Strawberries and Cream Valentine Tarts

Aren't these little guys just too adorable?  When my girlfriend came over on Saturday, we dreamed up this delicious little dessert, and I'm so excited to share the recipe with you!

I didn't get a chance to write this up until just now because I've been fairly preoccupied this week, with Bo's mom and her little dogs arriving on Monday afternoon.  It's actually been a fairly smooth transition so far, but I haven't had a roommate in such a long time, that it's going to take some adjusting for us all.  But, I'll admit to playing dirty - I whipped up this recipe for her on Tuesday evening.  Major points right off the bat! :)

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

I fully intended to make these for Christmas morning.  But then, on Christmas Eve, I started feeling sick, and was freaked that I was coming down with a case of Strep Throat that all of the neighbor kids were spreading around.  So, on Christmas Eve, I sat on the couch with a mug of hot water with lemon, honey, and cinnamon.  And the next morning, I was fantastic without a trace of a soar throat.  Fantastic, but definitely lacking in the cinnamon roll department.

Blueberry-Peach Crisp

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that at the end of last week, our fridge stopped working (and I was tweeting with excessive exclamation points).  It just wasn't getting cold; the freezer worked perfectly, the fridge not so much.  So while Bo researched ways to fix it, I researched ways to use up ingredients before they went bad.  Enter... Blueberry-Peach Crisp!  I had fresh blueberries and peaches sitting in my fridge drawer, just waiting to get used in something yummy.  I grabbed a stick of butter from the freezer and set to it.

Coconut Forbidden Rice Pudding

'Mornin! ('Afternoon!, 'Evenin!)

So, I'm back with another recipe using our handy dandy and yummy Forbidden rice.  When I was growing up, one of my favorite breakfasts was my mom's rice pudding, made with leftover rice from dinner.  Custardy, sweet, with cinnamon, and so delicious when straight from the refrigerator.

Coconut Pecan Granola

Good Morning!  Today, I semi-cheated and had a small bowl of this granola with almond milk before blending up my regular green smoothie (today's has frozen cherries - yum!).  And, I'm still as much in love with this granola as I was yesterday when finalized my recipe changes.

Broiled Grapefruit

God bless Pinterest.  


I was feeling extraordinarily guilty for not having any recipes to post this week, and then the latest viral recipe on Pinterest popped into my head.

And whyyyy didn't I get any recipes blogged up this weekend?  Why?  It wasn't for lack of cooking.  I tried out four brand new recipes this last weekend, and came up with some yummy things to share!  But.  But, it was 85 degrees outside.  Normally, I'm incapable of sitting and doing nothing, but that's exactly what I did out in our back yard both Saturday and Sunday.  So I wasn't in the kitchen during prime daylight photo-taking hours.  And I don't even have a tan to show for it :)

Food Rule 78 and Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yummmmmm!  Is it obvious how much I love this recipe?

As I've mentioned in the past (here and here), I really struggle with getting more fruit into my diet.  Veggies?  Delicious!  Fruit?  Not so much.  So anytime I find a way to eat fruit that has me reaching for seconds and gobbling up leftovers, it's a definite keeper.  Something about these tiny pieces of mixed fruit with a touch of apricot preserves leaves me feeling so happy.  And those baked cinnamon chips aren't anything to shake a stick at either.  I'm so excited to make this recipe on Sunday for the Super Bowl party we're hosting!

Healthy and delicious and perfect for sharing - talk about a triple threat recipe!

Please Don't Ask Me Which Teams Are Playing,

         

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
adapted from Allrecipes

2 kiwis
2 apples, peeled and cored
8 oz. peaches (frozen & thawed work perfectly)
1 lb. strawberries
3 Tbsp. all-fruit preserves (apricot flavor is fantastic)

10, 10" flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
1/4 c. cinnamon sugar mixture (1/4 c. sugar + 1 Tbsp. cinnamon)

Finely dice all fruit and toss together in a large bowl.  Stir in fruit preserves and chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the cinnamon chips.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray and sprinkle with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Flip tortilla over and repeat for other side.  Using a pizza cutter, cut tortilla into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Tortilla chips will continue to crisp up as they cool.  Serve with chilled fruit mixture.  Makes 8 servings.

         

Fruit Salsa Ingredient Lineup:

Cinnamon Chips Ingredient Lineup:

Ricotta Toasts with Asparagus & Poached Eggs

Ricotta Toasts with Asparagus and Poach Eggs
Rachael Ray Magazine May 2011

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
6 slices toasted thick-cut country bread
Salt and pepper
1 pound steamed asparagus
6 slices coked bacon, crumbled

Spread ricotta on toast, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer with asparagus; top with poached egg. Sprinkle with bacon, salt and pepper.

I am in love with a ton of reality food shows:

Master Chef
Iron Chef
Hell's Kitchen
Top Chef
America's Next Great Restaurant

I think I love these shows because they cook food that I don't. I always think, "I would love to try that. How fun would it be to judge these shows".

One of the easiest things that I have seen on these shows, but never tried myself was a poached egg. It certainly looked like it would taste good but it was something that just seemed like I wouldn't be able to do.

How I poached an egg:

Break an egg into small bowl. Heat water with a little bit of vinegar added to right before the boiling point. There should be lots of bubbles on the sides of the pan but none actually breaking away from the pan and bursting at the top of the water. Use a whisk to start a whirlpool. Gently pour egg into swirling water and allow to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. Gently fish out the poached egg and enjoy.

I did break at least a half a dozen eggs before finally getting the hang of this technique. It seemed that the more that I handled the eggs the more they broke. If I just set a timer and left them alone, they swirled gently in the water and poached up beautifully. I did have a couple that stuck to the bottom of the pan, I took a spatula and gently loosened it.

Blueberry Buckle

On Saturday morning, our weather here was blissfully cooler (mind you, it was still in the 80s and humid), so we decided to strap on Rory's backpack and walk to a diner for breakfast.  The little diner we were trying out was not 30 feet from our local farmers' market, so we thought we'd grab a few yummy items right after breakfast.  It's so fun taking Rory to the market because her little backpack elicits so many "Awww"s and smiles from everyone, and little kids come right up to ask if they can pet her.  It's seriously adorable.  But, I digress... :)

This last weekend, we grabbed some blueberries from a stand and tucked them into Rory's backpack with green beans, tomatoes, macaroons, and all-natural dog treats.  The blueberries sat on my counter for a day before I stumbled on a recipe to try them out - Blueberry Buckle.  It's moist cake crammed full of blueberries and topped with a light cinnamon sugar streusel.  Also!  I sneaked a little tip into the recipe down there:  Tossing blueberries in a little flour before adding them to a batter will help keep them from sinking to the bottom while in the oven!

Enjoy!




Blueberry Buckle
adapted from Allrecipes

Cake:
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened (or shortening)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk

2 c. blueberries
2 Tbsp. flour

Topping:
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8" square baking pan.

Cream together sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add 1/3 of the dry mixture to the butter mixture and beat until combined.  Scrape down sides of the bowl, and add 1/2 of the milk.  Add another 1/3 of the dry mixture, and repeat until all is combined.  Toss blueberries with the 2 Tbsp. flour, and then fold into batter.  Pour into prepared pan.  In separate bowl, mix together the topping ingredients, until combined and crumbly.  Sprinkle over batter.  Bake 40 minutes, or until passes the toothpick test.  Allow to cool before slicing.

Ingredient Lineup:

Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk.

Fold blueberries into batter.

Sprinkle sugar crumb mixture over top.

Saucy Mama Chicken Salad Crescents

Good Morning!

You may remember last year, that I entered a recipe contest for Saucy Mama.  They invited me to participate again this year, so I gladly joined in!  This time around, the challenge was to come up with a recipe using only five ingredients.  Five?!  Yowza.  I don't consider myself an elaborate or fancy cook, but when I started adding up items, I hit five in a huge, screeching hurry.

This recipe that I came up with is almost embarrassingly easy.  It took me less than 15 minutes to put together and pop into the oven!  It would be a fantastic item at a brunch (served with champagne and fresh fruit, yummmm), and it's also a great option if you need a quick snack or appetizer for guests.  You could use just about any fancy mustard, but the Saucy Mama one I used gives it a great punch of flavor.

Enjoy!






Saucy Mama Chicken Salad Crescents
2, 12 oz. tubes of "bigger" size crescent rolls
12.5 oz. can of chicken, drained *
1/3 c. celery, finely chopped (about 1 stalk)
1/3 c. light mayo
2 Tbsp. Saucy Mama Tarragon Lemon mustard
black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray, and set it aside.

Mix chicken, celery, mayo, mustard, and pepper in a medium sized bowl until thoroughly combined.  Arrange individual crescent roll sections on your workspace.  Using a medium cookie scoop (or about 2 Tbsp.), place chicken mixture at the wide end of each roll.  Take the wide edge and tuck it over each chicken salad mound and press lightly to seal the edges.  Continue rolling the crescent dough, slightly twisting the ends as you roll, to seal the edges.  Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.  Makes approximately 16 crescent rolls.


* Note: You can opt to cook your own chicken breast instead of purchasing canned chicken.  Just boil one large chicken breast in water for approximately 10 minutes, or until completely cooked through.  Allow to cool and shred with two forks.

Ingredient Lineup:

Mix chicken salad ingredients in a medium bowl until combined.

Place a small scoop of chicken salad at the

wide end of each crescent roll.

Roll the wide edge over and lightly press to

seal the dough edges together.

Continue rolling, slightly twisting the ends as you roll

to pinch the edges.  Place on your prepared baking sheet.

Voila!

Bo's Famous Sangria

I decided to pretend that I was spending Spring Break on a warm and beautiful island, with nothing to do but read fluff books while balancing a delicious and fruity drink in my hand.  I also pretended to be ultra thin and tan and wearing the most flattering bikini ever.  Alas, I was only able to make the drink part a reality.  Sigh.

Ok, back to earth and this recipe - What's important to know is that while I do not like red wine, I love this Sangria.  You also need to know that it makes a lot - about 2 gallons' worth.  We like to make it in a cooler with a spout, so that it's portable, stays chilled, and doesn't make a mess when poured.  You can also mess with the amounts and kinds of fruit, and you'll pretty much never go wrong.

Enjoy!



Bo's Famous Sangria
1 1/3 c. Apricot Brandy
2 L. cheap Merlot (yes, cheap)
1 1/3 c.Triple Sec
12 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
1/2 c. lemon juice
3/4 c. orange juice
2/3 c. sugar
2 lemons, sliced
2 oranges, sliced
2 limes, sliced
2 nectarines or apricots, sliced
1/2 pint strawberries, sliced
5 c. 7-Up or Sprite

Combine all ingredients except 7-Up and stir to dissolve sugar. Refrigerate overnight.  Stir in 7-Up just before serving.  Makes ~2 gallons.

It doesn't look as pretty in a plastic cooler, but it's so
much more convenient to haul around.

Cheers!

Yummy Breakfast Casserole

I'm not sure when it happened...but I have fallen in love with Twitter. No matter what I am looking for online, it seems that someone knows where to find it. When I tweeted this morning that I was on the hunt for a yummy breakfast casserole - @wendyamarie was super gracious to share her: Bite Size Sausage Casserole recipe. Since I didn't have sausage on hand,  I had to improvise with bacon. I loved the mix of herbs and eggs...so yummy and super simple to put together.

Whisk together: 2 cups of milk, 6 eggs, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 tsp dried basil, a couple dashes of hot sauce and salt/pepper to taste.



Cube 6 slices of bread, cook 10 slices of bacon and shred 1 cup of cheese.



Layer in 9 X 13 dish: 1/4 cup of butter, cubed bread, bacon and egg mixture. Make sure to give the eggs a good stir to evenly distribute herbs right before adding to casserole dish.



Top with cheese and bake for 25 minutes in 400 degree oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.













Enjoy.













Just had to share my Spring Flowers...picked them up with my groceries. I love the touch of color and cheerfulness they add to my table. They are just stuck into a water filled plastic canister.

Are you on Twitter? Come chat with me @mellisarock