Fabio's Cheese Bomb Biscuits with Onion Bacon Butter

I had high hopes of posting before now.  Really, I did. I have a fun tea party post that I'm determined to share with you all before we hit fall!  And maybe even before summer officially arrives.

A whole month has passed since my last post.  And here we are again...It's Secret Recipe Club time!  Thank goodness for SRC because without it who knows how long would pass between posts.

This month I had the pleasure of being assigned the fun blog It's Yummy for My Tummy!  Mmmm.  That's a concept I can totally get behind.  The name comes from her daughter who often says, "Mommy, it's yummy to my tummy!"  Awww!  Heather's blog is all about sharing recipes with her friends and family and of course, all of us!  I found a number of yummy eats that I put on my possibility list.  For those of you who know me, you know my tummy very often guides me to the sweet side, but this time I kept coming back to these savory cheesy biscuits.  

This recipe is really easy to make.  15 minutes and you will have biscuits in the oven.  And if you are feeling indulgent you can whip up some green onion bacon butter while your biscuits are baking.  The biscuits are delicious and tender with a bit of crunch on the top from the cheese.  They are fantastic on their own, but a little green onion bacon butter really takes them over the top. 

I paired my biscuits with a creamy tomato basil bisque (sorry, no recipe for that...it's from Campbell's latest soup creations).   The parmesan cheese complemented the tomato soup perfectly.  I had to restrain myself from eating more than one.  I see a repeat of my soup and a cheese bomb biscuit for lunch tomorrow!

 

Enjoy!

Fabio's Cheese Bomb Biscuits and Onion Bacon Butter
Adapted from It's Yummy to My Tummy originally from Fabio Viviani

For the biscuits:
2 cups flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese, plus extra for sprinkling on top of biscuits
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) shortening
1 1/4 cups half and half (or heavy cream--I used all heavy cream), plus extra for brushing tops of biscuits

Preheat oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and cheese and stir until ingredients are well mixed.  Cut in shortening using a hand pastry blender or a fork until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Add in half and half and stir until just combined. 

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat until 1 1/2 inches thick.  Using a 2 inch floured cutter, cut out each biscuit and place it about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.  Or you can scoop out the biscuits with a spoon or ice cream scoop.  Brush each biscuit with half and half (or heavy cream).  Sprinkle the top of each biscuit lightly with remaining cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.

For the green onion bacon butter:
1 stick (1/2 cup) slightly softened unsalted butter
3 teaspoons sliced green onions
3 teaspoons of finely chopped bacon bits

Place all ingredients in a mini food processor and blend until well combined.  If you don't have a food processor use a knife to finely chop the green onions and bacon to desired size and stir into butter. 

Pumpkin Bread

It's cold here.  I venture to guess this is one of the coldest winters we've had in Southern California in a number of years.  At least it feels that way.  I could try to research it to get a definitive answer, but it doesn't really matter.  It wouldn't change how cold it feels. 

I know that pretty much anyone living outside of California will likely not sympathize with my definition of cold.   But a high of 57 and low of 31 (today's temps) puts a chill in my toes and in our house.  You see, many California houses are not built the way cold weather climate houses are built.  The brisk air seeps in the windows and doors and it seems no matter how high the heater is, the place never really warms up.  I've been spending a lot of time bundling up with layers of clothes, extra socks and a scarf here and there during the days I'm working at home.  Then snuggling under warm blankets on the couch at night with kitty cat next to me. 

Once I'm nice and cozy, a slice of spiced pumpkin bread alongside a hot cup of tea is just the thing to warm my insides. I love it for breakfast, a snack and even dessert.  It's so delicious.

This recipe has a bit of a story. 

My good friend Sharon has been making this bread around the holidays for years.  She pumps out a dozen plus loaves and hands them out to family and friends each year.  I've been the recipient of this bread many times and absolutely love it.  Several years ago I asked her about the recipe and she alluded that it was a long time recipe which her family kept under lock and key. 

Fast forward to this past fall...I asked Sharon if I could have the recipe because I wanted to bake this yummy bread to send to the troops overseas as part of Operation Baking GALS.  A perfect autumn treat that travels well and has a long shelf life.  I let her know that I wouldn't share the recipe with anyone else, but felt the troops should have a taste of this deliciousness!  She happily agreed.  Since October, I've made over a dozen loaves myself.  For the troops, for family and just to eat myself (which I did for breakfast this morning--mmm).  One of the reasons I love this recipe is because it's very reliable.  I've had consistently good results every time I've made it in terms of appearance, texture and taste. 

Not only do I love the bread, but the troops loved it too.  They even posted a comment about it on the OBG Facebook page.  A very exciting moment!  I'm telling you this bread is the bomb.  I hinted to Sharon I would love to post the recipe on the blog and share it with all of you.  She went back to her mom to inquire and her mom was happy to hear the troops enjoyed the bread so much and agreed the recipe should be shared.  Woo hoo!  Sharon also inquired about the origin of the recipe.  Her mom is a special needs teacher and years ago, one of her students brought her a loaf of this bread as a thank you gift.  She loved it so much, she asked the child's mother for the recipe.  The rest is history. 

I'm so thrilled that Sharon's mom agreed this awesome recipe needed to be shared with the world. Well, my little pocket of readers anyway.  THANK YOU Sharon's Mom!  :)

This pumpkin bread is very easy to make and is all mixed by hand.  It yields 2 large loaves (or 8 mini loaves).  You could easily cut the recipe in half to make just one loaf.  The day it's baked it has a wonderful crusty top.  I do enjoy that crust, but I find that I really enjoy the bread best after it's been sealed in a zip top bag for 2+ days.  Though the bread is moist the day you bake it, it's gets even more moist and it seems the flavors really meld together if you can stand to wait 2 days.  The crusty top goes away due the amount of moisture that redistributes through the bread, but the enhanced flavor and incredible moistness are so worth it!  It stores beautifully for upwards of a week. 

This is most definitely my go to pumpkin bread recipe and I look forward to making many more loaves.

Enjoy!

*Note recipe updated on 2/19/2013  to include an originally omitted ingredient (sugar)

Pumpkin Bread

from Sharon's Family

Makes 2 large loaves (9x5)

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2/3 cup water

4 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup oil (Crisco Corn Oil is recommended, but any vegetable oil would be fine)

2 cups pumpkin puree (unsweetened)

 

Butter and flour two 9x5 loaf pans.  Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl until fully combined.  Whisk eggs, water, and vanilla together in a medium bowl or a large glass measuring cup (at least 2 cup size).  Make a well in the flour and add the wet ingredients.  Add the oil and pumpkin puree.  Fold together with rubber spatula until fully combined and no streaks of flour remain.

Divide between loaf pans and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes: To make chocolate chip pumpkin bread stir 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips into the fully mixed batter.  I also prefer to use fresh grated nutmeg if possible. 

French Toast and the Bread Maker

Hubby has taken a serious interest in bread making.  When he first started on this journey about 6 months ago, I kind of figured it would be short lived, maybe a few weeks.  But it seems his new found forage into the world of bread is turning out to be more of an undiscovered passion.  Hubby is a science guy at heart, which is very much required to get exactly the right combination of flour, yeast, salt and water...the basis of nearly all bread recipes.  Hubby has been doing quite a bit of research on bread.  I use good old fashioned cookbooks and of course food blogs when I want to take on a new food project.  Hubby has a tablet and You Tube.  I don't know how many videos he's watched on bread making, but he's been checking out everything from home bread bakers to master bread makers in France, night after night.  Apparently I've been in the dark about the variety of volume of content on You Tube. 

The first type of bread he tackled was the baguette.  I want to say he made baguettes at least every other day for 2+ weeks, until he got it down.  And he wasn't just making one baguette each time, it more like 4 - 6.  That's a lot of baguettes.  They all got taste tested, but many ultimately ended up in the trash.  It was impossible for us to eat or store the amount of bread he was making.  And unfortunately, it's best eaten the day it's baked, so giving it away to friends, neighbors or passers by was a challenge.  Some of the baguettes turned in to croutons and others got sliced up and placed in the freezer for who knows what?  More croutons.  Maybe bread pudding?  Bread crumbs?  Suggestions are welcome! 

After all those baguettes, he can now make them with ease.   Although I think he longs to have access to the types of ovens used in France that provide the proper steaming capabilities required to get that wonderful crusty exterior that "makes" a baguette.  In the meantime, a pan of water at the bottom of our home oven does just fine.  

My favorite way to enjoy the baguette...warm out of the oven, sliced and dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.    

Hubs moved on from baguettes to challah bread.  Challah is a childhood favorite of his.  Again, You Tube was his source of choice.  He made 3 braid challahs, 6 braid challahs, mini single rope challahs looped around to look like a braid.  Again, it was hard to keep up.  Though some did go to waste, much of it is stored in our freezer.  Fresh or frozen, it makes a fantastic french toast (more on that shortly).  And I'm positive it will make a wonderful bread pudding, once I get around to making it! 

From challah, Hubby then went on to sourdough and that's where he's been for the last couple of months.  Sourdough is a whole other animal that requires a "starter".  This is where the whole science of bread making really begins to mystify me.  I'm sure I'm going to butcher this, but a starter is very simply, a combination of flour and water and a lot of patience.  Over time your starter catches yeast in the air.  Did you all know there is yeast in the air?  I had no idea.  When you've captured enough yeast, it starts eating the flour/water mixture and bubbles begin forming, releasing carbon dioxide (and sometimes alcohol). 

Whoa, we're getting a little too sciencey! 

You stir your starter daily and feed it more flour and water over time it starts to develop flavor.  Some bread makers have starters that have been going for decades, even hundreds of years, which totally blows my mind.  Hubby's starters are just beginning their journey.  We have starters in our fridge, on top of our fridge and on our counter top at any given time.  This magic mixture is what apparently gives the "sour" taste to sourdough bread.  Several of Hubby's starters have bit the dust but he's got a great whole wheat starter going for a while now.  For 4th of July he made a white wheat sourdough round that was insanely delicious (the white comes from the bread flour and wheat comes from the wheat starter).  It was even more delicious when we slathered it with homemade rosemary garlic butter.  Sorry, no sourdough pictures.  We were too busy eating it!

Now I'm wondering what type of bread Hubs will take on next...I have a request in for some cinnamon swirl bread. 
In the meantime, I wanted to share one of the ways I found to use some of the soft and lightly sweetened challah bread.   In search of a recipe, I consulted my favorite source, the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook.  I honed in on french toast, even though it's not typically one of my go to breakfast items.  Truth be told, if I'm going to have something sweet, I'll always opt for a piece of cake or pie for breakfast.  Seriously.  But in reality I don't have cakes or pies laying around on most days (thank God!), so I thought our bounty of challah bread would be a great opportunity to give french toast a shot. 

I have to say, I'm a convert.  I think the secret to great french toast is most definitely the type of bread you begin with.  So kudos to Hubby for making a fabulous bread!  I love how pretty challah is.

I've made this french toast twice now and have been completely smitten with the results each time.  The first go round I used fresh challah and the second (pictured below) I used frozen.  Both turning out just perfect.  And the nice thing is the same exact same instructions below can be used whether you are using fresh or frozen.  The french toast is perfumed with cinnamon and vanilla...slightly crunchy on the outside and soft inside.  Top your french toast with warm syrup, fresh preserves, berries or even a sprinkle of powdered sugar.  I am not much of a maple syrup fan so I typically use preserves, slightly warmed.  I topped our last batch with homemade jumbleberry preserves I made recently to use up a surplus of strawberries, blueberries and cherries.  The preserves were a big hit and worked really well with the french toast.  Jumbleberry recipe coming soon!

Treat you and your family to a special breakfast this weekend!

Enjoy!

P.S. I can't promise anything, but I'm working on getting Hubby to do a guest post on one of his bread making adventures.  If you are interested in hearing more about bread, leave a comment to cheer Hubby on!  He's a little shy when it comes to this sort of thing. ;)


French Toast
from Cook's Illustrated Cook Book

8 large slices of hearty white sandwich bread or challah bread
1 1/2 cups whole milk, warmed
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place a wire rack on baking sheet and place the bread on the wire rack.  Bake about 16 minutes, or until bread is dry throughout but with a slightly moist center.  Flip bread halfway through baking.  Remove bread and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and place wire rack and baking sheet back in the oven.  You will be transferring your cooked french toast to keep warm.

In 9x13 pan add milk, egg yolks, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and whisk until fully combined.  Place bread in the mixture and allow to soak about 20 seconds per side, until saturated, but not falling apart.  Transfer bread to a plate or baking sheet with a slotted spoon, allowing excess liquid to drain off. 

Heat a 12 inch skillet (I used non stick) over medium low heat and melt 1/2 tablespoon butter.  Add 2 slices of bread and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Once done transfer to the wire rack in the warm oven.  Repeat cooking process with remaining slices, cooking 2 slices at a time and adding another 1/2 tablespoon of butter for each batch.

Serve warm and top with your favorite topping such as syrup or preserves (slightly warmed) or fresh berries.

Chai Banana Bread

I almost gave up.  I've been getting Cooking Light magazine since the beginning of the year and I've had completely mediocre, non-blog-worthy, results with the three recipes I've tried to date.  Until now.  Recipe number four from the May issue turned it all around.  I guess I won't cancel my subscription just yet. 

Chai banana bread was a big success, making the previous lack luster results all worth it.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.  I measure the success of a recipe by asking is it something I would make again?  It may need some tweaks or changes, but the base recipe is solid enough to warrant a repeat.  This recipe?  Already planning it.  No further tweaking necessary (you'll see below I already did the slightest bit of tweaking).

Wondering what "chai" is?  Chai, which is a reference to masala chai, means mixed spiced tea and originates in southeast Asia (around India).  The chai spice mixture, which can vary, typically consists of things like cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorn, star anise and allspice.  Chai tea has become popular all over the world, and you can sample the Americanized version at your local Starbucks or coffee house.  Just ask for a "Chai Tea Latte".  You'll get a slightly sweetened, steamed milk beverage infused with a concentration of black tea and spices.  It's actually my favorite hot coffee house beverage (no coffee for this girl).  It reminds me of spice cookies and gingerbread.  Which is probably why it works so well with banana bread.

In this recipe there is no tea involved, just the spices.  Cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and allspice are mixed together.  A portion goes into the banana bread batter and the remainder gets mixed with powdered sugar and a touch of vanilla to create a spiced glaze to finish the bread.  The spices are present, but not overwhelming. 

This lightened up version of banana bread doesn't lack in flavor or richness.  It can easily pass for it's full fat banana bread cousin. 

I made one substitution in the recipe.  I didn't have plain yogurt on hand so I substituted fat free buttermilk.  I didn't actually have store bought buttermilk on hand either, so I made my own.  I added 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to 1/3 cup of fat free milk.  It worked perfectly!

Tip of the day - Make Your Own Buttermilk:

I always get so frustrated when I buy buttermilk at the store because I can never ever seem to use the whole container despite my best efforts.  Making your own is easy. 

To make one cup of buttermilk - Add one tablespoon of white vinegar to a glass measuring cup and then fill up to the one cup line with milk.  Let it stand for 5 minutes and stir before using. 

That's it.  No more wasted buttermilk!  You can use any type of milk you have on hand--fat free, low fat or whole milk.

*****   

Hubby and several of my co-workers sampled the bread and it was well received by all.  Hubs even went back for thirds!  This spiced twist on a classic may just become my new "go to" banana bread recipe. 

Enjoy!   

Chai Banana Bread
from Cooking Light

Notes: the instructions below are how they are laid out in the magazine.  I did make a modification on preparing this by mixing my spice mixture and then adding the 1 1/2 teaspoons of it into the dry flour mixture (instead of mixing it into the batter at the end).  I just had a hard time stepping away from the traditional method of mixing wet and ingredients separately and then combining them together at the end.  I also mixed my vanilla in with the rest of the wet ingredients.  It would probably work out just fine either with either method.


1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
1/3 cup plain non fat yogurt (I used fat free buttermilk)
5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
10 ounces all purpose flour (2 1/4 cups)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons low fat milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

You can use a stand mixer, hand mixer or just mix by hand the old fashioned way.  I used a stand mixer.  Combine bananas, yogurt, cooled melted butter and eggs until just blended.  Add sugars and mix until blended.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and beat until just blended.

In a small bowl combine the cardamom, cinnamon, ginger and allspice.  Stir 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract into the batter until just combined.  Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.  To store, wrap the bread in foil and place in a zip top bag with the air removed. 

Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, remaining spice mixture and milk until fully combined and spoon over the bread.

Parmesan and Black Pepper Biscotti

I missed my kitchen while we were away in Chicago last week.  And I'm already missing my kitchen this coming week knowing I will be in New Jersey for work Monday through Thursday.  I do enjoy eating out, but it can get old.  Since I knew that I would be home for just a few days before hitting the road again, I was anxious to jump into the kitchen and getting cooking. 

One of the recipes I made was for Secret Recipe Club (to learn about SRC pop over to their website).  You may have noticed it's been awhile since you've seen a Secret Recipe Club post.  That's because the group went on hiatus during the month of January to undergo a few changes.  Nothing major, just some logistical fine tuning.  Amanda, the founder of SRC is always looking for ways to enhance the group.  If you're interested you can now follow SRC on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.  Though a little break was nice, I am glad we are back in business.

This month I was assigned Erin's blog, A Tale of One Foodies Culinary Adventures.  From the minute I started browsing her blog, I knew I would have a hard time choosing what recipe to make.  With a nice variety of sweet and savory recipes, everything was making me hungry.  Some of the front runners were chocolate tea cakes with earl grey icing, cranberry oat scones, lemon cheesecake mousse tart, gingerbread biscotti, roasted garlic and feta walnut dip, ultimate spaghetti and meatballs and Parmesan and black pepper biscotti.  They all looked delicious.  It's evident that Erin loves food and cooking and I'm thrilled to have a new blog to follow in my Google Reader.

It was a tough decision, but in the end I decided the Parmesan and black pepper biscotti would be "the one."  I wanted something Hubby would enjoy and as a bonus it would be the perfect accompaniment to a creamy mushroom soup I was also planning to make.  And I was intrigued by the idea of a savory biscotti.  Somehow I had never thought of biscotti being savory, but it's genius really!  Erin makes this recipe on a regular basis, so I was pretty confident it would be a hit here. 

I wasn't disappointed.  The Parmesan and black pepper are both prominent flavors.  The biscotti have a firm crunch, but crumble nicely when you bite into them (no teeth breaking here!).  These savory biscuits pair well with soup (next time I'd like to make them to go alongside creamy tomato soup) or salad.  You could cut them into small chunks and use them as croutons on your favorite salad.  Or just eat them straight up.   This is good stuff!  Thanks to Erin for sharing this tasty recipe!  I'm already envisioning several repeat appearances at our house.



Parmesan and Black Pepper Biscotti
from Food & Whine via A Tale of One Foodies Culinary Adventures

2 cups flour
1 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese (use highly quality, such as Parmigiano Regiano)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coarse black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
Additional Parmesan cheese and black pepper for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degree F and line large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine flour, Parmesan, baking powder, black pepper, salt and cayenne pepper in the bowl of a large food processor and pulse until mixed.  Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

In a small whisk together eggs and milk.  Turn food processor on and stream egg and milk mixture into he bowl through the feeder tube until a sticky dough forms.  Divide dough in half and roll out each half on a lightly floured surface into a 10 inch log.  Place each log on the baking sheet and pat down to slightly flatten.  Brush each log with additional milk and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and black pepper.  Bake for 30 minutes until golden and slightly firm.  Remove from oven and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.

Transfer each log to a cutting and board and cut 1/2 inch slices at a 45 degree angle using a serrated knife.  Place slices back on the baking sheet 1/2 inch apart, cut side up.  Return to oven and cook for 10 minutes.  Flip biscotti, exposing the other cut side and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool completely on a cooling rack.

Biscotti can be stored in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper for up to a week or frozen up to a month.

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Crostini

I haven't told you all this yet, but one of my goals in 2012 is to have more regularly scheduled posting on the blog.  In my fantasy world I would like to post 5 days a week.  But in the real world I thought I should just commit to 2 days to start.  Since January rolled around I've been trying to post every Tuesday and Thursday and then a few Sundays have been thrown in for good measure.  As you can see, today is not any of those days.  It's Friday. 

I'm a little disappointed that I'm day late so early on in the game.  I don't even have a good excuse.  I had the pictures for this post done last weekend. I knew this would be a busy week and I should have written the post ahead of time.  But my usual procrastination set in and things came up.  You know, life, work, family, my cats, a business trip to Las Vegas.....and in between all that I've been completely consumed with reading the Hunger Games whenever I can get a chance.  Have you read this book yet?  It's addicting.  It's actually the first in a trilogy and I'm already on to the second.  But I have managed to pull myself away long enough to get this post up, even if it is a day later than I planned. 

Seems like this has been appetizer month around our house.  Between New Years and football games we've tried several new appetizers over the last few weeks.  This roasted red pepper crostini was born out of the need to get rid of some peppers that were reaching their peak ripeness in our fridge.  After an internet search on "red pepper appetizers" I was quickly intrigued by this recipe I found on Williams-Sonoma's website.  Hubby and I love traditional pesto made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese and olive oil.  This sounded like a fun twist, using roasted red peppers, almonds, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and parsley.  It has bold, strong and somewhat spicy flavors.  Since the garlic is raw, it, along with the cayenne, add a nice spice layer to the pesto.  The texture is rich and thick and easy to spread on the toasted baguette.

The Williams-Sonoma recipe makes it even more decadent by starting with a layer of goat cheese on the crostini and warming it in the oven before topping it with the pesto.  Since Hubby and my father-in-law aren't cheese eaters, I skipped that step.  But it's noted in the directions below and next time I make this I will do a few with cheese for me.   The recipe makes just over a cup of pesto.  One other note, I actually used 1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper which is why the pesto is more orange and pale in color (but not in flavor!). 

If you have any leftover pesto (which we did not), it could be used to turn a sandwich or homemade panini into something special.  It would also be great with pasta (but you would have to make a whole batch just for that) or it could also kick up a steamed vegetable, like broccoli. 

Since I skipped the goat cheese, I served our pesto and crostini separately and let people put as much or little as they wanted on top.  If you are looking for a fresh bold appetizer for your next football watching party, this is a great choice. 

Enjoy!
 

Roasted Red Pepper Crostini
adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Yields 24 crostini (1 cup pesto)

Ingredients:

1 baguette cut in 1/4 inch thick slices
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I used a garlic flavored olive oil)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 red bell peppers, roasted, seeds and stem removed and roughly chopped*
2 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds (to toast, place almonds in small skillet on medium low heat.  Stir until almonds are very lightly browned and become fragrant, about 5-7 minutes)
3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 ounces of soft goat cheese (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the slices of bread on the baking sheet.  Lightly brush the top sides of the bread with the olive oil.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until bread is toasted.  Bake 3 minutes longer for very crispy bread.  When bread comes out of the oven and is still warm rub each slice with one of the cloves of garlic.  Set aside.

To make the pesto, place 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the remaining clove of garlic, peppers, almonds, Parmigiano cheese, 3 tablespoons of the parsley, lemon juice and cayenne pepper into a food processor and pulse until the pesto is thick but somewhat smooth.  Pulse longer for a smoother pesto.  Season with salt and pepper to your taste and pulse a few more times to fully combine. 

When you are nearly ready to serve pre-heat your oven to 350.  Spread goat cheese on each crostini and bake for about 5 minutes until the goat cheese is soft and the bread is warmed through.   Top each crostini with the red pepper pesto and sprinkle with remaining parsley.  Serve immediately.


*We roast our peppers on the barbeque.  Just place the peppers directly on the grill over high heat and turn every 5 minutes until peppers are soft and the exterior skin will turn black.  Takes 20-25 minutes.  Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover the the bowl with plastic wrap.  Set aside and let the pepper steam for about 15 minutes.  Remove the plastic and let the peppers cool enough to handle them.  Remove the skins, stems and seeds.  Do not rinse the peppers under water.

Rosemary Cheese Straws

Hubby and I spent a quiet New Year's Eve at home this year.  We started our day with a little pre-new year's cleaning by washing the all the windows in our townhouse, inside and out.  Not an easy feat since it has never been done since we've lived here...for nearly 8 years.  Eeek! I know.  That's really bad.  And kind of gross.  And I don't have any good excuses as to why it took us so long.  We clean the inside of our house once a week (really, we do!), but apparently the windows are on the once every decade schedule!  Kind of embarrassing.  Now that we can actually see the outside world with some clarity, we might just be inspired to up the window washing schedule to once every half decade? 

Anyway, after a long morning filled with Karate Kid style "wax on" "wax off" cleaning, we spent the afternoon shopping and stocking up our fridge with fun foods to ring in the New Year. 

Originally I planned to make chicken piccata and Parmesan roasted zucchini for dinner accompanied by a bottle of Riesling.  Simple. Tasty. 

But then my mind couldn't stop thinking about a spread of appetizers instead.   Mmmmm.  An array of delicious nibbles....so many possibilities!  Appetizers seemed like the right thing to do on New Year's Eve.

Our meal of finger foods consisted of baked sweet onion dip with crackers and sweet onion stuffed mushrooms, mini lox and bagel sandwiches (for Hubby), sun dried tomato BLT bites, sauteed chicken fingers with piccata dipping sauce and these rosemary cheese straws.  They were one of the easiest things to make and one of the tastiest. 

Store bought puff pastry is the canvas for a mixture of cheeses and this fragrant, woody herb that I've been slowly warming up to over the past year.  Just a handful of ingredients are transformed into light, airy bread sticks with baked in cheesey crunch.  This recipe is versatile and you could substitute your favorite cheeses and fresh herbs.  Rosemary cheese straws would be great served simply with a glass of wine, or as an accompaniment to a soup or  salad. 

A couple of baking notes.  Don't get too carried away with rolling dough out.  I found that it was actually easier to work with the dough on a very lightly floured surface and simply stretch it with my hands to the size/shape I was looking for.  Generously brush the pastry with the egg wash and pack on the cheese/herb mixture on.  When you cut and twist each straw, some of it will fall off.  Not to worry!  Though you can make these ahead, they are really great served warm from the oven.  I made mine a bit ahead of time and just kept them wrapped in foil in a 200 degree oven to stay nice and toasty.  Who doesn't love warm bread?

We cracked open the wine, cozied up on the couch, turned on a movie and chowed down on our appetizer feast to ring in 2012.  My kind of New Year's Eve! 

How did you spend your New Year's Eve?


Rosemary Cheese Straws
adapted from Handle the Heat

Ingredients:

2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted overnight in the fridge (or on the counter in 40 minutes to an hour)
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (original recipe called for 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese (original recipe called for 1 cup of grated white cheddar cheese)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line 3 baking sheets with parchment or foil. 

In a small bowl, combine cheeses, rosemary, salt and pepper and set aside.

Unfold the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and gently use a rolling pin to stretch pastry into a 10x12 inch sheet.  Use a kitchen/pastry brush and brush egg wash over the surface of the puff pastry until completely covered.  Divide the cheese mixture in half and sprinkle evenly over each puff pastry sheet.  Gently press the mixture into the sheets. 

Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut the pastry dough in half across the long side.  Cut each half into 3/4 inch strips.  Hold the ends of each pastry strip and twist moving your hands in the opposite direction and lay each strip on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart. 

Bake for 15 minutes or until pastry puffs and turns golden brown.  Cool on baking sheets.

Sweet Pepper Soup and Herb Parmesan Crostini

I have not been a huge soup person in the past and have only made soup at home once in a while.  The weather has officially turned cool and I've been craving soup lately. I have made three soups in the last three weeks.  The first was a butternut squash soup from Cooking Light.  It was ok, but I didn't deem it blogworthy.  The second soup was chicken noodle from Cook's Illustrated.  A good solid soup, but I forgot to photograph it.  Guess that means I have to make it again.  And the third soup was this sweet pepper soup.  You will notice that I didn't reference a recipe source for this one, because it was really an amalgmation of a few recipes I came across and I'm going to deem this one my own since it was vastly different from any of the individual recipes.   

What I love about all this soup making is how easy it is.  Especially since I am not making my own stock and using store bought stock or chicken base and water.  I've been making the soup the night before we want to have it for dinner.  I have noticed this extra time allows the soup flavors to develop overnight making it even better the next day. 

I created this soup out of necessity of not wanting to waste 6 sweet bell peppers sitting in my fridge for over a week.  I was very happy with the result.  Hubby said this soup would be great with a grilled cheese sandwich and I have to agree.  We had the soup with herb parmesan crusted crostini which is great to dip in and soak up all the sweet pepper goodness.

Enjoy!


Sweet Pepper Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped into a medium dice
2 small carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
4 large garlic cloves, cut in quarters
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 sweet bell peppers, seeds and stems removed and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 cups water
4 teaspoons chicken base (if you are using chicken broth instead, use 3 cups of low sodium broth)
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 large basil leaves plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream and feta cheese to top soup

In a dutch oven or large pot, heat olive oil on medium high heat and saute the onion, carrots and garlic until the onions are cooked, about 8 minutes.  Add wine and cook on high until only about a tablespoon of wine remains.  Add peppers, water, chicken base, red pepper flakes, basil and tomato paste.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes until peppers are tender.  Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  Alternatively, use a blender or food processor to puree the soup in batches.  Strain soup into a large bowl using a fine mesh strainer.  Don't skip this step if you like a smooth soup to strain out the skin from the peppers.  Serve with a small dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of feta and freshly torn basil. 


Herb Parmesan Crostini

Ingredients:

1 baguettte
1/2 cup coarsely grated or chopped parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoon fresh chives, minced (optional)
fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Preheat  oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment. 

Cut baguette on the diagonal crosswise into 1/4 thick slices.  Mix all ingredients together and lightly spread cheese mixture onto the slices and place face up on the baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Turn the oven to broil and bake for an additional 2-3 minutes until crostini is golden brown.

Filet of Beef with Horseradish Sauce

Can you say ultimate leftovers?  This sandwich was made from left over filet of beef tenderloin with creamy horseradish sauce that Hubby and I made for our Mystery Dinner this past weekend.  Mystery Dinner is our fun new monthly activity that Hubs and I came up with as way to try new dishes at home and work together in the kitchen with a glass of wine in hand.  This month's dinner started with this 44-clove garlic soup and ended with creme brulee (to be posted on Friday).

And in between, our eyes rolled in the back our heads and closed, along with some grunting noises and murmurs like, "Mmmm", "Wow!", "Oh my God!," as we ate this filet of beef.  It was AMAZING.  It was melt in your mouth delicious. By far, the best beef we've ever made at home.  Tender, juicy, flavorful.   Heavenly, really.  I don't know if this was the wine talking, but I couldn't have been more happy with how this turned out.  And the horseradish sauce was a nice cool, creamy and spicy accompaniment.  Horseradish and beef are destined for each other. 

This was so easy to make and the ingredients couldn't be more simple.  Filet of beef, butter, salt and pepper.  That's it!  Seriously.  Goes to show you that delicious meals don't have to be complicated.

This recipe comes from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties cookbook.  Her original recipe calls for a 4 to 5 pound tenderloin but since it was just the two of us, we purchased the smallest one behind the butcher's counter at 2 pounds.  We halved the rest of the ingredients and kept the cooking time and temperature the same.  From what I understand, tenderloins are typically the same width and a larger filet is just longer and not thicker, so I didn't adjust the time in the oven.  The tenderloin goes onto a baking sheet in a 500 degree oven for exactly 22 minutes for rare and 25 minutes for medium rare.  We went with 22 minutes and it was perfect!  I recommend using an oven thermometer to verify your oven is up to temperature. 

I will say that filet of beef is not something that we buy every day.  In fact we have never bought a whole tenderloin before.  I've always wanted to make a tenderloin though, and Mystery Dinner was the perfect opportunity.  We went to our favorite butcher where we know they have the freshest, highest quality products and we forked over the credit card.  It better be high quality at $27.99 a pound!  But the splurge was worth every penny.  So incredible!  Did I mention how amazing this was? 

This would make a great special occasion dinner, like New Years Eve, Valentines Day or why not Columbus Day?  Treat yourself!

I wish I had snapped a photo of this gorgeous tenderloin the night we made it, but I have decided that I really can't stop and do a mini photo shoot in the middle of our Myster Dinner preparation.  Plus the lighting is no good at night.  But trust me when I say it was beautiful!

We got 3 meals out of the filet of beef (1 dinner and 2 lunches) which makes the price a little easier to handle.  We used  homemade dinner rolls slathered with plenty of horseradish sauce and stacked with beef for these tasty little sandwiches.  If only all leftovers were this good. 

If you are beef lover and have never tried to make a filet of beef tenderloin at home, you have to try it.  It really couldn't be easier! 



Filet of Beef
adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties

Serves 4

1 whole filet of beef (tenderloin), about 2 pounds, fat trimmed away and tied (your butcher will do this for you at no charge if you ask)
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degree F.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  Pat the filet dry with a paper towel.  Rub the beef with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper on all sides.  Bake for exactly 22 minutes for rare or 25 minutes for medium rare.  Remove from oven and transfer beef to a cutting board and cover tightly with foil.  Allow it to rest 15-20 minutes at room temperature.  Remove strings and slice in thick slices, 1/2 - 1 inch thick.  Serve with horseradish sauce (recipe below).

Horseradish Sauce
adapted from Food.com

1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish (more if you like it spicy)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use. 

Pumpkin Cheddar Muffins

This marks the 7th recipe for the Club: Baked online baking group.  We are making our way though Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.  The group started on July 1st and we are baking twice a month, on the 1st and 15th.  Every 2 weeks or so one participant chooses a recipe for the entire group to make and post about.   It's a great way to learn new things and learn from each others experiences with a particular recipe.  This week, Billie of Chocolate and Chakra was our hostess and she selected pumpkin cheddar muffins.

Pumpkin and cheddar cheese in a muffin?  

I have to admit I was skeptical.

I love pumpkin and I love cheddar...but together?  What I have learned is I really shouldn't knock a recipe until I try it.  This recipe surprised me.  Though this muffin technically falls into the savory category, it still has a slightly sweet component.  Kind of like cornbread is savory and sweet.  The pumpkin and cheddar are both very mild and the muffin has just a hint of fall flavor.  It has a nice soft and moist interior with a slightly chewy texture on the outside with the crisp bits of cheese.  And it pairs nicely with soup.

I made half the recipe and ended up with 6 muffins which was perfect for Hubby and me.  The muffins are best served warm.  You can pop them into a 200 degree oven while you are getting the rest of your meal together. 

Hubby and I both enjoyed the muffins, but it wasn't love at first sight.  I probably won't be making them again anytime soon.  There are too many other recipes out in the world that I want to try.  But I'm glad I now know how pumpkin and cheddar work together.  It's not such a crazy idea afterall.  Thanks to Billie for hosting this week.  If pumpkin cheddar muffins sound intriguing you can head over to Billie's blog to get the recipe.

To join our baking adventure head over to the Club: Baked site and get in touch with Karen.  The next recipe up on the roster is Sawdust Pie on October 15th. 

Easy Corn Muffins with Honey Butter and Barbecued Baby Back Ribs

Hubby and I started and ended our summer with a hearty meal of ribs and cornbread.  For Memorial Day we made ribs for the first time.  We had purchased 3 racks of baby back ribs from Costco and froze two of them.  We decided another rack of ribs would be a great way to wrap up Labor Day weekend.  To check out our Memorial Day feast click here. 

Though the Memorial Day ribs were a success, the cornbread I made was not.  In fact I had to make it twice and it still didn't turn out right so I never bothered posting about it.  I thought Labor Day weekend was the perfect time to redeem myself.  I decided to go with a completely different cornbread recipe this time.  I remembered seeing corn muffins several months back over on Tuesdays with Dorie, the online group of bakers making their way through Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours.  The reviews were good so I gave it a go.

Redemption!  I am happy to say these were a big success.  Dorie calls these muffins the "Corniest Corn Muffins".  They have niblets of corn inside the batter, corn meal for texture and a little sugar to sweeten them.  I used frozen corn in the batter and next time I would like to try it with fresh kernels cut off the cob.  I also added in a little extra sugar because I like a sweeter muffin.  These muffins are easy to make and delicious. Especially with a generous dab of honey butter on top. This recipe is my new "go to" corn muffin recipe.

Now, the ribs.  Our ribs were tasty but a little on the blackened side this time.  Hubs didn't turn them as often as he should have causing the sugar in the barbecue sauce to burn a bit.  I am still sharing the recipe since we made it successfully before.  Just remember to keep an eye on your ribs and turn them frequently on the grill to prevent burning.  Ribs are easier to make than I thought, but they do take a little time. They start in the oven with a little barbecue sauce and steam beneath a foil covered baking dish for about an hour.  Then the ribs get transferred outside to the barbeque and are grilled and basted with more barbecue sauce until they have the lacquered finish you are looking for.  Ours took about 10 minutes.

This time we paired our ribs and corn muffins with grilled asparagus and zucchini parmesan crisps.  It was a ton of food and I'm still overly full as I type this post about 2 hours later.  The sad part is I keep thinking about when I will be hungry again so I can have another corn muffin with honey butter.  Yum.

Corniest Corn Muffins
from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours

Makes 12 regular size muffins

1 cup flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
6 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional) - I used already ground nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
3 tablespoons corn oil - I used vegetable oil
1 cup corn niblets (frozen, fresh or canned, drained and patted dry)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prepare a 12 cup muffin by spraying the wells with non stick cooking spray or lining with muffin liners if you are using.  Place the prepared muffin tin on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.  In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and oil together until thoroughly combined.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula quickly, yet gently, to full combine.  Don't worry if there are lumps.  Don't over mix.  Gently fold in the corn kernels.  Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.  Note: I filled mine just a 1/4 inch or less from the top and they didn't bulge over...they were just right.

Bake for 15 - 18 minutes until lightly golden and toothpick or thin knife comes out clean.  Mine took exactly 15 minutes.  Cool muffin tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Turn muffins and continue cooling on the rack.  Serve with honey butter (see recipe below).


Honey Butter

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons of honey
Pinch of fine sea salt

In a small bowl combine butter, honey and salt and stir vigorously until the honey is fully incorporated into a smooth butter.  You can add additional honey if you like a sweeter butter.  Serve butter at room temperature.  Store butter in the refrigerator and remove about 30 minutes before you plan to serve it.


Barbecued Baby Back Ribs
adapted from Paula Deen

2 racks of baby back ribs, each rack cut in half
3 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce - we used KC Masterpiece Private Reserve (from our favorite place....Costco of course!).  Sweet Baby Ray's is another favorite store bought sauce.  For Paula Deen's barbecue sauce recipe click here.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Rub the racks of ribs with 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce (or more if you are feeling extra saucy).  Place the ribs, meat side down, in a large casserole baking dish.  The racks will overlap a bit.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour or until the meat starts to pull away from the bone.  Remove the ribs from oven and pre-heat your grill to medium/high heat.  Brush ribs to coat generously with the sauce and grill for 2-3 minutes and turn them over and repeat the brushing with sauce, grilling and turning until the ribs are a little crisp on the outside, about 10 minutes.  Let ribs rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

Nancy's Mexican Cornbread and 3-Day for the Cure

Today's post is a special one.  It's about cornbread.  And it's about breast cancer.  I know that cancer isn't as fun to talk about as cornbread.  But life isn't always as simple as cornbread, unfortunately.  Sometimes things like cancer show up on our doorstep one day and things change.

Let's begin the story with the fun stuff...the cornbread. 

This is no ordinary cornbread.  Normally I think of cornbread as a side served with chili or ribs.  Nancy's Mexican Cornbread is no side dish.  It's the main course.  This delicious southern style cornbread is baked in a cast iron skillet and is filled with hearty ground beef, onions, jalapenos and cheese.  It's warm, delicious comfort food.  Serve it with home made salsa (recipe to be posted later this week) and sour cream, chopped cilantro or some avocado slices and you have a seriously tasty dish on your hands. 

It presents beautifully in pie shaped wedges.  And the best part is it's really easy to make.   You mix up the cornbread batter and pour half the batter into a 10 inch cast iron skillet.  Pile on the delicious filling....browned ground beef, onion, jalapenos and cheese and then top with the remaining batter.  Baking it in the iron skillet gives the cornbread a nice crisped outer edge that I love.  No one would ever know what yummy flavors lie inside.  This dish would be great for dinner or brunch and looks great served straight from the skillet.

This Mexican Cornbread recipe is extra special because it comes from my close friend Shannon's Mom, Nancy.  Thanks for sharing Nan!  We met Shannon 10 years ago when Hubby and I were living in Chicago and she has been one of my best pals ever since.   She has a fabulous sense of humor and always makes me laugh.  Even during difficult times, like last year when I fought against breast cancer (and won, by the way)!

At 36 years old I was diagnosed with breast cancer and it was scary and confusing.  I had a lump in my left breast and after a number of tests it was determined that I most likely had stage 1 with a slow growing type of cancer.  Which is actually good news in the cancer world!?  But that's when the confusion really set in.  Because of the type of cancer I had, there were a number of options, including removal of both girls (even though only one had cancer!) and reconstruction, removing just the tumor (a.k.a "Fred" as Hubby named it), various radiation treatments, possible chemo and hormone therapy.  It was all very overwhelming and Hubby and I met with umpteen doctors to explore all the options.  Ultimately I ended up having just the tumor removed followed by partial radiation.  I was lucky and did not have to have chemotherapy.  And the best news is I continue to remain cancer free!

What was most impressive about going through this process was the amazing treatment options that were available.  My radiation therapy was a newer advancement in radiation treatment that cut the radiation time down from 30 - 35 treatments to just 5 treatments.  As little as a decade ago, breast cancer was a condition that often resulted in mastectomy as the standard course of treatment.  Today there are a number of possible treatment paths that can be taken depending on the situation.  

These amazing strides have been made possible by so many people, including the wonderful groups out there raising money for breast cancer research and support.  The Susan G. Komen organization is the leading non profit group focused on raising money for this cause.   I am incredibly humbled by all the women that have come before me and battled with this disease as well as the talented medical professionals who have been treating breast cancer over the last several decades.  Their experiences coupled with organizations like Susan G. Komen, have made the advanced treatment options that are available today possible.  

So how does this all tie back to my good friend, Shannon (besides her fabulous sense of humor keeping me smiling during a sucky time)?  She was inspired by my battle with breast cancer and decided to sign up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure, 60 mile walk.  I was so touched that my experience inspired her to commit her time and effort to walk 60 miles in support of breast cancer.  60 miles is a lot of miles!  To quote Shannon's 3-Day for the Cure web page, "3 DAYS (wow), 60 MILES (where's the Ben-Gay?), NO SHOWER......NO PROBLEM." See what I mean about her sense of humor? :)

What Shannon didn't know when she signed up for this great cause, was that just a few months later, her own mother would also be diagnosed with breast cancer.  Nancy's battle with breast cancer has been much more complex and difficult than my own.  Shannon describes her Mom's cancer as being "a lot like the mexican cornbread, simple at first glance then when you cut into it, 'SURPRISE', but in a bad way."  You see initially Nancy's cancer was thought to be similar to my own situation.  But upon getting the pathology results back after her first surgery it was revealed that she actually had two kinds of cancer.  One slow growing and one very aggressive.  Thankfully they caught it early. 

Shannon and Nancy

Nancy is kicking cancer's butt and taking names as we speak!  She has had multiple surgeries and continues to endure chemotherapy and weekly IV infusions.  She is 2/3 of the way through her chemotherapy treatment and will be finished in September. She is also on a breakthrough drug called Herceptin which hinders the growth of new cancer cells and will finish with that part of her treatment in Spring of 2012.  Shannon says Nancy is doing fantastic considering everything and that "she's rockin' the bald look" and wears it well! 

Shannon's takeaway message/life lesson that she has has learned from this experience is that if you are diagnosed with breast cancer, get yourself a TEAM of doctors so that the communication and continuity of care is part of your treatment process. 

I concur with Shannon and say to anyone out there who has been diagnosed to not be afraid to ask questions.  Don't be afraid to get a second or even third opinion.  This is a complicated disease and education is key to determining the path of treatment best for you and your circumstance.

Donate to a great cause!

Shannon has been training for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure most of the year and she kicks off the first leg of the 60 mile walk this coming Friday, August 5th, in the Chicago area.  Please join me in supporting Shannon on her walk and head over to her donation page by clicking here.  Shannon has raised $2,500 as of the date of this post I'm hoping that we can help her raise even more for this very important cause. 

If you want to learn more about my personal experience, you can head over my blog Gloria vs. Fred that I set up to keep my friends and family informed during my journey last year.  I had previously kept this blog available to friends and family, but I think it's important to share it with a larger audience.  If any part of my story helps just one person with their own journey then it is a success. 

Thank you so much to Shannon and Nancy for letting me share their story with those who read my blog.  You are both amazing and inspirational women!

If you would like to make a contribution to further breast cancer research and support head over to Shannon's donation page.

Oh, and you should totally make this cornbread. It's delicious!

Nancy's Mexican Cornbread

1 cup yellow cornmeal plus 3 tablespoons
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons oil
1 15 oz can creamed corn
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, chopped (use according to taste)
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter or oil to grease your baking pan

Preheat oven to 350. 

Brown ground beef in a large skillet and season the meat with salt and pepper.  Drain fat off and set ground beef aside.   

Use butter or oil to grease a 10 inch cast iron skillet.  Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of cornmeal to coat bottom and sides of the skillet. 

In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt and stir until well combined.  Add milk, egg, oil, and creamed corn and stir until well combined.

Pour half of the cornbread mixture into the prepared skillet.  Spread ground beef evenly over the cornbread mixture.  Spread the onions, jalapenos over the top of the beef.  Top with cheese and then pour remaining cornbread mixture over the cheese and spread to cover evenly. 

Place skillet in the oven and bake for 50 - 60 minutes, until cornbread is golden brown and springs back to the touch.  Cool for 15 minutes and cut into wedges.  Serve with your favorite salsa, sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Note: If you don't have a 10 inch cast iron skillet you can use a 9x13 baking dish and make 1.5 times the recipe noted above and follow the same baking instructions.