Little bit of this, little bit of that

I hate when I make something really yummy for dinner or even for any meal or snack BUT I just threw it together so I don't know measurements of what I added or even remember all the ingredients I added! It's such a pain; especially when Brandon really likes it too and would like me to make it again sometime but I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW!! That happened tonight. I made this Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake only I didn't use Penne pasta, I used bowtie pasta and probably not even half as much as they recommend (I think I used 1 1/2 cups of COOKED pasta and they wanted that much of it uncooked). I didn't have any spinach or diced tomatoes on hand so those were omitted. Instead of 14 1/4 oz jar of spaghetti I had a 26 oz jar on hand so I used part of a jar of that...over half because I like things with a lot of sauce. THEN, I didn't have any mozzeralla cheese so I used monterey jack instead. So in all reality I did not really make this recipe tonight; there were WAY too many deviations from the original, but you know what? Brandon & I loved it! I just don't know how to write a recipe down like that!

I have some other exciting news! Brandon is officially out of the military!! He got his honorable discharge paperwork last week! It's kind of weird to think that he's been in the military for eight years. We just don't seem old enough for that (I do not mean that offensive, I promise!) But thank God he is done!!!!!

Fancy shmancy breakfast

When I don't have to work I like to make special breakfasts that require more "love" than just a bowl of cereal or granola bars. Usually on the weekends we have omelets or my secret recipe pancakes. Actually the secret is that I add vanilla chips to the batter. It makes for delicious pancakes! Anyway, I have today off and I've been wanting to try my hand at crepes for a while so I decided to experiment and here is what I came up with (don't mind the picture, it came out a little blurry):


The crepes are kind of a pain to make because they are so thin and fragile. I think next time I might just do store bought crepes but still make the same filling and toppings. If you choose to make this recipe it makes quite a bit. I halved it and it made about 8 crepes which was more than plenty for just the two of us.

Swedish Pancakes

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
3 cups whole or 2% milk (do not use skim milk)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
salad oil for frying pan or griddle (I used PAM spray and it worked just fine)

Place everything in a blender and mix thoroughly - first 1 1/2 cups milk, 3 eggs, 1 1/4 cup flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt & the other 1 1/2 cups milk; mix thoroughly then mix in the 1/4 cup melted butter.

Slowly heat a non-stick frying pan until a drop of water will sizzle and roll off. Brush pan lightly with salad oil (or spray with Pam).

Stir batter before using. Pour approximately 1/4 cup ino a frying pan - tilting pan so batter spreads around. When the surface of the pancake bubbles, turn quickly and brown the other side. Serve immediatley or keep warm while the rest of the pancakes cook.

for the filling:

I mixed together about 1/2 cup cool whip with 2/3 cup ricotta cheese and about 2 tsp sugar. This should be very slightly sweet and a little thick.

I also sliced up bananas and cooked them with a little bit of sugar on the stove.

Then I heated some frozen blueberries with some sugar on the stove.

to assemble:

Spread ricotta mixture in a line a little off-center in the crepe, place on some bananas then add a drizzle of maple syrup. Roll up then garnish with cool whip (or whipped cream) and blueberries.

Tried and True Cafe

My mom and I just started our very own cooking blog today! We are "souper" excited! I will be adding a link to my "side bar" so it'll be just one simple click away! I just made a recipe for a babyshower today that I've added the recipe for. It's absolutely delicious! What are you waiting for?! Go check it out!!!

Apple Walnut Caramel Syrup

I made this recipe for my parents when Brandon was in Iraq and we all loved it but then it got put away and forgotten about until today. It is great over pancakes, which is the only way I have ever eaten it but I'm sure it'd be delicious over ice cream too or even to eat by itself.

Apple Walnut Caramel Syrup

2 or 3 medium apples (I prefer to use three)

4 Tbsp butter

1 heaping tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup water

1/3 - 1/2 cup walnut pieces (can be omitted but I don't recommend it)

1. Peel, core and thinly slice apples; set aside

2. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the cinnamon, cornstarch, and brown sugar all at once. Immediately add the water and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

3. Add the apples and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the apples are nearly tender and the syrup is bubbly. While apples are cooking make pancakes.

Mandarin Salad

It is dang near impossible for me to make a yummy salad without following a recipe. Honestly, what can be that hard about making a salad? I don't understand how I can fail miserably every time that I don't use a recipe! I found the most delicious recipe for a salad in my Gooseberry Patch Blue Plate Specials cookbook. Best I have come across yet! I love all the colors in it; makes it beautiful looking! Has anyone ever had kiwi in a salad before? This was my first and let me tell you it was GOOD, although everything it was mixed with contributed to the wonderful flavor. I do think that some grated parmesan or even some crumbled feta would have been great on this too and next time I make this I will definitely try it. I have been so excited to tell you about this salad, but enough gushing here is the recipe!

Mandarin Salad

1 kiwi, sliced

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, torn

1/4 bunch Romaine lettuce, torn

1 c. celery, chopped

2 T. green onions, chopped

1/4 c. oil

2 T. vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)

3 T. plus 1 t. sugar, divided

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. pepper

1 T. fresh parsley, chopped (I used dry because I did not have fresh parsley on hand and it still turned out delicious)

1/4 c. slivered almonds (I used sliced almonds)

11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained

Mix together kiwi, lettuces, celery & green onion; store in large bag in refridgerator. Combine oil, vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, pepper & parsley in an airtight jar; refridgerate. Saute almonds & remaining sugar in a skillet over medium heat until well coated; cool & break apart. To serve, place lettuce in serving bowl & top with almonds & oranges. Shake dressing well; pour over the top.

Makes 6 servings.

"Cheating" or not?

I don't know if I can explain this very well without it coming across differently than I feel but I am going to try. I normally make all things from scratch otherwise I feel like I am "cheating." It's a silly little quirk I have that honestly can drive me insane sometimes. Seriously, I can't just make a cake from a box mix without adding something or at least making homemade frosting, or spaghetti from a jar without digging through my spice rack adding things as I go, or they even have these great freezer "meals" that comes in a bag with everything needed, all a person has to do is put it in a pan and let it heat for about 15-20 minutes. My sister loves to get them. When Brandon was in Iraq I had many meals at my sister's house enjoying these delicious "freezer" meals. Heidi loves simple meals that can be made easily but taste great and she is good at finding new ideas to fit this criteria. It's a quality I am jealous of. Don't get me wrong, I love to cook & bake but sometimes I just don't really feel like doing it after a long day of work and I wish I could just prepare one of these easy yet delicious meals that don't create a workload of dishes either, but no, I can't bring myself to do it! The simplest route I can go is pretty much tacos, BLT, and these yummy enchiladas I am about to tell you about, which are from a simple mix that I actually follow without changing it up (very amazing for a girl like me). These enchiladas actually do consume quite a bit of time so I don't know if it necessarily falls into the whole category that I am talking about but I'm going with it anyway! Here is a picture of the packaging:




The only thing "special" that I really do is double or triple the sauce while keeping the filling (meat & cheese) amount the same. Anyway, here is a picture of the finished product.



As the days at work end a big portion of my thoughts is about going home to eat these as leftovers! Jennifer, a co-worker and friend, keeps harassing me about my "obsession" with these enchiladas, but she was very interested in getting the "recipe" and excited to find out how easy they really are. I hope she likes them as much as I do, otherwise it might be a little embarrassing how much I have gone on & on about them!

Instead of baking them in a 9x13 pan I decided to make them in two separate square pans so I can freeze one for later (they freeze very well). So much for that! We have already dug into the second pan! Goes to show how absolutely delicious they really are!

Sounds a little fishy

When Brandon was in Iraq he found a new love for fried catfish and wanted me to make some here at home. I've never really cooked fish or seafood before so this is all new to me. I have been experimenting with different recipes on a search to find one that catches our hearts. My first attempt I used my grandma's beer batter recipe. When I was little my grandpa loved to fish and after a successful fishing trip Grandma & Grandpa would invite the family over for a fish fry. My grandma always made beer batter fish; it was the only way I would eat fish...until I discovered halibut, but that's a story for another day. Anyway, my first attempt at fried catfish was pretty tasty and Brandon really liked it although it was a different style from how it was fixed in Iraq. Mine had more of a thick "breading" rather than a thin "crumb" crust. So I decided to find out which was really the better of the two. I found a recipe in my Southern Living cookbook Grandma bought me that resembled the "Iraq" version. I tried it and it had great flavor, looked much prettier, but still doesn't compare to Grandma's old family recipe. I do have to say that it is good enough to recommend and share the recipe here on my blog. I think the reason I am partial to Grandma's recipe is because not only does it bring back fun memories it also takes away that fishy flavor. One thing I might try next time is adding the garlic powder from SL's recipe to Grandma's. Sounds rather delcious! I didn't get pictures of the batch of Grandma's but I did take pictures of the Southern Living recipe.

Grandma's Beer Batter

2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
salt
1 can beer
2 egg whites (stiffly beaten)

Mix first 3 ingredients. Add beer, then egg whites.
Cut fish into approximately 1 inch pieces. Fry in oil.
*Cut in half for just one family.

Classic Fried Catfish

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 1/2 tsp salt
12 catfish fillets (about 3 3/4 lb)
vegetable oil

1. Combine first 4 ingredients and 2 tsp salt in a large shallow dish. Sprinkle catfish fillets evenly with remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and dredge in cornmeal mixture, coating evenly.
2. Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches into a Dutch oven; heat to 350. Fry fillets, in batches, 5-6 minutes or until golden; drain on paper towels.

Note: For a quick weeknight version, skip the deep fryer. Cook catfish in 2 Tbsp. hot oil, per batch, in a nonstick skillet 5 minutes on each side.

Make 6-8 servings.

*As I type this recipe, I realize that I completely forgot to add the red pepper! Oops! It still tasted delicious! I also did the second option and just poured a small amount of oil into a pan instead of pulling out the deep fryer.

Double-Chocolate Christmas Praline-Fudge Cake

I am obsessed with cooking & baking. I am both proud and slightly embarrassed to say that I own around 200 cookbooks. The amazing thing is that I have only purchased maybe a total of 10. My friends and family know me too well. My mom bought me a Gooseberry Patch Christmas Cookbook last year; a cake in it caught my attention and I really wanted to make it. Brandon was deployed in Iraq at the time and I couldn't imagine making it just for myself! Well now that he is home, I FINALLY made it last weekend! And it was just as delicious as I imagined it would be (well worth the wait)!!!





I usually have a really difficult time with layered cakes so I am really proud of this cake! I've got a story about the last time I tried a multiple layer cake! My parent's had gotten me a cake pan to make a checkerboard cake; I made the cake, assembled the layers and went about my business. When I came back upstairs, a huge chunk from the top layer had fallen off! I "glued" it back on with some frosting and continued on my way only to come back and see that the chunk had fallen off again but it took with it part of the next layer. I tried "gluing" it again but came back a third time to find that even more had fallen off! It was hopeless, but HILARIOUS! I ended up dumping the entire cake into a regular 9x13 pan. It looked really sloppy but still tasted oh so delicious!
Here is the recipe to the cake in the picture above. If anyone makes this let me know what you think!

Double Chocolate Christmas Praline-Fudge Cake

1 cup butter or marg
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
Chocolate Ganache
Praline Frosting

Cook first 3 ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter melts and mixture is smooth; remove from heat. cool. Beat buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add butter mixture to buttermilk mixture, beating until blended. Combine sugar, flour and salt; gradually ad to buttermilk mixture, beating until blended. (batter will be thin). Coat 3 (8") round cake pans with non-stick vegetable spray; line with wax paper. Pour batter evenly into pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 22 to 24 minutes or until set. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool layers completely. Spread about 1/2 cup ganache between cake layers; spread remainder on sides of cake only (not top). Chill cake 1/2 hour. Pour frosting slowly over top of cake, spreading to edges, allowing some frosting to run over sides. Freeze, if desired; thaw at room tempurature 4-6 hours. Makes 10-12 servings


Chocolate Ganache

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup butter or marg, cut up into pieces

Microwave chocolate chips and cream in a glass bowl on medium power (50%) 2-3 minutes or until chips are melted. Whisk until smooth. Gradually add butter, whisking until smooth. Cool, whisking often, 15-20 minutes or until spreading consistency. Makes about 2 cups.


Praline Frosting

1/4 cup butter or marg
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring often; boil one minute. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add toasted pecans, stirring gently 2-5 minutes or until frosting begins to cool and thicken slightly. Pour immediately over cake. Makes about 1 3/4 cups.