49:00.004-05:00

This weekend I was bound and determined to make my favorite minestrone recipe. As I began pulling the ingredients out, I discovered my bag of onions had turned into a science fair project that could cure the rarest of diseases. The moldy mess got pitched and I switched recipes. On the fly, I went digging into my freezer to see what conglomeration of ingredients I could put together to feed the fam and I hit the jackpot!

Chicken Squares are one of our favorite meals, and I decided to tweak perfection to try them Buffalo style. If you don't already have a best practice of cooking meat and freezing it, please allow me to twist your arm into trying it. I shaved about 30-40 minutes off my cooktime by having cooked shredded chicken in my freezer - just calling out my name! When I buy chicken in bulk, I know that many of my recipes call for shredded chicken, so I boil it up and freeze it in plastic containers to be added to a recipe in a flash and save me considerable time and effort. (Think Chicken Squares, Enchiladas, Chicken and Noodles...etc.) Try it. Thank me later.

Back to the Buffalo Squares...I have a recipe for Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip that I clipped from the newspaper and was planning on fixing as a fun Super Bowl dip. I realized it sounded amazing as a chicken square filling. If you like Buffalo Wings, these will give your tastbuds something to shout about. We loved them and my husband declared them a "Fixer Againer". SCORE!

What you need:
2 c. cooked, shredded chicken
1 8oz. package cream cheese
1/4-1/2 c. Frank's Red Hot Sauce (depending on your heat tolerance)
1/4 c. crumbled blue cheese
1/2 c. ranch dressing
1-2 large cans of crescent rolls

How you make this amazingness:
Combine the chicken, cream cheese, hot sauce, blue cheese and ranch dressing in a large bowl. Make sure cream cheese is well incorporated - (i.e. no big chunks - we want smooth!).

Unroll your crescent rolls, leaving two triangles together to form 1 rectangle/square. Mush the seams together and put a generous scoop of the chicken mixture inside. Pull the four corners of dough together at the top and push the seams together to avoid any chicken from oozing out.

Repeat this step until you've either gone through all your chicken mixture or run out of crescent roll dough.This should make 4-6 chicken squares. Bake on a cookie sheet for approximately 20 minutes at 350, until they are light brown.

I served this with a side salad and it was spectacular!

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon!
CC

You Can't Mess Up Friendship Bread - Trust me, I tried

2011-01-26T11:24:00.004-05:00

I feel like the walls in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. If you watched the movie, the walls turned from a vibrant red to a dreary sad gray when he left. I miss my husband! (Not that he in any way resembles Mr. Magorium, I just found it an adequate analogy). Each year my husband and his father go on a "Father/Son" hunting trip where they go shoot things somewhere in the world while I stay home and shop, faux paint the kitchen or refinish a piece of furniture I purchased. I am fully supportive of this trip and think that a strong Father/Son bond is so important. I just miss him. He's such a part of my life that I feel like my arm is missing when he's not around. Friday can't come soon enough.

The boys and I have been doing just fine - I've tried to do something special with them each day to help the week pass by a little more quickly. We bought more fish for my 4 year old's fish tank (we keep having casualties for some reason). So, four more fish and a snail named Sherman are our additional new pets (Um, make that 3 new fish, the $.38 goldfish didn't make it).

This week I've completely flaked out in the food area (What?! The musing foodie isn't gourmet all the time?!) Nope. I fixed a pot roast with veggies and we're eating it all week. That's how much I miss him. Can you tell? By the time Friday arrives, I'll never want to eat a pot roast again.

Now onto this crazy Amish Friendship Bread I've been talking about in prior posts. It seems to surface every couple of years and is all the rage, until people get sick of it and throw it away. If you're not familiar with the concept, there is a 'starter' that gets handed to you by someone you know (I don't take starter from strangers, it's weird). A gallon sized plastic bag of cream colored ooze is the starter and you have a 10 day process to make this sweet bread...it's got a cinnamon breakfast bread taste and is quite good! Smelling much like sourdough, each day you have a 'task' to do. Several days in a row you just squeeze the bag and let out any excess gas that may have built up in the bag. Easy enough - my kids love the squeezing part.

Mid way through the process you add milk, flour and sugar...then you go another few days of squeezing and finally you add the fun stuff - oil, flour, sugar, vanilla pudding, cinnamon...etc. It makes a LOT of batter/dough and from this you pull 4 cups out, putting them in 1 cup portions in 4 separate freezer bags and hand them out to friends who want to take on the 10 day challenge. You're left with several loaves of bread or muffins if you give all your starters away. If you keep one, you start the process over again and bake again in 10 days. Well, after a few weeks of this you do get a bit tired of it, you've run out of friends and hate to throw away good ingredients. This is where my epiphany hit.

I wanted to see if this could be messed up in anyway - I put the starter in the freezer for a year and a half (it still baked up fine). I went more than 3 days before adding in more ingredients (it still worked). I manipulated the time table every way possible and this is a fool-proof recipe. You can't mess it up.

So, we baked 2 loaves of bread and a dozen muffins last night and the loaves are being frozen for a homeless mission that needs baked goods and the muffins are being devoured for breakfasts. How perfect is this? Now, who needs starter? I've got bags of ooze sitting on my counter....

Unrepeatable Crepes.

2011-01-24T14:37:00.016-05:00

I have exciting news - I have happened upon the best candybar to grace the earth since Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. My obsession with Godiva lead me there Saturday for my free truffle and blessing from above: IT WAS SAMPLE DAY! A perfectly polished silver tray was brought to me, displaying the latest Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Bar. I indulged, breathed a sigh of contented bliss and promptly bought one (well, if we're getting technical, my mother in law bought it for me as a 2:30pm surprise). Gotta love no-reason-at-all surprises! Love her. Love the chocolate. It was a good day. Imagine freeze dried strawberries - crazy with crunch, sprinkled through the decadence of milk chocolate (GODIVA chocolate nonetheless). You forget the calories and savor each bite, hiding it from your kids. It's amazing.

So, per my post this morning, I have to share the results from the Cheese Filled Crepes with Poblano Cream sauce. I alluded to attempting it last week after watching Mexican Made Easy on Foodnetwork. Let's completely reword the show - Mexican Made Easy is NOT accurate. It's more Mexican Made to Take ETERNITY. I had no idea that 67 steps later, I would finally pull this beast out of the oven. Humor me as I take you through a pictoral version of this experience. If you fall asleep in the middle, or begin to multi-task - imagine how I was feeling. Sigh.

First you make crepe batter in the blender.

Then you pour it in the pan and completely mess up the first one and it looks like this:

Round two gets better but then you realize you have 11 more to go. Oh boy.

In the meantime, you roast pobano peppers in the oven, not knowing what a poblano pepper tastes like, but fingers crossed for great things.

Crepes complete, you pull the poblanos out and peel off the outer casing and all the seeds.

Then you sautee onion, poblanos and whipping cream (no lofat version here).

That then goes into the blender (that you had to wash from the crepe batter). This makes your poblano cream sauce. The peppers are sweet - no heat at all. I was surprised! It makes a very very almost sickeningly rich sauce.

Back to the crepes...grate some monteray jack cheese after you find the cheese grater that mysteriously disappeared. Fill each crepe with cheese and then bake for 15ish minutes.

Serve the crepes by pouring the ridiculously rich sauce over them...it truly looks disgusting and I used a camera I wasn't used to, so it's a horrible shot no matter how you look at it.

You take a bite. Your husband takes a bite. You're both surprised that there is no heat to this mexican dish and it's heavier than heavy. As you pry yourself out of your chair with a crowbar after eating this dish...you wonder why you ate all of that heavy cheese and cream sauce. Three hours later, you still look at each other and groan, pop a few Tums and promise you'll never make it again.

Lord have mercy, I need to eat some chocolate just recounting that. I'm now off to finish making that crazy Amish Friendship Bread that has been at least 16 days in the making (should've only taken 10). I'm experimenting to see if you can mess up the process, as it's somewhat of an irritant if I forget to squeeze the plastic bag of fermenting oozie-ness on my counter. Tomorrow I'll shed light on that.

Have a delicious day - stay away from heavy crepe recipes and for Pete's sake - go get one of those strawberry bars!
CC

And the cookbook winner is....

2011-01-24T11:03:00.004-05:00

Happy Monday! The conclusion of the cookbook giveaway yielded some great results - lots of fun entries and I got to learn about your favorite meals (I'm totally snagging a few!)

Random.org helped me choose the winning entry and so drumroll please....

Congratulations Mary! Her entry: My favorite is seasoned grilled shrimp. Of course with a salad and baked potato.

How delicious does that sound? Mary, email me at musingfoodie@gmail.com and send me your address. The cookbook will be mailed this week.

Thanks so much to all of you who participated! I will continue to give some fun things away throughout the year, so please stay tuned. Later on today I'll post about the longest recipe ever attempted that I will not be repeating - those crazy cheese stuffed crepes with poblano cream sauce!

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon!

a doughnut, a salad and a WRONG turn

2011-01-19T17:44:00.005-05:00

I was in meetings all day - the only female in a sea of business suits and I held my own with the help of a Boston Cream Doughnut. Two dozen glorious doughnuts called out my name during a morning break and I settled on Boston Cream and savored every bite - longing to go back for the jelly filled as well, but knowing I should stop at just one, so I did.

Then there was lunch. It was a new restaurant to me: Mimi's Cafe and I settled on a grilled skirt steak salad with amazing deep fried blue cheese bites and a berry vinaigrette. I must try to replicate this deep fried wonder at home. The salad was delish, though the company awkward as I didn't know most of the suits around the table and we filled the time with idle chatter about nothing. The fun restaurant trademark? Muffins. I had a jumbo blueberry muffin (which only had blueberries in the muffin top) served with my salad and as I left, was presented with an assorted box of 4 more muffins to take home, as a thank you for trying out the restaurant. I do love a tasty parting gift. It's a best practice I feel should be adopted by everyone.

Back to work. After the last of my meetings, I shook hands, exchanged busines cards and attempted to find my way home. I am the world's worst at getting anywhere. Unfortunately I got so turned around that I made the wrong turn several times and ended up on the wrong side of town as the sun was setting. Uh-oh. It was a lock-your-doors moment and many prayers were sent up as I sat at a stop light and witnessed a driver get out of his car and begin to approach. I almost peed my pants, but I liked my suit too much. I called my husband to advise of my location in case I ended up as a Jane Doe on the 6 o'clock news. Thankful for a green light, I eventually got back on the right track and breathed a huge sigh of relief in pulling into the safe haven of my driveway.

So I'm now staring at 4 oversized muffins, thinking about burgers and sweet potato fries for dinner and about to go make those shortbread cookies filled with Andes mints. I have to bake out my stresses from that miserable wrong turn...but not before giving my son a bath from stuffing a 20 feet of paper down the toilet and then throwing it all over the bathroom.

Have a great evening!
CC

A bunch of this, a little of that - oh, and a cookbook giveaway!

2011-01-18T15:05:00.006-05:00

It's a cold dreary day, and I've chosen to combat that by eating chocolate covered dried strawberries. It seems to work, but it's amazing at how fast they disappear. I have to tell you how much I'm enjoying the list of favorite meals you're submitting for the Vintage Taste Cookbook Giveaway! Don't forget, you have all week to respond - just submit a comment below with your favorite meal and you'll be included in the drawing for all one hundred elegant-to-easy recipes with beautiful glossy pictures (my prerequisite to a good cookbook).

I just filled out a rebate for Andes Mints - I couldn't resist the impulse buy at Food Lion when a shortbread cookie recipe stuffed with Andes Mints caught my eye. I'll be fixing those this week. Who doesn't love shortbread or Andes Mints? Sounds like the perfect cookie match to me. Stay tuned on that!

In channel surfing the other night, the remote mysteriously landed on the Foodnetwork and I came across a must-fix recipe for Crepes stuffed with Cheese and covered in a Poblano Creme Sauce. I just had to wipe drool off my keyboard over that one. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow, as tonight is Mahi Taco night!

As if that wasn't enough, I'm in the midst of planning a baby shower (hello homemade party favors!) and contemplating life altering decisions like catering. Oooooooooooo! Excitement at every turn. And did I mention Valentine's day is less than a month away? I'm already planning every sweet bite.

Have a delicious day and we'll chat soon!
CC

My First Giveaway!

2011-01-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday Friends!

I'm launching my first ever give-away today! It's just a little thank you for reading along and supporting my endeavors. I bought one of these cookbooks for myself because I LOVE Moravian Sugar Cookies and Moravian Sugar Cake and I figured a Moravian Cookbook would be just as delicious (FYI, I'm not Moravian, I just enjoy their food).

This hard cover cookbook contains recipes for snazzy dinners, desserts, appetizers and the book has my HUGE prerequisite: Full Page COLOR pictures of the food! It's a gorgeous cookbook and I love it. Each recipe incorporates Moravian Sugar Cookies into it somehow. Upon further inspection, I pondered alternatives if the delcicious crunchy, paper thin Moravian Cookies weren't readily available. Not to fear! Each recipe can either omit that ingredient or have an easy substitution for a cookie you can purchase at your local grocery store (just don't tell the Salem Baking company I let you in on this secret).

My mouth was watering as I looked through each page and I immediately went back and purchased another so I could give it away to one of you! So, do you want to win this to add to your cookbook collection? There are recipes that will surprise and delight - I really think you'll be pleased.

Here's how to enter: Just leave a comment below in the post indicating you'd like to win AND tell me your favorite meal. Simple, eh? I'll leave the polls open for the week and will reveal the recipient of the cookbook next Monday - January 24.

Thanks for reading y'all! Now hurry and enter so you can have a chance to win!
CC