tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40739365685824055092024-03-05T01:41:04.426-05:00Whine, Dine and Designkids, food, diy...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-15150078937185078252015-03-16T10:06:00.002-04:002015-03-16T10:11:47.103-04:00Starbucks Copy Cat Chai Tea Concentrate<br />
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My boyfriend loves Starbucks chai tea and buys the Tazo chai tea concentrate. Well, that stuff is expensive. Not as expensive as buying one at Starbucks, but expensive none the less. Sometimes I can get the concentrate on sale at Target for 2 for $6.00, but that's about the best deal out there that I've seen. I've tried other brands and he doesn't like them. They were too spicy, too sweet, not spicy enough, too weak or just off. I finally found Tazo Chai Tea DECAF. I had no idea that decaf would be so hard to find. Once I found it I was on a quest to find the perfect sweetness and strength.<br />
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I tried at least three different versions before getting it to where he liked it. It's definitely cheaper than buying the concentrate. You're paying a lot for water when you buy it that way. Now that it's getting warmer, he won't drink it as much, but now I'm prepared for this Autumn.<br />
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<h3>
Starbucks Copy Cat Chai Tea Concentrate</h3>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Yield: 2 cups, or 4 cups chai tea mixed with milk</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Prep Time: 2 minutes, plus steeping </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cook Time: 3 minutes</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Total Time: 15 minutes</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
Ingredients<br />
3 Tazo Chai Tea Bags<br />
2 teaspoons sugar<br />
2 teaspoons honey<br />
2 cups water<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Directions<br />
Boil three tea bags in two cups of water on the stove or in the microwave for two minutes. Let steep for 10 minutes until dark brown. Add two teaspoons of honey and two teaspoons of sugar and stir until dissolved. To make a Chai Tea Latte, add 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup concentrate and heat until desired temperature. Or chill and serve over ice.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-4688913829428000512015-03-14T14:51:00.003-04:002015-03-14T14:54:15.661-04:00Tear Free Potty Training<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When my son was two years old and then three and even four people would ask me how I potty trained him. I always say it was really easy and I had no problems at all. Then they look at me like I have two heads and ask how that's possible.<br />
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I stumbled upon a website when my son was about three months old about Elimination Communication (EC). I had no idea what it was and had never heard about it before. You can look it up, but in a nutshell it basically says that the same way your baby tells you they are hungry, tired, hurt, etc., they also tell you they have to pee or poop. And as a society we tend to "teach" our children to do their business in a diaper. Most third world countries don't have diapers and use this method very effectively. All you have to do is put your infant on the toilet when they normally eliminate; after a meal and when they wake up from a nap, and eventually, when they are able to, they will go to the toilet on their own.<br />
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So naturally I thought this was crazy, but had to give it a try. Holy Crap It Worked! My son was three months old when we started this and he peed or pooped right after he ate and right when he woke up from a nap. It honestly saved a ton of diapers. We used a little potty. Not a toddler potty, but a Baby Borne. It's smaller than a toddler potty. And it's much easier to clean up as well. Just a few swishes of water, dump it into the toilet and it's good to go. Of course every once in a while I gave it a good cleaning. The same as any toilet.<br />
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Apparently there are some hard core peeps out there who choose to go diaper free, but I was not one of those individuals. More power to them. I was what's called a part-time EC'er. I did it most of the time, but I didn't stress about it. If he went in his diaper, which he did frequently, I didn't worry about. it. I didn't just do it at home either. I did it at restaurants, friend's houses at the mall, basically wherever. I held my son away from me by the legs, so everything went easily into the toilet. <br />
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We also did baby sign language, which helped tremendously with ECing and communication in general. Every time he sat on the potty, we would give him the "potty" sign. It's not a sign we made up, but actually the American Sign Language (ASL) sign for toilet, aka, I gotta go.<br />
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He was eight months old the first time he had a dry diaper all day. That included a five hour car ride. I just continued to put him on the potty after he ate and when he woke up from a nap. He got on quite the schedule. I can't exactly remember, but I know at 11 months, he was signing he had to go to the bathroom and he would crawl there. We always kept the potty in the bathroom. It was easier and I figured that way, he knew where you did your business.<br />
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I'm venturing to guess that he could have been completely potty trained by about 15 months, but honestly I got lazy. He was still waking up every two hours at that point and I was exhausted. Matter of fact, he woke up every two hours until he was about 17 months old. He was a terrible sleeper and didn't start sleeping through the night until he was three and a half. That's a story for another time. So, I probably could have had him potty trained, but I was so tired, I didn't have the energy. His dad had recently gotten deployed and we had to put our house on the market and EC was the last thing on my mind. <br />
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Even though I got a bit lazy with it, I continued to do Elimination Communication and I changed my last poopy diaper when he was 18 months old. Peeing took a bit longer and he was completely potty trained by two years, two months. I generally put him on the toilet every two hours. No tears. No fuss. No more crap! He still peed in his sleep now and again, but I wasn't worried about that. He stopped peeing in his sleep close to three. Potty training was a non issue in our house.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmn3-tuWmsIYdhseoMkYevPLYUUJYsIAwGtZu58r0JsFbPREKeW4t2OZghvwB6jNco6i8P4MJuV-nCf76cjDJIWaz1IPUHuUUnyVk4q8cbqMPjQWONwJ6mqLoWZXWA8XgGzdlzkykA-zO/s1600/Elimination-Communication.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmn3-tuWmsIYdhseoMkYevPLYUUJYsIAwGtZu58r0JsFbPREKeW4t2OZghvwB6jNco6i8P4MJuV-nCf76cjDJIWaz1IPUHuUUnyVk4q8cbqMPjQWONwJ6mqLoWZXWA8XgGzdlzkykA-zO/s1600/Elimination-Communication.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I"m fairly certain, my mom would shoot me if she knew I posted this photo. We were visiting her and I couldn't resist taking this photo. Mt little guy was probably about 5 months here. </td></tr>
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Technically Elimination Communication is not potty training. So, I don't know that my headline is totally accurate, but I was always patient with him. When he got to be a toddler and he didn't want to get on the toilet every two hours, I didn't make it a big deal. When he went, I always told him, good job. But again, I didn't make it a big deal. There were no rewards, no candy, no stickers, just good old fashioned patience. And it worked. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.<br />
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Have you ever heard of Elimination Communication? Did you try it? I'm curious about others experiences with it. I've told many people about it, including my mom friends and none have done it and most have never heard of it.<br />
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For those of you who have a toddler and are ready to start potty training, just remember to be patient and it's never to early to learn the cues your child is trying to tell you.<br />
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Good Luck.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-50416798505919942272015-03-10T18:51:00.003-04:002015-03-10T18:52:47.445-04:00No Bake Coconut Almond Bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love it when I come up with a recipe and it's a hit. I'll be honest, it took two tries to get this one right, but I think I've got a winner. It started off as a copy cat Kind bar, but we decided they were too sweet and too nutty. They tasted like a candy bar. They're delicious don't get me wrong, but I wanted something a little different. I decided to add some oats in there, so it wasn't so nutty. Plus nuts get expensive. I don't want to make homemade granola bars that cost more than store-bought ones. I figured these cost about .45 cents each to make. Not cheap, but definitely cheaper than store bought. And way more tasty. They almost remind me of a coconut almond rice crispy treat.<br />
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I did a bit of research and discovered that brown rice syrup and honey was the way to go. I try to use natural ingredients. Or minimally processed stuff. I usually tend to go the maple syrup or honey route, but I thought I would try the brown rice syrup. I couldn't find it in my regular grocery store and even asked, so I had to go to a specialty store. Then, the other day I just happened to see it hiding in the gluten free section. What a strange place, but that's where it was. It runs about $7 at my local store. About the same price as honey around here.<br />
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There's not too much to making these, but you will need a candy thermometer, so I would suggest buying one. Don't borrow one. They aren't that expensive and since you're going to wind up making these all the time, I would just go ahead and buy one.<br />
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Have you every boiled sugar before? If not, the sugars go from just covering the bottom to practically overflowing. It doesn't seem to take long either. Be careful when you boil the sugar, because if it touches your skin it sticks and you'll get a nasty burn. I always make sure my son isn't home or is glued to the tv when I'm making these. You really need to pay attention to boiling sugar. Don't walk away. This is why you need the candy thermometer. You need to get the sugar to firm ball stage. (No, this doesn't mean it's cold in the kitchen.) It's the gage on the candy thermometer. I don't like my granola bars too hard, so firm ball seems to be the best. If you like yours a little harder, go ahead and play hard ball, but I wouldn't go any higher than that. So many innuendos here. :)<br />
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These make 20 bars, which in my house maybe lasts about 4 days. Five if I hide one or two.<br />
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I've also got a spicy nutty bar coming soon. It's definitely an acquired taste, but I really like them. It incorporates sweet, salty, and spicy in one bite. I love it when that happens.<br />
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<h3>
No Bake Coconut Almond Bars</h3>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Yield: 20 Bars</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Prep Time: 10 minutes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cook Time: 10 minutes</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Total Time: 30 minutes</span></div>
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<div>
Ingredients</div>
<div>
2 cups coconut</div>
<div>
1 1/2 cups crisp brown rice</div>
<div>
1 cup almonds</div>
<div>
1/2 teaspoon salt</div>
<div>
1 teaspoon vanilla</div>
<div>
1 cup honey</div>
<div>
1/2 cup brown rice syrup </div>
<div>
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<div>
Directions</div>
<div>
In a large mixing bowl add dry ingredients and set aside. In a deep saucepan add honey and brown rice syrup. Cook on medium high until firm ball stage using a candy thermometer. Remove and add vanilla. Pour into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spread into a greased 9x13 inch glass pan. Oil the bottom of a drinking glass and press down firmly and evenly. Let cool for 20 - 30 minutes. Turn out onto cutting mat and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a week, if they last that long. </div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-86932608956142979482015-03-08T21:06:00.002-04:002015-03-10T18:57:53.994-04:00Spinach Tortillas<br />
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Ever since making homemade tortilla some time ago, I can't seem to go back to buying them. I've had store bought tortillas once and they were gross. My boyfriend told me that he never wanted to eat store bought again. I took that as compliment. Everything homemade just tastes better. Of course food always tastes better when someone else makes it.<br />
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In an effort to make things a little healthier, I decided to make some spinach tortillas. I love spinach, but when it comes to adding them to things like tortillas or pancakes, I don't want any of the spinach flavor to come through. I guess I got the right ratio of spinach to flour, because you couldn't taste any spinach flavor at all. I will say that they are a little less chewy than regular tortillas, but no one seemed to mind.<br />
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We made burritos with them and they disappeared rather quickly. My son kept threatening to take one off the plate as I was photographing them. He's a carb guy. Anything bread, he eats. So if I can make his carb loving diet a little healthier, then I will. Especially since this kid doesn't like vegetables.<br />
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Making tortillas is always time consuming, but well worth it. Every once in a while, I threaten to spend an entire Sunday making tortillas and freezing the leftovers. The freeze well and taste just as good as the day you made them.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Spinach Tortillas</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Yield: 8 Large Tortillas</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Prep Time: 1 hour</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cook Time: 10 - 15 minutes</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
Ingredients<br />
2 1/3 cups flour, plus extra for rolling out the tortillas<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
3/4 cup water<br />
3 tablespoons olive oil<br />
1 cup spinach<br />
<br />
Directions<br />
Mix flour and salt in a stand mixer or large bowl. In a blender, add spinach, water and olive oil. Blend well. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. If dough seems a little sticky, add a teaspoon or two of flour. Separate into eight balls. Roll very thin with a rolling pin. On a hot griddle or dry pan, cook until bubbly; about a minute. Turn and cook until brown spots appear. Cool on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-29230758467628136892015-03-07T14:19:00.000-05:002015-03-10T18:57:16.429-04:00Snippy Doodles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is my grandmother's warn and well used Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. There are several cookies and bars that I'm looking forward to trying. I wonder if they still publish any of these old recipes in their newer books.<br />
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Snippy Doodles are one of the recipes my grandmother used to make from her Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. These little bars are cake-like and go really well with a cup of coffee or tea. They are fluffy and soft with a tinge of cinnamon and sugar. The remind me of snickerdoodle cookies, but in a bar/cake form. I like them the way they are, but I think I might try to make them a little thicker and heavier like a brownie next time.<br />
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<h2>
Snippy Doodles</h2>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Yield: 18 bars</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Prep Time: 10 minutes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cook Time: 25 minutes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Total Time: 35 minutes</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
Ingredients<br />
2 tablespoons shortening (I used butter)</div>
<div>
2/3 cup sugar</div>
<div>
1 cup cake flour</div>
<div>
1/8 teaspoon salt</div>
<div>
1 teaspoon baking powder</div>
<div>
1 teaspoon cinnamon</div>
<div>
1/2 cup milk</div>
<div>
1 well-beaten egg</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Directions<br />
Thoroughly cream shortening or butter and sugar; add sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk and egg. Spread thin in waxed-paper-lined 9-by13 inch pan. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) 15 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar and continue baking 10 minutes. Cut in squares. Serve warm or cold. </div>
<div>
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<div>
Note: I greased a 9x13 inch glass pan and they came out easily. I did use cake flour, but my grandmother noted that she used regular flour. It says makes 18 bars, but I cut 24 smaller bars. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-63005438341080216192015-02-22T14:51:00.002-05:002015-02-22T14:51:52.464-05:00What's Old is New Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When my grandmother passed away several years ago, I inherited her cookbooks. She was an avid baker and baked nearly every day. My mom said that when she was a kid and came home from school there would be some sort of dessert on the table. Sometimes it wasn't a baked good, but a pudding or something, nonetheless every day she made something. I cannot possible imagine making a sweet treat every day of my life. First off, I'd be enormous. Second, that's not very healthy, even with all natural ingredients, that's a lot of fat and calories. I guess there's a reason why she had such high cholesterol. Although I almost never saw her eat any of it. My grandfather was the one who liked the sweets.<br />
<br />
She made a wide variety of recipes, which we always called, Grandmom's Cookies or Grandmom's Applesauce Cake. She did make up her own recipes for things, but she also did a lot of baking from the Better Homes and Garden's cookbook. She wrote many notes in the book...<i>use 1/2 cup of sugar instead of 3/4 cup</i> or <i>V. Good</i> when she liked it. The book was obviously used hard. At some point in time, my grandfather duck taped it. It's the 16th printing and the most recent year printed is 1948.<br />
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I've decided to make some of my favorites from the cookbook, as well as some new recipes that I've never had before. A lot of the recipes call for shortening, which I don't use, so I'll replace that with butter. Otherwise I'll try to keep to the same recipe.<br />
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My sister and I would sometimes fight over who was going to get the last cookie or bar. I didn't tell her I'm making these desserts even though we live in the same town. No, it's not because I want to hoard everything for myself, it's because she's currently on a diet. Isn't that nice of me. :)<br />
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I currently live in <i>her</i> house and use <i>her</i> rolling pin to make some of <i>her</i> recipes. Every time I taste one of the things she used to make, I'm transformed back to a little girl eating that item at the kitchen table. It's kind of strange, but neat at the same time.<br />
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I recently made Snippy Doodles out of the book. They lasted about a day and a half, so I guess I know why my grandmom baked every day. Recipe and pictures of the Snippy Doodles to follow.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-69052853848371009522015-02-10T15:05:00.002-05:002015-03-10T18:53:04.357-04:00Happy Valentine's DayWarning: This is a long post with lots of photos. Really bad photos.<br />
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Last year I went a little nutty making Valentine's Day "envelopes" out of felt for the kids in my son's preschool class. Ok, there were only six kids, total, but still it was probably a little overboard for four year olds. I saw a few ideas on Pinterest and went with two. I did envelopes for the boys and hearts for the girls. Luckily there were three of each. I already had the felt, velcro and thread, so they didn't cost me anything, but if you buy felt, be sure to buy the cheapest stuff out there (craft felt). Usually you can get it on sale for around $2.50 a yard. If you have the felt rectangles, you could use those too, just make them a little smaller than I did.<br />
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Supplies<br />
Red and White Craft Felt<br />
Red Thread<br />
Pinking Shears<br />
Velcro Strips<br />
Pins<br />
Sewing Machine<br />
Scissors<br />
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Being as they were for kids and I knew they would probably get thrown away right after Valentine's Day , I wasn't worried about them being perfect. So the sewing and cutting could have been better. Somehow I didn't think I would get critiqued from a four year old.<br />
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I started with the envelopes first and cut two pieces out of the white felt. And a felt red heart. The big piece is approximately 12" wide by 15" high. The smaller piece is about 12" wide by 8.5" high. On the inside of the smaller piece I used a large bowl to cut out a half circle. You could leave it straight across if you want. I wanted the half circle, so you could kind of see what was inside. Then I sewed a zigzag stitch from the corners of the smaller piece towards the top middle section about a half inch shy of the top to represent the where the pieces are glued together. Then I hand stitched the velcro on. I only had light brown velcro, so that's what I used. If I were to buy some, I would buy white. After that, I pinned the two pieces together to form an envelope and zigzagged around the whole thing using about a 1/2" seam. I used my pinking shears and went around the whole thing. Then I stitched the heart on the opening of the envelope and I was done.<br />
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Next up was the heart. I used a piece of paper to use as a template for the heart since I wanted them all to be about the same size. I cut out a white heart and then cut out a red heart using a slightly smaller template. Once I was done cutting out all of the red hearts, I cut the template in half width-wise a little bigger at the bottom than at the top. I measured how wide the heart was and cut a strip of white felt about an inch wide. I sewed the white strip to the top of the half heart. Then willy nilly cut a scallop design. Like I said, these were for kids, who were probably going to trash them, so they didn't need to be perfect. Next up was sewing the hearts together. Pin all the heart pieces together and sew around the outside. You're almost done. All you have to do now is cut the scallop edge around the outside. I think that took the longest of anything. Next time I would probably use my pinking shears.<br />
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The kids seemed to like them, especially the girls.<br />
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Happy Valentine's Day.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-1526052376620095422014-11-16T20:37:00.000-05:002014-11-17T09:10:05.304-05:00Countdown to Christmas Free Printables<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christmas is fast approaching whether we want to admit it or not. I even started my shopping today. Maybe I won't be shopping at the last minute this year. Who am I kidding, I probably will be. Any how, I designed a few activities for the kids and thought I would share them; two advent type calendars where you glue cotton balls onto Santa's beard or a snowman and one pin the nose on Rudolph. I hope you enjoy these free printables. Please let me know if there are any problems, since I am new at the whole print from a blog thing. </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-67832312783599508122014-10-20T20:21:00.001-04:002014-10-20T20:24:20.689-04:00Free Pumpkin Labels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGycMhA61dq6KfqBXE7a5-iuhA6o5IvhwYpGM2_2Kj5J1pInp4G86XS8fmUPGHzWYsOZJEonxaOLn3PVeMa2Ft3hTbWZ572J5kwB_d_LEC9tKF_wfr4Fy24IKfUbzT8bgU2YAarSsvXND/s1600/pumpkin+circles+Freebie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGycMhA61dq6KfqBXE7a5-iuhA6o5IvhwYpGM2_2Kj5J1pInp4G86XS8fmUPGHzWYsOZJEonxaOLn3PVeMa2Ft3hTbWZ572J5kwB_d_LEC9tKF_wfr4Fy24IKfUbzT8bgU2YAarSsvXND/s1600/pumpkin+circles+Freebie.jpg" height="640" width="494" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A few weeks ago I made pumpkin bread for a bake sale to support an animal rescue group. I thought they breads looked a little plain so I jazzed them up a bit with these labels that I made. I'm kicking myself for not taking any pictures, but I was in a crazy hurry to get them out the door. These labels are for individual sized loafs, but I'm sure you could do something with them for full sized loafs. A circle printed out with a ribbon would look lovely. I guess I need to make more pumpkin bread. It disappeared way too fast. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This is the first time I've offered a printable here, so please let me know if you have any problems printing them out. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Circles are 3 inches when printed at 100% scale. You could use these for cupcake toppers too. </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-70874261313377697392014-10-17T18:52:00.003-04:002014-10-17T18:52:34.400-04:00Homemade Ketchup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHT-iQGQagRegd8sY9I-O68L49uUvjHzTdqbzNxdxC4ZBkJfMY42HCyj5Dv0B7vzKOsc0K7TbkDKP-wPeNFmWiqtnWVnjMML2fe5MqHh6GvpbgJDFNWeabA3696gr3u279Eozf_0Vlrjp/s1600/Ketchup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHT-iQGQagRegd8sY9I-O68L49uUvjHzTdqbzNxdxC4ZBkJfMY42HCyj5Dv0B7vzKOsc0K7TbkDKP-wPeNFmWiqtnWVnjMML2fe5MqHh6GvpbgJDFNWeabA3696gr3u279Eozf_0Vlrjp/s1600/Ketchup.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">First let me say that I love Heinz ketchup. I really don't care for other brands a whole lot. They are too sweet, spicy, vinegary, etc. I can tell the difference. I think I might be one of those super tasters. Seriously, my sense of taste is on overload. So why would I make my own? For shits and giggles really. I wanted to see how hard it was and what it tasted like. The recipe I used had a lot of good reviews and took all day in the crock pot. Before my boyfriend tasted it, he told me that he probably wouldn't like it. He's a Heinz guy too.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil4XJ3J54USeviOOfr2pR8Gm5FsPKwPlPs1VgG5PgRLzgFbnPi3vjdwZxv0Ndc5lptibX994ZxMKNUc9O-iDSr3vDBcCLzEfbSKRqBzmhv3IEo5mzxhcT4OCAK9FHchrDoOKvnfPaFWbpD/s1600/Ketchup3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil4XJ3J54USeviOOfr2pR8Gm5FsPKwPlPs1VgG5PgRLzgFbnPi3vjdwZxv0Ndc5lptibX994ZxMKNUc9O-iDSr3vDBcCLzEfbSKRqBzmhv3IEo5mzxhcT4OCAK9FHchrDoOKvnfPaFWbpD/s1600/Ketchup3.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I followed the directions almost exact with a few spice exceptions. I didn't have dried mustard or celery salt on hand, so I just didn't add those. Several reviews said that it was too sweet, but I used the amount it called for. After I made it and it cooled, I tasted it by itself and it did taste a little sweet, but when I tasted it with some fries, it was fine. Rather tasty in fact. Better than I thought it would. I honestly didn't have high expectations, so I was surprised.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The whole house smelled like ketchup, so I was craving french fries all day. It takes 12 hours and needed to cool, so I had to wait until the next day.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I've made fries several times since I first made the ketchup and today the consensus was that it was really good and definitely could take on the big boys in a taste test.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This recipe is easy to make, but does take 12 hours in the crock pot and needs a stir once in a while, so it's best to be home or don't go out for too long if you plan to make it. Do plan on having french fries the following day!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Update: We ran out and had to buy some. My boyfriend said that he actually preferred mine. Woo hoo! Go me. Or the person who actually developed this recipe, which I found on All Recipes. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ketchup</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Yield: Three cups</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Prep Time: 10 minutes</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Cook Time: 12 hours</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Total Time: 12 hours 10 minutes</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Ingredients</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">2 (28 ounce) cans peeled ground tomatoes</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1/2 cup water, divided</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">2/3 cup white sugar</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">3/4 cup distilled white vinegar</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1 teaspoon onion powder</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1/2 teaspoon garlic powder</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1 3/4 teaspoon salt</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1/8 teaspoon celery salt</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1/8 teaspoon mustard powder</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1 whole clove</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Directions</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Pour ground tomatoes into slow cooker. Swirl 1/4 cup water in each emptied can and pout into slow cooker. Add sugar, vinegar, and spices; whisk to combine. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Cook on high, uncovered, until mixture is reduced by half and very thick, about 10 -12 hours. Stir every hour or so.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Smooth the texture of the ketchup using an emersion blender, about 20 seconds. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Ladle the ketchup into a fine strainer and press mixture with the back of the ladle to strain out any skins and seeds. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Transfer the strained ketchup to a bowl. Cool completely before tasting to adjust salt, black pepper, or cayenne pepper. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-35622939356170813022014-10-17T15:40:00.000-04:002014-10-17T15:43:29.889-04:00Argh Matey! How awesome is this place? I took this picture with my iphone a few years ago right before Halloween. It must have taken some serious time to do this. It might be hard to tell, but it was built in their front yard and attached to their wrap around porch. They had cannons that were smoking and tons of skeletons.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-50722871956216855482014-04-23T09:43:00.003-04:002014-05-09T07:56:10.756-04:00Super Simple Crusty Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is by far the easiest bread I've made and I don't think bread is all that hard to make. Time consuming, yes, hard, no. Other than waiting, this bread isn't even that time consuming. After reading about this bread, I've also discovered that I'm about 6-10 years late in the food blogging world. It's generally called no-knead bread and supposedly it appeared in the NY Times for the first time. It's made its rounds over and over again and yet somehow I seemed to have missed it. Maybe that's because I wasn't baking as much bread as I do now, who knows. The point is, I'll be making this bread a whole lot more from now on.<br />
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It's perfect for dipping in olive oil and making panini or just as toast with melted butter on it. I'm starting to salivate. I'd be noshing on a piece right now if we hadn't finished it the other night with dinner. I do think this bread is best eaten the day you make it or the next. As with most homemade items without preservatives, it goes bad quickly. Plus it loses that outer crustiness. Unless you warm it up in the oven or toaster, like I did. (I put it in the toaster at 200° for about 12-15 minutes to warm it up and it turned out great.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tUo72BZAvFDUfIWdGTidbU2HEk-PKSDljLa0Zv7wkkbiBB88MirZ8uCXA6nmaGmuJmBxyetvylWNf20Qpm2tu5llkDGqCC_YPmG3ahd1XvKKLMGqGhNHU9VxH-MunjtDH0mqmaQqeyNo/s1600/Crusty+Bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4tUo72BZAvFDUfIWdGTidbU2HEk-PKSDljLa0Zv7wkkbiBB88MirZ8uCXA6nmaGmuJmBxyetvylWNf20Qpm2tu5llkDGqCC_YPmG3ahd1XvKKLMGqGhNHU9VxH-MunjtDH0mqmaQqeyNo/s1600/Crusty+Bread.jpg" /></a></div>
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I don't own a cast iron pot, (the key to crusty bread) so I borrowed one from a friend, but I'm definitely going to be checking out the sales, because I must purchase one to make my life easier. I've read all different ways you can "make" your own using a pizza stone, crockpot insert, pot of water, terra cotta pot, etc. The list goes on. I honestly just don't want to bother with that. Although I do have a Pyrex that I might try. As long as what you are using can withstand 450°, you can use it. The other important thing here is that it must have a lid. The lid creates steam and therefore makes the bread crusty. Or at least that's what I read somewhere on the internet and we all know that everything we read online must be true.<br />
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It takes a whopping five minutes to put this bread together. Then let it sit. 12-18 hours. I find it's best to make it at night and then bake it the next day. The smell of freshly baked bread wafting throughout the house is fantastic. So far, I've only made it twice and both times it turned out great. I really want to add in some extras like rosemary and garlic with parmesan on top. Or cheddar and jalapenos. Maybe get a little fancy and add lemon zest, nutmeg and gruyere. I tend to go savory with a bread like this, but I guess you could also go sweet and add cinnamon, sugar and currants. Regardless what you add, I have a feeling it will be fabulous.<br />
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My boyfriend has already decided that I need to make this bread at least two days a week. He's a bit of a carb-aholic. He also said that of the tortillas, white bread and chips.<br />
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So how do you make this wonderful bread? I've read different resting times and different amounts of yeast, but this is what I did and it worked beautifully. Please let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.<br />
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Super Simple Crusty Bread<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Yield: One loaf</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Prep Time: 5 minutes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Cook Time: 45 minutes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Total Time: 12 - 18 hours including proofing</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
Ingredients<br />
3 cups of all purpose flour<br />
1 1/2 cups water<br />
1 3/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast<br />
<br />
Directions<br />
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and yeast. Add water and combine until shaggy. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a dry, warm environment for 12-18 hours. Dough will be full of bubbles and very wet.<br />
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Lightly flour a work surface and turn out dough. Work into a ball and cover for thirty minutes minimum. I used plastic wrap, but some like to use a flour sack. The flour sack will help it retain it's shape better.<br />
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Heat oven to 450°. Heat pot for about 30 minutes and carefully remove it. After dough has rested, drop it into the pot and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from pot and cool on wire rack. </div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-66468737237727077822014-04-17T15:42:00.004-04:002014-04-17T15:42:21.249-04:00Sweet Potato Chips in Coconut Oil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnQ8E3NW_frgtd9AoBew2hxQJFRAXk8fvQZg91Jc_PUtQitgr7VYV-jMSRwVfLrE8wNh8z_PbuwvTMKNABnu8fB93LymgxshsD4bY3NCZUMT8mJvbN15pNju-MEAJnMnSakq5bqLceg4l/s1600/Sweet+Potato+Chips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnQ8E3NW_frgtd9AoBew2hxQJFRAXk8fvQZg91Jc_PUtQitgr7VYV-jMSRwVfLrE8wNh8z_PbuwvTMKNABnu8fB93LymgxshsD4bY3NCZUMT8mJvbN15pNju-MEAJnMnSakq5bqLceg4l/s1600/Sweet+Potato+Chips.jpg" /></a></div>
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Apparently these sweet potato chips were a hit, because the batch wasn't even done and my boyfriend was requesting more. They cool down fairly quickly, so you can start munching on them pretty much right away.<br />
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It only takes three ingredients to make these crunchy little snacks; sweet potatoes, coconut oil, and sea salt. I used a mandolin to slice these bad boys into the perfect thickness. I guess you could do it by hand, but they would be different thicknesses and it would take a long time. The mandolin is much quicker. Just watch out for your fingers.<br />
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I used a candy thermometer and heated the oil to about 300°. The oil can splatter, so be very careful. They only take a few minutes to cook. This is the slightly tricky part. Don't overcook them and don't undercook them. If they are undercooked, they are soft. You want a nice crispy chip. If they are overcooked, they turn brown and have that it's almost burned taste. Make sure you have good lighting to see when they are turning brown. Be sure to salt them as soon as they come out of the oil. The salt sticks to the chips better when they are still wet.<br />
<br />
I made regular potato chips years ago and I didn't remember if I did this or not, but I flipped them a couple of times during baking. When they started to curl, you knew they were almost done.<br />
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As far as whether these are easy to make or not really depends on the person. It does take quite a bit of time and it's kind of a pain in the neck and frankly in the future I would stick to buying them. Just don't tell my boyfriend that.<br />
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They should keep in an airtight container for at least a week, but they won't last that long in this house.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Sweet Potato Chips</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Yield: 4 - 6 cups</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Prep time: 15 minutes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Cook time: 30 - 45 minutes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Total Time: 45 minutes to an hour</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
Ingredients:<br />
<br />
2 medium sweet potatoes<br />
1 1/2 cups coconut oil<br />
sea salt<br />
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Directions:<br />
<br />
Peel and slice two medium sweet potatoes preferably with a mandolin. Heat oil to 300° in a large sauce pan or use a deep fryer if you have one. Cook sweet potatoes in small batches for about 1 - 2 minutes. Be sure not to over crowd the pan. Keep a close eye on them as they brown very quickly.<br />
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Place on a plate covered with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Salt immediately. Let cool and store in an airtight container for up to a week.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-38372185258237804412014-04-03T16:05:00.000-04:002014-04-03T16:05:35.196-04:00Browned Banana Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-rBBVW3oVPxv4Ez4EwfR4Yu51bMNlMIWAnwsCb092YXRvBJagDNgEnvwHXcwQPUXRirxbtT0ZBv_kilchmZuRvY1jvQNpF9ZJQvN2Vji-o89nHBeTkpI-3P-9uA6-q8s244dB899QaKu/s1600/Banana+Bread+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-rBBVW3oVPxv4Ez4EwfR4Yu51bMNlMIWAnwsCb092YXRvBJagDNgEnvwHXcwQPUXRirxbtT0ZBv_kilchmZuRvY1jvQNpF9ZJQvN2Vji-o89nHBeTkpI-3P-9uA6-q8s244dB899QaKu/s1600/Banana+Bread+6.jpg" /></a></div>
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What's browned banana bread you ask? It's not some new fancy schmancy way of making banana bread. It's just regular banana bread that you accidentally left in the oven a few minutes too long because the weather finally broke and you were outside playing with your son. Despite that in my perfectionist mind, it was overdone, it didn't seem to stop any of us from eating it. It was still quite good.<br />
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I don't think this recipe is as good as the banana muffins, but it's labeled as low fat and it's a bit easier to make, since it has a few less ingredients. It's a little heavier, but does transport well and freeze well. I have made a few adjustments to it over the years and added pumpkin to it when I only had two small bananas. That was delicious. I used four really old bananas for this. Most people would have surely thrown these in the trash. When my bananas start to turn, I try to freeze them for smoothies. Try being the key word here. It's like one day, they look perfectly good to eat and then you forget you have them and the next thing you know, you've got black bananas. The darker the bananas the sweeter they are. So, dark bananas work really well in baked goods. <br />
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<br />
I prefer walnuts in my banana bread, but I only had about a 1/4 cup, so I just put them on top instead of in the batter. Plus, it looks pretty. I like my food to not only taste good, but to look pretty.<br />
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Banana Bread<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Adapted from Betty Crocker</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Yield: 2 loaves</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Prep time: 15 minutes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Cook time: 1 hour (cool 2 hours 10, minutes)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes, plus cooling</span><br />
<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
1/4 cup brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup butter, softened<br />
2 large eggs<br />
4 very ripe bananas, mashed<br />
1/ 2 whole milk<br />
2 tablespoons white vinegar<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1 cup chopped walnuts<br />
<br />
1. Heat oven to 350° and move oven racks to lowest position. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 or one 9 x 5 x3 loaf pan with butter.<br />
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2. Combine milk with vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour. Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Stir in bananas, "soured" milk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until moistened. Stir in nuts. Divide batter evenly between pans.<br />
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3. Bake 8 inch loaves for about an hour and 9 inch loaf about an hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on wire rack.<br />
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4. Loosen sides of loaves from pans: remove pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to 10 days. Can also be frozen for up to two months.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-24154508282534822112014-04-02T08:01:00.000-04:002014-04-02T08:01:03.975-04:00Roasted Vegetable Panini<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm not a big meat eater. I never have been and I never will be. I don't like burgers. I know for all of you burger loving fans out there, it's an atrocity. And for all of you vegans and vegetarians, you're probably loving it. But I never understood that whole burger craving. I crave peanut butter and chocolate. Never a burger. They always smell good, but I never like the taste of them. To me they are like coffee. The smell and the flavor are completely different. Once my former husband thought he could convince me that I would like them if he put all my favorite fixings one them, grilled mushrooms, onions, and cheddar cheese. I took one bite and said that it would be great if the ground beef patty weren't there. I do like chicken, but sometimes I just don't want meat. Any meat at all.<br />
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In walks my vegetable panini. Not only is this an easy panini that can be made several different ways, but the house smells great while they are roasting. If you haven't noticed my most sensitive senses are my sense of smell and taste. My boyfriend is always commenting that it's not normal that I can smell garbage that is sealed in a plastic bag in the trash can or someone smoking a cigarette on the highway with the windows rolled up in the car in front of us. It's my spidey sense. I can't help it. As you know your sense of smell goes along with your sense of taste. I think I might be one of those super tasters.<br />
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Back to making the panini. First things first is deciding what veggies you like. I prefer eggplant, zucchini or squash, onions, mushrooms, red peppers and tomatoes. Unfortunately I didn't have all of those ingredients on hand, but I did have several. I had never put roasted tomatoes on a sandwich before, so I wasn't sure how it was going to taste. Wait, let me back up. I've used the oil packed kind and the dry packed ones from the store, but never ones I actually roasted. Usually when I make roasted veggies, I don't add tomatoes. Well, from now on it's a must. It totally made the sandwich. Without them, it would have just been blah.<br />
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Roasted Vegetable Panini<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Yield: depends on how many vegetables you roast</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Prep time: 20-30 minutes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Cook time: two hours </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Total time: 2 hours, 30 minutes</span><br />
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Ingredients<br />
<br />
Roasted Vegetables<br />
<br />
Eggplant<br />
Grape tomatoes<br />
Zucchini/ squash<br />
Onion<br />
Red Pepper<br />
Portabella mushroom<br />
Garlic<br />
Extra Virgin Olive Oil<br />
Rosemary<br />
Oregano<br />
Sage<br />
Salt and pepper<br />
<br />
2 Slices of bread of your choice (I used a garlic loaf, but a sourdough would be great)<br />
<br />
Basil pesto<br />
Mozzarella cheese<br />
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Directions<br />
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1. Preheat the oven to 250°.<br />
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2. Slice the vegetables and place on a cookie sheet (or two). Try not to over lap. Sprinkle on spices and olive oil. Bake for two hours.<br />
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3. Spread pesto on one side of a slice of bread. Top with vegetables, cheese and other slice.<br />
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4. Grill over medium heat until golden brown and cheese has melted or put in your panini press.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-18057953922153344642014-03-30T13:29:00.001-04:002014-03-30T13:35:54.427-04:00White Fish with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Years ago friends of mine made this for dinner. I'm not sure if it came out of a cookbook or something he just came up with on his own. Either way, it was good. I immediately asked for the recipe. I've made several different versions of it depending on what I had on hand and depending on the type of fish I've had. I've made it with and without the parsley, used a packaged basil pesto when I didn't have fresh basil on hand, and one time added a bit too much garlic. I think I tasted that version for days. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pesto recipe makes enough for 4-6. Even when I cut it in half, it makes at least enough for 3-4. It calls for you to add the fish stock to the pesto. Because it makes so much, I usually just put it in half and save the other half for sandwiches or panini. I almost never have leftover fish, but I almost always have leftover pesto. You could always quarter the recipe, but that's too much math for me. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've used tilapia, flounder, cod and bass for this recipe and it always turns out good. Tilapia is cheap and can be found in almost every grocery store. Honestly sometimes I think it tastes like dirt and without a good cover I really don't like it. This pesto magically turns it into something absolutely delicious. It also doesn't take that long to make and it feels like a gourmet meal. I paired it with parmesan roasted potatoes and garlic asparagus. By far, the bass was the best. It was also the most expensive. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are trying to add cold water fish to your diet, which some doctors recommend three times per week, this is a good option. It's also great for company, since it seems so fancy.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">White Fish with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Yield: 4-6</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Prep time: 20 min</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Cook time: 20 min</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Total time: 40 min</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fish</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4-6 fillets of white fish</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3-4 stalks scallions or one medium onion, sliced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zest of one lemon or orange</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 white wine</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 teaspoon fresh oregano</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">extra virgin olive oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">salt and pepper</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons butter</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pesto</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup hot water</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 extra virgin olive oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (I prefer oil packed, but dry packed works too)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup roasted almonds</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup chopped basil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup chopped parsley</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 clove garlic, minced</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup fish stock</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Directions</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Preheat the oven to 375°. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fish</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Rinse fish and pat dry with a paper towel. Place in a baking dish. Top with onions/scallions. Sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. Zest the lemon/orange on top. Add wine and olive oil. Break butter into bits and place on top of fish. Bake until flaky. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pesto</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Blend extra virgin olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, almonds, garlic and hot water until pulverized. After the fish is done, add fish stock and stir in basil and parsley. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Either make a bed with the pesto and place fish on top or place fish on the plate and top with the pesto. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-29998793181285445152014-03-28T21:21:00.003-04:002014-03-30T12:43:29.342-04:00Grilled Chicken Avocado Sammie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is one of my favorite sanwiches. Chewy bread with a quick homemade sundried tomato pesto and fresh avocado really make this sandwich mouth watering. Add some mozzarella cheese and it's a little piece of heaven in your mouth.<br />
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I say grilled, but really it's more like pan fried chicken. It's too cold for me to grill, but this weekend it's supposed to finally warm up. I'm ready for spring. Better yet, give me low 80's with low humidity. If you can, grill the chicken. It makes it that much better.<br />
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I think the messier the sandwich the better it is. It always seems that way anyhow. On a napkin scale, I think it was a solid three. The ripe avocado has a tendency to slip out just as you are taking a bite. Of course you could always use a softer bread, but I really like the chewiness of this bread. A ciabatta would work really well.<br />
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I sliced the chicken thin or you can pound it out if you need to get rid of some aggression. Sprinkle with oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper. Cook on medium high heat until golden brown.<br />
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The pesto can't get much easier. Blend the sun-dried tomatoes with a few fresh basil leaves until pulverized in a blender, food chopper or bullet. I use my bullet almost every day. I love it for pestos, smoothies, grinding spices and even egg shells for the garden.<br />
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What I did:<br />
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Grill the chicken with the following spices:<br />
Oregano<br />
Onion Powder<br />
Rosemary<br />
Sage<br />
Garlic Powder<br />
Salt and Pepper<br />
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Blend about 5-6 oil packed sun-dried tomatoes with about three to four large fresh basil leaves until pulverized in a blender. (This is enough for one to two sandwiches depending on how thick you spread it on the bread.)<br />
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Spread the pesto on the bread, then the mozzarella (use the fresh if you can..it's so much better), chicken and about a half of an avocado.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-40022111316263262432014-03-25T08:42:00.001-04:002015-03-09T13:41:07.276-04:00The Best Homemade Granola, Period.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Granola is expensive to buy and it's so easy to make at home. Plus it makes your house smell so good. I've experimented with several recipes and this is by far my favorite. I like it nutty, just like me. It seems to keep well in an airtight container for a few weeks. At least that's all it seems to last in our house.<br />
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I love to put it on organic vanilla yogurt. It's also a good way to add flax into your diet. It has more omega three's than salmon (per serving) and a good amount of fiber in it to keep you feeling full longer. If you like coconut, then you'll like using coconut oil instead of vegetable oil or butter in this recipe. It gives it that slight coconut flavor without being overpowering. <br />
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Ingredients<br />
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5 cups of oats<br />
1 cup chopped pecans<br />
1 cup chopped raw almonds<br />
1 cup coconut<br />
2 tablespoon ground flax seeds<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
2 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1/2 cup coconut oil<br />
2/3 cup maple syrup<br />
2 teaspoon vanilla<br />
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Preheat the oven to 350°. Toast the oats on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes stirring at 5 minutes. While the oats are toasting, heat the coconut oil and maple syrup on low until coconut oil is liquid. Take off the heat and add vanilla. Put the oats in a big bowl, add nuts, coconut, flax seeds, salt and cinnamon. Pour the wet ingredients on top. Mix well. Put everything back on the cookie sheet and bake for 25 - 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes. Let cool and store in an airtight jar.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-59949110348143004192014-03-19T22:13:00.003-04:002014-04-20T10:45:58.332-04:00Chai Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My boyfriend <i>loves</i> chai tea. It's his go to drink when it's cold out. He's not a coffee drinker at all and only somewhat of a tea drinker, but chai tea is a whole other story. Granted, I like it, but I don't want it all the time. While dreaming up new varieties of cookies, I thought why not chai cookies.<br />
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I wanted these cookies to be soft and chewy, not hard like some brittle sugar cookie you get at the grocery store in those see though plastic containers. I did a little research and came up with the perfect chai cookie. Seriously, they are that good. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to photograph them, they way my son and boyfriend were eating them. I think it would be a really good vanilla cookie too, without the chai spices.<br />
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It was trial and error with the spices. I didn't want it to be overpowering, but I wanted it to taste like chai. I thought I might have to make a few batches to get it right, but the stars were aligned and they turned out perfect. <strike>I tasted the dough to get an idea of what they would taste like and I couldn't stay out of it. </strike> You should never eat raw cookie dough if it has raw eggs in it. It's bad for you. Very bad.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Chai Cookies</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Yield: 24 - 30 medium sized cookies</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Prep Time: 15 minutes</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Cook Time: About 10 minutes</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Total Time: 3+ hours including chilling the dough</span></div>
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Ingredients</div>
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1 cup AP flour</div>
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3/4 cup bread flour</div>
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3/4 light brown sugar</div>
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1/2 cup butter, melted</div>
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1 egg</div>
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1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla</div>
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1 teaspoon baking soda</div>
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1/4 teaspoon salt</div>
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1 teaspoon cinnamon</div>
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1 teaspoon ground cardamon</div>
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1/4 teaspoon ground ginger</div>
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1/4 teaspoon ground cloves</div>
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1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg</div>
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Directions</div>
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1. Preheat the oven to 350°</div>
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2. Beat butter, brown sugar, vanilla and egg in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with a spoon. In a separate bowl mix together the remaining dry ingredients. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients. </div>
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3. Roll into 3/4 inch balls and place about three inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. </div>
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4. Bake approximately 10 minutes without opening the oven door (See photo below). Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. </div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-14692588719433909222014-03-17T08:12:00.002-04:002014-03-17T08:43:25.169-04:00Naturally Dyed Green St. Patrick's Day Pancakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Top of the Morning! Happy St. Patty's Day!</span></b></div>
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My son is uber picky. He basically eats bread and water. He's a carbaholic. Pasta, pancakes, pretzels, soft pretzels, bread, etc. The only vegetable he will eat are cucumbers and once in a blue moon a baby carrot. Yes, one. That's it, he's done. So in an effort to get some vegetables in his body, I made green pancakes. I wanted to be festive for the holiday, but be natural about it. I don't like artificial anything in my food and I looked up some natural food dyes. Lo and behold you can add spinach to green things up without altering the taste.<br />
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I decided to steam the spinach in an effort to use the entire leaf and get the most out of it I could. I thought about just putting the raw spinach in the blender with the milk, but decided it would be too chunky. Steaming worked great. I read on the web about juicing the spinach, but I don't have a juicer. I have a lot of kitchen items, but a juicer isn't one of them at the moment. </div>
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After I mixed everything together, it smelled rather spinachy. I wasn't sure how they would taste, but they came out great! You can't really taste the spinach at all, especially after you put the syrup on them. I have a keen sense of smell and taste (my boyfriend thinks they are freakishly strong), so most people probably wouldn't be able to taste them at all. My son ate three. My boyfriend ate, let's just say more than three.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Green Pancakes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Adapted from allrecipes</span><br />
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1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach<br />
3/4 cup milk<br />
2 tablespoons white vinegar<br />
1 cup flour<br />
2 tablespoons sugar<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1 egg<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla<br />
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Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour".<br />
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Steam spinach.<br />
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Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Blend the milk and spinach until smooth. Add a well beaten egg and vanilla to milk and spinach mixture. Poor the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.<br />
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat or griddle. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip the a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-57014051501599251152014-02-18T08:19:00.000-05:002014-03-30T12:42:22.415-04:005 Minute Pizza Sauce<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is the easiest, tastiest pizza sauce you can make in under five minutes. Not to mention cheaper than that stuff in a jar. And, you know what is in it. A plus for me, since I mostly try to avoid processed food when at all possible. I try to buy organic when I can, aka when the budget allows. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is generally my go to pizza sauce when I haven't made my oven-dried tomato pizza sauce. I'll try to post that one soon. That's also easy to make, but takes about 2 hours to bake. If you have fresh basil, you can add a few leaves to the sauce or tear the leaves and put them on top of the cheese. Don't you love the smell of fresh basil? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Easy Pizza Sauce</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">makes enough for two 12" pizzas</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 cup fire roasted tomatoes</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons tomato paste</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon onion powder</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon dried oregano</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">pinch of garlic</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Using a blender, on high, blend until well combined. About a minute. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-49039140397476702682014-02-17T09:19:00.000-05:002014-03-30T12:42:08.799-04:00Lace Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have a huge notebook full of recipes that I have cut out of magazines and I've only made a few of the recipes. I've made it a goal to start making them and organizing them. They are currently a huge mess. At one point in time, they were well organized. But then a certain three year old found it and in seconds, it was a mess. Needless to say, I haven't re-organized it. I have, however, put it up high out of reach of little hands. Lesson learned. Do you have recipes cut out of magazines? Are they neatly in a notebook or folder or a complete mess like mine?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGV2n22NbvGpdlfEoX_yxQzJKmQMoNu7MqvWYe2ZEMCvV-kiblVeyeUaiTofzTRTaQXjFGXlF2v_IVujAgPP_imTI0NsqCbUGTHZyWMmTbtEGPpgKak3WzI9HzknqJ0oYd2wNvk4KgCfLU/s1600/Lace-Cookies-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGV2n22NbvGpdlfEoX_yxQzJKmQMoNu7MqvWYe2ZEMCvV-kiblVeyeUaiTofzTRTaQXjFGXlF2v_IVujAgPP_imTI0NsqCbUGTHZyWMmTbtEGPpgKak3WzI9HzknqJ0oYd2wNvk4KgCfLU/s1600/Lace-Cookies-5.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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I've been eying these cookies for some time now and finally decided to make them. You'll like the crispiness of this buttery cookie. When cooked until crisp, they melt in your mouth, but when slightly undercooked, they are chewy and tend to stick to your teeth for what seems like hours. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEHVGbsmMBfACNdRgrNwQ8l7Tz4E7zyrnMT8K0QmFONoE-sM8ZvLZwHYW3IZkq-f0d36gIF0kArTFYxLRxjiwNqZVUgPgUtYxnEf9r3KK7VFcs6_STEbBfsZ65hYdc82HqDgg-U7R6gWUO/s1600/Lace-Cookies-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEHVGbsmMBfACNdRgrNwQ8l7Tz4E7zyrnMT8K0QmFONoE-sM8ZvLZwHYW3IZkq-f0d36gIF0kArTFYxLRxjiwNqZVUgPgUtYxnEf9r3KK7VFcs6_STEbBfsZ65hYdc82HqDgg-U7R6gWUO/s1600/Lace-Cookies-4.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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These were fairly easy to make and will make a nice addition to my Christmas cookies this year. I would list these under candy instead of a cookie because of it's brittle like texture and toffee taste. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vuh8P8rE4YT8ZxzPErCXvvX8Oo3AMTdq2LRyYl0Vpl9v2VqDkue7JGTc-kXfwCKFIblZUGqP-yne4vfpOjSvoA3yNoGVbJgdhgfHel7MCRWxDE8OHfSayaYry4CeKsfNk03jHuWJKRFn/s1600/Lace+Cookies+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7vuh8P8rE4YT8ZxzPErCXvvX8Oo3AMTdq2LRyYl0Vpl9v2VqDkue7JGTc-kXfwCKFIblZUGqP-yne4vfpOjSvoA3yNoGVbJgdhgfHel7MCRWxDE8OHfSayaYry4CeKsfNk03jHuWJKRFn/s1600/Lace+Cookies+2.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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The nuttiness from the pecans and the toffee like texture would pair well with a rich coffee ice cream. Or you could offset the sweetness with a steaming cup of tea. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLSzHkmFPhWZT4CHMBq_IAKIMZBZ0djMbqe2hxJipIJaSnwAMV3HTeWfeS8uPxnq1Zf8mnXJLTPED3h9ovl9J3QdvW7F8BDWroGDkd5JKwNeb3TmCT0NJUDZOahFjHQj-Fe2skqL564z7/s1600/Lace+Cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLSzHkmFPhWZT4CHMBq_IAKIMZBZ0djMbqe2hxJipIJaSnwAMV3HTeWfeS8uPxnq1Zf8mnXJLTPED3h9ovl9J3QdvW7F8BDWroGDkd5JKwNeb3TmCT0NJUDZOahFjHQj-Fe2skqL564z7/s1600/Lace+Cookies.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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Lace Cookies adapted from RealSimple, Sara Quessenberry</span><br />
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4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup sugar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup packed brown sugar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons heavy cream (can substitute greek yogurt)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/3 cup very finely chopped pecans</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 cup all purpose flour</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/4 teaspoon salt</span><br />
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Heat oven to 350° F. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, sugars and cream and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the pecans, flour and salt. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Drop level teaspoons of the warm batter, spacing them 4 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets. If the batter cools between batches and can't be scooped, rewarm it slightly. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the sheets until firm, about 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-20258096133610591872014-02-03T16:00:00.002-05:002014-02-03T16:01:22.690-05:00Crumb Coffee Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgST_aQaVCiq8ddCko8V_qbQ9b_U4hBlUsprvkbZr2BM2NQMN4_9una5sTQ3Hf30vwh3a7KlYeiWQVcFaEaLwyW1jXyu2hTEJOGioWCx18uxmGK-RnZ8moHR7Lh55fARuLi3uJlYJdZ654l/s1600/Crumb+Coffee+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgST_aQaVCiq8ddCko8V_qbQ9b_U4hBlUsprvkbZr2BM2NQMN4_9una5sTQ3Hf30vwh3a7KlYeiWQVcFaEaLwyW1jXyu2hTEJOGioWCx18uxmGK-RnZ8moHR7Lh55fARuLi3uJlYJdZ654l/s1600/Crumb+Coffee+Cake.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I belong to a mom's group and once a month we get together for an event called Breakfast Buddies. Everyone brings a dish to share, the mom's talk and the kids play. It's a really nice even and we rotate houses, so it's not always at the same person's house. They don't know it, but they have become my guinea pigs. We were supposed to get 4-9 inches of snow, so I wasn't sure I was going to make something, but I decided to make something whether we got snow or not. I made Crumb Coffee Cake.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3E7CVGZTRN6TY7lYjlYTYW5061RG0ZQI-mmNc2A4sCvWYEtrH9FZKfbCnelmGsmqaoQZ2MIQfCz35eil1XYSktaafuGT2qGUW1qjGjh53frdNS30wI8TvfWUdAZkNHVIi4M4aylCqHwFB/s1600/Crumb+Coffee+Cake+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3E7CVGZTRN6TY7lYjlYTYW5061RG0ZQI-mmNc2A4sCvWYEtrH9FZKfbCnelmGsmqaoQZ2MIQfCz35eil1XYSktaafuGT2qGUW1qjGjh53frdNS30wI8TvfWUdAZkNHVIi4M4aylCqHwFB/s1600/Crumb+Coffee+Cake+2.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The cake part isn't that sweet, which is good for breakfast or anytime really. I know it's coffee cake, but I'm not a big coffee drinker so it paired nicely with a hot cup of tea. I decided to bake them in muffin tins instead of an 8x8 pan. I figured that would be easier for people to grab as oppose to having to slice it up. I baked them for 25 minutes until they were golden brown. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQnHlNw-ATrZGyQL64e2-lp9oo0owmGVUPoEH6bHfm1sEOc-Z-_o-n1rCPOsQR-HJiixwyIVoUJ5z3RgZuG-G9s-biaoympx7sCrCvsb4fAb8cFs879oyhTCQlQTQvTQ580sf7hBBePpt/s1600/Crumb+Coffee+Cake+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQnHlNw-ATrZGyQL64e2-lp9oo0owmGVUPoEH6bHfm1sEOc-Z-_o-n1rCPOsQR-HJiixwyIVoUJ5z3RgZuG-G9s-biaoympx7sCrCvsb4fAb8cFs879oyhTCQlQTQvTQ580sf7hBBePpt/s1600/Crumb+Coffee+Cake+4.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The recipe calls for cake flour, but honestly I don't think it would make a difference in the topping. I make a topping very similar for an apple crisp and it turns out quite nicely with all purpose flour. You can make cake flour by adding two tablespoons of cornstarch for every cup of all purpose flour. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although I'm sure it would have looked pretty, I didn't dust with confectioner's sugar. It doesn't need to be any sweeter than it already is. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifIFIUbxQ1PoOMh5gRGAq2ZLwwwGNmfp-UxXYixw5qQPBI77J8Wivs8Of-F5fChY5jmv003UpoHDr9MUs3INjL26q_9d9oGclN2U8g0ABYxgdkpeaoKk-84f5ngURuZjokNJoJwdrR4NV/s1600/Crumb+Coffee+Cake+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifIFIUbxQ1PoOMh5gRGAq2ZLwwwGNmfp-UxXYixw5qQPBI77J8Wivs8Of-F5fChY5jmv003UpoHDr9MUs3INjL26q_9d9oGclN2U8g0ABYxgdkpeaoKk-84f5ngURuZjokNJoJwdrR4NV/s1600/Crumb+Coffee+Cake+6.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recipe adapted from America's Test Kitchen</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Coffee Crumb Cake</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ingredients</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Crumb Topping</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/3 cup (2 2/3 ounces) granulated sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/3 cup (2 2/3 ounces) dark brown sugar</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3/4 tsp ground cinnamon</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/8 tsp table salt</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and still warm</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) cake flour</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cake</span><br />1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) cake flour<br />1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar<br />1/4 tsp baking soda<br />1/4 tsp table salt<br />6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, softened but still cool<br />1 large egg<br />1 large egg yolk<br />1 tsp vanilla extract<br />1/3 cup buttermilk<br />Confectioners’ sugar for dusting</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Instructions</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For the Topping</span>:</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whisk sugars, cinnamon, salt, and butter in medium bowl to combine. Add flour and stir with rubber spatula or wooden spoon until mixture resembles thick, cohesive dough; set aside to cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For the Cake</span>:</b><br />Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Cut 16-inch length parchment paper and fold lengthwise to 7-inch width. Spray 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and fit parchment into dish, pushing it into corners and up sides; allow excess to overhang edges of dish. Or use muffin cups. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or you can do this with a handheld mixer), mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt on low speed to combine. With mixer running at low speed, add butter one piece at a time; continue beating until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no visible butter chunks remaining, 1 to 2 minutes. Add egg, yolk, vanilla, and buttermilk; beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping as necessary.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Transfer batter to baking pan; using rubber spatula, spread batter into even layer. Break apart crumb topping into large pea-sized pieces (use both hands to break apart the crumb dough, rolling the broken dough between your thumb and forefinger) and spread in even layer over batter, beginning with edges and then working toward center.</span></div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 1.615em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bake until crumbs are golden and wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 – 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan by lifting parchment overhang. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZsEVKE_AyvaGi6OyGNNfHFiwYNPvwrZl_BYYKhGvNP3RFJjB0DXDa5VsLA1sTGwSRyatFUyHAfiePgmCOpN_zJ4RK686VweCdppBITS6IQACTuRo2NYw7r-KZGRUNTbrosfkgAalByj_/s1600/Crumb+Coffee+Cake+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZsEVKE_AyvaGi6OyGNNfHFiwYNPvwrZl_BYYKhGvNP3RFJjB0DXDa5VsLA1sTGwSRyatFUyHAfiePgmCOpN_zJ4RK686VweCdppBITS6IQACTuRo2NYw7r-KZGRUNTbrosfkgAalByj_/s1600/Crumb+Coffee+Cake+7.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-27887350439685192952014-01-28T21:30:00.002-05:002014-03-30T13:29:49.646-04:00Cheater Halal Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfu1T24gnRFGgEm6eR0F7RParzWY7EedlQxY_k0q-IES3U8Q-K4yXiG1MP6ymDlyJ3RYfPGO7SbEL0nuH4CyUXdHLX2iy_9QJVBXQoYCAzRs-71A_50DlpkIjL4ViHQbnXFzmSMKvLQVfc/s1600/Halal+Chicken+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfu1T24gnRFGgEm6eR0F7RParzWY7EedlQxY_k0q-IES3U8Q-K4yXiG1MP6ymDlyJ3RYfPGO7SbEL0nuH4CyUXdHLX2iy_9QJVBXQoYCAzRs-71A_50DlpkIjL4ViHQbnXFzmSMKvLQVfc/s1600/Halal+Chicken+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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Update: I've been learning my camera and I think the pictures are turning out much better than the iphone pictures that I had been posting. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyy-yNUcHq_c3FW5agQT2DY6ObwZlocyT4yS_A_s_X9JIMLWrRdAZ-WUFs2pOy36CY0H5XKtjuz70YOJqbSpOyR8eCaCWZJpl0Xfp8kjfdp2Y6X9Y15zuCNh6uv4EM3F6cG3GreKILNWRi/s1600/Halal-Chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyy-yNUcHq_c3FW5agQT2DY6ObwZlocyT4yS_A_s_X9JIMLWrRdAZ-WUFs2pOy36CY0H5XKtjuz70YOJqbSpOyR8eCaCWZJpl0Xfp8kjfdp2Y6X9Y15zuCNh6uv4EM3F6cG3GreKILNWRi/s1600/Halal-Chicken.jpg" height="640" width="478" /></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two years ago I had my first New York City Halal chicken cart meal. It was so good. The magic white sauce makes it delicious. Certainly not the typical meat and potatoes meal I grew up with. We rarely had any kind of ethnic meal, unless you count my favorite, taco night. However, it didn't contain any Mexican spices whatsoever. Unfortunately here in South Jersey, there are very few restaurants that offer any kind of variety. It's mostly Italian and Chinese, although a few sushi places have popped up lately. Being I lived in Italy for three years, I'm not much of a fan of American Italian food.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIFAlsY0R-0h-7rk5S_Qdr0a6tI8OyjUvCOmH-BPQRYmLfpNG01dyC0PewmBd5j58fziy062eh7UHwtpYnTZ8vb6Ao4xzw03iInCDCtcbXm0khYEXgRCNofZlkP-m_kdJjAs8P7iL9qU_/s1600/Halal+Chicken+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIFAlsY0R-0h-7rk5S_Qdr0a6tI8OyjUvCOmH-BPQRYmLfpNG01dyC0PewmBd5j58fziy062eh7UHwtpYnTZ8vb6Ao4xzw03iInCDCtcbXm0khYEXgRCNofZlkP-m_kdJjAs8P7iL9qU_/s1600/Halal+Chicken+3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was trying to come up with something different for dinner, because let's face it, you wind up making the same meals over and over again. The halal chicken popped into my head, but every recipe called for marinating the chicken for 6-8 hours and slow cooking it for another 3-4. Well, I'm impatient and didn't want to wait until 3 am to eat dinner. I came up with a quick way to cook it and it turned out great. My boyfriend ate two platefuls and said this recipe was a keeper.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since this was a new recipe, I measured everything. I want to make it again the exact same way. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sliced the chicken into 1/2 inch slices, because it cooks faster and gets coated with seasonings better. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used a rice cooker and added everything at once, but you can cook the rice on the stovetop as you normally would. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Halal Chicken</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Serves 2 - 3</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Ingredients</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chicken</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 large chicken breast</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon cumin</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon curry</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon turmeric</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon ground ginger</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon garlic powder</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 - 2 tablespoon olive oil</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rice</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 cup rice</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon turmeric</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon cumin</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tablespoon butter</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">White Sauce</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup mayo</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 cup Greek yogurt</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon white vinegar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/4 teaspoon sugar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pinch of freshly minced garlic</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Salad</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lettuce</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tomatoes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cilantro</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until you are ready to use. Follow the package for cooking the rice, but add the spices and butter. Slice the chicken breast into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle the seasoning mix on both sides and brown on medium heat in a skillet in a tablespoon of olive oil. While the chicken is cooking shred the lettuce, cut up the tomatoes and mince the cilantro for the salad. Once the chicken is cooked thoroughly, it's ready for plating. Rice on bottom, then chicken, then salad on the side or on top. It doesn't really matter since you're going to mix it all together anyway. Drizzle the sauce on top. Voila!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4073936568582405509.post-56573494822043094792014-01-27T21:19:00.006-05:002014-01-27T21:23:43.903-05:00Remove an Avocado Pit Easily<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEHqPm2HwQZ1SiEOiiF8HF2A0oGSsrsioqWoIz9XdQ_H8PKZPEqtKQUihyphenhypheny_jcuqIo_DIlsXVmMJ4BI90TzSy378jrx3B4ZUBPK2aOsm0xXKihST5_Kl-bL3Cs8qoOSDeDkcekqG0rqkg/s1600/Avocado+Removal+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEHqPm2HwQZ1SiEOiiF8HF2A0oGSsrsioqWoIz9XdQ_H8PKZPEqtKQUihyphenhypheny_jcuqIo_DIlsXVmMJ4BI90TzSy378jrx3B4ZUBPK2aOsm0xXKihST5_Kl-bL3Cs8qoOSDeDkcekqG0rqkg/s1600/Avocado+Removal+2.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is the easiest way to remove a pit from an avocado. Cut it in half and put it on the counter pit side up of course. It's important that you put it on the counter. You know, if you like your fingers attached and everything. Give it a good whack with a big knife. Pick it up an give a little wiggle and it should pop right out. The best part is, it comes out clean. No messing around with spoons and scraping bits off the pit.</div>
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It's that easy. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Hb7RAt8gz9QUA7s9tT0hq7QVDqd1pyGr_g4rQXIGzCN2_0a-CB2jVF8nVEAZUqOW8_WfsBM95fNuWCbdLnAymsvelPPl9uEJ6Aqao184gern0iHp6-ZVN6GpFcGv35uPRJmGk5ALYp8W/s1600/Avocado+Removal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Hb7RAt8gz9QUA7s9tT0hq7QVDqd1pyGr_g4rQXIGzCN2_0a-CB2jVF8nVEAZUqOW8_WfsBM95fNuWCbdLnAymsvelPPl9uEJ6Aqao184gern0iHp6-ZVN6GpFcGv35uPRJmGk5ALYp8W/s1600/Avocado+Removal.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0