Buttery Crust and Yummy Fruit

My best friend got married. I shared the engagement pictures of I took of them and a couples shower I helped host for them. Now, I want to share something I baked for her wedding. My beautiful friend, Lauren, wanted to have a whole lotta pies. Her man loves a good pie, so what better way to incorporate him and his loves than by having a pie bar?

I made about 2 dozen cherry and 2 dozen strawberry pops. They were so cute! And something super fun to make. You can make these as time intensive as you like. Make the crust, buy the crust. Make the filling, buy some preserves. Just cut out circles, fill about 1/4 inch from the edge, drop a sucker stick, put on top crust, crimp edges, apply egg wash, bake!

For display, I brought along an old box with some floral foam. To hide the foam, we but burlap over it. The bride made little cards that labeled each pie and said who made them. It was such a sweet little arrangement of treats. Grandparents made their signature pies. The guests ate them up. Seriously. The pies were GONE very quickly. And, as I expected, little hands enjoyed the pie pops.

Chocolate-y, Nutty, Coconut Cracker Treats

Snacks are a big deal in our household. We try to avoid eating out and having the urge to just "grab shopping" when we are running errands by grabbing a snack for on the go snackage. But, we recently had an issue... we had 2 weeks left in the month and all of the snacks were out. People had come to visit and had eaten more of the snacks than anticipated, so The Mister had few things to round out his work day and lunch snacking. The evidence was clear - we were in need of snacks and fast!

 

 

 



Above is a picture of the inside of our pantry door - you see where the seasonings go, where the supply of things like zip lock bags, foil, parchment paper, etc hang out, and where snacks are for easy access. Only in the above picture is 1 granola bar and a box of fruit strips that contained 1 fruit strip. heartbreaking. So I remembered a Christmas Cookie swap where a friend made these cracker treats that Chris loved and was inspired to rummage and grab things out of the pantry.

 

I ended up pulling out walnuts and pecans (that I store in jars), coconut flakes, saltine crackers, and chocolate. This is chocolate that I had on hand for a while. The process after that was easy as pie (the layering and filling part of the pie, not the making of the crust as that part can be tricky).

After layering saltines on some foil on a baking sheet, I squeezed and smoothed chocolate over them until they were nice and covered.

 

I mixed the pecans and walnuts in my hand chopper and chopped to my hearts content. Then, I sprinkled the lovely things atop the chocolate covered crackers.

 

I laid the crackers out in a 6x4 arrangement, just to keep you in the loop.



Then, flakes of coconut were sprinkled all over - no measurements were used. I just put how ever much I knew the husband liked the ingredient and would be able to stick to the chocolate.

 

Then, I squeezed more chocolate on top of that. And tucked the pan in the oven on low (200) just long enough to toast the coconut.

I was afraid the chocolate wouldn't be sweet enough for Chris, so some powdered sugar was sifted on top for good measure.

 

And boom. But, I must be honest. These were not the Mister's favorite thing. His complaint was the chocolate not being sweet enough (didn't I know it!). So, I recommend having whom ever you are making this for do a taste test of the ingredients before you use them if they are something new. Otherwise, a nice, portable treat was made.

I will definitely make them again with different chocolate. Look how perfect they look? The little sweet and salties were packaged 2-3 in snack size zip locks and placed in our snack spot.

 

Doesn't that look better?? What do you think? Should this be considered a flub or failure?? I think it was a partial success... next time I will use a sweeter chocolate. maybe even some almond bark. Suggestions? 

 

 

Pesto Cubes - Save your herbs!

We have an issue that I think many people our age have - it is difficult to eat all of our herbs before they go bad. It tends to be more cost efficient to buy in bulk for fresh herbs (and in the summer time I take advantage of fresh as opposed to dry). But they can come in some pretty big bundles. And after a bit you can get sick of eating that same herb on everything. We even tend to buy a couple at once - usually basil, cilantro, and parsley. So 2 people with bushels of herbs who really only eat dinner at home. So when I saw multiple postings on Pinterest suggesting freezing pesto, I went for it.

Here is the scenario. I came across some parsley that was on its way out when I was sorting through leftovers in the fridge for lunch (We love leftovers in our house! They tend to function as second dinners and lunch the next day for me. Leftovers never go to waste). The entire cast of character includes parsley, lemon juice, Romano cheese, olive oil, and a little salt. All of these things went in to a food processor until they were pesto-fied (that just means smooth and mixed well).

I then poured that pesto in to our deep silicone ice tray and let freeze for 4 hours. Then they were placed in a freezer storage bag with the date and details, waiting for a day when we had no clue what we wanted didn't want to make anything super intense... Then came dinner last night. I was tired, The Mister was tired, but tilapia was ready to be dressed for dinner. 

I threw 2 cubes in to a nonstick pan with 2 Tilapia. Cooked and shredded the fish and placed some rice beside it. Veggies of your choice on the side.

 My favorite thing about this idea is that you can do this with any herb, really. And you can make several different kinds of pesto to throw in any dish - pasta, veggies, proteins of your picking.

Chris LOVED this meal. He said it was the best fish he has had. Honestly. And it was so easy to make. So get to saving your herbs that are a day away from the trash can and freeze some pesto!

Here is the recipe for my pesto (super flexible! add almonds, more garlic, other spices, switch up the cheeses...):

Parsley Romano Pesto with Lemon

1 cup parsley (curly)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 medium lemon
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup grated Romano
Pinch of salt

1. Put ingredients in your food processor until the consistency you prefer - I pulse mine for about a minute.
2. Freeze in your preferred container (muffin tin, ice cube tray...) or serve right away!

 Enjoy!

Ginger Roasted Tomato and Zucchini Slices

Remember my other post about another easy veggie side dish, Chris's favorite Cilantro Corn? Here is another easy dish for you. I like to make this one when the entree is fish or chicken that I plan on lightly seasoning and pan searing. 

For this side dish of easy veggies, you need a Roma tomato, a zucchini, olive oil, salt, pepper, and ground ginger. I usually serve up a Roma tomato and a zucchini per person.



 To give you a guide to how thinly I sliced the veggies, above is a lovely photo - but you can make them as thin or as thick as you would like. The tomato shrivels up quite about while roasting, so be sure not to slice it too thinly (to prevent burning it). But, if you want to place the tomato and the zucchini on the same pan, you should take that in to account when slicing the zucchini because it takes a bit longer than tomato to roast up. I sliced my Roma tomatoes about the width you would slice up a tomato for a hamburger. The zucchini was cut to be about 1/4 inch thick.

 A light coating of extra virgin olive oil coated a pan (covered with aluminum foil to cut down on dishes). Lay out the veggies on the pan and crack some salt and pepper with about 1/4 tsp of ginger sprinkled atop on side of them. Then, I slipped the sliced veggies and did the same to the other side.

 The picture on the left is pre-roasting. The picture on the right is post-roasting. See how the veggies shrank up a bit?? The tomato did definitely more. Roast them for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.

They are a favorite at our house. The night I made this dish, they were served with angel hair pasta and Italian seasoned chicken. Chris eats them up! Hope your family does, too.

Chris's Cilantro Corn

The Mister has an obsession. His obsession is with cilantro. I am NOT over-exaggerating this, I promise. He loves it. When he is making salsa, he will say ATLEAST 3 times during his taste tests "needs more cilantro" before he is satisfied. He loves to add cilantro to any recipes.

So, I tried to jazz up a vegetable that can be very boring. Corn, kept on the cob.

To make this corn, I chop up half a tablespoon of butter and rough chop about 3 sprigs (which is about 9 medium sized leaves) without the stems. Crack a little black pepper and salt over the top. Then, the corn, along with these lovely things, are rolled up in foil, thrown in to the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. I usually throw it in at the beginning of the meal and pull it out once everything else is finished cooking. You can even just throw this on the grill to cook.

The corn comes out juicy, brighter, and smelling delicious. If you are into substitutions, I have successfully substituted olive oil brushed on the corn instead of the butter. 

With fingers crossed, I served this to The Mister, hoping he would really love it. And he totally did. This is now Chris's favorite way to eat corn. So, if you know someone obsessed with cilantro, give this super easy veggie side dish a try!!

Breakfast Tacos in Bulk

I debated whether or not to even write this guy because this seems so simple to me, but what the hey! Maybe there are some of you out there who could use a simpler version of cooking breakfast tacos. Excuse the low quality photos, por favor.

Previously, I told you guys how we managed to move to a new place and not lose our minds in the process. One part of that was to keep food around for ourselves and the helpers to eat when their tummies beckoned for nourishment. This is so simple that it can be upgraded with just a few additions, like chopped veggies.

When I plan out portions for breakfast tacos, I give everyone two eggs. I also portion one package of sausage to a dozen eggs. For us, we always have a big pack of flour tortillas on hand, so when the goods are done cooking, I fill those until there are no more left to fill. With 1 package of sausage and a dozen eggs, that can be about 50 breakfast tacos. We also had salsa and shredded cheese for people to put on their breakfast tacos, if they desired.

I cooked them in my big cast iron skillet - first browning the sausage, then adding in the dozen eggs after I had whisked them together in a separate bowl. Tortilla on foil ready to wrap it all together completed the burrito. I got about 50 with the portion size shown above. And they were a success. Ones that were not eaten moving day were saved in the fridge for The Mister to grab and eat before work.

Lola - at this point was displaced to the kitchen because every other place was filled with boxes. She was perturbed that I was in her space. And maybe she was hoping some would fall on the floor.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I am a firm believer in the philosophy "Everything in moderation." With that said, I am also conscientious of certain things that I eat (or that I serve The Mister), especially the amount of salt we take in. Within the last year, I have become a smarter consumer, reading more and more product labels. And we can get tons of salt in surprising places! Taco seasoning packets were great for convenience for me, but when I read the label I was surprised that there was so much salt AND I didn't even know what a lot of the stuff on the ingredients list was. So I did my due diligence and mixed up my own.

I like to make the taco seasoning in bulk. And I like to save empty spice containers to save my own mixes in (that is how my taco seasoning ended up in a nice glass spice container). There are a lot of recipes out there for homemade taco seasoning. I use my seasoning mix for all tex mex recipes. Queso gets a little dash, fajitas are rubbed down with 2 tablespoons, and a pound of ground beef gets a tablespoon of seasoning.

Here is the Taco Seasoning Mix (for bulk):

1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 Tbs cayenne pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried minced onion flakes
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano
3 tsp paprika
2 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs black pepper
1/2 Tbs coarse sea salt


I prefer the shaken, not stirred method no mixing these spices together. What was awesome about that is before I had a nice spice container, I just labeled a ziplock with "Tex Mex Spice mix" and scooped as I needed it.  A tip I read at a few different places and didn't believe it until I tried it is to add 1 tablespoon of regular, boring all purpose flour to ground meat for tacos to let these spices stick better to the meat so you get more flavor.

We use this mix A LOT at our house. I love some delicious tex mex.

Carrot and Zucchini Muffins

It was a lazy Saturday morning. I was enjoying getting cozy in my bed, watching Food Network. I saw this recipe and just couldn't get it out of my head! Giada De Laurentiis knows how to make a yummy muffin.

She made mini ones, but I do not have a mini muffin tin in my baking arsenal as of yet, so I just adjusted the baking time and made regular muffins.

These muffins used many ingredients I do not usually have on hand in my pantry: almond flour,  brown rice flour, and grapeseed oil. They were there on the shelf at Walmart, so don't fret about being able to find them.

You have seen other carrot muffin recipe. Delicious and sweet veggies in cake. So, seeing another with zucchini added in the mix made my mouth water. Don't forget to peel that carrot before you grate it. The zucchini can keep its skin.

Super thick, delicious smelling batter. It smelled even better baking in the oven. That cinnamon will get me every time.

And the frosting. You don't have to have frosting on yours, but I just can't do it.

I always seem to have cream cheese in the house. Cream cheese frosting is my favorite. Blend until smooth. Top it the way you like it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup grated carrots (from1 medium peeled carrot)
• 1/2 cup grated zucchini (from 1 medium unpeeled zucchini)
• 1/2 cup raisins

Frosting (optional for you)

• 1 cup whipped cream cheese, at room temperature (about 8 ounces)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 mini muffin tins with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, sieve together the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add any solids leftover in the sieve to the bowl and mix in.

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the oil, syrup, and egg. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Mix in the grated carrot, grated zucchini, and raisins.

4. Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with the batter and bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

5. For the frosting: In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and honey until smooth.

6. Spread the cooled muffins with frosting, if using, and serve.

Yummy.

Source: Giada De Laurentiis's Carrot and Zucchini Mini-Muffins

23 Birthday Cupcakes

The Mister LOVES peanut butter desserts. His favorite is the peanut butter chip cupcake from Sprinkles. For his birthday, he requested that I make them since we are on a bit of a tight budget and Sprinkles cupcakes just don't squeeze in. So, I went on the bunt for copy cat recipe. Who would have thought that Candace Nelson (Sprinkles founder) had already shared the recipe!

Sprinkles' Peanut Butter Chip Cupcakes

1 cup all purpose flour (unbleached)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3/4 cup all natural peanut butter, room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used mini chips)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Combine milk and vanilla in a small bowl (or a large enough measuring cup, like I did to save some dishes). Beat sugars and butter in your mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs to the butter and sugar and mix until smooth.
4. Slowly stir in the peanut butter.
5. Slowly add in half of the dry ingredients (the flour bowl).
6. When fully incorporated, add the milk and vanilla mixture and continue to blend slowly.
7. Slowly add in the rest of the dry ingredients on low speed until incorporated.
8. Add in the chocolate chips.
9. Scoop into your paper liners and bake for 22 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Sprinkles' Peanut Butter Frosting

6 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup natural peanut butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk

1. Combine sugar and salt in a bowl. Combine milk and vanilla in a bowl.
2. Beat butter and peanut butter in mixer until smooth and creamy.
3. Alternately add sugar and milk mixture until incorporated.
4. If the frosting isn't quite up to snuff, add more milk to make it smoother.
5. Frost your cooled cupcakes to your hearts desire.


The Mister loved his birthday cupcakes. He said they taste exactly like Sprinkles, which means I did it right! I hope this will help you save a little money and make someone happy, too.

Uh-Oh Hummingbird Cake Balls

I was making cupcakes. And I was in a hurry. All cupcake tins were filled and there was still batter left. So I threw the extra in a cake pan. My house smelled glorious! I had never made hummingbird cake before and I loved that it gave me some freedom. When the cake was done, it wasn't cooling fast enough for me so I tried to shake it out onto a plate to cool. Then, I ended up with a cake spilt into pieces beyond repair. This sad tragedy turned in to a delicious treat.

I put the cake chunks in a bowl and started squeezing over the leftover cream cheese frosting.

I stirred it all together and was left with a yummy concoction ready to be dipped in some white chocolate almond bark! I used my ice cream scooper to get the right size for dipping and laid them out on a cookie sheet. Then they were put in the freezer for 30 minutes to be perfectly firm  to hold up in the melted almond bark.

I wish I was a dipping expert. I wish. Because then I could relay some awesome dipping tips. I'm sure having the right tools is key, but I'm too cheap to go out and buy those little things for dipping. My method of dipping half, letting it harden, then dipping the other half work just fine for me, though!

Extra melted almond bark gets drizzled over the tops for more shell goodness. These little uh-oh treats were dense, delicious desserts that friends went coo-coo over. Here is the recipe I used.

Heads up: When I bake, I follow basic baking chemistry that I know just from baking so many things. Then I just compare and hunt down recipes and what not to see what others suggest to keep any new cakes I venture out to make moist. If I follow someone else's recipe, I will cite it. If no citation, it is a recipe I developed.

Hummingbird Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

3 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup chopped pecans

2 cups mashed bananas (comes out to about 2 large bananas)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 package (pound) of powered sugar

1. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and spices; add eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not beat.) Stir in vanilla, pineapple, pecans, bananas, and coconut.
2. Pour batter into whatever it is you want to bake it in (make sure they are greased). Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
3. If you want to make these into cake balls, break up cake into crumbs and put in a bowl.
4. To make the cream cheese frosting, first whip together the butter and cream cheese with the vanilla extract. Slowly add the powdered sugar in about 4 installments.
5. Frost your cakes, cupcakes, or whatever delicious treat you have just baked. If you are making cake balls, mix the frosting in with the cake crumbs.
6. For cake balls, scoop out the cake balls on to a pan and put in the freezer to firm up before dipping in to chocolate.

This post is linked up to:

Embracing Change