Blackberry Pavlova - impress someone with this fancy looking (but EASY dessert)

Confession: I LOVE me some Gwyneth Paltrow. I didn't have feelings about her one way or another until I watched her travel Spain with Mario Batali on a PBS series a few years back. I immediately wanted to be her friend and go to Spain. 

Then, her website Goop showed up a bit later. I was hooked. My interest was now a full  blown crush. Because of her posts on her site ranging from fashion to relationships to religion--and most importantly COOKING--I'm convinced she's "just like us"--a working momma and wife just trying to keep it all under control. Granted, her kid's play dates are probably with Stella McCartney's kids and going to visit dad at the office means a huge concert stadium...but I dig it. 

And when I thought I could love her no more, she went and put out a cookbook. 

And I dig almost every page. Though she was known for her somewhat wack-a-doo eating habits in the past, she's pretty real these days. She balances healthy choices (lots of grains, veggies, fish) with personal choices (she won't eat things with hooves, so no steak or pork here). And then some, like, amazingly real food. Pancakes, cookies, and muffins, fried fish tacos, pastas full of cheese. Each page has easy instructions (all the recipes are perfectly do-able) and tips on making the recipe kid oriented. In one, she makes her son a "crabby patty" fried fish sandwich but caters it more toward adults by adding spicy mayo to the sandwich and a glass of wine on the side. Inspired by her dad who liked to cook, this book is very family oriented filled with short personal anecdotes about each recipe. 

While none of the recipes are hard, some of them are made harder by the ingredients. Let's just say I've subbed white flour for spelt flour called for in her recipes more than once. Duck isn't easily available here, though I found one frozen, roasted and shredded it into her delicious ragu recipe for my birthday dinner. I felt fancy. 

I've avoided this dessert recipe for a while. Felt TOO fancy. Looked hard. Oh, my friends----the opposite. This recipe for blueberry palova is ALL of the easy. You basically whip egg whites, whip cream, and mix some sugar with some fruit. The lesson--don't let a pretty picture scare you. 

So you want to know how to make this gorgeous, fluffy  meringue dessert? It's easy enough for a summer patio party but looks fancy enough for any formal dinner. Let's do it! 

Combine berries of your choice with a little sugar and set aside. I had blackberries from the farmers market that I used....DELISH. 


Set the oven to bake and 350 degrees. 


First, you make meringues. Almost exactly like meringue on a pie, but instead of being frothy/spongy you're going to bake these into a soft, yet crispy cookie. 


Combine egg whites, salt and white vinegar together in a bowl. With a hand mixer or a big electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. 


If it looks like this.....you aren't done. 

If it looks like this....DONE! See how the egg whites got fluffy? You'll know you're done when you lift up the beaters and those little peaks form. 

Combine sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add to the egg mixture a little bit at a time, beating it in to completely combine each time. Add vanilla and beat until soft peaks form again. It will get stiff and glossy white. If it reminds you of whipped cream, you're done. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon meringue in eight big spoonfuls on to the baking sheet, with the back of the spoon, spread the meringue into a circle. Make a shallow indention in each. Have a beautiful assistant read a magazine in the background, if desired. 

Bake the meringues for 10 minutes at 350 then lower the heat to 200 and bake for an hour. Remove baking tray from the oven and let cool completely. They'll be crisp and a lovely light brown. You could make these earlier in the day to save time. Even the day before. Just keep in an airtight container. 

Now, whip some cream! Two things I no longer buy--pre-made: whipped cream and salad dressing. For no other reason than I prefer the taste of making my own. Few things taste as decadent to me as fresh whipped cream.  You literally put whipping cream in a bowl, sweeten with a bit of sugar and beat it until it looks like the stuff that comes in the plastic tub. Some people say it's "ready" when you can flip the bowl upside down without it falling. If you feel like trying, make sure your beautiful assistant is some distance away. 

See? PURDY! Just try it once for me, ok? 

Your cookies are done. Your fruit and whipped cream are done. Now--assemble. 

Cookie.

Freshly whipped cream. 

Sugared berries. 

You will be so pleased with yourself for making this fancy looking treat. You'll be even more pleased once you take a bite. I think I'll make this again this weekend---I just can't say no to blackberries or GP. 

Berry Pavlova
based on Gwyneth Paltrow’s blueberry pavolova in My Father’s Daughter

Serves 8 (I halved with no trouble) 

Ingredients

4 organic large egg whites
Pinch fine salt
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
Granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
11/2 cups fresh blueberries, plus more for serving

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine egg whites, salt, and white vinegar together in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. 


Combine the 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl and add to the egg whites in thirds, whisking each addition in completely. Add the vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. 


Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon the meringue in 8 big spoonfuls, using a spoon to spread them in a circle, and then make an indent in each. 


Bake for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 200°F, and bake for another hour. Turn off the heat and cool the meringues in the oven for an hour, propping the door open with a wooden spoon. 

Berry toppings:

Toss berries with 1 tablespoon of sugar and stir to combine. Smash slightly if desired to let a bit of juices out from the fruit. Set aside (I like mine chilled).

Whipped topping:

Whip together cream and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.

To complete:

Evenly distribute whipped cream onto each meringue filling the indention and top with macerated berries and their juice.

Here is the same recipe over at Saveur if you'd like to print and try: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Blueberry-Pavlova

bow ties with tomatoes, feta, and balsamic dressing - your new cookout staple

I'm going to stop saying "Leah here." Cool? Because I think Shelly and I have a different enough voice that you can tell us apart. My style being way more words than is ever necessary :) If it bugs you and you need me to keep it up, lemme know. Alternatively, I have tagged each recipe with a few keywords and added my name to them. So, if you want, you can search my recipes by clicking on it in the labels / tags.

We’ve just passed Memorial Day, also known as the unofficial launch of summer. And I've come to deliver your ticket to popularity this summer. You will bring this side dish to cookouts and everyone will want the recipe. You will make this for a boy and he will propose to you...maybe all over again. Girls will have second helpings because it seems so light and low cal (it’s not) but you’ll love sharing this with your girl friends, anyway. And your kids—they’ll gobble it up. Or at least the parts they like. It’s a chunky pasta salad so anyone could pick around the ingredients they don’t like. Unless they don’t like the dressing. Or feta. In which case…..consider getting them out of your life. (I joke.) (Sort of.)

Ok, I can at least guarantee the first one. People will want this recipe. This is E Z. Is there any other kind of recipe in the summer?

This serves four large two-cup servings according to the recipe but I wanted this to be a cool side dish to accompany steak and sautéed zucchini and just for three of us so I halved the recipe making accommodations to what I had on hand.

For instance, it calls for two cups of grape tomatoes and one cup of grapes. I had this many:

Some leftover grapes from a fruit salad and eight cherry tomatoes from our patio pots. Worked fine but more of each would have been nice.

Remember the basil from this post? I sliced some up and tossed it with cooked bow tie pasta, the sliced tomatoes and grapes.

The dressing calls for white balsamic but I only had the darker on hand. The color is slightly affected from the brown tint of the vinegar but the flavor is still outstanding. Combine with minced garlic, shallots (I used the whites of about three green onions minced), some Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. I didn’t have capers called for in the original recipe. It worked fine without them but I would love to try this again with them. This recipe has you slowly adding a bit of olive oil whisking to combine. I prefer the Jamie Oliver jar jam dressing approach---being throw it all together in an empty jam jar and shake the heck out of it. If it settles or separates, shake it again.

Pour the dressing over the pasta and stir gently to combine covering all the ingredients. Add the feta cheese. Again, slightly toss.

Looks lovely. Smells divine. Tangy from the balsamic and garlic. Salty from the feta. Bursts of sweet grapes and tomatoes. Green, herby basil.

It takes longer to boil the pasta than put this pasta salad together and makes a great addition to dinner or a party. I predict you’ll find reasons to make it all summer.

Bow Ties with Tomatoes, Feta, and Balsamic Dressing
slightly adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 6 ounces uncooked farfalle (bow tie) pasta, about half a package 
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (I used regular)
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots (I used green onions)
• 2 teaspoons capers (I omitted)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (4-ounce) package crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

2. Combine cooked pasta, tomatoes, grapes, and basil in a large bowl.

3. Combine vinegar and next 6 ingredients (through pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil to vinegar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. (Or mix all together in an empty jam jar and shakey shake it.)

4. Drizzle vinaigrette over pasta mixture; toss well to coat.

5. Add cheese; toss to combine.

farmers market inspiration - a different kind of menu planning

Leah here. If you haven't guessed already, I like to keep menu planning fairly structured. It helps me feel organized, or at least it gives me the delusion of it, as another hectic week starts to have some semblance of a plan for dinners that week. On Sundays, I hit the (cook)books and make my shopping list. 

But on Saturdays I go wild. Crazy. At least in the morning. No list. No plan. Just a $20 bill. Me and the kiddo walk up and down, up and down again peering in the vendor stalls at the farmers market. Seeing what's fresh. What sounds tasty. We let what looks best (and, ahem, is priced most competitively) fill our bag. This doesn't sound too spontaneous, but for this list maker---oh, it is. It's also a bit liberating and forces my creativity. I'm a slave to recipes and this exercise makes me call upon flavors I like and things I've tried. What do I want to recreate or (gulp) make up? I buy what makes me happy then factor it in to my menu planning on Sunday. I know. Wild woman. 

Here's what our breezy walk got us today:

Last week it was dill, but this week my belly wanted basil. It smells like summer and pizza and bright green (yes, green has a smell). This huge bouquet was $2--a fraction of what those plastic containers cost at the grocery store. I think it will become this pistachio pesto which Andolini's, one of my favorite locally owned pizza parlors, so kindly shared the recipe for. Maybe I'll grill up some pesto based pizzas this week? Pioneer Woman pizza dough is my favorite recipe. This strawberry lemon basil soda from Shutterbean also sounds delicious. 

It's blackberry time! These little jewels don't last long in my presence. (Looks like I'm raising a sneaky little blackberry lover, too.) Truthfully, I think I'll just eat these cold from the fridge. Maybe whip up some unsweetened heavy cream to dip them in? They are perfect, sweet, juicy bursts that don't need any doctoring. That said, I adore Pioneer Woman's version of blackberry cobbler (more like cake to us Okies). And this creamy blackberry frozen yogurt from Kitchen Corners blog will be made some time before berry season is over.

 I'm in charge of a veggie tray for a family gathering this weekend so I grabbed some farm raised cucumbers to chop up for the platter. Things that were grown in your own backyard, or just a few communities away, just taste better I think. This tastes a bit sour. Like grass. Like outside. Instead of like nothing when they come from the super market. I might soak these in a bit of vinegar with some onion slices before I drain and add them to the veggie tray. Did you eat them like that growing up, too?

New potatoes. How I love thee! My Memo (grandma) brought me my first new potatoes of the season. I boiled them then covered them with a little butter, salt and fresh dill like in this Bon Appetit recipe---wow! I snacked on them way past dinner. I love their tiny size and thin skins that make them totally snackable. Plus, they naturally taste a little buttery, I think? Just as is. I'd love to boil these then dip in a little homemade chipotle aioli from Bon Appetit or try this recipe for potato salad with arugula and Dijon vinaigrette from Food52.

I can't wait for tomatoes, corn, melons and all the other delicious summer produce treats. 

Are there any new recipes you'll be trying out this weekend? 

.

Cinnamon Chicken in the crock-pot

Okay, I am a little late with today's blog (12:15 am), but I am still awake because our schedules are all messed up, so to me it definitely still feels like "Friday". I found this recipe on my Pinterest board and thought it sounded great...Crock-Pot Cinnamon Chicken, yum! The chicken was great, what I decided to serve it with, not so great lol. We live and learn my friends! Which is great for ya'll because I can tell you that I did not like it with rice. In my head I was thinking back to those days growing up when you pour milk and sugar with a little bit of butter in with your white rice, which is fantastic to me. So, since this recipe kind of made me think of that, I thought to myself, why not! Nope, the flavors did not mix well and I ended up taking the chicken off the rice and eating it by itself. Since I made this error in your favor (haha), I also decided to throw in a spa dip recipe I found while scouring through a recipe book! YUM! Both recipes are so simple it's kind of ridiculous! I'll start with the chicken and move on from there!

The recipe calls for five chicken breasts. Since there are two of us, I only used two chicken breasts (however they were extremely large and filled up the entire bottom of my crock-pot). I was easily close to a pound and half. You start out by peeling and slicing six carrots. I am not a fan of carrots and Dee Jay is, so I compromised and chopped up the baby carrots and threw them in and made sure to spoon them on top of his plate (yea, I'm a baby about carrots). On top of the carrots you will toss in the chicken. Then here comes the part that will make your mouth water every time you get a whiff of this cooking...spices!!! It calls for one tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, 1 (15 oz) can of light coconut milk, and one (15 oz) can of tomato sauce. (I am going to make a side note here: I did not have cardamom and when I went to the store I was sad to see it was almost $15 for one spice bottle. So I made do with what I had and searched for what you can use if you don't have cardamom. I minced up a little bit of ginger and tossed in a sprinkle or two of nutmeg.) You put all this over the chicken (I stirred mine around a little bit), turn the crock-pot on low and cook them for 4-6 hours (until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees and no longer pink). 

The chicken cooking (I promise it's somewhere underneath there)

Sit back and enjoy the smell that will fill your home, and then serve it up with some vegetables as a side and you have yourself a pretty healthy little meal! This recipe was found on a website called The Gracious Pantry. She has a lot of great recipes I can't wait to try out, and the direct link to the actual recipe can be found here if you missed it up above!

Now, on to the spa dip...I pulled this recipe out of Fellowship Bible Church, Tasteful Traditions, book I was talking about in an earlier entry. The lady that entered this into the book is Hilary Smith, and her spa dip is great!

You start with two (8 oz) boxes Cream Cheese (softened), and add two packages of dry ranch dressing, 4-5 green onions, and 4-5 slices of deli sliced smoked ham. You are going to finely chop the green onion and ham and mix everything together in a bowl and serve it up with some crackers (or whatever your choose).

She noted that it is best if made a day in advance so we threw it in the fridge and ate some the next day and it was delicious! See, I told you there were ridiculously easy recipes!! I know it's Memorial Day weekend and this dip would be great at an event you may be going to! We used Special K Multi-Grain Crackers because they are sooo yummy!

SPA DIP
2 (8 oz) boxes cream cheese, softened
2 pkgs. Dry ranch dressing
4-5 Green onions
4-5 slices deli sliced smoked ham

Finely chop ham and onions. Mix everything together. Serve with crackers. Best if made the day before.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday weekend!!
~Happy Eating~

lemon zucchini cake (because loaf just sounds strange)

Hi! Leah here. I developed a really bad habit of adding on a pastry with my coffee order at Starbucks when I was pregnant. "It's for the baby!" I'd say to myself. "She WANTS this slice of glazed lemon loaf. And this decaf latte full of milk...I'm practically having a healthy meal here." The sugar high was delectable. I'd dig for every last speck of  sugary lemon glaze from the bottom of the brown paper sack the lemon loaf came in. I'm sure I looked a sight at a stoplight digging for the last crumbs.

Finding ways to make fast food fave's at home can be a major win. You know what's in it, you can make healthier substitutions on ingredients if you want and you're saving skrilla by whipping up treats yourself.  Pioneer Woman's recipe for vanilla bean scones, for instance, may have Starbuck's beat. I decided to give this lemon zucchini loaf with lemon glaze a try to see if it could make me ditch the drive through version I still crave. Plus, I had a zucchini to use up. Why saute it when you can cover it in sugar, I always say.

Rather than a step by step, why don't you learn from my mistakes. I like that approach better than "tips."

First, this recipe calls for 1/2 cup buttermilk which I either never have or I have one that's three months expired. Pioneer Woman gave this tip from her first cookbook: substitute milk for the buttermilk but mix in a tablespoon of white vinegar into just under the amount you need. I needed 1/2 cup so I poured just under that amount of 2 percent milk, added a tablespoon of vinegar and in a minute I had lumpy, chunky buttermilk. Adds a nice tang to this loaf.

Second, I know mixing a vegetable like zucchini in to your cake sounds strange. It has no flavor though. It just adds color and a suprising amount of moisture. A view vitamins, but not enough to put this on any healthy list. You could stand and hand grate the zucchini with your dollar store grater because you're too indecisive to purchase a better one (me)....

OR, you can slip on the shred blade to your food processor and have it done in 4.7 seconds.

Third mistake to learn from---read a recipe before you start. Better yet, lay out all the ingredients before you  start. The cake calls for the juice AND zest of one lemon. I chopped up a fat lemon, juiced the heck out of it, then thought---"how am I going to zest these (flying, upside down) lemon wedges?"

Answer: you can't! Luckily, the glaze also calls for the juice of one lemon. I zested that one before I hacked it up for the juice.

So, you have a few things to fix/avoid here. Otherwise, this comes together like a typical cake. It was fluffier than a traditional loaf bread---more cakey. Well, hello pretty (sideways) cake! (seriously, I can't figure out these Blogger settings. Apologies.)

The glaze is just a mix of lemon juice and powdered sugar. Slather it on once the cake is cool. Yes, that is a pool of delectable glaze it's floating in. Next time, I might cut back a bit on the lemon juice and add a dash of vanilla extract and a dash of milk.The glaze was tasty, but a bit sour. I wonder how Starbuck's makes their glaze so sickly, perfectly sweet?

And finally, a slice with a cup of tea to cut the sweet. The pic is dark, but you can kind of see the pretty flecks of zucchini.

This is moist and tangy. It would be a great addition to a brunch, picnic or as a gift to a new mom or other hungry friend. The basic recipe is a blank slate for tons of ideas. I can see folding in raspberries or blackberries instead of zucchini. Vanilla bean.....mmmm....

Lemon-Zucchini Loaf with Lemon Glaze
from NancyCreative.com

(makes one 9×5 loaf)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup powdered sugar
Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan; set aside.

In large bowl, blend flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In medium bowl, beat 2 eggs well, then add canola oil and sugar, and blend well. Then add the buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and blend everything well. Fold in zucchini and stir until evenly distributed in mixture.

Add this mixture to the dry ingredients in the large bowl and blend everything together, but don’t overmix.

Pour batter into prepared 9×5″ loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (if your oven tends to run hot, check the loaf after 40 minutes). Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely. While loaf is cooling, you can make the glaze…

LEMON GLAZE

In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until well blended. Spoon glaze over cooled loaf. Let glaze set, then serve.

Make it before you Shake it...Tortellini Soup

So, last night I had my Shake it Fit dance class. I spent the afternoon on the phone with my best friend and of course lost complete track of time and realized I needed to do something for dinner for Dee Jay. I whipped this soup up in no time, turned the crock pot on, set the timer and took off! (Note to self: Don't mince garlic or onions or anything that leaves its scent on you for hours right before you go to a fitness class! I smelled garlic the ENTIRE time I was there lol)! Anyway, what is this easy and delicious meal you made you're asking?? Crock-Pot Tortellini Soup is it's name, and you won't want to stop eating it is it's game!! I found it on my Pinterest page after realizing I post A LOT of recipes on there that say things like, "200+ crock-pot recipes". So, I stumbled on to this one, and I'm so glad I did. Here's how I make it (before leaving to shake it)...

Take two cans (14 1/2 oz) of beef or vegetable broth (you can use low sodium if you want) and pour into the crock pot. Chop two cloves of garlic, one red bell pepper, and one medium sized zucchini and toss into the broth. Take one can (28 oz) of diced tomatoes and throw in the pot (juice and all).  Add 1/4 teaspoon of basil and a half of a teaspoon of garlic powder to the mix. (I know the recipe says to add corn and green onion, I totally missed that step in my "put it together as fast as I can" rush and it still tasted great. I make mistakes like this ALL the time, and most of the time it works out great)! Throw in one package (9 oz) of tortellini, I used the three cheese tortellini. And then you are going to brown one to one and half pounds of Italian sausage or beef, drain it and toss it in the crock-pot! (Note: I used Italian sausage which is very greasy, next time I will probably use ground venison or chicken because it will be less fat).

Presto! Turn your crock-pot on high and cook it for about 3 1/2 hours, serve it up and add some fresh grated Parmesan cheese and you have delicious tortellini soup for dinner!

~Happy Eating~

Kraft Crock-Pot Tortellini Soup

• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounce each) vegetable or beef broth
• 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef or Italian sausage; browned, drained & rinsed
• 1 can (15-1/4 ounce) whole kernel corn, drained
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed through a press or minced
• 1/4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 can (28 ounce) diced tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups chopped zucchini (about one medium)
• 1 pkg. (9 oz.) tortellini; any flavor
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper
• Grated Parmesan, over the top for serving 

Mix together all the ingredients into a crock-pot (except for the cheese), turn on high and cook for 3 1/2-4 hours (ours did not even take the full 3 1/2). Serve in bowls with Parmesan cheese on top! (Don't wait too long or you will overcook the tortellini and it will be mushy)

beef and bean burritos - in which, i call the pioneer woman lazy

Leah here. And kids, let's get real: sometimes we just need something easy for dinner. Not "drive thorugh sack" easy, but something that comes together quickly, is filling and the whole family will like it. I've got one for you to try on those days. Pioneer Woman's beef and bean burritos.

I printed this out from her blog months ago from this little series of sixteen-minute meals she did. Then, it showed up in her newest cookbook, "and if it's cookbook worthy," I thought, "cook this, I will." This was scheduled for a Tuesday dinner, a night I jet shortly after noshing to go to a night time fitness class. Boy, was I dissapointed to only have a small portion of this before my workout. TASTY. Simple. And, can I brag here---I did it in fourteen minutes. (booyah.)

As she mentions in her blog post on this burrito, it "isn’t going to win any culinary awards for innovation. But for a sixteen-minute meal, it was pretty darn delicious." Yes.

And, we're off-----

I whip in to the driveway at 5:47 p.m. My husband usually gets home with my daughter around 6 p.m. Whew. A few minutes to get started. I take a look again at the recipe. "Sixteen, minutes, P-Dub?" I shake my head. Remember all those Rachel Ray 30 minute meals? Bunk. Not a one was ever that easy for me. For fun I set my the stopwatch on my phone ready to disprove her.

I pull out super fancy ingredients. A can of this. A can of that. Oh, Best Choice? You haven't heard of this brand. It's.....the best. Obviously. Ok, not too much to work with at least. And only 60 seconds or so have passed.

Immediately (of course) I heard the beep beep of the door alarm and my kiddo and hubs are home. Early. Suddenly, this little face is now underfoot wanting to go "owside, momma. play owside." Sigh. It's hard to pass up this face. I stop the timer. 

But I'm trying to prove P-dub wrong here plus get dinner on the table plus get out the door to my fitness class. I give her a tortilla with butter and she is momentarily pacified. (I make one for myself, too. Mmm..) TIMER ON!

I finely chop the onion and throw it in the pan to brown with the ground turkey. Not sure if it was the pink slime talk or what but I've been choosing ground turkey or chicken a lot lately. I like the blank slate factor. Both can take any seasoning and fit in with any dish. Except hamburgers. I need actual beef for those. Nom. I open the can of refried beans. Plop into the pan. Add shredded cheese, stirring to combine and let it heat through. Open can of enchilada sauce. Pour half on the almost browned meat. Hey! This is coming along fast! Just eight minutes have elapsed. Tug on leg-- "mommy, owside!" I'm drug to the back porch. Timer off. I let things finish heating through.

Kiddo kicks feet at me wanting her shoes off. I find this:

Busy day in the sand pit, huh, kiddo? I give the look to her dad and he helps her with bubbles and chalk on the back porch so I can finish dinner.He's good like that. TIMER ON!

I heat up a few tortillas then layer the beans, meat, a drizzle of enchilada sauce and some shredded cheese on top. It's looking burrito-ish up in here!

I heat each in the microwave then top with salsa and cilantro. Place on table with knives and forks. Water glasses. Check timer:

Huzzah! I've bested P-dub's time. Spent little to no effort. Got to dump sand out of my kid's shoe. I feel like a winner.

The quick, familiar flavored comfort food you might have grabbed through a drive through window.

Except you've made this cheesy, hearty goodness from fresh (from the can) ingredients in just thirteen minutes and 49.1 seconds.


The enchilda sauce, something I don't cook with, was my favorite part. Spiked with a little jarred salsa--plate-licking good. I filled one of these a little sparsely and rolled it up tight so I could cut smaller bites for my toddler. She ate every bite (including the ground turkey--this never happens) and we had fun calling the "bites" baby burritos while her dad and I knifed and forked our larger ones. She asked for baby burritos the next two nights!

And if either my husband or child asks for seconds, it becomes a keeper recipe at my house. Keeper!




Sixteen  Fourteen Minute Beef and Bean Burritos
slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman

(I halved the recipe with no problem for my family of three)

 Ingredients

• 2 pounds Ground Beef (I used one pound ground turkey)
• 1/2 whole Medium Onion (I used about 1/4)
• 1 can (7 Ounce) Mexican Tomato Sauce Or Enchilada Sauce
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Cumin, Oregano, Chili Powder, Garlic To Taste
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Refried Beans (I used fat free)
• 3/4 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese (I used reduced fat pre-shredded mexican cheese)
• 12 whole Burrito-sized Flour Tortillas (I used smaller, taco sized)
• Extra Grated Cheese, For Sprinkling
• Extra Sauce, For Drizzling
• Cilantro Leaves, Optional
• Optional Filling Ingredients: Mexican Rice, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Green Chilies, Pico De Gallo

Preparation InstructionsBrown meet with onion and season to taste. Pour in sauce (I used half can) and simmer over low heat. Add water if mixture gets too dry.

Heat refried beans in a saucepan. Add cheese and stir in till melted. Keep warm.

Heat tortillas in microwave for one minute.

Spread a small amount of beans on each tortilla. Add meat. Fold over ends, then roll up.

Place burritos on a microwave-safe plate. Drizzle red sauce over the top and sprinkle with more grated cheddar. Microwave for one minute, or until cheese is melted and burritos are very hot. Serve immediately.

Kid Tested and Brother Approved

So, last night we had Dee Jay's brother Craig and his son Cameron over for dinner. I decided to make Paula Deen's Hot Chicken Salad for dinner and Lazy Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Balls for dessert. Both of these recipes I pulled off my Pinterest board and they were delicious! I'm a fan of pretty much ANYTHING Paula Deen whips up and I let Craig choose our dessert! So here is how I got ready for our small family dinner...

I started with the peanut butter balls because they needed to cool and come together before they were served. You take 3/4 of a cup of honey and one cup of peanut butter and heat this up on the stove until it starts boiling. Be sure and stir the ENTIRE time because it takes a second for this gooey mess to burn the bottom of your pan. Once your mixture is boiling remove it from the heat (where I had DJ stir now so it wouldn't burn) and you will pour in one teaspoon of vanilla and mix together. Then add 3 cups of Rice Krispies and 1 cup salted peanuts if you would like (we left them out but we did add some oatmeal)!

Mix this all together and then scoop a tablespoon or two into muffin tins. It's probably best that you spray some cooking spray in the liners before hand so they don't stick to the wrapper. Let it cool (I popped mine in the fridge and took it out right before dessert time) and then serve it up! It is a very rich dessert, which is good because one is about all we could eat!

Side thought: We thought adding a banana slice or two on top would taste fantastic as well as some chocolate chips or you could get fancy-pants and drizzle some chocolate over the top!

Here is the direct link to the recipe
Lazy Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Balls
3/4 c. Honey
1 c. Peanut Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 c. Rice Krispie
1 c. Salted Peanuts (optional)

1. Combine honey and peanut butter in a saucepan and heat to boiling, stirring constantly
2. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir in Rice Krispies (and peanuts if desired).
3. Place mounds (about 2 tbs.) into small greased cupcake liners in a cupcake pan, and let cool.
4. You can also press into a greased 9" x 12" pan, cool and cut into squares.

Now onto Paula Deen's hot chicken salad. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. In a big bowl, you are going to mix together two cups of cooked chicken (cubed), one cup of diced celery (I used two stalks), 1/2 cup of slivered almonds, 1/2 of a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, two tablespoons of lemon juice, one cup of mayonnaise (I of course thought we had more mayo than we did so we added a little bit of Ranch dressing to make the cup), and finally one cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Place this mixture into a baking dish....I'm going to stop right here for a second. This recipe says it serves 8-10 people. I understand that as a very tiny side dish this would serve more people, but the recipe mixture fit nicely into our meatloaf pan and we barely had enough to feed four of us. So if you're thinking about making this make sure you make enough because it is delicious and you will want seconds and thirds! Okay, back to cooking we go! Once the mixture is in the dish you are going to crumble up potato chips and sprinkle over the top! Pop it in the oven for 20 minutes and Ta-Da!! The celery, the almonds, the lemon juice, all of it comes together to make your mouth happy! 

 These were my sides tonight

Here is the direct link to her page with the recipe
Hot Chicken Salad
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup diced celery
2 cup cooked chicken breast meat, cubed
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2/3 cup crushed potato chips

Mix all together (except for chips), put in baking dish and cover with crushed chips and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Tonight's dinner has been cooked for you by Shelly, and has been kid tested and brother approved!!
~Happy Cooking~

Kale Caesar-ish salad - a stress relieving salad. no, really.

Leah here. Today has been....difficult. Not bad, but challenging. Sundays are never a walk in the park. It's my fault, too. I totally veg out on Friday night. Usually we get takeout food and always I catch up on my week of DVRed trash TV.  We live Saturday to the fullest. Trips to the farmers market. Lots of backyard playing. Long naps. Then either another takeout dinner or something easy and comforting. Then Sunday comes and it's time to face the reality of planning for the new week ahead. This means menu planning, grocery shopping, laundry, general house cleaning, ironing those things in need of it. In protest I often stay in my pjs until noon.

Today was no different but throw in a rambunctious and newly hard headed, nay, DRAMATIC 27 month old and this mommy was worn out. I sent hubs out to run errands, plopped kiddo in front of the TV and tried to gain control of my kitchen / laundry situation. You know when you just CAN'T stay on top of it? I'd clear the dishes and then it was time to switch the laundry. Kiddo dumps box of legos all over the living room. We clean that up and it's time for her lunch. More dishes and mess to clear. I swear I could sweep four times a day and not control the crumbs and general grit that is my kitchen floor. DING! Another load of laundry is done. By nap time, I was READY for a break. And for my lunch. And I settled on a very stress relieving salad.

SALAD!? "Leah!" you're yelling at me, "We don't come here for stinking salads!" Well, burritos and baked goods soon enough, friends. Today we're talking salad. A kale salad with Caesar-ish flavors. You'll feel like you're getting away with something bad for you. You'll chomp on chewy kale and your stress will slip away through your jaws and your tension will be tamed by your full, soothed belly.

First of all, I LOVE Tracy and her ShutterBean blog. She's great on Twitter, tries out a lot of recipes she finds online like I like to do, PLUS she's bff's with Joy of Joy the Baker, another blog I adore. When menu planning this morning I ran across Tracy's Tuscan kale salad with perocino cheese. I had most of the ingredients and filed it away for a future meal. Nope. I needed it for lunch.

Tuscan Kale Salad with Pecorino
slightly adapted from Shutterbean

Makes 2 generous servings (or one if you are a grouchy mommy)

• 1 bunch Tuscan Kale (I used about 1/3 to 1/2)
• 1 thin slice country bread or 1/4 c. good, homemade coarse bread crumbs 
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus a pinch
• 1/4 c. finely grated Pecorino cheese, plus additional for garnish (I had parmesan on hand and it was great)
• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish (I only had vegetable oil. It worked fine but EVOO would have been best)
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon (I used half a lemon but more would have been better)
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (mmmmmm...)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Trim the bottom two inches off the kale stems and discard. Slice the kale into 3/4-inch ribbons or shred with your hands (more stress relief!) I ended up with about two or three overflowing cups. Place the kale in a large bowl.

Toast bread on both sides and tear it into small pieces. Grind in a food processor until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.

Using a mortar and pestle or a heavy knife (my choice), pound or mince the garlic and 1/4 tsp. salt into a paste. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl. Add 1/4 c. cheese, 3 Tbsp. oil, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper and whisk to combine.

Pour the dressing over the kale and toss very well to combine thoroughly. Really scrunch the leaves with your hands working in the dressing. It breaks up the fibers making it less chewy as raw kale can tend to be.  Let the salad sit for about five minutes for the flavors to combine and lemon to break down the kale even more. 

When ready to serve, topped with the bread crumbs & additional cheese. Here's what mine ended up looking like topped with a few bites of roasted beets on top--like little pieces of candy. Love em!

Looks like enough for two, doesn't it? Oh, it is. But I savored every chewy, garlicky bite. 

See? Already making a good dent here. I washed to down with the lime flavored La Croix. Have you had one of these babies? I'm addicted. Just lightly flavored sparkling water. But something about them feels really special. Like it should be served poolside. They aren't paying me, promise. But you should seriously try them. 

And this salad! The flavors are a lot like a Caesar salad. The garlic and pepper flakes give a nice sharp bite and are complimented by the salty parm or pecorino. The lemon is fresh, bright and excellent with the kale. If you like kale, you will love this salad. If you love garlic, you will love this salad. 

And now, my tension is slightly relieved from all that chewing. I feel like I ate something naughty but I really have a belly full of kale. I'm still in sweatpants. There is still a pile of clothes to be ironed and kiddo will be up from her nap soon. But it all seems a bit more manageable after a nice lunch.