I was asked to make a cake for an event! Some friends from church were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and their daughter (also a friend) asked yours truly to make a mini-wedding cake. The event had a fall theme and their wedding colors back in 1984 were burgundy and silver. I have been told by many that I should open a bakery. I do love to bake, but have NO desire to ever own my own business again! Making one special cake every 6 months…now that is great fun.
Sherri’s Bakery. October 23, 2009
blackberry glazed salmon. October 13, 2009
quick. easy. healthy.
Here is a recipe for an elegant dinner that is ready from start to finish in literally 15 minutes.
Blackberry Glazed Salmon
4- Salmon steaks
2 T. blackberry jam (I like habenero blackberry jam!)
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Preheat broiler. Mix jam, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic in bowl. Spoon glaze over salmon and broil for approximately 10 minutes (depending on thickness of steaks) until the meat flakes and is no longer translucent. Voila!
10.10.2009 October 10, 2009
Today we woke up to this-
So, we’ve been doing a lot of this-
And some of this-
And we made some of these-
They are unbelievably good and have chick-peas in the dough!
Visit my cooking blog to see this unique recipe.
best salad ever. October 5, 2009
Attention. This is the best salad ever. What’s that you say? You don’t like blue cheese? You do now. Eat it.
Pear-Pecan-Blue cheese Salad
Mixed greens
toppings:
blue cheese (gorgonzola is my favorite)
candied pecans (store bought or homemade)
2 pears, chopped
1/2 c. maple syrup
Sweet, light salad dressing: A maple vinaigrette would be ideal–I just make my own!
Warm 1/2 c. maple syrup in small pot. When syrup is hot, dump pears in and stir occasionally, until pears begin to soften. Remove from heat and drain. Serve salad topped with pecans, drained pears, blue cheese and vinaigrette. Pass out from deliciousness.
sweet tradition. August 27, 2009
We have a new tradition at our house—Sweet Potato pancakes for breakfast on Sunday mornings! They are absolutely delicious and so easy to throw together.
SWEET POTATO PANCAKES
1/2 c. pureed sweet potato (or pure pumpkin)
1/2-1 t. cinnamon
1 c. pancake mix, prepared as directed on box
OR make your OWN pancake mix from scratch!
HOMEMADE PANCAKE MIX
3 1/2 c. Whole wheat flour (you can use any combination of flours totaling 6 cups)
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. sugar
2 T. baking powder
1 T. baking soda
Combine ingredients with whisk and store in airtight container. When ready to use combine 1 c. mix with 3/4 c. milk and 1 egg.
summer of squash. July 30, 2009
It’s that time of year! Everyone has an overabundance of summer squash. We love zucchini and squash, but what can you do when you receive A LOT of it all at once from a very generous family member? Of course it is the very best freshly grilled with olive oil and a little salt and pepper, but after a few days of that- you may want to look for a few other options. I have made a heavenly chocolate zucchini cake, then I made a healthier zucchini bread (recipe below)
ZUCCHINI BREAD
2 c. flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. applesauce
2 t. vanilla
2 1/2 c. zucchini, grated
STREUSEL:
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. butter
Combine dry ingredients set aside. Beat eggs and add oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir. Fold in zucchini. Pour into 2 greased bread pans. For streusel- combine ingredients and blend with a fork until there are no large clumps. Top with streusel and bake at 325 for approximately 60 minutes.
After all of that baking, I still had a TON of squash left. So, I decided to freeze it for later. The best way to do this is to cut the squash into 1/2″ slices and blanch in boiling water (cook for only about 3 minutes). Remove the squash from the water and place immediately in a bowl of ice water. Cool about 5 minutes and drain. Seal in ziplock bags and viola! If you want to freeze your zucchini so that you can use it to bake in the future- grate the zucchini and steam it for about 2 minutes before sealing in ziplock bags.
Greta enjoying some zucchini bread.
Stefanie’s Cheesecake wonton cups. July 30, 2009
I love short cuts. Especially when you can NOT tell that a short cut has been made! This is a recipe from my friend Stefanie. I have had these on several occasions and each time, everyone RAVES about them! This is one of the recipes that I made for my sister’s bridal shower last weekend. Enjoy!
Cheesecake Won ton Cups
1 pkg. won ton wrappers
1 container Philadelphia cheesecake filling (premade, and at your grocery store by the cream cheese)
1 jar lemon curd (fancy jam or pie filling would even work)
whipped cream (the kind in a can works best)
fresh raspberries (blackberries would be terrific, too)
Using a mini-cupcake pan, press wonton wrappers into pan. Spray lightly with PAM (I used olive oil spray). Sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar.
Bake at 350 for approximately 5 minutes, or until golden. Cool.
Fill cooled shells with about 1 t. of cheesecake filling, 1 t. lemon curd. Top with whipped cream and place one single raspberry on top. Garnish by sifting confectioner’s sugar over just before serving.
Breakfast bars. July 15, 2009
Looking for a quick, healthy breakfast? We have our freezer stocked with these at all times. I found the recipe here. Joe takes one of these and a banana with him to work for breakfast every morning. The bars are filling and really stick with you! They also contain spirulina. You can find spirulina in most health food stores. A container should cost about $20, but I have always gotten it in the bulk spice section so I didn’t have to buy quite so much at once (and it is a fraction of the cost).
BREAKFAST BARS
2 1/2 c. oats
1/2 c. flax seed
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. natural peanutbutter
1/2 c. honey
1/2 t. spirulina (I use closer to 1 t., but start here until you get used to the taste)
1/2- 1 c. hot water
Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Mix well and form into patties. Wrap in saran wrap and store in refrigerator or freezer. Makes 8-12 bars.
I’m not crunchy. July 7, 2009
My husband often teases me for being “crunchy”. Very funny. Not sure if I am officially crunchy, but whatever. The thing I find hilarious is that he himself is pretty darn crunchy—you tell me… does this sound like someone who is crunchy???
**edited to include definition after discovering some naughty things on the linked website (Crunchy=adjective. used to describe persons who have altered their lifestyle for environmental reasons, ie; tree huggers, hippies, vegans, environmentalists, natural food store shopping, granola, green)
-He is obsessed with buying organic produce and is completely freaked out that our children might be eating pesticides.
-He becomes very angry if he runs out of granola.
-He likes tofu.
-It is his dream to own a moped.
-He tried to get his office to start recycling.
-He is trying to grow his beard indefinitely.
Hmmmm? What’s the verdict?
In honor of my increasingly crunchy husband…here is the granola recipe that I make for him.
GRANOLA
3 c. oats
1 c. raw sunflower seeds (or nuts)
1 c. shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. pure maple syrup
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 t. salt
1 c. dried fruit (I used blueberries this time)
Combine sugar, syrup, oil and salt. Combine oats, seeds and coconut, stir. Add oil mixture to oats. Spread over 2 cookie sheets and bake at 250 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes until done to your liking (I did 30 minutes). Cool and add dried fruit. Store in airtight container. Makes approximately 6 cups.
Harvest Lamb Stew. June 18, 2009
This meal was delicious, but not the best for a hot summer night! In any event, this is a keeper. Simple and flavorful and could easily be made in the crock pot. For those of you who make your own baby food- this would be a great recipe to use!
Harvest Lamb Stew
1 lb. Lamb stew meat
1 T. Olive oil
1/4 red onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. butternut squash, cut into chunks (I used frozen!)
1/2 c. pearl barley
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
3 c. tomato juice
Heat medium skillet on HIGH. Salt and pepper the lamb chunks. Brown lamb about 1 minute, turning once. Remove to roast pan or dutch oven (center should be red). Turn heat down to medium and add oil, onion, garlic, squash, bay leaf and thyme. Cook about 5-8 minutes and add barley. Cook, stirring, an additional 2 minutes and add to pan with the lamb. At this point it should look like this:
Pour tomato juice over mixture and bake at 325 for about 2 hours (or place in crock pot for 3-4 hours on low) Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh thyme.
