Baby Shower Edition Part II…The Food

What makes a great baby shower? I dare say the food! I planned the shower as a “morning” shower and so went with brunch like finger foods. It was delish! The menu was as follows:

Mini cinnamon rolls

Broccoli Ham Crustless Quiche

Mini Muffins (assorted)

Fruit Platter

Pinky Punch

Water

I didn’t get as many pictures as I would have liked, but you get the idea! For added touches to the water, I made my own labels. The labels were printed on a thick scrapbook paper that I found at Michael’s and they said “G is for Girl.” The punch recipe was a light and refreshing drink.

Pinky Punch

• 64 ounces of Apple juice
• 64 ounces Cranberry juice
• 1 liter of Gingerale
• ice

The main dishes were breakfast food and as always the Cinnamon Rolls were a hit! They never disappoint! Go HERE to make them, too!

And lastly, the recipe for the Crustless Quiche. It is made in a 9×13 pan, but I was trying to keep with the theme of “finger foods”, so I cut the quiche into mini size portion using a biscuit cutter. It turned out cute and it was easy to serve. The biscuit cutter is from a set of 5 that my mom gave me as a gift from Sur la Table. They are now a must have in my kitchen! I use them all the time! Go HERE to check them out!

Broccoli Ham Crustless Quiche

• 12 eggs
• 1 pint cottage cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 5 Tablespoons flour
• 8-12 ounce ham steak, cubed
• 3 cup broccoli floweretees, blanched
• 2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 cup onion
• 3 cups grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl beat together eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream and flour. In a medium saucepan saute mushrooms and onion until cooked. (about 5 minutes) Grease a 9×13 baking dish. (I used spray vegetable oil) Put the cubed ham steak in an even layer on the bottom of the dish. Then layer mushroom/onions and broccoli. Then sprinkle the cheese over the veggies. Pour egg mixture over the top and bake for 45 minutes. (insert toothpick in the middle to make sure the eggs are cooked all the way through. Voila!

So with the assorted muffins I ended up cheating a bit. I asked a friend to bring them from a store! I was running out of time and knew I wouldn’t have time to make them! But I promise to post an amazing lemon muffin recipe soon! Yum!

Baby Shower Edition Part I…The Decor

It was my honor to throw a baby shower for a friend this weekend. She is having a baby girl! Ah, my favorite! I love my baby boy, but there is something about a baby girl that makes my heart smile! All that pink and all those ladybugs, flowers, butterflies, and glitter! Yes! I wanted to keep it simple, yet girly. I had so much fun scanning Pinterest and planning for this party, that I wanted to share it with you!

Started by making these adorable pom poms…

I am seeing these pom poms all over the place and love them! Thank you Martha Steward for your easy tutorial! Go HERE if you want to make some, too! I hung 6 of them from our ceiling, and they added such flare and happy girl vibes, that I was sad to take them down.

For the table decor, I chose to use simple pink and white gerbera flowers dispursed thoroughout the house in decorated mason jars. So easy! I bought the large mason jars at my grocery store and wrapped a piece of burlap around them (hot glued the ends together). Then I tied a satin ribbon around the burlap.

So, I wanted to do something different for the outside of the house. Ya know, people usually just get a bunch of pink balloons and tie them up out front? I am fine with balloons, but wanted to try something different. Wow, check these out!!

They are ballon flowers! Go HERE if you want to make them, too! Found these babies on Pinterest. Cheap, easy and dang cute! It was really windy the day of the shower (of course!) and so it was hard to capture a good picture. I put one flower balloon on my front door and 2 out front on either side of the garage. It was a cute way to let people know where the party was!!

Kitchen Upheaval

You may have noticed that it’s been a while since I, Shannon, have done a post.  And here’s the reason why…

I am in the process of gutting and rebuilding my kitchen.  This picture was taken part way through day 1 of what will be a 6 week process!

I am so excited to be at the end of it though!  Say good bye to those nasty tile counter tops with grout that was entirely to difficult to keep clean.  All the bleach and scrubbing in the world couldn’t do it.  Hurray for the granite that will soon grace the counter tops!

Day 2 looked a little something like this.  There is something about knowing that EVERYTHING in my kitchen will be new.  For those of you who live close to me, you know exactly what I mean.  For those of you who don’t, let me explain…

I live in a cute little neighborhood in Northern California, just outside of San Francisco.  This neighborhood is considered by realtors, and all who live here to be highly desirable and sought after for any number of reasons (schools, proximity to the city, safety, great dining, great extra curricular activities, family oriented… I could go on and on but you get the idea).  So, yes it’s a great neighborhood, but it was built in the late 60′s early 70′s… over 40 years ago.  And let’s face it, the 70′s aren’t know for the architectural beauty it produced and this neighborhood is a testament to that.  The houses are “cookie cutter”, in a bad way.  But we all love the neighborhood, so we remodel, we fix up, we do without that fancy 3,000 square foot brand new house, and we are ok with that, because we do love it here!  Now, that you understand that, you understand my great delight in having something “new”!  Cabinets that soft close instead of pulling completely out and dumping your silverware all over the floor… YES!  New glimmering hardwood flooring that isn’t buckling and warping at every joint… YES!  A sparkling stainless steel deep bowl sink that doesn’t require daily scrubbing with comet to keep clean… YES!  Recessed lighting and pendants over the island instead of flourescent box in a dropped ceiling… YES!  Stainless steel appliances… YES!  Gas cooktop… YES!!!!

Can you tell I’m excited??  Only 4 more weeks to go!

In the meantime, I’ll try to put a post up every now and again.  Keep in mind I am working with a toaster oven, a microwave and an electric skillet.  Handy little tools when you have no kitchen, but hardly enough to keep up with a food blog.  But if I stumble upon something great, I will post!

Luckily I have some great friends who will be bringing me meals and will be featured guest bloggers!!!  Last night Michele brought her signature dish, Chicken Enchiladas, and they were, as always, delicious!  I even have some left over for my lunch today!

Thanks for sticking with me through the process, I will keep you updated, and I promise there will be great things to come when my new kitchen is up and running!!!!

Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes

What’s for dinner? Does everyone else get that question about 20 times a day? I remember saying it when I was a kid. We knew that our moms had every meal for the next two weeks planned out, right? Just like we do! Ok, I wish I had every meal for the next two weeks planned, but that is just in my fantasy land. BUT, I do have a great recipe to dress up that chicken you have defrosting in the fridge right now. Simple, tasty and you’ll probably have leftovers!

Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes

• 8-10 small red potatoes
• 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to season)
• 1 (32 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 large onions, peeled, halved and sliced
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Cut potatoes into wedges or chunks. In a large baking dish (9×13), toss potatoes with 3 Tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup tomatoes and pepper. Roast potatoes at 450 degrees until tender. (about 25 minutes, stirring twice to make sure tomatoes do not burn)

About 5 to 10 minutes before potatoes are cooked, melt 1 Tablespoon of butter and 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Brown the chicken breasts over medium high heat and remove to platter. Set aside. (chicken does not need to be cooked through as it will be going in the oven to bake)

In the same skillet, brown onion over medium heat. Add the onions and chicken to the potato mixture. Then sprinkle remaining salt to season chicken. Top chicken breasts with remaining can of tomatoes, 2 Tablespoons of butter and rosemary.

Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with italian parsley.

Chocolate Velvet Cupcakes

Here is another secret Shannon recipe! The first time I had these cupcakes Shannon made them for my son’s birthday. Amazing! This is the last chocolate cupcake recipe you will ever need. They are moist and full of flavor! I made these for a little get together last night and decided I was going to stray from the chocolate frosting that these little gems are usually topped with. I also made them mini, because wouldn’t it be honest to say that to eat a whole cupcake is a big commitment? Basically, it’s a large piece of a cake. That’s a lot of calories! And I don’t know about you, but sometimes that first bite makes you look like a stinkin’ pig. You have to get the frosting and the cake together in that bite and sometimes it takes a big old, wide open mouth bite! It’s not very attractive, to say the least. With the mini’s you can take a bite or two and still look dainty and sweet. And you know for a surety you will finish it! The pictures are of my mini’s from the party and the 2 different kinds of frostings I made. So, consider yourself lucky. I will give you all 3 frosting recipes!! (My favorite still happens to be the chocolate frosting, but sometimes we have to be able to think outside the box, right?) So the top picture is a simple vanilla buttercream frosting and the second picture is a peanut butter frosting. Yum!!

Chocolate Velvet Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (16 ounce) package light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt semi-sweet chips in a microwave safe bowl at high for 30 seconds intervals until melted. (about 1 1/2 minutes total time) Make sure to stir after every 30 second interval. Set aside.

Beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed in a mixer, beating about 5 minutes or until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition. Add the melted chocolate, beating until just blended.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture alternately with cour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Beat on low speed until just blended after each addition. Gradually add 1 cup of hot water in a slow, steady stream, beating at low speed just until blended. Add vanilla.

Place 36 cupcake liners in muffin tins, spoon batter evenly into cups, filling them 2/3 full. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (If you are making mini cupcakes, this recipe will yield about 95 mini cupcakes. Bake for 8-10 minutes) Remove cupcakes from tins and cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

• 2 sticks butter (room temp)
• 8 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat the butter for 4 minutes in a mixer. (set your timer!! 4 minutes happens to be a long time) Add 4 cups of powdered sugar, vanilla and 1/4 cup of the milk. Beat until all sugar is incorporated and smooth. (I will beat my frosting at medium high for a few minutes) Then add the sugar one cup at a time, using milk to thin, until the desired consistency is reached.

Classic Chocolate Frosting

• 1 stick butter
• 2 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk

Melt in a small saucepan the butter and chocolate. Pour melted mixture in mixer and add 3 cups of the powdered sugar and half of the milk. Beat until all sugar is incorporated. Then add sugar and milk until frosting is desired consistency.

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 5 Tablespoons butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Beat the peanut butter and butter together until creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cream and whip at medium high until combined. (I like my frosting light and fluffy, so I tend to mix my frostings A LOT!!)

Homemade Luna Bars

For anyone who knows me, Emily, I like to run. I am not fast or competitive or amazing at it, I just like it. And everytime before I go running I undoubtedly eat a Luna Bar. It is the perfect pre-run/pre-exercise snack. Have you had one? They are super fab and designed just for women. There is not a lot of sugar in them and lots of protein. I haven’t decided if I like the Chocolate Dipped Coconut or White Chocolate Peppermint Bark the best. Since I love the Luna Bars so much I decided to try my hand at making them! This is the Chocolate Dipped Coconut version. And also for anyone who knows me, I am not a health nut. I may be the opposite, in fact. BUT, specifically for this recipe and to keep up with the good nutrition of  the Luna Bar, I used organic or high protein products. I think I just may like the homemade Chocolate Dipped Coconut bars better homemade. Try them, then go exercise off those Double Peanut Butter Blossoms you just made!!

Homemade Luna Bars

• 3 3/4 cups Rice Crispies cereal (I used a brown rice store brand)
• 2 Tablespoon almond butter
• 5 Tablespoons sweetened coconut flakes
• 4 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 4 Tablespoon agave nectar (found in the same place as sugars and artificial sweeteners)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (12 ounce) bag of semisweet chocolate chips

Put Rice Crispies in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, mix your almond butter, vanilla extract, coconut, coconut oil, agave nectar, and salt. Melt in the microwave (30-60 seconds) or on the stove. Pour the mixture over the cereal and and stir. Make sure to coat all the crispies and smash them with the back of your spoon or fork. Add more crispies if the mixture seems too liquidy and more liquid (coconut oil or almond butter) if it’s not sticking together.Line a square or rectangle pan (I used a 9×9 pan) with wax paper and spread the mixture evenly. Place a sheet of wax paper on top of the mixture and use the bottom of a glass to press the mixture down as firmly as you can. Stick it in the freezer. While your pan is in the freezer, melt your chocolate. I put the chips in a microwaveable bowl and melt on 30 second intervals, stirring after each time. After 30 minutes, bring the bars out of the freezer and coat the top with the melted chocolate. Stick the bars back in the freezer for another 30 minutes. Remove the bars from the pan and slice into about 12 rectangles. Wrap each individual bar in aluminum foil. Keep frozen until your are ready to use!

Linking up at : Lady Behind the Curtain

Cheesy Skillet Corn

I often find myself in the same old dinner dilemna. We have a meat, a veggie, maybe a bread, maybe a starch, maybe a fruit. So the dilemna becomes coming up with something different, unexpected and delicious. This is one of those side dishes that can help cure the same old dinner blues. It is a yummy cheesy corn that all family members will love. And it is a keeper, folks! Feel free to play with it. ( I added some Tapatio hot sauce tonight, yum!)

Cheesy Skillet Corn

Topping:

4  Tablespoons butter
2/3 cup crushed Ritz Crackers

Cheesy Sauce:

2  Tablespoon butter
2  Tablespoon flour
1 3/4 cup half and half
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper, to taste (I personally like about 1 teaspoon of salt, but I am a salt lover!)

Corn:
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2  (11 ounce) cans corn with red and green bell peppers, drained
1  (11 ounce) can white shoepeg corn, drained
2 green onions, thinly sliced

For the crumb topping, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter to melt, then add the crushed crackers. Cook and stir about 3 minutes, or until light brown. Remove crumbs to a plate to cool.

In the same skillet, prepare the cheese sauce. Turn the heat down to low, then melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the half and half. Turn heat back up to medium and whisk fairly constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly hot. Add shredded cheese, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted throughout.

Add all the corn to the cheese sauce, stirring to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring a few times, to warm thoroughly. Stir half of the crumb topping into the cheesy corn and then transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle the remaining half of the crumb topping on top of the corn, followed by the sliced scallions.

Yields 8 servings

German Pancakes

 

We’re Back!!! Shannon and I have had a nice holiday break and spent some time with family and friends. But we are ready to start sharing some of our tried and true, family favorite recipes again! We hope that 2012 finds each of you well and happy and wish the best for a healthy and prosperous new year. We are still in the middle of trying to get our cookbook out! It is taking way longer than we anticipated to find the right publisher, but we hope to make some serious headway this year! So I am starting with a family favorite around our household. A simple, but delicious German Pancake. While it is definitely a breakfast dish, there is no harm in admitting that I have served this for dinner before. Who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner every once in a while? The coolest thing about the German Pancake is the shape it takes on while in the oven. It puffs, it grows, it appears to be trying to escape your pan. If you have little ones (like I do), they will probably want to sit by the oven and watch this transformation take place!

German Pancakes

• 1 stick of butter
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup flour

While oven is being preheated to 425 degrees, put the stick of butter in a 9×13 baking dish and put in the oven. While butter is melting, blend together in a medium mixing bowl: milk, eggs and salt. Use an electric mixer or blender. Gradually add flour. When batter is smooth with no lumps, pour over the melted butter in the 9×13 pan. (make sure to keep an eye on that butter and not burn it!) Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cut into serving sizes and top with syrup, powdered sugar, or jam!

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