Summer slushy

D and I recently went to Las Vegas for a quick getaway.  On our second day there, we decided to spend a bit of the early afternoon sitting poolside.  Boy am I glad we did!  It just so happened that on this particular afternoon the Seagram's company had taken over a cabana where they were highlighting their Sweet Tea Vodka.  The bar was also running a Seagram's promo - (slightly) discounted Arnold Palmer-esque slushy lemonade with sweet tea vodka.

With the hot 108 degree sun shining down on us, this drink was perfect!  Tart, sweet (but not too), cold and refreshing.  After the first sip I had the "why didn't I think of this sooner?" moment.  I decided then and there this was going to be our official pool side cocktail at home.

Once back home, I did a little Google/Pinterest research looking for the right recipe.  After a couple of test runs, I came across a recipe that sounded like it might work.  It was at least a starting point and turned out perfectly as I began playing with the measurements to recreate the tasty drink.

Here was my recipe:

- 1/2 c Lemonade Concentrate (or 1/3 of a 12 oz can)
- 3 c ice (or 3 hand fulls)
- 1/4 c lemon juice (bottled juice worked perfectly)
- 1/4 c. sweet tea vodka*
Garnish with lemon wedge and a straw before serving.

* Additional vodka / water as needed for consistency / taste.
A firm, yet drinkable, slush if following the above ingredients.  I like serving it cold like this on a hot day as it will melt.  Use spoon to fill glasses (depending on how much additional liquid you add) as it won't pour easily (my first glass "splat" all at once and 1/2 landed in the glass and 1/2 on the floor.  
Note: Yields approx. 13 oz.  I recommend turning the contents of the lemonade concentrate into a bowl and mix well before putting into the mixer.  Occasionally, the concentrate has a little liquid that melts away from the rest of the slush.  Pouring it out and mixing it makes sure it's all cold and evenly flavored.

I did a test run of the concoction with my gal pals yesterday and it was a hit!  I also must credit the AMAZING VitaMix mixer.  This mixer is amazing and obliterates anything in it's path (creating the perfect slush).  I also broke out the large blender jar with the tamper attachment as I was making a large batch for the group and I'm certainly glad I did.  It really helped mix things up and keep it moving when the ice got a little thick.

Enjoy!

Keen Wuh?!?!

Recently my friend, a registered dietitian, invited me to attend a cleanse presentation she was kicking off last month. I was pretty skeptical when I arrived for the presentation (as I live with a processed food junkie) but she did a great job presenting her plan and offered us samples of products I never would have tried before like almond milk protein shakes and and gluten free bread. I was really impressed!

I walked out of the meeting feeling energized and that this plan was healthy, functional and effective. After about a week of chewing on what I wanted to do, I decided that although the cleanse might still be in my future, now was not the best time for me to give it a go. Still, with the food list in hand, I decided to start myself on a modified version of the cleanse and view future shopping trips as a lifestyle change for both D and I. More veggies, lean proteins and whole grains.

I spent 2 hours wandering around Whole Foods just checking out all the foods I had never bothered to consider. I couldn't believe how many things I hadn't considered before- "ancient grains" , a large variety of veggies, healthy oils & natural options and the rich benefits they provide.

The very first meal I made post-shopping trip was baked chicken breast and Quoina. I had never eaten, let alone made, Quoina before and I wasn't sure how it was going to go for me. Luckily though, I had the recipe below to get me started. Couldn't have been a more prefect introduction!! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did.

Note: I used about 3/4 of the garbanzo beans, olives and tomatoes listed below.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup quinoa

- 2 cups water

- 1 can (14 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

- 1 1/2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes

- 1/2 cup pitted and sliced kalamata olives

Vinaigrette:

- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

- 3/4 tsp honey

- 1/2 tsp kosher salt

- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

- 4 large mint leaves, thinly sliced (optional -- I omitted and it was still VERY tasty)!

Instructions

In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse quinoa well and drain.

In a medium pot, combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat to low. Cook until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff the quinoa and transfer to a cookie sheet, spreading the quinoa in a thin layer, to cool.

In a large bowl, mix together cooled quinoa, chickpeas, tomatoes and kalamata olives. Stir well.

For the dressing, whisk together white wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. While whisking constantly, slow pour in olive oil until combined.

Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad, toss to coat and stir in fresh mint. Serve.

http://www.cookincanuck.com/2011/07/quinoa-salad-with-chickpeas-kalamata-olives-mint-recipe/

CHOW-da!

Last night D and I went to our first Crab Feed. It's one of the things that been on my bucket list but I (we) just never got to until now. It was a ton of fun and at the end of the evening the sponsors made an announcement that big gallon bags of leftover crab legs and various bits were available for purchase. D agreed that we should get 2 bags to go and I immediately started brainstorming chowder recipes for the next day.

Before I began cooking, I had found two online resources that helped this novice cook grasp the basics. I felt more comfortable winging it a bit after the last creamed soup I made post-turkey day. The result was FANTASTIC! D is still learning the power of a compliment to his wife's cooking but he immediately exclaimed "this is very good". Nuf said. =)

- 3 tablespoons butter

- 1 1/2 medium white onion, chopped

- 2 tablespoons minced garlic

- 3 - 4 cups yellow potatoes, skin on, 1 inch cubed

- 4 tablespoons flour

- 1 2/3 cup half & half

- 1 cup milk

- 2/3 teaspoon black pepper

- 1/3 teaspoon nutmeg

- 1 tsp (more to taste if need be) Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning

- 1 1/2 cup cut corn

- 1/4 pound of bacon (4-5 slices, chopped)

- 3 tablespoons chicken “better than bullion”

- (above dissolved into) 20 oz. of hot water

- 3 – 4 cups of lump crab meat (can be done while soup simmers)

One word of advice as you start out. Have all your starter items chopped and ready to go as the first part moves pretty fast. Okay, let's begin...

1. Cut bacon into cubes or bite sized strips and cook in a pan.

2. Saute onion& garlic in bacon fat (optional).

3. Add melted butter in large sauce pan and melt.

4. Add potato and saute 1 minute.

5. Sprinkle in flour, stir well to incorporate and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.

6. Add milk, half & half, pepper, Tony's seasoning, nutmeg, corn and broth.

7. Bring to a simmer over med heat stirring frequently.

8. Cover and reduce heat to low for a 20 minute simmer. You'll know it's done when potatoes are tender and liquid has thickened.

9. Stir in crab meat, cook 5 minutes.

Serve hot with garlic bread. =)

"Rolling" into the New Year

I don't know what it is about the New Year but each year I wake up drooling over the thought of eating a warm cinnamon roll. Like clockwork, I woke up yesterday morning with the same urge but, the day got away from me and I didn't make it to the store to buy a can of the pre-made ones. SO, with the arrival my final morning of the 3 day weekend I knew I had to get my act together if I was going to make up a batch.

Still not feeling like making a trip to the store, I spent a few morning moments searching for a recipe that fit what I had on hand. My search ended when I found this one: http://bobbiskozykitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/better-than-cinnabon-cinnamon-rolls.html

Let me just say one things about this recipe before I go any further-- these rolls turned out AMAZING but AMAZING doesn't come by way of a quick recipe. The dough will need to rest an hour after making it and then an additional half after they are assembled so, I'd recommend making these early or a day ahead.

Here's a sneak peek of what's ahead (and recipe at the end):

Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup warm milk

2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup margarine, melted

4 ½ cups all purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup white sugar

1 package active dry yeast

Filling:

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup Dark brown sugar, packed

2 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting:

3 ounces of cream cheese, softened

¼ cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar, margarine, salt, and eggs. Add the flour in quarters and mix well. It will get a little tough, but keep at it until it’s well mixed! If it starts to get way too hard to mix anymore, dust your hands with some flour and finish mixing it by hand.

2. Knead the dough into a large ball and put it back into the bowl. Cover it with a dish cloth and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

3. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4. Roll dough into a large rectangle (Make sure not to roll it too thin, or it will rip when you roll it up). Spread dough with the softened butter and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over it. Roll the dough up and cut into 10 rolls, discarding the two end bits. This will leave you with 8 good sized rolls.

5. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about thirty minutes.

6. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together the ingredients for the frosting. Spread or drizzle it on warm rolls before serving.

My notes: My only ingredient change was the combo sugars for the filling because I had them on hand and wanted it to be full flavored. I also would warn you to make sure these buns are fully cooked through. The centers are the last to cook so you'll want to make sure they get cooked through. Other than that, happy baking and enjoy!

Leftovers

D and I just hosted our first Christmas as a married couple in our new home! My parents came over on Christmas eve and stayed overnight with us until after Christmas dinner. We also had the pleasure of sharing our meal with D's buddy and his wife too! All in all it was a total success and food overload!

This morning when I got up I surveyed the leftover damage. I decided if I could just pull off the last 3 (amazing) meals, I should give Turkey soup a try as well.

I found this recipe online that I thought would work perfectly with what I had left in the house:

http://foodformyfamily.com/recipes/cream-of-turkey-and-wild-rice-soup

I'm sure this recipe is GREAT but as I began chopping up onions I decided to make this recipe my own. Here is my spin (based on what I had left in the house):

- 3 tablespoons of olive oil

- 1/2 White onion, chopped

- 1/2 Red onion, chopped

- 2 Tablespoons of chopped green onion (because it was left over)

- 1/2 - 1 cup carrots, sliced (I had the mini ones left over from our salad.)

- 1 lb mushrooms, chopped

- 3 closes of garlic, minced

- 2 large russet potatoes, cubed (at least 1/2 inch in size)

- 7 cups of Turkey broth (or in my case 4 cups turkey broth, 3 cups chicken)

- 2 tablespoons butter

- 3/4 c flour

- 1 1/2 cups of Orzo pasta

- 1 1/2 cups half & half

- Chopped up Turkey (compliments of my grill-master husband)

Instructions:

Chop up onions (green, white & red), carrots, garlic, mushrooms & potatoes. Pour oil into large stock pot and turn on medium heat. Cook red onion, white onion, garlic & carrots for 5 minutes in pan. Add mushrooms, potatoes and butter to pan (stirring well to incorporate) and cook for another 8 minutes. Add flour and mix really well (a paste will form). Cook for 3 minutes. Add stock and green onions to pan and turn heat up so pot is simmering. Allow to cook for 15 minutes STIRRING OFTEN! At this point the pot will be pretty thick thanks to the roux and the breaking down of the potatoes.

Pour the half and half into a heat safe bowl and add in some of the cooked stock. Then add back into the larger pot and mix well. Add Orzo pasta. Continue to cook on a low simmer STIRRING OFTEN for approx. 10 minutes. Throw in turkey and at this point...

- you can eat this soup but allow the turkey to be heated through and make sure the orzo is fully cooked before then

- OR just set the whole thing aside and allow to cool on a cold burner. The soup will be SUPER thick at this point. If you don't like it so thick you can add in a little more broth till you get the consistency you want.

Don't forget to season your soup before serving. I had some liquid turkey broth concentrate so I threw that in too to make the mixture more savory. YUM!!

Bottom line-- I added ingredients (and quantity of each) I liked and strongly recommend doing the same if you end up trying this recipe!

Here is a photo progression:

First 5 minutes of cooking

Adding mushrooms in

Add in flour and mix well

The final product! (You can tell how thick it is by the side of the pan)

EAT & ENJOY!

Yields: approx 10 cups of thick mixture (so this soup would go a LONG way if you added more broth).

Tis the Season... for baking

Doesn't baking and the holiday's go hand-in-hand or is it just me? I've said it before on here but I'll say it again I LOVE to bake! I would rather bake than cook anything else. Why? Well, for starters you get something sweet out of the deal and (if that wasn't reason enough) the I think I'm pretty go at it. I was always the resident baker in my family (Dad even went so far as to tell my Mom to let ME make his birthday cake after she offered to do it) and have very fond memories of my early start with my Mom when I was little. She still has my little apron and I'm so wishing there's a little girl in my future so we can pass the tradition on in the very same apron.

The weird thing about my baking habits though is I seem to only do it in December! Sure I'll make something once in a while throughout the year (birthdays usually) but I'll go all out once December arrives and like clock work I begin to feel an inch to whip something up right after Thanksgiving ends.

Last Sunday D was away for the day so I decided I was going to take advantage of the peace and quiet and bake like I have never baked before! From the moment I found out he was going to be gone I got busy researching, refining, reviewing and revamping my menu choices. I finally settled on my selection of 6 goodies I was going to make so Saturday evening before going to bed I set out 12 sticks of frozen butter and went to bed. Sunday morning I awoke a and immediately got started! I turned on the holiday tunes just like Mom always did, set out my

ingredients, grabbed a few sticks of the (now) room temp. butter and worked my way through the first few recipes. Here are a few snapshots from the process:

(My grandmother / mother's rolling pin)

and here is a picture of my day's hard work.

I estimate about 16 dozen cookies were made that day and I used all of that butter!

Here is my menu from the day with provided recipes:

1. Peanut Butter

** Recipe given to me by an old coworker. Had one bite and said "OMG-- give me this recipe!"

2. Chocolate Chip

** An amazing recipe-- made totally by hand (no mixer). A brilliant science developed by Cooks Illustrated and totally worth it. My new favorite cookie.

3. Paradise Cookies

** A coconut fan favorite

4. Oatmeal Raisin! Super easy to make & egg free!

5. Sour cream sugar cookies**A jar gift recipe I used many moons ago for a craft fair I did with my Mom. This is the only oatmeal raisin cookie I'd ever reach for. Far too good to stay in a jar mix!!

** A new recipe I found. The dough is REALLY sticky so you need lots of extra flour but the taste is good. BEST with a hearty dollop of frosting.

6. Brownies w/ "oreo cookies" icing

** I actually gave this recipe my own spin-- I didn't add in the oreos as suggested but I did add 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping and 1 tablespoon of vanilla to a 9x13 boxed brownie mix. Bake as directed. You'll never do it anyway else after this-- YUM!

For the icing I actually used the frosting recipe below as I needed to use the remaining sticks of butter for the cookies ahead. I made the recipe as it states but throw in about a package row's worth of crushed oreo's into the finished product and mix well. Spread over cooled brownies and enjoy! Was excellent for breakfast.

BONUS: I also made "coal" treats for my coworkers between batches.

This is my version:

- Following the package rice krispie recipe put butter and marshmallows into a pot. Melt. Add about 1/2 of a small container of black food coloring (I bought mine at Michael's).

- Add in rice krispies and combine well. Everything should be totally coated with black mallow so you can't see the tan rice krispies anymore.

- Throw everything into a 9x13 pan and spread it out gently being careful not to destroy the jagged shape on the top nor pushing it into the rounded corners of the pan.

- Set aside for about 5-10 minutes.

- With a knife as an aide pull apart square-ish chunks of the treats and set aside on parchment or freezer paper like you would a tray of baking cookies (ie: not touching). I yielded 11 bars out of a full batch. Take care to make them not too big if you're bagging them later. Once you've done this allow them to cool /harden fully.

- I then slipped the cooled treats into cello bags, created a label from a template I made years ago and wrapped them up!

What's in a name?

I recently found this next recipe on Pinterest and was eagerly awaiting a moment to give it a try! Thanks to the protesters of Occupy Oakland, that chance arrived today after the office was closed early.

The author calls it "THE BEST chocolate cake" but, if it were me, I would call it "FULL GLASS of milk cake" or "sugar rush chocolate cake". No matter what you call it-- it's DAMN YUMMY!! The perfect balance between moist and sweet.

Here's the catch-- not low-cal nor full of healthy ingredients. (I know, what cake recipe is low-cal or healthy but this one has Crisco in the frosting). Makes me cringe just typing it but it is TOTALLY worth it! This recipe is also REALLY easy to make as it's comprised of cheater ingredients. I'm telling you, give the cake a go and you won't be disappointed!

"The Best Chocolate Cake Ever"

• 1 box devil’s food cake mix
• 1 small pkg Jello instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups mini chocolate chips

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. In a very large bowl, mix together everything except chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into cake pan of choice (I used two 9-inch round pans). For cooking time, I used the cooking time on the back of the devils food cake box as a guide and usually add 10 minutes to whatever it says. My total baking time was 30 minutes. Use a toothpick to check if it's done and remember that you might hit a chocolate chip so, check a few spots just to be sure.

Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup shortening (Crisco)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening until fluffy. Add sugar and continue creaming until well blended. Add salt, vanilla and whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened and then beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.

Source: http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/the-best-chocolate-cake.html#ixzz1cbWa6CMC

** I actually doubled the recipe and used almost all of it between the center filling, crumb coat, final coat and pretty pipping. Darren thought the icing was really sweet the 1st night (DUH-- it's mainly powdered sugar) but we both agreed that it tasted event better the following night. I even refrigerated this cake (covered) for 1 week and it never became dry. In fact, D said it got BETTER each night.