Italian Drip Beef Sandwiches

This recipe, via Baked Bree originally from Pioneer Woman, has been on my "to try" list for a long time. I had leftover chuck this week so I finally got around to making some for lunches. Wow - I'm just sad we didn't try it sooner!!! This is incredibly easy and, just ask Mike, ridiculously good!

(We've really struck gold on a lot of our new recipe attempts this week so there's more food posts to share.)

There's no exact measurements for any of this.  You just throw it in.

chuck roast (I only had 1lb left)
pepperoncini
beef broth
italian seasoning
salt and pepper
hoagie rolls
pepperjack cheese

The original recipe is here.  She uses the oven but I just did all this in the slow cooker.  We made it the day before we planned to eat it.

So here's what we did:
Spray the pot with cooking spray.
Dump in the meat.
Season with salt, pepper, and italian seasonings.  Almost cover the roast with beef broth and a little water.
Put a bunch of pepperoncinis on top and dump in some of their juice.
Put it on low for 6-8hrs (depending on your crock) until it falls apart.
Cool and refrigerate.
Remove hardened fat on top.
Reheat meat and juice.  Pour juice into ramekins and meat on the hoagie rolls.
Top with pepperjack and some sliced pepperoncinis. (I topped my sandwich with sweet peppers just because I really like them but Mike did the pepperoncinis.)
Place under the broiler for a minute or two.
Dunk and enjoy!!!

Ratatouille like the Movie

I finally pulled out the mandoline Mike bought me for my birthday (in March). And I completely, 100% take back all the bad thoughts I had about it! I had read a bunch of reviews and put this on my wish list but then when it arrived I thought it didn't have enough options and the plastic didn't seem very sturdy. It was sitting down in a basement closet, waiting to get returned to amazon when I finally decided it wasn't worth the hassle of calling them up to get a special gift return and pay shipping. And I'm soo glad I didn't send it back! All the great reviews were true. All that to say we finally tried out Ratatouille's ratatouille! This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen and it is amazing. Easy. Pretty. And oh so delicious!

Ratatouille’s Ratatouille 

from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced - I just used a garlic press as I was rushing
1 cup tomato puree - I couldn't find any and substituted tomato sauce -worked great
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. I used a round pan and just kept filling up pans as long as I had veggies left!
Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.
Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.
On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.
Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.
Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil (I was really generous with the olive oil and yes, it's delicious) over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.
Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)
Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes (mine took less as I used smaller pans and convection), until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.
Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain. This was fantastic with lots of goat cheese.  I used it as a side dish and the leftovers made amazing lunches just served in bowls!


And if you're curious, here's Thomas Keller's version (much more involved but I'm sure delicious).

Baking Night: Parmesan and Prosciutto Mini Muffins

Rachel and I have begun a weekly tradition of Baking Night. Depending on when the kiddos go down we can end up baking into the wee hours but it's been loads of fun. Granted the late night makes mistakes more likely but so far everything's been edible. We started out with some sweets - we made a killer chocolate cake that also freezes really well. Freezing was an attempt to keep us from eating it all at once, but it turns out that frozen chocolate cake is also really delicious. We've started shipping out the baked goods.

This past week we did a Weight Watcher Muffin recipe. Rachel had a really cute pan from IKEA that we had to use which made them really tall and skinny. I wasn't able to eat it due to dairy affecting Ida, but they smelled amazing and both Rachel and Mike claimed they tasted just as good. So here you go:

Parmesan and Prosciutto Muffins: (our version should be titled Pepper Jack and Ham Muffins)

4 spray(s) cooking spray

2/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour

2/3 cup(s) whole wheat flour

1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (we didn't have this so we used pepper jack)

4 tsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

2 large egg white(s), at room temperature (we used one whole egg)

4 oz Casa Italia Prosciutto, or other proscuitto crudo, thinly sliced, minced (we didn't have this so we used 2 slices of leftover bacon and ham)

1/2 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese (didn't have this so we used neufchatel cream cheese)

1/2 cup(s) low-fat milk

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

(I also think a bunch of chives or sliced green onions would add nice flavor and color.)

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Spray two 12 indentation mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
  
  
• In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, cheese, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper.
  
  
• In a second bowl, whisk together egg whites, prosciutto, ricotta, milk and melted butter until the mixture is fairly smooth.
  
  
• Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients; stir with a wooden spoon just until there are no pockets of dry flour in the mixture. Spoon into prepared muffin tins, about 1 1/2 tablespoons per indentation.
  
  
• Bake until browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 12 to 14 minutes. Cool in tins for a couple of minutes before turning muffins out and cooling them on a wire rack. Yields 1 muffin per serving.

Recipe Testing: Our FAVORITE Cinnamon Rolls!

Well, it's happened.  We've discovered our favorite cinnamon roll recipe - it's basically everything we've been looking for!  Soft dough, great cinnamon filling, and amazing glaze/frosting that's not too thin or too thick!  (I don't know if this will make us stop testing other recipes, but I've definitely got my fall back!)

This recipe is from Pink of Perfection and I really didn't need to change a thing!  These are great for time (as you don't have to let the dough rise).  I also tested out freezing the cinnamon rolls as soon as I formed them (instead of letting them rise overnight) to save for another morning.  Then I just pulled them out in the evening and let them thaw and rise on the counter overnight. Then baked them as directed the next morning.  It didn't affect the flavor at all and made them even handier!  So here you go:

(sorry for the lack of pictures on my part!)

(picture from pink of perfection)

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
makes 12

dough
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 cup white sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

filling
1 1/3 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup maple sugar (if you can’t get maple sugar, use 2 cups powdered sugar, and you could add some maple flavoring, if desired) - I didn't have this and used a 1 Tablespoon of real maple syrup in place of 1 T of milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons (or more) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Stir in butter until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add eggs and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, adding more flour as needed, about 5 minutes.

Cover the dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together filling ingredients.

Roll out dough into a 9×12 inch rectangle. Spread dough evenly with filling mixture. Roll up dough from the long end and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in a 9×12″ baking pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, remove cinnamon rolls from refrigerator and let sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to take the chill off. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until browned. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients, adding more milk to thin glaze, if necessary. Remove rolls from oven, and pour glaze over hot cinnamon rolls. Serve warm.

Recipe Review: Cook's Illustrated American Sandwich Bread

Well I think we may have discovered our new favorite sandwich bread!!  We make bread fairly frequently and I try out new recipes or adapt them almost every time.  We've enjoyed the American Sandwich Bread by Cook's Illustrated (from The New Best Recipe) but the Buttermilk Variation brought the loaf to amazing levels!!

  

*side note - I love this cook book.  It doesn't have any pictures but it has all of your basic recipes with extremely detailed directions, and you can almost 100% guarantee that it will, not only turn out, but be good.  It's pretty much my go-to cookbook for the basics.  And if you enjoy reading about the science behind all their testing and decisions you can - I love this stuff.*            

Here's the Buttermilk Version (shortened to the basics):

3 3/4c unbleached all purpose flour

2 tsp salt

1 c buttermilk (original calls for warm whole milk - 110 degrees)

1/3 c hot boiling water (original calls for warm water - 110 degrees)

2 T unsalted butter melted

3 T honey (I've used brown sugar too with great results)

1 envelope instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1. Mix 3 1/2 c flour and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook

2. Mix the milk, water, butter, honey, and yeast in a 4 cup liquid measuring cup

3. Turn the machine to low and add the liquid mix.  When it comes together turn up the speed and mix until the dough is smooth and satiny - adding the last 1/4 c of flour a little at a time as needed.

4.  Knead for probably 7-10min

5. Form a round ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled - about 1 hr.

6. Form dough into a loaf and press, seam side down, into a 9x5 bread ban.  (mine aren't quite that size and it still works)

7.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise till doubled - 20-30 min

8. Heat oven to 350.  Place an empty baking pan on the bottom rack.  Boil 2 cups water.  Pour water into the baking pan.  Place loaf on center rack and bake 40-50min.  Inside loaf temp of 195 degrees.  (I've found with convection this only takes around 30-35min).

Enjoy!!

Cinnamon Roll Testing: Alton Brown's Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

After searching the blog archives I realized it's been nearly a year since we started our perfect cinnamon roll recipe search! We kinda got cinnamon roll overdosed for awhile but I didn't mean for the break to be THIS long! This also means that I haven't made cinnamon rolls for over 10 months - at least! Anyway - some kids and moms were coming over for a playdate yesterday morning so it seemed like the perfect time to try an overnight recipe.

I decided to give Alton Brown's recipe a whirl - we love his recipes!  This was good, good flavor, not too complex but the bread turned out slightly dry (a problem with a lot of the recipes we've tried).  Just not quite the ideal recipe.
I substituted a maple glaze because I really don't care for cream cheese frosting.  And I think I'll try the cinnamon roll recipe that it came with next.  Here's the recipe from Pink of Perfection. I'm hoping it will be the perfect soft bread with just the right amount of sweetness and gooeyness - keep you posted!
*(So my friend, Laura, tried the Pink of Perfection rolls out and told me they were fabulous!! Now I'm dying to try them!)*

Bunco Cookies

Our neighborhood has a bunco group and it was our turn to host. I thought it'd be appropriate to have "dice" cookies so I took the recipe below for linzer cookies and used a square cookie cutter to make dice. I used my thermometer cover to cut out the holes. Simple dice - and very tasty! Here's the link to the original recipe. My changes are in italics below.

Ingredients

• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup plus 3 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup raspberry jam
• 2 teaspoons some berry liqueur - I added this

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F; line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla, then flour and salt. Shape dough into 2 disks; wrap 1 in plastic and refrigerate.

On a floured surface, roll out remaining disk to about a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out cookies with a 2 1/2-inch heart-shaped cutter. Use a smaller heart cutter to cut a window out of half of cookies. With a spatula, carefully transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Gather scraps and roll out again to make more cookies.

Bake cookies in batches until edges of cookies are just golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies onto wire racks to let cool completely.

Stir liqueur into the jam.

Spread 3/4 tsp. jam over flat side of each cookie that doesn't have a window. Top with remaining cookies, flat side down, so that jam shows through windows. Carefully sift 3 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar over cookies. (I skipped the pwd sugar since it covered up the holes.)

Recipe Review: Chicken Chimichangas

I don't have any pictures but I tried out this recipe (along with a bunch of other new ones) for our neighborhood bunco group last night.  This was easy and delicious- definitely plan on making it again!  I made changes to the original which I put in italics.
(from Southern Living, original here)

Ingredients

• 1  (16-ounce) jar picante sauce or salsa, divided  (I added more than this till it looked moist but not too saucy)
• 7  cups  chopped cooked chicken  (I briefly marinated the chicken breasts in olive oil, garlic, and pepper before adding salt and baking at 350 for 35min)
• 1  small onion, diced
• 2  to 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (cut this down to 1 teaspoon and that was plenty)
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon  salt (cut this down to just a pinch - with the well-seasoned chicken, the salsa, and cheese it was plenty salty)
• 20  (8-inch) flour tortillas
• 3  cups  (12 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese  (I used pepper-jack for extra kick)
• Toppings: guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomato

Preparation

Combine 1 1/2 cups picante sauce and next 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven; cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, 25 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates. I stirred in the cheese at this point - adding a little extra.  Spoon 1/3 cup mixture below center of each tortilla.

Fold in 2 sides of tortillas to enclose filling. Fold over top and bottom edges of tortillas, making rectangles. Secure with wooden picks. Place, folded side down, on greased baking sheets. Brush with olive oil.

Bake at 425° for 8 minutes; turn and bake 5 more minutes. I sprinkled a little cheese on the tops for looks and put them in for a second to melt it.  Remove picks; top with remaining picante sauce and desired toppings.

Southern Living, APRIL 1998

Marshmallows

Since we got married I've started making homemade marshmallows every Christmas.  They're really easy (if you have a stand mixer) and fun to do! (This is a Martha Stewart recipe)

INGREDIENTS

    2 1/2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin

    1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

    1 cup light corn syrup

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

    Confectioners' sugar (for dusting)

Combine gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment. Let it stand 30 minutes.

Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup of water in a small heavy saucepan; place over low heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to dissolve sugar crystals.

Clip on a candy thermometer; raise heat to high. Cook syrup without stirring until it reaches 244 degrees (firm-ball stage). Immediately remove pan from heat.

With mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour syrup into the softened gelatin. Increase speed to high; beat until mixture is very thick and white and has almost tripled in volume, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla; beat to incorporate.

Generously dust an 8 x 12-inch glass baking pan (I've used a metal one with no problem) with confectioners' sugar. Pour marshmallow mixture into pan. Dust with confectioners' sugar; let stand overnight, uncovered, to dry out.

(next morning)

I find it really easy to cut with a large pizza blade.

Enjoy!

Recipe Review: Alton Brown's Pomegranate Jello

(picture from Food Network)

So when we saw this on Good Eats we were really excited about the potential of a jello replacement (and especially something with pomegranate!) for the typical 50's one at Christmas, but this was disappointing.  Which is surprising because we typically love Alton Brown's recipes.  Asa and I tried it out while Mike was gone and it turned out brown, super rubbery, and pretty flavorless.  Waste of expensive POM.  Asa, however, enjoyed eating millions of pomegranate seeds.

My Favorite Butternut Squash Soup

(picture and recipe from MyRecipes.com)

We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family yesterday since everyone will be out of town. I made this for the meal - it's my favorite butternut squash soup recipe yet. And it's really easy! Especially if you have a Stick Blender. This might just be my favorite kitchen tool. It doesn't have to be that expensive and it saves a ton of time and mess. You can blend soups, sauces, smoothies directly in the pot, bowl, or glass!  Here's the one I have.  Although we bought this one for my mother-in-law one with lots of attachments and those are pretty handy!

The recipe is from Cooking Light and I like it even without the half and half. I typically add only 1/2cup.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled russet potato (about 12 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups sliced leek (about 2 medium)
• 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 12 ounces baguette, cut into 16 slices
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped chives
• Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add squash, potato, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add leek; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Place half of potato mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining potato mixture. Stir in half-and-half. Cover and keep warm.

Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil bread slices 2 minutes or until golden. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 1 teaspoon chives. Serve 2 bread slices with each serving. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

Mushroom and Fontina Quiche

We tried this out for Sunday brunch along with the Ham, Leek, and Three Cheese Quiche but the Mushroom was definitely my favorite.  I made both crustless - for one, because I hate crust and it hates me but also because we were having muffins and coffeecake and I thought we had plenty of bread.

I just greased 9in pie plates and poured it directly in without altering the recipe (other than substituting some sharp cheddar in the Ham and Leek one).  It came out great!  Easy, yummy, crustless quiche! (I didn't take a picture so the photo is from  Epicurious, Bon Appetit).

• INGREDIENTS:
• 1 refrigerated pie crust (half of 15-ounce package) - left this out
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2/3 cup chopped shallots (about 3 medium)
• 5 cups sliced assorted mushrooms (such as chanterelle, stemmed shiitake, oyster, crimini, and button; 12 to 14 ounces), large mushrooms halved - we used shitake, crimini, button, and portabello
• 4 large eggs
• 2/3 cup half and half
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely grated Fontina cheese (about 7 ounces), divided
• 
  

Preheat oven to 450°F. Unroll crust completely. Press firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish. Bake until light golden brown, pressing on sides of crust with back of spoon if crust begins to slide down sides of dish, about 17 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté until mushrooms are tender and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plate; spread out to cool slightly.

Whisk eggs, half and half, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg in large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina cheese and sautéed mushrooms. Pour filling into crust. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over quiche.

Bake quiche until puffed, golden brown, and just set in center, about 45 minutes. Cool 30 minutes. Cut into wedges.

Dinner: Sausage Cauliflower Spaghetti

Mike picked up the latest Food Network magazine for me and last night we tried out one of their everyday weeknight recipes.  This was sooo easy, budget friendly, and tasty.  Very robust and great for cooler fall weather.  Asa gobbled up all of the cauliflower without any coaxing.  (Granted he inhales his food so fast he might not be able to taste.... but still a good sign right?!)

Here's the recipe.  We used pork instead of turkey and cut back on the oil - worked great!

*Special Note* - Mike made the meal himself!

First Giveaway!!

I'm really excited to announce our first blog giveaway! Aren't you excited to find out what it is?!

Nothing beats homemade bread but the amount of time, mixing, kneading, rising, and punching down can be just too much, especially if you have errands to run and can't be at home for a 4 hour period.

No knead bread that rises overnight is the answer.  What's even better about this recipe is that it tastes like gourmet artisan bread with a crackly crust and soft interior.  All that it requires is a dutch oven and a little forethought.  Then just throw it in your le creuset and out comes a gorgeous loaf.  (We made the Parmesan Black Pepper loaf pictured above and it's fantastic.)

Now here's your chance to win a $40 giftcard towards getting your own le creuset dutch oven!

All you have to do is leave a comment listing your favorite le creuset item (if you have one) or the color you'd want (if you don't).  I'm really drawn to the caribbean blue!

Already have tons of le creuset? No worries - the giftcard can go towards any item at one of CSN's stores.

For an extra chance to win,  put a link to this post on your blog and leave a second comment here with the linked site.

The winner will be announced Wednesday, August 18th by 6pm PST. US and Canadian readers only.
Good luck!

I'm hosting another giveaway on my design blog so while you're at it head on over there and enter for that one too!

Iced Coffee

It has been way too hot lately for hot coffee in the mornings, so I've started pulling out the blender for iced coffee! A little while back I started freezing the leftover coffee in ice cube trays and putting them in a ziploc bag in the freezer. We've got quite the collection now and the other day I pulled them out for iced coffee!

1 Serving:

3-6 cubes (add as few or as many for your desired thickness)

Milk

Coffee (you can melt a couple cubes if, like me, you don't want a ton of milk in it)

Sugar

Touch of vanilla

This sounds good too.  Might have to give it a try!

Mac and Cheese Replacement

A lot healthier and fresher and takes just as much time as boxed mac and cheese! Use fresh herbs if you've got them and butter on the pasta (I didn't have any fresh herbs so the color in the bowl isn't nearly as pretty and I was using up odds and ends of noodles but there you go)! The nice thing about this is you almost always have these staples on hand - and you can pretty much substitute whatever! Nothing fancy but a quick and easy lunch!

Lemonade Cupcakes!

We tried these out tonight!! Really good! (Here's the recipe.)

Hope's Baby Shower

Thanks thanks Nicole and Rachel for all your help!!

M&M favor bags! (We stamped the baby sign on.)

Blueberry muffins! "It's a boy" topper template available here

Cheddar Scallion Muffins with Whipped Cream Cheese! Really good! Recipe here.

Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes

These cupcakes were fantastic! Maggie and I made them for our Mother's Day dessert and we've got another keeper (right up there with Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes). I found the recipe over at TidyMom and we made just a few alterations. We wanted to add more strawberry so instead of only using it in the filling, we reduced the butter and water in the batter and added pureed strawberries (all fresh but frozen would work too). We also decreased the amount of cocoa powder in the frosting (simply out of a lack of cocoa powder but it tasted great!). The recipe uses a cake mix so it's a pretty quick dessert that tastes amazing (btw - Duncan Hines is the best cake mix). The strawberry cream tastes so light and fresh. Enjoy!