Rainy Day Chili

Next time I will put the bowl on a different-colored surface. See, I'm learnin' me some pho-to-graffy, slowly but surely.

I've tried several versions of homemade chili, but didn't find a winner until today. My last version was delicious but extremely spicy, even with cheese and sour cream added in to tone it down. As the hubs said, "It's good in a burn-your-face-off kind of way." And usually he adores face-burning food, but after a few bites it just really got to be too much.

This one, however, has a very slight burn to it while still managing to be really flavorful. Plus, you can just chuck it all in the crock pot early in the day and have a wonderful meal waiting for you come dinnertime. You can eat it with chips, crackers, cornbread, or over baked potatoes (which is what we did, since my mom sent me home from our 4th of July celebration with about fifty of them). Happy tummies!

Rainy Day Chili

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed*
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 lb lean ground beef, cooked and crumbled**
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 c. salsa
1/2 c. water
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1 1/2 t. minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
several dashes Tabasco sauce

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours. Serve with jack or cheddar cheese sprinkled on top. Enjoy with your favorite starchy accompaniment. :)

*Really you can use any kinds of beans you want; I just prefer to have three different kinds. But you must drain and rinse. Bean juice is gross, man. And one of my least favorite smells ever!

**You can use more meat if you feel so inclined, but I freeze and use all of my ground beef in half-pound increments, because I'm cheap. :)

Pizza Pasta Salad

Let me just say from the beginning...I am not usually a huge fan of pasta salad. But when my niece was baptized last summer, one of the guests brought this little gem along and I was hooked! I love the pepperoni, the cheese cubes, all of it really, but I think what makes the difference is the dressing. It's Bernstein's Cheese and Garlic Italian, the empty, forsaken bottle of which is pictured below.


Somebody buy me more Bernstein's so I can make this again next week! :)

Incidentally, I went to a baby shower last week and found a different pasta salad that I liked, so I asked the hostess for the recipe and guess what the dressing was? Yup. Bernstein's! I guess it's possible that I am a huge fan of pasta salad, as long as it's made with my beloved Cheese and Garlic Italian!

Pizza Pasta Salad

tri-color pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled
cheddar cheese cubes
white cheese cubes (such as mozzarella, jack, etc)
pepperoni, cut into bite-size pieces
grape tomatoes, halved
black olives, sliced
Bernstein's Cheese and Garlic Italian dressing
McCormick's Salad Supreme (found in the spice aisle)

Toss first six ingredients together, using whatever proportions you like. Then add the dressing and Salad Supreme to taste and toss again. Just make sure that you put in enough dressing so that the pasta is well-coated. Dry pasta salad = more sad face. You could also add any other chopped veggies that strike your fancy, but I prefer to keep this salad in it's purer form. :)

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

This was so good. So, so good. I found this recipe over on Good Life Eats and knew I had to try it. Key Lime Pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and I'd been wanting to try making homemade ice cream for a while. I followed her recommendation to use David Lebovitz's method for making ice cream without a machine, and it worked great! It produced creamy, dreamy ice cream with not a whole lot of effort. Just look at that glossy gloriousness!


The only change I made was to add some crushed graham crackers to the actual ice cream when it was nearly set, instead of just putting them on top at the end. I thought this made for some nice texture and sweetness, which it needed. I guess I also added sweetened whipped cream, because that was my one complaint with this recipe: it had a bitter aftertaste. I'm not sure if this is because I got too much of the rind flavor in with the juice (I microwaved my key limes to get more juice out of them, and I think this might have done that) or if it was because some of my limes weren't the proper ripeness or whatever. Next time, I think I will use bottled key lime juice as the recipe suggests, both for saving time and effort and to hopefully cut back on the bitterness.

Even with that complaint, this ice cream was truly heavenly and I plan on replicating it again soon! Here's Katie's (of Good Life Eats) ingredients incorporated with David's steps, which is how I made it.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

1 1/2 c. whole milk
1/2 c. bottled Key lime juice (such as Nellie and Joe's)
1/2 c. heavy cream
dash of salt
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
6 graham crackers (1 1/2 cookie sheets), coarsely crushed, divided


Prepare your ice cream mixture, then chill it over an ice bath (I skipped the chilling, since this was not a custard-based recipe). Put a deep baking dish, or bowl made of plastic, stainless steel or something durable in the freezer, and pour your mixture into it.

After forty-five minutes, open the door and check it. As it starts to freeze near the edges, remove it from the freezer and stir it vigorously with a spatula or whisk. Really beat it up and break up any frozen sections. Return to freezer.

Continue to check the mixture every 30 minutes, stirring vigorously as it’s freezing. If you have one, you can use a hand-held mixer for best results (I did this), or use a stick-blender. Keep checking periodically and stirring while it freezes (by hand or with the electric mixer) until the ice cream is frozen. It will likely take 2-3 hours to be ready. (I added the crushed graham crackers when the mixture was starting to solidify but wasn't quite there yet---probably when there was about an hour left to go).

CPK's BBQ Chicken Salad

CPK = California Pizza Kitchen. California Pizza Kitchen = Heaven.

As I was scarfing down this incredible salad, my husband said something like "Weren't you going to put this one on your food blog?" And then I said something like "Crap! Do you think anyone will notice that it's partially eaten?" By then he was too busy chewing, so I just figured it's like when you're selling a house. If it looks "lived in" it's more cozy, right? Here's my cozy salad. :)


I love getting this dish from the restaurant, but it's actually not my most favorite of the salads they serve. That would be the Thai Crunch salad, which I have also replicated at home. It was yummy, but too work intensive and full of obscure ingredients that I wouldn't buy for anything else. I probably ended up spending more to make it at home than I would to get it at the restaurant. The BBQ salad, however, is easy peasy, and the only ingredient I don't buy often is the jicama. We will definitely have this salad again.

CPK's BBQ Chicken Salad

For the chicken:
1 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
2 t soy sauce
2 t salt (kosher is best, but table salt is fine too)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. barbecue sauce

Stir together the first four ingredients. Turn the chicken in this marinade and allow it to sit for at least 15 minutes. Grill or broil the chicken until cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Chill thoroughly, then shred. Toss with the barbecue sauce until coated.

For the salad:
lettuce (iceberg/romaine mix is good)
jicama, peeled and chopped
Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
canned corn, drained
canned black beans, rinsed and drained
tomatoes, diced
Ranch dressing
fried corn tortilla strips (or crushed corn chips)
*the recipe I used also called for basil and cilantro, but I left them out because I was too lazy to go buy fresh herbs. I'm sure the salad would be superb with them, but it was still wonderful without!

Toss lettuce, jicama, cheese, corn, beans, and dressing together. Transfer the salad to chilled serving plates, and top individual servings with tomatoes, tortilla strips, and chicken.

Never-Fail Chocolate Cake

I know, I know, two chocolate dessert posts in a row. Yes, this does reflect my current eating habits. Moving = stress = sweets. It's a formula that's always worked out for me. :)


Hey look, I moved to a house that has decent lighting in the kitchen! And I finally figured out how to use the macro setting on my camera! Now if I could just figure out how to get my food to actually look as good as it tastes!

This picture was actually my husband's birthday cake, so I put in the layer of raspberry cream that you can see oozing out there. The recipe I'm giving you today, however, is just for the cake---no frosting, no filling, no nothing. Because believe you me, this cake is pretty darn fabulous all on its own. Embellishments are nice, but, as the name states, this cake never fails. As in, it never fails to entice me to eat it all by myself. Ahem.

Never-Fail Chocolate Cake

3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. cocoa
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 c. oil
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
1 c. boiling hot water

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix all of the wet ingredients except the water. Pour the wet into the dry and mix thoroughly. Add the water and stir until it is incorporated and the batter is smooth.

Grease and flour two loaf pans. Pour in the batter and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 2 loaves. If you want to use a 9" round like I did above, halve the recipe.

Black Bean Brownies

All month, Deals to Meals has been singing the praises of beans. The recipes that have really caught my eye are the ones you wouldn't normally expect to see beans in: cupcakes, pancakes, and brownies. I decided it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, even if it seemed kind of strange. Subbing in pureed black beans for part of the butter to save a little bit of fat and calories and add a few vitamins? Sounds good to me!

Here's the link to the original recipe, and here is my edited version.

Black Bean Brownies

2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 cube butter, softened
1/2 c. pureed black beans (blend beans and some added water in food processor until smooth)
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 T. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. + 2 T flour

Cream together the sugar, eggs, butter and black beans until smooth. Add the cocoa powder, vanilla and flour and beat until smooth again. Spread batter into a greased 9x13 evenly and then bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Let brownies cool and then frost.

Frosting

1/2 cube butter, softened
1 1/2 to 2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 to 2 T. milk
2 t. cocoa powder
1/2 t. vanilla
dash of salt

Cream butter and sugar together. Add enough milk to make it a smooth, spreadable consistency. Add the cocoa, vanilla, and salt and mix well.


They smelled absolutely delicious cooking, and I couldn't wait until they cooled completely to spread on the frosting and enjoy a piece. Hence the melty gooeyness up there making you drool. :)

The verdict: really good! You really can't even tell there are beans in there, and the brownies were truly yummy. They were a little more cake-like than the fudgy-brownie-lover in me would have preferred, but still great. If you want to make them, I hope you have a very sweet tooth, though. When you eat the brownies, you can really tell that this recipe has more sugar than flour in it. Holy sweetness, Batman! But if you can take it, you may just have found your perfect match.

Simple Egg Drop Soup

While we were in my hometown for Christmas, we visited a favorite Chinese restaurant. Since salad was not an appetizer option, my husband reluctantly ordered soup. And what do you know? "Hey Mikey, he likes it!" I believe his words were "Wow, this is surprisingly good. Do you think you could make this at home?"

Now when I get a soup request from the usual-soup-hater hubs, I take it and run with it! Here is a very basic recipe for this Oriental favorite. Feel free to add other veggies and/or top with crispy chow mein noodles, but even pared down as much as this is, it's still delicious!

Egg Drop Soup

2 c. chicken broth (or water and bouillon cubes, my old standby)
1/2 t. soy sauce
1/2 t. sesame oil
2 t. cornstarch
4 t. cold water
2 eggs
2 t. green onion, chopped

Bring broth, soy sauce, and sesame oil to a rapid boil. Mix cornstarch and water in separate bowl, then quickly stir into the soup. Beat the eggs in a separate dish, and then slowly add them as well. I found the easiest method to do this was to pour just a little bit, then stop, pour just a little bit, and stop. Repeat until you've poured in all the egg. Toss in the green onions and serve.

Lately

I've really been enjoying cooking and baking in the last little bit, but blogging time seems to be so scarce. So here are a few pictures, links to recipes, and short reviews. Enjoy! I know I have been! :)


Pretzel Dogs (or "Mummy Dogs" for Halloween) from Food Mayhem.

The pretzel dogs (we actually used bratwursts because of my husband's hot dog aversion) were pretty good. The part of the pretzel closest to the dog was still a little bit doughy; maybe a little bit longer cooking time would have helped? So those were only okay. But I still had leftover dough after assembling them, and I used it to make a few regular pretzels. And those were amazing! Seriously one of my favorite things I've ever made. I highly recommend! The only thing I did different was I just popped the ingredients into my trusty bread machine, since I am sadly without a mixer. Hint hint, Santa!


Southwestern Pot Roast and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes from For the Love of Cooking.

Really, really delicious! I love pot roast, and this was just a nice change with all of the southwest spices. The potatoes were heavenly too, although I followed her directions for roasting the garlic and it didn't seem like enough time. Several of the cloves stayed intact, making for huge garlic chunks in the potatoes. They were still really good, but I just needed my garlic to blend in more.


Baked Pumpkin Donuts from Cheeky Kitchen.

These had such promise. A donut that isn't deep-fried but still tastes good? I had to give it a try. Too bad that they were only okay. The dough was way too sticky to work with, so I kept having to add more and more flour. The flavor of the donuts themselves was pretty nice. But they were just extremely dry on the inside, and the glaze didn't dry like a regular donut glaze at all. It just made the outside extremely wet and sticky and wasn't all that tasty. Too bad. Maybe I would try again if I was going to fry them, and if I could find a better glaze recipe.


Homemade Noodles for Chicken Noodle Soup, also from For the Love of Cooking.

Make your own noodles. Please! Please make your own noodles! They are so, so good, and really not that hard. I actually tried a homemade pasta recipe from Pastor Ryan of PW fame, and it was extremely tedious. You had to knead the dough for-ev-er! I expect homemade noodles to be more work than just opening a package, but that took way too long for me to ever want to do it again. However, this recipe from For the Love of Cooking was great! The hardest part was rolling the dough out as thin as you possibly can (since the noodles get much thicker during cooking), but even that didn't take a lot of time. Just some elbow grease. And I actually thought cutting them up with my pizza wheel was a lot of fun! :) Also, you can make a ton of noodles at once, let them dry out completely, and freeze them for quicker use later. I tried this and they were still wonderful. So come on! You owe it to yourself to try homemade noodles at least once. F'realz. :)

Chicken Parmesan and Spaghetti Squash

Until recently I had never tried spaghetti squash. I'm not a huge fan of squash in general, and I always thought "Why would anyone want to eat a veggie instead of pasta?" I've been having great success losing my baby weight with Weight Watchers, however, and the point values were just too hard to ignore. One cup of spaghetti is 4 points. One cup of spaghetti squash is 0 points. As in, you can have as much as you want. No contest!

So I gave it a try. And the verdict? Pretty dang good! Definitely not the same as having a big serving of pasta, but I wasn't expecting that, so I could appreciate it for what it was. I actually tried some of it plain right after scraping it out and liked the subtle flavor of it. It would be awesome with some garlic and just a little bit of butter.

I served it with my marinara sauce, some chopped Romaine, and my mom's parmesan chicken recipe (which I have included below the squash recipe).


Why yes, I do suck at taking food photos. Why do you ask? And yes, I do have a horribly lit kitchen! How do you know these things about me? :) Despite the freaky picture, this food is scrumptious. Trust me.

Spaghetti Squash

Select a squash and try to cut it in half. Those suckers are hard! I had to use some muscle! Scoop out the yucky guts and seeds with a spoon. Spray a baking sheet with Pam and place the squash halves rind side up. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes or until the flesh is tender. Use a fork to scrape it longways, pulling out the strands as you go. Serve warm.

Chicken Parmesan

2 c. dry bread crumbs
3/4 c. parmesan cheese (I just use the stuff in the can)
1/4 c. parsley
2 t. salt
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. pepper
chicken tenderloins
butter

Combine all ingredients but chicken and butter in a bowl. Dip chicken pieces in butter*, then in crumb mixture. Place on greased baking sheet and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, then remove the tin foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

*Since I'm going for low-fat lately, I didn't dip the chicken in butter. I just sprayed a little Pam on each side before dipping it in the crumb mixture. My husband actually liked this better than the original because it wasn't quite as heavy. I don't think I liked it better. Butter = bliss. :) But it was still good.

The Trifle Smoothie: A Happy Accident

(Sorry, best picture I could get in a hurry to eat the deliciousness before it melted!)

I have a big container of yogurt in my fridge that needs to be used up, so I decided to make myself a smoothie for lunch. I just figured since it was vanilla yogurt, pretty much anything would go with it. So I threw in whatever I could find first in the freezer and blended it up. I swallowed my first bite. I stopped. I looked at the smoothie. I took another bite. I made my husband try a bite. We couldn't believe it! It tasted like My Grandma's English Trifle, which, if you've ever tried it, you know is one of the most delicious concoctions known to man. (And if you haven't tried it, what are you thinking?! Click on that recipe for pete's sake!)

What a fortunate accident! I will definitely be making a lot more of these before the weather gets too chilly. But first, let me share something with you about the way I make smoothies. I don't like to drink smoothies; in my book, they should be nice and thick and eaten with a spoon. And I've discovered that the way to achieve this is to have all of your ingredients except the liquid frozen. Buy a bunch of fresh fruit when it's on a good deal and freeze it yourself. Much cheaper! Use frozen yogurt if possible, too. Then add just a little bit of milk or juice.

Here's my best approximation of the ingredients:

The Trifle Smoothie

3/4 c. frozen peach slices
1/4 c. frozen raspberries
1/2 frozen banana, broken into chunks
1/2 c. vanilla yogurt
1/2 c. milk

Place all ingredients in blender and pulse. You'll have to stir things around between uses of the blender, because it really is quite thick, and in the end you'll probably still have some good-sized chunks of fruit. But that's the way (uh-huh, uh-huh) I like it! :)

Secret's in the Sauce

My "homemade" marinara sauce recipe comes from my mom, who got it from one of the many kitschy cookbooks in her cupboard that she received for her wedding in 1971. Maybe Make-a-Mix Cookery? I'm honestly not entirely sure, but I will say that I L-O-V-E this sauce. It's really easy to throw together and super cheap if you get the canned ingredients on sale. Plus, it's tasty. Dang, is it tasty! I've gotten to the point where I literally can't handle the pasta sauce you buy in jars at the store. Blech. Choose to make this sauce instead, my child. It's worth it. :)

Marinara Sauce

1 T. dried minced onion
1 T. parsley
1 T. cornstarch
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
3/4 t. Italian seasoning
1/4 t. garlic powder
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 tomato sauce can of water

Combine sauce, paste, and water in a small pot. Add all other ingredients, and stir well. Cover and heat over medium-low for thirty minutes to let the flavors become friendly with each other, stirring occasionally.

Believe me when I say you need to cover it; this stuff splatters a lot, so if you don't use a lid you will have a red-spotted kitchen.

You can certainly sub in fresh onion/garlic/parsley for the dried if you choose, and you can add any other ingredient that suits your fancy: ground beef or sausage, chicken, mushrooms, peppers, etc. You can also puree veggies and mix them in, and your kids will never know what hit them. Surreptitious nutrition! Mwa-ha-ha-ha!

I love to use this sauce on pasta, but it's also a great on pizza, meatball subs, parmesan chicken, and added into soup (I came up with my minestrone recipe while trying to use up leftovers of this sauce). It freezes well for later use, too. The possibilities are endless. And delicious!

Scotcheroos

I told a friend of mine the other day that I was going to make some scotcheroos. She gave me a blank look and I realized, to my horror, that she had never heard of these treats, let alone eaten one! So Ang, this post is dedicated to you (do you even read this blog?) and to anyone else who lives in the cold, dark world where scotcheroos don't exist.

These are just one of the many sugary delights I have made since having my baby a month ago. It's so wonderful to be able to eat this kind of junk and still lose almost all of my pregnancy weight. I've got to enjoy it while I can, too, because once I hit the six-week mark and can exercise again, I will probably try to eat more healthily and lose the weight from my first pregnancy! Maybe. We'll see. :)

Scotcheroos

1 c. corn syrup
1 c. sugar
1 c. peanut butter
6 c. rice crispies
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips

(Isn't that a lovely, simple recipe full of...um...wholesome...ingredients? No wonder these taste awesome!)

Heat corn syrup and sugar over medium heat, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and mix in peanut butter. Pour mixture over rice crispies in a large bowl and stir together. Press into a greased 9x13 pan.

Melt the chocolate chips and butterscotch together, and spread over the cereal mixture. Allow to cool and cut into squares. Try not to eat all of them before you can take a few samples to Angie. I'm not entirely sure that last step is going to happen for me.

Sugar Coma

I haven't felt much inclined to post anything here since I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes just before Thanksgiving. To me, the holidays are all about baking, which I really can't do much of if I want to keep my blood sugar level steady. That whole "bake for other people idea"? Yeah, doesn't work for me. :) Can it be March yet? I need me some sugar!

My grandma's annual Christmas party, however, gave me an opportunity to bake! I was told to bring a dozen cupcakes for the cupcake exchange. Here are my little beauties:



And okay, yes, I cheated a little and ate a couple of these. I can't be good all the time! Wouldn't you have done the same?



We all ate cupcakes to our heart's content, and then everyone got to take home a box of whatever was left (I was good here...no leftover cupcakes for me!)

I got the recipe for mine from Kraft Kitchens, which is always kind of hit-and-miss for me. Some of their stuff becomes a household necessity, others tend to be a waste of ingredients. These fell into the former category, fortunately! I thought that putting some of the crushed candy canes into the batter itself was a weird idea, but it turned out to be genius! Instead of remaining crunchy, they melt and impart a slightly minty flavor to the cupcake itself. Yum! These were also super-moist, a must for me on any cupcake. I used chocolate chips instead of chocolate squares because that's what I had on hand. And real buttercream frosting instead of Cool Whip. Sorry, Cool Whip. You have your place, but it is not here.

Chocolate-Candy Cane Cupcakes

5 squares semi-sweet chocolate, divided
1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) chocolate instant pudding
4 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. water
6 small candy canes, crushed, divided
1 tub Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed


Heat oven to 350°F. Chop 4 chocolate squares; set aside. Beat cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water with mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 min. Stir in chopped chocolate and 2 Tbsp. candy. Spoon into 30 paper-lined 2-1/2-inch muffin cups.

Bake 20 to 23 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely.

Frost cupcakes with Cool Whip. Melt remaining chocolate; drizzle over cupcakes. Top with remaining candy.

Dinner Party

Recently I had a dinner party with two of my dear friends and their husbands. I was in charge of appetizers, drinks, and dessert, while my friend Erin cooked our main dish and side (chicken and asparagus alfredo pasta with acorn squash...oh so heavenly! I hope she'll post the recipe soon, hint hint Erin).

For the drink, we mixed equal parts cherry juice (actually cherry grape, since I couldn't find it pure) and ginger ale and popped in frozen cherries as a garnish. Quick, refreshing, and delicious!

For the appetizer, we had Prosciutto Pinwheels, which I found here after browsing my beloved foodgawker for ideas.



So easy! Puff pastry, dijon mustard, parmesan cheese, and prosciutto (or thinly sliced deli ham in my case, since there was no prosciutto to be found that day). I assembled them at home and took them to our Angie's (our hostess's) house to bake. And maybe it's just because I'm pregnant and weird, but I seriously had a hard time not shoving them in raw on the way over in the car. Even unbaked they smelled divine!

I followed the instructions exactly, except they took longer to bake than it said they would. And even with the 3 or 4 extra minutes I added, they still could've used a bit longer to crisp up even more; the pastry puff dough was slightly raw in places. Though no one complained. We were too busy gobbling them up! :)

Finally, for dessert we had the very simple but oh-so-yummy Blushing Apples, a long-time favorite of mine from Kraft Kitchens. We sliced the apples so they would be easier to cut into and take less time to cook, and used real whipped cream instead of cool whip. Mmmmm. Angie put the leftover jell-o in a dish in her fridge for her family to eat later, and she tells me her daughter especially loved it.

It was so fun to have a dinner with several courses and such good company. We'll have to do it again soon, girls!

Corn Dogs

If that doesn't establish my non-food-snobbery, nothing will. Corn dogs, people. I made homemade corn dogs. Well, I didn't make the dogs themselves, of course. But you know what I mean. And oh my, were they DEE-licious! Even if they were kind of misshapen.



And you see that little bit sticking off near the top? After I took the photo, I ate it! So there!

I love these little suckers anyway, but this variety have now captured my heart above any other kind of corn dog. They were so delightfully crispy on the outside and just a teeny bit soft (not soggy) on the inside.

Thanks to my friend Julie, who submitted this recipe to our ward cookbook a few years ago! I didn't have a fondue pot that would work for this purpose, so I just filled a deep saucepan with oil and turned the corn dogs halfway through cooking. Very easy! I also only made a third of the recipe, since only the hubs and I would be eating them (please don't ask me to explain how I thirded an egg. Thank you). :)

12 hot dogs
1/2 c. cornmeal
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 c. milk
1 egg

Mix all ingredients except hot dogs. Cut the hot dogs into half pieces if desired, and dry on paper towels. Heat oil in fondue pot to 350. Dip hot dogs in batter until covered. Fry until golden brown.



They look kinda like twinkies, don't they?

I didn't add the sticks (which were actually kabob skewers, all I had on hand) until the end, since they wouldn't fit in the frying pan that way. And frankly, if you don't mind getting a little grease on your fingers, you really don't need them.

If you are a lover of fried things, please make these for dinner sometime. And serve them with tots, so I won't be the only extremely gourmet one around here. :)

Cheese Slicer

"A whole post dedicated to a cheese slicer?" you ask. Oh yes. Oh yes indeedy do. Firstly, for those who don't know, I recently moved and have not had a lot of time to photograph recipes and post them here. They will be coming soon. Our summer veggie meal is still (probably) in the works. Secondly, and most importantly, I think I'm in love with my cheese slicer. I'm afraid I may wax rhapsodic....and long-winded. :)

To fully appreciate my feelings, we have to go back several years to when I first moved out of my parents' home. They had a cheese slicer that worked wonderfully, but they wouldn't allow me to take it to college. Misers. :) Thus began my quest to find one of my own.

You'd think this would be a simple task. After all, cheese slicers abound in this world of ours. I tried several of the cheaper ones and kept being disappointed. They cut the cheese too thin, or they wouldn't stay in the cheese and sliced my fingers instead. It was incredibly frustrating. Why couldn't any of these stupid tools do what they were supposed to? It was so simple!

Finally, a couple of years ago, my mom took pity on me and bought me a more expensive fancy-shmancy adjustable-thickness cheese plane from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I was thrilled! This thing had a dial, and a soft handle, plus it was relatively pricey, so it had to work, right? WRONG. I encountered all of the same problems that I had before, plus the dial that adjusts the thickness broke on its third use.

I had given up, and resolved to cut my cheese with a paring knife until the end of my days. And then, something beautiful happened. They opened up an Ikea store a mere half hour from my home. I went to investigate the new store and loved it, of course. As we were walking through the kitchen section, I happened to notice a cheese slicer. There was nothing to mark it as impressive, but, more out of habit than anything, I grabbed it and tossed it in my cart. The name on it was "Smaka," which was about what I felt like doing to my head at this point in my cheese slicer quest, so I thought it fitting. :)

When we got home, I pulled out the cheese and tried out my new slicer. And...and...I couldn't believe it, but it worked! It had to be a fluke. I tried again. Another perfect slice! I was finally triumphant! And the thing had only been five bucks! Impossible!

I'm sure this story doesn't rock your world quite as much as it did mine, but I am a cheese person, okay? I would pick a chunk of cheddar over a cupcake any time. My cheese slicer gets used every single dang day. And that is probably why I have love handles. :)



Click here if you could use a few more perfect slices of cheese in your life.

I love you, cheese slicer. Never ever leave me!

Chicken Taco Pie

Okay, I know that's not the greatest photo, but it's all you're getting. Because when I made this dish, I was hungry. I couldn't take time to be bothered with details when I was busy shoving this in as quickly as possible! :)

Despite it's disguise as a boring cheese-topped casserole, this stuff is awesome! My mom made this for us all the time as kids. It goes over wonderfully with picky eaters (I'm sorry, mom. I've changed, I promise) and even normal people too! Tasty, easy, and pleasing. What more could you ask for?

2 c. cooked, shredded chicken (this was about 7-8 breast tenders for me)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream
1 t. dried onion
2 t. taco seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 small corn tortillas
jack or cheddar cheese

Mix seasonings, soup, and sour cream in a small saucepan. Heat until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Add chicken. Spray 2-quart baking dish, then cover the bottom with torn-up pieces of tortilla. Spread the chicken mixture over this. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 until hot and bubbly (about 20 minutes). Sprinkle crushed corn chips on top of individual servings, or use whole corn chips to scoop it up.

My mom likes to serve it on a bed of shredded lettuce to add some veggies, but I will have my salad on the side, thank you. :) This recipe is also adapted to my small family. My mom will usually triple the recipe and put it in a 9x13, making several layers of torn tortillas and the chicken stuff. Great for a crowd!

Also, for those of you still waiting for the summer veggie meal, just know that it had to be postponed. I was out of town the Saturday before it was supposed to happen and didn't make it to the farmer's market. And now I'm moving to a new apartment, so it will be further postponed. But don't worry, we'll get it up here eventually!

Wilda's English Trifle

Oh mercy. This is what I’ve waited all summer for.

I called Southridge Farms the other day and was delighted to learn that they have some early peaches in. My son and I made a quick trek down to Santaquin to pick up a bag. You can’t beat fresh, farm-grown peaches. Grocery store peaches just do not compare. They are peach sacrilege! (By the way, while at the barn, we sampled their fresh-squeezed apple juice, and it took every ounce of will I have within me to resist buying a huge jug. I just came for peaches this time. But I’ll be back!)

In our family, fresh peaches mean that it’s time to make this lovely dessert. The recipe comes straight from a sweet little cookbook that my grandma made for all of her granddaughters a few Christmases ago. It's one of my treasures. Not only does it feature many of her culinary masterpieces, but it's just such a reflection on her personality—done scrapbook style with little tidbits of advice and lots of family photos. Plus it gives me hope that someday I can cook like her!

Also, I just want to state, for the record, that I make no promises as to it’s British authenticity. All I know is, Grandma calls it English Trifle. So no uppity Englishmen out there are allowed to tell me that’s not how their grandmother makes trifle, okay? :)

1 angel food cake
2-3 bananas (I'm not a banana fan, so I leave these out)
about 1 c. each of raspberries and blueberries
3-4 peaches, sliced
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 small package vanilla pudding
1 package raspberry Danish Dessert

Prepare the Danish Dessert according to the "Fruit Sauce" instructions on the back (though half a package seems to be plenty for me). Fold in the raspberries and let it cool in the fridge. Whip the cream, adding a few tablespoons of sugar. Prepare the pudding as well.

Break 1/3 of the cake into small pieces and layer bottom of a trifle bowl (before I invested in one of these, I just used a regular large bowl. It's not as pretty, but it works). Cover with a layer of pudding, then a layer of the raspberry mixture. Slice bananas (if using) and place a layer of those, followed by peaches and blueberries. Lastly, put on a layer of whipped cream. Repeat layers.

Oh, and don't be too OCD about the layers. They don't have to cover the entire bowl; I mostly just do a glob here and a glob there. You really can't go wrong with this dessert. My grandma even uses frozen fruit sometimes, but in my opinion, the fresh peaches absolutely make this dish! Try it, you won't be disappointed!

Zuppa Toscana

Okay, all you fellow Olive Garden fans, here it is! Zuppa Toscana, brought to you by our famous in-house Italian chef.



Okay, so he's short, making a cheesy face, and doesn't have a drop of Italian blood in him. But he is a good helper in the kitchen. He loves to stir and gets very upset if I try to take his spoon away from him. "Stay out of my cucina, mamma mia!" (And don't worry, I watch him like a hawk when he's anywhere near a hot surface).

There are lots of different versions of copycat recipes for this soup online, and mine is yet another—sort of a conglomeration of several. I can't guarantee that it is exactly like Olive Garden's original recipe, but it is close and definitely delicious.

Although many of the online recipes call for the more authentic Italian pork sausage in a casing, I prefer bulk sausage (which is more like ground beef instead of long links, if you don't know what I'm talking about). And from what I've seen of the few times I've had this soup at the restaurant, they use the bulk kind as well. I assume that Jimmy Dean Italian would work really well, but the first time I made this soup last fall, they didn't have any at the store. I ended up buying the hot kind instead, and we love it! The extra spice is great for our family, but if you don't necessarily want your sinuses fully cleared out, stick with the milder stuff. :)

Also, I think OG uses pieces of crumbled bacon in theirs, which I have not tried yet. I'm sure it would be wonderful; you can't really go wrong with bacon, right?

Here is the basic recipe to get you started, but feel free to mess around with it. That's one thing I love about cooking, you can kind of make it up as you go and still get delightful results!

1 lb. sausage
3 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 t. salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 t. red pepper (flakes or ground)
1 large Russet potato
2-3 large pieces of kale

Cook sausage, breaking up into bite-size pieces, and drain off the grease. Meanwhile, combine broth, cream, salt, garlic, and red pepper in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage. Slice the potato (do not peel) and then quarter the slices and add them to the pot. Chop the kale (should be about 2 cups chopped) and add it as well. Reduce heat, and let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked. Buón appetito!



One note: do not be afraid of the kale! I had never tried it before making this recipe, and I kept cringing as I added this strange lettuce-y looking plant, hoping it wouldn't taste too weird. The truth is, it has a very mild flavor and a texture that is barely noticeable. It does add color to the soup and is a tasty way to get your greens! So I repeat, do not be afraid of the kale!

I hope you enjoy the soup! Let me know how it turns out for you.

Broccoli Cheese Chowder

The first of the requested recipes! How funny that even though it's not quite "soup weather" yet, the only two soups I'm making this month are what you wanted! The Olive Garden Toscana Soup will be up later this week, but for now, let's make some chowder!

My recipe is based on the one from The Essential Mormon Cookbook by Julie Badger Jensen, which is one of my favorite cookbooks. I love that the foods in it are organized by season. It makes me feel like I'm making a "holiday" recipe no matter what time of year it is. :) The only things that I do different are halve it (because we're a small family), add more cheese, and use this faithful friend:



Don't hate me because I love dehydrated onion. It's just so easy! To be fair, I did try the recipe with real onions sautéed in butter once. And we really just didn't like it as much. The tiny pieces of chopped dried onion work better, because they don't interrupt the velvety texture of this dish. That's my humble opinion, at least.

On to the recipe!

1 bunch fresh broccoli, chopped
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. milk
1/2 c. chicken broth
3/4 t. salt
1 T dried onion
1 generous c. grated cheddar cheese

Cook broccoli until tender—I prefer to steam it. In a medium pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, and let the resulting roux cook for about a minute, stirring constantly. This will result in a less "floury" taste to the final product. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, salt, and dried onion. Stir frequently until it begins to boil and thicken. Whisk in the cheddar until fully incorporated. Don't skimp on the cheese; it's what makes this dish great! Finally, mix in the broccoli. Serve in bread bowls or with dinner rolls. (The roll recipe I use can be found here).

This is one of our family favorites. My husband especially loves it, surprisingly, since he's not generally a soup fanatic like me. But this is one of the few recipes that he's given a 10. He proclaims his undying love for me whenever I announce that I'm going to make it. Give it a try and see if you get the same result. :)