Just for Fun...
I've gotten back in the swing of cake decorating this spring. Here are a few I've made recently. :)
Our little kittybear was very very sick in March. After getting her declawed, she didn't really recover well and ended up with kidney failure! There were a few days we really thought we were going to lose her. We were a little surprised at how much the thought of that impacted us. She was, already, after a few short months, such a huge part of our family. We were heartbroken. Our coworkers in each of our workplaces were extremely supportive, asking for updates, sending us well wishes, and giving us time to go visit her over lunch breaks. Surprisingly, she bounced back! She made a full recovery and is back to our wonderful little pumpkin now. As a thank you to our friends and coworkers, Ken and I made these little Roxie cupcakes. Rox liked them too. :)
Our neighbor, David, had a recent birthday. Since he loves Mario, I made him this Mario inspired cake. "1UP" get it? :)
One of the guys at the InnTowne works at Taco Bell so I made him this taco cake for his birthday. :)
It was my turn to make food for the staff meeting so I teamed up with my Executive Director and we decided to do a picnic theme. I'd make pasta salad and cupcakes, she'd handle the hot dogs and soda. So I spent all Monday night making these freaking awesome (if I don't say so myself) corn on the cob cupcakes and I was pumped for the next day's meeting. I slogged them through the rain on Tuesday only to find out that the staff meeting is next week. Oops. So the Eau Claire staff got to enjoy some sweet cupcakes a week early. :)
Another InnTowne resident had a birthday. He's a semi driver so I got to attempt my second vehicle. I thought this was super cute. :)
Tuna Panzanella Salad
Tuna Panzanella Salad
Total Time: 3o minutes
8 oz Italian bread cut into 1/2 inch cubes (4 c)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp drained capers, chipped
1 1/2 # ripe tomatoes, chipped
1 can (15 oz) white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (5oz) chunk light tuna in water, drained and flaked
3/4 c fresh basil leaves, torn
1. Preheat oven to 400. On 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 inch jelly roll pan or large cookie sheet, spread bread cubes in one layer. Place in oven; toast 11 to 13 minutes or until golden, stirring cubes once halfway through baking. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, with fork, mix olive oil, wine vinegar, chopped capers, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper until blended. Add chipped tomatoes, white beans, flaked tuna, torn basil, and bread cubes to bowl. Toss well to coat all ingredients with dressing. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 main-dish servings
From Good Housekeeping Magazine August 2009
Ken's Rating: ****
Chalsea's Rating: ****
This was a great summery dish! The bread gets soggy fast, though, so maybe only add it to the food you'll eat that meal. The leftovers were less appetizing for us because the bread was mush.
Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin and Sesame Green Beans
Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
2 pork tenderloins (1# each)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c apricot preserves
3 Tbsp sherry or reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used bouillon)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried thyme
1. Place pork on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Combine the oil, salt and pepper, rub over pork.
2. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; spoon over pork. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160, basting occasionally with pan juices. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.
Yield: 6 servings
From Taste of Home Magazine April & May 2010
Ken's Rating: *****
Chalsea's Rating: *****
This was absolutely delicious. I think my new favorite pork/glaze combo has to include apricot. So yummy. We only changed one thing here. I didn't have a "rack" or didn't know what that meant, so we just stuck the pork in a glass baking dish like I usually do and it was just fine. :)
Sesame Green Beans
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
2 # fresh green beans
2/3 c finely chopped sweet onion
3 Tbsp canola oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
1. Place beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 4-7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and immediately place beans in ice water. Drain and pat dry.
2. In a large skillet, saute beans and onion in oil until onion is tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in soy sauce and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish; sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Yield: 8 servings
From Taste of Home Magazine April & May 2010
Ken's rating: ****
Chalsea's rating ****1/2
These were really great, but I would not serve them with the pork again. I didn't look closely enough a the ingredients. The pork had a sweet taste and these had a salty asian flavor. I should have paired something with a citrus or a buttery/sweet flavor here. I'd make these beans again but maybe with some grilled chicken or some steak.
Blackberry Limeade
Blackberry Limeade
6 c water, divided
3 c fresh blackberries
1 c sugar
2/3 c fresh lime juice - about 4 limes (I just used the stuff in a bottle)
8 thin lime slices
Fresh Blackberries (optional)
Place 1 c water and 3 c blackberries in a blender; process until smooth. Press blackberry puree through a sieve into a large pitcher; discard seeds. Add remaining 5 c water, sugar, and juice to pitcher; stir until sugar dissolves. Place 1 lime slice and a few blackberries, if desired, into each of 8 glasses; pour about 1 c limeade over each serving.
Yield: 8 servings
From Cooking Light Magazine June 2007 (which I bought at Savers for $0.69! WOO!!)
Ken's Rating: *****
Chalsea's Rating: *****
I LOVE limeade so I was pumped to try this. I followed the recipe mostly, but would make a few changes. We didn't strain the puree, we just tossed all the pulp and seeds in...and we liked it! It's a little more smoothie-ish. If you don't like pulp, though, you wouldn't like that. I used a little less than a cup of sugar and it was still too sugary for me. Next time I'd try 1/2 c sugar. You'll have to test out your perfect amount.
Linguine with Asparagus and Pine Nuts
Linguine with Asparagus and Pine Nuts
Total Time: 25 minutes
12 oz linguine
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c pine nuts
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 c shaved Parmesan cheese (about 3 oz)
1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain the pasta and return it to the pot
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook, tossing occasionally, until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the asparagus mixture to the pasta along with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and toss to combine. Sprinkle with Parmesan before serving.
Yield: 4 servings
From Real Simple Magazine April 2010
Ken's Rating: ****
Chalsea's Rating: ***1/2
I did not add the pine nuts. I couldn't find them for less than $8 and I decided that wasn't an expense I wanted for this meal. I'm certain they would have rounded out the flavor more and if I make this again, I'd probably do a bit more hunting to find cheaper ones so I could add them.
Spinach Strawberry Salad
Spinach Strawberry Salad
2 Bunches of Spinach
4 c strawberries, sliced
Vinaigrette
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/4 c white sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
Wash spinach and strawberries and place in large bowl. In smaller bowl, add all vinaigrette ingredients and mix well. Add vinaigrette to salad and serve.
From Mom-in-Law, Shelley Pearson :)
Ken's rating: *****
Chalsea's rating: *****
This recipe is very much like Panera's Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad which is pretty much my favorite. I added a few things to make it more like the Panera version: blueberries, mandarin oranges, and grilled chicken strips. I just bought the ready to serve chicken strips in the lunch meat section of the grocery store. DELICIOUS!!!
For Andrea and Adam!!! :)
Stuffed Crust Pizza
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18-20 minutes
Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Cornmeal
2 pkg (10 oz each) refrigerated pizza crust
1 pkg (12 oz) mozzarella string cheese sticks (12 sticks), divided
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 can (8oz) pizza sauce
1 1/2 o pepperoni slices
1 oz fresh Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 c)
any other pizza toppings desired (we did mushrooms, green, red, and orange peppers)
1. Preheat oven to 425. Lightly spread bottom of pan with olive oil (we used a 9x13); sprinkle evenly with cornmeal. Unroll 1 pkg pizza dough across one end of the pan. Repeat with remaining dough, filling pan. Press dough together in center with fingers to seal.
2. Place 10 of the strings cheese sticks, end to end, around the edge of pan on top of dough. Roll edge of dough over cheese making sure to keep covered cheese next to sides of pan; firmly pinch dough rolled over cheese to dough under cheese to tightly seal. Lightly spray surface of dough with olive oil.
3. Press garlic over dough; spread evenly with scraper. Spread pizza sauce over dough and slightly up sides. Top with pepperoni and other toppings. Shred the remaining 2 string cheese sticks and Parmesan cheese evenly over filling. Bake 18-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cut into squares.
From The Pampered Chef Main Dishes
Ken's rating: ****1/2
Chalsea's rating:*****
This is the best homemade pizza! We've made this a few times and really just love it!
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