Month: August 2015

Peach-Pear Muffins

I have recently become a fan of the peach-pear combination; the contrasting textures, the flavors, the colors… They just work for me. And of course so do muffins, because why not wrap up your favorite things in a beautiful little sweet bread basket? For another level of texture, I added pecans. So technically we could call these Peach-Pear-Pecan Muffins, but it just doesn’t have the same ring. Right? Regardless, they’re yummy. (Just ask my nephew, Jude).

Makes 24 muffins

As organic as possible:

3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup walnut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped pears
1 1/2 cups chopped peaches
1 cup chopped pecans (1/3 cup reserved)

Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease 24 standard muffin cups with butter or baking spray, set aside.

In a measuring cup or small bowl, mix milk and balsamic vinegar and let it sit. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to wet ingredients and stir. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix just until combined. Fold in the pears, peaches and pecans until incorporated (not over mixing for fear of muffin bricks).

Spoon or scoop batter into muffin tins until almost to the top. (Side note: I love ice cream scoops for all muffin, cupcake, and most cookie recipes. The kind where you squeeze the handle and the batter is released. If you don’t have one, you might want to consider it.) Bake for 25-30 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve while still warm or at room temperature.

I love most quick breads and muffins with coffee in the morning for breakfast or on the side of a salad for lunch. Enjoy!

Beautiful Blogger Award

I am honored to be the recipient of another blogging award! The Beautiful Blogger Award highlights bloggers with beautiful creativity. Thank you stephysweetbakes of Louisiana, you have been very supportive of my blog and this is my third award nomination from you! You have an extensive recipe list, an endless amount of baking creativity, and a beautiful blog!

THE RULES:
Link the blogger who nominated you.
List seven random things about yourself.
Nominate seven creative, beautiful bloggers.
Notify the people that you nominate.

Thank you Stephy of stephysweetbakes for this nomination!

Ok, seven random things about me:

  1. In high school I thought I would have eight children. ?
  2. I like black vehicles. Whenever I am car shopping, no matter what the make or model, I always gravitate toward black paint.
  3. I give myself mental quizzes regularly, like naming capital cities for the states or the Greek alphabet or the periodic table…
  4. I had a “breathtaking” experience. We were driving north along Highway 1 in California (somewhere between Monterey and San Francisco); on my right were vast mountains, on my left was ocean as far as I could see. And it literally took my breath away, I gasped for air. And after I caught my breath I thought, “that’s why they have those sayings.”
  5. I plug my nose when I jump into water. It’s embarrassing.
  6. When I was a little girl I didn’t like strawberries. I remember thinking to myself (for whatever reason) “I want to be the kind of girl who eats strawberries.” I don’t know, maybe I thought it seemed healthy? Maybe it was the influence of the cartoon Strawberry Shortcake? The thought makes me laugh now. But I did, I made myself eat them.
  7. I’ve kissed the Blarney Stone. (But I already had the gift of gab)

Now for my nominees:

  1. My French Heaven, a girl can dream…
  2. Bright, Shiny Objects, I enjoy the way you write
  3. Serena Glow- Health, Vitality and Food, I appreciate your natural methods of beauty inside and out
  4. Rachel Schultz, what do I need to say
  5. What’s Bec Cooking, my kindred cook ?
  6. The Richmond Avenue, I’m a fan
  7. Once Upon A Chef, you make perfection seem attainable

Thanks again Stephy!

Loving Lately ❤

Loving Lately 1: Easy Apps – Roasted Garlic Onion Jam & Brie (Pictured above)

I love easy appetizers. Who doesn’t? The kind of things that are really easy to throw together that are still really delicious and special. I also love brie and impromptu gatherings. Years ago we were at a specialty foods store in a Northern suburb of Chicago, and they were offering samples of Stonewall Kitchen’s Roasted Garlic Onion Jam on brie. At that time I would have never thought to put the two together. Now it’s hard to imagine them apart. (Don’t knock it until you try it.) I have also seen the Stonewall Kitchen line of products at Macy’s and Kroger.

Loving Lately 2: Tara

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Tara is a friend like a sister. She is worth her weight in gold, especially when it comes to child care. I think she takes more safety precautions with my children than I do (that’s saying something). She also does Sunday school lessons for our church. And she happens to make really cute projects to help the kids remember the teachings.

Matthew 6:21

Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is…”


“…there your heart will be also.”

And

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Jars of honey

Thank you Tara! Your time with my children is precious! They love you! Thank you for loving them.

White Chocolate-Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

I am crazy about these cookies. Simply put they are just really good. It’s everything I want in a cookie; sweet, chewy and loaded with flavor in every bite. They are like perfect. And because they have oats, cranberries, and walnuts (and white chocolate chips- but just mumble that under your breath) I feel good about eating them for breakfast. Or in between meals. Or after lunch. and dinner.

As organic as possible:

3/4 cup Butter, softened

1 cup packed Brown sugar

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tsp Baking powder

1/4 tsp Baking soda

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

1 3/4 cups Flour

2 cups Oats

1 cup White chocolate chips

1 cup Cranberries

3/4 cup chopped Walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375º. Beat butter by hand or with electric mixer until creamy. Add sugars, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon and continue to beat until creamy, light and fluffy (scraping the sides as necessary). Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Mix in the flour (I like to do this 1 cup and 3/4 cup at a time). Stir in oats. Batter will be getting thick! Fold in white chocolate chips, cranberries and nuts until all are evenly incorporated.

I have said it in the past, we like our cookies big. So I use an ice cream scoop, but you can use smaller spoons if you’d like. Drop the cookies onto an un-greased cookie sheet (leaving space for growth in between). Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until edges are turning brown and center is soft (not wet). Allow to cool for a minute before transferring to a cooling rack.

*I adapted (dare I say perfected) this recipe many moons ago from a Better Homes and Gardens oatmeal cookie recipe. And you may take any liberties you’d like with substituting ingredients because this recipe is flexible, but if I were you I’d try it like this at least once.

Liebster Award

Thank you very much Bec of What’s Bec Cooking for nominating me for the Liebster Award! Bec currently lives in Australia, the land down under. She has an amazing blog and can cook anything from homemade bread and chicken curry to boutique-worthy cupcakes and chocolate mousse.
The Liebster Award is an award of recognition and appreciation given to bloggers from bloggers. It’s passed to encourage connection and support within the blogging community and to aid in the discovery of new and upcoming bloggers. I am very appreciative!

Rules:
1 Thank the blogger who nominated you with a link back to his/her blog.
2 Answer the questions asked by the nominator.
3 Nominate 5 – 11 bloggers with fewer than 500 followers.
4 Answer the questions from the blogger who nominated you.
5 Create 11 questions for your nominees.

My questions from Bec are:
1 What’s been your proudest moment in life?
•Probably holding each of my babies after delivery. There is nothing like it; the moment you’ve been waiting for arrived, the pain behind, and baby in arms. My last baby weighed 12 lbs 2 oz!
2 What would be your dream job?
•This changes daily. Today I’d like to be a coffee roaster.
3 What’s your worst cooking disaster in the kitchen?
•Where do I start? Sometimes experimenting becomes a disaster. I can only remember one time when it was too bad to eat… but I can’t remember what it was!
4 What do you love about blogging?
•The illusion of having a professional career.
5 What do you dislike about blogging?
•Sometimes my real job (being mom) keeps me from being as creative as I’d like to be.
6 What could you not live without?
•A personal relationship with my savior.
7 If you were a superhero, what would be your super power? 🙂
•Without question, I would fly.
8 What’s your fondest childhood memory?
•I’ve had a great life and picturesque childhood full of perfect holidays, birthdays, and week days; I can’t pick one. Thank you mom and dad!
9 What’s your favourite food?
•Food.
10 What’s your favourite recipe?
•Sorry to say, it is at a chain restaurant; I love the Spicy Cashew Chicken at the Cheesecake Factory, every time.
11 Who’s your hero?
•Hmmm, let’s have some fun… I love Captain America’s sense of duty and commitment to his moral standards. But I recently saw Antman and he was surprisingly likable.

Thank you Bec! I love your blog and thank you for your support of mine.

My nominees are:
Old Orchard Chronicles, I love your transparency
Smiling Notes, thank you for your regular encouragement
Indfused, your creativity is inspiring
Old Country Girl, everything you make looks delicious
Low Carb Simple, I appreciate your niche

My questions for my nominees are:
Would you prefer a night at the opera or at a ball game?
Who is your biggest social media influence?
What would be your perfect evening?
What is your favorite season and why?
You just were awarded dinner for two at a 5 star restaurant, who do you bring?
Are you a big breakfast person?
Where was your last vacation?
If you could have any one talent what would it be?
What is your favorite holiday?
What is the best dessert you ever ate?
It’s your birthday and you can celebrate anywhere in the world, where are you going?

Lasagna

It’s not just Garfield who loves lasagna! I have explained to you before our high regard for Italian cooking. When the smell of garlic bread and baked pasta is in the house I want to pour a glass of vino, raise my voice a little and hug my babies. I can’t help myself, without any actuality I’m part Italian.

As organic as possible:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Yellow onion, diced
3-4 Cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs Ground hamburger (I prefer lean)
2 jars Homemade or store bought pasta sauce (about 50 oz)
1 lb Lasagna noodles

8 oz Cottage cheese
16 oz Ricotta cheese
8 oz Fresh Mozzarella, shredded and divided
3/4 cup Grated Parmesan, divided
1/4-1/2 tsp Salt
1/8-1/4 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp Granulated garlic
1 tsp dried basil

Lasagna requires a few steps, but the difficulty is low. And once assembled it’s a make ahead dish that’s easy to throw in the oven, bake and serve.

Preheat the oven to 350º

I like to start with my sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat, add diced onion and let sauté about 2 minutes. Add garlic and let sauté another minute. Add beef, let cook until browned and drain. Pour in sauce and stir. Allow to simmer. Taste! Add seasonings accordingly.

In the meantime, start boiling pasta water and cook according to package directions (remember to salt your water and keep in mind the noodles are supposed to be “al dente,” still maintaining a little bite because they will continue to soften when in the oven). Drain and rinse the pasta under cool water to stop the cooking process and make the noodles easier to handle during assembly.

In a separate bowl, combine cottage cheese, ricotta, 2/3 of the shredded mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, granulated garlic and basil. (Side note: I love cottage cheese in my lasagna; it has a tangy salty zing that I prefer over ricotta, and I have made my cheesy filling with it alone. However, ricotta gives that little bit of creaminess that cottage cheese in general is lacking, so I prefer the combination). Taste! Some cheeses are saltier than others, you want each part of your layering to taste equally delicious, so if this is flat add more salt and/or pepper now.

Ok. You’ve made it this far, so you might as well finish what you’ve started! In a large baking dish (or a 13X9 dish will do) place just enough sauce on the bottom, smearing it all over, so your noodles won’t stick. Line your noodles closely to each other so that you completely cover the pan (trimming noodles to fit like a puzzle if necessary). Using about a 1/3 of your cheese mixture spread the creamy goodness all over the noodles. Next use about a third of your pasta sauce to layer on top of the cheese. Repeat with the noodles and continue with cheese and sauce until you are out (you will most likely have left over noodles).

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. (I did not forget about the remaining cheese…) When the kitchen timer goes off (or after you have watched the clock relentlessly for 30 minutes), carefully remove the baking dish from the oven and turn the oven up to 425º. Take off the aluminum foil and on the top layer of sauce, evenly sprinkle the remaining 1/3 shredded mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Place back into the oven uncovered for about 15 minutes until cheese is browned and dish is perfect!

Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before attempting to serve. Not only will you spare the skin on the roof of your mouth, but this gives your dish time to set and will allow for you to cut into it without it spreading.

Entertaining the Kids with English Chocolate Crisps

By now we have established that I am a stay at home mom of four. So it fair to presume that most of my entertaining is for my children. Keeping them active in the kitchen is important to me. (Okay, to be completely honest sometimes I want them away from the kitchen). But mostly I want to teach them about food and preparing it. I want them to see ingredients and learn where they come from. I often talk to them about eating organic and try to explain (age appropriate) reasons why. For convenience sake we do buy packaged food (I don’t know the first thing about making chocolate), but we try to make good choices.

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The Barefoot Contessa cookbook, Make It Ahead, has a great recipe to try with your children. There is no baking involved (only melting some chocolate on the stove top, done by mom). There are only for ingredients: milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate (I used semi-sweet, pictured), cornflakes and cranberries, and the whole process is basically stirring and dropping spoonfuls of the mix onto paper. Perfect for my two and four year old!

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They like being a part of the creating process and they l-o-v-e taking ownership of the final product! Such an accomplishment! Since there were no eggs involved, eating the batter was an option… and that’s always a good reward along the way.

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The result was quality time with mom, happy kids and fun treats to eat. I encourage you to spend some time with the kids in your life, “it’s the best investment you’ll ever make!”

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It’s also a rule of mine to try a recipe as it is written for the first time, before I tweak it. And these cookies were delicious. But I think next time we will make them a little more kid-friendly and fun (and subsequently less healthy) by substituting the cranberries with mini-marshmallows!

Loving Lately ❤

Welcome to my first edition of “Loving Lately!” Don’t you love it when you make a commitment, oh say like posting a weekly something on your blog, and unforeseen circumstances, for example; I don’t know, your 97 year old dear friend is hospitalized for dehydration, take precedence? So it’s time to post somethings you are really excited about and dedicated to sharing, but you haven’t. So you are left updating your post all morning so that every time someone looks at it, it’s different and you are completely inconsistent, which is the total opposite of what you have in mind… Welcome to my nest!

I have so many things to share!

1st Love of Late (actually for a while): Exodus Sandals (pictured above courtesy of Exodus Sandals)

All materials in Exodus Sandals are made in the USA. They are a “barefoot shoe.” It’s an ultralight easy wearing shoe that will comfortably stay on your foot from water to land or hike. It’s also a minimalist shoe in concept, in that there are few pieces, and they are hand crafted. I have a pair of the “XO original” sandals, but they come in a few varieties and colors depending on your preference and terrain. They are awesome! And you can find them at http://exodussandals.com

2nd Love: Mòz Extra Virgin Olive Oil


A few months ago I visited the Marco Island Farmer’s Market with my mother-in-law (who happens to be a regular) for the first time. Since it was still chilly in Michigan, the selection of fresh fruits and vegetables was a warm welcome (let alone the sunshine and warm temperatures). The array of breads, baked goods, cheeses, and artisan crafted foods were fantastic. One of the vendors that caught my eye had a large selection of olive oils and various crafted condiments. After sampling a few, it didn’t take long to fall in love. Mòz is an extra virgin olive oil from Portugal. The vendor aptly described it as if “olive oil and butter had a baby.” He was right. It’s yummilicious.

It’s pricier than my regular organic olive oil that I use for cooking and baking. I recommend using it as a finishing oil, to drizzle on a soup or salad, or for dipping bread; someway that you will be tasting it directly and want to taste deliciousness. http://www.oliveoiloftheworld.com

3rd Love Lately: The Shine Brush


I’d like to introduce to you “The Shine Brush” via “The Wet Brush,” maybe you’ve already met. After bath brush outs are less than enjoyable to either party (loathe). I can honestly say this brush has made it more bearable.  But don’t limit yourself to just wet hair, and the whole family uses it (not just the long haired)! I found mine at Ulta, and they often have coupons on-line and in their mailers. (Another tip, for long hair is starting at the bottom and working your way up… And sulfate free hair conditioners).

Thank you for visiting my first installment of Loving Lately! I have a lot of loves, it’s hard to limit them to a few… many more to come! If you have any suggestions of products and websites to check out, please contact me!

#dudeperfect I lost count

Another dad moment, while mom is in the nest…

Lemon Bread

I appreciate the sour note of a lemon, especially in something sweet. This bread is great in the morning for breakfast, it works as a dessert, and can be served on the side of a salad. But my favorite way to eat this treat is in the afternoon with a cup of coffee (or tea for my English friends). It’s the perfect little bright pick-me-up.

Makes 1 Loaf

As organic as possible:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Topping:

1 Tbsp lemon zest

2 pinches sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease (or spray) a loaf pan and set aside. Beat the butter with an electric mixer (or your strong arms and a utensil) until creamy. Add the half the sugar and beat into the butter, then add the other half of the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and zest, mix until blended. In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk into the butter mixture. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and bake 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool slightly while you prepare the glaze. Place the powdered sugar and lemon juice into a bowl and stir until it makes a thick, sticky, yummy liquid. Remove the loaf from the pan and place it on the serve ware of your choice. Spoon the glaze onto the loaf, allowing it to flow down the sides like lava out of a volcano (just the flow part, not the fire or sputtering).

Before the glaze dries sprinkle the zest and pinches of sugar evenly across the top. Serve at will.