cabinet corkboard

I picked up some cork tiles at a local home improvement store, cut them to size for my cabinet door, and used the foam tabs that came with them to mount them.  Super easy, and took hardly any time at all.  The fun part was making the fabric-covered button thumbtacks to make it cute.  I just use hot glue to attach the tack and it works great.  The perfect spot for hanging the menu plan, sweet notes from the kids and cut-out recipes to try soon.  As if I don't have enough recipes already!  :)

project: kitchen backsplash

Scott and I have been talking about tiling the back splash in our kitchen for awhile. For some reason I didn't even think of it when we redid our countertops. We were finishing the basement at the same time so I think we were just focused on that project. I love the look of subway tiles in a kitchen though and now I get to enjoy the look everyday!

Before we just had a traditional style backsplash that matched the countertop and then painted drywall above that. It looked just fine but now that the tiles are in there it's amazing how much brighter and open it looks. After we finished the project we both wondered why we didn't do it a long time ago!

It was a very inexpensive project to do. For under a $100 we gave the kitchen a whole new look! I think the project took a total of around 10 hours. Scott put up most of the tile. After a few mistakes he told me my show was canceled. :) (You'd have to watch Design Star on HGTV to get that!) I did the grouting and now need to seal it.

It's nice to have a hubby with mad tiling skillz! :)

cookie baking kind of day

We are getting somewhere between 4 - 6 inches of snow today. One more month of winter, just one more month of winter. That's what I keep telling myself. Chocolate chip cookies seemed just the thing we needed on this cold, snowy day.

how to boil an egg

I found this no-fail method for how to boil an egg several years ago in the cookbook Just a Matter of Thyme. The cooked yolk is always perfectly yellow with no traces of green around the edge. Such a simple thing but one that makes a big difference!

1. Place eggs in a saucepan. Cover with cold water.
2. Bring to a rapid boil. Immediately place the lid on the pan.
3. Leave the pan on the burner but turn the burner off. Let set for 15 minutes. (Set a timer!)
4. Drain off the hot water. Cover cooked eggs again with cold water. Let set 2 minutes.
5. Drain off cold water. Leaving the eggs in the pan, shake pan back and forth several times so that the eggs bump up against each other and crack. The shell should slide off easily now. (Occasionally there are still those eggs that don't want to peel nicely.) Rinse under cool water and store in a covered container. Use within 3 days.

caramel corn

This recipe was given to me from Scott's Aunt Deb. We enjoy this popcorn every fall. It's such a great snack to have while watching (or listening) to football. Go Huskers!

Caramel Corn

20 large marshmallows
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter

Microwave 2 minutes, stir. Microwave 2-4 minutes more until boiling. Then add 1/2 tsp baking soda to caramel mixture. Stir until well combined.

Pour over 7-8 quarts of popped corn. I do this in small batches. It helps ensure that every piece gets good and coated with caramel!

Place in a 250 degree oven for 10 minutes then turn over and bake another 10 minutes. This step makes it so that the popcorn isn't so sticky.

peach crisp

My friend Christina recently emailed me and asked for my peach crisp recipe. Of course I'm happy to share it! I had planned to put it here on the blog eventually. The almond extract is the secret ingredient and should not be left out!

Peach Crisp

Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup regular rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup almond slices, lightly toasted *optional

Peach Filling:
6 cups fresh peaches (about 2 lbs), pitted, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For the topping, stir flour, oats, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl. Add butter. Use a pastry cutter or fork to form coarse crumbs. *To toast almonds, bake 3-4 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet until light brown (watch carefully - they brown quickly). Set aside to cool.

For filling, combine peaches and sugar. Mix cornstarch and lemon juice; stir into peaches. Add nutmeg and almond extract; stir well.

To assemble, pour filling into a 9-inch square baking dish. Combine almonds with topping, sprinkle about half of the mixture evenly over the fruit. Pat down lightly. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from the oven; add remaining topping, and bake additional 25 - 30 minutes or until fruit pierces easily with a toothpick. Allow to set about 30 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

Source: Cooking with Confidence

better than ever cake

I was asked to share the recipe for Scott's birthday cake. I think this recipe is another must have. It's so easy to throw together and gets rave reviews. Also, it keeps for several days in the refrigerator so you don't have to eat it quickly.


Better Than Ever Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
1 small jar caramel topping
1 - 8oz container cool whip
Heath milk chocolate toffee bits

Mix and bake the chocolate cake according to the directions on the box. While still warm poke holes all over the entire cake with a fork then pour the sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping over the top. It will all seep into the holes of the cake and make it ooey and gooey. Put in the refrigerator to chill. When cold, spread the cool whip over the top of the cake and then generously sprinkle with the Heath toffee bits. Store in refrigerator.

*The Heath toffee bits can be found by the chocolate chips at your grocery store or you can buy 3 or 4 Heath candy bars and break them up yourself.

frozen key lime pie

I make this frozen treat once every summer. The kids think it is too 'limey' so Scott and I get the whole thing to ourselves and we are happy to enjoy every slice!

FOR THE CRUST
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING
6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp grated lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 to 5 limes)

FOR THE TOPPING
1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Thin lime wedges

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Press into a 9-inch pie pan, making sure the sides and the bottom are an even thickness. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

For the filling, combine the egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the lime juice in a double broiler. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture reaches 140 degrees. Remove from heat and allow to cool back to room temperature. Beat egg yolk mixture and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes, until somewhat thick. With the mixer on medium speed, add the remaining 1/4 cup lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and lime zest. Pour into the baked pie shell and freeze.

For the topping, beat the heavy cream on high speed with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until firm. Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the pie and decorate with lime wedges. Freeze for several hours or overnight.

This pie will last for months in the freezer.

Recipe source: Barefoot Contessa Family Style

quesadilla explosion salad

This weekend I finally got around to trying to make a homemade version of Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad. Too many things had come up the week I had it on my menu plan to get it made. I was able to find an excellent fajita marinade and citrus balsamic vinaigrette recipe online and I think that this homemade version comes pretty close to the real thing!

This recipe is pretty involved and will take some planning so that all of the components of the salad are ready at the same time but it is so worth the effort. Next time I make it I am going to marinade and grill more chicken so that we can have it for more than one meal. I hope you like it if you try it!

A few hours before you plan to eat make this recipe for Corn and Black Bean Salsa.

Prepare the fajita marinade -
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2/3 cup water
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 tsp. vinegar
4 tsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
a couple of dashes onion powder

Place 5 or 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.

Prepare Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette -
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. sugar
pinch of ground nutmeg

Whisk ingredients in a pan over medium-high heat just until the sugar has melted. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make tortilla stips -
Cut a few red tortillas and a few green colored tortillas into thin strips. Deep fry in vegetable oil for a minute or so till crispy. Sprinkle with salt after removed from the oil while still hot.

Other items needed to prepare salad -
washed and torn salad greens
shredded cheddar cheese, monterey jack, colby....any of the cheeses or a combo would be good
Ranch dressing

To put the salad together grill the chicken breast. Slice into thin strips when done. Place a handful or 2 of salad greens on a plate. Top with a few spoonfulls of the corn and black bean salsa, shredded cheese, grilled chicken breast, a few drizzles of ranch dressing (this is more of a garnish) and then tortilla strips. Serve vinaigrette on the side.

Chili's also served cheese quesadilla triangles on the side so while the chicken was grilling I made two cheese quesadillas, cut each into 6 triangles and served them alongside the salad.

The picture above is from Chili's website. We didn't want to take the time for pictures of ours. We were too hungry! :) Also, I want to give credit to Meemo's Kitchen, the website where I found the recipes for the fajita marinade and vinaigrette. They were excellent! I made only minor changes because of ingredients I had on hand.

food savin'

Last week I purchased a FoodSaver. I've been wanting one for a long time and with berry season starting next week (hopefully!) I thought it was a good time to finally get one. I spent yesterday afternoon vacuum sealing all kinds of things -rice, almonds, green tea, bread crumbs, chicken....anything that could be vacuumed sealed. Food savin' is fun! :)

I spend a lot of time shopping for bargains at the grocery store. A few years ago I found a couple of sites that really motivated me in this area and taught me how to make the most of my dollar at the grocery store - Laine's Letters and Like Merchant Ships. I've learned how to shop by the grocery store ad and now I often shop at both grocery stores in town to pick up the deals. I clip coupons when I find them. Our Sunday paper doesn't have much for coupons in it so my savings aren't substantial but every little bit helps. It's been great to learn so many tips and tricks and it's fun when you find a really great bargain. I look at it as a challenge every week to come in at my budget.

One of my favorite tips that I used to never do was to look for manager's specials or reduced for quick sale items in the meat department. There is usually something marked down. I like to pick these items up and then freeze them right away in the correct portion size for our family meals for later use. Now I'll be able to vacuum seal them and not have to worry about losing them in the freezer and then end up throwing away freezer burnt 'savings'! When I menu plan for the week I often 'shop' from the freezer and plan our meals around the items that we already have. My grocery lists are usually just extra things that are required for the meals and loss leaders to stock the pantry and freezer and of course produce and other staples that get purchased on a weekly basis.

If this is something that interests you I'd encourage you to head over to Meredith's blog and start reading her archived posts on 'food from afar'. One of my favorite series of posts that she has done is a week of cooking on a 1950's budget menu.

monkey bread gone wrong

I guess when the recipe says to divide the dough between two bread pans that means I need to divide it between two bundt pans as well! I am so thankful that I put that parchment paper on the jelly roll pan. That would've been a nightmare to clean!

bread machine pizza crust

This is my new favorite pizza crust recipe. My friend Molly made it a couple of weeks ago when we had dinner at her house and everyone loved it. She found the recipe at allrecipes.com and it has rave reviews there. Don't let the 1 cup of flat beer scare you away. The dough does not taste like beer at all. It's so easy to just throw all of the ingredients in the bread machine and let it do the work. We made it last night and have enough leftovers to have it for lunch today.

The kids pizza. Pepperoni and cheese. Ava calls is puzza.

Mom and Dad's pizza. Ground beef, black olives, and green pepper. Everything that I used to pick off of my pizza when I was a kid!

I also learned a good tip from Molly to roll the pizza out on parchment paper, put the toppings on and bake it on the stone that way. Just slip a flat cookie sheet under it and transferring it to and from the stone is so easy. I don't know why I never thought of that!

chicken bbq & strawberry sorbet

For this Recipe Box Swap I am sharing a recipe for Chicken BBQ. We had it at a friend's house last summer and it has become one of my favorite meals to make on days when I have no time to cook.

3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup water
3 T. worcestershire
3 T. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. cumin
28 oz BBQ sauce

Combine everything except the BBQ sauce and cook on low in a crockpot for 6 hours. Drain juices. With 2 forks, shred the chicken. Put back in crockpot and add BBQ sauce (don't drown the chicken in sauce.) Cook for 1 more hour. Serve on buns with a slice of American cheese.

And for something sweet...

Strawberry Sorbet! I used some strawberries out of the freezer to make this sorbet this week and plan to use raspberries to make another batch. I have one of these ice cream makers and love it. This recipe tastes just like Edy's Fruit Bars. Yum! It's also delicious to serve in a glass with champagne.

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 quart strawberries, stems removed
4 T. fresh lemon juice

Make a simple syrup out of the sugar and water by bringing them to a boil and then simmering until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool completely.

Combine the strawberries and lemon juice in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until the strawberries are completely pureed. Press the strawberry puree through a fine mesh strainer to remove most of the seeds. Combine the strained puree with the cooled sugar syrup and corn syrup. Chill for 1 hour.

Freeze according to manufactures instructions. The sorbet will have a soft serve texture. If desired, transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and place in the freezer until firm.

Be sure to visit Randi's blog for more recipes!

homemade croutons

I often purchase a large loaf of french bread from the grocery store bakery but we usually aren't able to finish it before it would go bad so I like to use it to make croutons after we've had it for a couple of meals. It's so easy to do and these croutons are much more tasty than the boxed ones.

The first thing you do is slice and cube your bread into bite-size pieces. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Then take whatever seasoning you want and sprinkle it on. Any seasoning will work. I have a container of dipping oil spices that I like to use. Ranch dressing mix is good and so is just salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss the bread cubes and get them lightly coated with the oil and spices. Place them in a 350 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes or so. Toss them around once during baking. Let them cool before placing in a container.

My kids are happy to eat a salad with croutons on it! And while you have the oven hot why not roast a few chicken breasts. Just sprinkle them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about an hour or until juices run clear. Let cool then shred the meat. Portion it out and freeze for use in soups and casseroles. It really helps to have dinner on the table quick on busy days!

Visit Rocks in My Dryer for more Works For Me Wednesday tips. There are always lots of good ones!

chocolate sheet cake

This recipe was given to me at my wedding shower. It is from a sweet lady that was known for bringing it to our church potlucks and it disappearing very quickly! All of the brides-to-be would receive this recipe as a gift along with a sheet cake pan. It mixes up so quickly, stays moist for a long time and makes a lot. We had it with a scoop of mint chip icecream after our St. Patrick's Day meal. Yum!

Chocolate Sheet Cake

Bring to a boil:
2 sticks butter
1 cup water
3 T. cocoa

Add to the following ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix well. Pour into a greased sheet cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or done in the center.

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 Tbsp. butter

Boil for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup chocolate chips. Pour on cake when hot.

menu plan monday

Here is my meal plan for the week. We are going to be studying Israel for geography this week. We didn't do meals for Japan or India so the kids are begging to make one for Israel. I am using an excellent resource for recipes from around the world called 'Eat Your Way Around the World.' It really makes it fun to try the food from the different countries. I'm sure I will be posting pictures of the meal and what the kids thought of it.

Monday
Breakfast – Toad in a hole (kid version of an egg sandwich)
Lunch – Pizza Hut (Book-It! Reward)
Dinner – Grilled Steaks & Pear & Blue Cheese Salad

Tuesday
Breakfast – Yogurt with Fruit & Granola
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner – Chef Salads

Wednesday
Breakfast – Malt- O-Meal
Lunch – Chef Salads
Dinner – Hot Dog Mummies

Thursday
Breakfast – Yogurt with Fruit & Granola
Lunch – Sandwiches
Dinner – ‘Israel Meal’ – Cholent, Tzimmes & Challah

Friday
Breakfast – Banana Bread, made by Thomas
Lunch – Sandwiches or Salad
Dinner – Leftovers

Saturday
Breakfast – Baked French Toast & Maple Sausage Links
Lunch – East Hampton Clam Chowder
Dinner – Orange Chicken

Sunday
Breakfast – Leftover French Toast
Lunch – East Hampton Clam Chowder
Dinner – Pizza & Garden Salad

baked potato tip

I didn't go grocery shopping this week and am completely out of bread and there are no leftovers in the fridge. Scott got home today around 10:00 so I was trying to come up with something quick and easy to make for lunch. While Thomas and I were baking cookies I thought to wrap some potatoes in aluminum foil and let them bake at the same time the cookies were baking. I don't know why I haven't thought of this before! We took a package of cheddar cheese out of the freezer along with a bag of broccoli that we cooked in the microwave and just like that we had lunch. I baked a couple of extra potatoes for fried potatoes with tomorrow morning's breakfast. Yum!

the next bobby flay

This morning Elle went over to her friend Eden's house to play. Thomas and Ava are going to go over later this afternoon when her brother Jack gets out of school and they are all going to sleep over. It's date night for Scott and I!

After Elle left, Thomas and I made some chocolate chip cookies to take over and share later. He really enjoys helping in the kitchen. It's always interesting cooking with him because he brings the 'play' element to cooking...the spatula becomes a light saber while he's taking the cookies off the cookie sheet after they are baked and there are little dough splatters all over the counter where he tried to see how high he could get above the dough with the hand mixer. :)




They passed the taste test! You can't beat warm cookies and a glass of milk!

dinner tonight

Scott will be spending the week in Atlanta so I made a meal that says 'I love you'.

split pea soup

I made this split pea soup today for lunch and the jokes were flying while it was being made and eaten. I wish I would've captured the look on the kids faces when I served them their bowls. I just told them that it was an early Halloween meal and I'm pretty sure you can figure out what we called it! Surprisingly though everyone ate it and said that it was pretty good. Scott decided to be an Iron Chef judge while he ate his bowl and said that while the flavor is nice I need to work on the presentation. :) This is another new recipe that I will not be making again!