My Day In (Food) Pictures

 

I made pesto. I had basil that was begging to be picked!

I froze some herbs. The mint goes in ice cube trays with water, but the rosemary, thyme, and oregano get frozen in either baggies or glass jars for cooking in the future.

Laundry soap. I know this isn't food related but I use my food processor! The food processor grates the Fels Naptha soap bar and then I grind it all together with the borax and baking soda to a fine powder. We use 1 T per load. I made four batches, each good for 40 washes. Pennies per load!

Part of James' lunch. When we were at LegoLand he didn't like his Uncrustable sandwich (those over-processed PB&J packaged sandwiches) even though I know he likes all the components of a PB&J. I decided to make my own using my mini pie crust press. These will be good for his lunch box!

Trail mix. I had coconut, peanuts, craisins, and chocolate chips that were from other recipes so I decided to just mix them with some almonds for a snack mix. Nothing fancy. No recipe needed.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies.

I made the rub for the pork shoulder roast. SO FRAGRANT! Pulled pork in the crockpot tomorrow!

And I tried a silly Pinterest idea. This was supposed to be better than Easy Mac! NOT. It was basically cooking a small amount of pasta in the microwave and then mixing in cheese and milk. It didn't even come close to Mac&Cheese. It was clumpy, hardened mess. I should know better than to believe stranger's recipes. I am sticking to my favorite bloggers!

 

It was a nice way to spend a cloudy, kinda rainy day as James was content with his Legos.

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies

My husband has been making noises about wanting chocolate chip cookies. I hope he will be happy with these cookies, something **I** have been craving. Oatmeal. Yum. And craisins because I have a super sized bag from Sam's Club to use up some time soon. (I use a lot of craisins in my steel cut oatmeal but I'm uncomfortable with keeping this bag around TOO long.)

This recipe is just a recipe that I googled but she says that it's from the inside of the Quaker canister. I figured it would be a pretty basic, comfort-food type of recipe. Yup! Chewy oatmeal cookies with some sweetness and tart fruit. Deeeeeeelicious.

I made the mistake of calling them Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies to my son. He is a purist. Didn't want to try them because of the oatmeal. I even made two cookies without craisins so he wouldn't pick those out. He took one tiny bite and declared them "too crunchy". And they're not! He tasted one tiny bit of edge that was slightly crunchy. Silly kid.

I feel sad thinking he'll never try some of the sweets that I make!

I made half of a batch of cookies, which was about 18 cookies. This is less than the recipe states, so I figured I might have eaten a few cookies worth of dough! JK. I think I made them bigger than I was supposed to?

Click here for the stolen recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies.

 

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies

My husband has been making noises about wanting chocolate chip cookies. I hope he will be happy with these cookies, something **I** have been craving. Oatmeal. Yum. And craisins because I have a super sized bag from Sam's Club to use up some time soon. (I use a lot of craisins in my steel cut oatmeal but I'm uncomfortable with keeping this bag around TOO long.)

This recipe is just a recipe that I googled but she says that it's from the inside of the Quaker canister. I figured it would be a pretty basic, comfort-food type of recipe. Yup! Chewy oatmeal cookies with some sweetness and tart fruit. Deeeeeeelicious.

I made the mistake of calling them Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies to my son. He is a purist. Didn't want to try them because of the oatmeal. I even made two cookies without craisins so he wouldn't pick those out. He took one tiny bite and declared them "too crunchy". And they're not! He tasted one tiny bit of edge that was slightly crunchy. Silly kid.

I feel sad thinking he'll never try some of the sweets that I make!

I made half of a batch of cookies, which was about 18 cookies. This is less than the recipe states, so I figured I might have eaten a few cookies worth of dough! JK. I think I made them bigger than I was supposed to?

Click here for the stolen recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies.

 

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Rainbow Cupcakes with rainbow candies!

I'm going to the 2nd annual Anoka GLBTQ Youth Pride event tomorrow! Last year I took rainbow cupcakes and they were well-received. This year I wanted to do rainbow cupcakes again but I had to mix it up a bit. A friend of mine sent me a link to this simple idea of using rainbow candy strips! So that's the only thing I did differently this year, added the rainbow strips (or "bacon") to the tops!

Rainbow cupcakes are time consuming but easy. I used regular white cake mixes to save time.

I hope they look like clouds and rainbows :) And I hope they survive the car trip tomorrow without toppling over!

My taste tester gave his stamp of approval! He ate two!

 

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Triple Berry Jam and TB Cheesecake Bars

 

I am new to canning. I made freezer jam last summer with fresh berries but I didn't think I could complete the canning proccess on my glass top stove. I went to a canning demonstration with my friend Ann at Williams Sonoma and I asked about what I would need to change for my appliance. The canning "expert" was of the opinion that if I can keep a pot of water at a constant boil there is no reason why I can't can! So I accepted the challenge and hope that I won't kill anyone with my canning :)

I couldn't buy one of the cheap canning pots at Walmart (Granite Ware) because they are a thin porcelain that could melt on my glass top. Doh! So I looked online for suggestions.. I found one lady who cans using her ordinary stockpot and pasta insert!

I gave it a try. I followed all of the regular directions otherwise- boiling the jars and metal lids, cooking the fruit mixture, and boiling the filled jars for 10-12 minutes to complete the process. I used the recipe inside the pectin box.

 

I did make two minor mistakes. I forgot to stir the jam once the mixture was in the jar AND I forgot to wipe the rims of the jars after they were filled. I don't think either had any effect on my end product. I made low-sugar strawberry jam a few days later and didn't forget these two things. The jam still looked separated so I don't think it's really a big deal. You just stir when you first open the jam! Same recipe source.

 

The canning process? Easy enough. I heard the distinctive POPS! as the jars sealed. I didn't hear all eight pops, but I was a bit busy washing the ton of dishes afterwards so maybe I missed some of them.

And it tastes delicious! I had some jam that didn't fit in my prepared eight half pint jars so I waited for it to set a bit and then spread it on some toast. Delicious! I used a low sugar pectin, which required only 4 cups of sugar for this batch. Four cups sounds like a lot but not when compared with the regular jam recipes. My jam is still REALLY sweet.

I think I had three pieces of toast this day. Shhhhhh!

A few days later I had an urge to bake something. I googled recipes that use jam and found this recipe from a blog that I'm very familiar with. (I think that's key in finding great recipes. I don't just trust any one anymore- too many lost ingredients and energy spent with loser recipes!)

The best part? Low fat recipe! Low guilt :) This only made a small pan of cheesecake bars. Plenty for Jim and I to nibble on it for a few days!

 

The cheesecake bars again..

 

I loved that this recipe used Greek yogurt. I appreciate the graham cracker crust but I think it could use a bit more! I also think the cheesecake part could use a tiny bit more sugar (the blogger noted this too) but my husband said it was just fine. I guess as long as you get jam in each bite you don't really notice!

A very good recipe. A keeper!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars. (It doesn't matter which kind of jam you use!)

So of course my son is refusing to try the jam. I kind of figured he wouldn't like the Triple Berry (seeds) so I made the plain strawberry, which looks like the stuff we buy from the grocery store. He wouldn't have any on HIS sandwich today. I don't feel too offended because he's just that way sometimes- sometimes he just likes the peanut butter, no jam. I'll be ready when he wants jam in his sandwich again!

My PB&J with strawberry jam!

 

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Faux Ice Cream

OMG this totally feels like cheating!

This ice cream is super easy and healthy? Is it really? I froze banana slices, just thinking I'd make some more banana bites or something. I then remembered the Pinterest idea of making "ice cream" out of bananas.

So frozen banana slices, a few tablespoons of peanut butter, and a few teaspoons of cocoa.

 

It is creamy, sweet, and delicious! I just can't believe this isn't a kind of ice cream! I think frozen banana slices are now a must so I can whip up this ice cream whenever I have a sweet tooth!

If you must see a recipe, click here for the stolen recipe for One Ingredient Ice Cream.

 

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White Zin Sangria with pineapple, nectarine, strawberries, and lemon

I made sangria just because!

 

I have so much fruit in the fridge right now. I have strawberries, raspberries, nectarines, pineapple, bananas, lemons, apples, limes... I knew I needed to do something. I thought ice cream but I'm the only one who eats it, really. Sangria? Jim will partake :)

So I found a recipe that used up some of the fruit and I also had most of the other ingredients so I gave it a go!

White Zinfandel is not really my wine. I had a bottle leftover from some event and figured it would be better in a sangria than for regular drinking.

This sangria is light, fruity, and perfect for sipping on a hot day. I would make it again but I wouldn't usually have white zinfandel or peach schnapps in my house. They are both gone now!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Sangria.

 

Graduation Cupcakes

My baby asked for chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. He is a little man of simple tastes :)

This recipe is the best- it comes straight off the back of the Hershey's cocoa tin!

 

Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

 

I wasn't sure these would turn out. My husband did declare them "very good" though!

It was the most unusual cake batter. It was runny one moment, as I prepared the cupcake pans, and then suddenly the flour was absorbed by the liquid and it was scoop-able.

The coconut flour was so fragrant! I could sniff it all day! I've never made anything with coconut or almond flour. This was a good experience for me.

I needed to experiment with this recipe before I make them for a wedding shower this weekend. The bride-to-be is gluten free. I read a bit about gluten free baking and I think I was very careful with NOT cross-contaminating my ingredients and bakeware.

So how did they taste? VERY MOIST. I think the coconut really came through too, which wasn't mentioned in the recipe. They were also pretty sweet, so it was amazing that there is no sugar in this recipe, but honey. A natural sweetener, I suppose!

So I do think these will work out for the shower. I'm hoping to make some candied lemon peels for a garnish and pipe the buttercream prettily. I just slathered the frosting tonight due to a long work day.

 

 

 

Click here for the stolen recipe for Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes.

 

Ginger Beer Lemonade

I didn't plan on making this but I noticed a few cans of ginger beer in the fridge (leftover from my husband's cocktails) and I remembered seeing this recipe in my blog reader a few days ago. Why not?

We found the drink to be very tart and more on the lemon side, but the ginger beer was a nice subtle flavor. We still much prefer the ginger tea lemonade that we cook up for guests, but this was far less work!

We made a double batch. I didn't believe that the recipe made 4 servings as it was. The above picture is after I took a half glass and Jim helped himself to a full glass.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Ginger Beer Lemonade.

 

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

I used to make a chocolate angel food cake, way back before I really knew how to cook or bake. (Yes, those were the days! Anything over a few ingredients seemed intimidating back then!)

I haven't made an angel food cake for a long, long time. I remembered it was a Cooking Light recipe and thought it might fit in okay with my diet.

Yay, it does!

This cake was light and fluffy, and just chocolate-y enough to satisfy my little one. He ate his "plain" and very, very quickly!

The recipe made enough for this bundt pan (a springform one, which I was grateful for because it didn't stick much) and it also made four mini bundts. Those will be perfect for freezing and taking out for James' treats.

In case you wondered, each piece (approximately 12 total) is 120 calories. Pretty good for cake!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Chocolate Angel Food Cake.

 

French Dijon Roasted Chicken

Roasted chickens are my new favorite dinner. Very easy, but they do take over an hour to roast. I'm sure I won't want to heat up the house in the summer, but maybe we can convert these to the rotisserie on the grill outside!

These flavors are amazing. I've been impressed with the other flavorings (Tex Mex & Soy Ginger Oil) suggested by my book- The Kitchen Counter Cooking School.

I slathered the chicken with this mixture: 3 T olive oil, 1 T red wine vinegar, 3 T Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon red chili flakes, and 1 teaspoon dried thyme. This chicken was happy. Happy with the mixture under its skin, slathered on top, and then as the juices ran off I basted the chicken every half an hour with the drippings. I stuffed some garlic cloves and lemon wedges in there for the heck of it.

Easy! I mentioned to my husband that everyone should roast chickens because they are so easy. He said that most households probably don't have red wine vinegar, Dijon, and thyme in their cabinets. He's right. But you could buy those items and be set for many, many chickens!

Tex Mex flavoring: 3 T vegetable oil or butter, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, pinch of cayenne pepper.

Soy Ginger oil flavoring: 2 T vegetable or peanut oil, 1 T sesame oil, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 T rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger.

See my other post about roasting chickens.

 

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Angie's Famous Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

Who is Angie?! I know, but this recipe has been passed around from blogger to blogger from someone who originally knew Angie. Angie must have created this recipe. We thank Angie! It's a moist, fruity sweet cupcake with the most delicious creamy whipped frosting. The frosting even has strawberry puree/chunks, which was simmered with a tiny bit of Cointreau (I didn't buy the strawberry liqueur, others declared it unnecessary).

I was home with my sick son so I didn't notice that I didn't have many mini cupcake liners to choose from in my cabinet. I made do with the creepy spiders! These mini cupcakes are for Bosses Day at my school. My boss is NOT creepy!

I made mini cupcakes because there will be a spread of food for the Bosses. Minis are easy to grab, for a quick taste. I'm expecting my work friends to provide an assortment of bars, cookies, dips, and other goodies for our Bosses.

My diet can't handle the madness!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Angie's Famous Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream.

 

Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Broccoli Slaw

These were great! I was hoping the Buffalo flavor would appeal to my husband. It did. The burgers were actually quite spicy but in a good way. Carrots are grated and added to the burger mix, which would be good if you were trying to sneak veggies into your family's diet!

I did find reduced fat cheddar slices and whole wheat buns to make this a bit better for my diet. Diet, diet, diet. Yeah, I guess I should start calling it something else since this is just the way it should be.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Diet or not, my husband liked it! He said it's the best diet he's been on :)

Click here for the stolen recipe for Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Broccoli Slaw.

 

Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad

I didn't plan on making this. I had some spare breasts (ha!) in the refrigerator and most/all of the ingredients for this recipe that I had bookmarked on Pinterest. I'm not a pecan fan so I was okay with substituting sliced almonds in this recipe.

I did wish I had some romaine lettuce or even some spinach leaves to bulk up the sandwich but we hardly missed it. This chicken salad was pretty tangy due to the Greek yogurt (healthy replacement for mayo) but there was also sweetness due to the diced apple and craisins. Yum.

Sandwich thins = 100 calories. I hardly miss regular bread!

 

 

Click here for the stolen recipe for Cranberry (Pecan) Almond Chicken Salad.

 

Lemon Chicken Stir Fry

Just because I am dieting doesn't mean I can't try new and good foods!

I found this recipe on a (dieting) food blog and it was delicious! It was very lemony and fresh. Is that a good description? I don't think I've ever described something as fresh. Well, it fits.

We also loved the mushrooms in this. Big chunks of stir fried mushrooms in sauce... Mmmmmm.

That's a margarita you see by my plate. Not too diet friendly but needed :)

I served this over rice vermecelli.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Lemon Chicken Stir Fry.

 

Citrus Margarita Spritzer

Happy Cinco de Mayo! My wonderful husband went out and bought tequila and cointreau so I could try these "skinny" margaritas for MY day.

They were delicious! I don't even miss the calorie-heavy margarita mix. I squeezed oranges for juice, but cheated with bottled lime juice. Target didn't have any limes today (darn their produce area- I hate it!) Just a little club soda made it sparkly :)

 

 

Click here for the stolen recipe for Citrus Margarita Spritzer.

 

 

Roasted Chicken

I read a great book.  Everyone should read it!  A professional cook takes a handful of women under her wing and shows them how to cook.  They also learn basics that I wish I knew too!  Knife techniques.  Butchering.  Wait, I don't think those are basics.  But they would be great skills to have.

The book is called The Kitchen Counter Cooking School.

One of the first scenes in the book is the chef at the grocery store.  She sees a woman with a grocery basket FULL of CRAP.  Okay, I'm going to sound snobby.  But crap as in processed food.  Like frozen pizzas, jarred alfredo sauce, canned soups, Hamburger Helper, etc.  She took the woman aside and asked her WHY.  Convenience, of course.  And not knowing any better!  The chef explained how easy it would be to recreate the same meals, for cheaper and not as much time as you would think.  It would be enlightening to anyone!  I've seen a lot of the same kind of grocery carts at the store too...

[Crap as in all of the same foods that we offer at our school food shelf.  I cringe thinking that these are the foods we are giving to our kids but they are shelf stable and easy for kids to make themselves.  I wish there were a better solution.]

One of the things that I was reminded of was how easy it is to roast a chicken.  The book also goes into great detail of how much more economical it is to cook a chicken this way and use the shredded meat or pieces for meals throughout the week.  Roasted chicken takes a bit longer than my usual weekday 30 minute or less meals, so I've found that roasting a chicken ahead of time (on Sundays or Tuesdays when Jim is at pool) is the best thing for me.  I've been freezing cooked shredded chicken for later use, in 2 cup portions if we don't immediately eat the pieces of chicken.

This book is great because it gives you TEN ways to flavor roast chicken.  I've tried two so far- Soy Ginger Oil & Tex-Mex.  I have to say that these are VERY flavorful and the chicken comes out so VERY MOIST!  The flavor combinations are rubbed under and over the skin.

Soy Ginger Oil-

Tex Mex-

Whole chickens really are so much cheaper.  Even cheaper than buying a precooked rotisserie chicken.  Duh.

I can't wait to try the others.
Lemon-Herb Butter
Italian Herb Oil
French Dijon
Pesto-rama
Goat Cheese with Proscuitto and Herbs
Thai-Style (this one uses coconut oil, something I don't have right now, otherwise I'd be all over it!)
Greekesque
China Spice

This book also talks about the beauty of omelettes (something else I've been dabbling in), soups, and making your own bread.  I have the book she mentions but I never dug into it.  Mental note:  bake bread.  Experiment.  I've wanted to recreate the Cheesecake Factory's brown bread.  OMG YUM.

I'm also looking up local classes to find where I can learn these knife skills!

Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks

Yum!  Asparagus!  You gotta love Sam's Club because of their cheap, huge bundles of asparagus.  I've been quick-steaming (cheating) asparagus in the microwave for omelettes too, so the asparagus does NOT get wasted around here.

Anyway, these were great.  Slightly crispy.  I think maybe if I sprayed them with cooking spray too they'd be even more crispy.  Also, I think the crumb mixture could have used a bit of salt or some other spice.  But the idea is good!

We served these with the BBQ spareribs.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks.