Mother's Day Fiesta!

I decided to "go easy" for Mother's Day and just do a taco bar for the family. Crock-pot shredded chicken, beans, tortillas, all the fixings...simple. Until I saw on Pinterest the cutest cactus cut-out cookies and decided I just needed to make them! And for those of you who know me, know I am not a baker. Nor a pastry decorator.

But on this day, I decided I would be. However, in my collection of 100 cookie cutters (I'm not exaggerating) I couldn't locate a cactus so I jumped in the car and headed to our local cookie cutter store (also known as Wine and Cake) to purchase said cactus and also scored a tipi!

Several hours, lots of curse words and phallic jokes later, the cookies were complete! Let's just say I reached my cut-out cookie quota for the year.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms who have passed on their love of baking and pampering those they love?

Tomato Tart

A delicious summertime side dish.

What you'll need:
1 pizza crust
5 oz goat cheese
1 tbsp seasonings (I used a mixture of thyme, rosemary and Sel Magique salts)
3 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced 1/4"
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

What you do:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the pizza crust according to the package. Roll flat and place in a pie dish or tart pan and prick the dough with a fork.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crust starts to get a little fluffy.
4. While the crust is baking, slice your tomatoes about 1/4" thick. 

5. In a bowl mix the goat cheese and seasonings. Coat the pie crust with the mixture.

6. Next, layer the tomatoes, alternating colors. Drizzle with the olive oil and top with Parmesan. 

7. Bake for another 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Mediterranean Night

I'm a big dip person. It's a serious weakness, but a delicious one. With this said, naturally I have two 92 Days of Summer list items that are dips. For this Wednesday night, I tried an original tzatziki recipe that I'm so excited to add to my dip routine. And a falafel recipe that is simple and tasty as well. So, let's go!

What you need:
for the tzatziki (it's ideal to make this first)
1 cup greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cucumber
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dill
for dipping: cucumbers, radishes, bell peppers, banana peppers, tomatoes...you name it.

for the falafel
1 cup fresh parsley
1 cup cilantro
1 cup almonds, peanuts and carrots (almonds are ideal, but I didn't have enough - or of peanuts either so I improvised)
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp olive oil, more for the pan
optional: sun-dried tomatoes and/or sesame seeds

What you do:
for the tzatziki 
1. Grate the cucumber and place into a mesh strainer. Lots of recipes suggest letting it strain overnight, even through a cheesecloth...but I did not. I used a mesh colander and was able to reduce enough liquid to my satisfaction.
2. In a bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, garlic and olive oil. Mix well.
3. Chill in the fridge and add the dill right before serving.

for the falafel
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray your baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a food processor, combine the parsley, cilantro and almonds/peanuts/carrots (if you are using carrots, be sure to chop first or even run them through the processor first).
3. Add in the chickpeas and chop until smooth.
4. Pulse in the oil, flour, soda and garlic. Here is where you could add the sun-dried tomatoes or sesame seeds.
5. Roll into 1.5-2" balls and place on the baking sheet. You can either leave as balls or pat them down into patties. Either way, top with a little oil.

Pie of a Different Color.

I'll admit. This isn't quite what I had in mind when I put "Bake a Pie" on the list. Maybe Aunt Tillie's Pecan Pie. Perhaps Sue's Zucchini Pie. A cute July-4th-themed cherry pie.

But we ended up with Cheeseburger Pie, thanks to this cookbook. Alpha-Bakery was a favorite of the eight-year-old Ashley. My mom, sister and I tested many of these recipes over the years, which included everything from pizza pockets to playdough. I came across the paperback as I was organizing, purging unwanted craft items and building a hefty donate pile. It was missing about half the pages as I had used them as postcards a few years back (have no fear, our original copy is still safe and sound in Ohio), but Cheeseburger Pie was still in tact. I happened to leave the cookbook on the counter, flipped open to the savory pie recipe. When Mike saw it, he got so excited at the thought of a "Cheeseburger Pie," there was no way I could deny him all the delicious glory that this eight-year-old once enjoyed.

I'm sure you're just dying to know the recipe, here are my modifications.

What you need:
1/2 pound ground beef
1 cup mix of onion, green and red peppers, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup dill pickle juice
1/2 cup dill pickles, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
jalapeños, sliced
1/4 cup flour
1 pre-made pie crust or bag of pizza dough

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Mix the pizza dough according to directions.
2. Grease a pie dish, then pat the dough in the bottom and up the sides. Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Cook beef, onions, peppers and garlic until brown. Sprinkle with flour, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Stir in pickles and pickle juice, milk and 3/4 cup cheese. Spoon into pie dish.
5. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and place sliced jalapeños. Bake an additional 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

#88: Purge & Donate

#16: Organize

#62: Bake a Pie

I'm participating in the 92 Days of Summer challenge. Click here to see my 92 To-Do's for this Summer - and to see the brave souls tackling their own lists!

#44: Make Bread

Who needs to make bread when you have a out-of-this-world-amazingly-delicious bakery two blocks from your house? Chelsea's newest business, The Bakehouse, has capture my heart (and belly) through their local ingredients, simplistic interiors and delightful concoctions.

And just for the record, I did make bread this Summer. Jalapeño Cornbread for our trip to Farmville.

I'm participating in the 92 Days of Summer challenge. Click here to read all about it and here to a see a gallery of pictures of everyone participating. 

Homemade Veggie Corn Dogs

I used to eat veggie corn dogs all the time, they were taken off the shelves of every grocery store around here a few years back. This summer I was determined to try and make them myself and I think I'm onto something here! The taste was exactly right, but the appearance has little to be said. I've seen people make mini corn dog muffins, but that just doesn't seem the same to me. However, they are waaaaay cuter than my attempt. Like I said, a work in progress...what would you suggest?

Here's what I did:

1. Mix together Jiffy cornbread according to directions.
2. Grease bread loaf pan. Pour 1/4 of the cornbread batter onto the bottom of the pan.
3. Cut the ends of the veggie hot dogs so they fit short-width-wise. Hold on to the ends though, you can use those! You can fit 4-5 dogs, plus the remnants can make up one.
4. Pour the rest of the batter on top of the veggie dogs. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. 5. Let rest a few minutes and pop out of dish. If you're so inclined, you can poke popsicle sticks into the ends...I didn't get that far though.

I'm participating in my third 92 Days of Summer challenge. Read about the project here.

Grilled Shortcakes

This item made it to the 92 Days list because of this recipe. Looks amazing, right? Of course it does, anything Taylor makes, looks like your life wouldn't be complete without a bite.

However, I realized that neither myself or Mike are huge strawberry shortcake fans. Nor do we need loads of sweet treats hanging out the house during bathing suit season. So I actually looked up the definition of a shortcake.

short·cake

  [shawrt-keyk]  Show IPA

noun

1.

a cake made with a relatively large amount of butter or other shortening.

That got me thinking, cornbread muffins could technically be a shortcake, right? Of course! And who said you couldn't have a savory shortcake? Yesterday morning I got up and made the cornbread muffins before work. When I got home, I sauteed some peppers, onions and garlic, made a little chipotle cream, grilled the cornbread and put it all together. Voila! Grilled Savory Shortcakes. 

What you need

1 package Jiffy cornbread mix (requires 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 green pepper, cut into strips

1/2 onion, cut into slices

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup sour cream

juice from half a lime

cumin, taco seasoning, ground red pepper, garlic salt and pepper

splash of hot sauce

a grill pan (I have had this one for years and it works like a charm)

What you do

1. Prepare the corn muffins according to the package. Let cool completely.

2. On half of the grill pan, saute onions, peppers and garlic in oil until tender. 

3. Cut the muffins in half lengthwise. Place the cut sides down on the other half of the grill pan and let sit while your veggies cook.

4. Mix together the sour cream, lime, seasonings and hot sauce.

5. Assemble the shortcakes: muffins (cut side up), veggies, cream topping and a sprinkle of cheese.
note: this makes enough for one person (muffin mix makes approximately 8 muffins)

 #74: Grill Shortcakes is off the list. And yes, this one may be a stretch, but this list is all about being creative and did my best :)

I'm participating in the 92 Days of Summer challenge. Read about the project here.

#41: Make Cookies

My friend Susie made me a batch of the glorious Funfetti cookies for my birthday. I immediately ran out and bought a box of the cake mix and it's been sitting in my cabinet since then (my birthday is in January, btw). I got a hankering for something sweet, in a cookie form, and remembered the lonely mix in my cupboard. Within 15 minutes I had cookies and I have never been so satisfied (in the cookie department).

What you need:
1 box of Funfetti cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil

What you do: 
1. Mix everything together.
2. Roll dough into 1" balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Mash down to 1/4" thickness with a spoon or cup buttom.
3. Bake for 6-8 minutes at 375 degrees.

It's remarkable how soft they stay (even when you accidentally leave them out on the counter "cooling" all night long!).

Easy Pot Pie

I saw these Progresso Meal Starters on sale at the Teet last week, thinking they'd be great for easy dinners throughout the week. I put it to the test and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome...mostly surprised because Mike loved it was well! The whole process took about an hour, which isn't too terrible, since we had leftovers for lunches.

What you need:
2 pre-made pie crusts
1 can Progresso Meal Starters, creamy roasted garlic
3 red potatoes, cubed
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup corn (canned or frozen)
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup shredded cheese
salt, pepper, thyme

What you do:
1. Boil the potatoes and carrots for 20 minutes or until tender. While the veggies cook, boil the chicken until thoroughly cooked. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. Lightly grease an 8-inch pie dish. Spread the first pie crust out and bake a few minutes.
3. Once potatoes are cooked, drain water and add in garlic sauce, cheese, corn and chicken. Season with salt and pepper and pour into pie crust. Top with remaining pie crust and bake for 20 minutes or until dough is a flaky, golden brown.

*To make the recipe vegetarian, sub chicken with fake meat substitute or another 2 cups of vegetables. Note, the garlic sauce is made with chicken broth, so the recipe cannot be 100% vegetarian.

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Did you ever eat elephant ears as a kid? You remember that big paper plate overflowing with the layered cinnamon sugar bread? Oh yeah, between those and the funnel cakes we were in heaven at the local Days in the Park. I was pretty excited when I found a recipe for something similar to those elephant ears...cinnamon pull-apart bread. I tweaked mine to use store-bought crescent rolls instead of making my own dough, other than the look, the end result was awesome (mine didn't get super fluffy, you could try using pastry puff - or show me up and make your own dough).

What you need:

1 tube crescent rolls

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp butter

2 tsp vanilla

flour for dusting

 What you do:

1. Roll out your crescent dough and pinch the seams together.

2. Add the sugar and cinnamon. Melt the butter and vanilla together and brush onto dough. Generously sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar mixture. 

 3. Cut the dough into squares, size or shape doesn't really matter.

 4. Stack the squares on top of one another, alternating positioning.

 5. Layer the dough in a pre-greased bread pan. Pour the remaining vanilla/butter mixture and top with extra cinnamon and sugar. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes (or until done). Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Baking with My Momma

My absolute favorite cookie my mom makes, Raspberry Tarts. And, according her, this will be the last year I get them - since they are a pain in the butt to make!

Make the dough and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Roll out the dough. Use a cup to cut perfect circles to the size of your mini muffin pan. Press dough firmly in a greased pan.

Fill the tarts with a spoonful of raspberry jam.

Bake until the crusts are golden brown.

Make the cream cheese frosting.

Spread the frosting and eat immediately!

Crab Cakes

I can't believe I forgot to blog about my first attempt at crab cakes! Earlier this year I made crab balls, but those were much easier and a lot less pressure...you see these crab cakes replaced the Turkey at Thanksgiving for Mike and his mother, Sonia.

Anyway, I got an easy recipe from a co-worker and by the second batch I had the routine down. Be warned though, fresh crab meat is not cheap! And I didn't even use the nicest lump meat ($25 per pound). I'm pretty pleased with the results, so follow along!

What you need

1/4 cup mayo
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 lb fresh crab meat (I used back fin)
2 tbsp chopped green onion
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (or you can use Ritz cracker crumbs)
salt and pepper
vegetable oil for frying

What you do

1. Combine all the ingredients.
2. Mold into patties and place on a cookie sheet. Optional: You can refrigerate up to an hour and it'll help in the frying process. If you're running low on time, head straight to the next step.
3. Fry the crab cakes in hot oil in batches of 2-3. I made 8 medium-sized cakes and served with a (store-bought) Cajun red pepper remoulade - mixed with a little mayo to make it more creamier. 

Sonia's sweet potato casserole, which she made just for
Mike - since neither her or I like it. But it came out so pretty!

New Pumpkin Dip

I've switched up my pumpkin dip recipe this year to be a bit more healthy. I know, old faithful is super delicious, but it sits heavy on your stomach with all that cream cheese. I tried out a new "skinny" version and and pretty pleased with the results!

What you need:

1 can pumpkin
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
6 oz fat free Greek yogurt
8 oz fat free Cool Whip
graham crackers (or apples) for dipping

What you do:

1. Mix the pumpkin with sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
2. Stir in the Greek yogurt. Fold in Cool Whip and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Crab Dip Mini Pies

They're fancy, savory and ready in about 40 minutes. Great appetizer for a girls night, wine party for dinner for two!

What you need:

1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp diced jalapenos
1/4 cup frozen spinach
1 can crab meat
1 package low-fat (or fat free) cream cheese, softened.
1/4 cup shredded cheese (your choice)
salt, pepper and crushed red pepper
2 store-bought pie crusts
mini muffin pan

What you do:

1. Saute the onions, garlic, jalapenos and spinach in oil until tender, about five minutes.
2.Turn heat off, but keep the pan on the burner. Add in crab meat, cream cheese and shredded cheese and mix well. Add in the seasonings to your liking.
3. Heat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your mini muffin pan.
4. Roll out the dough cut out approximately 24 3" circles. I used the one of our Ikea juice glasses and it worked perfectly. Push the dough circles into the pan and fill with a teaspoon (or two) of crab mixture. Top with a little extra cheese.
5. Repeat until your pan is full and pop into the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Oreo Brownies

I found this beautiful concoction of brownie goodness and knew I had to make them ASAP. Instead of going through all the trouble of making them from scratch, I bought a box of brownie mix and a box of Oreo's. Which, by the way, have you been the cookie isle lately to see the 20-something varieties of these little sandwich cookies? Totally unnecessary if you ask me, but I digress.

I followed the brownie recipe on the box, folding in about six crushed cookies. I spread the batter in a well-greased baking dish and we crumbled another four or five cookies on top. Normal baking times and let cool completely before cutting....they are a little extra gooey from the Oreo pieces.

It's a little surprise party, for your taste buds!

#34: Bake a Fancy Cake

It may not look that fancy, but it sure tasted fancy! I put my blackberries from last week to good use in a cake I made on Sunday for a cookout. I cheated a little and bought box cake (butter pecan flavor), but added a handful of mashed berries to the batter.


I found an AMAZING recipe for icing online and I may never use another icing recipe again! It's simple: 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 tsp lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 8 oz cream cheese. I used light cream cheese and threw in a couple blackberries instead of the lemon juice. I'm happy to report the cake was a huge success and quite a seasonal treat! #34, so long!

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

Thrifty Thursday: #60 Make Granola Bars

Today seems to be quite a food day here at the blog. But I found this recipe for "super easy no bake granola bars" which included ingredients most people would have around their house. Sounded like a great way to cross #60 off the list. Seven hours later I'm still not 100% convinced with this recipe. Although I accidentally bought rolled oats, so that's where my problem probably lies. I suppose if I followed directions, I'd have better luck...Here's what you do:

Combine 2 cups quick cooking oats and 1 cup Life cereal and set aside. Melt 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup honey and 1/3 cup brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Pour the sugar mixture over the cereals and stir well, making sure everything is coated. Grease a baking dish and press the granola into the sheet. Sprinkle with chocolate chips or raisins (or both :) and gently press them into the batter.

After four hours mine weren't sticking together so I put them in the fridge for an hour or so. They harden up enough to cut them into bars. I'm keeping them in the fridge so they stay together.

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

#14: New Bakery

I met Nealy at Sweet Temptations, a new coffee shop (#77) and bakery in Town Center. This adorable little shop serves up some tasty pastries (almond and cinnamon twists above) with lots of made-to-order cake and cupcake options. Got my afternoon pick-me-up and crossed off two to-dos!

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here and comment
if you want to help me cross a off a few!

Pizza Party

I was having a few people over so I decided to make some mini pizzas for a light snack. They are more like flatbreads since none of them actually have pizza sauce, but I made some bruschetta for dipping. I was pretty please with the way they all came out...and the best part? I already had everything I needed to bake (including the herbs from the garden) – that's a pretty rare occasion for me!

So here are my mini pizza combinations:

1. Rosemary & Mushroom: small can of mushrooms, handful of fresh rosemary (chopped), feta, parmesan, salt and pepper
2. Asparagus & Red Onion: 4-5 asparagus (cut into 1-2" pieces), thinly sliced red onion, pepperjack cheese and red pepper flakes
3. Pear & Mint: 1 thinly sliced pear (I used canned), handful of fresh mint (minced), sugar and parmesan 
4. Basil & Garlic: Handful fresh basil (chopped), 4-5 cloves thinly sliced garlic, feta and lots of fresh cracked pepper and salt

And for the bruschetta...
Combine one can of diced tomatoes (drained), basil (chopped), 2-3 cloves fresh garlic (minced), a tsp of balsamic, salt and lots of pepper. Let it chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving so all the flavors fuse together.

#30: Throw a Party

Honestly, this wasn't the kind of party I was expecting to throw. Maybe a holiday progressive like we did a few years back or a 4th of July party (which we could still do). But my girlfriends talked me into a Slumber Party. Nevertheless, I hosted this party and all 12 girls (quite the event for our tiny apartment) had a blast!

I made spinach dip, creamy feta dip and black bean dip (recipes coming soon, I promise!). I made this awesome veggie hummus tart and had lots of vegetables and carbs for dipping. I needed to keep the "heavy h'orderves" easy since we were also expecting a baby and a hospital run at any moment (don't worry, not from me, Mike's sister-in-law). Lisa also made delicious Oreo cake.

I also used some old flower vases (which are rarely used as such) as snack decanters. I filled them with banana chips and cranberries, peanuts and pretzels. It's a more hygenic – and cuter – way to present a party mix, thanks Martha. I asked everyone to bring a bottle of wine to share and also made some sun tea with mint ice cubes.

As for the actual content of party, host one yourself and find out! These aren't the typical "toy parties" you watch in the movies, I promise. I mean, it was fun and we spent the entire time laughing and joking, but it's also pretty educational and very entertaining.

So, a party has been thrown! #30 is off the list.

I'm tackling the second annual 92 Days of Summer list.
See the full post and list here.