Butter is better

This past week, inspired by "Pioneer Woman" Ree Drummond's cookbook, I made several new dishes for dinner. I have to preface this with saying that everything she makes is very hearty-and makes for a happy hearted husband! Her recipes are rich with flavor and generous in ingredients(read-butter). Bless her for using so many step by step photos in her book-nothing speaks to this kitchen amateur's heart like lots of pictures!

First up I tried her lasagna recipe, and it was an A+ success! Move over Stoffers, there's a new sheriff in town! Not only did it taste great, but made enough for two dinners and a few lunches left over. Next I made her chicken pot pie, which was very tasty, and nothing like Betty Crocker's "quick & easy" version using Bisquick. Using real "from scratch" pie crusts really made the difference!

 (Picture taken pre-pie topping...let's just say it looked better before the big "flop" of pie crust)

Lastly on the dinner list, I made her chicken spaghetti, which was very similar to a chicken tetrazzini. Easy enough and two thumbs up on taste-it's a winner in this house!

I also made two of her breakfast recipes this week(adventurous right!)-buttermilk biscuits and cinnamon rolls. For some reason the biscuits were a total bust. I blame my bad luck in all things bread making. In fact, I may even throw out the frozen leftover dough because well, there's no saving those rolls. :-/  On the other hand, my labor of love cinnamon rolls were very sweet and tasty, and will serve us breakfast for weeks to come(her recipe makes a ton).

All in all, a good week of trying new things! You can only imagine the state of my kitchen this week...over and over again. Kitchens are meant to be messy if you ask me. It's a vicious cycle-cook, clean, cook, clean, cook, clean. But in the end, the warmth of a hearty chicken pot pie, the taste of rich lasagna and the sweet smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls make all the effort worth it.

A special thanks to my friend Jeanna for letting me know this treasure of a cookbook was at the library! :-)

PS-What's on the menu this week? Well, let's just say we're going out to eat tonight, and having frozen pizza tomorrow!

In the kitchen

My kitchenaid was given a work out this week with these new recipes! :-)

First, easy apple tart with homemade pie crust, courtesy of the next Food Network Star Melissa Darabian. Bookmark this one ladies! While practice makes perfect, I'm happy to say my first try didn't turn out half bad, and was greeted with great reviews. *Lesson learned-best served fresh out of the oven, warm and ooey gooey good. :-) Post picture, I made a whip cream topping with some cinnamon to garnish. Maybe next time around I'll tackle the crumble topping. Maybe...

Next-melt in your mouth, take that Quaker Oats, homemade granola bars. I'm so excited to eat these for breakfast this week, and feel like this is a must have mommy recipe. Because I needed to re-use the dish for Rice Crispy treats, I went ahead and cut the bars out and pre-packed into snack sized, ziplock bags. And voile, breakfast is served! *Lesson learned-adding a little extra honey and butter goes a long way in the texture(more chewy, less crumbly). Also, I substituted a 1/2 of rice crispies with the Oates and really enjoyed the result.

And last but not least, the cake boss' special recipe for Chocolate chip cookies-simple and delicious! In spite of his loud Italian heritage, I heart Buddy the cake boss, and was super excited to catch him on the Rachael Ray show last week. A little piece of "Carlos Bakery" in my own kitchen! This is a clean, classic, tried and true choco-chip cookie recipe, and makes enough to freeze for later(love love love it when that happens). *Lesson learned-who knew you could taste the difference between light and dark brown sugar? Okay, just me? Blush.... Also, if you've run out of baking soda-or vacuumed it all up as I did-you can substitute baking powder by using 3x the amount baking soda required.

I have to say that Yankee Candle can't touch the sweet smell of golden chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, or fresh apple pie with a pinch of cinnamon swimming in the living room air. There's nothing like a warm stove, clean kitchenaid, pink measuring cups and a favored, flour crusted apron to make my afternoon!

Recipe sources:
Quick cinnamon apple tart
Homemade granola bars
Buddy's chocolate chip cookies

Adventures in the Kitchen take 1

In making the most of my new enthusiasm for stayathomemom-dom, I've resolved this week to try a few new recipes.

Cookbooks from the library-check
Apron-check (seriously, have you seen my collection?)
Inspiration from "The Food Network"-double check
A refined palette and willingness to try new things-let's just say we're working on it, one tomato slice at a time!

On Monday night I started the week off with a "Tomato Vegetable Minstrone" soup and garlic bread sticks, courtesy of Betty Crocker and insanely modified by yours truly.

First, I have to say my excitement for getting creative and trying new things was slightly dulled when my husband quickly informed me that a soup & bread dinner was in fact no dinner at all, due to the absence of a manly meat. Ohhh boy. My response? "Deal with it." Ahem, I mean..."It really is hearty dear and I know you're going to love it! :-)

Second, I admit I took a wide margin of creative license with the ingredients. Zucchini and beans in this house? HA! Like I said, I'm working on it. :-)

The verdict?
Surprise surprise, Chris loved it, and even had a second helping or two! It was the perfect complement to the rainy day outside. Unfortunately the tomato taste was a bit strong for my sensitive taste buds, but I ate it lest my mess in the kitchen be in vain. And, Evan even got a piece of the action with some spiral pasta of his own!

All in all, a simple, small step in the right direction. Next up, an apple tart. Wish me luck!

Snickerdoodle-do

Hooray, my first kitchen-aid concoction was a success! I made Snickerdoodle cookies using this recipe, taken from the "Smitten Kitten" blog & Martha Stewart. They were wonderfully yummy bites of cinnamon deliciousness, and met with rave reviews from the hubby. :-) Tried & true, this sugary sweet cookie recipe is most definitely one for the books!

Treat of the week

Lemon Pound Cake-Simple and delicious!

Cake Ingredients:

1 Lemon cake mix

1 Lemon instant pudding mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 cup water

Glaze (aka the best part)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoons milk (or water)

Juice from one lemon (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees, follow baking directions on cake mix(for bunt pan bake 35-40 minutes), glaze and serve!

Baked Parmasean Spinach Dip

A close co-worker, Southern Living consultant and hostess extraordinaire shared this recipe with me, so I knew it was going to be a hit. :) Last night Chris had a friend come over and I made this outrageously yummy(so were the reviews) appetizer. And, it's healthy to boot! I feel one step closer to Rachael Ray now that I've accomplished a dish outside of my normal, and limited, food repertoire. Now all I need is a new set of tastebuds to enjoy all of this green goodness!

Makes about 3 cups; 12 servings

Ingredients
1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup reduced-fat or regular mayonnaise
1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese
1 onion (6 oz.), peeled and minced
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 box Wheat Thins (or cracker/bread of your choice)

Preparation
1. Squeeze spinach to remove liquid. With a mixer, beat spinach, mayonnaise, cream cheese, onion, garlic, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, and pepper until thoroughly combined.
2. Mound mixture in a 3- to 4-cup baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and the paprika.
3. Bake in a 350° oven until hot in center and lightly browned on top, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Serve with Wheat thins!

Happy Appetizer-ing!

Oatmeal White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chris just LOVED these cookies. And what better way to preserve a great recipe than to blog it?! While I'm not a fan of craisins or white chocolate, I thoroughly enjoyed baking with this colorful recipe. It's very simple and straighforward, and pretty healthy too. You can substitute the craisins for cranberries or plain ole' raisins if you prefer.

INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 six-ounce package Craisins Original Sweetened Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

DIRECTIONS:Preheat oven to 375ºF. Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in sweetened dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Tuity Fruity

*Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 kiwi, sliced
1 banana, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries
1 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup orange juice
1(8 ounce) container peach yogurt

DIRECTIONS:
In a blender, blend the kiwi, banana, blueberries, strawberries, ice, orange juice, and yogurt until smooth.

If you don't prefer some of the ingredients, there is tons of room for creativity-pineapple or fruit punch instead of orange juice, different flavored yogurt, etc. In any case, this recipe gets a healthy 2 thumbs up from me! Oh, and don't forget the whip cream to top it off:) Thanks allrecipes.com!