Cinnamon Crumble Cake

This cake is really delicious and a great dessert for after a large meal because it's relatively light. Plus it was just a box cake I found in the baking aisle. I suggest keeping some kind of boxed dessert mix in your pantry. They're relatively cheap and great for pulling out a last minute dessert if needed. Just make sure to have some water, eggs and vegetable oil on hand also because these are typically needed in the recipe. To make the cake, just follow the directions on the back of the box. How easy it that?

To make this cake a little more festive I put it in a bundt pan so it looked like a wreath. You could add berries, whipped cream, or ice cream into the center or around the sides to garnish the cake more.

Chicken Paprika and Dumplings with Green Beans

Alexa requested this meal and since she took the time to drive up to my apartment, I figured I could make this for her. I haven't had this dish in a long time and I'm glad I had it now because it was delicious. My cousins and I decided that we were going to try to eat more czech foods because this is a czech dish. We already were looking for new things to try in my czech cookbook.

Some other friends stopped by on the same night. There was just enough food for everyone. It was hilarious to watch Pat and Jenna argue over food. I personally can't think of a better compliment to my food then that. haha.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 chicken thigh per person serving. (I made 5)
2 tablespoons flour
2-3 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 lemon, juiced

You'll also need the ingredients for dumplings. That recipe is in my ducks and dumpling post. If you don't want to make the dumplings feel free to serve it with potatoes or rice. I suggest something starchy on the side that can soak up the extra sauce from the chicken.

Directions:
1. In a large pot (a soup pot or saute pan with high sides and needs a lid) heat oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until almost golden (don't let the pieces burn so stir occasionally)

2. Sprinkle paprika over onions and allow to cook like 3 minutes.

3. Turn up heat to medium. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and add to saute pan. This step is to brown the outside, not cook the meat through. Brown both sides of chicken then remove it to a plate.

4. Turn heat to low and add flour. Stir well and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add half the chicken stock and stir until everything is incorporated.

5. Add chicken pieces back to pan. Make sure liquid/sauce comes up about 3/4 way of chicken pieces.

6. Keep liquid at a simmer and cover pan with a lid. Allow chicken to cook for about 40 minutes or until tender.

7. While this is cooking make any side dishes you want to serve

8. Once chicken is cooked remove to a plate and cover with foil. Turn heat up to medium- high and add sour cream and lemon. Allow liquid to simmer until it is slightly thickened. Return chicken to pan and serve immediately.

Prime RIb Leftover Sandwich

Holy Crap! this is my 60th recipe! Pretty soon I'll be able to print these all out and actually have a decent sized book. And it's funny because now that I've started this, there's no way I'm stopping. This has helped my cooking so much and allowed me to be so creative. Thanks to everyone who reads this, who ever you may be. I hope everyone has a good new year and I wish you all the best!!!

Alright, enough of the sappy crap and back to the food! haha This was so easy and delicious. Especially after all my hard work yesterday it was nice to just make a sandwich that is full of flavor! It took about 5 minutes to make and then like 1 minute to eat haha. Now I get to cook Christmas dinner. I'm glad it'll just be the 4 of us (dad, mom, my brother billy, and I) this year. It's so much simpler to cook for fewer people!

Ingredients:
prime rib, cut into bit size pieces
mayo mixed with a splash of au jus
2 pieces white bread
Any sliced cheese (mozzarella, swiss, provolone)
Handful romaine lettuce

Spread mayo on both slices of bread. Place cheese on top of 1 slice. Put cut up prime rib on top and then stack on the lettuce. Close up sandwich and put into a pan over medium heat. Add a pan with weight on top so sandwich gets thin. Cook 2 minutes per side then cut and serve with chips or leftover veggies from the night before.

Salmon with Beur Blanc and Rice Christmas Dinner

My dad has some food restrictions and this meal works around those perfectly so I decided to make it for Christmas. I like it because it's really simple and doesn't take very long to make.

I realized I made both Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas dinner all by myself. Of course my mom and cousin helped a little but I probably did 95% of it alone. I'm pretty proud of this fact and that I pulled it off because I've never done a holiday meal alone before. It also worked out for the best because I turned it into another Christmas present for my mom and now I found out that I'll be doing an appetizer party for her b-day. This is perfect for me because it's impossible to buy gifts for my parents haha.

When it comes to rice I like to add as much flavor as possible. So it's okay to cook with water but to add more, use things like stock or wine or a mixture. This will add so much deliciousness to your meal and it is a really easy step.

My dad bought this salmon and he did a spectacular job. Make sure to ask for the salmon to have the pinbones removed and the fish should smell like nothing or the sea.

Ingredients:
1 fillet of salmon per person, washed and seasoned with salt, pepper, thyme and oregano
1 1/2 cups white rice
3-4 cups of chicken stock or water.
1 bottle white wine, divided
4 Shallots, thinly sliced
1 lemons
1 stick of butter

Directions:
1. Beur Blanc sauce: chop 2 shallots finely. Add a pat of butter to a pan and cook shallots for about 2 minutes, until shallots are soft. Add 1 cup of white wine and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Allow this to cook and reduce until there are about 2-3 tablespoons left.

2. Put a pat of butter into another saucepan and then add 1 1/2 cups of rice. Allow rice to cook in pan for about a minute then add 3 cups chicken stock. For most rices the rice to liquid ratio is 1 to 2 but check your package of rice to see if its different. Bring liquid to a simmer then cover with a lid and lower heat to medium-low. This should be finished in 20-30 minutes.

3. Add rest of shallot to a large wide pan with high sides. This will be used for the poaching of the fish. Add rest of bottle of wine, any left over lemon juice in lemon, and water if necessary to make about 1 inch of liquid in the pan. Bring liquid to a simmer over medium-low heat.

4. To finish off beur blanc sauce take stick of butter and cut into small cubes. Add 1-2 cubes at a time and stir into reduced sauce over low heat. Allow each addition to melt before adding the next one. Incorporate all butter then leave pan on the lowest setting to keep warm

5. Slide seasoned salmon into poaching liquid. Cover with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes. When finished the salmon will take on a lighter pink color and when touched gently should spring back. It's better to take it out a little underdone then overdone because the fish will keep cooking outside the pan.

6. To serve: place salmon onto a large platter and drizzle with a little beur blanc sauce. For a fancy finish feel free to add fresh chopped chives on top of both the rice and fish. Fluff rice with a fork before serving and add a little butter, salt and pepper to your liking. Enjoy everything together for a really tasty meal.

Prime Rib Christmas Eve Dinner

I love prime rib. Let me say that again, I LOVE PRIME RIB! I just wish it wasn't so dang expensive or I'd eat it all the time. It's a really easy dinner to make because it only takes a little seasoning and then it can sit in the oven and roast while you work on side dishes or entertain guests. Since I made this for a special occasion I decided to make it real traditional so I made yorkshire pudding as well. I like making this because it stretches the really expensive beef which in my opinion is a good thing.

Tips to make this dinner extra good. Take the roast out of the fridge an hour before you plan on putting it in the oven. A room temp roast cooks up a lot better than a cold roast. Place the seasonings on the outside about 30 minutes before roasting. They "soak in" if you let them sit. Don't be afraid to use a lot of salt on the roast. Salt adds flavor and your cooking a huge piece of meat. For the yorkshire pudding- make sure the bacon fat in the pan is really hot before pouring in batter and also make sure oven is really hot during cooking or it won't bake right. Try not to even open the oven door for a peak because it'll let out too much heat. Make sure to rest meat after it's been in the oven. This finishes off the cooking and redistributes the juices which makes it more moist.

The directions below pretty much follow the timing I used for the meal but I'll make it clearer now. Season roast and place into oven. Cook bacon and shallots, peel potatoes, and place canned corn into a pot. Make yorkshire pudding batter. After time pull out roast and cover with foil (needs to rest 20-30 minutes and this will actually continue cooking it) Immediately bake yorkshire pudding. Mash potatoes and make Au Jus. Heat green beans and corn in last few minutes of pudding cooking. Then carve prime rib and serve everything together.

This menu looks like a lot of work but honestly it was pretty easy. The only time it was difficult was trying to carve the meat while everyone was in the kitchen. Of course the electric knife wouldn't work at first so then I did it with a normal chefs knife and then once the electric knife was working I was criticized about my slicing. My uncle said I was cutting "cow girl cuts instead of cow boy" Whatever, it still tasted amazing! haha

Ingredients:
Prime Rib Roast (or standing rib roast, as many bones as you'd like)
1 onion
Salt and Pepper
Any or all of the following dried thyme, dried rosemary, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder
1 russet potato per person
milk and butter
1 lb. bacon
green beans
2 shallots, peeled and sliced thin
canned corn
1/4 cup wine
1 -2 cups beef stock

For the Yorkshire Pudding (makes 12-15 servings)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, divided
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 large eggs

1. Pull roast out of fridge to come to room temp. Place bacon strips into a pan (might need 2) and cook until crispy. Save the bacon fat!!

2. Preheat oven to 350. Combine salt, pepper, and other herbs/ seasonings of your choice in a bowl. Rinse prime rib with water and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a plastic cutting board (for sanitation reasons). Cut off any strings and trim some of the fat. Not all the fat but just about 20% of it. (just estimate, it'll be ok haha)

3. Now rub meat all over with spice mix. Rub the bones, the sides, everywhere. Place prime rib in a roasting pan with a metal rack. Cut onion into quarters, leaving skin on, and scatter around the roasting pan. Add a little water to the bottom (about 2 cups) for the Au Jus (fancy word for sauce) later. You might need to add more water through out the cooking, just don't let bottom of pan get dry.

4. Place a probe thermometer into the center of the roast through the side (like picture). Make sure it's in the middle of the roast and not touching the bones. Place in oven and allow to brown until temperature reaches 125 for meduim rare. In my opinion medium rare is the only way to eat meat so if you want it done more you need to look up the temp yourself haha. It'll take about 1 1/2 - 2 hours to cook before rest time.

5. Mashed Potatoes: Peel the potatoes once the meat is in the oven. Cut into a medium dice and place in a large pot. Add water till it covers potatoes plus an inch of water. Put over medium heat once temp of meat reaches 110. Mash potatoes with milk and butter to your liking. Make sure to season with salt and pepper. To make these special I added roasted garlic and you could add things like bacon bits, chives and cheese.

6. Green Beans: Blanche green beans by boiling a large pot of water, cooking the green beans for about 2 minutes until brighter green, then immediately submerging the green beans into a bowl of ice and water. (can do a few days before) Put 2 tbs. of bacon fat in a large saute pan. Add thinly sliced shallot and cook over medium low heat until caramelized. Right before serving dinner and after pulling roast for rest add blanched green beans to pan and saute for about 2 minutes until heated through.

7. For the Yorkshire Pudding. If you have 2 ovens I suggest making this in a second oven but if you have one, just turn up the temp after the roast is finished. Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°F. IN a muffin tin add about 2 teaspoons of bacon fat to each cup. Place in oven to preheat, this step makes better yorkshire pudding. Combine milk and eggs in a blender; Add flour, 2 tablespoons sage, and salt in until batter is smooth. Add 2/3 of crumbled bacon. Remove hot baking dish from oven. Using oven mitts or pot holders to protect hands pour batter into pan. Bake 15 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until golden brown and puffed, about 12 minutes longer (do not open oven door while baking).

8. Corn: I just used canned corn. I put it into a sauce pan with a pat of butter and a little salt and pepper. Cook to heat through over medium heat for a few minutes.

9. Au Jus: Take roast out of pan. Also remove all onions and skin. Put pan over stove top on medium heat. Add wine and beef stock and scrap bottom of pan to get all the good bits. Allow this to cook down for a few minutes. Then take 4 sage leaves and rub between your hands to release juices. Add these and allow sauce to cook 1 more minute. Then strain sauce and serve in a nice gravy boat. This sauce won't get thick which in this case is a good thing. A heavy sauce would take away from the beautiful prime rib.

Vegetable Soup with Naddles

This is one of my Dad's favorite dishes so I try to make it for him as much as I can in the colder months. The naddles recipe comes from my grandma (my dad's mom). Sadly she passed away before she could teach me how to make it herself but I hope she thinks I do her justice when I make this dish. Naddles are sort of like a crouton or dumpling for the soup.

I love making this because it can be simple (how my dad likes it) or you can add lots of things to it and make it extra fancy. It's great for a first or second course of a large meal because you can make it in advance and it just gets better. This version is the simple one but here are some other things you can add: green beans, canned beans, potatoes, parsnips, leeks, pasta like orzo or penne and shredded chicken, beef, or any left over meat that sounds good. It's great because you can throw in what you have or whatever is cheap at the store that day.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots peeled and cut into half moons
3 ribs of celery, sliced
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
3-4 dry bay leaves
2 Boxes of chicken stock (or veggie stock if you want. Buy low sodium or low salt)

for naddles:
8 slices of white bread, toasted and buttered
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 TBS salt

Directions
1. Put butter in a large soup pot and allow to melt. Chop all vegetables. Try to make them about the same size so they cook evenly.

2. Put veggies into pot over medium low heat. Add a pinch of salt and allow to saute for about 5 minutes until veggies are soft.

3. Add can of tomatoes and bay leaves, allow to cook about 1 minute.

4. Pour in both boxes of stock. You need this much because naddles suck up a lot of the liquid.

To make Naddles:
1. Whisk eggs and milk in a large mixing bowl.

2. Cut toasted/buttered bread into cubes and put into bowl. Mix together.

3. Add salt to flour and pour over mixture. Mix well, dough will be really sticky.

4. Take bay leaves out of soup. Use two spoons to drop a large amount of naddles into the boiling soup. Try to make the naddles and even size.

5. Let cook at least 30 minutes, the longer the better. They taste really good the next day because the naddles soak up the flavor of the soup.

Venison and Black Bean Chili with Cornbread

This recipe was done by me and my chef friend Susan. Not only do we make bomb food together we also have a lot of fun doing it! Susan's husband had killed a deer and so we decided to use some of the ton of meat she had in the freezer. It was nice because the meat wasn't gamey. I learned that if the animal dies quickly the meat is less tender because if it runs there's a lot of adrenal that toughens the meat. Get to learn something new everyday.

This recipe is from bobby flay and he likes his food really spicy. I left the amounts he put in but if I were to make this again, I would half the spice amount. I had to pour a lot of mexican crema into my chili to stop my sweating! haha.

Ingredients:
Mexican crema or sour cream
For Chili-
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds venison shoulder, cut into 1/3 inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 bottle dark beer
4 cups homemade chicken stock, or low sodium canned or water
1 (16-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained and pureed
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper puree
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

For Cornbread-
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups coarsely ground cornmeal
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
2 2/3 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup finely grated cheddar
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the venison with salt and pepper, and saute until browned on all sides. Remove the meat to a plate and remove all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pan.

2. Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the ancho powder, pasilla powder, and cumin and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the beer and cook until completely reduced.

4. Return the venison to the pot, add the chicken stock, tomatoes, chipotle puree, and honey, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 45 minutes.

5. While chili is cooking make the cornbread. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

6. In a mixing bowl combine the butter, cornmeal, flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt. Beat until just mixed.

7. Pour in the buttermilk, cheese, and honey and mixed until combined. Pour into a buttered 10 inch cast iron skillet or a 12 x 12 baking dish. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until firm to the touch and golden. Cut into wedges.

8. About 15 or 20 minutes left in cornbread cooking add the beans. They need to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice, and adjust seasonings.

9. Place chili in a serving dish and pour a little mexican crema on top. Add more if the chili is too spicy for you. Serve with a large slice of cornbread and enjoy!!

Chicken Cutlets with Parma Rosa Fettuccine

Chicken cutlets are just thin pieces of meat that have been breaded and fried. It's very similar to the weiner schnitzel but it's chicken instead of veal. I was in an italian mood last night so I decided to serve this up with a small side of spaghetti. I didn't feel like making the sauce from scratch so I used a sauce packet. These are with all the other flavor packets in the soup or international aisle. I love using these and they keep for a while so I try to buy a few in advance and save them for a rainy day. I picked the parma rosa flavor because I thought the tomato would go well with the chicken too. Pick whichever sauce you like best!

This one can use a lot of dishes so for the breading I suggest using paper plates so you can just throw it away. I hate doing dishes so the more I can throw away the happier I become. This is just for one person. Feel free to multiply this for the right amount. I really liked the crunchy chicken compared to the saucy pasta. Feel free to cook more side veggies and garlic bread.

Ingredients:
1 piece of chicken breast fat and skin removed.
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used a combo of regular and panko for a nice crust but use whatever type you have/want)
olive oil
a small handful of fettuccine
1 sauce packet Parma Rosa
Milk and Butter according to packet directions
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over top

Directions:
1. Put a large pot of water to boil for the fettuccine. In a medium sauce pan put packet ingredients, milk and butter. Set aside for later.

2. Take chicken and place on a cutting board. Take a plastic bag and cut open, flat or use plastic wrap. Sprinkle a tiny bit of water on chicken and lay plastic over it. Using a rolling pin or something heavy, hit chicken to make it thinner. Your aiming to like spread the chicken with your force so you don't have to hit it to hard. Try to make it about 1/4 inch thick. If this makes the cutlets too big for your pan feel free to cut them in half for better portioning.

3. Now we need to bread the chicken. Set up one plate with the flour, one with the egg (whisked with a fork), and one for the bread crumbs. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to each plate. Then put each piece of chicken through the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. You want an even and thin coating. It's a little messy but worth it!

4. Once water is boiling drop in pasta, turn on saucepan with sauce, and heat 1/8th inch high olive oil in a large frying pan.

5. Keep the sauce on low and allow it to slowly come to a thick consistency. Brown the chicken by cooking about 3 minutes per side. Make sure crust doesn't burn. Flip to other side and cook another 3-4 minutes.

6. Once pasta is al dente, put into sauce pan and finish in sauce.

7. Serve by place pasta on side with a little cheese grated on top and stack up a few cutlets on the other side of the plate then spoon a little extra pasta sauce on top of chicken.

Fresh Bread

While I was in the baking aisle I looked at the cake mixes. To my surprise they had a bread mix. So I bought a rosemary and garlic focaccia mix. The smell of bread on this cold and rainy day was really a boost. I cut the bread into thin stripes and served with marina sauce and olive oil dips. The rest I want to cut in half and make a pizza out of. I'm also going to make bread from scratch soon but I really recommend buying a bread mix because it will make everybody happy!

For ingredients and directions just follow the box. If your going to serve this with dip make sure to buy things for that. I suggest crab and artichoke (in novemeber) hummus, or a really good cheese.

Gingerbread Ornaments

I wanted to decorate my apartment for the holidays but I don't have much space to keep decorations after the holidays. So I decided to make ornaments out of gingerbread and get a small tree so when the christmas season is over, I can just get rid of everything. Make sure to buy some candies or sprinkles to decorate the ornaments. It was really fun to decorate the ornaments so if you have kids or just like to decorate cookies, this will be right up your ally.

Ingredients:

Gingerbread:
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon warm water
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup boiling water

Royal Icing:
4 egg whties
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, molasses, spices, and salt. Whisk in butter.

3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in warm water and add to mixture. Sift flour over batter and mix well. Slowly add boiling water and mix.

4. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into gingerbread men using cookie cutters. I also used other christmas cookie cutters or feel free to use a knife and carve any shape you want. Make sure to cut a small hole to put string through so you can hang the ornaments. I used the small end of a wooden spoon covered in flour to do this.

5. Place on cookie sheets and bake until cookies are golden brown and edges are crisp and set, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool gingerbread and decorate.

Royal Icing:
1. make this while gingerbread are cooking/cooling

2. Put egg whites and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until frothy. Then slowly add sugar while continuing to whisk.

3. Final product should be smooth and slightly shiny. It may be a bit runny which is good for filling in large areas on the cookie. If you want a finer line, add about 1/4 cup more sugar.

4. Pour icing into a plastic ziplock bag. Cut off a small piece on a corner of the bag and use as a pastry bag to decorate. I used sprinkles, candies, and food coloring to add color.

Steak and Swiss Panini

A panini is basically a toasted and thinly pressed sandwich. I have a panini press/griddle thing. If you don't have one you can use 2 saute pans and some cans. Put one saute pan on the heat and put sandwich in, then place other saute pan on top and put cans in it to weigh it down. Make sure the "structure" is stable and won't fall over. After about 1-2 min the side of the sandwich that is closest to the heat should be browned. Flip the sandwich and re-assemble "structure" Brown other side for about 1 minute and then it's done. I love this technique because it warms up everything in the sandwich and melts the cheese

I used ingredients that I had in my fridge so feel free to use whatever you think would make a good sandwich from whatever you have ex: turkey and cheese, veggie sandwich with peppers, onions, and cheese. You can use flavored breads or different roll shapes. Just get creative because there are endless options!

Ingredients:
flavored mayo (about a tablespoon of mayo with pinches of chili flake, onion and garlic powder added. This isn't necessary, just flavorful)
Piece of leftover steak cut really thin
1/2 scallion sliced fine (or use caramelized onions)
1 piece swiss cheese
handful of shredded lettuce
2 pieces of white bread

Directions:
1. Spread thin layer of mayo on each slice of bread.

2. Put a slice of cheese on one side and layer beef on other slice so it's an even layer.

3. Sprinkle a few scallions on top of steak then finish with the handful of lettuce.

4. Close sandwich and grill on panini press or using method above.

5. Serve with chips and a pickle or with some french fries and coleslaw.

Lemon Cream and Berry Trifle

This recipe was created for my sister, Beth. She wanted something easy and I wanted to make sure it was something that would impress her friends. I'm so proud of her and how well she did! I hope that it gives her the confidence to keep trying recipes. And thanks Beth for taking beautiful pictures so I can post one here. If anyone ever needs a specific recipe for an event or something please leave a comment and I'd love to help out. Sharing my knowledge about cooking is almost as satisfying as sharing my food.

You can buy most of these things at the store and the only thing your going to have to make is the "lemon cream" which you'll need a mixer for (if you don't have one you can just do it by hand with a whisk)I like making this dessert in the oven because it doesn't need any cooking and it's light and refreshing to eat. You can make this no more than 3-4 hours in advance. If you do the pound cake will get soggy and it won't be as delicious. To serve this dish you need some kind of clear vessel. Beth used drinking glasses and made individual ones. Another idea is if you have a large glass bowl and you can make a large vessel and scoop it out to serve.

to garnish and make it look extra fancy you can top the whole thing with whipped cream (use the electric mixer and the rest of the whipping cream you have. just mix up until it is the consistency of whipped cream) you can also get a bar of chocolate and make shavings. Use a peeler and grate it against the side of the chocolate so thin slices come off. It looks extra fancy and your friends will say oohhh and ahhhh haha

Ingredients:
Lemon Cream
1 12 oz container mascarpone cheese (if non in store can use same amount of cream cheese)
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 T powdered sugar

Mix these four ingredients together in a bowl with an electric mixer until it has a creamy/whipped consistency.

Things to buy for the layers of the trifle:
pound cake
Fruit jam
fresh berries if in season or frozen berries (make sure jam and berries are same type. I suggest strawberries and/or raspberries.)


To make the trifle:
1. Defrost the berries

2. Slice pound cake into thin slices. Spread with a thin layer of the jam. You may need to cut up these to make them fit into the glasses your going to use to serve.

3. Now your going to layer everything into the glasses. Start with the pound cake jam side up. Then a layer of berries. then a layer of the lemon cream. Keep doing this pattern until you've reached the top of your glasses (leaving room for garnish). End with a piece of pound cake jam side down.

4. Cover with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and any left over berries. You can also add some chocolate in between layers of berries and lemon cream if you want.

Braised Short Ribs and Potato Gratin

I decided to make something that seemed fancy but only took about an hour to make and a lot of down time to cook. I'm using the downtime to study for upcoming finals. You could also use the down time to set a table or get dressed for a dinner party. Short ribs are cheap and the rest of the meal is basically vegetables which are cheap also but I did have most of the ingredients already (aka spices and liquids).

Short Ribs have been one of my favorite dishes on vegas room service menus since they sometimes don't have prime rib. When I was a kid I would get prime rib everyday we were in vegas. It was awesome! haha. I hope to make a prime rib for my birthday or christmas. It costs so much I feel like it's a special occasion meal. The short ribs satisfy that rich meatiness I crave but in a different way then the prime rib. I've come to find I love both! This meals seems hard when looking at it but each step is simple so please have faith in yourself readers that you can do this one!

Ingredients:
Short Ribs

olive oil
4 beef short ribs, trimmed/cut and make sure they look meaty
1 medium white onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and cut into half moons
5 ribs of celery, diced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
4 tomatoes, diced or a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
3 bay leaves
2 cups red wine
2 cups water or beef stock
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. oregano

Potato Gratin
2 russet potatoes, peeled
1 cup cream
1/4 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper
butter
parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 400. Get a sheet pan and line with foil.

2. Cover beef in olive oil and season with lots of salt and pepper.

3. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. This gives it a nice crust. Once finished, remove ribs and reduce oven temp to 300.

4. Cover bottom of a dutch oven or large oven proof pot with olive oil. Dice onions, tomatoes, celery, and carrots. Place into pot and saute over medium heat with a pinch of salt and pepper.

5. Cook until vegetables are softened. Add red wine, water or beef stock and bay leaves and dried herbs and cook until liquid is reduced by 1/3.

6. Place browned short ribs into vegetable pot once liquid has reduced. Add more wine or stock or water until short ribs are completely submerged in liquid. Place in 300 oven and cook for about 2 hours or until beef is tender.

7. While short ribs are in oven, it's time to make the potato gratin. Take peeled potatoes and slice into 1/8 inch thick slices. Try to make them as even as possible so they cook evenly.

8. Butter a casserole dish. Layer potatoes into an overlapping pattern that covers the bottom of the casserole in a single layer.

9. Season with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle very small pats of butter on top. Cover with a 1/4 of a mix of the cream and chicken stock. Then cover with more grated parmesan cheese. Put a potato layer on top and continue building up the layers as above until ingredients run out.

10. Cover with foil and place into oven 30 minutes into short rib cooking.

11. Now it's a lot of time baking. About 2 hours for the ribs and 1 1/2 hours for the potato gratin. Keep turning and rotating both dishes in oven for more even cooking.

12. When ribs are fork tender remove them from the pot and place them on a plate and cover with foil. These need to rest for at least 15 minutes. During this time you can finish the meal.

12. Pull gratin out of oven once it has a golden brown top and allow to set for 5-10 minutes. Skim fat off the top of the pot liquids. Put liquids into a blender and puree. Pour back into pot and cook over high heat until it is the consistency you'd like.

13. To serve just place a rib, peel off bone, onto a plate. Spoon a little sauce over top. Cut a square of potato gratin and put on plate. Pour any extra cream on top. Serve rest of pan juices on side. Watch everyone's amazement at this meal when you serve!!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Since it's the holidays I want to make lots of different cookies. These are a simple type and who doesn't like peanut butter and chocolate? I didn't have smooth peanut butter so I used chunky. I think this added more texture to the cookie once it was finished. This cookie is really similar to my chocolate chip cookies but it's a bit creamier due to the peanut butter. This is a great cookie to make with kids or for a first time baker.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1-1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup good smooth peanut butter
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound good semisweet chocolate chunks

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and peanut butter, and mix.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the batter, mixing only until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using either a 1-3/4-inch ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon.

6. Dampen your hands, flatten the dough lightly, then press the tines of a wet fork in both directions. Bake for exactly 17 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Do not overbake. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Ducks round 2 and 3

Round 2 occurred during the sunday of thanksgiving weekend. My grandma, my mom, and I all worked together to make 4 ducks. It was a bit stressful. I love my grandma, but she can be a little intense/picky in the kitchen. So mom and I worked together to keep grandma happy and make a good meal. (don't worry mom, grandma doesn't have a computer haha) I think the best part was standing up to grandma and challenging her cooking statements. My favorite? grandma: you can't keep onions in the fridge. Me: why not grandma? if I put them in the fridge I don't cry when I cut them and I can keep parts of onions that I haven't used in air tight plastic bags. grandma: but you can't keep onions in the fridge. Me: give me one good reason. Grandma: after thinking for about a minute replied I can't really think of one but we usually didn't have room in the fridge so we put them somewhere else. It was fun cooking together because I learned more about my grandma and nothing can beat my grandma's duck, no matter how hard I try haha. I got her advice on making the dumpling because last time they weren't as great as I had hoped and I'll post those below. After making 4 ducks and a double batch of dunplings, we got to sit down to a delicious meal and enjoy each others company and stories.

Round 3 occurred at my cousin Jenna's house. Making it this time seemed a lot easier because I was in control and jenna was willing to help me. I also managed to use a lot less dishes which was nice because jenna and I can get pretty lazy sometimes haha. I had bought the duck a few weeks in advance on a whim and stored it in my Uncle's freezer. After learning the tips from my grandma I was eager to make it again in a less stressful environment and jenna is always willing to eat duck and dumplings. Jenna is one of those precious few who are good eaters who eat with vigor. I'm sure in the next few weeks I'll be making duck again when my other cousin, Alexa, will want some. She sadly missed out on both of these rounds.

The top picture is mine a.k.a round 3 and the bottom is round 2. Both tasted really delicious but while I hate to sound cocky, I think my duck was a bit juicier. Here are the tips I learned to make really good dumplings and the rest of the recipe is in november on this blog.

Dumpling Tips:
-make sure water is at a low oil throughout cooking and cutting
-get dumpling out of water quickly. Remove smallest one first and work toward largest dumpling
- cut and separate dumplings as fast as possible
- cover with a tea towel or cotton towel to allow steam ventilation.

Brownies

I love to make brownies because they are a crowd pleaser. It's perfect for if you want to have a dessert for a party since you can make them ahead of time and reheat them in the oven. I like to serve them with vanilla ice cream and to make it fancy chocolate sauce and whipped cream. If you don't have a lot of time go ahead and use a packaged brownie mix. They're simple and usually turn out well. I think the from scratch version adds a depth of flavor but the box mix is still quite good.

Side Note: I can't believe this is entry number 50! Thanks to everyone who reads this and I hope I can feed you all at some point in the future.

Ingredients:
6 squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached allpurpose flour
1 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Melt chocolate and butter together in microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes, or on stove top in heavy saucepan on very low heat. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

3. Stir sugar into chocolate until well blended. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and nuts or chocolate chips until well blended.

4. Spread in greased 9x13-inch glass baking dish. You can use butter or pam to grease dish.

5. Bake 30 minutes. I like to rotate the pan half way through cooking. Do not overbake. Test doneness with a toothpick. Place into the center and if it comes out clean, it is done. If batter is on the toothpick cook longer.

6. Cool in pan. Cut into squares. If you want to reheat it for later, pull out of oven slightly underdone so when you reheat in oven, the brownies aren't dry.

Baked Chicken with mashed potatoes and corn

This meal is simple and a classic. I've never met someone who didn't like this meal or at least everyone can like an aspect of it. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging but when I bit into the chicken, I thought it was some of the best chicken I'd ever had and I realized why. The olive oil in the small pan I used fried the chicken a little bit so the skin was extra crispy. Plus I think it helped that I used a lot of seasonings and salt which gave it a lot of simple flavor.

The best part of this seasoning mix is that it uses a lot of common spices so it's a great way to start a spice cabinet. Spices can seem expensive, especially buying a lot at once but with this meal you can buy these 5 spices and use them over and over because a bottle of spice can last a long time. This mix can be used on almost any piece of meat and the amounts can be changed based on your preferences.

Ingredients:
seasoning:
1 cumin
1 red chili flakes
1 thyme
2 garlic powder
2 onion powder
4 tsp salt
2 pepper
2 chicken thighs
russet potatoes
milk
butter
canned corn (fresh is better if it's in season, which is usually in summer)

Directions:
1. preheat oven to 350. Line a pan that barely fits the chicken and has sides that are about 2 inches with foil. If you only have big pans that's fine but the smaller pan gets the chicken crispy or you can just make more chicken.

2. Mix chicken seasoning. I put a ratio up above so it's easier to expand into a larger recipe. You can use any measurement you want, I used teaspoons.

3. Rinse off chicken with water and then put finger under skin. You want to separate the skin from the meat. Do this gently because you don't want to take the skin all the way off because roasting with the skin on adds flavorful.

4. Take a good amount of seasoning mix and rub onto meat and under skin. Also make sure to season the other side of the thigh that is all meat and bone. Do this for all pieces then if there is any extra sprinkle it on top of skin.

5. Put onto foil lined pan and drizzle with olive oil, about 1 teaspoon per piece.

6. Bake chicken for 45 minutes, make sure to turn pan in oven once while cooking for even roasting.

7. While chicken cooks, make mashed potatoes (recipe in weiner scnitzel)

8. I used canned corn so it only took a few minutes to heat up. I made it while the chicken rested. (THE CHICKEN HAS TO REST AT LEAST 5 MIN!!!) I drained a little of the liquid from the can and then put it in a saute pan. Add a little butter and salt and just heat until warm.

9. Serve everything together and I had some gravy in the fridge from the other night so I heated that up and spooned some on top. Enjoy impressing your friends with something that seems simple but tastes amazing!!

Gravy Revisited

This is my version of gravy without roasting meat. I had some leftover duck giblets from the weekend but you can basically use any left over raw meat. For more flavor in the liquid I added onion and caraway seeds. I left the skin on the onion because this makes the gravy darker, weird but true! haha These flavors echo the flavors of the duck I'll be serving this with. Feel free to add flavors that match your meat like other herbs or citrus. For a really simple, traditional gravy just season with salt and pepper once the liquid has reduced.

Ingredients:
2 duck giblets, washed and cut in half
olive oil
3 cups total of flavorful liquid. mix of wine, stock, pan juices if roasting meat, or water. Use whatever you have on hand, it'll all taste good
2 tbs. butter
2 tbs. flour
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. thaw giblets or meat and cut into smaller pieces. Drizzle olive oil in a stainless steel pan (this is important, can't get brown bits on a non stick pan). Place meat into pan and brown over medium high heat.

2. Keep turning meat over in pan every 3 minutes until the bottom is covered in brown bits. Once meat is dark/browned on the outside take it out and set aside.

3. Add 3 cups of flavorful liquid. Using a wooden spoon scrap bottom of pan to get all brown bits into the liquid.

4. Allow liquid to boil over high heat until liquid has reduced by 1/4. this is when i added the onion and caraway. now's the time to add any other flavorings you want.

5. Strain liquid and pour into a gravy separator. If you don't have one you can use a pitcher with a spout from the bottom or just let the liquids settle and skim the fat off carefully with a spoon.

6. Rinse out pan you already used to brown meat and melt 2 tbs butter. Add flour and whisk until it is a paste like consistency. Cook for about 3 minutes to get rid of floury taste (10 points to anyone who remembered this was a roux. 5 points if you didn't haha)

7. Add strained liquid to pan and whisk to get out any lumps. Cook for 2 minutes and then taste for seasoning. It'll most likely need a good bit of salt and pepper so don't be afraid to use a lot. Continue cooking gravy until it is a little thinner than the consistency you like. (it will thicken a little more while cooling)

8. Pour into a nice gravy boat or dish with a spout and serve with meat.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is awesome because it's all about the feast. It seems like this year in our family everybody did something. Tracy made a delicious turkey and stuffing. Megan made dessert, key lime pie and helped with the sweet potatoes. Rachel made dip and heated up veggies. And my mom, grandma and I made appetizers and dessert. For apps we bought things like salami and cheese and crackers, hummus and pita chips, pre-cooked and peeled shrimp. I added the "klein touch" to the purchased cocktail sauce. I feel the best way to do apps is buy some and make 1 or 2. So I decided to make crab and artichoke dip. Mom and Grandma did the shopping for all the ingredients for all the apps so making the dip was super easy. I also got to make pumpkin pie and crescent cookies. Both these recipes are on here in previous blogs but I did something different to garnish the pie. I made leaves out of extra pie crust. I'll describe that below. Normally I wouldn't do this but since it was a holiday I decided I should make it look extra pretty.

I also had a turkey day disaster. I was in charge of the gravy and my first attempt was horrible and burned and just disgusting. I wanted to deglaze the roasting pan the turkey was in by adding wine and scraping up all the brown bits. Then I was going to strain the contents of this pan and add them to a roux (equal parts butter and flour that is used to thicken liquid). I did these steps and I started to reduce the liquid and let it thicken. As it reduced I started to smell burning. It was my gravy! It was literally black and smoking. I realized soon after that there were burned bits on the bottom of the pan and not brown bits. The burned bits ruined the rest of the liquid and turned my gravy into a mess. So now I had to start over. Here was the new and successful plan. I wasn't completely satisfied with this gravy and I am going to work on it for the future so look for it to come soon.


Shrimp Cocktail Sauce:
purchased cocktail sauce (trader joe's)

When I tasted the sauce it seemed a little sweet so I added some prepared horseradish sauce (for some kick) and lemon (for a little acidity) these two additions really boosted the sauce and it was nice because we happened to have those things.

Crab and Artichoke Dip:

1 10 oz. can of crab
1 14 oz. can of artichoke hearts in water
1 lemon
1 1/2 cup mayo
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (divided)
1 t. chili powder
1 t. red chili flake ( could also use hot sauce, just want a little spice/kick in dip)
salt and pepper
garlic and onion powder if you have it but it's not necessary

1. Drain artichoke hearts and then chop roughly into bit size chunks, place in a large bowl

2. Drain crab and place in same bowl

3. Add rest of ingredients (saving 1/3 of cheese for topping) and stir together. Feel free to add more chili powder/red chili flakes if you want dip spicier. Add more lemon for a brighter/fresher taste. and Add more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Feel free to customize this dip to your/ your family's taste buds.

4. Place dip in an oven proof dish and sprinkle top with rest of grated cheese. Bake in a 400 oven for 10 minutes then turn oven to broil and cook another 3-5 minutes or until crust is bubbly and slightly golden brown.

5. Serve with either french bread slices (cut on diagonal/bias for easier eating)or crackers, pita chips, or bagel slices.




Gravy:
5 tbs. butter
5 tbs flour
1 cup water
1 cup red wine
about 1/4 cup of juices from resting turkey that collected (not burnt pan drippings!)

Directions:
1. melt butter in a medium size sauce pan.

2. Whisk in flour and cook for 3 minutes. This allows the "flour taste" to be removed.

3. Whisk in water, wine, and turkey juices. Lower heat to medium low and keep liquid at a low boil

4. Keep whisking occasionally and keep cooking gravy until it is a gravy like consistency. It should coat the back of a spoon.

5. When it reaches this consistency season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Then pour into a nice gravy boat and serve with your dinner.

-other ideas about this recipe: if there isn't much turkey juices then go ahead and use chicken or beef stock as well as wine and/or water. If you want a more flavorful gravy go ahead and add bay leaves and dried herbs like rosemary and thyme or whole black peppercorns. Then strain the gravy before serving so there's no chunks and the gravy is nice and smooth.

Pumpkin Pie Garnish:

1. Roll out extra pie crust ( could use store bought crescent rolls or puff pastry)

2. Using a knife cut out a oval/leaf shape.

3. With the back of the knife blade (un-sharp side) make an indentation down the middle, tip to tip. Then make diagonal indentations from the middle line toward the outer edges. You can then roll these on your finger to give a little 3 dimension effect.

4. bake on a cookie sheet at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them after 4 or 5 min because they can get dark really fast! I suggest making extra because you'll probably lose a few.


Overall this thanksgiving was delicious and the cooking will continue into this weekend when we make ducks and dumplings which is our Czech traditional thanksgiving!

Salmon in foil with Rice 2

I really liked the last salmon I did and I wanted to use the same method but with slightly different flavors. I looked in my spice cabinet and saw all the caraway seeds from my left over duck and I decided to use "duck" flavors for the fish. This is basically salt, pepper, caraway, and onion. The caraway has a really distinct taste but the fish isn't as reminiscent of the duck as I had wished, probably because it's salmon and not duck haha. It still tasted really good so if you have any extra caraway seeds feel free to use them up with this but I must admit I like my first salmon in foil recipe slightly better. Remember the rules about buying salmon, it should smell like the sea or nothing!

Ingredients:
1 lb salmon
1 t caraway seeds
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
olive oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 lemon
1 lime

Directions:
1. preheat oven to 400

2. Put foil on a lipped sheet pan. Make 2, 1 ft by 1 ft pieces of foil

3. Cut salmon into two pieces using long knife strokes in the same direction. Place a piece of salmon on top of foil and create a boat around it by lifting/crimping sides.

4. drizzle each piece of fish with a little olive oil. Sprinkle caraway seeds, salt and pepper over fish.

5. Layer onion slices on top of fish and sprinkle with more salt.

6. Squeeze half of lemon and half of lime juice over salmon pieces.

7. Seal foil packets by crimping/folding foil over fish. and place on foil lined sheet pan

8. Cook in oven for 25 minutes. Once fish is in oven make side dish of rice and/or sauteed veggies.

9. Serve everything together with a little extra lime or lemon wedges.

Caramelization

This is a technique that basically brings out the sugars in a food. It's usually used for onions and sometimes shallots but it's a handy thing to know. Here's how to do it:

Slice onion (or whatever your caramelizing) in half then into thin slices. Prepare a saute pan by melting a pat of butter and drizzling a little olive oil. Allow this to heat just a little over medium heat. Then add onions and stir so everything gets coated in fat (butter/oil). Add a pinch of salt because this helps soften the onion.

Now over medium-low heat, slowly cook the onions. They will turn a golden color as they cook because the sugars inside are being cooked. This takes time and if you rush it your caramelizing can turn to burning which isn't tasty. If you need to speed up the process you can add a little sugar to the pan to get a richer color. Make sure to keep stirring the onions every few minutes so they don't stick to the pan and burn.

A note about this method: if you start with an onion, you'll end up with like 1/2 onion. The amount of the original product will go down after this process so if you want a lot of caramelized onions for burgers or something, make sure to start off with more onions then you think you need.

Blanch

This post is for Beth. She suggested I take the time to define some cooking lingo. I didn't even realize how I had taken my knowledge for granted. haha oh and beth paper shmaper?

blanching isn't too bad. It's basically making something really hot then stopping the cooking really fast by making it cold suddenly. First put a big pot of water on the stove over high heat to boil. Then get another big bowl and fill it with ice and water. Add salt to boiling water then add whatever vegetable you are blanching (it's usually veggies in this technique) Let it boil for 2 minutes or until veggies are really brightly colored. Then immediately! put in the ice bath. Allow veggies to cool in ice bath (cold water).

The point of this is to keep the veggies crisp during other cooking methods. It's also nice because you can blanch veggies ahead of time, store in a plastic bag and put in the fridge, then pull out when you want to use them and saute them for a minute to heat through. You can do lot's with this technique but sauteeing the veggies with caramelized onions/shallots and bacon fat usually makes the veggies taste pretty good haha.

Sweet Glazed Chicken

So this is in an attempt to keep eating healthy. My babysitter, Chio, used to make this glaze for ribs and chicken. I like it because there's only 3 ingredients and it has a really distinct flavor. Chio is one of the first people who taught me how to cook. I messed up many of her recipes as a kid but without all those screw-ups I wouldn't be the good cook I am today. This is also a great recipe to make right now because I'm trying to get through school work and this is a meal that you can leave alone for 10 minutes at a time.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup heinz chili sauce
1/2 cup boysenberry jam, seedless! and I recommend Knott's
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 chicken thighs
4 russet potatoes

1. Pull chicken out of fridge to come to room temp. Preheat oven to 350

2. Combine chili sauce, jam, and soy sauce in a saucepan. Bring to a low simmer so everything melts together. Allow to cool slighly

3. ON A FOIL LINED PAN!!! place chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cover both sides of chicken with sauce. Place in oven and bake 10 minutes.

4. Cook potatoes by cleaning and pricking all over with a fork. Put in the microwave for 3-4 minutes then finish in a 350 oven for 20-30 min until tender.

5. After 10 min. pull chicken out of oven and baste with more sauce. Cook 10 more min, baste again, cook 10 more min and baste again, then cook 5 more min. 35 min in total.

6. Serve Chicken and potatoes together. Feel free to top chicken with any leftover basting sauce before serving.

Salmon in foil with Rice

I'm trying to eat a little healthier again so I decided to try a new recipe for salmon. I like this one because there is very little clean up since the foil can be thrown away. Plus I wanted something fast and easy so I could watch the ducks game tonight. This recipe is great for parties because the packets are quick to put together. They are also easy to customize if someone is allergic to one of the ingredients. A great side dish to this besides rice would be green beans. Caramelize some extra shallot in bacon fat. Blanch the green beans then add to shallot pan. Saute 2 minutes then plate and serve.

This salmon uses italian flavors and very few ingredients (most of these I have in my pantry already). Make sure when buying the salmon that it smells like the sea or nothing and ask for the pin-bones and skin removed.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs salmon (basically half of a salmon)
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 shallots
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes or 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 lemon worth of juice
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken stock or water

Directions:
1. preheat oven to 400

2. Cut salmon into equal size pieces, about 5 oz each

3. Lightly coat with olive oil, then season with a good amount of salt and pepper

4. Combine shallots, tomatoes, lemon, and herbs together in a bowl and let blend/marinate a few minutes.

5. Place each piece of salmon into a square of aluminum foil. Crimp up the sides around fish so foil acts like a bowl. pour in a equal amounts of liquid into each fish packet.

6. Seal up foil packets and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

7. Cook fish for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

8. After placing fish in oven start rice. Put a pat of butter into a sauce pan and allow to melt.

9. Add rice and allow to toast for 2 minutes.

10. Add chicken stock (it might boil up so be careful) and cook for about 15 minutes over low heat or until rice is cooked through.

11. Serve salmon and rice together. Add a little lime or lemon wedges in case liquid isn't acidic enough. I just serve the dish wrapped in the foil but for a more elegant look, place fillets on a large platter and cover with tomato-shallot mixture.

Birthday Cakes Galore

This week I'm making two very different birthday cakes for two of my friends, Jerry and Mike (sup fellas?! haha). Jerry requested carrot cake with dark chocolate ganache. I changed this a little to make a dark chocolate frosting. Mike wanted a funfetti cake with vanilla frosting. I was torn between making vanilla buttercream or vanilla sweetened whipped cream. I figured the buttercream would stand up to the cake better since Jerry's whipped cream frosting didn't quite as well.

Carrot Cake with Dark Chocolate Frosting:

Ingredients:
1 box of carrot cake mix
water, vegetable oil, and eggs as directed by packaging
2 cups whipping cream
1 lbs good dark chocolate
1 tsp. espresso powder

1. Preheat oven according to box directions.

2. Make cake according to packaging. In my box I had to soak the raisins and carrots so look out for that step. Bake according to time chart near bottom of box.

3. Allow cake to cool on a wire rack while you make the frosting.

4. Frosting. Chop chocolate into small chunks.

5. Pour heavy whipping cream into a metal bowl and heat over low flame. Whisk constantly so cream doesn't boil.

6. Add chocolate to cream and whisk off the stove until chocolate is melted. Add espresso powder and stir until mixture is combined.

7. Pour about 1/4 of this mixture between the cooled cakes. This will be the frosting for the middle.

8. Place into the fridge to cool for 20-30 minutes. This makes the next step a lot easier.

9. Using an electric mixer, hand mixer, or by hand (this will take a lot of strength!) whip up the chocolate/cream mixture until it is of a whipped cream consistency. It should be firm but not too stiff.

10. Frost cake. To write/ decorate the cake you can use writing chocolate (recipe in other birthday cakes) or white whipped cream.

Funfetti Cake with Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients:
1 box funfetti cake mix
water, vegetable oil, and eggs according to box of cake
6 tbs. butter, melted
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-8 tbs milk

1. Make cake according to package directions. Try to make layers as even as possible for consistent cooking.

2. Remove cakes from pans and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes

3. to make Frosting. Pour melted butter into a bowl and add sugar. Whisk until it resembles chalky beads.

4. Add vanilla to mixture and slowly add milk, whisking well after each addition, until frosting is consistency you like. (make sure it's not to runny or frosting cake will be difficult)

5. Place a small amount of frosting on top of a layer of cake. then place other cake on top, make sure it's straight. It's best to pour all the frosting on top then ease it over the sides. Then remove excess frosting if needed.

6. Since this cake is funfettie I decided to add some extra sprinkles on top!

Shrimp and Rice with Green Beans

So I came back from Indiana today and on the way home the movie Julie and Julia was on. I got excited because I had heard good things and I wanted to see it, plus I figured I have time to kill so let's watch it. I must admit, I was disappointed. It just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I didn't really find the "blogger" character that funny. Maybe we don't share a sense of humor but I just wasn't digging it. I did like the stuff about Julia Child because I remember watching her show when I was a kid. I really disliked the ending too. It seemed like it just stopped. There was a little bit of a conclusion but I just didn't think it was enough.

Anyways, after that rant I wanted to make something simple for dinner and I didn't have time to go to the grocery store so I threw this together with what I had in the fridge. This is a big benefit of having a well stocked fridge/pantry, you can throw together meals pretty much whenever.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown rice
2 cups chicken stock
5 shrimp
handful of frozen green beans
parmesan cheese (optional garnish)

Directions:
1. place a pat of butter in a sauce pan and melt. Add rice and toast for about a minute.

2. Add chicken stock. You want the liquid level to reach about half you thumb nail above the rice. Be careful measuring this because pan/liquid can be hot!

3. Allow rice to cook about 15 minutes or according to package directions.

4. Thaw shrimp (if frozen) and saute in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook about a minute per side.

5. When rice is finished throw in frozen green beans, a little more butter, and a pinch of salt. Stir together over really low heat until green beans are warm. Add shrimp and plate. Sprinkle a litle parmesan cheese on top to garnish and add more flavor.

Pot Roast- Slow Cooker Method

I visited my friend, Pauline, in Indiana and since it was a bit cold outside (even though it was really hot for that time of year) we decided to get a big piece of meat to eat. We decided this while I attended her classes with her and wrote notes back and forth to each other. It was like the good old days of high school. Pot roast was chosen because it's cheap and delicious.

The slow cooker really worked out for us because we went to a Notre Dame hockey game and the meat cooked all day while we were out having fun. When we came back to eat, the meat was so tender it fell apart as we tried to serve ourselves. It was a delicious meal that was finished off with tacos that we had made the night before haha.

Ingredients:
5 lb chuck roast
3 medium russet potatoes
1 small onion
2 14 oz cans or 1 large can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 cup liquid: beef broth, wine, and water or use in a combination
spices (optional)
splash of cream (optional)

Directions:
1. Season meat with lots of salt and pepper. To add extra flavor you can also season with: steak/grill seasoning, onion powder, garlic poswer, rosemary, thyme, and cumin. these are all optional and feel free to season with anything you have that sounds good.

2. Sear roast in a large pan on both sides. About 5 minutes on each side over medium high heat. You want there to be a nice brown crust on the outside of the meat but don't burn it!

3. While meat cooks, peel potatoes and chop into large chunks. Cut onion into thick slices. Place about half of these on bottom of slow cooker. Cover with 1/2 can of tomatoes.

4. Once meat is browned put into slow cooker on top of veggies. Pour beef broth, wine, water, or combo of these into pan you browned meat in and scrap up all the bits on the bottom of the pan. Add rest of tomatoes to pan and allow mixture to simmer and slightly reduce for about 2 minutes.

5. Place half of reduced sauce over pot roast. Add rest of potatoes and onions on top and cover with rest of liquid. You want lots of liquid surrounding the pot roast so it stays nice and moist.

6. Cover everything and set on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. When it's time to eat after a day out or at work all you have to do is turn off the slow cooker and serve everyone a big chunk of meat and veggies.

***If you want to make a gravy to serve with everything take meat and veggies out of slow cooker. Pour remaining juices into a sauce pan. Allow everything to reduce over medium heat for about 10 minutes until liquid is thickened. For a more luxurious taste you can add a splash of cream right before serving. Taste sauce for seasoning of salt and pepper and serve.

Pizookie

I was really in the mood for a pizookie from BJ's. It's basically a cookie that is the size of a mini pizza with ice cream on top. I decided to make a gigantic chocolate chip cookie and serve it with some vanilla ice cream for an old friend who came over (what up steph! haha) Since she came over late I decided to make dessert and this was on my mind so I made it a reality.

Before serving the pizookie, reheat it in the oven if you cooked it a head of time. Pull it out a minute or 2 before you think it's done and let it finish in the oven for 5- 10 minutes until it is warm and golden brown. You can serve this with any flavor ice cream you like or even a combo of flavors like chocolate, coffee, and chocolate chip cookie dough. Also feel free to top with whipped cream and your favorite ice cream sauce like chocolate or caramel.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 T granulate sugar
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips
Ice Cream of you choice
toppings of you choice

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat at medium speed butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla until well blended

2. at low speed, gradually add mixture of flour, salt, and baking soda.

3. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Cover dough with saran wrap and refrigerate for about 45 min. This will make next steps easier

5. preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a large glass 13 x 9 dish

6. Spread dough into an even layer in the dish.

7. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Cookie is done when it is golden brown.

8. Cut to any size you want or eat it family style with lots of ice cream piled on top of the large cookie.

Scarmbled Eggs, bacon, and Hash Browns II

Everybody needs a good breakfast to start off the day right. Here's one of my favorites. I've already made hash browns but I'm making a new version of them. These are more similar to a country fried potato but either way, potatoes are delicious! haha. I love this breakfast because it only takes one pan to make and it's really filling. It's not the lightest or healthiest way to start the day but it sure is tasty!

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 pieces of bacon
1/2 baked potato, cut into bite size chunks
butter, salt, pepper

Directions:
1. Cook bacon in a large skillet till done to your likeness. Set aside on paper towels

2. Using a little of the bacon fat, cook potatoes. Toss every 30 seconds and add a little butter if pan gets dry. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until warmed through and have a nice crust on the outside

3. Make the scrambled eggs. Add a tiny dab of butter into the skillet over medium heat. Crack egg into pan and season with a pinch of salt. Stir and scramble with a rubber spatula. Keep stirring until eggs are done to your liking.

4. Plate all three together and enjoy the deliciousness!

Duck Hash

I'm watching Top Chef right now and this always inspires me to cook and be creative. I have a lot of left overs in the fridge from various meals this past week and I need to eat them up before I leave to Indiana tomorrow to visit my friend Pauline. (I'm super excited!!!!)

I went to Dux in Tux 2 weeks ago (it's a charity dinner by the Anaheim Ducks). The meal started with a delicious duck hash. I wanted to make something similar to this because I have leftover duck and no dumplings. I also had a left over baked potato and some extra duck ju (fancy word for gravy). So I used all this to make the hash. Since I had everything as left overs, this dish took less then 10 minutes to make.

Ingredients: (serves 1)
1/4 duck, meat removed from bones and cut into bite size chunks
2-3 T of duck ju
1 baked potato chopped into bite size pieces
1 T caramalized onions
1-2 t butter

Directions:
1. Melt butter in pan and add potatoes. Allow to cook for 5 minutes until mostly done.

2. Add duck and onions into pan and heat for 2-4 minutes until duck is warm.

3. Add Ju right before serving and let cook for 15 seconds. Put on a plate immediately and enjoy.