Recipe

Really Awesome Cocktail

by KT on May 3, 2012

The bride & groom live in San Francisco & they wanted aspects of their wedding to reflect their southern heritage, but their West Coast lifestyle.  The food & drink was an obvious way to accomplish this task.  One seriously San Francisco touch was the St. Germain Cocktail.  I referred to this drink as  the “really awesome cocktail” all night & everyone knew what I was talking about.

St. Germain is an elderflower liqueur & just had an extremely light taste to it.  This drink is the most refreshing drink I’ve ever had.  HANDS DOWN, AMAZING.  It will now be my new summer cocktail.  

Apparently, there are LOTS of variations to this drink.  During the cocktail hour they were garnished with a cucumber, which I thought was perfection.  At the reception they had a lemon twist.  After doing some research I’ve seen them garnished with strawberries, raspberries, & limes.  I think you couldn’t go wrong anyway you garnished it.

Can you imagine it with some Veuve?

 



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Wonderful Recipe

by KT on January 17, 2012

I’ve been doing pretty well keeping a weekly menu.  I keep things flexible in case we have a change of plans or just feel worn out.  This past Saturday we were schedule to have this meal, but we were invited to watch football and get takeout with some friends so we pushed it back to Monday.  

I had seen Kate and Rachel both tweet and post about this recipe, but I hadn’t had a chance to try it.  They both do Menu Monday posts and their recipes always seem super good and easy.  I trust their opinions so when I kept hearing this dish I knew I needed to put it into the rotation. 

The verdict?  SUCCESS (that’s the way we spell success).  REF absolutely LOVED this dish.  So much that I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of it.  

I made a few changes to the original recipe.  I swapped out gorgonzola cheese for a little shaved parmesan cheese.  I also added a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and it gave the dish some nice heat.  Rachel and Kate suggested next time throwing some brussel sprouts and I think I will definitely do that next time.  Also, I was nervous about the walnuts as I don’t normally care of walnuts, but they were the perfect compliment to this dish!  Thanks again ladies for the suggestion!

Happy Cooking!



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A lazy weekend & a recipe

by KT on January 11, 2012

This past weekend I didn’t have any real obligations.  REF and I ate at our favorite Thai restaurant Friday night and called it an early night.  On Saturday I woke up to a text from a sweet friend asking if I wanted to meet her and another friend for lunch.  I was so glad that I had a flexible day and was able to meet the girls.   Saturday afternoon I got the bug to clean and purge.  I cleaned out the front hall closet, the laundry room, pantry and underneath the bathroom sinks.  It felt awesome.  REF and I ate in and were in bed early.  

Sunday morning we went to early church and when we were leaving church it started to rain.  I was supposed to meet Rachel to walk, but the weather just kept playing tricks on us so we rescheduled for next weekend.  Rachel had also recommended to me the book Divergent.  I had downloaded the first week of December with the intention of reading it between Christmas and New Years, but that just didn’t happen.  I decided that a cold, rainy Sunday was just the day to curl up with my kindle.  Boy am I glad that I did!  The book is amazing and I’ve already pre-ordered the second book.  I ended up reading it cover to cover.  I have a bad habit of needing to finish a book.  My sister has this habit too.  If I like a book I can’t just put it down.  It always surprises me when it takes a few days for me to read a book.  REF hates this about me, because I honestly do nothing other then READ.  

So, since I really didn’t do anything on Sunday, other then read, I didn’t menu plan or shop until Monday.  I decided it was for the best, because on Monday I saw this recipe for baked fajitas and decided to try it that night.  Let me just tell you they were equal parts easy and good!  I tweeted about how good they were on Monday night and the fabulous Blair’sHeadband asked me for the recipe.  Shamelessly, I saw an easy blog post in it… So this one’s for you, M!

I followed the recipe pretty closely, but you could really get creative with this dish.  I made Spanish rice for a side & REF and I both agreed this recipe was a keeper.  REF actually makes a fajita with the tortilla shells, but I just had the peppers, chicken and juice over rice.  It didn’t need cheese or sour cream, but I added a little salsa  to my plate.

Happy Wednesday!  

 

 



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Thumbprint Cookies

by KT on December 20, 2011

There are a few things that make me think “Christmas”.  One of those is making Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies.   My mom started making these several years ago, but they aren’t something I remember having around as a kid.  They are a favorite of REF’s and they are definitely a labor of love.

The recipe is from Land O’ Lakes. You know they have to be good if the recipe is from a butter company.

There aren’t many ingredients, but there quite a few steps so you’ll need to allow yourself some time.  

First cream the butter and sugar together.

Then slowly add the flour.

Mix until your dough looks like this…

Then you need to refrigerate this for at least an hour.  If you’re really organized you can make the dough ahead of time, then keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to actually prep and bake.  If you’re like me…you just need to wait around for the hour.

Next you’ll need to roll the dough into small balls  (Getyourmindoutofthegutter).  I didn’t take pictures of the ball phase.  My hands were really buttery and my assistant is the furry four legged kind.

After you roll them all out, place them on a cookie sheet & press your thumb into them to create a “well” for the raspberry.  If you have large thumbs (ahem) you can also use the back of a teaspoon.

Then fill up each well with a 1/2 a teaspoon of preserves. 

Now, a sweet older lady at my office brought me homemade preserves to use.  For some reason they didn’t really work for this project.  I think you really need to use something from the store.

Next you bake the cookies for at 350 for about 15-18 minutes.  You just want the edges to be golden brown.  After the cookies cool you put the glaze on!  This is REF’s favorite part.

You’ll want the glaze consistency to look something like this: 

If you mess up and add too much water, just add more powdered sugar.  Easy Peasy.

Then you just sprinkle the glaze on the cookies…

Don’t they look AWESOME?!

I package them up in small bags or boxes (about 6 cookies) to give to friends.  Last year I used some of our duogram stickers on the bags, but this year I’m skipping that step.

I also have to bring a BIG batch to my office Christmas party on Friday.  I made the mistake of one year bringing a small tin of them.  I thought the ladies in the office were going to skin me for bringing such a small batch. Lesson Learned … homemade preserves received. 

What tasty treats are you baking this season?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Breakfast Casserole

by KT on December 3, 2011

Growing up I was a really picky eater.  I think I’ve mentioned it a time or two on here.  While I’ve made leaps and bounds with things that I’ll try and things that I like I still don’t care for mushrooms.  I really don’t even like the smell of them.  The rest of my immediate family LOVES them.  On Christmas morning as a child my mom would make a breakfast casserole for the whole extended family.  I remember getting teased by my older cousins (I was the youngest cousin on my dad’s side for 15 years) that I wasn’t eating the breakfast casserole my mom had made.  This actually caused me a little bit of anxiety, because I really could not stand to be teased as a kid.  

When my sister found out that she was gluten intolerant my mom stopped making this casserole, because it had a layer of bread in it.  I cannot tell you how excited this made me! Ha!

Over the years I’ve tried a few different breakfast casseroles out, sans ‘shrooms, of course.  They are super easy to make, feed a large crowd and are pretty good leftover or room temperature.  I’ve made this  recipe from Paula Deen before, but it has bread in it too.  REF’s family makes a casserole that they call “Breakfast in a Tub”.  It has grits in it and is pretty tasty, but wasn’t something I ever thought I wanted to make.

Before my sister had Charlie she spent a busy weekend getting together some freezer meals.  I wanted to help her out and make a couple.  That same week I saw Miss Grits post a recipe for a Hashbrown bake.  I absolutely love her blog and this recipe sounded like something I would love.  

Well, I was right.  It is FREAKING AWESOME.  Seriously.  

I’ve made it SEVERAL times for friends, when my FIL was over on a Saturday morning, just for the two of us & I plan on making it for my family on Christmas morning!  

Though Grits pictures are better then mine… I attempted to document it the last time I made it.

The recipe is on Grit’s blog & it is super easy.  You can really put whatever you want in it.  She does ham, but I subbed spicy sausage for it.  My FIL also suggested diced jalapenos & I think that’s a FANTASTIC idea. 

 

When I made this for my sister I doubled it and put it in a rectangular aluminum pan.  I also baked it beforehand and then froze it.  She fed it to her ILs while they were visiting Charlie.   She said it was super easy and cleanup was a snap!

This is before I baked it.  My 10 year old niece was looking at my pictures on Thanksgiving and she came across this one.  She said it looked “delicious”.  She’s staying with us for the weekend after Christmas and I think we’re going to make this together.  It would be a really easy and fun recipe to do with kids.

Here is the final product!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

 

 

 



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Getting Organized and a Recipe

by KT on August 17, 2011

 

I got some great news last night.  My Erin Condren Life Planner has finally shipped!  I guess it was supposed to ship earlier this week, but it was stopped in quality control and reprinted.  The folks at Erin Condren are so awesome they decided to express ship my order since they made a mistake.  The lovely planner should be on my doorstep on Friday!  Won’t that be an awesome way to kick off the weekend?!

In any event I’ve been waiting to get my planner before I started constructing my Home Organization Notebook, a la Erin & Nina.   I wanted to see the planner before I printed any sections for my HON.  I also went back and forth on what binder to get for my notebook.  I wanted something that was sturdy.  I decided on this one in green, of course.  It is the same one that Nina got.  I struggled on whether or not to get this one or something that had pockets.  Major life decisions…you know?

I want to make this notebook for a number of reasons, but mainly because I want to get a better handle on our life as a family.  You see, I’ve always been good at meal planning, but my execution was all wrong.  I wouldn’t follow through with it.  Saturday I sat down with R and we went through the cabinets/fridge/recipe binder (I’ll do a post on that soon) to plan our meals together.  Then I did something I’ve never done…I put the darn plan on the fridge.  I can’t believe how much of a difference this has made.  We both know what we’re eating and when.  We know what needs to be defrosted or prepped.  

This is proof that I am a visual learner and need to get serious about my Home Organization. I have a baby shower this Saturday for my sister(yay), but after the shower I’m heading to the store to look for my notebook inserts, zipper pockets, tabs, etc.  Then I’m going to get printing those fabulous free printables that Nina and Erin found. 

Here is my working list of sections for my notebook.  Am I missing anything?

  • Budget
  • Birthdays 
  • Address Book
  • Travel Check List
  • Coupons
  • Receipts
  • Menu Plan
  • Grocery List
  • Blog Ideas
  • St. Gabriel (Church)
  • House Projects
  • Gift List
  • Goals
  • Weekly Chore Schedule

Those aren’t the order that they’ll be in the notebook…just my running list.  I need to figure out what order will work for me.

Last Night we had Party Chicken & spinach salad with strawberries.  This is such an easy and satisfying dish.  It would be great to bring to a friend who just moved, had a baby, etc. I actually made it ahead of time on Monday, because I saw it on the fridge menu plan.  So when I got home from work last night I just popped it in the oven.  I think the recipe came from Publix, but my grandmother actually shared it with me a few years ago.  I’m sorry I don’t have the source for it.  Below is the recipe.

Party Chicken

3 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup of flour

1.5 pounds chicken fillets (4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 – 10 ounce can reduced fat cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup of light mayonnaise

1 1/2 cups of panko breadcrumbs

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

  1. Preheat over to 425 degrees. Coat 9×12 baking dish with cooking spray. Cut butter into small pieces and place in a small bowl to soften
  2. Place flour in large zip top bag. Season chicken with salt & pepper; add to bag and shake to coat the chicken.  Arrange the chicken in baking dish.
  3. Combine soup and mayonnaise.  Spread evenly over chicken.
  4. Stir panko and cheese into butter mixing until crumbly (use hands if necessary). Top chicken with the cheese mixture
  5. Cover with foil. Bake covered for 10 minutes
  6. Remove foil. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden on top and chicken is cooked through.

 

 

 



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Vinegar Potato Salad

by KT on August 15, 2011

I hope y’all had a great weekend!  I had what felt like both a productive weekend and a relaxing weekend.  Aren’t those the best kinds?

I got almost everyone on my list from this weekend completed.  In addition I did a major grocery store trip & meal planned for the week through next Saturday.  I even spent time yesterday prepping some of the meals for the week.   

I wanted to share with you a favorite recipe of my family.  Several years ago my sister found out that she cannot tolerate gluten.  My mom instantly went on a mission to find recipes that didn’t have Gluten in them that the whole family could enjoy.  One of our favorites is The Light & Fresh Potato Salad from Cooking Light.   This recipe is perfect for summertime and me, because it doesn’t has mayonnaise (I had mayo based recipes).  I made it on Saturday night for dinner and it is on our meal plan for tonight too.

You can click on the links for the recipe, but here it is written out too:

Dressing:

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons of canola oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper

Salad:

5 cups cubed red potatoes (about 2 pounds)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup peeled, cubed cucumber

3/4 cup sliced grape/cherry tomatoes

3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped orange bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1 (2 -1/4 ounce) can of sliced ripe black olives

Preparation:

1. To prepare dressing combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl & stir with whisk

2. To prepare the salad place potato & 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer for 8 minutes or until tender. Drain

3. Add HOT* potatoes to dressing in bowl, toss gently to coat.  Let stand for 15 minutes. Stir in cucumber & remaining ingredients, toss, cover & chill

*Make sure to add the dressing to the hot potatoes this helps them to absorb the dressing and is the reason that there is SO little dressing needed.

 

 



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