French toast souffle

This was the main course for our Christmas brunch. It was easy to make and even better because you assemble it the night before and just have to bake it in the morning! The cream cheese is a really nice counterbalance to all the sweetness in the recipe.

Cinnamon sugar breakfast puffs

These were a delicious start to Christmas morning, warm with fresh fruit and mimosas! They are easy but do take a little prep time, so plan for that. Try them next time you're having company for brunch or just want a nice treat for your own breakfast.

Beef with snow peas

I LOVE stir- fry, and this one is simple, easy, but über- flavorful. So, so yummy! I love snow peas, and they really shine in this dish. I have a lunch at Phin's school today, and I'm so disappointed that I won't be home to eat these leftovers! I served with regular rice, but jasmine rice would be fantastic if you have it. I also used fresh ginger for the first time in my cooking career (I don't generally love ginger), and it was totally worth it! Great flavor, but didn't overpower the dish. Get a great cut of meat, and it will turn out tender and lovely (can you tell I love beef?). Ahhh, I LOVED this dish. Go make it now!

Pioneer Woman's beef with snow peas!

Chunky chicken soup

As you may know, I am not a soup person. Not that I don't like eating it, but making it often feels daunting to me. This recipe was super simple. Despite the chopping involved (15 minutes?), I think it was the short, basic ingredients list that drew me to it. Even cleaning the chicken after it was cooked was so easy, and there really is something wonderful about cooking the chicken intact. The flavor of this finished dish is fantastic! Basic, but wonderful! Try it one of these cold winter days, and you will not be disappointed!

Pioneer Woman's chunky chicken soup!

Jalapeño popper dip

This is a delicious recipe, and goes great with the pretzel bites I posted. It is a bit spicy (for me), but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Take this to your next football party, and it will be a hit! This comes from Annie's Eats, as do so many recipes I love.

Soft pretzel bites

I've posted this once before, but we love it so much, I'm sharing it again! I like to double the recipe and share for parties or football, but I've found that it's better to actually mix it up in two batches and then put it in the bag together to rise. Here's the recipe.

Avalanche Bars

This is a yummy, super simple, quick recipe from cookiesandcups.com! In fact, they smelled and tasted so good as I was making them, that I had to put them in the refrigerator so they would cool faster! And, I had everything I needed in my pantry. No notes or adjustments, except these might not last til morning! :)

Broccoli cheddar soup

I've never been much of a soup person, as in I love to eat it, but it seemed like too much work to make it. This recipe is perfect for someone like me. It has a short list of simple, common ingredients, easy prep, and DELICIOUS results. Seriously, I think this is as good as some I've had in restaurants. So give this broccoli cheddar soup from Annie's Eats a go this fall as the weather is getting colder. You won't be disappointed. As a note, I did add a bit of salt and pepper towards the end of the simmer time, as the recipe recommends, and I used my immersion blender to blend the soup a bit to create a thicker soup (but left some larger chunks of carrot and broccoli intact.

Honey- lime chicken

I found the recipe for this super simple chicken marinade on pinterest! We had it for dinner tonight and it was very tasty... even the boys ate it (though they did mention that it was spicy, so if your kids are sensitive, cut down on the cayenne). I cut my chicken breasts down to "cutlet" size so that they would marinate better (more surface area) and cook more easily on the Foreman Grill. Delicious, quick weeknight main dish!

Divine Caramel Sauce

I have posted this recipe before, but I wanted to begin my new format with something great, and this recipe is DIVINE... just like the name says. As I made another batch this evening, I was thinking back on how many times I've made this since I found it. Countless. This sauce is good on ice cream, brownies, a spoon... but Caleb and I use most of it in a little coffee confection. A couple shots of espresso, a little of this lovely caramel sauce, and a splash of magical half and half. De- lightful!

That said, this caramel sauce requires patience and vigilance. On my first couple of attempts, it wasn't until my second try that I managed not to end up of a pot full of hard white candy... so be SURE that your sugar is FULLY dissolved before you bring it to a boil! It always takes me longer than Mel's time estimates.

Try this, you will not be disappointed!

Divine caramel sauce from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Programming change

So, you'll notice that I haven't posted anything on this blog in a good long while. I had great intentions to, but the stars never aligned. That being the case, I'm going to reformat this blog a bit. I'll simply be posting links to the recipes that I love and use. I'll, of course, give tips or input from my experience with the recipes, but I'll let the very capable gaggle of talented food bloggers already on the internet share their step by step instructions and photos. Because, let's face it, I'm not adapting recipes or making up my own, and these bloggers take MUCH better photos than I do anyway. And each time I create a blog post for a recipe, I'll also post the link for the recipe on FB. So you can go directly there, if you like, and check here if you want to see my two cents! Excited to be sharing the recipes that I use in the kitchen again!

Peach Crumb Bars

These bars are delicious and are a cinch to throw together! Peeling and cutting the peaches is a bit time consuming, but it's not that bad. The recipe came from Annie's Eats (adapted from Smitten Kitchen), and she mentions that she's made these with raspberries and blueberries as well. Yum! So go get some peaches before the last ones are gone for the season, and whip up some of these crumb bars!

Ingredients: 1½ cups sugar, divided 1 tsp. baking powder 3 cups all-purpose flour ¼ tsp. salt Zest of half a lemon 16 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces 1 large egg 5 cups peeled, chopped peaches (about 5 peaches) 5 tsp. cornstarch Juice of 1 lemon Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg Directions: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder and flour. Mix in the salt and the lemon zest, and stir together with a fork. Cut in the butter and egg with a pastry blender until the largest chunks are about pea-sized. The mixture should be crumbly without much loose flour. Spread about half of the dough mixture in an even layer over the bottom of the prepared pan and press down firmly to form the bottom crust. In another bowl, stir together the remaining sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and nutmeg. Gently mix in the peaches with a rubber spatula until combined. Sprinkle the fruit mixture evenly over the crust. If your fruit has given off a lot of liquid, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the dish to keep the crust from becoming soggy. Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the peaches. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is slightly golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

SuperSonic Breakfast Burrito

This recipe is simply delicious... it comes together easily and fills you up! I used burrito sized tortillas, so it did not make 8, but that's to be expected.

This recipe comes from Pioneer Woman and is her take on Sonic's breakfast burrito! See, even Pioneer Woman eats fast food from time to time. :)

Ingredients

• 50 whole Frozen Tater Tots
• 8 whole Flour Tortillas, Fajita Size
• 1-½ cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
• 8 whole Eggs Beaten
• 2 Tablespoons Half-and-half
• 1 pound Breakfast Sausage
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
• ½ cups Jarred Jalapeno Slices
• 3 whole Roma Tomatoes, Sliced
• Salsa, On The Side
• 1 Tablespoon Butter

Preparation Instructions

Bake or fry tater tots according to package directions. Make sure they’re a little on the crisp side. Warm tortillas in the oven or microwave; keep warm and soft.

Brown breakfast sausage in a large skillet, breaking it up as you go along.

Mix eggs, half and half, salt, and pepper, and beat with a fork or whisk until totally combined. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook the eggs, scrambling them until they’re in smaller pieces and no longer wet.

To assemble, add ingredients to the middle 1/3 of a warm tortilla in this order: cheese, eggs, sausage, tater tots, chopped onion, jalapeno, and tomato slices. Wrap one side of the tortilla, then the other. Wrap burrito tightly in a square of foil and keep warm. Reheat in the oven if necessary.

Serve with salsa on the side.

Oat and maple syrup scones

These are yummy and simple, great for company, even if it's last minute!

Another winning recipe from Smitten Kitchen.

This recipe should make 8- 10 scones.

Adapted from Breakfast Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery

1 3/4 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting surface
1/2 cup (80 grams) whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (35 grams) rolled oats (I used quick-cooking)
1 very heaped tablespoon baking powder (I only slightly heaped; wish I’d heaped more!)
1 very heaped tablespoon superfine (caster) or granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Scant 3/4 cup (160 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup milk or buttermilk
1 egg, beaten (for glaze)

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter a baking tray, or, if you’re me and your baking sheets are in horrendous condition, line them with un-buttered parchment paper.

Whisk the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. In a small dish, combine the milk and syrup, then add these liquid ingredients to the butter-flour mixture. By hand or with a rubber spatula, bring everything together to form a softish dough. If it feels too dry, add a little more milk but not enough that the dough is sticky. “The dough should not be stick at all,” the book admonishes.

On a lightly floured surface, pat or roll the dough out until it is 1 1/4 inches (3 cm) tall. Using a 2-inch (5-cm) cutter, cut the dough into rounds and place them on the prepared tray so that they almost touch. Glaze the tops with beaten egg and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the scones are lightly golden. The scones will stick together, so pull them gently apart when they’ve cooled a bit — pull-apart scones!

Serve warm.

Oatmeal, Chocolate chip, and Pecan Cookies

I tried these cookies with a bit of trepidation, as I don't usually like nuts in baked goods, and there are some odd/ daring ingredients included in these (orange zest in chocolate chip cookies? Weird!). But boy, am I glad I took the risk! These are great, and they were a hit at playgroup (parents and kids alike)! People kept asking, "What is IN these?" Yum, yum... also, pretty quick and easy.

All credit to Smitten Kitchen for this recipe!

** Note: I didn't measure the orange zest that I used. It was about 4 or 5 microplanes worth. I just added them one at a time, so it didn't get overly orangey (which was a big concern of mine).

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cups chopped pecans
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment or a Silpat (nonstick baking mat). Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about three minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a separate bowl. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the second half. Stir in the oats, pecans, orange zest, and chocolate chips. Drop the dough, by the tablespoon, onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a rack. Store at room temperature in a cookie jar or other airtight container.

Chocolate Blizzard Bars

Once again, I'm skipping many other recipes in my queue to share this dessert with you. It's super fun, decadent, and messy. Also, it's very easy-- most of the time required is just for allowing the bars to set (5-6 hours-- so plan ahead!)

This recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe!

*Makes an 8X8- or 9X9-inch pan of bars

12 ounces chocolate chips, semisweet, bittersweet or milk chocolate
1/2 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
3 cups crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup chocolate chips or M&M’s

Garnish: mini marshmallows and additional M&M’s

Lightly grease an 8X8- or 9X9-inch baking pan and set aside.

In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips for one minute. Stir. Then continue to microwave in 30 second increments until the chips are completely melted. Stir in the peanut butter until combined. Let the mixture cool slightly, about five minutes. Add the rice cereal, marshmallows and chocolate chips and/or M&M’s. Fold together with a rubber spatula until well combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Press additional marshmallows and M&M’s into the top of the bars, if desired. Let the bars cool and set for 5-6 hours until they are firm and no longer gooey and melty. These bars take a lot longer to set up than the Avalanche Bars, in fact, when I made them, I kept pressing on the top wondering if they would ever set up. Sure enough, after a long enough rest, I finally cut into them (even though they still felt soft on top) and they were gloriously decadent and messy. Once the bars are firm and set, cut into squares and serve.

Peanut butter caramel- filled brownies

I have a whole list of recipes waiting to be posted, but I'm skipping past them all to share this one. Made these for my dad's birthday this past weekend (if you know my dad, you know why I picked them). These are truly fabulous. Being as rich as they are, they actually are better if you let them cool-- if you can wait that long, that is. :)

This recipe come from Smells Like Home.

2 sticks unsalted butter
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 oz caramel candies, unwrapped
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream plus 1/4 cup
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 pan with aluminum foil, leaving several inches hanging over the short ends of the pan. Grease the foil with butter or cooking spray. Be sure to grease the sides thoroughly, or the caramel layer in the middle will stick.

Combine the butter and chocolate in a heavy bottomed medium saucepan and set over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla mixing until thick and glossy. This will take 1 or 2 minutes of vigorous mixing with a wire whisk, or about a minute using mixer with paddle attachment set on medium high speed. Whisk or stir in flour and salt. Transfer half of the batter (about 2 1/2 cups) to the baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes. Let the brownies cool for about 20 minutes but keep the oven on.

Stir the caramels, peanut butter, and 1/3 cup cream in a heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Immediately spread the caramel mixture over the brownies (if you let it sit, it will get hard and difficult to spread). Mix in remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream to the remaining batter to thin it out a little because it will stiffen as it sits. Pour the remaining brownie batter evenly over the caramel mixture and spread gently to cover. If it is still difficult to pour, gently dollop large spoonful onto the caramel and allow the caramel to heat the batter. As it heats, it will become easier to spread. Sprinkle the chocolate chips. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool the brownies completely in the pan.

Grab the foil edges and lift the brownies out of the pan and cut them into squares. Brownies will keep, tightly wrapped, for a week at room temperature.

Soft Wrap Bread

This treat is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Made these for chicken gyros, but the possibilities are endless. They take some prep and planning, but are easy to make come mealtime. I think I'll use them for individual pizzas next.

*all the notes are Mel's*

3 to 3 1/4 cups (12 3/4 to 13 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) boiling water
1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) potato flour OR 1/2 cup (5/8 ounces) potato buds or flakes (I used potato flakes)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon instant yeast*

Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl or the bucket of a bread machine. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir until smooth. Lightly cover the bowl or bucket and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the slightly cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes (by hand, mixer or bread machine) to form a soft dough. It may look like the flour/salt/oil/yeast mixture will never absorb into the boiling water/flour mixture. It will, I promise, but you may need to take it out of your electric mixer, if using one, and knead the flour in by hand or add it very gradually into your electric mixer.

Note: You can allow the dough to go through the entire kneading cycle(s) in the bread machine, but it’s not necessary; about a 5-minute knead in the machine, once it gets up to full kneading speed, is fine. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky (the dough is fairly stiff, so don’t be worried – just be careful not to overflour the dough). Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour (I let mine rise up to 2 hours).

Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for about 1 minute per side (I cooked mine about 2-3 minutes per side and they didn’t dry out), until they’re puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly, or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.

*This recipe works best with instant yeast because it dissolves during the kneading process, so you don’t have to knead liquid into the dough. If you really prefer to use active dry yeast, use only 1 cup boiling water for the initial dough, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, and add this mixture to the dough along with the potato flour mixture. It’ll be somewhat “slippery” at first, but will knead in and eventually become smooth.

*Update (6/10): I’ve made this bread too many times to count since originally posting it and wanted to share that I now almost always make it with whole wheat flour (usually white wheat flour because that is what I have on hand to grind). The results are still extremely delicious and even healthier.

Blueberry Boy Bait

Yep, that's what it's called... if the name doesn't get you to try it... the simplicity and deliciousness will! And, if you use it to actually bait a boy, please do share the story!

Thanks to Smitten Kitchen for another fabulous recipe.

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk (though buttermilk, which was all I had on hand, worked just great)
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost first as it tends to muddle in the batter)

Topping
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

For the topping:
Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)

Dulce de Leche Coffee

Been on a little hiatus from blogging recipes as I compile all my recipes onto my new app! Yep, I have an app for that! So, I have a lot to catch up on. Here goes...

This recipe comes from Pioneer Woman's blog, which I haven't posted from before, but will definitely be posting from in the future.

We enjoyed this tasty concoction on community group girls' night:

• 4 cups Strongly Brewed Good Coffee
• 6 ounces, fluid Dulce De Leche (*see Note)
• 6 Tablespoons Kahlua, More If Preferred
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 6 Tablespoons Chocolate, Grated

Add Dulce de Leche to the very hot coffee; stir until completely dissolved and combined. Keep coffee hot.

Combine cream with sugar and whip until stiff.

Add 1 tablespoon Kahlua to each coffee cup. May add 1 1/2 if desired, or may add whiskey or brandy in addition.

Pour the coffee/dulce de leche mixture into each glass. Top with a heaping tablespoon whipped cream and grated chocolate of your choice.

Absolutely sinful!

*Dulce de Leche is sold in the Hispanic aisle of supermarkets, or in Hispanic specialty markets. It is sold in solid 15 ounce blocks, or in cans or bottles in more of a liquid form. You can also find recipes for making your own Dulce de Leche using sweetened condensed milk. Yum!