food: apple turnovers

Last night for dinner I made quiche lorraine (one of our faves). Since it is kind of a breakfast-y meal, I like to pair something sweet with it - usually I make some of these fabulous cinnamon rolls, but I didn't have all of the ingredients (and had not planned ahead ;)). I knew I had some apples.... and a puff pastry a friend had left for me after a party awhile back.... so I started thinking --- apple turnovers! This was the first time I've ever made these and they were delish.

Typically, I try (keyword) to make most everything from scratch - but I was on a time crunch and had the puff pastry. I did some research and found a recipe to try making my own next time here.

I found a recipe, adapted it a little and we loved how it turned out!

Apple Turnovers - adapted slightly from allrecipes.com

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 cups water

2 Gala (or Granny Smith) apples - peeled, cored and chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 Tbsp. butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1-1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1-1/2 tsp. water

1/2 (17.25 oz) pkg. puff pastry

Icing

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. milk

Pull puff pastry from the freezer and allow to thaw on countertop until easy to handle - about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together lemon juice and 2 cups water. Place chopped apple pieces in mixture and set aside (this will prevent them from browning).

Melt butter in medium skillet over medium-low heat. Drain water-lemon mixture from apples, and place apples in skillet with melted butter. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add brown sugar and cinnamon and continue cooking for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl until cornstarch is dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture to the skillet and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 more minutes until sauce thickens.

Unfold puff pastry into a square and cut in half vertically, and then in half horizontally - so you will have 4 squares. Scoop apple mixture onto each square and be sure to divide evenly among each square. Pull one corner of the pastry over the the other diagonally so you have a triangle (see picture of finished turnover). Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes in preheated oven. While turnovers are baking, combine icing ingredients - add more milk to reach desired consistency - remember that you want it to drizzle over the turnovers easily, not be a huge glob of icing ;)

After turnovers are done baking, transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool about 10 minutes. Drizzle glazing over them and serve! Enjoy!

food: cinnamon raisin bread

For years I have loved a good loaf of cinnamon raisin bread. For years I have tried making my own and failed. Almost every.single.time. (seriously!). My loaf always comes out with a huge hole in the spiral filling (while still good and edible, it's kind of difficult to spread with honey and eat without the honey dripping all down your hand ;)). I came across this gorgeous looking loaf on pinterest and decided to try again. The loaves (it made two) came out perfect, ya'll. Perfect. We ate one loaf in one evening. It was that good. 

I tweaked the recipe a bit (ingredients and process included) - I ended up dividing the dough into two loaves and I think we finally have a go-to cinnamon raisin loaf of bread! Yay! This bread is perfect lightly toasted with a drizzle of fresh honey on it. Enjoy!

This recipe does take pretty much all day to make. The dough requires two rising times of about 2.5 hours each and then baking time. But it's well worth it. So worth it.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread - adapted from It's My Side of Life

1 cup Milk

6 Tablespoons butter
2-1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
2 whole eggs
1/3 cup Sugar
3-1/4 cups  Flour
1 teaspoon salt

For filling:

3 Tbsp. butter, softened

1/2 cup raisins

1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon

For topping:

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 Tbsp. sugar

In a small saucepan, heat together milk and 6 Tbsp. butter. Mixture should start bubbling with tiny bubbles, but NOT boil. Remove from heat immediately, set aside to cool to warm. Add yeast and stir gently. Allow yeast to proof (bubble up into a foamy mixture) for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together 3-1/2 cups flour and 1 tsp. salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together eggs and 1/3 cup sugar until thoroughly combined (use a hand mixer). Add yeast mixture and continue to beat until well incorporated.

Add half of the flour mixture in, and beat on medium speed. Add in the other half and continue to beat -- it gets super hard to beat at this point because the dough is so thick, so I kind of lifted my mixer out of the bowl a bit to just try and mix up a little of the mixture at a time. Add a couple of tablespoons of flour at a time if the dough is too sticky - do NOT add too much flour or it will become too dense :(

Once I was finished mixing, I lifted the dough out of the bowl, used olive oil (or extra melted butter) to coat the bowl and then put the dough back in. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise 2 to 2-1/2 hours in a warm and draft-free place. The dough should double in size.

While dough is rising, combine 1/3 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. cinnamon and raisins in a bowl. After it is finished rising, pour the dough (do not punch down) onto a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, gently roll dough into an 18"x24" rectangle. Use a rubber spatula and spread the softened butter onto the dough. Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar-raisin mixture. 

Beginning at a short end, roll the dough tightly. I pulled the dough and stretched it taught as I was rolling it - I think this is what helped prevent the big hole in the center of my loaf from happening ;). Pinch the seam to seal. Cut the dough-log in half so you have two loaves. Tuck and pinch under the edges. Place each in a greased loaf pan. Brush melted topping butter (1 Tbsp.) on each loaf, gently. Sprinkle with sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise 2 to 2-1/2 more hours. Loaves should puff up, but they won't be huge.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Once loaves have risen, place in oven (remove plastic wrap). Bake for 30-35 minutes, until top crust is a dark golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. I started checking on mine every couple of minutes at about 25 minutes. Immediately remove from pans and place on a cooling rack. Brush with a little bit of extra butter if desired. I let mine cool like this for about 10 minutes and then turned them onto their sides (once again, trying to prevent a huge hole from developing in the loaf ;)).

To store (if there's any left ;)), wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep in a cool, dry place.

Enjoy! :)

Food: Betsy's White Bread

My older sis has been making bread for years. I've been making bread for years, (I make all of our bread that we eat - sandwich bread, pizza dough, yeast rolls, breadsticks, hamburger rolls, artisan bread, toasting bread) but have never tried my sister's recipe! This is her white bread recipe, she makes it at our family gatherings, and it's always so, so good. I tried making it the other day and I've already made it twice. Since Monday :) The consistency is perfect. The taste is perfect. It's a winner. And there's just something about knowing all of the ingredients in what you're eating ;)

Betsy's White Bread

3 to 3-1/2 cups bread flour (I used organic all-purpose)

1-1/2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. oil or shortening

2-1/4 tsp. yeast

1 cup + 2 Tbsp. very warm water

2 Tbsp. very soft salted butter, divided

Mix 1-3/4 cups of the flour, sugar, salt, oil (or shortening) and yeast in large bowl. Add warm water. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, again scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time to make dough easy to handle (This is when it just gets past being sticky. Do not add too much flour or your loaf will be too dense). Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead for 7-10 minutes (Kneading this long makes it perfect. It takes awhile, but it's worth it!). Place in a greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in a warm and draft-free place 40-60 minutes or until double in size.

Grease bottom and sides of a 1 lb. loaf pan with 1 Tbsp. butter. Punch dough down and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead 1 minute. Flatten with a rolling pin to about 8"x10". Roll dough up tightly, beginning at short side, to form a loaf. Pinch edge of dough into the roll to seal. Fold ends under loaf so you have a nice looking roll. The key here is to roll the dough tightly so you don't have big air bubbles after baking. Place seam side down in the pan. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm and draft-free place about 35-40 minutes (or until right before it starts crawling out of the pan - it will rise a bit more in the oven). While bread is rising, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake 20-30 minutes or until top of loaf is a deep golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan to a cooling rack. Using a paper towel (or your hands), rub softened butter all over loaf (it will begin to melt as your rub it on the bread). Let cool. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap to store.

food: baked cake donuts from scratch

We love donuts in our house. I purchased a donut pan awhile ago and we like to make these baked donuts often. A little intense to make, but well worth it :) We like to ice and sprinkle some, and melt butter and dip in a cinnamon sugar mixture for the others.

Baked Cake Donuts - adapted from Wilton's Recipe
Makes about 12 donuts
2 cups minus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. corn starch
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
2-1/2 tsp. lemon juice (or white distilled vinegar)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled slightly

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray, or use a little bit of butter to coat each donut form.

Combine milk and lemon juice (or vinegar) in a measuring cup. Set aside for 2-3 minutes.

Sift the flour and corn starch together (through a sifter or mesh colander) 2-3 times to incorporate fully (basically you're making cake flour ;)). Add sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt, stirring to combine.

Add eggs and melted butter to milk mixture. Add to flour mixture. Beat until just combined (do not over-beat).

Fill each donut cavity about 2/3 full. I usually put the batter in a large zip-loc bag and snip one of the tips to pipe it into the pan easily.

Bake for 7-9 minutes or until just starting to brown. They can brown way too fast, so keep an eye on them! They will be spongy to the touch (but don't burn yourself ;)).

Pop each donut out onto a cooling rack, spray (or use butter) pan again and pipe in the rest of the batter (be careful not to burn yourself on the pan!). See below for topping ideas. Serve warm. Enjoy :)

For topping:
Cinnamon Sugar
1 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Place melted butter in shallow dish. Mix together cinnamon and sugar and place in another shallow dish. Dip each donut in the butter and coat both sides, then dredge in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Vanilla Icing
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2-1/2 Tbsp. milk

Mix sugar and vanilla together. Add milk a little at a time to desired consistency. Pour mixture into a shallow bowl. Dip tops of donuts in icing, place on a plate and let set for a couple minutes.

food: rob's steak tacos

These steak tacos are pretty much in my every-other-week menu plan. They are a-maz-ing. My hubby came up with this recipe a long time ago and perfected it over the course of several months. We LOVE this meal. The combination of fresh flavors is fabulous and so, so good.

Rob's Steak Tacos

Meat

1.5-2 lbs skirt steak (or flank steak)

1 Tbsp. seasoned pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 2-3 limes

1 cup red onion, diced into small pieces

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the meat)

Red Onion Topping

1 large red onion, diced into small pieces

2 Tbsp. fresh cilatro, chopped

Juice from 1-2 limes, fresh squeezed

Salt, to taste (we use about 1/4 tsp.)

6-inch yellow corn tortillas (or flour)

2-4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

Chopped fresh cilantro

Place all ingredients for the meat except meat in a ziploc bag and toss to mix. Add steak and toss to coat evenly. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.

Grill to desired temperature. Let meat rest 10 minutes before slicing. Slice meat into 1/4" thick slices and cut to desired length (we usually make ours about 1" in length).

Place red onion topping ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Store in the refrigerator while steak is on the grill.

To prepare tortillas, heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil at a time in a small skillet over medium heat. Quickly "fry" tortillas so they are warm, but NOT crispy. You still want them to bend and make your taco :) Add more olive oil as needed while you are preparing tortillas. Store heated tortillas in a tortilla warmer.

To build the tacos, put desired amount of meat on the hot tortilla, top with desired amount of red onion topping, cheese and cilantro. Serve with fresh-made guacamole, tortilla chips, and homemade refried beans. Enjoy!

Food: Homemade Toffee

This toffee has been a fave in our house for years - some dear friends gave us this recipe. I hadn't made any for awhile and decided to yesterday :) My hubby was so excited to see it when he got home from work :) Easy to make, and it makes a lot. Good to package up and give as a gift.

Homemade Toffee

1 sleeve saltine crackers (enough to fill a cookie sheet if you lay them flat, side by side)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional - sometimes I put these on top, sometimes not)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

Lay saltine crackers side by side and cover entire cookie sheet in a single layer.

In a medium sized saucepan, melt butter. Add brown sugar and stir frequently. Bring to a boil and boil for 3-5 minutes (you're pretty much making hard caramel here, and want it to get to the hardball stage if you have a candy thermometer).

Pour caramel over saltines and spread gently over entire pan. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over caramel. The chips will melt - spread chocolate gently over caramel. Sprinkle nuts (if using) evenly over chocolate.

Let cool completely (Sometimes I put mine in the fridge on hot pads to make it cool faster. So we can eat it faster ;)). Break (or cut) into pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Enjoy :) 

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Thank you all so, so much for the sweet comments and emails and Instagram comments about Hannah's birthday and my thoughts on the past year the other day. It was truly a blessing to hear from so many about their faith and their sweet comments about our little one :) Thank you!

food: mini donut muffins

One of my sweet friends made these the other day and raved about them - so I wanted to make some :) Donuts? Muffins? Cinnamon and sugar? All in one recipe!? Yes, please :) They are nothing short of amazing. A quick little sweet snack or dish for a brunch :)

Mini Donut Muffins - adapted slightly from allrecipes.com

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

Topping:

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease mini muffin pans (24 muffins).

Combine sugar, butter, and nutmeg. Mix well. Add flour, baking powder and milk, and stir to combine. Fill each muffin cup about half full. Batter will be somewhat dough-y. I used a tablespoon to fill each cup.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until beginning to brown.  While muffins are baking, combine the 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Dip baked muffins in butter and coat completely, then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture.  Makes 24 mini muffins. Enjoy!

And P.S. Thank you all so much for the sweetness about my project published in the Let's Make Cards! magazine here and on FB and Instagram. Seriously, ya'll made my day :) Thank you :)

food: best sandwich bread

I have a few great recipes for dinner bread that I use a lot, but have never found one that is the right consistency for actual sandwich bread. While these other recipes are great for going with a meal, they are not the best for making sandwiches. Well. I tried this new recipe this past weekend and it is p.e.r.f.e.c.t. for making sandwiches! (Or for using with a meal) - the bread is light and fluffy with a soft crust. The best part is, the recipe makes two loaves at one time - I used one loaf to eat with a couple meals and one to use with sandwiches. Perfect.

Best Sandwich Bread - adapted from allrecipes.com

2 cups very warm water

1/3 cup white sugar

1-1/2 Tbsp. active dry yeast

1-1/2 tsp. salt (I use kosher salt)

1/4 canola oil

5 to 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into measuring cup and level off, or use a sifter)

1 Tbsp. salted butter

In a large mixing bowl, combine water, sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes to proof (yeast will dissolve and look fluffy and foamy). Stir salt and oil into yeast mixture. Stir in one cup of flour at a time, mixing well. Once a soft dough (kind of sticky!) forms, turn onto a floured surface and knead well, about 3-5 minutes (dough will become elastic). Place kneaded dough into a well-oiled large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place about 1-1.5 hours.

Punch dough down, and turn onto a floured surface again. Knead for 1-2 minutes and form into two loaves. Place each loaf into a well-oiled 9"x5" loaf pan. Cover each with plastic wrap and let rise again 45 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake loaves 30 minutes or until golden brown on top and loaves sound hollow when tapped. Spread butter on top of each loaf (I usually just hold the butter with a paper towel and gently rub it all over the loaf :)). Enjoy!

Dough has risen, getting ready to punch down and knead.

Form into two loaves.

Voila! Yummy, light, and fluffy sandwich bread.

Food: Pecan Butter-Crunch Popcorn

I had this popcorn several years ago in a cooking class hosted by a very gifted cook at our church. It was amaaaazzzing. I was looking for a fun and yummy (and easy!) recipe to make for a few gifts and remembered this recipe the other day and made some. And then made some more. And more. ;) This popcorn is so good and is perfect to put in a tin and give as a gift :)

Pecan Butter-Crunch Popcorn - adapted slightly from Mary Kathryn's recipe

25 cups popped popcorn (1 cup of kernels)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1-1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
5 Tbsp. light corn syrup
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1-1/4 tsp. coarse salt (I use sea salt)
3/4 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Put popcorn in a large bowl (I used two!). Cook butter, sugar, corn syrup and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a gentle simmer, about four minutes. Stop stirring and continue cooking until mixture lightens in color. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. Stir for about 2 minutes.

Pour sugar mixture over popcorn and stir to coat. Sprinkle in the toasted pecans as you are stirring to evenly distribute.

Transfer to rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper. I used two large baking sheets.  Pat popcorn mixture down so that it is in a single layer. Bake, stirring every 20 minutes, until almost dry - about 1 hour. Let cool. Break chunks apart and store in an airtight container (if you have any left to store ;)).

food: black bean salsa

I made this super yummy salsa the other night for a Christmas party. It's easy to make, and it makes a lot. Perfect for a get-together. Or if you are having a major bean and fresh veggie craving ;).

Black Bean Salsa

1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 oz) can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 oz) can whole kernel corn

1 can white shoepeg corn

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/2 red onion, finely diced

2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

1 small bottle (12 oz.) Zesty Italian Dressing

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Food: Beer Bread

This past weekend was cold and dreary- perfect soup weather! We were at a pumpkin patch for a good part of the afternoon and I hadn't planned accordingly to get a loaf of bread in the breadmaker (it takes 3 hours!) to have with the soup (white chicken chili, super yummy). I needed a bread recipe. A fast one. I had made a bread like this before at a family gathering and quickly looked one up and found this one over at food.com. Super quick - it was ready in an hour! The recipe calls for beer, but you can also use sprite or ginger ale :)

Beer Bread - adapted from food.com

3 cups all purpose flour, sifted (don't have a sifter? spoon the flour into the measuring cup)

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 (12 oz) can beer - or use ginger ale or sprite

1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients together. Add beer (or ginger ale or sprite) and mix well. Pour (more like spoon) batter into a 9"x5" loaf pan. Pour melted butter over top of batter. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown on top. Cool 15 minutes, then slice and serve. Enjoy!

P.S. More details on yesterday's post soon... If you follow me on Instagram, I posted more of a sneak peek yesterday ;)

Food: Crusty Artisan Boule Bread

I found this recipe via pinterest awhile ago and finally tried it. I researched around the www and adapted this recipe's rise time after reading this recipe. It was incredibly yummy and had that wonderful crackle-like-real-french-bread-when-you-push-on-the-crust noise after coming out of the oven. It takes awhile to make because of the rise time, but it's worth it. This bread is now going to be a staple for my meal plans for the coming winter months. We had it with potato soup the other day and it was perfect. It takes awhile to make (14-20 hours!) because the rising time is so long, so be sure to plan in advance!

Crusty Artisan Boule Bread adapted from Simply So Good and The New York Times
3 cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. yeast
1-1/2 cups water

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and mix with a spoon just until a dough begins to form - the dough will be messy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 12-18 hours (the closer to 18 hours, the better - make the dough the night before you want to eat it).

Once dough has risen, punch down. Generously dust a (clean) kitchen towel with flour and shape dough into a ball (boule!) on the floured towel. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for another 1-2 hours.

When dough only has about a half hour left to rise, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a 6 or 8 quart dutch oven with a lid (I used my Le Creuset) in the oven as it heats (be sure to use a pot that will do ok in the high heat). When dough is finished rising, remove pot from oven and carefully transfer the dough to the pot - gently pick up the towel and turn the dough over carefully into the pot.

Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for 15-20 more minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn't get too brown on top! Remove from pan and cool on cooling rack. Enjoy!

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P.S. Check out some new mixed paper journals with fun die cut cover tags in my shop :) Go here to see them.

Food: Butternut Squash Tart

We frequent our local Farmer's Market a fair amount - always a ton of great local produce, meat, eggs, baked goods, jams, honey, etc.  My sis and I went the other weekend and got a loaf of Asiago bread, fresh squeezed orangeade, and two slices of an incredibly delicious butternut squash tart from one of our fave vendors. After having the tart for lunch, I knew I had to find a recipe to make it! I searched high and low all over the www, and finally found this similar recipe. It was a good starting point, but I knew I wanted to make several changes.

The tart I had eaten was packed with vegetables - butternut squash (yay for this yummy fall squash!), zucchini, yellow squash, onion and and orange bell pepper. I also knew that they used greek yogurt instead of eggs, so I decided to use that and add some softened cream cheese to thicken it up.

So basically, I started with a store-bought pie crust (would rather make my own next time, but needed a short cut), chopped up a bunch of veggies and sautéed them, put a layer of greek yogurt, feta cheese and cream cheese (mixed) on the pie crust, put the veggies on top, and then grated fresh parmesan cheese. Super simple. The longest part was chopping the veggies (which you could possibly prep beforehand?). It was so yummy. The kiddos didn't really care for it ;), but my hubby and I enjoyed it.

Butternut Squash Tart

+ 1 store-bought deep-dish pie crust (or make your own from scratch)

+ 1/2 cup greek yogurt

+ 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened

+ 1/4 cup Feta cheese

+ 1 large zucchini, chopped

+ 1 large yellow squash, chopped

+ 1/2 of a medium-large butternut squash, peeled and chopped

+ 1 small orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped

+ 1 small onion, chopped

+ 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

+ freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste

+ salt and pepper, to taste

Bake pie crust according to package directions. Be sure to use pie beads so your crust doesn't bubble up. Or you could just stick an oven safe little dish in the middle of the crust (I may or may not have done that) if you don't have pie beads. Set baked pie crust aside to cool.

Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté the veggies until slightly tender. While veggies are sautéing, mix together greek yogurt, cream cheese, and feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread mixture evenly into cooled pie crust. Top with sautéed veggies. Grate parmesan (to taste) evenly over sautéed veggies.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted on top. If the pie crust edges start to brown too much, cover with foil (I covered mine for the last 10 minutes). Let cool on a cooling rack and serve warm or almost room temperature.  Refrigerate leftovers and reheat (microwave or oven) when you're ready to eat :)

Food: Dessert Crepes

If you've ever been to France, you've probably had a dessert crepe. Complete with the heavenly chocolate-hazelnut spread, Nutella. My oh my are they amazing. While we were in Nice, France, several years ago, we had a fave place that we would visit (everyday) that made the best dessert crepes. 

We make our own from time to time and while they aren't a real French crepe, to us they are the next best thing :)

Dessert Crepes

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

Toppings:

Nutella, Bananas (sliced), Strawberries (sliced)

Whisk together eggs, milk water, butter and vanilla. Stir together flour and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to egg and milk mixture. Stir/whisk to combine so that there are no lumps. 

Heat a large griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray Pour 1/3 cup batter onto frying pan and tilt around to move batter over surface of pan. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, flip with a spatula, and then cook another minute. Repeat with remaining batter.

To serve: Spread Nutella over warm crepe, add strawberries and bananas. Roll up like a burrito and enjoy! :)

food: chocolate chip pie

This pie is so incredibly easy to make and so incredibly yummy! I made it the other day when we had a friend over for dinner and we quickly ate most of it (thankfully there was a little bit left over for a snack the next day :)). I used a pre-made pie crust, but am wondering if I could make a pie crust and then use a baking dish to have the recipe come out as bars instead of pie. I'm thinking they would be a great little dessert to bring to a potluck or some other gathering :)

Chocolate Chip Pie - adapted slightly from Nestle Toll House
1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie shell
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used 1/4 cup granulated and 1/4 raw turbinado sugar)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 sticks)
1 cup milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans, but will try walnuts next time)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in flour, granulated sugar (turbinado if you are using it), and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55-60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Around 35 minutes while baking, I added aluminum foil to prevent the crust from becoming any browner.

Food: Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars

I found this incredible yummy-looking recipe via pinterest a long, long time ago and finally decided to try it since strawberries and rhubarb are at their peek right now. My goodness, it was good. Reeeeallly good. I have made note of a few adjustments after tasting them. Though they are insanely good, next time I will use less butter in the crust and topping and less glaze on top. The recipe below reflects those changes :)

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars - adapted slightly from Le Petit Pierogi

Filling

1-1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1-1/2 cups fresh strawberries, diced

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Crust

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1-1/2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Glaze

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2-3 Tbsp. milk

Place strawberries, rhubarb and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Heat on medium heat and stir often, until fruit is soft - about 10-12 minutes. Add sugar and cornstarch and continue stirring until juice thickens into a sauce, several minutes. Let boil for one minute and then remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine crust ingredients in a large bowl -  flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, baking soda and salt. Mix with electric mixer until combine and mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Reserve 1 cup of crumb mixture. Pour remaining mixture into a greased 9x13 glass baking dish and press firmly to create the crust. Pour strawberry rhubarb mixture on top of crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture evenly over top of strawberry rhubarb mixture.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crumbles on top are golden brown. Cool completely. To make glaze, combine powdered sugar and milk and stir until combined (add milk if necessary or to taste). Drizzle evenly over top of cooled crumb bars. Enjoy! :)

Food: Thai Chicken Enchiladas

I came across this yummy recipe via pinterest a little while ago and finally made it. And have made it twice... In the past week. :) It's a great recipe and most of the ingredients can be prepped ahead of time and kept in the fridge.

Thai Chicken Enchiladas - adapted slightly from how sweet it is
8 flour tortillas
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup shredded cabbage
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped peanuts (plus more for garnish, if desired)
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (plus more for garnish, if desired)
1- 14oz. can lite coconut milk
1/4 cup sweet red chili sauce (I use Thai Kitchen, which you can find at Target)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, cabbage, garlic and salt. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until veggies are soft. Add chicken, green onions, chopped peanuts, cilantro, 1/4 cup of the coconut milk and 1 Tbsp. of the sweet red chili sauce. Stir to combine well.

Whisk together remaining coconut milk and red chili sauce. Pour about 2 Tbsp. of coconut/chili mixture into a 9"x13" baking dish and spread to coat the bottom. Set remaining mixture aside.

Spoon a couple tablespoons into each tortilla (just eyeball it and try to divide it out evenly among the eight tortillas :)) and roll up. Place each in the 9x13 dish. Pour remaining coconut mixture evenly over the enchiladas, trying to coat every part of the tortillas.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with peanuts and cilantro and serve. Enjoy! :)

*To prep ahead of time: Cut/chop/shred all vegetables and peanuts and keep them in their own dishes until ready to sauté. Seriously, this drastically reduces the time spent to make these if the veggies are ready to pull out of the fridge and throw in the pan. :)

Food: Homemade Ranch Dressing

I love fresh salads. I love ranch dressing. And I really love the kind of ranch that comes in a restaurant - because it's usually fresh and homemade. This recipe by Joy the Baker popped up on my FB page the other day and (everything she makes is fabulous!) I decided to give it a try for dinner last night. My, oh my. I had to adapt it a little (and I cut the recipe in half), due to ingredients I had on hand, but was absolutely ecstatic with how it turned out. I had two (huge) servings of salad. And so did my 5 year old. It was that good.

Homemade Ranch Dressing - adapted from Joy the Baker
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. white distilled vinegar
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
2 large cloves garlic
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sour cream and mayonnaise. Set aside. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, smash the garlic cloves on a cutting board and then rub a 1/2 tsp. of salt into the smashed garlic with a fork.

Add the parsley, chives and garlic mixture to the sour cream and mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper and whisk to combine. Pour in milk and vinegar mixture to reach desired consistency and whisk to thoroughly combine.

Let chill for several hours before serving.  Enjoy as a salad dressing or as a dip for fresh veggies! Yummy! Makes about one half-pint jelly jar of dressing.

Food: Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

This recipe has been a spring and summertime fave in our house for quite some time. It just tastes like summer. It's so, so yummy and will disappear quickly.  A perfect recipe for a get-together or cookout :)

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips - adapted from allrecipes.com

• 3 kiwis, peeled and diced
• 2 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and diced
• 1 (6 oz.) pkg. raspberries
• 1 pound strawberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons strawberry preserves
•  
• 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• butter flavored cooking spray
• 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar

In a large bowl, combine kiwi, apples, raspberries, strawberries. Add white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut flour tortillas (use a pizza cutter) into 8 triangles. Spray each side with butter flavored cooking spray. Place cinnamon sugar mixture into large ziploc bag. Add coated tortilla triangles and shake until thoroughly coated. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, flipping triangles over once while they bake. Cool. *Note: I used mini tortillas from Target - they were about 5" or 6" and cut perfectly into quarters. I had never seen these before but like that they make smaller, more bite-sized triangles than the 10" tortillas :)

Serve fruit salsa with cinnamon chips. Enjoy!

Food: Apple Fritter Bread

I was at Target the other day and every time I pass through the bakery I see their Archer Farms Apple Fritter Bread and man, does it look good. Luckily, I resist buying it every time (it's $3.99!! for a loaf of bread!) I decided to try making my own and was happy with how this recipe turned out. It's perfect served warm and would make a delicious breakfast or brunch treat.

I searched around and found this recipe over at Flour Me With Love. I made some changes to the recipe and process and was pleased with the results.

Apple Fritter Bread - adapted from Flour Me With Love

Filling:

3 apples, peeled & diced (I used Granny Smith)

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 C brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Dough:

2-1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 package yeast

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 C brown sugar

1/4 C water

1 egg, beaten

3/4 C milk

1/4 C butter

Glaze:

1 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 C powdered sugar

3-1/2 tsp. milk

In a skillet, cook apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, vanilla, butter, cinnamon and cornstarch on medium-low heat until apples are tender and mixture is slightly thickened (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Heat the 3/4C milk in a saucepan until bubbles begin to form and add 1/4C butter. Stir to melt butter completely.

Combine flour, yeast, salt and brown sugar in a medium mixing bowl and stir well. Add water, egg, and milk/butter mixture and stir to combine thoroughly until a soft dough forms. At this point I used the kneading hook on my stand mixer and kneaded it for 5 minutes. You could also hand knead on a lightly-floured surface. Dough will be sticky, don't add more flour! Place back in mixing bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour.

Grease a bread pan/dish/stone. Roll dough into a 12"x 18"-ish rectangle on a floured surface. Spread apple mixture evenly over the dough.

Cut dough into even(-ish) squares.

Using a spatula, stack squares on top of each other and make four piles (this part is super messy :)).

Place stacks of dough sideways (see picture below) into dish. Cover and let rise for 1/2 hour - 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pan to plate.

Mix up glaze ingredients and drizzle over warm loaf (I didn't end up using all of the glaze). Serve immediately. Enjoy :)