Cookies, and Quinoa and Crafts, Oh My!

   Whatever you do, don't look at the date of my last post. Seriously. Ok, now we can move on. Because the most important thing here, is the food. You guys are getting a two-for-one here today. Mostly because I've been getting requests for two specific recipes. One is a newer quinoa salad I tried recently for a grilling and games night. The other is a cookie recipe I've been working on over the course of a year or so tweaking a bit every time I go. At the end I have a few recent craft pics to wrap it all up with.
      The first recipe is a quinoa veggie salad with a bit of a Mexican flavor flair. It was a Pinterest find that was altered. I know, you're shocked. I was afraid it wouldn't be a hit when I started out because it just seemed so healthy....haha. Thank goodness they thought it was delicious before they realized it was good for them. :) Unfortunately, I have no pictures for you of this one. *See below for added pic from a later batch* Luckily for you, all it's a dump everything in a bowl recipe!

     Quinoa Veggie Salad 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa (I always cook it in chicken broth- way better taste!)
1 diced cucumber
1 chopped red pepper
3 chopped scallions
Corn chopped off of two corn cobs (or a can of corn- I just love the fresh summer corn!)
1/2 can of black beans

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice from one whole lime
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne

    After you toss all of the veggies into the quinoa, make the dressing on the side. All of the dressing ingredients get mixed together and tossed into the salad. This was a great side for grilling in the summer. It has great fresh flavor and a lot of perfect summer veggies that are in season.

    Now it comes to the most important recipe. I'm serious. It's going to rock your world. Nobody believes me when I tell them that something this delicious doesn't have flour or butter in it either! They are phenomenal. When my colleagues at school know I've been baking, I get classroom pop-ins all day long. It's my favorite treat for my friends that are trying to avoid gluten as well. I love the smiles on their faces when I tell them they can really eat the cookies. YAY! On to the fabulousness of double chocolate cookies... This recipe makes about three dozen smaller sized cookies.

Ingredients:
3 room temperature egg whites (temperature matters!!!!)
1 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cups of Ghiradelli 60% Bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
Non-stick baking spray if you don't have fun silicone baking mats (best purchase ever!!!)

     Start out by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Put one cup of the chocolate chips in a bowl and melt them in a microwave. It's best to do this in 20-30 second intervals so that your chocolate doesn't seize up. This can go to the side for right now. In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together one cup of the confectioners sugar, the cocoa, cornstarch and salt. This can stay to the side for right now as well.
     The rest of the main work can be done with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer. I go straight to my bright purple kitchen aid stand mixer. She's the best. (no judging!) Beat the three egg whites until they form soft peaks. (aka making a meringue base) Once the egg whites can hold their shape a bit, put the mixer on a slower speed and mix in 1/2 a cup of confectioner's sugar. When it looks like marshmallow fluff it's done! Next you're going to mix in the other sifted dry ingredients. Do this a little bit at a time so that you don't have a big powdery mess in your kitchen. (Not from experience...at all...) Once that's been mixed in you can put your hand mixer away, or just take the bowl out of the stand mixer. Add the remaining half cup of chocolate chips to the melted chocolate and then fold this whole mixture into your meringue base. From here it should start to stiffen and become a more solid cookie base. I use a silicone baking mat and cookie scooper to form and bake my cookies. If you don't have the mat, use your baking spray on cookie sheets. Using a scooper or spoon, form the batter into balls and place on the cookie sheet. Now the original recipe included rolling the cookies in more powdered sugar to give them a crinkled look. You can absolutely do this. I've found I like them more without. (My great uncle LOVED these cookies and prompted the exclusion of the powdered sugar) Alright- back on track- bake your cookies for ten minutes and let them cool for at least ten minutes. You're good to go. Try not to eat them all at once. I swear.

Most recent batch!

These are what they look like with the crinkle cookie look

     Finally, here is a sneak peek of the craft I did recently. I wanted to upgrade my olive and vinegar set because, let's be honest, it was just the bottles they came in. So I found plain glass bottles at my local Bed Bath and Beyond for about $4 each and went straight to my sketch book! 

     Once I had a design that I liked, I grabbed my paint and brush. I went with a black and white look so that each design would stand out against the contents of the bottle. Black is the olive oil and white is for the balsamic. The great thing about painting acrylic on glass is that if you make a mistake you can either wipe or scratch it right off. (This can also be a downside too...oops) The completed bottles got a clear coat that can technically go through a dishwasher. I don't know that I'm brave enough to really try that, might go straight for the hand washing route. 

     Ta-da! Here's the final look! I really ended up loving them and they went straight into the kitchen. I may or may not be able to be bribed for your very own set. 

     

     Alright folks, that's about it for tonight! Try the recipes and give me a shout if you have any trouble or improvements! 

Fat Kid Food- BUT Healthy!

Hi friends,
     In the time that I last wrote, the heater has been broken and fixed, my brother got married, the washer broke and is being replaced, and Spring weather finally made an appearance! I am so excited to share so many things with you, but we'll start with FOOD. (and end with crafts!!)
      As always, I am on the lookout for ways to make food that tastes like eating buffalo wings but will let me feel healthy afterwards. This is not a wing substitute- don't get me wrong! BUT it does have chicken and buffalo sauce. I introduce to you: Buffalo Quinoa Casserole.

You Will Need:

*1 cup of quinoa
*1 1/2 cups of chicken broth (I use bullion cubes sometimes)
*1 head of broccoli cut into florets
*1 cup of hot sauce (I buy it by the gallon now…haha)
*2 chicken breasts
*chili powder for seasoning
*1/2 a small onion chopped up
*olive oil for sautéing onions and cooking chicken
*your favorite shredded cheese if you want to top the casserole off with it!

Begin by sautéing the chopped onion in olive oil in a pan. While this is cooking, season the chicken breast with chili powder.

Add in the chicken breasts and cook completely. I sometimes put a lid on the pan to keep in moisture. When the chicken has cooked, pull it from the pan. I then shredded it and put the onions in with the shredded chicken. 

Put this to the side, and begin cooking your quinoa. I cook my quinoa in chicken broth ALL.THE.TIME now. Seriously- there is no point to cooking it in water…unless you don't like chicken. The ratio is about 1 cup of quinoa to 1 1/2 or 2 cups of water/broth. Bring the water to a boil with the quinoa in it and then put a lid on it and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. Now, when I put it to simmer, I tossed in my broccoli florets to cook in some of the flavor with that as well. What results is perfectly cooked broccoli that is already in the quinoa! 

Finally I get a large oven-safe dish and poor my hot sauce in. The first time I tried heating it and adding a bit of cottage cheese to get a creamy/healthy effect. It worked- but you can definitely do it without as well. 

check out the fun nails! 

Toss in the chicken, and broccoli quinoa mixture gently. I added a bit of hot sauce on the top once it was mixed as well. (I know, I know…can't get enough of it) Then I baked it in the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes at 350. You could add the cheese for this step as well. (I waited and put it on my individual serving)

It's not the prettiest dish I've ever made, but it's DELICIOUS. I've been all about quinoa "casseroles" lately. They're great! You can do anything with it! (Will show you chicken with zucchini as well sometime!) 

Here is a final shot of my serving with the melted cheese on top. Seriously, it was just so yummy and filling. You don't even have to eat a whole ton of it to be satisfied. Just so tasty and popular with the hubby!

I will leave you with a few shots of my latest crafts! Most of the earrings are either available or can be reproduced if they've been sold already. The ring holders are able to be ordered to your personal liking. Choose the frame and the fabric color! Enjoy and cross your fingers for MORE SPRING! 

        <3 

From the Farm: Frying Peppers etc...

     Well dear friends, let me start out with an apology for the prolonged dead air. Life has been hectic- which I'm sure is the same for you. And while there may not have been much typing on my end, there WAS cooking! Regardless, I am happy to be seated in a warm home with a full belly and writing to you.
      I am happy to bring you two different options for frying peppers (don't forget mine are KY bred!). One of the options was done with bell peppers due to a mismanagement of peppers. :P Oops! However- you can do BOTH with frying peppers.
      The first option is your quick and easy, go-to recipe. Imagine this: fry..... your frying peppers. WHOA! Watch out! I know- you didn't expect it. However, it is delicious, and it's what they're great for. It takes very little time and management. Here we go!

You will need:

*About 15 small frying peppers (mine are Hungarian frying peppers from KY--> well traveled)
*1/3 of a cup of diced onion
*1-2 tablespoons olive oil
*1 teaspoon chili powder
*1 teaspoon garlic powder

Here are your marching orders:

1. Start your oil, seasonings, and onions heating on low heat in a pan.
2. Clean, seed and cut your peppers in half.
3. When the onions are beginning to be translucent, drop in your frying peppers.
4. Toss the peppers and onions a bit, and let them cook at medium heat.
5. Timing is kind of a personal touch with this. I'll explain, I like my frying peppers to have a bit of a crunch to them. If you are more into a softer cooked pepper you'll want to go longer. For my peppers, I cooked them for about 10-15 minutes. You can see in the pictures that follow, they still
have the majority of their color due to the quicker toss on the stove.

*The great thing about this is that you can individualize the spices. I was looking for a bit of kick with the peppers- hence the chili powder. You can also go basic with onion and garlic. Or go Hungarian (sorry- it's the majority of my blood- can't get away) and add in some paprika with it!



   ARE YOU READY FOR RECIPE #2 ????? This second option is a bit more involved- but WAY worth it! A bit ago, the Hubby had been throwing out the words "stuffed peppers" every so often. It was a good hint to throw out.
   Now, I will preface this recipe. (cough cough, to my family members reading this) My main heritage and culinary experience centers around Hungarian food. I was blessed to have the opportunity to learn to cook with my grandmother. For a summer, we spent afternoons cooking all of the Hungarian regulars that I grew up with.  HOWEVER, this recipe is NOT the stuffed peppers I grew up with (nor my other family members - yes you guys). The recipe I grew up with and have made previously involves more of a sauce using tomato paste etc. Due to a lack of certain items in the pantry, I improvised. In the future- if you all are curious- I can post the true Hungarian version!

You Will Need:
*4 Bell peppers -you can use frying peppers if you'd like- you will need more than 4 as they are smaller
*1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey  (this can be substituted with ground beef if you'd like)
*1/3 cup chopped onion
*1/4 cup ketchup
*2 teaspoons garlic powder
*1/3 cup oats (your binding agent)
*1 tablespoon (or so) olive oil

Marching Orders Are:
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash and seed your peppers and cut off just the top - so they look like little bowls.
3. Combine your ground turkey, onion, ketchup, garlic powder, oats, and olive oil in a bowl.
4. Put your peppers in a baking dish that will be able to hold them all standing up right.
5. Fill the peppers with the well mixed meat and seasonings. You can fill them pretty tight as it will reduce a bit.
6. I added a bit of extra ketchup to the top of each pepper for extra flavor and moisture. About half way through the baking, my two peppers got some shredded mozzarella on top as well.
7. Bake your peppers for about 30-45 minutes. I say this because I originally was going for 30 minutes in the oven, but upon opening up one of them, I found that they needed a bit more time.

\

Mid cook before cheese!

*Enjoy! I personally like to keep the ketchup on the table in case of a need for more. Overall- these were a huge hit with the Hubby and one was filling enough for each of us! I'm sure that now that this post is up, I will be reminded of HOW LONG ago it was that I made them. :)


   It is wonderful to be back on and typing to you. Whoever you are. Pleeeaase look forward to THANKSGIVING- A delicious pie is on deck with a fun new crust idea! And more importantly- be thankful. I know I am. I am thankful for the roof over my head, the husband who loves me, and the family and friends that support me. I am a blessed woman. Thank you to YOU for reading this and supporting me too! Again- I am just so blessed!

            <3

From the Farm Part 1: Apples and Pears!

     This is the beginning of what I've decided to call my "From the Farm" series. You see friends, the Kentucky Farm Fairy came to visit a week or two ago. You may ask, who or what is the Kentucky Farm Fairy?? Well, he looks an awful lot like my father in law.
     My father in law has a great farm in Kentucky, complete with two hilarious dogs, and a barn with a pottery room! (side note: the pottery room makes me wish Kentucky was a whole lot closer...) Recently, when he came to visit, there was an abundance of produce in tow. 

     My kitchen table was covered in such a variety of produce and it sent my creative juices in a tizzy! You'll see a lovely bowl in the picture that was handmade and now belongs to us! We're going to start off the series with the two dozen apples and dozen pears you see above. There was no way to eat them fast enough, so I ran through all of my options in my head. A lovely idea popped up and I ran with it. 

     Applesauce. I'd never tried it before, and I had this funny idea. I'm not crazy about really sweet applesauce, or adding lots of sugar into many things. After tasting a pear (and briefly going to heaven) I had the clever idea of using pears in my applesauce as a sweetener. So, let's great straight to work.

You Will Need:

*18-20 peeled, cored, and sliced apples

*4-5 pears

*1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

*1/2 teaspoon ginger

*1/2 cup water

(As an additional note, if I'd had Pumpkin Spices, I absolutely would have used those!!! However, for some reason it's difficult to find a shelf that HAS pumpkin spices in September...)

     Begin by getting your apples ready. I would highly suggest you invest in one of these phenomenal gadgets. Or, invest in a friend who happens to have one as well....thanks Sarah! 

     It's the quickest, easiest way to get your apples ready. It's super exciting to use, (Perhaps you're reading into this and realizing I'm easily amused...) and the apples come out looking like silly curls! 

     Back to the recipe...Once you have gotten all of the apples ready, dump them in the crock pot. Yup. That's right. My crock pot is at it again. Seriously, it rarely gets put away! 

     You'll see that I cut my pears up into the crock pot as well. From here it's a few simple steps and you're done. Add in your 1/2 cup of water and spices. 

     Now, turn your crock pot on high and walk away from it for about 3-4 hours. When you come back the apples will be SO SOFT. All it took was a few minutes with a potato masher. I happened to want my apple sauce a little smoother, so I whisked it a bit as well. 

     From here, all you have to do is put it in jars. Do it quickly- because if you don't, it will get eaten up before you can even put it away. Also, if you weren't sure, you can freeze some of your applesauce as well. That way you have the exciting choice of eating more after you think it's all gone! Seriously, I must have eaten a whole cup of it warm, it was so delicious!! 

     I think from here on out, I will only be eating home made applesauce. It was the best applesauce I've EVER tasted. In all seriousness though, if I'd known it was this easy to make applesauce in a crock pot I'd have been making it all the time. 

     AND, if for some reason you have an apple or two left over....try this! Take those same spirally apples, stick 'em in a pan, sprinkle some cinnamon on, and bake for about 20 minutes at 350. De-lish

Momma insisted you see this view as well. So there are her fingers!

     Well folks, this is the end of Part 1 of "From the Farm." You can look forward to: Hungarian Frying Peppers, Jalapeños, and Beets! Stay happy and enjoy the fall, friends! 

                 <3 

For When You'd Rather Eat Wings

Hey Friends,
        We're at T minus 15 hours to the first day of school! I am working on making sure that everything is ready (or as close as it's gonna be!).

         This recipe has been ready to shoot out to you for a bit now, and I'm excited to share it with you. Every so often I get the craving for wings and that kick of hot sauce. Of course, I very rarely have wings in the house, and they're not always the healthiest option for my hot sauce desires. Lucky for me, I found this method of dressing up veggies with the taste of wings!

You Will Need:
*one head of cauliflower
*2 tsp. olive oil
*1 tsp. garlic powder
*1 tsp. paprika
*1 tsp. chili powder
*1/2 tsp. kosher salt
*2 tbsp. hot sauce (or as much as you want!!)

     Let's get kickin'! Preheat your oven to 425, and get to washing that cauliflower. Once it is washed, break it up into little florets in a medium sized bowl. In a separate, smaller, bowl combine all of your spices. Apologies ahead of time; my mind went to La La Land and didn't get pictures of these first two steps.
   
     Believe it or not, you don't have many steps left. Drizzle your olive oil over the cauliflower florets and toss them a bit to make sure they are coated evenly. Next you're going to coat these florets with your spice mixture. It should look like this:

Voila!

          Pull out a cookie sheet that will be able to hold all of your kickin' florets! I like to cover my cookie sheets in tin foil so that the clean up is THAT MUCH EASIER! :) Spread your florets out on the sheet so that they are all in one even layer. 

    Pop these babies in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. They'll start to have some crispy, burnt edges to them when they're ready. When they come out of the oven, I like to dump them back into that original large bowl. That way, when you coat them with hot sauce, you pick up some of the extra spices that were left behind. You can't stop me from making sure there's LOTS of flavor.

    Pour in your hot sauce and mix to coat. Let's face it, I don't usually stick to my 2 tablespoons. I drown these suckers! It's all about how much spice YOU want.
     Ta Da!!! You're done! These things are so tasty and are a big hit for me and the mister. I think it might be the only way he's eaten cauliflower!

     Let's be honest, are these a complete trade for wings? Heck no. BUT, when you're looking for that spicy hot fix- they're great. Give it a try and let me know how you like 'em!

     To all you fellow teachers out there, get it started with a bang! I'm looking forward to meeting my new group of kiddos, and showing you my fabulous classroom. Much love to you all.

               <3 

The Most Dangerous Cake

     The Most Dangerous Cake.

     Prepare yourselves, because I'm about to expose my literary nerd status.  If you have never read the short story "The Most Dangerous Game," it's worth a read. The genius of this story is the situational irony that occurs at the resolution. The hunter becoming the hunted takes a surprising twist when you read the final scene.
     What does this have to do with cake? Great question. Believe me, when you take your first bite of this cake, you'll realize the tides have turned. You no longer have control. The cake is hunting YOU.

      A bit dramatic? Yes. Is this cake divine and irresistible? Yes again. Here we go!

You Will Need:
*One Box Devil's Food Cake
*1/2 of a 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
*1/2 of a 12 oz. jar of Caramel ice cream topping
*One container whipped topping
*One bag Heath bar crunch topping (I found this in the baking aisle of my local grocery store)

     This, as always, is a Pinterest find that I've made my own few tweaks on. Begin by baking your Devil's Food cake according to the directions on the box. I made one alteration to the "typical" cake directions. When my cake batter was mixed, I added in about 5/6 tablespoons of Hershey's Dark Chocolate Syrup. I love giving a cake that extra oomph of chocolate, moistness, and depth.
     When your cake is out of the oven, set it aside to cool for only 5 minutes.

     You will then use those five minutes to prepare your Caramel drizzle. In a small saucepan on the stove, combine half of your can of condensed milk with half of a jar of caramel syrup.

     On low heat, stir frequently until the two are combined and slightly warmed. They will be a beautiful light caramel color that is warm and smooth.

    When this has been completed, move back to your cake and cut slits into the entire top of the cake. Be careful to not cut all the way through to the bottom.

     

Your next step is to pour your caramel sauce over the cake and let it soak in. (YUM!) 

        Follow this by sprinkling about 2/3 of your bag of Heath crumbles onto the cake and caramel sauce. You are then going to put the cake to the side and let it cool entirely. 

      The great thing about doing all of these steps while the cake is still warm, is the result! You get a great moist cake, with a slightly gooey, crunchy middle layer of caramel, chocolate and toffee. When your cake has cooled completely, "ice" it with your container of whipped topping. You'll want the whipped topping to be at least refrigerator temperature or room temperature. This will make it easier to spread. 

   Finally, sprinkle the remaining Heath Bar crumbles on top of your whipped topping layer. Cover and put in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it! I brought this to a family barbecue last weekend, and believe me when I say- it was a hit. In fact, I was nervous to bring the left overs home with me for fear that I would gobble it all up way too quickly! 

   This was a fantastic Pinterest find, that worked very well for me. Again, though, be warned. It is DANGEROUS! You will not want to leave any left in the pan! 

    Well, ladies and gents, I am writing to you in my last few days of freedom before I head back to the school building. There is one more recipe locked and loaded to be sent out to you soon, and then you'll get classroom shots! Keep cool in these next hot days of summer. 

             

                     <3