Manicotti

 

 

Warning! The recipe you are about to read was eaten by both the 7 yr old AND the 2 yr old!  I didn't lose anyone, did I?  :)

I struggled with what to name this recipe.  The recipe I followed was called "Beef and Cheese Manicotti", but I made mine with turkey (because I'm a convert, remember?).  And somehow "Turkey Manicotti" didn't sound very appetizing.  So simply "Manicotti" it is.  Ohhh, how about this one "Manicotti so good your kids will eat it!" ?  Moving on...

I traded out the ground beef for ground turkey and traded out the pork sausage for turkey sausage.  I also ignored the recommendation to use full fat ricotta, opting instead for the part skim milk version.  And, unfortunately, I had to forget about the parsley, 'cause Lord knows if the 7 yr old spotted anything green then all bets were going to be off ;)

One quick rant: Is it really asking too much for your ENTIRE package of manicotti to be intact when you open the box?!  The answer is yes, apparently.  Anywho. 

I should also let you know that there's really only one way to stuff these bad boys, and that is by hand.  Yep, there's just no way around having to use your fingers to poke the stuffing into place. 

These are fantastic!  Delizioso! Squisito! Prelibato!  Ok, I'm finished googling Italian now ;)  Won't you give this recipe a try?

Manicotti

Recipe adapted from From my Teeny Tiny Kitchen via her idol Giada De Laurentiis

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 pound turkey sausage
Salt and black pepper
14 (8-ounce package) manicotti
1 (15-ounce) container part skim ricotta
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups marinara sauce
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Directions

Heat a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and onion. Cook until the onion begins to soften. Add the garlic, sausage and ground trukey. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent. Remove from the heat, and cool.

Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet. Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool.

Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan.  Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over.

Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, then the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with the butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

 

Tie-Dye Cupcakes

I think tie-dye cupcakes are the "in" thing right now.  And y'all know how I much I hate feeling left out.  What else could I do, except for make the darn things myself?  Dozens of examples are floating around out there, but, by far, the most beautiful ones I've seen came from Delightfully Dowling.  Go ahead and check out her photos.  They are 54% cuter than mine :)

I knew the 7 yr old was going to be super excited about these.  We actually decided to make them for my mom's birthday.  So, said 7 yr old requested that I wait for him to get home from school so he could help.  Only it turns out he had different plans once he got home.  And it was called Mario Kart Wii.  So "we" should make these turned into "I" could go ahead and make these ;)  Glutton for Punishment, party of one!  I'm only kidding.  These were fun. 

Since the idea was all about having fun with the presentation, these were made with a Betty Crocker white cake mix and Betty Crocker vanilla icing.  Does it have to be Betty Crocker, you ask?  Yes.  And the reason is simple: Box Tops!!  It's true, I'm a sucker for a Box Top.

I followed the directions from Delightfully Dowling:
After mixing the cake up per the package instructions, divide the batter evenly among 6 bowls and use food coloring to make your tie-dye colors.

Place a small spoonful of each color into each cupcake liner, stacking the colors on top of one another and not swirling.  Bake as directed.

For the frosting: divide between 6 bowls and use the food coloring to make the same colors as the cupcake batter.  Fit a piping bag with a wilton 22 tip (or whichever you like, I suppose).  Put a spoonful of each icing in the bag (I found this part a bit tricky).  Try going around the side with 4 colors and then put the last 2 in the center.  Pipe icing in a circular pattern on top of cooled cupcakes.



Semi Wordless Wednesday

  

New Running Shoes!!

I like an ankle sock, as opposed to a no-show.  Just an observation.  Doesn't anyone get a back-of-the-heel-blister from those no-shows??

The perfect running shoes.  After only 2 runs, I can already tell a difference.  Shouldn't Brooks compensate me for saying that?!  ;)

Now you wanna see the pretty Nikes that were killing, and I do mean killing, my knees and ankles?

They have a purple swoosh for crying out loud!  I just don't understand how I could have gone wrong with a purple Nike, ya know?

But now that I've got my Brooks? I'm all like 'Forget you'
Yes, my life is a musical if anyone hasn't picked up on that yet  :)

Fried Okra Salad

This is me playing food stylist.  :)  I actually saw a picture of this salad somewhere and then set out to re-create it.  And then I amused myself trying to make it look "just so".  Like a presentation you might find in a restaurant.  Or something like that.  You know, it's harder than it looks.  Stuff just doesn't stay where you put it ;)

And this was my first attempt at working with fresh okra.  The inspiration picture showed whole pieces of okra on top of the salad, so I knew the pre-breaded stuff in the freezer section just wasn't going satisfy my copy cat desires.  One problem: I don't know how to bread okra!  I mean, I guess I could have googled it, but where's the fun in that?  Here's what I did, I washed it up and chopped the stems off obviously then dipped each piece in half-and-half and then coated it in a mixture of equal parts cornmeal and all-purpose flour.  Then fried it in vegetable oil.  Acutally, I thought it tasted pretty good!  The breading didn't stick very well to the okra so there must be a better way of doing it.  I'll research it before attempting again ;)

Here's what I used, but feel free to improvise to suit your fancy:

one head of Romaine lettuce, cut up

sliced avacado

shredded cheddar cheese

hard boiled egg, sliced

a few strips of crispy bacon, crumbled

fresh, battered, fried okra

And homemade Ranch dressing.  You just can't beat the homemade stuff, am I right?!  Plus I can justify it as "healthy" because I use light mayo and skim milk to make mine :)

I've been meaning to...

I've been meaning to write an Autism post, you know, it being April and all.  And I felt the nudge a little bit more when I read this post in which the author refers to the varying degrees of anonymity one encounters in the blogosphere, and in which she states she's conviced these anonymous bloggers must be in the Witness Protection Program.  I laughed because I knew I was one of those bloggers of which she was speaking.  And I laughed even harder because the first thing that came to mind was "You down with WPP?"  Yes, I realize that if you are more than a couple of years plus or minus my age then you have no idea of the song I just referenced.  And let's just keep it that way, cause it wasn't even that good of a song back in its day.

I really wanted to write a heartfelt post that was informative, yet witty at the same time.  But then I realized this gal Lynn done wrote it. (And I don't mean that to sound catty at all.)  She blogs over at Autism Army Mom, and I'm pretty sure she's covered any and everything I could want to say on the subject.  And with more wit than I could have ever pulled off, fo sho! When I first discovered her blog, it was one of those moments in which I wanted to kick myself because 1.) it's just so brilliant and 2.) I should have thought of it first!  :) Take the name of her blog for example: My Life as an Ungraceful, Unhinged, and Unwilling Draftee into the Autism Army.  Let's break this down: Ungraceful? Yep.  I mean, I *did* kinda earn my title as THAT mother at my son's school.  Unhinged?  Yeah, I don't think there's anyone who would argue with me on that one.  Unwilling Draftee?  Check.  See? It's me.  In a nutshell, there's nary a post of hers that doesn't have me nodding along in agreement.  Or laughing, sort of hyena like, because I have so been there.  Oh, have I been there.

This woman lives in my world!  Why do I find comfort in that? So rather than reinvent the wheel, I thought I'd link to a few of her posts that resonated me.  But feel free to read any others that grab your attention ;)

Like when she points out the irony of Autism Awareness Day falling on April Fool's Day
Or Directing Traffic, particularly the next to last paragraph...I've shared this one with everyone I know!
My Little Pony is Ruining My Life - Ok, so it isn't My Little Pony at my house.  But I, for one, totally understand the title is Not hyperbole

I think I just totally took the easy way out there!  Hmm, so where does that leave me? I think it leaves me STILL meaning to write my own Autism post :)  It's on the agenda...

Fiesta Chowder

Yum. Yum. YUM!  I made this chowder a couple of weeks ago when we were having a super cold spell.  It was so good that I'm finding myself craving a bowl as I uploaded the picture. 

The word "Quick" at the top of the recipe page is what drew my attention to this recipe.  It's not bad, but once again, I don't consider having to cube raw chicken breasts to be a speedy process.  But that aside, this dish did come together quickly and easily.  Is everyone familiar with taco soup?  This reminds me of a chicken version of taco soup.  So that's the way I ended up serving it...with tortilla chips and shredded cheddar cheese.

The 7 yr old loves taco soup, so he was an easy sell when I told him it was just taco soup with chicken.  And if memory serves correctly, I believe he ate two bowls of it.  The 2 yr old wouldn't touch it.  Now that the weather is getting warmer, we don't often make much soup.  But I've been known to do strange things such as that :)  This recipe is definitely a keeper, so there's a chance I'll be making it again before cooler weather returns.

Fiesta Chowder

Recipe from Southern Living All-Time Favorites p. 353

3 Tbls all-purpose flour

1 pkg fajita seasoning, divided

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (I only used 2 since the chicken breasts are scary huge these days)

3 Tbls vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14 1/2 oz) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes (you might have to look closely at the grocery store, I nearly missed them)

1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles

3 cups water

1 cup uncooked instant brown rice

1 (2 1/4 oz) can sliced ripe olives

1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed nacho cheese soup

3 Tbls chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbls lime juice

Directions

Combine flour and 2 Tbls fajita seasoning in a zip-lock plastic freezer bag; add chicken. Seal and shake to coat.

Cook chicken in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat, stirring often, 4 minutes or until browned.  Reduce heat to medium-high; add onion and garlic.  Saute 5 minutes.  Stir in remaining fajita seasoning, corn , and next 6 ingredients.  Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 5 minutes.  Remove lid and stir in nacho cheese soup, 3 Tbls chopped cilantro, and lime juice.  Serves 8 to 10

Chicken with Peppers and Olives

I think I was initially attracted to this recipe because of all the bright colors.  The original recipe called for green olives, which I don't really care for, so I thought I'd throw in black olives in their place. 

It's a bit difficult to tell from the picture which are chunks of chicken and which are chunks of bread.  I'll admit I was a little confused by the french bread cubes in this recipe....until I got to the end.  Perhaps I should have read the recipe a little more closely before diving in :)  In hindsight, I would have made the bread cubes slightly smaller.  Actually what you're doing is turning them into croutons.  And tasty croutons, at that!  I kept popping a few in my mouth as I was waiting for the chicken and vegetables to cook. 

This recipe is touted as being a quick weeknight fix.  Maybe so, but only if you do the prep work ahead of time.  Or maybe I'm just really lousy with a knife (which I will totally stipulate to).  But I don't necessarily consider cubing chicken breasts to be a speedy process.

Don't let me mislead you though.  The prep work is totally worth it.  I loved this meal and will definitely make it again.  The kids? Not so much.  I ended up picking out a few pieces of chicken for them with a side of croutons :) 

And I suppose I don't have to mention that I left out the dry sherry? ;)

Chicken with Peppers and Olives

Recipe from Apples and Twinkies

2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
4 clove(s) garlic, thinly sliced
4 cup(s) 1-inch cubed Italian bread
1 pound(s) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt
Pepper
3 medium (6- to 8-ounce) peppers, preferably red, yellow, and orange, very thinly sliced
1 medium shallot, chopped
3 tablespoon(s) dry sherry
2 tablespoon(s) water
1 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup(s) pitted green olives, slivered (or black olives if you're me)
2 tablespoon(s) finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (sorry, I never have this stuff)

Directions

1. In 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil and half of garlic on medium until garlic begins to sizzle. Add bread and stir until well coated. Cook 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, stirring occasionally. Transfer to large platter.
2. Wipe out same skillet and add remaining tablespoon oil; heat on medium-high until hot. Add chicken and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Transfer to medium bowl.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add peppers. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until peppers are just beginning to soften. Add shallots and remaining garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in sherry and water, scraping up any browned bits. Cook 3 to 4 minutes longer or until peppers are very soft. Return chicken to skillet along with any juices. Cook 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove skillet from heat and stir in lemon juice, olives, parsley, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Pour chicken mixture over croutons. Serve immediately.

Semi Wordless Wednesday

  

***For the record, I haven't abandoned cooking, y'all!  In fact, I have lots of food pictures on my camera just waiting to be blogged about :) ***

But today I shall endeavor to get this song out of my head by sticking it into YOUR head.  You're welcome :)  There's a slight possibility that I've changed a few of the lyrics.

Sorry, I cannot hear you, I'm kinda busy. K-kinda busy. K-kinda busy.  Just a second it's my favorite song they're gonna play, and I cannot text you with a train in my hand, eh.

Stop callin', stop callin' I don't wanna talk anymore. I left my trains and my tracks on your living room floor.

Sometimes I feel like I live in Grand Central Station!  Tonight I'm not takin' no calls cause I'll be playin' trains.  'Cause I'll be playin' trains.





A runner I am not

So, you'll proabably remember when I mentioned the Couch to 5k program.  Who's idea was this anyway?  Oh shoot, I think it was mine!  What was I thinking?  Believe me when I tell you that I've never ran a day in my life.  Walk?  Oh yes, I can walk.  I love walking.  I could walk until my legs fell off, I think.

And you'll probably remember how excited I was to get started.  And you'll probably remember how I was still excited a couple of weeks into it.  Well, yesterday was Week 4 Day 1 and I can officially say that all enthusiasm has evaporated.  Yesterday tried to kill me.   Some of you may thinking I'm kidding.  I'm not.  But I finished it, and that counts for something!  I couldn't talk when it was over.  Mainly because the only words coming to mind were all four-letter ones and I decided it wouldn't do any of us any good for me to blurt out an incoherent string of cuss words.

But I did go into a specialty shoe store to be fitted for the perfect running shoes.  It seems reasonable enough that the proper shoes should relieve the agony that my ankles and knees are feeling, right?  At least that's what the guy at the shoe store said.  Of course, he IS a shoe salesman.  But he wouldn't tell me that just to make me buy the shoes, right?  Well, "my" shoes weren't in stock so I'm waiting ever so patiently for the phone call that they've arrived.  So I guess it wasn't fair to say ALL enthusiasm has evaporated.  Because I'm terribly excited to try running with my new shoes.  And if that doesn't help?  Well then I.just.don't.know.

I have lots of questions.  Like: Am I doing this wrong?  Are some people built for running and some aren't? Like Sara, who set out to run 15 miles and accidentally ran 20 miles.  Don't worry, Sara, I've got nothing but love for ya! :)  You're my inspiration! 

I mean I'm not exactly a couch potato.  Of course I don't claim to be in shape either.  I think I'm what they call a "skinny fat girl".  What? Don't hate.  I looked it up on the Urban Dictionary: "A physique, while not overweight (and possibly underweight), lacks any visible lean, striated tissue".  I dunno.

But I did come up with my own description yesterday to explain the whole C25K program:   It gets couch potatoes in shape to run a 5k in 9 weeks....or die trying.  So that's where I'm at.  The die trying part.  'Cause a runner I am not, but a quitter I most certainly am not!  :)

Here's the schedule if case you're unfamiliar with the C25K. 

Week	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3
1	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
2	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
3	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
4	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
5	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
6	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 25 minutes) with no walking.
7	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).
8	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).
9	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

via Cool Running

Lemon Chicken and Asparagus

I had a hard time trying to decide which recipe I wanted to share this week.  This one won out because 1) I think (hope) it will appeal to a wide variety of people, and 2) it's the perfect time of year for these flavors!!  I found this recipe recently over at Sing For Your Supper and I just think Amy and her blog are both quite endearing.  Not to mention the fact that I've yet to be disappointed with one of her recipes!

I gotta say though, that I always "overcook" my vegetables.  The whole "crisp-tender" thing doesn't work for me.  So if you're with me on this, make sure you allow extra time in the oven for your asparagus.  And then it's juuuuust perfect!  :) 

Amy served her dish with mashed potatoes as the side so I decided to follow suit.  I happen to think it's a great combo, so jump on the bandwagon and join us!

This dish didn't impress the kiddos too much.  The 7 yr old didn't like the sweetness of the yellow peppers and lemon.  And he wasn't about to try the asparagus! But I can't really blame him; I wouldn't have at his age either. 

Anywho.  This dish is super delicious.  Hope you'll give it a try!



Lemon Chicken and Asparagus
Recipe from Sing For Your Supper

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the asparagus
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped or cut into thin strips
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon flour
salt and pepper
juice of one large lemon
1 bunch fresh asparagus

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Lay the asparagus in a single layer on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake for about 6-8 minutes, until just barely tender. (Or just until way beyond tender, if you're me!) Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook, turning the pieces so they cook evenly, for about 5 minutes. Add in the peppers. Cook for an additional 5 minutes then using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and peppers to a plate and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk the flour into the drippings left in the skillet. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice. Whisk constantly until the sauce starts to thicken slightly. Add the chicken and peppers back in and cook for 5-7 minutes.
Spoon the chicken, peppers and sauce over the asparagus and serve.

Lemon Sugar Cookies

You ever notice how certain things seem to take the blogosphere by storm?  I think these cookies might be one of those things.  So, not being one who likes to feel left out, I decided to make me some!  And because lemons make the world go 'round. 

Really, I was hoping for a KA-POW! of lemon flavor.  They didn't have that, but still delicious none the less. This recipe called for the zest of one lemon, but I seriously think I may have been quite happy with the zest of, say, a dozen lemons  :) 

These cookies baked up beautifully.  Soft, chewy and moist.  And melt in your mouth.  And who am I to argue with that?!  Homemade cookies are the way to go! Don't get me wrong, I've made my fair share of the refrigerated cookie-dough cookies, but there's just something so unbelievably good about the homemade ones.  And these are easy enough.  They don't require any rolling out or the use of cookie cutters.  Double score!! 



/>

Lemon Sugar Cookies

Recipe from My Baking Addiction

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one large lemon, finely minced
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.
4. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest.
5. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
6. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.
7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.
8. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

A Heavy Heart this Semi Wordless Wednesday

 Have you ever had a heavy heart before?  One weighed down with sadness?  That's what I have.  

I donated blood yesterday in honor of Amanda Franklin

via

I don't know her.  She's the friend of a friend.  My best friend from college, to be exact.  

via

  

via

You can read the awesome story of her and her husband here.  Two people destined to be together, no doubt.  This is the kind of stuff you only find in movies. 

You can read the story of their tragic accident here

You can keep updated on Amanda's recovery or leave an encouraging word here

To help with medical costs go here or here and specify that it is for Kyle and Amanda Franklin

Guest Blogging

I'm the guest blogger over at Kelli Hates today!

I'm probably waaaay more excited about this than I should be.  What can I say? I'm easily entertained :) 

Here's the deal: I was asked (by one of my favorite bloggers, no less!!) if I would like to guest blog on her site.  Well, heck yeah!!  It's actually a whole week of guest bloggers.  Or 'Guest Hates' as they've been dubbed.  But we'll get to that in a minute. 

Today is my 15 minutes of fame, so head on over to Kelli Hates and check it out!!  Here's how Kelli describes her blog: "From the ridiculous to the mundane, Kelli directs her hate at something new everyday."  This is done in an often silly maner, and keep in mind that it's all in the spirit of fun.  Just adding a little humor to some of the annoying little observations about life.

I hope you'll take the time to read some of Kelli's own Kelli Hates while you're there.  And if you love her sense of humor as much as I do you'll want to follow her!  But if you don't have a tumblr account...which who in the world does? Sorry, Kelli! :) ...you can find her on facebook.  Yep, just type in Kelli Hates.  Easy Peasy.

Meal Planning Monday

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.  Or something like that.  Or maybe you just need to realize when it's time to jump on the OrgJunkie bandwagon :)  While mine and Jen's blog hop didn't quiiiite take off, OrgJunkie has some 400 participants each week in her meal planning blog hop.  Yeah. 

Monday-  Find yo own supper! (Do I say that a lot?  But, hey, Mondays are super busy! Consider yourself lucky if you even find TIME to eat. Seriously.)

Tuesday- Lemon Chicken and Asparagus

Wednesday- Quick Chicken and Dumplings

Thursday- Fried Okra Salad

Friday- Brunch Casserole and fruit

As usual, I'm trying out new recipes so be sure to check back in the coming week for the recipes!  I have a few from last week that I'm still needing to post. 

Who's wondering about the C25K?!?  :)  Well, it's Week 3! Hooray!  Small children and weather can really wreak havoc on an exercise plan, no?  Kidding! We're working around that.  But lemme tell ya, I'm finally sore.  And I have a feeling that it's only going to get worse.  But I'm still excited!!  That counts for something :)

Banana Bread French Toast



What can I say? Except that if you don't give this banana bread french toast a try, then you're missing out.  Big time!  I'm not the original brainchild behind this fantastic idea.  The husband and I visited the Grand Canyon back before we had children.  We decided we should probably eat a good breakfast before hiking down into the canyon and so we stopped into a restaurant at one of the lodges.  I don't remember exactly what I ordered but I vaguely remember something about eggs and fried potatoes.  (See? You knew I was gonna say potatoes, right?) But...BUT the husband ordered banana bread french toast!  And it was so incredibly good!  And I thought I could totally make this!  And I have a couple of times over the years.

A few nights ago I came home from my run (well, I like to call it that, but it's a lot more like a slow jog.  Anywho) and I discovered the husband in the kitchen...wait for it...preparing a banana bread!  I know, I'm as shocked as you are :)  I did have to show him how to use the mixer, but other than that he made the whole thing by himself from scratch!  The smell of the baking bread immediately brought to mind the french toast from that lodge restaurant.

I'm not so great at writing my own recipes, but this is a fairly simple idea so I don't think it should pose a problem for you all.  All it amounts to is making french toast out of slices of banana bread.  Genius, right?  And you could absolutely take a little short cut and use a packaged banana bread mix if you wanted to.

Banana Bread French Toast

Recipe courtesy of yours truly, Darn Near Domestic

1 loaf of banana bread (recipe to follow), cut into thick slices

3 eggs

1/4 cup milk

Toppings:

sliced fresh banana

powdered sugar

maple syrup

Directions

In a shallow dish, whisk the eggs and milk together.  Dip each slice of bread, both sides, in the egg mixture and cook in a skillet over medium heat, flipping once halfway through.  (This takes longer to cook than traditional french toast because of the thickness of the bread) Top each piece of french toast with fresh banana slices and powdered sugar.  Serve with maple syrup.

Banana Bread
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook p. 114

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 cup mashed bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
Grease the bottom an 1/2 inch up the sides of an 8x4x2 inch loaf pan; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp salt.  Make a well in the center of dry mixture; set aside.

In another bowl, combine the egg, bananas, sugar, cooking oil.  Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture.  Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy).  Fold in nuts.

Spoon batter into the prepared pan.  Bake in a 350 degree oven 50 to 55 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove loaf from pan; cool on rack.

Semi Wordless Wednesday

 

This is my first time to link up on Semi Wordless Wednesday.  I've been doing some thinking about my front porch area and this just seemed like a good place to get it all out :) 

 

The front porch has almost a courtyard feel to it.  At least that's the way I would describe it.  I would love a Ballard inspired front porch, but there's a slight possibility that it could cost a small fortune to fill in a space this size.  And it faces the East, meaning it gets the morning sun and then is shaded the remainder of the day.  So I've noticed it's a little difficult to find brightly colored flowers that enjoy the shade.  Most of them that grab my attention require full to partial sun.

 

So without further ado, my front porch!  Feel free to offer your decorating ideas :)

 

 

Meal Planning Monday

<br /> <center><a border="0" href="http://www.darnneardomestic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1035.photobucket.com/albums/a431/jenemersonbinning/MealPlanningMonday-DND-1.gif"/></a></center><br />


Am I required to feed my family this week?  Because I'm feeling a little uninspired.  The husband has this little suggestion that I should make several weeks of meal plans and then stick them in a binder and just eat the same meals on a rotation.  All year long.  Boring!  Plus I love reading recipes and trying new things.  So, no can do. 

Anyone else having crazy weather?  We keep going from seriously cold to almost hot!  I'm not sure whether I need to put on a big pot of soup and huddle in the house or grill some burgers and eat dinner outside.  We actually did both this week, by the way.  I'm tellin' ya, crazy weather.  Last Sunday? 45 degrees.  This Sunday? 85 degrees.  No joke. 

Last week I mentioned the C25K.  A week later and I'm still excited about it, albeit a little more sore than a week ago.  It helps that I have several friends playing along.  And we have races coming up in May! How's that for motivation?!  My sister and I will be running our first 5k together.  This one is to raise awareness about Autism and the funds will benefit families dealing with Autism.  Quite appropriate for my very first race! Did I mention I'm excited? :)

But let's get on with this week's meal plan.  This is a blog hop and I'd love for you to link up with me and Jen!

Monday-  Frozen Pizza
Tuesday- Banana Bread French Toast (You don't wanna miss this one!!)
Wednesday-  Hearty Chicken Enchiladas
Thursday-  Tomato Soup and Noodles, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (sorry, the 7 yr old requested it!)
Friday-  We might have company.  I need more time to think :)

Make sure you check out my blogging buddy Jen (and meal planning mastermind) at Dear Mommy Brain.  Won't you join us for this week's Meal Planning Monday?  Here's how:  Grab our super cute badge, link up, and help spread the word to recruit more meal planners  :)

Potatoes Romanoff

Throw social norms out the window and serve these potatoes as the main course!  At least that's what I would do.  :)

The day I posted the twice baked potato recipe, I recieve an email from a friend with this recipe and telling me that I needed to try these potatoes.  You know me and potatoes, so it didn't take much convincing!  It's apparently a recipe from a steakhouse called The Strip.  Never heard of it.  Have you been there?  Have you ordered this side dish?  Because it's amazing! 

My first thought went to the glaring absence of butter in the recipe.  Potatoes without butter?  Really?  But somehow it works.  I went with about half the salt called for because it just seemed like a lot, and I was really happy with that decision.  Of course the only White Cheddar I could find was Sharp and I think that may have added to the saltiness. 

These were a huge hit at my house.  Well, at least with the adult half of the household.  The 2 yr old ate some.  The 7 yr old tried a bite and insisted it was too terrible to even swallow.  The husband said not a word.  But he ate the leftovers and that never, ever, ever happens.  So I'd say that speaks volumes about these potatoes :)

Potatoes Romanoff

Recipe from Williams-Sonoma

3 large russet potatoes, about 2 lb. total, unpeeled and scrubbed  

3/4 cup minced shallots 

2 1/2 cups grated white cheddar cheese 

2 tsp. kosher salt 

1/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper 

1 1/2 cups sour cream 

Directions

Preheat an oven to 425ºF.

Wrap each potato in aluminum foil and pierce several times with a fork. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Remove the foil and let the potatoes cool to room temperature. Place the potatoes on a plate, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the potatoes, including the skins. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle the shallots, 1 3/4 cups of the cheese, the salt and white pepper on top. Using your hands, gently toss the mixture together to combine, then fold in the sour cream in 2 additions.

Transfer the potato mixture to a 1 1/2-quart gratin dish; do not compress. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup cheese on top. Bake until the potatoes are hot and the cheese is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serves 6.