Bird's Nest Take Two

A few years ago, I made these tasty Bird's Nests for Easter.  This year I was a bit of a procrastinator and didn't go grocery shopping to get all the necessities for Easter dinner.  Including the chinese egg noodles that are needed for those nexts.  So instead, I scrambled and altered the recipe a bit by using Cocoa Krispies (6 cups).  I must say, I actually PREFER them this way!

 

I hope you had a great Easter, we certainly did!  

 



Taste Test

We joined the other millions of people taking the Lays taste test last night.  I've heard of these flavors, they are hard to miss when 1/2 of the social media world is talking about them, but I hadn't really paid that close of attention.  While I was in Walgreens yesterday, they were next to the checkout, so I thought we'd give them a shot and see what we thought of them. 

 

Side note: The Sriracha flavor was submitted from an ISU student (my alma mater) and from what I understand, whichever flavor wins, the person that submitted it gets one million dollars!  I think I could've came up with some interesting flavors for that prize... maybe Buffalo Chicken with Ranch, Fried Pickles, Fried Green Beans with Wasabi, or Bruschetta... YUM! 

 

And the taste test begins....

And the winner is..... *DRUMROLL*

Chicken and Waffles! 

 

 

Of all three of the flavors, I really thought Chicken and Waffles would be the worst.  I was surprised that it really wasn't all that bad.  I think my favorite would've been the Cheesy Garlic Bread, but I'd really like to see some of my flavors on the store shelf!

Grilled Stuffed Peppers

I haven't made stuffed peppers in a while and I had some in the fridge that needed to be used.  Instead of going the traditional route, I thought I'd try them out on the grill.  BEST. IDEA. EVER.  Well maybe not ever, but best idea involving a green pepper in a long time, these were so good!

 

 

 

What You'll Need:

• 4 Large Green Peppers, cut in half and seeded
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 jar of diced tomatoes
• 1 boil-in-a-bag rice
• Italian Seasoning
• Mozzeralla Cheese

What You Do:

 

Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, tomatoes and a couple of dashes of italian seasoning.  Remove from heat. 

 

Cook rice according the package directions.

 

While the rice are is cooking, prepare the green peppers.  I wanted the peppers to be nice and charred on both the top and bottom so I took a short cut and roasted the tops right over the open flame on the stove top.  You can put them on the grill as well.

 

When the rice is done, add to the beef mixture.   Use a spoon to scoop into the green peppers.

 

Top each pepper with a slice of mozzeralla cheese.

 

Grill peppers over medium heat until the peppers have nice grill marks and the cheese is all gooey and melted. 

 

I served with a slice of garlic bread, a side salad would be nice as well.     

Pizza Stuffed Zucchini

Anyone else have zucchini overload in their garden?  We certainly do.  My favorite way to prepare it is with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and just toss on the grill for a few minutes.  But there are only so many times a girl can eat grilled zucchini.  So along came this creation.  I must admit, we were pretty pleased with it.

What You'll Need:

• 1 1/4 cups marinara sauce
• 1 large or 4 medium zucchini 
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 small onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 diced green pepper
•  1/2 cup diced mushroom
• 1 lb Hot Italian Sausage
• Mini Pepperoni
• Shredded mozzarella
• Grated Parmesan cheese

What You Do:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and using a spoon, scoop out the center flesh.

Place 1/4 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 12" baking dish, and place zucchini halves cut side up.

Brown sausage over medium heat.  The last few minutes of browning add the onion, garlic, pepper and mushroom. Continue cooking until veggies are soft.

Using a spoon, fill each hollowed zucchini with sausage mixture. Top with a couple of tablespoons of sauce.

Add shredded mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Finish off by adding pepperoni. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through.  You want the zucchini to be cooked, but still crunchy.   

Cucumber Boats

This summer has been hot. Not normal summer hot, like 50 Shades of Hell hot. When it's this unbearable, I like to have food that is refreshing and cool. That's where these cucumber boats come in.

There's nothing really special about these, you could just slice up a cucumber and throw some cottage cheese on top, but the boats look more appetizing and you MUST add basil and cilantro to the cottage cheese. 

What You Need:

• 1 cucumber, peeled, halved and seeds scooped out
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 2 tablespoons basil, chopped
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• Salt and Pepper - to taste

What You Do:

1. Peel a cucumber - I don't mind the skin, so I just peel off the parts that aren't good.  Slice it in half and using a spoon scoop out all the seeds.  Sprinkle a little salt on the cucumber.

2. Mix together the cottage cheese, basil, salt and cilantro and fill the hollowed out area.

3. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper.

4. Chow down.

Pomegranate-Cranberry Popsicles

It's been so hot and humid around here, I've been in the popsicle frame of mind!  I tried all sorts of different combinations, but my favorite so far is this one:

Pomegranate-Cranberry Yogurt Pops!

What You'll Need:

• 1 cup Honey-Vanilla Greek-style yogurt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup cranberry juice

What You Do:
1. Mix together the yogurt and milk until it's thin enough to be poured.

2. Mix together the juices.

3. Alternately pour an inch of yogurt into the popsicle molds, then an inch of juice, and repeat until the molds are filled. Use a knife to gently swirl the liquids together.

4. Freeze overnight, until the popsicles are solid.

5. Run the molds under warm water and gently wiggle the sticks to free the popsicles from the molds.

Portobello Mushroom Fries

Monkey isn't a very picky eater overall.  But there are a few things that she's turned her nose up too... mushrooms being one of them.  I have found though, if you just call something 'french fries', then she'll dive right in.  She ate these portobello mushroom fries like they were french fries from McDonald's! 

What You Need:

• 2 Portobello Mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon creole/bayou seasoning
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper

What You Do:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

Mix bread crumbs, seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper in a flat bowl or pie plate.

In another bowl beat eggs.

Dip the slices in eggs and then transfer to bread crumbs, coating both slides thoroughly.

Place on baking sheet in single layer and bake 15 minutes.

Serve with marinara or ranch dressing. 

Jalepeno Popper Grilled Cheese

Since my photo challenge today was a bit of a bust, I thought I'd share a recipe for National Grilled Cheese Day. 

What's that you say?  You didn't know such a holiday existed?  Oh the shame!  You must celebrate.  And with this sandwich.  It's heaven.  It's like biting into a jalapeno popper, only better. 

What You Need:

• 2 jalapeno peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
• 2 slices bread (I used french loaf)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded

What You Do:

Saute the peppers in butter for a few minutes on each side, just enough to soften up a bit.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. 

Butter the outside of each slice of bread and spread the cream cheese on the inside of one piece.  Add to skillet butter side down.  Top with jalapeno and jack and cheddar cheese.  Finish with other slice of bread. 

Grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Buffalo Chicken in the Crock

What You'll Need:

• 4-5 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Package Dry Ranch Mix
• 3/4 - 1 Jar Buffalo Wing Sauce

What You Do:

Put all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours. 

I served this as an open-faced sandwich, topped with whatever fixings you like... tomato, lettuce, pickles, red onions... I went with just cheese for mine.  After a few bites, I decided that it needed something more, so I added pickles.  It added that extra crunch I was looking for.

The second time around, I thought it might be interesting to mix it up and serve on top of a baked potato.  I actually think I liked it better this way! 

Personal Accountability, Anyone?

Well it happened again.  I went to the local watering hole last night for a "few" adult beverages.  Next thing I know, my alarm clock is screeching at me and I'm fighting off a blazing headache and upset stomach.  Oh, why does this happen!?  The bartender is supposed to be my friend, he isn't supposed to get me so drunk that I wake up with a hangover. 

Wait, I shouldn't blame the bartender you say?  You're right.  You are absolutely right.  It's not the bartender's fault that I'm fighting a case of the brown bottle flu.  Let's lay the blame at the feet of the person responsible.... the manufacturer of Captain Morgan!  How dare they make and endorse a product that is known to cause people to get drunk and consequently have hangovers!?  And while we are at it, let's add Dr. Pepper to the list of people at fault.  If Captain Morgan and Dr. Pepper didn't taste so darned good together, I would never have drank so much. 

You don't agree with this logic?  Maybe I should have a little personal accountability and be responsible for my OWN actions?  Huh, what a novel idea.

But if that's the case then we can't blame Paula Deen for people that have type 2 Diabetes, now can we?   

Is Paula responsible for her own case of diabetes?  Absolutely.   And guess what, she's taken full responsibility for that.  She fully admits that she hasn't taken care of her body the way that she should.  In the manner of what she consumes and her lack of physical activity.  But is she forcing her sugar and butter-laden dishes down anyone's throats?  I don't think so. 

I'm a firm believer in "everything in moderation".  If you enjoy the kind of food Paula features on her shows, by all means, make some!  But don't think that you can have it for three meals a day and not have any repercussions.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with whipping up a batch of her bacon cheeseburger meatloaf or deep fried cheesecake on occasion.  Just remember that calories in have to equal your calories out.    

I really think Andy Vance said it best, "Quit blaming the food, and start looking at the bigger lifestyle picture."  

Roasted Green Beans

I have really become quite the fan of roasted vegetables this past year, I'm not sure why I didn't do more of this before.  I love the crispness and the enhanced flavor that olive oil gives them.  Add a little cheese?  Yes please!  

What You'll Need:

• Fresh Green Beans, trimmed
• Olive oil
• Dash of salt and pepper to taste
• Shredded Parmesan

What You Do:

Preheat to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up.

Scatter green beans out on the baking sheet and drizzle a small amoutn of oil over them. Season with salt and pepper and toss to evenly coat
 

Bake 15, remove from the oven and sprinkle with parmesan.

Cookie Dough Brownies

I made these sweet little morsels on New Year's Eve.  JC had to work the weekend so we decided to just stay home and take it easy, our niece Peanut spent the night with us.  It may not have been the best idea to serve these sugar-laden goodies to two little girls... sugar high much?

I found this recipe courtesy of Pinterest.  Made it pretty true to the original recipe, but as anyone knows me, I'll be making some changes to it the next time. 

What You'll Need:

BROWNIE:

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

COOKIE DOUGH (EGG FREE!):

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

What You Do:

Prepare the brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray. In a medium glass bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave in short bursts of 30 seconds; stir after each burst and remove from microwave when melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in melted chocolate. Blend in flour and mix just until combined (don’t over-mix). Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes. Watch closely and remove from oven when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Prepare the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix in milk and vanilla. Mix in flour just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is firm and serve.

These are so sweet, I can only eat about a 1/2 a bar, but they are definately good, and the kids LOVED them!

Reindeer Donuts

I don't remember where I came across this fun idea, but I knew that we would be doing it for a treat to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve.  Monkey had a lot of fun making them and can't wait to see if Santa gobbles them up!

What You Need:

• Chocolate Covered Mini Donuts
• Pretzel M&M's 
• Round Pearl Sprinkles
• Mini Pretzel Twists

What You Do: 

Press a red M&M into the hole of the donut.  Some holes weren't quite big enough, so I used a little dab of red icing for those to make the M&M stay in place.

Press two sprinkles into the donut for the eyes.

Break a mini pretzel in half and insert them into the top of the donut for antlers.

And that's it... easy enough a two-year old can do it!

Pecan Pie Cheesecake

Of all the pies featured during the holiday season, pecan pie is the last one I would choose off the dessert table.  Cheesecake, though?  Well, it would be the first.  So why not improve on the dreaded pecan pie by combining it with the cheesecake?  And the pecan pie cheesecake was born!

What You'll Need:

• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 pie crust, unbaked
• 1 cup pecan halves

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon maple flavoring

What You Do:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place pie crust in greased pie pan.

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla, and beat until mixture is light and fluffy.  Spread over unbaked pie crust.

Arrange pecan halves on top of the cream cheese mixture.

In mixing bowl combine the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Carefully pour over the pecans.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.

Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Vampire Cookies

Monkey and I got into the Halloween spirit over the weekend by making these cookies.  Not only were they scary, but they tasted good too!

What You'll Need:

• Chocolate Chip Cookies (you can use your favorite recipe or buy the refrigerated pre-made kind)
• Red Frosting
• Miniature Marshmallows
• Slivered almonds

What You Do:

Prepare cookies as directed.  Let cool completely.

Cut each cookie in half.

Frost bottoms of all cookies.  Place 6 marshmallow "teeth" around the outside of 1/2 of the cookies.  I found it useful to place an extra marshmallow behind the "teeth" to add support. 

Top with remaining halves.

Insert two almond slivers in between teeth for fangs.  If they don't stick, dip tips into frosting.

Here is Monkey demonstrating how easy it is!

Apple Pie

With the weather around here this week, I'd say fall has officially reared it's head.  My favorite things about fall?  Let's see... cooler temps, bonfires, the changing colors of leaves, and apple pie.  And when I say apple pie, I don't mean the kind you bake, I'm taking about the kind you boil and drink!

This is an adult beverage that is awesome served warm or chilled.  Give it a try!

What You'll Need:

• 2 gallons of Apple Cider
• 1 gallon of Apple Juice
• 6 cups of sugar
• 8 cinnamon sticks
• 2 Liters vodka

What You Do:

Pour all ingredients (except the vodka) into a large pot.  Bring to a boil.

Shut off and let it cool down to room temp.

Once it's cool, add the vodka.

Ration to container and chill.

Enjoy with friends or hoard it all for yourself.

Chicago Moms Taking a Field Trip

Today is the day that ten Chicago-area moms who have questions about food, farmers and farming are going on their first farm tour. These ten “Field Moms”, as they’ve been named by the Illinois Farm Families will get the chance to see firsthand how their food is grown and raised, as they meet Illinois farmers and tour their farms.

As a farm girl myself, I think this effort to give suburban moms a glimpse into the farm life and how their food gets to their table is great. There are far too many people that have no idea where their food comes from, or what goes into getting it on the shelves of the supermarket.

Like one of the Field Moms, Julie Barreda, says, “Just like money doesn’t come out of an ATM, food doesn’t just arrive at your table each day. There’s much more real story behind it – that’s what I want my family to know and appreciate. As city people, we often forget that Illinois is an agricultural state, and a lot happens outside of the city. The Field Mom program can really help bridge the gap between farmers and consumers.”

After the Field Moms return to the city, they will share their experiences through blogs, videos, and photos. I’m definitely going to be following up on what they think about their day on the farm. I encourage you to do so as well.  Who knows, maybe we'll all learn a little something!

A Little Rant

I’m going to apologize right up front for what I’m about to do. It’s called a rant, and I know some people don’t like that sort of thing. So I’m sorry, in advance.

On the other hand, if you don’t like it, then stop reading. Apology retracted.

If you haven’t heard, today is National Eat Dinner with Your Family Day. While it sounds like a nice cozy day, something about it just rubs me the wrong way.

It’s not that I disagree with the concept itself, statistics have shown that the more often you eat dinner as a family, the less likely your kids are to smoke, drink or use drugs. However, it makes me sad. And to be honest, a little bit angry.

When I was growing up, we didn’t need a special day on the calendar to sit down and eat supper (yes, I know it’s Eat “Dinner” with Your Family Day, but we’ve always referred to the noon meal as dinner and the evening meal as supper. I think that’s a country thing, but it could just be that my family is odd.) It was something we did every day (excluding planting and harvest season when it was likely we’d be in the fields late), because we were a family and that’s what a family does.

Even now I sit down and eat with my husband and our daughter almost every night. There are definitely days when it doesn’t happen, but it’s not the norm. What makes me so sad/angry is that a day needs to be devoted to this. We as a nation shouldn’t NEED this reminder to spend quality time with our kids. Every time I see the commercial about this day and the 'helpful' reminder to eat with my family, it makes my blood boil.

Tell me, am I completely off-base here? Does it annoy anyone else, or am I the only one?

Zucchini Rice Bake

I've been experimenting with zucchini dishes as of late.  Our zucchini plant that produced about 5 zucchinis earlier in the year, up and died on us.  But it made a miraculous recovery and is producing again!  So now I'm making zucchini bread and trying out all sorts of new things as well.  Here is one of the new concoctions. 

What You Need:

• 1 lb hamburger
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 bag of quick cooking rice
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 banana pepper, chopped (Any kind of pepper is fine, this is the only thing I had in the garden that day)
• 1 can Italian diced tomatoes
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste

What You Do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

Prepare rice according to package directions.

Brown beef.

Chop vegetables.

Combine beef, rice and vegetables in baking dish.  Pour tomoates in and give it a stir.  Season with salt and pepper.

Top with mozzeralla cheese adn bake for 30 minutes.

Homemade Granola

We love granola.  Unfortunately granola cereal isn't cheap.  So I decided I was going to make my own.  It turned out great and was a lot cheaper than buying boxes of it from the store! 

What You Need:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts and almonds)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup water

What You Do:
Preheat oven to 300º.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the oil, honey, and water. Toss the mixture until the ingredients are well combined, then spread it evenly on a cookie sheet.

Bake the granola for 40 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes to keep the mixture from sticking.

After it is cooled, you can stir in dried cranberries.  I would have done this except for the fact that Monkey loves cranberries and has eaten every last one in the house.

Eat as a cereal, sprinkle over yogurt, or throw in a ziploc bag and munch on as a snack.  Delicious.