September 2009 Archive

30Sep
0

Delicious Strawberry Ice Cream

Okay, so for my birthday, I got the Ice Cream Maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid Mixer. Goodness, I love it, and can use the Wii Fit I also got to burn off all the calories I’m sure to put on from all the ice cream that I’ll be consuming. And I am not really an ice cream person, but this makes me so happy! Oh, and apologize in advance for the lack of photo. I made the ice cream and we couldn’t wait for it to firm up, so it looked like a milk and strawberry stew. Then we ate it all, so there were no photos to be had, but it was so darn good. I’ll be making it again, and hopefully I’ll get photos next time? So maybe this should be called cold milk and strawberry stew instead?

You’ll need~
1 pint of strawberries, chopped finely
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 eggs
1 cup sugar, divided
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Combine Strawberries, lemon and 1/4 cup sugar. Place in refrigerator for at least an hour.

Beat the eggs until light and fluffy, add milk. Scald these two items. Beat in remaining sugar and vanilla. Let cool completely and store in refigerator until completely chilled.

Combine the two mixtures.

Gently stir in cream.

Pour into ice cream maker.

Really, you should place it in an air tight container and let sit in the freezer for a couple hours to firm up. We’re not good at waiting. Or maybe it’s because I live in the oppressive heat that is Florida. Who knows. Either way, it’s tasty stuff!

Posted by Judy in desserts and tagged with
27Sep
2

Snap! Crackle! And… well, you know…

I so adore Rice Krispie Treats. They are one of my weaknesses. The premade ones in the store don’t cut it, and I just never seem to think to make them myself. I went grocery shopping, sans kids, and while wandering happened to think of Rice Krispie Treats (The premade ones were on sale) so I bought everything I needed. A couple nights later, Hubbster and I were hanging out watching old episodes of The Sopranos when he asked if we had anything sweet… Why yes!! I danced off to the kitchen and made them.
And I will admit that I have eaten almost the entire pan, almost entirely by myself. What? I told you they were my weakness! In my defense, I also made some chocolate chip bars (recipe to come) that night and I have not touched a single one!

You’ll need~
1/4 cup butter
1 package marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla
6 1/2 cups rice krispies
Spray a 13×9 pan with cooking spray.
Melt the butter and marshmallows in a large pan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Once it’s melted, remove from heat and add vanilla, stir well. Add the cereal and stir until everything is well combined.
Press evenly into pan. Cool completely. Cut into bars and enjoy!!

ricekrispie

Posted by Judy in desserts
24Sep
0

So Quick, So Easy, So Good!

Chicken Noodle Stir Fry

This was a quick and easy recipe that I came up with while trying to cram dinner in between school, work, karate, life, etc… One of those recipes that’s great for a busy week night. Everyone loved it!

You’ll need~
3 chicken breasts, diced
frozen peas… maybe half a bag?
2 packages Ramen noodles (flavor doesn’t matter, I don’t use the flavor packets)
garlic
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
soy sauce

Stir fry up the diced chicken breasts in olive oil. While you’re doing that boil water for the ramen noodles. Season the chicken with garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Turn down the heat and add the peas. Boil the ramen for 2 minutes. Drain. Toss into the pan with chicken and peas. Toss it all together, and sprinkle on a little soy sauce.

chix_noodls

Posted by Judy in mains and tagged with
21Sep
0

Because you can’t have wings every day… can you?

I love all sorts of buffalo chicken, so here’s something a little different than the average wing, but it still combines a lot of great tastes into one tasty dish!
The photo was taken before I put it in the oven. I meant to take one after, but was very hungry. Sorry.
As a side note, the night the photo was taken I was out of pepper jack cheese, so just used tons of crumbled bleu cheese instead.

You’ll need~
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
about 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bits
3 ribs celery, chopped
5 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
Salt and pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce, depending on how hot you like it
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 pound elbow macaroni
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a boil for the macaroni.

Coat a large deep pan in the olive oil. Brown the chicken bits in it with the garlic. Add the celery, paprika and some salt and pepper. Cook the veggies, stirring frequently, until tender. Add the chicken stock. Add the hot sauce and crushed tomatoes, and bring up to a bubble. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
While that is going on, cook the macaroni to al dente. Once cooked, drain the pasta and toss it into the mix, then transfer everything to a casserole dish. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the top and place it in the oven until the cheeses have melted and the top is golden brown.

buffalochixmac

Posted by Judy in mains and tagged with ,
17Sep
0

Wings Rock my Socks

I have so been craving chicken wings lately. I love them and cannot seem to get enough!

you’ll need~
chicken wings… both the wingie and the drummie pieces
oil for frying
2 sticks of butter
12 oz. Franks’s Red Hot
red pepper flakes
tabasco

Heat the oil to about 360 degrees (you could use a fryer or fry them on the stove top, whatever you prefer). When the oil is heated, place the chicken pieces in carefully. Fry it until it’s nice and crispy and beautifully golden. Drain on a paper towel when they are done.
Melt the butter in a pan, add the Frank’s and stir well. Add some tabasco… as much as you can handle. Hubbster and The Diva don’t like heat, so I only add a few dashes… I always add more to mine afterward… through I suppose I could separate the sauce and add more heat to mine. I also sometimes add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes, because I love red pepper flakes.
Toss the wings in the sauce a few at a time.

Serve with bleu cheese!

wings

Posted by Judy in Uncategorized and tagged with
13Sep
0

Sloppy Joes And Oven Roasted Potatoes

With trying to adjust to having both kids in school, and juggling extracurricular activities and homework, I’ve been trying hard to come up with quick easy dinners.  This fit the bill and was a huge hit with the kids!

Sloppy Joes

You need~
1 1/2 – 2 lbs ground beef
1 clove of minced garlic
1/2- 1 cup of catsup
1 can of tomato soup
salt and pepper to taste
Hamburger buns

Brown the ground beef in a pan with the garlic. Add the salt and pepper. Stir in soup and catsup. Lower the heat and simmer until slightly thickened. Spoon onto the buns. How easy is that?!

Oven Roasted Potatoes

You’ll need~
Potatoes (I used red skin potatoes, but also like Yukon Gold here)
Olive Oil
Minced Garlic
Salt
Pepper

Wash the potatoes and slice them up. Toss them with olive oil, the garlic, salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

sloppy_joes

Posted by Judy in mains, sandwiches, sides and tagged with ,
09Sep
1

Tasty Choco Cake

I was having the in laws over for dinner and wanted to wow them with dessert… this recipe sure did it! It’s delicious, and filling. Everyone loved it, but I have a tendency to cut thick when it comes to cake. Though everyone complained about the size, they cleaned their plates!
Because it took longer than I anticipated to prep, bake and cool… I just made whipped cream to frost it. The light airy topping complemented the density of the chocolate cake perfectly!

I do apologize for the picture… I didn’t remember to take it until after everyone had started chowing down. And frankly, I didn’t trust myself to remember the next time I snuck a piece!

You’ll need~
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
18 tbsp of Cocoa Powder (I know it’s a LOT!) mixed with 6 tbsp melted butter
1 cup of buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour 2 9 inch round cake pans.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set this aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter (on medium speed) until it’s smooth… like buttah. (sorry, I couldn’t resist… I blame the allergy meds!) Add the sugars and beat until fluffy. With recipes like this I am so glad that I have my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer! ♥ Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well. Add the cocoa mixture. Keep mixing it well. Add the flour mixture… alternating with the buttermilk combined with vanilla. Beat well after each addition. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides to assure that everything is combining well.
Divide the batter between the prepped pans.
Bake for 30-40 minutes! choco cake

Posted by Judy in desserts and tagged with
04Sep
0

Hoisin Marinaded Chicken with Garlic Sauteed Green Beans

This was a delicious dinner that my family loved. The chicken was new for us, but the green beans are always a hit. I served it with organic white rice (my 4 year old’s request). I broiled it and it blackened the chicken skin… I think that next time I’d just try baking this or grilling it.

Hoisin Marinaded Chicken

you’ll need~
8 chicken thighs
2 cups hoisin sauce
1 1/2 – 2 heads of minced garlic (my hands hurt from squeezing the garlic press hurt so much!)
a bunch of minced ginger (how ever much you can handle/like… I didn’t measure, but did use quite a bit)
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
2 bunches of scallions
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a large zipper baggie. Add chicken and marinate for several hours… although overnight is better for getting the flavor in there!
Preheat the broiler (though like I said, I think I’ll try a different cooking method next time).
Broil until juices run clear, about 15 minutes, keep an eye on them.

Garlic Sauteed Green Beans

you’ll need~
2 cans french cut green beans
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
2 tbsp butter
dash of red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Drizzle olive oil in frying pan. Add the butter and let it melt, this adds a yummy flavor… I do love me some butter. Add the garlic. Drain the green beans and toss them in the pan. Add the red pepper flakes and heat through on a high-ish heat. Salt and serve!

Hoisin Chicken with garlic green beans

Hoisin Chicken with garlic green beans

Posted by Judy in mains, veggies and tagged with ,