the perfect margarita : recipe recap

the final product

i love a good margarita and after several attempts i think we finally found the perfect recipe. thought i would share just in time for cinco de mayo (which by the way from my experience, they don't celebrate in mexico.)

perfect margarita recipe:

4 ounces good-quality tequila (i use a white tequila)
1 1/2 ounces triple sec
3 ounces fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 to 3 ounces simple syrup (equal parts water & sugar boiled and cooled)
ice to your liking depending on if you want frozen or on the rocks
coarse salt for rimming the glass (if you choose.)
lime slice to garnish (even though i forgot it for my picture.)

apple crisp : recipe recap

my mom makes the best apple crisp EVER. i know people think their mom's whatever is the best just because it is their mom's but here i am not lying, it is delicious. her recipe is super easy and tastes incredible.

don't worry i called and asked her permission prior to posting.

apple crisp recipe:

 8 cups sliced apples (peeled)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons flour

mix together and pour into 9x13 pan (sprayed with pam) or a baking stone.

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup butter (softened)

mix together until crumbled and pour over apples.

bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. 

slow-cooker beefy mushroom : recipe recap

here is the slow-cooker beefy mushroom over noodles recipe aka beef stroganoff as promised. doesn't get much easier than this.

1-1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat 
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can beefy mushroom soup
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can french onion soup
1 cup water
fresh sliced or canned mushrooms, optional
1/2 cup sour cream
1 package egg noodles

combine all ingredients in slow-cooker except sour cream and egg noodles.  cover and cook on low for 8 hours.  20 minutes prior to serving stir in sour cream.  cook egg noodles according to package directions.

serve the beef and sauce over noodles and enjoy!
 

chocolate pudding : recipe recap

i love pudding.  while the box stuff is good, i thought it would be fun to try to make my own.  here is the step by step process i followed (with some guidance from real simple) if you're interested.

ingredients:  

1/4 cup sugar  
1/4 cup cornstarch 
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 
pinch kosher salt 
2 cups whole milk 
4 large egg yolks 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces 
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
homemade whipped cream, chocolate chips, graham crackers or fruit, for serving

in a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and salt. gradually whisk in the milk, then the egg yolks.

 

cook the milk mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened to the consistency of mayonnaise, 7 to 10 minutes. continue to cook, whisking, for 1 minute more. remove from heat and pour through the sieve into the bowl, pushing the mixture through gently with a rubber spatula or spoon. add the butter and chocolate and stir until melted. mix in the vanilla.

press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. before serving, gently stir the pudding to loosen it. serve with your choice of toppings.

enjoy!

ham and corn chowder : recipe recap

i threw together a ham and corn chowder about a week ago and figured i better write it down before i forget what i put in it.  here is the recipe if you're interested.

ham and corn chowder:

1 lb. diced ham
4 medium potatoes, chopped into quarter-inch pieces
1 small white onion, diced
2 tbs. butter
1 can whole corn, 8 oz.
1 can creamed corn, 8 oz.
3 cups water
2 cups milk
salt and pepper, to taste 
cheddar cheese and green onion for garnish. 

melt butter in your stock pot. saute onions until translucent.  then add remaining ingredients and bring to boil.  then simmer approximately 30 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

enjoy! 

s'mores

well today was food day at work and i just love those days. it is so fun seeing what everyone else brought in and snacking on all the goodies throughout the day.  i decided to try out a new recipe today, chocolate dipped s'mores. it is definitely not camping season but these were almost as good as the real deal and super easy.

here is the recipe if you're interested:

graham crackers (one box if you want to make plenty)
semi-sweet chocolate chips (9 per square)
marshmallows (did you know they make flat marshmallows just for s'mores these days?)
almond bark (1 block)
sprinkles

preheat oven to 400 degrees. place graham crackers on sheet, one half gets chocolate, the other half marshmallow.  pop the baking sheet in the oven until marshmallows turn to your desired shade of doneness. smush together the chocolate side and marshmallow side to make a sandwich.  put in freezer five-ten minutes.  melt almond bark.  partiallly dip s'mores and cover with sprinkles.  enjoy!

the assembly process

i could have eaten them just like this

the delicious finished product

pinterest weekend

i have fallen in love with pinterest.  it is so easy to click through and get inspired by everyone's creativity.  on saturday i decided to try a couple ideas i had found for myself. 

the first was a soda can cake.  it is quite simple, all you do is replace the oil and eggs with a can of soda.  i went with a lemon cake mix and a can of cranberry splash sierra mist.  it was super easy and i thought it turned out great.  i am excited to experiment with other flavors...maybe chocolate cake and cherry coke?

the second recipe i attempted was a peanut butter banana smoothie. four simple ingredients and voila you have a nutritious, delicious snack.  and even better, i always have all the ingredients on hand. 

cake and soda flavors of your choice

replace the eggs and oil with a can of soda

the final product

peanut butter banana smoothie

a year of new recipes

in 2011 i really focused on eating more at home and trying out new recipes.  i went through my blog and pictures i have taken and thought i'd be fun to share my favorite from each month with you.

january : homemade pasta : last year for christmas i got a pasta machine and couldn't wait to try it out.  it was definitely a fun adventure but still think for a week night meal that a box is easier.

february : fresh pasta rollatini with spinach and ricotta :  probably the most labor intensive dish i made all year but so worth it.

march : feta-stuffed chicken breast with lemon and tomato white bean spinach salad : this dish was super simple and i just love feta cheese.

april : baked spinach and pea risotto : this dish is by far my favorite from the entire year.  it was absolutely delicious and can be made in one pot.  if you're looking for a simple, tasty meal pick this one. 

may :  ginger-marinated steak and noodle salad : probably one of the most unique dishes i made from the past year.  it was full of flavor and even though it has noodles and steak it was still a surprisingly light dish.

june : creamy avocado chicken salad : this dish was so easy and i almost always have all the ingredients in my pantry.  this was the perfect summer dish, very refreshing. 

july : honey soy grilled salmon with edamame : i love summer because of the many things you can just throw on the grill, including fish.  this dish was full of so many of my favorite asian flavors.

august : chicken gyros : great summer dish that provided a ton of leftovers and to make it even better i served it with grilled corn on the cob.

september : salsa verde pizza with goat cheese and bacon : this recipe is from my favorite chef, rick bayless.  might sound like a strange combo, but don't knock it until you try it.  i also cheated and used a pre-made pizza crust instead of making homemade dough.

october : tomato soup with roast beef, cheddar and horseradish panini : it is hard to beat soup and a sandwich.  i loved the flavor of the homemade soup, definitely worth the extra effort.

november : pork-sweet potato quesadillas : who knew a sweet potato would be good in a quesadilla?  it was a great change up from the typical cheese version.

december: my mom's lasagna : not a new recipe but a classic. a great meal to serve for a group of people because it makes a ton and it is a piece of cake to make.

i am looking forward to trying even more in 2012 and cannot wait to share. 

recipe recap : lemon bread

the other day the doorbell rang and our neighbor brought over a piece of my mail that had been mistakenly delivered to their house.  i was ecstatic because it was a postcard from starbucks for a free drink. i know it is just a little thing but i work hard for those free drinks.  :)  most people probably would have gone to straight to starbucks and used that drink for themselves, but not my neighbors.

to show them my appreciation i baked them some lemon bread.  i was pretty jealous, i couldn't dig into it myself. it smelled absolutely divine. 

 lemon bread recipe:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1/2 powdered sugar

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  grease and flour 9x5 inch loaf pan.

whisk together flour, salt and baking powder.

in a large bowl, cream butter, sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy.  add milk alternately with the flour mixture in 2 parts; mix well.  stir in grated lemon peel and poppy seeds.

pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  let bread cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

mix together lemon juice and powdered sugar to make a glaze.  remove bread from pan.  pour glaze over warm bread (if you poke holes in the bread first, it will absorb more glaze.)

this recipe is super easy and i almost always have all the ingredients in my house.  enjoy!

lasagna 101

friday jake and nicole came over for some lasagna and iowa basketball. thankfully our dinner turned out better than the game. jake brought a delicious salad over, complete with all your favorite toppings.

i love lasagna anyway i can get it but in my opinion, my mom's is the best for two reasons.  it tastes like home and it is simple.

here is the recipe if you're interested in trying it for yourself.

9 lasagna noodles
1 pd. ground beef
1 tbsp. mined dried onion
1 large jar prego
dash of oregano
12 oz. large curd cottage cheese (rinsed)
4 cups shredded mozzarella ( i only had 3 cups of mozzarella so i substituted parmesan and put that on the top layer)

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  grease a 9x13 pan.

boil water and cook noodles according to package, stirring often so the noodles don't stick together (11-13 minutes.) drain and set aside. meanwhile in a large sauce pan brown ground beef, season with onion.  cook until no pink remains, drain off any extra grease. add prego sauce, oregano and cottage cheese to ground beef mixture. heat sauce until a slight bubble.  

in greased pan, place three of your cooked noodles on the bottom.  top with 1/3 of sauce mixture and 1/3 of cheese. then layer with three more noodles, 1/3 sauce and 1/3 cheese, repeat for one more layer.  cover with foil. 

cook covered for 45 minutes.  then remove foil and cook for another 15 minutes.

lasagna will be bubbling and the edges will be golden brown once complete.  let sit for 10 minutes covered with foil before cutting into slices (this will help it from falling apart when plating.)

enjoy  -- it makes a lot so invite some friends over!

a hit and a miss

 i love trying new recipes, that's a huge reason in why i post a weekly menu.

well i found a recipe i absolutely loved and another i wouldn't make again.

a couple sundays ago we had leslie and greg over for dinner and found out about their exciting engagement news.  if i would have known we would have been celebrating, i would have made something a little nicer than soup and sandwich. thankfully i had a bottle of champagne on reserve in the cupboard.  but let me tell you the soup and sandwich i served them was also pretty delicious. 

the recipe came from real simple, it was tomato soup with roast beef, cheddar and horseradish panini. 

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the grill pan
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 8 slices sandwich bread
• 8 ounces thinly sliced roast beef
• 8 ounces sharp white Cheddar, sliced
• 2 cups baby arugula (1 1/2 ounces)

directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes (with their juices), broth, thyme, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Working in batches, in a blender, puree the mixture until smooth.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and horseradish. Form sandwiches with the bread, roast beef, Cheddar, arugula, and half the horseradish mixture. Heat a lightly oiled grill pan over medium heat and cook the sandwiches until the cheese is melted, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Top the soup with the remaining horseradish mixture and serve with the sandwiches.

this recipe was super easy and super good!  enjoy.

as far as the miss, i found another recipe from real simple for shrimp tacos and black beans.  i love tacos and i love shrimp so i thought it would have been a slam dunk.  where the recipe fell short for me is in the frying of the shrimp.  you coat the shrimp in a corn meal batter and then fry them in oil.  too much grease for me.  next time i would just cook the shrimp in a skillet and skip the frying step.

recipe recap : chicken spaghetti

this is a dish i've been making for years. it is so easy and i almost always have all the ingredients in my pantry. when working for summer games, we would travel from town to town, staying at different counselor's homes on the weekend. one of my friend's mom would always make this amazing comfort food dish, chicken spaghetti. it is creamy, gooey and filling. i just love it.

it is very forgiving, so feel free to add in your favorite ingredients or omit the ones you don't love - aka peas for a couple of my readers. i've done it without veggies or with a can of rotel.

chicken spaghetti recipe:

1 pound spaghetti
1 large can of chicken or 1-2 chicken breasts (cooked and chopped)
2 cups of cheddar cheese or velvetta
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup of white onion
salt and pepper to taste
dash of garlic powder
1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup crushed corn flakes

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

boil water and cook pasta to al dente. after cooking is complete, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. set aside.

melt butter in sauce pan, cook down onions until they are translucent. add soup and milk, stir until mixed well. add cheddar cheese and chicken. flavor to taste with salt, pepper and garlic. cook until mixture is almost to a boil, stir often. cheese will be melted.

combine cooked pasta, cheese mixture and frozen peas into a 9x13 greased baking pan. cover with crushed cornflakes.

bake 30 minutes or until bubbling.

enjoy!

recipe recap : chicken gyros

this week i made chicken gyros for the first time. it was a delicious, easy recipe that gave us a ton of leftovers. on the side we also grilled up some corn on the cob. it was the first time i've grilled corn, typically we just shuck it and throw it in some boiling water. grilling the corn gave it so much flavor and i loved the smokiness. can't wait to do it again like this.

chicken gyros
ingredients:
for the tzatziki sauce:
16 oz. plain yogurt
1 regular cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
extra virgin olive oil

for the chicken:
4 cloves garlic, smashed
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tbsp. plain yogurt
1 tbsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper
1 1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken, cut into small pieces

also needed:
pita bread (i found the selection at trader joe's, better than hy-vee)
fresh tomatoes, diced
red onion, thinly sliced

directions:
mix together yogurt, diced cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. drizzle lightly with olive oil. refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

to prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. whisk together until mixed well. add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

cook the chicken in skillet until completely cooked through.

warm pitas (i drizzled them with olive oil and threw them on the grill with the corn we were having.) top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions.

source: adapted from Annie's Eats

recipe recap

NH gave me the idea of doing a recipe recap each week, so here it is. i hope to let you know which recipes worked and which ones did not.

my least favorite dish of the week was lemon shrimp stir-fry with edamame. while this dish was fun to make and i loved the side of steamed edamame with soy, overall it just fell short of the mark. i thought it lacked distinct flavors and any wow-factor.


the best dish hands-down was the pretzel crusted chicken with mustard cheddar cheese sauce from Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats cookbook. It was full of unique flavors and different textures. It was easy to make, but definitely took longer than 30 minutes. I would also cut the cheese sauce in half as we had a ton leftover.


there wasn't a link to the recipe on foodnetwork so you can find it below, in case you're interested in trying it for yourself.

Pretzel Crusted Chicken w/ Mustard-Cheddar Sauce

4 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
1-5oz. bag of salted pretzels, any shape, blend until fine in food processor or blender
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 eggs, beaten with a splash of water in shallow dish
vegetable oil, for frying
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups grated sharp yellow cheddar cheese
1 cup grated extra-sharp white cheddar (I had to go to Trader Joe's to find this)
2 heaping tablespoons spicy brown mustard (I use Gulden's, my fav)
Coarse salt
4 cups fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 small yellow onion, minced
1 large sour dill pickle,chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges for serving

Directions:
Prepare pretzel coating by adding to shallow dish like a pie plate and add the thyme and some ground black pepper. Dredge the pounded chicken in the pretzel mix, then egg, then pretzel again. Fry in batches 3-4 minutes per side or until fully cooked.

For the Sauce: Melt butter in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for one minute. Whisk in the milk. When the milk comes to a bubble, add in the cheeses, mustard and stir with a wooden spoon. Season with little salt and remove from heat.

To serve, transfer a chicken breast to each plate, spoon sauce over. Mix the chopped parsley, pickle and onion together to make a homemade relish. Top it off with homemade relish and a squeeze of lemon.

On the side, I made an apple-cider vinaigrette coleslaw.

Delish meal, can't wait to make it again.