Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins Filed under ( bread, Breakfast, fruit, muffins, oranges )

Call me crazy, but among all of the star dishes of thanksgiving, I honestly think my very favorite is homemade cranberry sauce. I'll never go back to the canned version again, there's no comparison! But I don't just love to eat homemade cranberry sauce, it's fun to make. My favorite part is listening to the POP POP POP of the cranberries, I'm not going to lie, it makes me giggle like a five year old. But then after it's been made, it chills into a thickened tart treat that goes well with just about every meat and side of the meal.

Unfortunately I'm one of the only ones in my family that feels that way, which consequently leaves me with about a gallon of the stuff left when the holiday is over (you'd think halving the recipe would have dawned on me by now, but it hasn't). So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I saw these beauties on Maria's blog at Two Peas and Their Pod. This is not the first time I've made something from her blog, and it certainly won't be the last. She consistently posts the most delicious dishes and gorgeous pictures.

These muffins were a real family pleaser, I've already made two batches and will most likely be going for a third! My first batch are what you see in the pictures. My second batch I got a bit lazy and just threw the cranberry sauce right in the batter. It turned the them a delightful shade of pink and infused cranberry flavor in the whole muffin. Both were just delicious. If you have extra cranberry sauce on your hands, I highly recommend these. Thanks Maria!


Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins
By Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup fresh cranberry orange sauce (about 2 tablespoons per muffin)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease well. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Rub in sugar and orange zest together. Whisk into dry ingredients.

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk canola oil, egg, milk, and vanilla together.

5. Incorporate the wet ingredients into flour mixture. Add slowly and gently stir together. The batter will be thick.

6. Place half the batter at the bottom of six muffin cups. Spoon about two tablespoons of fresh cranberry sauce on top of the muffin batter. Top muffins evenly with remaining muffin batter. Sprinkle each muffin generously with turbinado sugar.

7. Bake muffins for 15-17 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan and let cool on a cooling rack.

Makes 6 large muffins

Apple Dumplings Filed under ( dessert, fruit, puff pastry )

This is us about halfway into our large box of apples! I'd never had or tried apple dumplings before, so it was fun searching recipes to see all the different ways to try them. I chose this particular recipe because it called for puff pastry, which in my mind is the flakiest, most delicious pastry known to man. We loved these dumplings, they're easy to make, everyone gets their own and they're delicious. Serve these with a side of ice cream and drizzle with caramel!

Apple Dumplings
By Allrecipes

Ingredients

1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 cup white sugar
3/8 cup dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg 1 egg, beaten
4 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and halved
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Roll out each sheet of pastry to measure 12x12 inches. Cut into quarters, to make 8 - 6 inch squares.

3. In a small bowl, combine sugar, bread crumbs, cinnamon and nutmeg. Brush a pastry square with beaten egg. Place 1 tablespoon bread crumb mixture in center. Place one apple half, core side down, over bread crumbs. Top with another tablespoon of mixture. Pull up four corners of pastry and pinch sides together to seal seams completely. Repeat with remaining apples.

4. Brush each dumpling with beaten egg. Place in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking 25 minutes more, until lightly browned. Let cool completely at room temperature.

5. To make icing, combine confectioners' sugar and vanilla and enough milk to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cooled dumplings. Serve the same day.

I also have to apologize to Barbara at Barbara Bakes for taking so long to post this award. Isn't it pretty! If you haven't checked Barbara out, definitely do, I always look forward to seeing what she's up to in the kitchen!

Part of the award is talking about why you love food blogging. When I first started the food blog I really had no idea where it was going to go, or if I was really even going to do it for very long, but it's really turned into a wonderful hobby. It pushes me to cook things that I never normally would, and I feel like it has made me a better cook and baker in a lot of ways, although I still have a long way to go! But the best part is easily all the great people I've met and the other blogs I get to read. Honestly, with all your amazing food blogs out there, I don't need to buy cookbooks anymore! So I'm just going to hand out this award to all of you for all of your wonderful blogs. Thanks for all you do and keep cooking!

Dutch Apple Pie Filed under ( dessert, fruit, pie )

My husband and I make a good pair, but we're horrible for each other when it comes to refraining from treats and losing weight! I love my pizza, hamburgers, and greasy savory dishes, but HE loves his cake, brownies and cookies. So, if I'm not baking something in the kitchen, he is! So when my man decided he wanted an apple pie, by golly, he went in the kitchen and started making one. Don't get me wrong, I love that he knows his way around the kitchen, I just wish one of us was a bit more into salads!

This is just another recipe out of what seems like the hundreds we did with the box of apples we got at the orchard. That box of apples might not seem like a lot...but my gosh did it take forever to use them up! I liked this recipe because it's not your standard apple pie. I think what really got me was that the filling has sour cream in it, which makes it creamy and slightly tangy. My favorite part was the crumbly topping, it finishes off the pie really well. However, both my husband and I agree that a little bit of warm caramel on the top would make it even more perfect, next to a side of ice cream of course!

Dutch Apple Pie
By Taste of Home, Baking Book

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
1 egg beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
2 cups chopped peeled tart apples
1 unbaked pastry shell
STREUSEL TOPPING:
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Stir in the egg, vanilla and sour cream until smooth. Add apples; mix well. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325; bake for 30 minutes.

2. For topping, combine flour and sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over pie; bake 20 minutes longer or until filling is bubbly and topping is browned. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or chilled. Store in the refrigerator.

Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Filed under ( fruit, light recipes, main dishes, pork, quick and easy )

A few weeks ago a went to a Hawaiian themed girl's night that featured homemade coconut ice cream topped with broiled pineapple, oh it was good. But ever since that night, I have not been able to leave the grocery store without a fresh pineapple to enjoy all by ourselves. Fresh pineapple is such a treat, for some reason I feel like I'm being so indulgent when I get one, I just love that sweet sweet juicy fruit!

So I was really excited when I found this recipe because if pineapples pairs with anything well (besides coconut), it's pork! I love that sweet and salty combination, and this did not look like it would disappoint.

This was so juicy and delicious, and the pineapple topped it all off beautifully. The recipe came with the ingredients to make a ginger sauce. I didn't make it because I ran out of ingredients, but I will post it for you. Let me know if you try it.

Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple
From Great Food Fast

Ingredients

4 slices, 1/2 inch thick, fresh pineapple
3 tablespoons dark hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin trimmed
coarse salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat broiler. Place the pineapple slices on a foil-lined baking sheet

2. In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic, and mustard.

3. Place the pork in the broiler, about 4 inches from the heat; place the pineapple in the oven. Broil the pork until it registers 155F on an instant-read thermometer, 15-20 minutes. Remove from the broiler (let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing; the temp will rise to 160 as it sits). Turn the pineapple slices; cook until browned in spots, about 10 minutes more.

4. Halve the pineapple slices; arrange on a platter with the sliced pork. Drizzle the pork with the pan juices; season with salt and pepper. Serve with the quick ginger sauce.

Quick Ginger Sauce

2 TB dark hoisin sauce
2 TB pineapple juice
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
fresh ground pepper

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients.

Berries and Chocolate Filed under ( berries, chocolate, dessert, fruit, party food, quick and easy )

Growing up with my parents meant learning how to say thank you. You say thank you when someone passes you the broccoli at the table, you send a thank you card when given a gift, and when someone goes out of their way to really do something nice, you say thank you in style, like this platter of berries and chocolate.


My mom really wanted to say thank you to a local dental office after they went above and beyond to beautify her smile. We put our heads together and decided on a platter of fruit and chocolate. Costco had a gorgeous selection of Rainier cherries, strawberries and blackberries, so we went with those. We then set to work making Funfetti cakeballs, raspberry cheesecake bites, and Ghiradhelli brownie bites (from the boxed mix).

It turned out to be a really fun platter to deliver, and it was definitely a crowd pleaser. You could do something like this for a shower, a party, or a fun way to surprise a loved one. And of course, it's a wonderful way to say thank you!

Banana-Butterscotch Upside-Down Chocolate Cake Filed under ( bananas, cake, chocolate, dessert, fruit )

I recently bought this book, because if there's one thing I need, it's a cookbook dedicated to nothing but chocolate cakes, am I right?



I haven't made too many things out of it yet, mostly for the sake of my never-ending diet, but it did come in handy when I had a few bananas that were reaching the end of their lives. What is it about those last two or three bananas? We are never able to finish off that bunch. But when you get something like this as a result it's hard to complain too much. It was fun to make a cake so different like this, and my favorite part was the butterscotch sauce. The recipe is a bit extensive, but it's still a surprisingly easy cake to put together. Enjoy!

Banana-Butterscotch Upside-Down Chocolate Cake
By Chocolate Cakes

Ingredients

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup golden corn syrup (I just used light)
3 large ripe but firm bananas, cut into 1/2 inches

CAKE:
1 cup cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temp
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk


Directions

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 350. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan with side 2 inches high. Line with a piece of aluminum foil long enough to extend over opposite sides of the pan.

2. To make the butterscotch sauce: In a medium saucepan, cook the cream, butter, brown and granulated sugars, salt, and corn syrup over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter and sugars are melted. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring the sauce to a boil, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Pour the sauce into the prepared pa n, tilting the pan if necessary to spread it evenly. Arrange the banana slices in rows over the sauce, placing them close together. Set aside.

3. To make cake, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and granulated and brown sugars until smoothly blended, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each is blended smoothly into the batter and the batter looks creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it. Mix in the buttermilk to blend it into the batter. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter is smooth. Scrape the batter evenly over the bananas. Gently smooth the top.

4. Bake just until the top feels firm when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake, but not the bananas, comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack. Carefully remove and discard the foil. If any bananas stick to the foil, replace them on the cake. Cool the cake thoroughly on the wire rack for about 1 hour. Transfer the cake to a serving plate.

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose when trying new recipes. This chocolate peanut butter mousse cake was unfortunately a loss for me. The cake was too dry, the mousse was too sweet and the ganache was a bit bitter for my taste, such a bummer because it was SO MUCH WORK! Oh well, live and learn right! Here's hoping for a win on my next cake!

Pepper Jack, Chicken, and Peach Quesadillas Filed under ( cheese, chicken, fruit, light recipes, main dishes, Mexican food, quesadillas )

I think if I had to be any food, it would be a quesadilla. I mean, is it even possible not to like quesadillas? They are about the most friendly food in the world, they practically smile at you with that crispy rounded tortilla. Not to mention the fact that they are filled with whatever fabulous ingredient you want, bound together by gooey, melty, cheese. No utensils required, the quesadilla doesn't require any work on your part. You get to use your hands, and you don't even mind that your fingers are dripping with those wonderful juices and oils when your done.

Being a quesadilla also mean continuously donning a new outfit with different meats, cheeses and tortillas. Sometimes you go simple with a plain flour tortilla and cheddar cheese. And other times you get a little funky, like spicy pepper jack, juicy shredded chicken and sweet ripe peaches. Talk about dressing for a party! And don't be afraid to try this combo on for size. It might sound a little daring, but it comes together wonderfully, and the honey lime sauce on the top is the perfect accessory to bring the whole thing together. So if you're looking for an old favorite with a bit of a twist, head over here for the recipe. I hope you like it as much as I did!

Liege Waffles Filed under ( Breakfast, chocolate, dessert, fruit, ice cream )

Believe it or not, there is actually a waffle under that big mountain of goodness. Here is the story behind this waffle.

The other night my husband and I were watching the Travel Channel where they were featuring all of the most unusual fast food joints in the country. One of them was a "waffle cart" where genuine Belgium waffles were sold, some as breakfast waffles, and others as dessert waffles.

If I remember right (and feel free to correct me), the traditional Belgium waffles that we're used to is from Brussels and is light, fluffy and has the thin batter. That is the waffle that is usually served for breakfast. And then there is a waffle that we don't see quite as much, from Liege, in southern Belgium. The batter is much thicker, more like a sticky dough that has much more sugar. This waffle, while I'm sure would still be delicious covered in syrup (what isn't?), is much better as a dessert, covered in things like chocolate, ice cream and...stuff like that.

About two and a half minutes after watching this special, my husband had a printed recipe in his hand and a smile on his face. Needless to say, we enjoy the famous Liege waffles at home that night, and they are delicious! Much sweeter, denser and cake-like, they are the perfect pallet for any embellishments you want to add. This would be a lot of fun to entertain with, especially if your guests had a nice choice of toppings. Either way you should give it a try. It's a fun new way to use that waffle iron!

Liege Waffles
Source Unknown

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 cup pearl sugar (regular granulated is fine)
1 cup melted butter
3 eggs
1 (1/4 ounce) package yeast
1/3 cup lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar (add some vanilla sugar)
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Take the lukewarm water and mix in yeast, 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar and salt. Let the yeast develop for 15 minutes. In the meanwhile you can melt the butter, but be careful - do not burn it.

2. Now take a large bowl and put in the flour, make a hole in the middle, pour in the yeast that you made in step one. Also add eggs and melted butter and knead until you get nice and even dough. Then let it rest so the yeast does it's magic and the dough doubles.

3. Now take pearl sugar and gently mix it in.

4. Again, let it rest for 15 minutes, in the meanwhile you can turn on the waffle maker so its nice and hot.

5. All there is left is to pour the waffle dough into the waffle maker and bake for 3-5 minutes (it's going to be thick and sticky, so there's going to be less pouring and more scooping). Because we mixed in the sugar late in the process it will melt and caramelize and give that special Liege waffle taste. Just be careful when you take them out of the waffle maker, caramelized sugar can make them sticky.

Coming Back With Some Food Reviews Filed under ( Breakfast, fruit, main dishes, pasta, pizza, review )

Hi everyone! It's so good to be home, although jet lag is a beast! Who would have thought that three measly hours could cause so much damage. Hopefully we'll be back to a more normal schedule soon, but in the meantime, we're enjoying a little vacation after our vacation.


Over the last few months I've been able to sample a few more new products sent to me by Foodbuzz. These are way overdue, but hopefully still useful. The first one was Mushroom Ravioli from Buitoni. I didn't do a whole lot with this ravioli except drizzle a bit of olive oil and Pecorino Romano so that I could really focus on the pasta.

It. Was. So. Good.

My husband and I enjoyed this together, and there was absolutely no dialogue between us because we were too busy stuffing our faces. If you need a quick, inexpensive, and delicious dinner, I highly recommend this stuff. It looks like Buitoni has quite a few types and flavors of pasta that look just as delicious.



The second product I was able to sample were these Eggo Fruit Pizzas. I have to say, I loved the idea. A whole wheat waffle, topped with yogurt, granola and berries, a delicious combination. However, I wasn't crazy about the actual product. The waffle was a bit chewy, the yogurt flavorless, and the berries few and warped by the effects of the microwave. I would love to recreate it, but unfortunately, I don't see myself purchasing it again.

I hope you've all enjoyed your summers so far. I'm going to do my best to catch up with you all in the next few days, I'm excited to see what you've been up to! I've got a nice and healthy line up planned since I've got a few ~ahem~ vacation pounds to get rid of. Can't wait to see how it goes. Enjoy your week everyone, I'll be chatting with you soon!

Asian Shrimp, Mango and Avacado Slaw Filed under ( fruit, light recipes, main dishes, my life, salad, seafood, shrimp, veggies )

Hello my friends, I've missed you! The month went so fast, but what a great month. Lots of relaxing, boating, swimming, playing and EATING. Spending all that time with family was so nice and we had a great time, but it also feels good to be back in the comfort and quiet of home.


I have to post this salad because it's what my mom and I ate the most when we were together. Cathy, who's got a great blog at Wives with Knives posted this a few months ago. I immediately bought the ingredients, absolutely loved it, and promptly sent my mom the recipe. Since then I'm fairly confident that her and my dad have enjoyed it at least ten times. We have tried the creamy dressing as well as the vinaigrette, and honestly they are both delicious. The only change we made was adding a bit of red pepper to the slaw, and a scoop of peanut butter to the dressing. The slaw lends itself to a lot of variations, like Cathy says, but guaranteed delicious. Check out the recipe here, and thank you Cathy!




And now a few pics of one of our best boating days. We combined a day at the lake with a my mom's birthday and it was a fabulous day. My entire family was there and we had an absolute blast. I never laugh as hard as I do when I'm with these people.

I love this shot, my husband, who really hasn't done a whole lot of waterskiing, has absolutely no fear. The very first time he got up he was catching air. He did have his fair share of wipeouts though, as you see here.

Taking a tube ride with our son. He's braver then I am, I caught him laughing during some moments that had me white knuckled.

Hanging out on the Big Mable with two of my brothers. Seriously the funniest people I know.

My little girl taking a swim. Her favorite part of the day was just being able to jump off the boat into the water.

Me and my guy.

My daughter and her grandma, the birthday girl.

My son and his cousin. Two of the best friends and worst enemies at the same time, you know how it is at that age, haha!

How has your summer been so far? What are you doing to beat this heat?

Strawberry-Shortcake Cookies Filed under ( berries, biscuits, Cookies, dessert, fruit )

Of all the baked goods out there, I'm pretty sure that cookies have always been my favorite. They are so dense with rich concentrated flavor that I can never seem to get enough of. I love cookies of all kind, and I don't know if I will ever be able to proclaim any cookie as being my favorite cookie. However, if I HAD to choose a favorite, there is a very good chance that these cookies would come to mind very quickly. I found these on Elizabeth's blog at Elizabeth's Edible Experience. She is always impressing me with her delicious recipes, and takes fantastic pictures, go check her out!

Oh my goodness, how I loved these cookies. I don't think I'll be able to make them often because these are they type of cookies that you want to make a meal of. They are so flaky and light, with a sweet strawberry taste and and are so visually appealing. Elizabeth suggests that you make them the day that you plan to eat them because they are a bit mushy the next day. So instead of baking the whole batch, we baked half of it one day, and then the other half the next day, and the dough itself seems to hold up pretty well overnight. I LOVE these cookies!

Strawberry-Shortcake Cookies
Courtesy of Elizabeth's Edible Experience

Ingredients

12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough start to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.

2. Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment (definitely use the parchment paper or a silpat, otherwise they're going to stick like crazy), spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar,and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool.

Apricot-Glazed Grilled Chicken Filed under ( chicken, fruit, grill, light recipes, main dishes, quick and easy, sauces )

Another great thing about summer food is all the grilling you get to do! I love grilling for two reasons, it's a healthy and delicious way to eat your food, and it requires few ingredients for lots of deliciousness! I also love how every time I turn around, there are more and more fun ways to grill your food.

I wasn't quite sure about this recipe at first, mostly because of my grumbling husband who can't seem to grasp the magic behind combining fruit and meat. However, our whole family came out very pleasantly surprised by this recipe. The meat has more of a tang then a sweetness, and the flavor is so mouthwatering. This recipe calls for using bone in breasts, thighs, and legs, which I would really stick to. We used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and while it was still delicious, I don't think it was quite as juicy and flavorful as if we had followed directions! This recipe calls for mostly your common pantry items, so get busy and let me know how you like it!

Apricot-Glazed Grilled Chicken
Found in Cooking Light June 2009

Ingredients

3 tablespoons apricot preserves
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 bone-in chicken breasts halves, skinned
2 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
2 chicken drumsticks, skinned
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking Spray

Directions

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well.

2. Prepare grill for indirect grilling. If using a gas grill, heat one side to medium-high and leave one side with no heat. If using a charcoal grill, arrange hot coals on one side of charcoal grate, leaving the other side empty (this will probably be how we grill our chicken from now on, it keeps it from charring).

3. Let chicken stand at room temp for 30 minutes. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Place chicken, meaty sides down, on grill rack coated with cooking spray over direct heat; grill five minutes, or until browned.

4. Turn chicken over; baste with apricot mixture. Grill 5 minutes over direct heat or until browned. Turn chicken over, moving it over indirect heat; baste with apricot mixture. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Turn chicken over; baste with apricot mixture. Cook 20 minutes, or until done.

Serves 4: serving size one piece of chicken

Per Serving: 247cal, 10.7g fat, 26.5g prot, 10g carb, 0.1g fiber, 82mg chol, 1.2g iron, 370mg sod
Points per Serving: 6

Also, a thousand apologies to Rachel and Rachel vs. Kitchen and Julie at Sporadic Cook. These lovely ladies were nice enough to award me these awards a few weeks ago, and I have let way too much time go by before expressing my appreciation. This one is from Rachel...

And this one is from Julie...

Thank you so much ladies, and if you haven't visited Rachel and Julie yet, I can assure you that you are missing out on some good stuff! I am going to pass these out, but it's pretty late right now and my brain has pretty much shut down for now. So with that I bid you adieu and wish you a wonderful week!

GRILLING!!! Filed under ( Frank, fruit, grill, Healthy, Seafood, Vegetables )

Hope you all had a nice Wednesday. My Wednesday started out as it usually does- a mile and a half run and body pump! A busy work day was followed by taking my car into the shop and a few other errands. When I got back, Josh and I turned on our new Weber for the first time. Frank was super excited...he couldn't even stand still:

For dinner, we cooked up shrimp (marinated in olive oil, garlic, fresh lemon juice and shallots), artichokes tossed in a bit of olive oil and chili powder, my veggie mix (peppers, green beans, onion, white beans tossed in a little olive oil and chili powder), and pineapple:

Love our new baby!

Josh's dinner plate (including a grilled lemon):

And mine (I had another equal sized serving of cantaloupe after this):

FABULOUS dinner! And now we're off to take the Frankster for a walk :)

Do you guys have weekend plans already? I am going to a sort of exercise convention for the Les Mills programs. I am very excited :)

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake Filed under ( cake, cheese, dessert, fruit )

Great Scott, I have hit the coffee cake jackpot! Paula Deen has done it again with this cream cheese miracle. I'm not a huge fan of the canned biscuits, I'd definitely rather make them myself, but in this case, they work out perfectly. These biscuits are stuffed with cream cheese, soaked in butter, dredged in orange flavored sugar and pecans, baked, and then glazed. I'll give you guys a moment to compose yourself.


My favorite part was eating them warm and enjoying the melted cream cheese gushing from each little roll. I would consider these more of a monkey bread then a coffee cake, but that doesn't mean that I still wouldn't eat it for breakfast!

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake
By Paula Deen

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used almonds, they were great)
2 teaspoons orange zest
2-12 oz cans refrigerated biscuits
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 stick melted butter
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, nuts,, and zest; set aside. Separate the biscuits. Place about 3/4 teaspoon cream cheese in the center of each biscuit. Fold each biscuit in half over the cheese, pressing the edges to seal. Dip the biscuits in melted butter, then dredge in the granulated sugar mixture. Place the biscuits, curved side down, in a single layer in the hollows of a lightly greased 12-cup bundt pan, spacing them evenly (do not stack). Place any remaining biscuits around the tube, filling any gaps. Drizzle any remaining butter over the biscuits, and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Immediately invert the cake onto a serving platter. Combine the confectioners sugar and orange juice, stirring well; drizzle the glaze over a warm cake. Serve warm.

Cantaloupe, Proscuitto and Blue Cheese Salad and a Summer Break Filed under ( cheese, fruit, light recipes, meat, melon, salad )

I'm as giddy as a kid in a candy shop right now! By this afternoon I'll be greeted by two of my very favorite people in the world.

And it's so appropriate that we're sitting with food in this picture because one of things we love to do most, besides laugh, is EAT! We've already had several discussions on what we will be making and where we will be eating when they get here. My reason for sharing this is that I am going to be MIA, for a week, or month, or two. It's hard to say really, but I just really want to soak up all the time with my family while I have them with me.

But as a goodbye, I'd like to share my new favorite summer salad. When I came across this recipe in this month's edition of Cooking Light, I got scared, and then a little intrigued, and then really excited to make it. It's an interesting combination of foods, but all of their flavors come together so well, making this a very filling, yet very refreshing salad. Definitely give it a try, you can find the original recipe here.

A few changes I made, I couldn't find Cabrales cheese, so I just used a low-fat blue cheese, which was delicious. I also used red wine vinegar instead of sherry vinegar, but the second time, instead of making a vinaigrette, I just used my Newman's Own balsamic dressing, which was also very good. This is one that I can't wait to make for my mom and sister!

Enjoy your summer months! Soak up the sun, eat great food, and I'll be back soon to read all about it!

Fruit Dip Filed under ( appetizer, fruit, Strawberries )

Today was a day of high school volleyball tournaments. Jenna's JV team played in one tournament and Annie's Varsity team played in another. I always love to take food to these tournaments that the girl's enjoy. I took Monster Bars to Annie's tournament and this yummy fruit dip with a huge bowl of strawberries to Jenna's tournament. This fruit dip is sooooo easy but sooooo yummy!

Fruit Dip

1 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
1 small jar of marshmallow cream

Blend the two together and chill and serve with any fruit - we especially enjoy with strawberries.

*I doubled this for the volleyball tournament - 2 pkgs of cream cheese and 1 large jar of marshmallow cream.

*I have also added food coloring to this for a baby shower or any other special event!

Busy Weekend, Bad Blogger ;) Filed under ( fruit, product review, Vegetables )

Hi guys! Hope you had a nice weekend. Ours was great but very busy and filled with too much travel! I didn't do a very good job of taking pictures this weekend (sorry). Here is a quick/ general recap. Note: I am not in any way discussing all of my meals...just the ones I happened to take pictures of.



Friday:

After pump, I showered up and then we headed to the airport. I enjoyed a luna and Health magazine while we waited for our flight. I'm not a HUGE Luna fan, but this one was yummy! It actually tastes a lot like those reduced fat lemon girl scout cookies they had a few years back.



The wedding we were attending was at the Jersey shore. We flew into Philly and drove to the rehearsal. Here is a picture of Josh and I looking super tired at the rehearsal dinner:

Saturday:

The next morning, I woke up extra early. The bed at the hotel was pretty uncomfortable and the hotel was in a noisy local....so sleep wasn't really happening. I laced up my shoes and went for a 4.6 mile run. Afterwards, I enjoyed a lara and some WaWa coffee (I miss Wawa!!). I rarely eat bars at home, but they are PERFECT when you're traveling:

It was super rainy the majority of the weekend, but cleared up right after the wedding (great for the wedding pics!). Here is a cute picture of the couple right after the ceremony:

And a picture of me and Josh (Josh was in the wedding):

The reception was held at a country club and was absolutely beautiful! The veggie meal was HUGE and was the traditional pasta. I ate about 1/8 of this and Josh managed to eat almost the whole rest of the plate along with his crab cake dinner :

A few more random pics- Josh and his friend R:

Me and some of the girls. It was SO cold in the banquet hall, I wore Josh's jacket the majority of the night....it may have been a little large on me ;)

Overall, the night was a blast! After the reception, we hung out at the hotel bar for a while. I'm not a drinker, so I stuck to water, but it was a blast :). After lots more travel, we arrived home around 5 pm tonight. I threw some clothes in the wash and headed to the food store. Since then, I have been non stop! I did lots of laundry, gave Frank a bath, helped Josh cut his hair, and made din din. Josh got whole wheat tortellini with turkey sauce:

I was pasta-ed out and made myself a giant salad with a bowl of cantaloupe and some nut butter (how I missed you cantaloupe!!):

Josh and I are about to watch Entourage and then pass out! I am hoping I get to work from home tomorrow (fingers crossed) because my tummy is sort of up in arms :(.

What are you looking forward to this week? My birthday is Wednesday...so I'm looking forward to that! I will be 27 (when did that happen????).