Butters

Coconut butter is ultra expensive. Like 8-16 bucks a jar. And, really, that's not affordable in my books. But I happened upon an amazing little tidbit. You can MAKE your own coconut butter! And it's so easy, I can't belieeeeeeve it's sold for SO much! All you need is

Unsweetened, shredded coconut

a drizzle of coconut oil

food processor

It should be a crime to charge what they do. Really!

So. This morning while bread was raising, I decided to make butters. I am SO excited at how they all turned out! SUPER yummmm! I'll probably never buy butters again. 

Coconut Butter

Start with...... (click to buy @ amazon.com)

Process for about 5 minutes with a tablespoon or two of melted coconut oil.  It's totally amazing to see the shredded coconut become a complete runny liquid!! You'll know it's done when it has the consistency of water.

 

Pour into jar and let harden at room temp..it took about 2 hours for mine to solidify completely. And that's IT. Nothing else needed. 

 

While in the liquid phase I added 2 Tbsp cocoa and 1/3 cup melted dark chocolate ...I love Lindt dark cocoa 

It just so happened to create this most amazing cocoa coconut butter....in the liquid phase my kids dipped graham crackers in it and I was almost convinced they'd eat the entire jar! After about 2 hours it hardened perfectly.

Super AMAZING!!

So, what would one USE coconut butter for? I read a blog where a lady mixed it with peppermint oil, formed it into patties, dipped it in chocolate and made peppermint patties! Craig's gonna slather it on toast. And pancakes. And muffins. My kids will eat the stuff with a spoon. And it can be blended with about anything! Vanilla extract and Saigon cinnamon, anyone?? YUM

Then, I had to give this Vanilla White Chocolate Peanut Butter a try...Check the link out for the recipe! 

Our lunch today pretttttty much consisted of slathering graham crackers in vanilla peanut butter and dipping them in the cocoa coconut butter.......drooooooool! 

Until the bread came out of the oven, of course, and then it was on to doing the same thing....with bread!

ENJOY!

( More incredible butter combination to come!! )

Guacamole Bruschetta

When I saw this recipe shared by a friend (thanks, Kaia, for the inspiration!), it took all my self control to not jump in my van that instant and buy some avocados. This morning, I loaded the kids into the stroller and walked to my local grocer to buy what I needed. I came home and got right to work. It took me all of 10 minutes to make. Super quick! Craig's take?

"Well..It sure don't lack flavor!!" It got his stamp of approval!! 

I immediately forwarded the recipe and photo to my little sis to make for my parents.

My family is going to be in tastebud heaven tonight!!!

My changes:

It calls for french bread, but I used Pugliese.

I didn't rub my bread in garlic, I put a clove in the guac.

I minced everything pretty small instead of making it chunky.

I used roma tomato. 

Guacamole Bruschetta

 ½ loaf French bread
1 clove garlic
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 tomatoes, medium chopped
2 avocados, medium chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Slice the French bread on the diagonal into ½" rounds and place on a baking sheet.
Toast the sliced bread in the oven for 3 minutes, then flip each piece over and toast an additional 3 minutes.
Remove the toasted bread from the oven and immediately rub with the clove of garlic (it works best to first cut a small tip off the garlic clove so that the oils will seep out).
Brush the tops of the garlic-rubbed toasts with olive oil and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix together gently making sure the avocado is well coated in the lime juice.
Spoon a portion of the mixture onto each of the garlic toasts and serve.

Original Recipe Here

Bleu Cheese

Stanfords.

Blue cheese wedge salad.

Hello, perfection....I miss you! 

Or, at least I did until my dad came and created THIS beauty. Flavorful AND delicious! Just like the classic.

So, Litehouse says Bleu Cheese 

Rosemborg says Blue Cheese.

What say YOU?!?

Bleu Blue Cheese Wedge Salad

Start with the brands above for the dressing and cheese. 

Then layer on a wedge of iceberg lettuce...

Dressing

Bacon

Cheese

Green Onions

Tomato

YUM!!!

(Daddy, I miss you!)

Quinoa Salad (with peppers, black beans, and mango)

If you're one of those folks who doesn't like strange food combinations and is terrified of different foods, skim right over this post to the one below. It's of chocolate. You'll probably like it more then the recipe I'm about to do.

And to those who like to try new stuff....let me tell you what. You are in for a treat, baby! I mean this salad is SO unique but yet so great tasting. Very fresh tasting. Like a summer evening. 

Craig told me tonight I should make a career of mixing and inventing recipes because he thinks I've got a knack for it. That was probably the highest compliment he has paid me this whole week! And it's Friday so there's been alot of days already gone by. =D

I have NO idea what on earth to name this recipe, though. Care to help me out?!? 

Quinoa Salad

3-4 cups prepared quinoa

1 can black beans, fully drained

1 mango, cubed small

1 red pepper, sliced thin and sauteed tender

1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced

1-2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt to taste

This is how basic this recipe is. Combine all ingredients. Serve warmed or cold. 

Difficult, huh? =D

 

 So colorful! I like my food colorful. It makes me smile.

Chocolate

Every now and then I make something that makes my heart (and tastebuds) fairly sing. 

I realllly wanted chocolate today but in all reality, commercial chocolate isn't all that great for you. So I set out to revamp an old recipe I had been making to see if I could improve it's consistency. It. WORKED. And I LOVE the results! So do the kids. Cocoa, cinnamon, and a dash of salt makes some prettttty amazing stuff! It's not a stiff chocolate. It's kinda got the consistency of fudge. But when it's cut up into little squares and frozen....................YUM. Tiny, little bites of divine! With all the health benefits of raw honey, cocoa, and coconut oil! And it goes with Craig's "no refined sugar" requirements..! In my books, that's called a score!!

Chocolate

1 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup raw honey

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tablespoon palm shortening

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Dump all ingredients in 1 quart canning jar. place canning jar in pot half full of boiling water. Heat until all is melted and well combined. Pour onto foil lined cookie sheet. Freeze until firm. Peel off foil and cut into little itty  bitty squares of indulgence! I recommend freezer storage. But that's just because I like my chocolate cold. =) I was known to take a candy bar and cut it into tiny squares and put them in a bag in the freezer. I'm kinda odd like that. =D

 

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

In celebration of what I hope is the last rainy day in a long time (or so the weather says), I made soup. That and because I made bread today, what better to eat it with then soup?!

A few days ago, I asked my husband to get me a crown of broccoli. He came home with four. Four large crowns. I mean huge. What on earth was I gonna do with that much broccoli?? 

Well. I had skads of pre shredded cheese leftover, too, from making breakfast burritos yesterday so I put the two together and came up with this divine soup.

I think sharp cheddar is best for soups. Especially when the soup IS a cheese soup...sharp cheddar just gives such a nice bite. So, without further ado, here is the recipe!!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

4 cups small broccoli pieces

Enough chicken broth to cover broccoli

3 1/2 cups milk whole milk

1/2 cup flour

3 cups shredded cheese

3 tablespoons chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped onion, sauteed tender or 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

1 cup finely diced potatoes, cooked (my canned garden potatoes came in handy here!!)

1/2 tsp lawrys seasoning salt

salt and pepper to taste

Put broccoli in small pot and cover with just enough chicken broth that the broccoli is submerged. Boil on medium until broccoli is tender. Meanwhile, in large pot, warm milk on med-high. Whisk in flour and simmer gently, whisking constantly, until thick; about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in cheese until melted. Add rest of ingredients, minus broccoli, and stir well. Remove 1/3 cup broth from broccoli and discard. Pour rest of broccoli/broth into pot and heat through. Serve immediately. 

My Favorite Bread

I've been making bread now for about 6 months. Before that time, I was scared of yeast. And making bread. I've no clue why, really..just heard that yeast was tricky to work with etc etc..yeah, well, I don't believe that anymore. Yeast is no more terrifying than flour or daisies in my books. =) I can make bread. And I can make it good. That is a fact that I'm proud of because I never ever, ever thought I would be able to make decent bread never mind good bread!

This is my go-to recipe when I need never fail bread. And by never fail, I mean it has never failed me. I make 3 loaves a week and have yet to have it flop once. That's pretty cool in my books!!  I've only made it with freshly ground flour so no guarantees it'll turn out of you don't use whole wheat flour!! 

5-6 cups hot water (hot to the touch;not hot enough to burn finger)
2/3 c. oil
2/3 c. honey
2 tbsp yeast
2 tbsp salt
12-16 cups freshly milled whole wheat flour

Pour warm water into mixing bowl. Add approximately 6 cups flour on top of liquid. Then add oil, honey, and yeast.  Mix well. Add approx. 5 additional cups flour, and salt. Mix while adding flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.  Continue kneading for another 5 minutes. Put in oiled bowl and cover. Let raise until doubled in size. Punch down and divide dough into 4 equal portions and shape into loaves. Put into well greased pans. Let rise till double in size. Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from pans and cool on wire rack. Rub tops with butter.

Taquitos

Little tidbit. Do you know the difference between a taquito and a flauta? Taquitos are made with corn tortillas, and flautas with flour. Didn't know that!! 

One part that I actually kinda hate about writing out recipes is a recipe can be SO limiting! When it comes to taquitos, I don't like a recipe! I like to mix up a large bowl of whatever I think will taste good and try it out. Usually it works! Sometimes, not so much..haha. These are my two favorite combinations. Don't let them limit you, though! You can go wiiiild with taquitos. Hand held excellence, baby!

Chicken Filling

4 cups shredded chicken

1 to 2 cups salsa

1/2 cup corn

1 1/2 cup cooked rice ( I usually use brown )

2 cups shredded cheese (I like pepperjack or mozarella)

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tablespoon diced green chiles

Beef Filling

1lb ground beef, cooked and seasoned with taco seasoning

1 can refried beans

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed until water is clear

1 to 2 cups rice

2 cups shredded cheese ( I usually do cheddar with the beef)

Mix all filling ingredients in a large bowl. Have a large stack (at least 40) of small corn tortillas handy by a griddle. Lightly spritz tortillas with olive oil and heat both sides until warm. If you can't roll them without them cracking, they aren't warmed enough. Proceed to place 2 or so tablespoons filling on each corn tortilla and roll tight, placing seam side down on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 until crisp and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

These freeze amazingly so when I do make them, it's a process of about 70 or so taquitos. After they are cooled, I put them in quart size freezer bags and write beef or chicken on them so I know which to grab for whom. (beef for Aerro, chicken for Avoni) Best reheated on 350 in the oven! 

Next time I make these, I'm so going shredded beef ones...and maybe a shredded pork version, too! Some day I will get brave and do a fish taquito, too. =)

Kid's Breakfast

Easy, make ahead breakfasts are my favorite. So, Saturday mornings I make a weeks worth of  oat pancakes. 

 The kids like to dip them in yogurt.

Served with some fruit on the side and it's a perfect breakfast!!

See these little darlings?

All baked and ready to go into baggies for the kids' breakfasts!

 

Mini pancakes are so much cuter then big ones! Or at least I think so~

 

Pancakes, blackberries, and some vanilla and strawberry yogurt for dipping. =)

 

Isn't this plate SO COOL??? Wanna know where to get one?! It's my kids' favorite plate!

  

----> Right Here <----

Chicken A 'la King

Chef George Greenwald of the Brighton Beach Hotel, created Chicken A 'la King in 1890s. He was an excellent cook and liked to prepare new dishes for his favorite customers. One summer afternoon, he prepared a special chicken dish for Mr. and Mrs. E. Clarke King and served it for supper. Mr. King thought it was wonderful and told Greenwald to put it on the menu. Chef Greenwald added to the menu and called it Chicken a 'la King after Mr. King. 

Well, I remember my mother making us Chicken A 'la King when we were kids. She hasn't made it in AGES but I called her yesterday knowing I had skads of chicken left over from the previous night's dinner and I really wanted to reminisce my childhood with one of my favorite foods!

Hearty, warm, cozy home cooked meals. Mmmm

Although, to hear it from Aerro, this meal will make you sick and you. will. die. if you eat it. At least he will. We had all the theatrics. Gagging, shuddering, shying away from the spoon, fake puking, the whole nine yards. At no extra cost! Being the mean, terrible mother I am, (ehem, sarcasm) I made him take two whole bites. And then he had leftover pizza. 

Avoni, on the other hand, ate two biscuits worth! Not bad for the peanut she is! 

I served it over cornmeal biscuits from the night before but my mom always served it over puff pastry shells. Yummy! So, without further ado, here is Chicken A 'la King.   

Chicken A 'la King 

2 cups chicken stock or broth
3 tablespoons cornstarch
8oz cream cheese
1 can evaporated milk
3 cups cooked chicken
4 tablespoons green onions
1/2 cup cooked peas, carrots, cubed potatoes
1 tsp pimentos (optional)
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, sage

In medium sized pot, bubble chicken broth and cornstarch for one minute. Add cream cheese and evaporated milk and slightly boil for 1 minute. Add chicken, green onions, and seasonings. Serve over biscuits, rice, puff pastry, whatever! 

Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken

Let me start off by bragging my little head off. Because I feel that I have the right to brag. But first, a little back story.

When I was a kid, my mom never forced me to cook. If I wanted to, I could, but the parts I didn't like, she did for me. Like touching raw meat. I. Hated. Touching. Raw. Meat.

It made me nauseated. It made me gag. Yes. I was a sissy lily livered pansy. But that still didn't change the fact that once I got married, Craig did the major meat touching, rinsing, etc for me. Isn't he a doll? Haha. Anyway, on to the bragging part. 

I got this organic free range chicken. I knew it would make an amazing dinner and I was going to push through having to touch it. With gloves on, of course! Once I got it out of the packaging, I realized..

IT HAD A NECK ON IT. A real neck. Still attached. And I had to remove it.

Have you ever seen a dead, raw chicken neck?!???

GAG. And gag again. (that's the sissy part of me coming out)

I panicked. I called my mom. She laughed at me. I called Craig. He laughed at me, too. My mom said I could do it. Craig said he'd do it when he came home. 

I decided to be BRAVE! 

I got my sharpest Pampered Chef Bread Knife. I put my large gloves on. I grabbed that NASTY chicken neck by the base and I SAWED THAT DISGUSTING THING OFF. 

WOOHOOOO!!

=)

See? This is me bragging about how cool I can be sometimes.

And for all those who don't believe in waste, guess what..I threw it out anyway. Sick piece of nastyness...

But I DID make an amazing roasted chicken for dinner! I'm still beaming with pride. =) After that, touching raw meat is like a walk in the park. I'm officially cured of my phobia!

Now, on to the recipe. =)

Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken

1 lemon

3 garlic cloves

1 onion

1 tablespoon each rosemary, sage, thyme

olive oil

salt

pepper

Rinse chicken well. Pat dry. Slice lemon in half. Chop onion into quarters. Smash garlic cloves. Stuff all three into the cavity of the chicken. 

Combine herbs, salt, pepper, and a few drizzles of olive oil to moisten. Slather on chicken making sure to get some in between the skin and meat. This part is crucial to intensely flavorful chicken.

Roast on 350 for aprox 1.5 hours, uncovered, in a roaster pan. I use Pampered Chef's stoneware roaster.

Let cool at least 15 minutes before cooking to ensure the juice stays IN the chicken and doesn't drain out.

The end!

Oh, except be sure to strain and save the juices that do form! It will make an AMAZING gravy =) (that recipe will come later)

 

I added some brown rice, steamed veggies, and cornmeal biscuits to the chicken making it a complete meal. I loved the cornmeal biscuits warm. Once they got cold they weren't incredible, but I've yet to find a biscuit I enjoy cold! So, here's the cornmeal biscuit recipe!

Cornmeal Biscuits

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup corn meal

1/2 cup shortening ( I use palm shortening)

3 tsp baking powder

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup milk

additional cornmeal

 Heat oven to 450. Cut butter into flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk until dough leaves side of bowl (dough will be soft and sticky). Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead lightly 10 times. Roll or pat 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured 2 1/2" round cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet immediately.

 

p.s. the best way to make brown rice is to boil it in half water, half chicken broth. Amazing!

Pineapple Ham

I needed a super quick dinner tonight.

Really quick.

So I caramelized some pineapple, added ham, badabing, badaboom, dinner!

Toss in some cubed, baked potatoes and some green beans and what dya know...full meal in under a half hour!

Pineapple always complements ham well, but when it's caramelized...mmmmm...perfection! 

Try it out =D

Pineapple Ham

1.5 tablespoons butter

2 cups pineapple

1 large ham steak

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup pineapple juice (if you're using canned pineapple, just used the juice in there)

1 tablespoon mustard

Salt to taste

Melt butter in large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Sautee pineapple until it's lightly golden on the sides, about 4-5 minutes. Add orange and pineapple juice and mustard. Heat sauce and add cubed ham steak. Heat through. That's it, folks!

Unless you want to do potatoes. In that case, wash and cube potatoes. Toss in olive oil, a dash of rosemary, some oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake on 400 until tender inside. 

Mongolian Beef

I have a confession to make.

I really don't like red meat. I don't hate it..but I don't technically enjoy it. Though I'm sure you figured that out with all my chicken posts. =D

But when I DO eat red meat, it's usually roast or fajitas or this style. Asian inspired.

This stuff was SPICY. So tone down the peppers if you want. I like my mouth to burn, so I kept the pepper count high. 

Mongolian Beef

2 pounds boneless sirloin tip roast
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoons crushed red pepper
3 whole dried red chile pepper
1/4 cup oil
2 bunches green onions, cut into pieces

Slice the roast into strips, and set aside. Combine well the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, cornstarch, brown sugar, crushed red pepper and whole chile peppers. Place beef in the mixture and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer...I did several hours. 
In a skillet or wok, heat 1/4 cup of oil over medium high heat. Add beef mixture and saute for 5 minutes, or until the beef is thoroughly cooked. Put green onions to the pan and saute for 30 seconds more, or until heated through.Serve over Asian noodles. Like these.........

The complete meal!

 

See? I can make red meat ;-)

Quesadilla =)

Today, I made pretty much the exact thing I made yesterday (Chicken Pepper Skillet) except I roasted the peppers instead of saute-ing them. The best description on how to roast peppers is at this link. 

You must try!

http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/roasting-peppers/Detail.aspx

I then put 1/3 cup cheese with the red pepper/chicken mix, put it in a whole wheat tortilla, and grilled it to perfection. All for under 500 calories! And that's with salsa and a handful of chips!!

Chicken and Peppers Skillet

Quick, easy, and bursting with nutrients.

As busy as I am with three under three, it's vitally important to me to prepare healthy foods for my family. But time is quite sparse these days so it has to be quick! I pre-grill or bake chicken at the beginning of the week to use throughout the rest of the week in meals. Makes life easier, for sure!

And for those wondering, I do make red meat, too =) Just not as much as white!

This meal is perfect to serve over rice or in a tortilla wrap!

Chicken and Peppers Skillet

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cubed

2 Roma tomatoes

1 red bell pepper

3 Italian pepperoncinis (I use plain ones, not marinated)

1 hot pepper (I use Chinese purple, but a red pepper would suffice! or leave out of you don't like heat)

1 handful rinsed and minced cilantro

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

 Salt to taste

Saute peppers and tomatoes on medium heat, covered, until tender. (You don't need to use oil or anything as the tomatoes and peppers will sweat and form a juice of their own) Add chicken and cilantro and heat through. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Serve over rice with salsa or in a tortilla wrap. Or with chips. Or taco shells. Or whatever else you can imagine up!