Chicken Poppy Seed Pasta Salad

Chicken Poppy Seed Pasta Salad

8 oz pasta
2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken
1 ½ cups halved red grapes
4 stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)
½ yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup whole almonds

Poppy Seed Dressing
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup avocado or olive oil
¼ cup maple syrup
4 teaspoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons sea salt

Mediterranean Pearl Couscous Salad

Mediterranean Pearl Couscous Salad

1 cup dry pearl couscous
1 lb cooked chicken breast, diced
1 can chickpeas (15.5 oz, rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup fresh herbs (dill and mint) finely chopped
4 Persian cucumbers diced
1 avocado pitted, peeled and diced
1 bell pepper, diced
½ cup pickled red onions
1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
½ cup feta cheese or goat cheese, crumbled

Homemade Yogurt Tzatziki Dressing

½ cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoon lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
1 tsp lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon)
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic pressed
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped

Before you begin: Cook couscous according to package instructions, rinse and set aside to cool. Cook chicken using desired method.

In a large bowl combine couscous, cubed chicken breast, fresh herbs, chickpeas, cucumbers, avocado, bell peppers, pickled onions, green onions, and feta cheese.

To make the homemade yogurt tzatziki dressing- in a mason jar, liquid measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the plain Greek yogurt, white vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, honey and dill.

Pour the dressing over the salad, toss to combine.

Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

I got this recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything - she has raved about it for years and said that it's the first thing to go on Easter. She first had it in NYC and couldn't stop thinking about it. She bought the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook and this recipe was inside!

My youngest and I made this and it was delicious!! None of my children even like pudding and they all loved it!

Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ cups ice cold water
1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups heavy cream
4 cups sliced barely ripe bananas, (see note)
1 (12 oz.) box Nilla Wafers

In a large bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and 1 ½ cups ice cold water until well combined - about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well - about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set. It will be watery if you don't let it set up long enough.
In a large bowl, whip the 3 cups heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until no streaks of pudding remain.
Dessert can either be made in individual portions or in a trifle bowl with 4-5 quart capacity (a 9x13 baking dish also works).
To assemble dessert, arrange 1/3 of the Nilla wafers covering the bottom, overlapping if necessary. Next, layer 1/3 of the bananas, and 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer. Cover tightly and allow to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours - or up to 8 hours, no longer - the bananas will start to brown.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

I have searched high and low for a GOOD ZUPA'S COPYCAT Wisconsin Cauliflower soup recipe. I've tried a bunch. THIS ONE IS EVEN BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL!!

I took ideas from a few different recipes and came up with this. My 14 year old (picky picky eater) claims this is better than the Zupa's soup. I agree!!

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup (Zupa's copycat)

3 Tbsp butter
2 lbs cauliflower florets, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c AP flour
16 oz chicken stock
1 pint heavy cream
1 1/2 c water
8 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
16 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (keep some for garnish)
1 1/2 t Dijon mustard
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

In a large pot, melt butter over medium low heat. Add onions and cook about 5 minutes until translucent. Whisk in the flour and let cook for about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, heavy cream and water. Add cauliflower and heat until boiling. Reduce heat and cook about 15 minutes - until the cauliflower is cooked through.

Transfer to a blender in batches to blend the soup to a luxurious texture.

Transfer back to cooking pot, add salt, pepper, Dijon and cheese a little at a time to let it incorporate into the soup. Cook for about 10 minutes to allow it all to come together. Serve warm!

Acai Bowls

I love an Acai Bowl - I really do! I googled to find a recipe so that I could make them at home and have the kids take them to work.

Acai Bowls
1 cup frozen fruit, your choice
3/4 cup liquid (orange juice, almond milk, coconut water)
1/2 cup greek yogurt
200 grams (2 packets) frozen acai puree, broken into pieces*
1/2 Tbsp honey

Toppings: granola, coconut, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, etc.

Add the liquid and yogurt to your blender first. Add the frozen fruit and broken up acai. Blend until incorporated. Add additional liquid if needed.

Use a one cup measuring cup to transfer Acai blend to your tupperware. Drizzle honey over the top and freeze.

The morning you want to have it for lunch, take it out of the freezer and pack toppings to go.

*I have used Trader Joe's Acai puree (there are 4 packets in one bag) and I have also used Sambazon brand - found at any grocery store.

Beef and Sweet Potato Bowls

My daughters saw this one on Tik Tok and it's been eaten around the house several times. Last night I made it for dinner - so everyone tried it. It's an unusual combination of ingredients - but all of us thought it was good! Nice that you can customize it to your liking too - my youngest didn't want cottage cheese - which I get - but it was actually a nice counter balance to the sweet potato - like sour scream to a baked potato. 

Beef and Sweet Potato Bowls

1 lb ground beef

3 Tbsp Taco seasoning

Sweet potatoes (1/2 for each person)

Avocado (1/2 for each person)

Cottage cheese

Hot honey

*I added diced onions and diced bell peppers to ours bc they needed to be eaten.

You can cook the sweet potatoes however you want, but today we roasted them whole. 300 degrees for 1 hour and 25 minutes. They turned out perfect!!

Cook the ground beef, add taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water. 

Once the sweet potatoes are done, I peeled them and diced them. Added ground beef to my bowl, added avocado and cottage cheese. Salt and pepper all your ingredients except the ground beef. Drizzle with hot honey and eat!!

Sourdough Starter Help

As I've mentioned, my daughter and I took a class to learn how to make sourdough bread. It's been over a year now and my daughter has gone absolutely crazy for sourdough! She has perfected her recipe and I've changed the ratio's on my sourdough recipe to reflect those changes. 

I haven't made sourdough in several months - 4 or 5 - all the while my starter sat in my fridge. I have heard a million times that you can't kill your starter so I wasn't worried about it - until yesterday when I pulled it out of the fridge.

I poured it all out except for 50 grams. Then I fed it with 100 grams bread flour and 100 grams water. I let it sit overnight and when I woke up - there was absolutely NO PROGRESS!! Yikes!

I googled and researched and I came up with this: pour it all out except 50 grams. Then feed it with 50 grams bread flour and 50 grams warm water. A 1:1:1 ratio. It will take a few days of feeding with that ratio for it to come around again. It needs to be kept at a temperature between 70 - 78 degrees, so I put it in my oven with the oven light on. 

Feed every 12 hours. Keep using the 1:1:1 ratio. Keep on counter - DO NOT PUT BACK IN THE FRIDGE.

SIGNS OF LIFE:
Bubbles throughout (not just on top)
A mild tangy or yeasty smell
Any rise at all, even 25 - 50%

WHEN IT'S READY TO BAKE AGAIN:

Your starter is ready when it DOUBLES in 4 to 6 hours at room temp

Has a domed top that eventually just starts to flatten

smells pleasantly yeasty

WHEN TO WORRY:

Toss if you see: pink/orange streaks, fuzzy mold (green, black, white fuzz) 

Cheesy Potatoes

Years ago, we went to my mom's house for dinner and she served us Utah's famous Funeral Potatoes. My kids had never had them and THEY HATED THEM!

Recently, I wanted to make a special dinner for my son and asked what he wanted. He requested steak, cheesy potatoes and salad. I said "Funeral Potatoes?" he gave me a face and said "no, cheesy potatoes." He described them and again, I said "Funeral Potatoes." He specified - no canned soup, no cereal on the top - all the good stuff. We found the recipe of the EXACT potatoes he wanted and I made them!

WE ALL LOVED THEM! We have steak, some kind of potato and salad almost every Sunday (that's the way my husband and kids like it) so we are potato aficionados - LOL. Sweet Potato Casserole - Pommes Anna - Roasted Potatoes - Mashed Potatoes - Baked Potatoes - Scalloped Potatoes - you get the picture!!

I had to break the original recipe down from a 10 pound batch - and the easiest way to do it was in ounces - so bear with me...

Cheesy Potatoes

2 1/2 lbs shredded hashbrowns
12 oz onions, diced
3 oz butter
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c flour
8 oz sour cream
2-3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c milk
1/2 c heavy cream

Melt butter over medium heat in a large saute pan, add onions, salt and pepper and cook until translucent. Add flour and incorporate - cook for 2 minutes to get rid of the floury taste. Add milk and cream, whisk until smooth. Cook until it starts to thicken.

Remove from heat, add sour cream, mix well. 

In a large bowl, add mixture to potatoes and cheese - stir until incorporated.

Put everything in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Winter Salad

Winter Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce
2-3 asian pears (or apples), diced

Avocado, diced
Pomegranate seeds

Mandarin oranges
Crumbled goat cheese
Candied pecans

Brianna's Blush Vinaigrette Dressing

We've been living on this salad all winter! We have a Spring/Summer version of this as well - we all love it. It's so versatile too - just use what you have on hand! We didn't have avocado today but we had everything else! SO SO GOOD!!

I doubled this recipe and took it to my daughters soon to be in laws for Christmas dinner - it's that good!

Chocolate Peppermint Poke Cake

I saw this in Cake by Courtney's book and I knew we had to try it for Christmas dinner! My daughter, MISS made it and it was wonderful!

Cake

2 c  all-purpose flour
1 ¾ c granulated sugar
¾ c dark cocoa powder I use Extra Brute Cacao Barry
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
¾ tsp baking powder
3 eggs room temperature

Hot Fudge
1 c buttermilk room temperature
1 c hot water
½ c vegetable oil
1 tsp peppermint emulsion or extract
15.5 ounces hot fudge I use Mrs. Richardson's brand
*We had leftover chocolate ganache from fondue night last night so we used that instead of store bought fudge

Whipped Cream
¼ c milk
1 tsp peppermint emulsion or extract I use the LorAnn Oils brand
3 c heavy whipping cream
1 ½ c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

For Garnish
Peppermint candies crushed

Crushed Oreos

Jet Tila Quick Ramen

Jet Tila Quick Ramen with Coddled Eggs

Cup O Soup
2 Eggs (more or less depending on your hunger)
Additional ingredients you may want: leftover chicken, steak, green onion, etc.

Put your kettle on the stovetop to come to a boil. 

Pull the top of your ramen about half of the way off - you want to make sure to keep part of it in tact.

When the water comes up to a boil, pour the water in as you usually would do.

Add already cracked (raw) eggs into the ramen (this is also where you would add additional ingredients). 

Without breaking the yolks, use your chopsticks to push the noodles down so the egg will get down in there to coddle.

Put the lid back fully on the Cup O Soup and cover with a plate for 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes, your noodles will be cooked and your eggs will be coddled!

Use your chopsticks to break the yolk and blend them into the soup.

This is freaking delicious. My girls LOVE to make this for a quick snack or double it for a dinner option.  

Crock Pot Turkey

Crock Pot Turkey

1 Jennie O' frozen turkey breast
1/2 cup water

Add ½ cup water to the bottom of a slow cooker. 

Remove outer packaging bag. 

Place turkey breast in cooking bag in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Cut three ½ inch slits in the top of the cooking bag.
Cook for approximately 3½ hours with the slow cooker on HIGH setting or 5 hours on LOW setting. Cook the turkey breast until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast reaches 165°F.
Cut open the cooking bag and remove the turkey breast. 

Reserve the juices for gravy (if desired).
Let rest for 10 minutes then thinly slice. Serve with warmed gravy.

I made this in addition to the turkey Patrick did on the Traegar. The traegar turkey was delicious as always. The Jennie O turkey was juicy and was a great addition to our feast!

Overnight Oats

My daughter found this recipe and was making it every evening for the next morning. My youngest daughter had one bite and was sold - you can make it so many ways too!! I'm not a fan of the texture - but if the girls will eat something healthy and satisfying - what else can I ask for?

Overnight Oats

Overnight Oats Base:
½ cup unsweetened almond milk, plain or vanilla (more if needed)
¼ cup plain or vanilla greek yogurt
½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
½ tablespoon chia seeds
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Banana Bread:

½ spotty banana, mashed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
sliced banana for topping

Pumpkin Spice Latte:

¼ cup pumpkin puree , not pie filling
1 - 2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Apple Pie:

¼ - ⅓ cup apple, small cubes (+ more for topping)
1 - 2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pecans for topping

Peanut Butter & Jelly

1 - 2 tablespoon peanut butter
¼ cup fresh strawberries, diced
¼ cup almond milk, additional

Peaches ‘n Cream:

¼ cup almond milk, additional
1 - 2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
¼ of a peach, diced
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Coconut Bliss:

1 - 2 tablespoon shredded coconut
Sliced banana for topping

Instructions

In a sealable mason jar or small container, add the base ingredients. Stir well and make sure all oats are submerged in the almond milk. You may need to add an extra splash of milk.

Pick the flavor you are making and add the ingredients.

Place the lid on top of the jar or container to seal.
Set in the refrigerator to soak overnight or for at least 6 hours and up to 5 days.

When ready to serve, add additional almond milk if you'd like and any desired toppings.
Enjoy chilled!

Brown Butter Golden Graham Rice Krispies

Brown Butter Golden Graham Rice Krispies

1 c butter

20 oz mini marshmallows (2 bags)

6 c Rice Krispies

4 c Golden Grahams

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Brown butter over medium-high heat stirring often.

Turn off heat and add 3/4 of the marshmallows to butter. Add salt & vanilla. Mix.

Pour melted marshmallow mixture over mixed cereals and then remaining marshmallows. Stir to combine.

Press mixture into a lightly greased dish & press with spatula. Sprinkle flaky salt and cool before cutting.

Homemade Granola

Homemade Granola

8 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2-2 cups coconut
3/4 cup sliced almonds

1 1/2 cups honey
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl, mix together oats, coconut and almonds. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil. Add honey, salt and vanilla, and bring to a simmer.

Pour over oats and toss to coat. Pour evenly onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Heat oven to 350

Bake until golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes until done.

Makes about 10 cups

Protein Waffles

Protein Waffles or Pancakes

1 c oats
1 c egg Whites
1 c cottage cheese
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
scant drops vanilla extract

scant drops butter extract

Add all ingredients to a blender and mix until smooth.
Heat up waffle maker and pour in mix according to waffle maker instructions.

*To make Protein Pancakes, follow same instructions, but refrigerate overnight or at least an hour before cooking.

Double the batch and keep what you don't use in a mason jar to be used for the next day!

**This morning I realized we were out of cottage cheese - so I subbed in 1 cup of greek yogurt and that worked! YAY!!

Apple & Pecan Salad

Apple & Pecan Salad
1 Apple, diced
2 bunches grapes
Blue cheese or Feta
Iceberg lettuce or spinach
Candied pecans
Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette

To keep apples from turning brown after dicing them, soak them in 2 cups water + 1 teaspoon salt for 5 minutes, then rinse off in a colander.

Assemble ingredients to your liking!

Lemon Sour Cream Tart

This is really good - BUT you need to know that this is a 24 hour dessert - it MUST SIT OVERNIGHT.

I got this recipe from @Cakebycourtney on Instagram - she has a couple of books that are AMAZING too. We just made this Samoa Cake last week - and it was ALSO A WINNER!!!

Lemon Sour Cream Tart

INGREDIENTS

For the Pretzel Crust

• 2 cups (150 g) finely ground pretzels
• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar

For the Lemon Sour Cream Filling

• 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240 g) whole milk
• 3 tablespoons (22.5g) cornstarch, measured then sifted
• ½ cup (110 g) lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) lemon zest
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup (240 g) sour cream

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup (62.5 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• ½ teaspoon (2.1 g) lemon extract

METHOD

For the Pretzel Crust

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 13×5-inch tart pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the finely ground pretzels, melted butter, and sugar. Stir until the pretzels are “wet.”
3. Pour the pretzel mixture into the tart pan and press firmly down to create the crust.
4. Bake the crust for 6 to 8 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature.

For the Lemon Sour Cream Filling

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, corn starch, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens – about 6 to 8 minutes. The mixture should be able to coat a spoon. Reduce heat to low.
2. In a small mixing bowl, stir the egg yolks. While stirring the egg yolks, slowly add two tablespoons of the lemon mixture to the egg yolks. Once the lemon mixture is added, slowly add two more tablespoons of the lemon mixture to the egg mixture. This will temper the egg yolks so they don’t cook when you add them to the lemon mixture.
3. Once the egg yolks are tempered, slowly add the yolk mixture into the lemon mixture, stirring constantly.
4. Continue to cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
6. Stir in the sour cream.
7. Pour the lemon filling onto the pretzel crust. Refrigerate overnight.
8. Top with whipped cream when ready to serve.

For the Whipped Cream

1. In a stainless steel bowl, combine the whipped cream, powdered sugar, and lemon extract. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Courtney’s Note: This one is best served chilled and could also be made with limes instead of lemons.

Grilled Donuts

You just need 1 dozen (or more!) of glazed donuts. 

Set your Traeger to 400 degrees and preheat with the lid closed for 15 minutes.

Place the donuts on the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until glaze is bubbly and there are grill marks on the donuts. Serve right off the grill while the donuts are hot. Top with whipped cream and strawberries if you like!

Homemade Caramel

Homemade Caramel

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons salt

Mix sugar, water and corn syrup in a small saucepan.
Bring the water and sugar mixture to boil over medium heat, but DO NOT STIR. (Stirring encourages crystallization). Let the mixture cook until it caramelizes into a golden brown color. It happens quickly, so keep an eye on it.
Remove the caramelized sugar syrup from the heat and slowly mix in the cream. Pour in just a tiny bit at a time, especially at the beginning, and mix to combine. You can start adding more and more as you go along.
Mix in salt and vanilla. Stir to combine.

Samoa Cake

I saw a recipe on Cakebycourtney on Instagram and I decided to re-create it but with CHEATS!!

I actually did all the research/brainstorming but my 17 year old daughter followed all my instructions and made the cake herself!!

The original recipe is HERE - I'm just going to post my cheats.

This cake was SO DELICIOUS! 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

2 boxes Betty Crocker Devil's Food Cake

1 cup Vegetable oil

6 eggs

1 cup greek yogurt

1 package guittard chocolate chips

1 1/6 cups heavy cream (divided)

Shortbread cookies (Walker's)

Buttercream frosting

14 oz bag shredded sweetened coconut shreds

2 Tablespoons corn syrup

1 cup sugar

Water

Salt

Vanilla extract

EQUIPMENT

Sheet pan

6" cake ring

FOR THE CAKE
2 boxes of Betty Crocker Devil's Food Cake
1 cup greek yogurt
Follow the directions on the box (1 c veg oil + 6 eggs) and add 1 cup of greek yogurt
Next time I think I'll just do 1 box and 1/2 cup greek yogurt

Grease a sheet pan, cover with parchment paper and grease parchment paper, put batter on cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes

FOR THE GANACHE

1 cup milk chocolate guittard chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

Warm heavy cream in the microwave for 1 minute. Pour warm cream over chips and let sit for a few minutes - then stir to incorporate.

FOR THE ICING
Medium tub Buttercream frosting from my local grocery store (Harmon's)
Shortbread cookies crumbled up

Incorporate the crumbles into the frosting. It's best to leave the frosting out to get to room temp so that it's easier to work with.

FOR THE SHORTBREAD

Walker's shortbread cookies!!

FOR THE COCONUT FILLING

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons salt
14 oz. bag of sweetened shredded coconut


Mix sugar, water and corn syrup in a small saucepan.
Bring the water and sugar mixture to boil over medium heat, but DO NOT STIR. (Stirring encourages crystallization). Let the mixture cook until it caramelizes into a golden brown color. It happens quickly, so keep an eye on it.
Remove the caramelized sugar syrup from the heat and slowly mix in the cream. Pour in just a tiny bit at a time, especially at the beginning, and mix to combine. You can start adding more and more as you go along.
Mix in salt and vanilla. Stir to combine.

Set the caramel sauce to the side and let cool while you toast the coconut.
Set your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and pour all of the coconut evenly onto the baking sheet. Bake the coconut for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and toss, and then toast for another 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown all over. Let cool completely.
Combine the caramel and the coconut. You’ll use about 1/3 of the mixture for each layer of the cake.

Use the 6" cake ring to cut out 3 circles of cake.

LAYERING:

Cake

Ganache

Cookie crumbs

Piped frosting

Coconut & Caramel filling

REPEAT

As you can see, our first attempt was a little wonky. We still need to figure out how to help it keep it's shape!! I'll update this post when we do!!

Indiana Jones Dinner

Indiana Jones Themed Dinner & Movie Night

Why does it have to be snakes? Breadsticks

Mozzarella balls, kalamata olives green olives EYEBALLS

"BAD DATES"
12 pitted Medjool dates
4 oz goat cheese, at room temperature
3 Tbsp lightly roasted, salted pistachios
1/4 cup honey
1/8 tsp cayenne powder

Open up the dates and stuff with softened goat cheese. Top each date with three 

pistachios and fresh thyme leaves.
When you have all of your dates stuffed, warm honey with 1/8-1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want it), then drizzle the spiced honey over the dates.

Snake "eggs" english peas in butter sprinkled with parmesan

Temple of Doom salad

Watermelon, feta and mint

Steak in the heart (beef tenderloin)

Make you sweat Targets (grilled donuts)

So fun to have a themed dinner & movie night!! Hoping to do this again very soon!!

Farmer's Market Flatbread

I saw this idea on Our Best Bites. 

We go to Farmer's Market's on Saturday's and today we found delicious looking berries and brie!

FARMER'S MARKET FLATBREAD

I grabbed the flatbreads (pizza) from Trader Joes - and had everything else on hand. 

Flatbread – Trader Joe's - but any precooked flat bread will do (or naan for personal bites!)

Olive Oil

Apricot jam– you could definitely swap out the flavor of jam if you like. I like the very thin layer of sweetness under the cheese and apricot has a bit of a tartness to it, which I like. Other jams like strawberry, will be significantly sweeter, so just use a light hand if you go that direction.

Brie

Berries – I love a combo of blackberries, raspberries and strawberries but any one of these is great by itself.

Honey or hot honey– optional but delicious

Balsamic Glaze – find this ready made at the store in a squeeze bottle. If you can’t find any, you can boil down balsamic vinegar on the stove top until it’s reduced and thick and syrupy.

Fresh basil

Flakey Salt

Preheat a grill to medium low and set up for indirect heating.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the surface of your flatbread. You can place it directly on the grill grates, but you’ll want it on indirect heat, meaning it’s not sitting directly over flames (so we don’t burn the bottom - we used a cookie sheet to heat it up the first 2 minutes and then used parchment paper on the grates for the remainder of the cook.

Cook for about 2 minutes for the flatbread to get warm and start to crisp up.

Remove from grill and spread a light layer of apricot jam on the flatbread. Top with slices of brie and sprinkle on berries. You can really do this part to taste- a little or a lot! Pop it back on the grill to melt.

Take it off the grill and then drizzle with balsamic glaze, hot honey, fresh basil and a little sprinkle of flaky salt. Delicious and easy!!

Watermelon & Rosemary Agua Fresca

My daughters and I LOVE farmer's markets. We love to go see what people have grown, made, etc. We usually hit a fruit stand first things, each of us get a clam dish of berries and eat them while we peruse the market.

Last year, we decided it was going to be the "Year of the Beverage" at the farmer's markets we visited. If we saw something we haven't tried - we would buy one and try it! Fun to get our picky eater to try new combinations.

We tried a watermelon & rosemary Agua Fresca and we were instantly in love. 

One of my daughters had an End of the School Year party/sleepover at our house. We planned ahead for brunch the following morning, I asked what she wanted to drink and she gasped and said "do you remember the watermelon Agua Fresca?" Both our mouths started watering.

Watermelon & Rosemary Agua Fresca
2 cups water
¾ cup white sugar
1 sprig rosemary
12 cups cubed seeded watermelon, divided
2 cups lemon juice, divided


Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir in rosemary; set aside to steep for 1 hour.

Place 6 cups watermelon, and 1 cup lemon juice in a blender. Strain rosemary syrup through a mesh strainer into the blender. Purée until smooth. Transfer to a large pitcher.

Purée remaining 6 cups watermelon, and remaining 1 cup lemon juice. Stir into the pitcher. Serve over ice.

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

 Honey Lime Fruit Salad

20 ounces pineapple chunks, 1 can, drained
4 ounces mandarin oranges , 1 can. drained
3 kiwi, (peeled and sliced into thick half moons)
1 cup red grapes, halved
1 cup strawberries, quartered
1 lime, zest
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
2 Tablespoons honey

Combine the fruit in a large serving bowl.
Add the lime zest and poppy seeds, and gently toss.
Drizzle the honey over the fruit and gently mix until the fruit is evenly coated with the honey. Serve immediately
This fruit salad is best served right away (or at least within an hour of making).

Fruit Dip

Easy Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

8 ounces whipped cream cheese, 1 container
7 ounces marshmallow creme, 1 container

Put both ingredients in a large bowl.
Mix together until fully combined (works best if you use an electric mixer). It will be smooth and fluffy when it's ready.
Serve with your favorite fruit.

Butter Beer

I'm hosting a little End of the School Year party for my youngest and her friends. We're doing an ice cream bar and a soda bar. I scoured this blog for my Butter Beer recipe to no avail!!! I have made it several times for parties from my High School daughter's Halloween Dance to my youngest daughter's Hocus Pocus themed parties every year.

Guess I need to get it down!!

Butter Beer
2 liters cream soda, chilled
1/4 tsp caramel extract
1/4 tsp butter extract

For the Topping
1 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 c butterscotch topping
1/4 c powdered sugar


*For Halloween themed parties we made ghosts on the side of clear plastic cups with marshmallow fluff and a sharpie

Indian Spiced Lentils

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites. I have never made a curry - or Indian food before - but I'll try anything once. I ONLY tried this recipe because she said all 4 of her boys (some picky eaters) all had seconds. SOLD.

Wouldn't you know it? ALL SIX OF US (including our quesadilla only diet 13 year old) LOVED IT!!! Definitely making this again! OH! It's a 30 minute meal too!! Most of my family had these lentils over rice - I just opted for the lentils with a chicken skewer on the side!

Indian Spiced Lentils

2-3 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon curry powder
2-3 teaspoons yellow curry paste see notes
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth more if desired
2 teaspoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups red lentils
5-10 ounces spinach fresh and chopped or frozen and thawed
juice of ½ lemon or one lime
handful of chopped cilantro

For Serving:

white rice
additional chopped cilantro
dollop of plain greek yogurt
drizzle of olive oil
naan or other flatbread

Pick through lentils and discard any shriveled ones. Rise well with cool water and strain.
Heat a large stock pot on the stove top to medium heat. Add 2-3 teaspoons oil to coat bottom of pan and add onions. Saute for 4-5 minutes until tender.
Add garlic, ginger, curry powder, curry paste (feel free to start with just a little curry paste and add more to taste later), coriander, cumin, cayenne, and mustard seeds. Saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
Add diced tomatoes (do not drain), chicken broth, sugar, salt, pepper, and lentils.
Bring pot to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Cover pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes until lentils are softened. 
Add spinach and stir to wilt. You can add as much or as little spinach as you want. If you don't like large pieces of wilted spinach, just tear or chop it before adding.
Finally add cilantro and lemon or lime juice and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. You can also add more curry paste if desired, I suggest dissolving it in a small cup full of the warm broth from your pot first and then adding back in.
Serve over rice with naan on the side with a dollop of yogurt drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled withe additional salt, pepper, and cilantro. We added chicken skewers!


Notes
Slow cooker Instructions: Combine all ingredients except for the lemon (or lime) juice and cilantro in the pot of a slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours. Before serving, add the lemon juice and cilantro.

Protein Ranch Dip

Protein Ranch Dip 

½ cup cottage cheese
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp grated shallot
2 Tbsp ranch seasoning
½ tsp seasoned salt

Blend everything with an immersion blender until smooth OR leave it chunky - it's that good!!

Croissant Sourdough

Croissant Sourdough

I followed my traditional Sourdough recipe HERE with the following exceptions...

Stretch and Folds: After the dough has rested, you will perform a series of “stretch and folds” over the next 1 ½ hours. The goal is to strengthen the dough through a gentle kneading process. You will also add cold butter into the dough during this process which will be evenly dispersed throughout the dough through the folds.

To “stretch and fold,” wet your hand (so it doesn’t stick to the dough). Reach around the dough down to the bottom of the bowl, pull the dough up and over and place it on top of the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold. Turn another quarter turn and repeat. Perform one more quarter turn, stretching and folding the dough. Cover and set aside. Take note of how the dough feels through this process. It will go from feeling a little shaggy to smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl and wait about 30 minutes in between stretch and folds.

Stretch and fold #1: After 30 minutes, perform your first set of stretch and folds. Cover the dough and let rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and fold #2: After 30 minutes, grate the cold butter. Put half of the grated butter on top of the dough. The other half of the butter should be placed in the refrigerator to chill until the next set of folds. Stretch and fold the dough again, incorporating the flakes of butter into the dough. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and fold #3: 30 minutes later, add the rest of the butter to the top of the dough. Stretch and fold again. The butter will continue dispersing throughout the dough. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and fold #4: After 30 minutes do your final set of stretch and folds. You should notice the dough feeling more cohesive and strong. If your dough still feels loose, add in another couple stretch and folds to help strengthen and tighten the gluten strands.

Rest: Cover the dough and let rise for 6-7 more hours. You will know the dough is ready to shape when the dough has risen about 70%, jiggles when you shake the bowl and has scattered bubbles visible on the sides and top.

These stretches and folds are different because the wait time in between is 30 minutes, there are 4 stretch and folds and I usually proof my sourdough overnight in the oven but with this recipe it's important to keep the butter cold - you want your dough temperature to be between 68-70 degrees.

Pre-shape: Tip the bowl upside down, allowing the dough to fall onto a clean counter surface. Be gentle to avoid degassing the dough as much as possible. Wet your hands and the bench knife if needed and push the bench knife under the dough on one side and your free hand on the other side to tuck the dough under itself. The goal is to introduce some tension into the dough. Repeat this process, going around in a circle until you have a ball of dough.

Bench Rest: Let the dough rest uncovered for about 30 minutes at room temperature. The dough will flatten a little as it sits. This allows the gluten in the dough to relax and prepares the dough to be shaped.
Shaping: Prepare a bowl or banneton. Place a kitchen towel or hair net in the bowl and liberally flour as needed. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough. Using a bench knife, lift the dough up off the counter and place it on top of the countertop – floured side down. This ensures that the flour is staying mainly on the outside of the dough.

Going around in a circle, pull the dough sideways towards you and then fold up to the top of the round. Move 90 degrees and repeat the same process pulling the dough sideways and then folding up to the top. As you continue this process around the dough, increase the tension as you pull. Gather the bread into a circle and place into a lined bowl.

Note: It is possible to shape the dough without any extra flour. The dough can stick to the kitchen towel but doesn't stick to the hair nets if cold proofed.

Cold Fermentation: Cover the dough with the tea towel and refrigerate overnight or up to 12-18 hours.

*If you want to bake the same day, you can let the dough rise for about 2-3 hours until puffed up and risen. Chill the loaf in the refrigerator for an hour or two – or stick in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to chill the butter in the dough before baking.

Preheat the oven: Put a dutch oven (top and all) into the oven and preheat to 450°F for 20 minutes. You are working with high temperatures, so make sure you have some good hot pads. Once preheated for 20 minutes, pull the loaf out of the refrigerator. Remove the covering. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Flip the dough over so it is now sitting on the parchment paper. Take off the bowl/banneton and the kitchen towel.

Scoring: Score the dough. Take the bread lame and score on one side of the dough, at a shallow angle about 30º and 1 inch deep. Score straight from the refrigerator on the cold dough for best results.

Baking: Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the 450°F oven. Take the lid off and place your bread into the Dutch oven (including parchment paper – this helps with the transfer). Put the lid on and put back in the oven. Lower the temperature to 425°F and bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, take the lid off the Dutch oven and continue baking for **10 minutes until the bread is baked through and reaches 195-200ºF temperature. Remove the Dutch oven and let the bread cool on a baking rack. Enjoy!

Note: Butter will leak out of the dough as it bakes at these high temperatures. It gives a buttery, crispy crust that is delicious – make sure you use parchment paper on the bottom of the pot so it doesn't make a mess everywhere.

**Next time I will try 5-10 uncovered

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, whisked
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips

flaked sea salt, for sprinkling

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, swirl the pan constantly until the butter passes the foamy phase and becomes a deep amber color. Remove from the heat, pour into a separate bowl (this allows the butter to stop cooking) and allow the butter to cool for 20 minutes.

While the butter is cooling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla to the cooled butter and stir to combine. Pour this mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir using a wooden spoon until the dough comes together and the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a medium (2-tablespoon) cookie scoop, drop the dough 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. I always add extra chocolate chips on top for that bakery look. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until edges are lightly golden. I baked them for 14 minutes and I think next time I'll try 12 - just because the bottoms were firm.

Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, sprinkle a small amount of flaked sea salt on top of the cookies as they are cooling.

Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.

*I like to freeze my cookie dough balls at night because I like the way they bake up from frozen. Just add about two minutes to the bake time and the center will stay nice and soft.

Bowtie Pasta Chicken Salad

Bowtie Pasta Chicken Salad

1 pkg (16 oz) bow tie pasta
Swiss cheese, shredded
Pineapple tidbits, drained
Green onion, chopped
Red grapes, halved
2-4 chicken breasts (or 8-10 tenderloins) grilled, then chopped

Measure cheese, grapes, onions, & pineapple ingredients with your heart and to your liking♥️😊

Brown Butter and Sage Pull-Apart Bread

I saw this recipe from The Pioneer Woman and thought it sounded delicious! It was OKAY. It was very high maintenance for a simple dinner roll - because of that, I didn't think I'd make it again. My husband's comment was "I can feel myself getting fatter with every bite - like a heart attack waiting to happen" For that reason I definitely WON'T make it again!! LOL

Brown Butter and Sage Pull-Apart Bread

Nonstick cooking spray, for the pan
1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1 1/2 cups grated Havarti cheese
12 frozen dinner rolls, thawed

Coat a loaf pan with baking spray.
Add the butter to a skillet over medium heat. Let the butter melt and foam, swirling the pan to keep the butter moving, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon of the sage, then set aside off heat.

Put the grated Havarti on a plate.

Flatten 1 dinner roll into a 5-inch round with a rolling pin. Brush both sides with the butter mixture, then press the round into the grated cheese, covering both sides. Cut the round in half, stack together and place side by side in the loaf pan. Repeat with the remaining rolls. Top with the remaining butter mixture, cheese and 1 tablespoon sage. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake until golden and cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Best served warm.

Sourdough Bread

My daughter, Maisie and I went to a "how to make sourdough" class a couple months ago and we are obsessed. She's a little more obsessed than I am! It was so fun - I really wish I would've taken all 3 of my daughters with me!

We've made sourdough several times since then and we keep getting our little sheet of paper out to remind us how the steps and the recipe go - so I decided just to type it up so we can see it here for convenience!

FEED: You need to feed your starter a couple of days before making the sourdough. Use the ratio 1:1:1 100 g starter, 100 g warm water, 100 g bread flour.

NIGHT routine before you want delicious bread the next evening.

An hour or so before you want to use your starter, set it out on the counter to bring it to room temperature. You would've fed it recently in the week, so it should be bubbly through the glass on the sides.

Get out your food scale. Place your bowl on top and zero out in grams. Add the first ingredient and zero out each time for precise measurements.

ADD:

100 g of starter

360 g of warm water
Next, mix these ingredients together with a fork until well combined

Add wet to dry
520 g bread flour (approx 3 cups)

2 tsp salt

Mix everything together with your fork until all the loose flour is off the sides of the bowl. It's going to be extremely sticky and not look like very smooth manageable dough. Get your fingers wet and mix just a little bit, but don't overdo it because you're going to get your hands covered in dough. Let it just sit as is for 10 minutes covered.

Come back to it after the 10 minutes with some water on your fingertips and work it into a ball inside the bowl, but only until your hands start to get sticky again, which will only be a few seconds later. Cover it again.

Leave it alone again for another 30 minutes.

When you come back to it, do more of a stretch and fold type of maneuvering with your dough. Cover the bowl & wait another 30 minutes and do another stretch and fold round. This is helping get the air pockets inside & rise higher. I found when I do at least 3 rounds of the above with 30 minutes in between, it rises larger.

So, basically from the time you made the dough until the end of all the stretch and fold rounds, it's been like an hour and a half - 2 hours.

Keep it covered and leave it on the counter overnight for 10 - 12 hours.

MORNING:

Flour the counter and take your dough out of the bowl from rising. Gently shape into a ball and dust your proofing basket with flour. Tighten the shape of the dough and make it into a soft round circle. Place the dough smooth side down into the proofing basket so the seam side that you created when tightening it is facing up.

Cover with your towel and put it in your fridge for up to 8 hours or leave out on the counter if your going to cook between 4-6 hours later.

Once you're ready to bake, take the bread out of the fridge while you are warming up your oven to bring it more to room temperature. Pre heat to 500 degrees.

Once the oven is up to temperature, you need to score the top of your bread. Put a piece of square parchment paper or silicone baking slind over your proofing basket and flip the bread over softly so now your smooth side is up and you can get it ready to put it in the Dutch oven. Go ahead and score it with a razor. Score from the bottom up when doing designs. Your first score needs to be deep.

Place your dough in the Dutch oven with the lid on and then immediately turn the temperature down to 450 degrees. Bake 20 minutes covered.

Now, after it's been covered for 20 minutes, you're going to want to take the lid off and continue baking for about 20 minutes more.

When i take the Dutch oven out of the oven, I immediately take my bread out to cool on a rack.

22 hour process:
10-12 hours rise
4-5 counter or up to 6-7 in fridge proofing
1 bake
2 hour rest

Whipped Goat Cheese

Something that I'm really proud of is that I teach my kids to do basic things to give them confidence in what they know they can do and what is possible - AND to help me get everything done! WIN WIN!

My daughter, Biz, learned how to make a charcuterie board a few years ago and is the resident pro. When I tasked her with making this Whipped Goat Cheese for the board - she went straight into action and it was perfect!! 

Whipped Goat Cheese

5 oz goat cheese

1/3 c heavy whipping cream

honey

Whip together goat cheese, heavy whipping cream and drizzle honey over the top. Toasted baguette is my favorite to dip with, especially while it’s still warm. But really any bread, cracker, or fruit and veggies is good

How easy is that! It's so fun to see her have the confidence to take something like this on and to exceed all expectations! 

CHEATER Decadent Mashed Potatoes

CHEATER Decadent Mashed Potatoes

4 trays Bistro brand Mashed Potatoes (Costco)
¾ cups Butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
½ cups (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Dump the mashed potatoes out of their containers into a large dutch oven. On Thanksgiving, we put them into our 7 QT crock pot. Break the potatoes up over medium heat.

In a separate smaller pot, add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half,  ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper. Heat this up so you are not mixing cold ingredients into the warm potatoes.

Add warm liquid mixture to the potatoes and stir to incorporate, place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.

OR, if you are serving them straight from the crock pot like we do, just add the warm liquid to the potatoes, stir to incorporate and set on low for as long as you need to!!