southern living peach cobbler

we enjoyed a great dinner this past weekend and topped it off with this yummy & super easy dessert! perfect while peaches are still in season!

southern living peach cobbler
what you need...1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup milk
4 cups fresh peach slices
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Ground cinnamon

what you do...

Melt butter and pour into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.  In a separate bowl mix flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter (do not stir)...yes it does look funky.

In a saucepan, bring remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices, and lemon juice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly; pour over batter (do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown & bubbling in the center. Serve cobbler warm over vanilla ice cream!!! Yummy! 

kale salad

my new go to fave kale salad recipe is a great crowd pleaser. even more exciting (...I mean getting people to try kale & like it for the 1st time is pretty good...) is the fact that the dressing is made from scratch and has all common household ingredients in it (plus no preservatives or junk).

kale salad
what you need:

• 1 bunch of green kale
• 1/2 cup silvered/shaved almonds
• 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup craisins
• dressing (below)

what to do:
chop kale (leave off the center vein)...add everything else in the bowl & toss...literally its that easy. personally I like the taste after it sits for 1-2 hours, but thats not essential. you can let it sit for 1/2 a day if you need to as it takes a lot to soften kale! you will have dressing left over based on the amount of kale you use. add dressing a little at a time to avoid over saturating it.

lemon vinaigrette dressing
what you need:

• 2TBSP white wine vinegar
• 2TBST fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp ground dijon mustard
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp lemon zest (some times if I'm lazy I skip this part)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp sugar

what to do: 

put it in a jar & shake it or in a pyrex & whisk it! 

quinoa salad

I love ways to make quinoa! I have really enjoyed finding this grain and love that it is so good for you! There is a great salad that I have come to enjoy more and more each time I make it! 

quinoa salad
what you need...

for the salad...

1 1/2 cups quinoa
1 small red onion diced
1 bunch Italian parsley leaves, chopped finely
1 bunches mint leaves, chopped finely

2 avocados, diced 

for the dressing...

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

what you do...

cook the quinoa according to the instructions (in general, 1/2 cup quinoa to 1 cup water). allow the quinoa to cool

Once cool, add onion, mint and parsley. Mix up the vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and toss well with quinoa. Add avocado last and toss.

best baked beans!

These are the best baked beans that I have had in a while (coming from a baked bean fan)! I have always wanted to do homemade baked beans so while Joe was smoking a boston butt on the smoker, it gave me plenty of time to have the kitchen to myself for bean making. The family enjoyed these over Thanksgiving & my father in law gave two big thumbs up!

Make this "Magic Dust" first as the Where the Cooks Are website advises. This gives the beans that "smokey" taste and the seasoning was spot on. It makes a ton so you could cut this in 1/2 if you were just thinking of trying this once and wanted to conserve spices. I made a double batch of the beans and have enough dust to do maybe 4 more double batches.

Magic Dust:

what you need...

1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon mustard powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

what to do...

mix it all in a container with a lid and store :)

best baked beans ever...
what you need...
1 pound dried great northern beans, rinsed and drained
8-12 slices of bacon
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons Magic Dust (see above)
1 1/2 cups water

what you do...
Start the night before. Rinse the beans & pull out any ugly ones that don't meet your standards. Place them in a large saucepan or dish and add salted water (cover them 2-3 inches). Soak overnight. Note: the beans will EXPAND so make sure they aren't going to expand outside of the dish. They need to stay covered with water so give them room to grow.

When you're ready to get going, rinse the beans one last time.  Return them to the saucepan and cover with fresh water by about 4 inches. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-2 hours or until the beans are tender, but not bursting open. 

While the beans are cooking, whisk the ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili powder, Magic Dust, and water together in a large bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook all but two pieces of the bacon in the oven ensuring that its cooked fully. Let the bacon cool after being laid out on a paper towel to degrease a little.  Cook the other two pieces of bacon in a medium saucepan. Remove the bacon & keep the grease in the pan. Add the onion to the bacon grease and cook. Once the onion is almost finished softening, add the garlic. Take a minute & crumble all the cooled bacon.

Pour drained beans into the bowl with the sauce. Add the bacon, onion, and garlic and stir to combine well.  Pour into a 9"x13" baking dish and bake, uncovered, for one hour or until bubbly. 

Bean recipe & Magic Dust Recipe from: www.wherethecookiesare.com

angel food cake

one of my absolute most favorite desserts is angel food cake. it is so simple to make from scratch and super rewarding when you take the first bite! don't forget homemade whipped cream and fresh berries! i have no photo of the final product...because it gets gobbled up way too fast!

angel food cake
what you need...1-1/4 cups egg whites (about 9)
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 cup cake flour
1-1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

what to do...

Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Sift 1/2 cup sugar and flour together twice; set aside.

Place oven rack in the lowest position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar (1 cup), about 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold in flour mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time.

Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. 

Bake 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned and entire top appears dry. Immediately invert pan over a wine bottle or on a rack (I find it hard to find a wine bottle my pan will fit on); cool completely, about 1-2 hours.

Run a knife around side and center tube of pan to get it out of the pan!


http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/best-angel-food-cake

grandma's chocolate pound cake

after my grandmothers passing earlier this year, i acquired a little yellow recipe box and a second edition, 1961, version of Betty Crocker's New Picture Cook Book that was very well loved {read: tattered up so bad barely one single page is still in mint condition}. i could not wait to start making some of her recipes. the more tattered the better and I'm starting with the top and going down the list! bring on the shortening :)

Chocolate Pound Cake

what you need...
3 cups sifted all purpose flower
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
5 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
2 TBSP grated unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract

*grandma notes: decrease the sugar to 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups but then increase the flour to 3 1/4 or 3 1/2 cups depending on the amount of sugar decreased. she also scratches the additional 2 TBSP of unsweetened chocolate. I added chocolate chips ;)

what to do...

sift flour with cocoa, baking power and salt; set aside

lightly grease a 10" tube ban and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl of electric mixer at medium speed beat butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

with mixer at low speed beat in flour mixture, in 4 additions, alternating with milk, in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. add grated chocolate and vanilla.

turn batter into prepared pan. Bake 1 our and 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out of pan; let cool completely on rack. If desired serve with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

best gazpacho ever!

if you know me, you know i detest tomatoes. ketchup literally makes me cringe. however i have recently found a recipe (involving tomatoes) that i do love! its from my across the street neighbor, kerri, and divine (probably because it has onions in it)! it is sooooo fresh & you can taste the "healthiness" of it!

what you need:
1 28-32oz can of peeled tomatoes
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 red onion
1 hot house cucumber
2 cloves garlic
apple cider vinegar
salt
pepper

what you do: 
wash all the veggies. peel the cucumber. take the core out of the peppers.

in a food processor put the tomatoes, peppers, onions & garlic. chop for a while (till there are no more big chunks)

add salt, pepper & a few splashes of apple cider vinegar as well as the cucumber (cut up into large chunks). chop with the processor until the cucumber is minced up. refrigerate and enjoy!

spicy shrimp & quinoa

i have recently found that i love quinoa! i am trying new recipes and this one was a hit at home!

spicy shrimp & quinoa

what you need...

olive oil

5 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 teaspoon chili powder, divided
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

6 tablespoons salted butter, divided
1 pound raw tail-on shrimp
salt & pepper

what you do...

Sauté olive oil and 2 teaspoons of the garlic and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add the uncooked quinoa and ½ teaspoon chili powder. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute for another 1 minute to add flavor to the quinoa. Add the broth, bring to a boil, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. When the quinoa is done, it will be soft throughout. Fluff with a fork.

Heat1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot and the butter is melted, add the shrimp and sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon chili powder directly in the pan. Season with salt and pepper and saute until no longer translucent and golden brown on the outside. Just at the end of the saute, add 1 teaspoon garlic and swirl around in the pan until the garlic is very fragrant.

Melt the remaining 5 tablespoons butter (you may not need this much...I cut mine in 1/2) with the 2 teaspoons garlic to make a sauce for drizzling (for this, crushed garlic or garlic paste would work really well but minced is also fine).

Serve the quinoa and shrimp together in one dish. When the butter is melted and cooled slightly, drizzle over the shrimp and quinoa. Serve immediately, while still hot.

spearmint ice cream in the making!

when i think of the best ice cream i've ever had, my brain flashes to this moment in time...spring 2006 brought me and 5 of my best friends to the land down under and Australians surely know how to do ice cream right. The place is Kiwi Cones and the flavor hasn't been found since. 

Spearmint chocolate chip ice cream. 

Its as simple as that [or so i thought] yet i have yet to find anywhere that has or can get spearmint extract. this year, there are no more excuses, i'm determined to make this summertime fave...starting with the spearmint extract itself. so i took it upon myself to cultivate my own spearmint leaves and have started the extract process! 

DIY Spearmint Extract

what you need: 

• vodka
• cleaned and dry spearmint mint leaves
• jam jars

what you do:
take the mint and muddle it/open the leaves flavors up while in the jam jars. add vodka to the jam jars so that the leaves are fully covered. close up the jam jars and ensure that the leaves are still covered and place in a cool, dry place (under kitchen sink, in pantry, etc) for about a month. at the month mark, open them up and test the extract. if its not minty enough, close those suckers back up and keep them going.

my mint is still marinating and i will let you know how my spearmint extract goes as soon as its a bit further along! mine has been going for nearly a month now!

since we're on the topic of Australia...here are a few of our other faves :) 

new fave summer salad

after a fun weekend in highlands with friends who eat much healthier than joe & myself i've been turned on to all sorts of new healthy options for sides and meals! one thing that i recreated the moment i got back for a cookout was a great crowd pleasing salad! don't turn up your nose until you've tried it yourself! it is so yummy!

these quantities made enough for a party size salad to feed 10-12 adults

what you need:
-1.5 lbs of fresh brussel sprouts
-1 bag of spinach
-6 slices reduced fat bacon
-1 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella or italian blend cheese
-1/2 cup chopped walnuts
-1 fresh lemon
-olive oil
-salt
-pepper
-dijon mustard

what you do:
get out that food processor or just start chopping those brussel sprouts after you wash and dry them. be sure to peel away any shady looking leaves.

chop the spinach into strips and combine in a large salad bowl with nuts, cheese and brussels.

place bacon on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until crispy [by the way this is my new favorite way to make bacon...looks gorgeous and is minimally messy]. once cooked, blot with paper towels and crunch up for toppings.

add bacon to the salad.

juice the lemon while watching for seeds. add olive oil and mustard by the tablespoon until well mixed. my large very ripe lemon yielded enough dressing with 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons mustard. salt & pepper were added for taste. toss the salad with 1/2 the dressing before putting on the remainder. it does seem to spread throughout the salad as it sits and tastes best when dressed and chilled for an hour or two.

next time i make it which will surely be soon i will need to take a photo before chowing down!

spicy baked sweet potato fries

so joe & i try to avoid white potatoes at all cost and i would never have said i am a sweet potato person. i am however a "fry" person and given that we [with very, very rare exceptions] gave up fried food that doesn't happen too much either! however, on two recent instances i have had baked sweet potato fries and loved them!

this week we recreated the magic and tried to get some lessons learned from our past two experiences.

one thing is that sweet potatoes once you cut them all up make a lot of fries. below is two moderately sized sweet potatoes and their fry offspring!


what you need:
-2 sweet potatoes
-extra virgin olive oil
-salt
-pepper
-seasonings of your choice (crushed red pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder...or all of the above)...i would recommend no more than 1 TBSP total of all flavors combined. it looks like a little but the cornstarch holds it on big time!
-3 tablespoons of cornstarch

what you do: 
this is where it got a bit interesting...cut the ends of the potatoes off so that you don't have odd shaped ends and then slice to about 1/4" by 1/4" and the length of the potato...easy enough. then for at least an hour [& up to overnight] soak [yes...in water...] the cut fries.

preheat oven to 450 degrees. pat off with paper towels after their good soak. line 2 baking sheets with foil and spray with cooking spray. put in a big ziploc the fries, oil, salt, pepper, cornstarch & spices. shake well.

line neatly [not all on top of each other] on a baking sheet. put on the top rack of your oven for 15 minutes then turn the fries and do 15 more.

if they're getting too crispy too quickly, turn down the oven a bit to 400 or 425...we all know how to monitor the cooking process! they very suddenly get cooked and sometimes too much at the end so pull them out before you get them charred!

one caveat that most don't know about sweet potatoes is their nutritional benefits. 1 cup of sweet potatoes can has 2 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber and virtually fat free. many mommies to be are mindful of certain vitamins, including vitamin A which these are loaded with.  if you're watching out for that, be mindful of where else you're getting it that day [if you have it included in your prenatal vitamins, other foods like broccoli & spinach, etc]. the recommended daily intake is about 2500IU and 1 cup of sweet potato has upwards of 6000IU

fresh [homemade] strawberry ice cream

warning...what i didn't realize when i made this is that you really need to do this two days prior to actually needing the ice cream or be willing to be on a strict timer schedule as there are 8 hours between steps.

fresh strawberry ice cream
what you need....1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
Pinch of salt
1 whole vanilla bean
6 egg yolks
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

what you do...Prep berries: 

Place the strawberries, ¼ cup of the granulated sugar, and the lemon juice in a food processor. Mash up the berries so that there aren't huge chunks but that its not overly pureed. Transfer the strawberry mixture to a container and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Prep Cream Base:
Warm 1 cup of the cream, the milk, the remaining ¾ cup of granulated sugar and the salt in a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat. Once the cream mixture is warmed through and the sugar is dissolved, add the vanilla bean, cover and remove from the heat. Let steep for 30 minutes.

**I didn't invest in the $8 vanilla bean at Publix and just used 1 tsp of vanilla extract. I didn't steep for an hour either...turned out fab still!

Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream in a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (or reaches 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). 

Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream, then stir in the vanilla extract. Remove the strawberry mixture from the refrigerator and add it to the cream mixture, stirring to fully combine. Set the bowl in an ice bath and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Once cool, cover and place the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (or overnight).

Get out the ice cream maker:
Once the mixture is sufficiently chilled, remove the vanilla bean and churn the ice cream according to your ice cream maker's instructions. I used my Kitchen Aid attachment and followed those directions. After this step the ice cream goes back into the freezer for another 8 hours. 

recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

chicken stuffed with goat cheese & arugula

i love cheese and most types [minus stinky ones]...about par with cheese is arugula these days. this is a super easy way to get rid of any cheese that either is nearing its expiration date or you just want to use! 

i don't know that there is an easier meal than this that looks as pretty when its done. also, you can totally customize it to what you like! 

start off with chicken & marinate it in some balsamic salad dressing or italian dressing. make sure that its trimmed and pounded before you put it in the marinade. i get the 20lb bag from Costco that comes already trimmed & cut to size to make my life even easier. i defrost it in the marinade. 

when you're ready for primetime, make sure you use your chicken room temp [especially important for this dish so you don't dry it out with the folding. pam a pyrex and then lay out the chicken. place some cheese...in this case i used trader joe's herbed goat cheese. add arugula. fold and secure with 2 toothpicks [i did say this was super easy...right?!]. once you are done you can top with some garnishes that do well in the oven. in this case, more goat cheese & fresh diced tomatoes for my hubby and just goat cheese for me. 

two great trader joe's cheese options...one on the left with the blue label is a great one for any crowd & the one that is shown in this recipe! 

my other great combo is spinach & honey goat cheese. the bite of the arugula seems to be soaked into the cheese and chicken though and is a great blend if you are trying to go outside of the box!

bake at 375 for about 20 min. i start checking the meat temp at that time because i think the worst thing on the planet is dried out meat...especially chicken! this is so great served with something not too crazy like a jasmine rice or quinoa and a green like broccoli or green beans so that you can use any extra cheese that may fall out of the chicken as garnish on that as you're eating it without overpowering it!