Friday Feature: Mayhem, madness, 'mazing macaroons

It's time to fight Friday blues

I miss my Friday Features, in fact I miss my structured blog entries but I refrained from doing them (all the time) as they seemed to constrict my writing. That said, I'm enjoying the fact that it's Friday and while browsing a blog I felt the need to blog about it and realized I could. Under my Friday Features!

Macaroons...macarons, however you want to spell them, I prefer the former as there's something more appealing about the way it looks and fits the actual devilish delight. Would you believe, I actually have yet to have a proper macaroon! And yet I am so in love with them.

It all began with that episode of Masterchef Australia when Adriano Zumbo unveiled his macaroon tower for the elimination round to kill them all...

It was official: I was in love. The macaroon recipe was what did me in. I had conquered the apparently "difficult" red velvet cake and did it all by hand too (although I highly recommend investing on an electric mixer, doing it by hand is primitive and painful. I only did it because it was for Scott's birthday!) and needed a new challenge. So what better challenge than to try out macaroons? Pfui, I'll conquer them too!

Unfortunately it will be a long time until I can make my own deletable delights (alas, living in a residential college curbs your cooking inspiration, I await the day I move out eagerly!) but until then I waste no time in perusing anyone and everyone's accounts of macaroon madness!

From Masterchef Australia runner-up (and University of Adelaide student, yay for pride!) Callum Hann's recipe for Violet Macaroons with raspberries and butter cream which looks phenomenally hard to a more simple version of Violet's (haha, the irony...) Chocolate Macaroons (I highly suggest reading Violet's blog by the way, she's a cutie!) there is an abundance of recipes out there all with horror stories too.

Has anyone tried making these sugary treats? If so, any suggestions?

Friday Feature: Oreo Cheesecakes

It's time to fight Friday blues

(Picture taken from lillyella's blog)

The holidays are coming up, a short and very busy one albeit but after that I'll be on summer break and back home in Sri Lanka which I'm looking forward to. For one thing, I'm looking forward to trying out a whole bunch of recipes I've been accumulating and drooling after this entire year! Now, if you know me pretty well you'll know that one of my favorite desserts in the entire world is a classic cheesecake. If you're Blaire Sigson then you'll know that frozen oreo pudding is an amazing treat after midnight and we can demolish an entire one between ourselves and still want more. So when I found this recipe for Oreo Cheesecakes on lillyella's blog I definitely fell in love!

So who else is with me on this superb combination? Really, how can anyone resist?!

Wednesday WhatsIts: Lasagna a la Rice Cooker

Gotta get it outta my system on a Wednesday

(Image taken from Yumeko's blog 'A Dream of Tokyo')

One way I love to relax is to browse through blogs I love and my current favorite is Yumeko's A Dream of Tokyo. She is such an adorable blogger with a mature twist to her entries too. Mixing in fashion, beauty, culture and personal interests and quirks, her entries make for a great read in the evening after a long day.



There was one particular entry that I fell in love with when I first encountered her blog and sealed the deal for me while also giving me something to try out one day.

Now, if you're Asian - well, in my case [half] Japanese - then you understand the importance of this appliance: the almighty Rice Cooker! It is THE one appliance we have to have and owning one makes your life complete. No joke, it's a serious matter! Rice is important in any Asians life even if we don't acknowledge it. I'm not too sure about other Asians but I always feel guilty if I leave behind even a grain of rice in my bowl, every single one has be eaten otherwise it's just wasteful.

Anyway, enough with the rice, my focus today is the cooker itself. It's amazing how you just assume something or someone is only as they seem only to find out that there is more than meets the eye. That's what Yumeko's entry on rice cooker lasagna (scroll to the end) made me feel! How insanely good does it look?! At first I was pretty skeptical and almost horrified over the thought of using a sacred appliance in such a manner but the more I thought about it the more I fell in love with this unconventional way of cooking.

So even though I don't yet own a rice cooker (first thing I'll purchase as soon as I move into my own place though!) I definitely know this is high on my list of things to try out.

Check out Yumeko's blog for more delightful entries and try out this recipe if you own a rice cooker, don't be scared!

Friday Feature: Red Velvet Cupcakes

It's time to fight Friday blues

I first heard of red velvet cake about six years ago but I never pursued the recipe nor was I particularly interested in finding out what the big deal was surrounding this cake. Sometime last year though, Mummy and I were shopping for goodies and I happened to spot a red velvet cake. Not wanting to miss the chance, I got the cake and boy oh boy did it really turn my house upside down! I definitely see why this is a favorite with a lot of people.

I've managed to make this cake successfully for Scott's birthday earlier this year (with no electric mixer too! And boy oh boy is hand mixing a chore!) and it came out rather well making me confident that it'll be one of my signature recipes in no time. However I think making smaller versions of it will be quite challenging and look forward to making these cupcakes someday soon (along with Red Velvet cookies!).

For now, if you want to try it yourself then this is the recipe I'm using: Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting by Paula Deen

Best of luck if you decide to tackle it too - let me know how yours turn out!

Menu Plan for January

Happy New Year!

I am joining with bloggers everywhere (inspired by Life as Mom and Money Saving Mom) and resolving to Eat from the Pantry/Freezer for most of my meals in January. I have been able to stock quite a bit in my freezer in particular over the past few months, and it's time to clean it out. So my inspiration for my meals this month comes from what I already have on hand, supplemented of course with fresh dairy and produce each week.

Following is my menu plan for the month. I've linked to recipes when I can, but I almost always alter recipes I find to make them healthier (using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, applesauce instead of oil, etc.).


1: Homemade pizza (Friday night staple)

2: Ravioli, salad, bread

3: Pancakes (freeze leftovers)

4: Pasta with red sauce, Caesar salad, homemade bread

5: Broccoli & cheese soup for Scott (dinner with friends for me)

6: Chicken tenders, sweet potato casserole, and homemade rolls

7: Mashed potatoes and meatballs (make a double batch to freeze), salad

8: Homemade pizza (Friday night staple)

9: Breakfast for dinner (crustless quiche?)

10: Baked potatoes, salad, carrots

11: Lasagna roll-ups

12: Salmon and black bean frozen dinner

13: Eat out (Awana night)

14: Chicken teriyaki stir fry

15: Homemade pizza (Friday night staple)

16: Breakfast for dinner (frittata?)

17: Leftover stew, dinner rolls

18: Lasagna roll-ups from freezer

19: Chicken tacos, beans, and rice

20: Eat out or have leftovers (Awana night)

21: Macaroni and cheese, steamed broccoli

22: Homemade pizza (Friday night staple)

23: Breakfast for dinner (eggs and rosemary potatoes?)

24: Fend for yourself night!

25: Broccoli and cheddar soup, homemade rolls

26: Leftovers

27: Eat out or fend for yourself (Awana night)

28: Bean and cheese enchiladas, Mexican rice, salad

29: (Isaac’s birthday!!) Homemade pizza (Friday night staple)

30: Breakfast for dinner (waffles and eggs?)

31: Leftover meatballs—on subs or spaghetti, salad

I printed out this menu plan and put one on my fridge in a plastic page protector so that I can refer to it whenever I need to. I also bring a copy of it with me whenever I go grocery shopping so that I know exactly what I need to buy--and what I don't. Just having a plan in place helps me feel more organized and has already saved me time and money. I avoid last-minute trips for groceries I forgot (or having to resort to fast food) when I have it all mapped out ahead of time!

When I plan my menu, I try hard to be realistic. I know that Wednesdays, for example, are really crazy for our family. I'm at church from 5:00-8:00 (at least) and don't have the energy to worry about a proper dinner. Typically we drive through Jimmy John's for a sandwich on those nights as a treat. And on Sunday nights we don't get home until after 7:00, so dinner has to be something I can put on the table very quickly.

If you are interested in meal planning and don't know where to begin, I'd suggest these two articles by Simple Mom and Life as Mom. They are both fabulous blogs full of lots of tips for home management and organization.

Christmas Treat Recipe Blog Hop

Several members of the Center Stage Spotlight Team have joined together to share a special Christmas Treat Recipe Blog Hop event with everyone tonight! They have whipped up some treats in their kitchens and their stamp rooms over the past few weeks so we could compile our very first Recipe Book for StampTV!

Hi there! The recipe I am sharing tonight is a quick and easy favorite around my house. I hope you will like them too! I am going to keep my post short and sweet so you can continue along on the hop. The cookie recipe and card recipe are listed below.

Peanut Butter Dream Bites

Ingredients:
· 1 1/4 cups flour, sift or stir before measuring
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· 1/2 cup butter
· 1/2 cup peanut butter
· 1/2 cup granulated sugar
· 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
· 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
· 1 egg
· 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (for topping)

For crust:
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside. Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars; beat in vanilla and egg. Stir in flour mixture, blending well. Place dough in lightly greased 13” x 9” baking dish and flatten to create cookie bottom. Bake at 375° for about 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before adding chocolate topping.

For topping:
Melt chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until chips are melted. Pour chocolate over peanut butter crust and refrigerate until chocolate is firm. Cut into bite sized squares and enjoy!

Recipe for Peace, Hope, Love card:
Stamps: Festive Frame, A Year of Flowers (Gina K. Designs)
Cardstock: PL Ivory, PL Chocolate Kiss, PL Rocket Red (Gina K. Designs), Vintage DP (Webster’s Pages)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
Embellishments: Cuttlebug Textile Texture EF, Brown Rhinestones (Kaisercraft), Copic Markers (E31, Blender)

Check out these designer's blogs for the sweet projects they've designed around their treats:

Carolina Buchting
Carla Suto
Deb Felts
Donna Baker
Giovana Smith
Jennie Harper
Jessica Fick
Joy Hadden
Karen Knegten
Kay Simmons
Lee Murphy
Linda Payne
Lori McAree
Melissa Cash {you are here}
Pam Imholz
Selma Stevenson
Sue Morris
Sue VanDeVusse
Sue Walsh
Vicki Dutcher

Then, stop by GinaK's blog for a super sweet give-away she has tonight in honor of the hop!

The Recipe Book will be available as a free download PDF on StampTV tonight as well. Look for it on the Freebie Tab link.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have finally found the perfect Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. So, I know your thinkin', man she is blond, doesn't she know the recipe is on the back of the Nestle's bag?

I love to bake, but for the life of me could never make the "perfect" chocolate chip cookie. They were either undercooked, overcooked, flat and crispy or just plain flat!

See those luscious babies up there? They actually came out of my oven. Can you tell I am excited? I found this recipe, Chocolate Chip Cookies, while I was surfing the Tasty Kitchen website. They are a little crispy around the edges, chewy in the middle and not too sweet. I used my cookie scoop (approx 1 1/4" round) to measure out my dough with. I cooked them for 14 minutes at 350*

If you haven't been to Tasty Kitchen yet, run don't walk. Your taste buds (and your families) will be happy you did. Tasty Kitchen is the brainchild of Ree Drummond, AKA: The Pioneer Woman. If you haven't been to her blog yet, grab a cup of coffee and head over there now. You won't want to miss a thing!

For you cardies, I'll have a new one up tomorrow!

Hugs,

Recipe: Frittata

For Monday night's dinner, I made a frittata. I know, I am always making breakfast foods for dinner, but I love them! I have made frittatas a few times before based on this recipe from Tyler's Ultimate on Food Network. I feel like I've finally tweaked it and "healthified" it enough now, so here's a copy of Tyler's recipe with my changes. It really turned out well! I wish I'd thought to take pictures...

Ingredients

• 6 egg whites, 4 whole eggs
  
• 2 tablespoons milk (I used 1%)
  
• 1 cup grated cheese (I usually use 2% cheddar, but any cheese is fine)
  
• Kosher salt and ground pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 small potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
  
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (I love the baby bella mushrooms)
  
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cheese, salt, and pepper until foamy. Set aside.

3. Heat olive oil in a cast iron or other oven-safe pan over medium heat. Add the onion, potatoes, and mushrooms and cook thoroughly.

4. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Pull the edges away from the sides of the pan with a spatula so the eggs flow to the bottom of the pan.

5. After the frittata is about halfway set, transfer the pan to the heated oven. Bake for 10 minutes until puffed and golden.

6. Cut it up like a pizza, and shower slices with with grated Parmesan. Serve with some low-fat sour cream or plain yogurt if you'd like.

Homemade Pizza

If you've never made pizza before, I urge you to try! It's really not too hard, and the results are MUCH healthier and cheaper!

Pizza Crust
(recipe adapted from my Oster bread machine recipe book)

This recipe makes a 2-pound loaf. I use half the dough the day I make it, and freeze the rest to use later. It thaws really well!

1. In a bread machine, combine the following ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 3/8 cups of room temperature water (I know, it's a weird measurement. I just eyeball a little less than 1 1/2)
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 cups of whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

2. Set your bread machine on the dough setting and walk away for 90 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. Divide dough in half. Put one half in a freezer bag and stash for later use.

5. On a pizza pan or cookie sheet, press out the remaining half of the dough into about a 10" pizza crust.

6. Bake the crust alone for about 8 minutes.

7. Add pizza sauce and toppings of your choice.

8. Bake for another 12-14 minutes.

Try your own balance of white/wheat flour. We love whole wheat around here, but Scott and I weren't thrilled with an all whole wheat crust. These days I usually use about 2 1/2 cups whole wheat and 1 1/2 cups white.

I would post how I make my own pizza sauce, but I'm not really sure. :) I open up a small can of tomato sauce and a small can of tomato paste, and dump all of the sauce and about half the paste in a bowl. I mix it up well, then I add some spices that came with my spice rack labeled "pizza seasonings". I am pretty sure it has oregano and basil in it, but who knows what else is in there. It tastes good, though! Oh, I also add about a teaspoon of evaporated cane juice or half a packet of Truvia (you can just use sugar).

My favorite pizza toppings, you ask? Red & green bell peppers, baby bella mushrooms, or pineapple. :)

Menu Plan, Week of June 22

Monday: Banana Pancakes

Tuesday: Spaghetti and meatballs with red sauce

Wednesday: Meatball subs

Thursday: Grilled chicken, zucchini, and squash

Friday: Chicken tenders and mashed sweet potatoes

Saturday: Pizza (Caleb's been asking for it--I'll try to post my recipes later)

Sunday: Eat out?

I made a big pot of red sauce tonight which should last us for a few months, and I made a big batch of meatballs so I was able to freeze enough for an extra couple of meals. I also made some "breakfast cookies" for Caleb following this recipe (more or less) from Ellie Krieger. On Wednesday I plan on making some more bread and maybe even try a recipe I found (but cannot for the life of me find right now!) for bagels.

Yummy Turkey Burgers

We had a neighborhood party on Saturday. It was held at our community pool (which we have never used--I'm a little frightened of how well it's taken care of--or not taken care of), and the HOA board had arranged for the folks from Mooyah to cater it for us. I'd never had a Mooyah burger before, and I'm not really a big burger fan to begin with (I probably have a real beef hamburger about 3 times a year), but boy howdy it was good. We filled out a slip of paper indicating what kind of toppings we wanted on it (Scott and I both chose a burger with cheese, sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, and A1 sauce), and they made it to order with the mondo grills they brought to the poolside. I don't think I've ever put sauteed mushrooms on a burger before, but I loved it!

So today when I was at Kroger, I decided to pick up the "fixins" for turkey burgers. (Any time I find a recipe I like, I try to "healthify" it as much as possible, which means lean turkey and not beef.) I stayed inside and sauteed some onions and mushrooms while Scott went outside to grill the burgers (just ground turkey mixed with a bit of onion powder, garlic, and pepper). I also sliced up some zucchini and squash for him to throw on the grill, and that made a great side dish. We plopped the meat on whole-grain buns, put slices of cheese on them, piled the onions and mushrooms on top, and dug in. Mmmmmmmmmm. We'll be doing that again. Soon.

I also felt like baking today, and I made a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and some chocolate chip banana bread. These are two of my absolute favorite recipes! (Note: the bread calls for oil, which I replace with applesauce, and I use all whole wheat flour instead of half wheat/half white. Turns out great every time! I've made muffins from it, too, but I think I like the bread better.)

Recipes: Chicken Tenders, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Cookies

Last night was a go-to dinner for me. We had chicken tenders, mashed sweet potatoes, and salad. In case you're interested, here's what I do:

Baked Chicken Tenders

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Place chicken tenders in a bowl or Ziploc bag.
3. Cover the chicken with about 1/2 cup of ranch dressing (I use fat free). Make sure the chicken gets evenly coated with the dressing. (The chicken will absorb more flavor if you let it marinate for an hour or so, but I never do.)
4. Dip the chicken in panko bread crumbs (or whatever you have on hand--last night I was out of panko and used crushed up wheat Ritz crackers--YUM!).
5. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with a little Pam.
6. Place chicken on the baking sheet, then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
1. Cook sweet potatoes either in the oven or the microwave:

• For cooking in the oven, poke the sweet potatoes with a fork a few times, lightly rub them with olive oil, and place them in a baking dish. Bake at 375 for about an hour or until you can stick a fork all the way through.

• For cooking in the microwave, poke the sweet potatoes with a fork a few times, then place them on a plate in the microwave. For 3 sweet potatoes, cook for about 10-12 minutes, then let them stand for about 5 minutes.

2. After the sweet potatoes have cooled a bit, scoop the flesh into a medium bowl and mash
3. Add a splash of orange juice, some chopped pecans, a spoonful of brown sugar, and/or a pat of butter to taste. Enjoy!

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Ok, and here is my absolute favorite cookie recipe. I made some of these yesterday, too, for an after-dinner treat. The original recipe is here and is called Iowa City Oatmeal Cookies. I've made just a couple of changes to cut down on the fat and boost nutrition.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter (I use Smart Balance 50/50 blend)
  
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg plus 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 semisweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup Grape Nuts cereal (I've used granola, too, but the Grape Nuts do give a great crunch!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream together the butter and sugars.
3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
4. Sift together the flour and baking soda; stir into the creamed mixture.
5. Stir in the oatmeal, chocolate, nuts and cereal.
6. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Menu Plan, Week of April 27

Last week's menu worked out pretty well. The banana pecan waffles were incredible! I think that will become a new special treat around here. The recipe makes 12 waffles, and so I had plenty of leftovers to put in the freezer. They thaw and heat wonderfully by popping them in the toaster! (Note: I only use about half the butter called for, and I use whole wheat flour--they were still great!)

The macaroni and cheese was fabulous, too. What a great recipe! I've used Alton Brown's recipe from Good Eats for about a year now, and it's great, too, but according to Scott (the ultimate judge on all things food in our house), the new one from Pioneer Woman is better. (And she has beautiful step-by-step photos.)

Another big win was the chicken & black bean taco filling. I meant to make it into quesadillas, but I got lazy and just plopped it into some sprouted tortillas for yummy tacos. The recipe made plenty to freeze and reuse as an easy meal in the future.

Let's hope this week's menu goes as well! Most of my items are based on what's on sale at Sprouts this week. They have particularly good deals on chicken, chicken parmesan sausage, and pineapple which I'm going to use.

Monday: Tortellini and salad

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner--Quiche with spinach, mushrooms, and chicken sausage

Wednesday: Leftovers (last night of Awana!)

Thursday: Teriyaki chicken stir-fry over brown rice (we were supposed to have this last week, but skipped it)

Friday: Homemade pineapple pizza

Saturday: Potluck dinner at the church for the Awana leaders

Sunday: Either eat out or fend for yourself! :)

Homemade Bread Recipe

I have started making this wheat bread about 2 times per week. It's been a few weeks since I've bought any bread from the store! When I started reading the ingredients on the 100% whole wheat bread that I normally buy, I decided that I could do it at home and make it healthier and yummier.

I based my recipe on this one, with only a couple of changes. You can use oil in place of the applesauce if you don't have any, but I always keep unsweetened, natural applesauce on hand for baking. I never use oil in baked goods if I can help it--applesauce is healthier and tastes better! You can also experiment with different additives--in today's loaf I'm adding some wheat germ to help balance out the white flour!

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F.)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons applesauce
4 tablespoons honey (local, if possible)
1 teaspoon (kosher) salt
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons ground flax meal (optional)
1 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions

1. Put all the ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed. Before adding the yeast, make a little "well" in the flour to put the yeast in. Yeast shouldn't touch the wet ingredients.

2. Set on dough cycle (takes about 90 minutes).

3. When the dough cycle is finished, take it out and press it into a very lightly greased loaf pan (I use a little Pam olive oil or canola oil spray).

4. Cover the pan and let the dough rise in a warm place for 20-45 minutes (until it has doubled in size).

5. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Baking Day; The Climber

Today I was feeling domestic, so I did a bunch of cleaning and baking. I made homemade wheat bread, which made the house smell fantastic. This is the second time I've used this recipe, and it is yummy!! It's really easy if you have a bread machine or a Kitchen Aid mixer.

I also made some banana bread. This is a different recipe than I'm used to using, and I made it with whole wheat flour rather than regular and applesauce in place of the oil. Tasty!

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Isaac is our climber. Can you tell?

Recipe: Cup of Cobbler

Here is the recipe for some yummy cobbler. This recipe is good with any kind of fruit. Depending on the season and availablity I have used fresh, frozen and even canned fruit or pie filling.

The cobbler in this picture is a White Peach Cobbler that my 16 1/2 year old son baked last night also. He isn't fond of berry...................silly ol' boy!


Cup of Cobbler


This is enough for a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square pan. Double the ingredients if using a 13 x 9 pan. Preheat oven to 350*

1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Cup Butter (don't scrimp here, use the good stuff)
Fruit of choice (approx 2 -3 cups of fruit)

Put butter in pan and place in oven to melt. While butter is melting, mix all ingredients except the fruit. Pour batter over melted butter and then pour fruit evenly on top of batter. Bake for 35-60 minutes. I just cook it until it is golden brown. Top off with French Vanilla Ice Cream for a real treat! Hubby says that's the only way to eat it :)

TTFN!