Egg-citing

Separating yolks from the whites…

I would not have believed this had I not tried it myself. I found this tutorial on Pintrest and thought …interesting. I have had so many fails from Pintrest stuff that I was pessimistic …so I wanted to see for myself and my goodness it really worked.

Step 1…crack an egg into a bowl

Step 2… get yourself and empty plastic water bottle

Step 3… gently squeeze the bottle, not too much pressure

Step 4…gently touch the squeezed bottle to the surface of the yolk

Step 5…gently release the pressure and the yolk miraculously slides inside the bottle, no whites attached.

Step 6…squeeze out the yolk into a separate bowl…

Fall’s upon us

I thought I’d better share my Thanksgiving creations before the snow flies. I lucked out this year….Dear Brother and Marylynn hosted Thanksgiving which was fabulous I didn’t have to cook  and delicious. I brought devilled eggs designed as little pumpkins…ya ya , I know, I have way too much time on my hands.

I also made up little trail mix favours for their guests….yum yum. You can find the recipe and free tag printable here http://makebakecelebrate.com/fall-trail-mix-with-free-printable/

Mmmm Mmmm Good

Dinners just got delicious at our house

Not that they aren’t usually, but this one was very, very good, thanks to Jamie Oliver. I have always liked his shows and his recipes and he did not disappoint with this one.  Port Loin Roast with Crackling.

You can find the recipe here http://www.jamieoliver.com/videos/jamie-oliver-s-perfect-pork-loin-roast-with-crackling

It look amazing, and tasted amazing too…almost look like restaurant food.

There’s a reason you should follow instructions

Things started off ok with The Pioneer Woman’s chocolate pudding recipe…then went downhill very quickly. Her instructions indicate that you should make this recipe in a blender.

Well a blender and a food processor are pretty well the same thing aren’t they? and my food processer was more accessible than the blender….

It was all good till the shit  chocolate hit the fan blade….then all hell broke loose..

You’ve seen those posts on Pinterest fails…..this was one of those.

The recipe is awesome though…just do as you’re told. You can find the recipe here http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/02/pots-de-creme-a-lorange/

The look really yummy in these mini jam jars.

Souper

This is the most amazing chowder ever! Absolutely Souper.

So delicious, I can't even describe....no words work other than Nom Nom and Mmmmmmmm



This recipe is Pioneer Woman's Corn and Cheese Chowder and you can find the recipe here  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/10/corn-cheese-chowder/

She gives great step by step instructions....  

                                                                                                     

Good to the last drop!

Easy Peasy Pizza Pull Apart Bread

This is like pizza on crack!  Awesome Nom Nom.

Simple to make and tastes amazing. Simply open 2 cans of Pillsbury pizza dough and cut up into small pieces, rolling into balls. In a large bowl combine the balls with 2 cup of grated mozzarella, 1 cup parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup olive oil, 8 oz. pepperoni cut up into small cubes, 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning…toss and pour into a parchment lined pan. Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour and serve warm with pizza sauce.

OMG…to die for. I brought this to a Canada Day party and it was inhaled within 15 minutes of my arrival. This is a keeper.

I’m in a pickle

I have way too much time on my hands…..can’t you just buy a jar of dills for about $2.99 and let Vlasic do all the work.

That would be way too easy….
Canning jars..$9.99
Baby Cukes…$2.99 for a bag of about 10
Fresh Dill…$2.49 a bunch, did you know you can freeze the 800 sprigs of leftover dill
Vinegar….$3.84…now I know that sounds expensive…but that was for 2 mother of all mother jugs at Sam’s, now I have enough vinegar to can half the state of  Florida
1 Jar Bernardin Dill Pickle Mix…$5.99
So for roughly $28.00 I got 2 perfect jars of homemade dills….$23.00 of that was worth the satisfaction of saying I did it myself.

Now these are super simple dills…you just wash the cukes, slice them lengthwise and stack them in your jar with a few sprigs of fresh dill and garlic, boil the vinegar and water along with the dill mix on the stove, following the directions on the container, then pour the hot mixture over your cukes, seal and store them in the fridge for 3 weeks before eating.
I CAN honestly say that these are the best dills I have ever had…and they should be…I did the math and each frigin slice calculated out to .89 cents each! (_!*#_)*#_*!#&)(&#)(#*
Now that’s money well spent!

Mmmmmmmm Good

Bless your heart Margie…for your Raspberry Jam.

To die for with it’s yumminess, all rich with fresh raspberries, that wake up every taste bud with sweet morsels of delectability and ooey, gooey goodness as you savour its incredible flavour. And it’s good on toast too!

Don’t you just love the, cuter than a hello kitty lunchbox with a Garfield thermos in it, raspberry fabric topper. Oh Margie, thanks for the Christmas gift!

Cheese Please

I should really get a job….I spend far too much time farting around with stuff, too much time on Pinterest and too much time mimicking Martha Stewart.

Think of all the quilting I could get done if I’d stop baking, crafting and pinning.

I can honestly tell you that not everything turns out as planned…lots of things are a FAIL.  I should start showing those, but I’d need a whole new blog!

These were super simple to make and they do look quite inviting. Little cheese ball pinecones. Simply shape a store bought cheese ball into the shape of a pinecone, then layer the shape with whole pecans.

You’ll have them saying “Cheese Please”.

This stuff is amazing!

For the longest time I’ve been substituting spaghetti squash for pasta, not totally loving it but still substituting. I always found the spaghetti squash a little watery and a bit tasteless no matter how I cooked it.
Recently I bought zucchini, both green and yellow and with my julienne vegetable peeler, shred the zucchini into pasta like strands.

Adding a little olive oil to a fry pan, I sautéed the zucchini until tender. Then heaped it all in a dish, topped it with a couple of Dear Hubby’s finest meatballs, lathered it with pasta sauce and parmesan and ate the whole dang thing!

It was delicious, and so much better tasting than spaghetti squash, plus the texture was a lot more like pasta as well.  What a great alternative to pasta and so much healthier too.

Spaghetti Chicken Improvised

I just love the Pioneer Woman ‘s blog and I really love her new food show on TV and have been taping them religiously. She had a wonderful recipe for Baked Chicken Spaghetti ….which sounded delicious, but I now my kids, specifically my boys, and I know that onions, green peppers, pimentos and mushroom are not in their vocabulary palates.

So I improvised to make the recipe fit for my family. Her original recipe is here if you would like  to try hers….

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/

Here is mine…..

• 2 cups shredded chicken from a store bought roasted chicken
• 1-16oz. package of angel hair spaghetti broken in half
• 2 cans Cream Of Chicken Soup
• 1 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup grated Asiago cheese
• 1 whole sweet red pepper diced
• 1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion
• 1.5  cups water
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook your pasta till al dente, then drain. Toss everything in a bowl but  the last cup of cheese which you use to top the casserole. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray, dump your mixture in and spread flat, top with your extra cup of grated cheese. Pop in the oven for 45 minutes at 350.

Mmmm, Mmmmm, Mmmm….

It was great, and I know this as my husband had a second helping and most times when I try something new he says “Don’t make that again”…..the boys were complimenting as well, so this ones a winner!

Taco Two Step

A while back on one of our road trips we had dinner at a restaurant that served this amazing taco salad in a taco bowl, served with toss salad, grilled steak, corn, cheese, carrots, tomatoes and a delicious salsa dressing. I’ve been craving it ever since I had it.

I decided that I might be able to re-create the dish…well close enough anyway.

I started by making my Taco Bowls. Just let your wraps sit in water for about 20 seconds, then dry them off a bit on a paper towel. Place your dampened wraps over emptied cleaned cans and shape them in place. Bake in the oven at 450 for bout 15 minutes, or until nice and crispy.  They are done when they are firm and hold their shape when turned over. Now for the fun stuff….fill the bowls with lettuce, tomatoes, grated cheddar cheese, grated carrots, red onion, nibblets corn…really whatever you fancy.

The dressing is the best. Take about a cup of salsa and add to it about 1/2 cup of salad dressing, not mayo but the white salad dressing that looks like mayo. Mix it together and heap it on top of the salad, then add grilled steak pieces and DIG IN…YUM YUM

Nom Nom

Chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches dipped in Skor bits …..NOM NOM.

I made these for Dear eldest daughter’s engagement party for dessert.

They were the biggest hit!  It was a really hot day and these little goodies were a refreshing treat to cool off with.

All wrapped up with striped wax paper, baking twine and cute stickers. Well worth the work.

Better than Cheesecake

I tried this fabulous recipe from Pinterest. It’s a Martha Stewart original and was amazing. It’s made in a springform pan and I love the way it displays after it’s all cooked. It would be great for a dinner party, kind of a show stopper for your guests. You cook your rigatoni slightly then stack all the rigatoni pieces upright in the springform pan. Once you have them all upright you fill the rigatoni crevices with a meat and pasta sauce filling. Mmmmmm. Then you top the whole concoction with mozzarella cheese and bake it. It looks fabulous cut into slices as well.

Thanksgiving fun

Our family was invited to my sister in law's for Thanksgiving and although she always says not to bring anything, I don't like to go empty handed. I took this little cheese mice platter and a turkey veggie plate. The kids all thought it was great and everyone had fun with it.

Peachy Keen

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) package pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

1 egg, beaten

5 cups sliced peeled peaches

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2.Line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts. Brush with some of the beaten egg to keep the dough from becoming soggy later.
3.Place the sliced peaches in a large bowl, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour over the peaches, and mix gently. Pour into the pie crust, and dot with butter. Cover with the other pie crust, and fold the edges under. Flute the edges to seal or press the edges with the tines of a fork dipped in egg. Brush the remaining egg over the top crust. Cut several slits in the top crust to vent steam.
4.Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is brown and the juice begins to bubble through the vents. If the edges brown to fast, cover them with strips of aluminum foil about halfway through baking. Cool before serving. This tastes better warm than hot.

Popeye's favorite - Spinach Feta Soup

A while back we were in Watkins Glen and I had the most fabulous spinach feta soup there. I was determined to re-create that wonderful dish when we returned home. In my quest I came up with the following recipe for it and it tastes wonderful. My daughter wants the recipe too so it must be good cause she's a picky eater!

Spinach Feta Soup

750g bag of frozen spinach

200g feta drained

5 slices of bacon

4 stalks of celery
1 small onion
Knob of butter
900 ml chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup cream cheese
2 large potatoes
Garlic clove minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Worchester sauce
1 tsp nutmeg

Cut up raw bacon finely and brown bacon in a stock pot, add garlic diced celery and diced onion and saute all with a knob of butter. Peel and dice two large potatoes and add to the mix. Saute 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. Cook the spinach and drain well. Chop into small pieces. Add the spinach, nutmeg and Worchester and continue to simmer while stirring well. Add the feta cheese and cream cheese and stir until melted. Add the cream, stir well and simmer for 5 minutes…..eat and enjoy!