Chocolate Lover's Favorite Cake

Pete's birthday was in early May, so I made him a big, fat and yummy chocolate cake. I received this recipe years ago, but I don't know who sent it to me. It is very tasty and not at all healthy! Enjoy!

NOTE: I've never used other flavored extracts, but I assume vanilla and even mint extract would be good with this chocolate cake.

Chocolate Lover's Favorite Cake

- 1 box Devil's Food cake mix

- 1 box instant chocolate pudding mix

- 2 cups sour cream

- 1 cup melted butter

- 5 eggs

- 1 tsp almond extract

- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bundt pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well (hole) in the center and pour in sour cream, melted butter, eggs and extract. Beat on low speed for four minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Stir in chocolate chips and pour cake mix into the greased bundt pan.

Bake for 50-55 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack. You can sprinkle with powdered sugar once the cake is completely cool. 

Cheese Garlic Biscuits

I love bread with dinner! Who doesn't? I received this recipe years ago, although I don't know who shared it with me. These rolls are incredibly easy (and the recipe can be cut in half). If you don't like garlic, you can omit the garlic butter...but it is SO good! This recipe is fairly cheap and it probably wouldn't be a big deal to substitute milk with water if you don't have milk on hand or have lactose issues. 

Friday night, I served these biscuits alongside linguine with shrimp scampi, which was full of butter, garlic and shrimp. So tasty!

The dough is thick.

Four tasty rolls!

Cheese Garlic Biscuits

- 2 cups buttermilk baking mix (Bisquick)

- 2/3 cup milk

- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you have on hand)

- 1/4 cup butter (melted)

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the first three ingredients and mix with a spoon until soft dough forms. Beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons (or whatever sized you'd like your rolls) onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Combine butter with garlic powder and brush over warm biscuits before removing from the cookie sheet. Serve warm. 

Recipe makes 10-12 biscuits, depending on the size that you make them. 

Eggs on Easter Morning

For those with children, eggs are an important part of the Easter holiday. Kids dip boring white eggs into a variety of colors to create beautiful, speckled eggs. Early on Easter morning, parents hop out of bed to hide them throughout the house just as kids are waking up and ready to hunt for their eggs. I don't know about you, but we do a sweep after the kids to make sure they actually found all the eggs; rotten eggs is a horrible smell! I find that even non-religious families still participate in the egg coloring and hunting tradition of the holiday.

After we find all of the eggs, I spend what seems like hours peeling hard boiled eggs! What is with hard boiled eggs? Why don't they peel properly? Luckily my hard work pays off because hard boiled eggs are like a hot commodity in our house; they don't last long. 

I used to dislike eggs because they can be so bland and boring. I discovered that I love eggs with a lot of other food thrown into the pan. A quiche is the perfect answer to my egg conundrum. I previously published a post about a quiche and I have another easy, cheap and fool proof recipe below. This is a great breakfast for Easter morning.

This doesn't last long in my house!

Sometimes I call quiche an egg pie because it's the only explanation that I can come up with when the kids ask me what I'm making. I explain, "It's like a pie for breakfast that is made with eggs, cheese, vegetables and sometimes bacon." They respond by running out of the kitchen screaming, "GROSS!" I can't blame them; I probably would have done the same thing as a kid. 

Quiche is the perfect dish for a weekend morning, when you have visitors staying at your home or if you're hosting a mid-morning brunch or book club (pair fresh fruit and mimosas with quiche or a well rounded meal). Prepare and bake this quiche ahead of time and serve it the next morning or pack it in your lunchbox for work the entire week. 

I love the recipe below because it is so versatile. Want to add mushrooms and green peppers? Just saute them in a little olive oil for about 3-5 minutes and add them into the egg mixture before pouring it into the pie shell. I purchase my pie shells; unfortunately I do not have the patience to make homemade pie dough. 

Cindy Barber's Quiche (Thanks, Cindy!)
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup of half and half
- 1/2 cup mayo (I never said it was healthy!)
- 2 TBS flour
- 1/3 cup finely chopped onions
- Sprinkle of salt and garlic powder 
- 8 oz shredded Swiss (or whatever cheese you have on hand)
- 1 package of frozen chopped spinach (drained well!)
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes (optional; not in oil)
- 1 pie shell unbaked (I find that a deep pie shell works best)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Thaw the spinach and squeeze out all of the water (it is best to do this with your hands). If the spinach is holding a lot of water, the quiche will not cook properly. 

In a bowl, hand whip the eggs, half and half, mayo and flour. Add the remaining ingredients into the bowl (minus the pie shell). If you want to add other vegetables or cooked meat (i.e. ham or bacon) add those items into the bowl. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. After about 35 minutes, check the quiche and cover with foil if the top of the quiche is turning brown. 

Happy Easter to you and your family!

Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes

We've had a very busy life lately with our wedding on May 31 and honeymoon immediately following in Hawaii; therefore, I didn't really plan an amazing Father's Day dinner for Pete this year. I made what I knew he would love - tacos with rice, black beans and all the fixins! 

But, I did finish the night off with something special (a very easy and not time consuming recipe) ... individual chocolate lava cakes. I am not sure who to credit this recipe too; I had a personal cooking lesson with a chef about a decade ago in Washington, DC and I made this with her. I can't remember the chef's name, but I've never forgotten this dessert! 

Please note: there can be a level of frustration that comes along with making lava cakes (also known as molten cakes) because sometimes you overcook them and sometimes you undercook them. Either way, don't get too frustrated if they are not the way you want them; the cakes will still taste amazing even if they're cooked all the way through :) 

Also note: this is not a recipe that you make in advance. Wait to make this until you're ready to serve it. You can make the batter ahead of time (even going as far as pouring the batter into each ramekin), just cover them with Saran Wrap. Remove the ramekins from the fridge about 45 minutes before baking to bring them to room temperature.

Chocolate Lava Cake (serves 4)

- 1 stick unsalted butter

- 4 oz./squares of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

- 2 large eggs

- 2 large egg yolks

- 1/4 cup sugar

- 2 tsp flour, plus more for dusting

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. 

Butter and lightly flour four ramekins twice, tapping out the extra flour after each dusting. (This will help your cake slide out of the ramekin when it's cooked.)

Melt the butter and chocolate on the stovetop in a double boiler (or place a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water. Make sure the glass bowl doesn't touch the water.) You can also melt them in the microwave; just make sure to stir frequently. 

In a bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together with an electric mixer (or whisk) for 2-3 minutes.

When the chocolate butter mixture is melted, take a small amount and add it to the egg mixture WHILE blending (this will ensure that your eggs don't scramble from the hot mixture). Beat in the rest of the chocolate butter mixture and the 2 tsp of flour until just combined.

Place the four prepared ramekins on a baking sheet and pour the cake batter into (use all mixture between) the four ramekins. Bake for 7-9 minutes. The sides will set but the center will be moist. There really is no way to test this (as you would a regular cake with a toothpick) but as long as the sides are set, there is no harm in eating a very gooey chocolate center.

Wearing gloves, invert each ramekin onto a plate and let sit for 15-30 seconds. Still wearing gloves, gently lift the ramekin slowly and the cake should remain on the plate. If there is an issue with the cake coming out of the ramekin, simply run a knife around the edges and shake out. Pete recommends the lava cakes with ice cream. Enjoy!

Oatmeal, Chocolate, Dried Cranberry Cookies

Who doesn't love some fresh baked cookies full of yummy treats? We do in the Barber-Christensen house!!

Adapted from Food & Wine magazine, but with Lindsay's changes of chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup oats (quick cooking)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries (I will use a little bit more next time)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer (or in a stand up mixer) beat the butter with both sugars at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. beat in the egg and vanilla. At a low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just incorporated, then mix in the oats, chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

Spread one inch sized cookie balls about 2 inches apart on large cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. EAT!!!

Chicken, Andouille Sausage and Kale Stew

My cousin recently asked me, "So, what's going on with your blog?" I responded that I just hadn't had the time to post anything as life has been busy with work, travel, the kids and wedding planning. But I haven't stopped cooking and trying new recipes. I am going to try and keep an updated blog in the hopes that someone will read it! 

I was in Washington, DC a few weeks ago for work and my boss and his wife had me over for dinner. Kristen is a great cook and always seems to have new recipes on hand. I also don't know anyone who loves kale as much as she does and she is a wealth of Kale knowledge and recipes. I made this recipe recently and Pete said it's the best soup I've ever made. I studied the original and adapted recipes below and developed my own. Next time I will add more thyme and either less chicken or more stock to make it more of a soup.

Chicken, Andouille Sausage and Kale Stew 
Adapted from How To - and The Kitchen Faerie 

- 3 parsnips, chopped
- 3 TBS olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 Andouille sausage (we use Johnsonville brand)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large shallot, chopped 
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, thyme removed from stems
- 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat shredded
- One handful chopped kale, optional (ribs removed and torn into pieces)
- 1 cup frozen butternut squash, optional

Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss chopped parnsips in a bowl with salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Arrange in one layer on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until the parsnips are browned and softened. 

In a dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add chopped onion and shallot, cooking until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage pieces and saute until completely cooked through. Add carrots and cook until softened. 

Add chicken stock, thyme, shredded chicken, butternut squash and parsnips. Bring to a simmer. Add kale and simmer 20 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.  

Chicken Stir Fry

Tonight I made a chicken stir fry. I pieced together a few different recipes that I found and used the vegetables that I had available at home. There is no reason to order Chinese food when you can make this at home! The great thing about stir fry is that you can add as much (or as little) meat, seafood and vegetables to suit your tastes. Once you find a marinade that you like, you can use it on a variety of meats and veggies.

Lindsay's Chicken Stir Fry

- 2/3 cup Soy Sauce

- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar

- 2 TBS Garlic, minced

- 1 tsp Ground Ginger 

- 2 TBS Olive Oil

- 3-4 Chicken Breasts (1 lb.) chopped into one inch pieces

- Variety of vegetables, chopped (I used about 1/2 cup of green and red bell peppers, one cup of carrots, 1/2 onion, 1/2 cup of mushrooms and 1/2 cup frozen edamame)

- 1 tsp of flour or cornstarch

1. Mix together the soy sauce, brown sugar, 1 TBS of garlic and ginger. Add the chicken and marinate for 15-30 minutes.

2. In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the vegetables (minus the edamame) until tender. Add the remaining tablespoon of garlic to the skillet after a few minutes. (You don't want to add garlic too early because it can burn). Stir vegetable mixture every couple of minutes.

3. When veggies are tender, put aside in a bowl or plate and keep warm.

4. Add remaining one tablespoon of olive oil to skillet. Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Cook the chicken until no longer pink. 

5. Whisk the flour into the reserved marinade.

6. Add the frozen edamame and cooked vegetables back into the skillet with the chicken.

7. Slowly add the reserved marinade into the skillet. The flour will make it thick. NOTE: you can add as much or as little marinade as you want based on your preferences. If you don't want to add any marinade to the skillet, you can omit this step.

8. Serve with rice and enjoy.

Beef Tortilla Casserole

Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted anthing since July! Life is and has been busy between work, kids and, Pete's training and racing and wedding planning. But no matter how busy it gets, I find the time to cook good food.

I love Mexican food; tacos, burritos, tortillas and gucamole. At home, I generally only cook tacos, so I decided to branch out and try something different and new. I always shy away from casseroles because they make so much food, but with Pete training - and the fact that he loves leftovers - I don't mind making larger meals.

I always reach for my Cook's Illustrated The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook when I am looking for inspiration. I have never made a bad recipe out of this cookbook. The Beef Tortilla Casserole is fantastic, but it does use several pots and pans. I know it's a pain, but the dish is worth the pots and pans!

I made a few alterations to the recipe to fit our likes. I am not a fan of spicy food, so I left out the chipotle chiles, I added 1/2 tsp of cumin and I used ground turkey instead of beef. I cut this recipe in half and it worked out well.

Beef Tortilla Casserole

Courtesy of The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Serves 6-8

- 2 TBS Vegetable Oil

- 2 Red Bell Peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped

- 1 Onion, minced

- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced

- 2 tsp Chili Powder

- Salt

- 2 lbs. (90% lean) Ground Beef

- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

- 2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, minced

- 2 cans (15.5 oz) pinto beans, rinsed

- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained (I always use petite diced)

- 6 TBS fresh Cilantro, chopped

- 2 TBS fresh Lime Juice

- 18 (6 inch) corn tortillas

- 8 oz (2 cups) Cheddar cheese, shredded

- 8 oz (2 cups) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 300°.

2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.
3. Add the bell peppers and onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the broth, chipotles, beans, and tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
7. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cilantro and the lime juice.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Meanwhile, spray both sides of the tortillas with vegetable oil spray and spread out over two baking sheets (some overlap is fine).
10. Bake until the tortillas are soft and pliable, about 5 minutes.
11. Remove the tortillas from the oven and increase oven temperature to 450°.
12. Spread 1/3 of the beef mixture in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
13. Layer 6 of the tortillas on top of the filling, overlapping as needed, then sprinkle with 3/4 cup of each cheese.
14. Repeat to form a second layer.
15. Spread the remaining filling in the baking dish.
16. Cut the remaining 6 tortillas into quarters, then spread over the top.
17. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of each cheese.
18. Bake until the cheese is golden brown and the casserole is bubbling, about 15 minutes.
19. Let cool for 10 minutes.
20. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro before serving.

Sticky Drumsticks

Well, I made it about 3.5 days in my experiment to remove all processed food from my diet for a week. After feeling awful for a few days, I decided to stop and just limit the amount of foods I eat that have ingredients that I cannot pronounce or I don't know what they are. I think that I felt sick because I wasn't getting enough calories and was avoiding a lot of carbs, even though my intent wasn't to skip carbs.

Next time I will cut out certain things as opposed to an entire item, like processed foods. I don't like failing at my goals, but I refuse to feel sick for several days if I don't have to feel that way!

Last week during my failed experiment, I tried several new recipes and I'm very proud of myself for that. I love to cook and over the past couple of years, I didn't cook as much because I was so busy with work. Now that I work from home, it is easier to start dinner or throw something in the crock pot on my lunch break. One VERY tasty recipe that I discovered is very easy and only takes about 10 minutes to prepare before you put everything in the crock pot. (Lorrie B. - even you can do this!)

I found this Sticky Drumsticks recipe on another blog called Farm Girl Gourmet (which she found on another blog). These drumsticks are so good that this recipe could end up on every blog that exists. I also recommend spending some time on the Farm Girl Gourmet blog - just fantastic! I am so envious of the Farm Girl Gourmet Blog; I need to take more photos of the food that I make, especially if I am going to write about it. I know that photos will improve my blog and even if no one reads this, I will have it for my future as I go back and search recipes. A new goal - take more photos!!

Sticky Drumsticks (I cut this recipe in half, so this is my variation)
Adapted from The Comfort Of Cooking., originally from Group Recipes

- One package of chicken legs (5-6 per package)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/6 cup (I just did 1/2 of the 1/3 cup) balsamic vinegar
- 1/6 cup soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 TBS fresh grated ginger
- Dash of black pepper

Remove the skin from the chicken. Put in the bottom of a crock pot or slow cooker.

In a small saucepan, add honey, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the brown sugar. Simmer 5 minutes.

Add sauce to chicken in crock pot, coat chicken in sauce, and cook on high for 4 hours.

Day Three of No Processed Foods

I am not going to lie, I am not feeling great. I don’t know if not having any processed foods are really impacting my body or if it is just psychosomatic. Having said that, I think that no carbs in three days is a making me feel a bit weaker than normal. I am not sure that I’m getting the daily caloric intake that I need since I really don’t feel great until after I eat dinner. Since I’m not doing a ‘no carb’ experiment, I had rice last night with a steak and mixed veggies. It was tasty! I did cheat and I had a small cup of frozen yogurt last night (I blame this on Pete as he wanted the frozen yogurt)! I was very good when he decided to have a Corona last night. I fought the urge to enjoy a tasty beer on a beautiful summer evening outside, but I did not have any beer; I just drank my water. Will power!

More than anything, I want a damn Diet Coke! I want a Diet Coke so bad that I can taste it. This surprises me because there are times that I go a couple of days without soda, so I am not sure why it is bugging me now!

For lunches, I made a roasted carrot soup, a roasted tomato soup and salads. I am (surprisingly) really enjoying almonds and sunflower seeds instead of crackers, but part of me still misses my crunchy Wheat Thins.

For dinner on Monday night, I made a very quick dinner before going to get my hair done. Dinner was a pork and ginger stir fry, which was like an inside out pot sticker. I left out the wontons and the spicy pepper since I am not a fan of spicy food. This recipe for Pork and Ginger Wonton Stir Fry comes from The Washington Post. Click this link to see the original recipe, but here is my version.

Pork and Ginger Wonton Stir-Fry

- Salt

- One-inch piece ginger root

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 4 scallions (will do more next time because I like cooked scallions)

- 2 TBS Olive Oil

- 1 pound lean ground pork

- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

- 2 TBS unseasoned rice vinegar

- 1/2 teaspoon sugar

- 1 tsp cornstarch

Peel and mince the ginger and garlic, which can be chopped together. Cut the white and green parts of the scallions crosswise into thin slices. 

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the ginger and garlic; stir-fry for about 1 minute, then add the ground pork, using a spatula to break it up. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat loses its raw look.

Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and cornstarch in a liquid measuring cup until well blended. Stir the sauce into the skillet and cook for 1 minute; add the scallions. Reduce the heat to medium-low. The sauce will thicken slightly.

I enjoyed this topped with shredded carrots and an avocado. Next time I think I will cook the carrots in with the mixture. I had intentions of putting this on top of rice or bean noodles to get that carb feeling and taste without having it, but I ran out of time.

Healthy Eating Challenge for a Week

Yes, you read my headline correctly. It may seem weird to only do a healthy eating challenge for one week, but I know myself. For some goals, I know that I need to start small and work my way up. I'd like to start by saying that I don't think I eat all that unhealthy at this point in my life. I rarely eat fast food, except for the occasional sub from Subway, Jimmy John's or Erbert and Gerbert. I do splurge every now and then and enjoy a Chipotle Steak Bowl or sandwich and soup combo at Panera, but overall, I am fairly healthy.

I am not sure what sparked this, but part of it was while I was watching the Food Network this morning. Paula Deen was cooking with a guy who rarely eats anything that is processed. I thought, "Wow! That must be hard." The more I thought about it, laying in bed and eating my processed granola bar, I decided that it can't be that hard. And just like that, I decided that this coming week (Monday through Sunday), I will eat no processed foods. And, I think I've roped my roomie, Sara, into this venture with me!

I have done things like this in the past. Several years ago, I decided to stop drinking anything with caffeine for one week. That one week turned into one month and then a year and before I knew it, I hadn't had a caffeinated beverage in several years. Since then I have started drinking caffeinated beverages again, but I know I don't need them and can go forever without drinking caffeine if I choose to do so. I don't drink a lot of caffeine as it is; everything in moderation. 

Now, there are several definitions of processed food. This is my plan...shop as much on the outside of the grocery store and as little down the aisles as possible. For one week, I am cutting out crackers, granola bars, chips, cereal and cookies (which I rarely eat), breads, possibly pasta, lunchmeat, soda, any beverages with alcohol, and anything that has an ingredient in it that I cannot pronounce. I will NOT be cutting out meats - chicken, pork nor steak. 

I enjoyed about 45 minutes in the grocery store this morning and I stuck to the areas with fruits, veggies, meat, eggs, and only ventured down two aisles. Note the photo of groceries for the first half of this week.

My hardest challenge this week will be crackers, granola bars and bread for sandwiches. I generally eat a granola bar every morning around 9:00 a.m., crackers for a mid-morning or afternoon snack and if you know me, you know I love my subs! But, you can do anything for a week! This week, in place of a granola bar will be hard boiled eggs and fruit salad. In place of crackers will be almonds and sunflower seeds.

Soda may also be difficult for me as I like to have one Diet Coke at lunch each day. This is (for the most part) the only soda that I drink in a day. In the past, I have given up soda, so I know I can live without it once again. I hate coffee, so that isn't an issue, but I do drink tea. Luckily, I know what's in my tea and it is good for you!

I am a soup lover so I am making a roasted carrot and basil soup, as well as roasted tomato soup. You see the two boxes of yellow Chicken Stock? There are no unknown ingredients in the box and it is made with vegetables and herbs. Yes, more expensive than Swanson's, but I know what is in this box. The couscous ingredients are ... couscous. That's it. I bought my favorite veggies for salads. I love just a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil on my salads, so I will not miss store bought dressings. 

For dinners, I plan to make a pork and ginger stir fry, grill chicken and maybe some veggies, and I will enjoy chicken legs another night with couscous and a stir fry of mushrooms.

I am excited to make the dishes this week. This afternoon in just a couple of hours, I have made a fruit salad, hard boiled eggs and two soups. I know that doing this work today will help me with my goal throughout the entire week. But today, before I start my challenge tomorrow, I am eating some things that I enjoy, such as the granola bar, Subway sandwich, Doritos, and a fountain soda. And I will enjoy an adult beverage at dinner tonight! Wish me luck! 

Poulet Basquaise

This is - hands down - one of the best chicken dishes that I have made!!! And (of course) I didn't get a picture of it while I was cooking since I was entertaining and chatting away. Don't worry...just trust me. You want to make it and you want to eat it, so run to the grocery store and get all the ingredients today!

This recipe comes from the Basque region in Southern France. I had the opportunity to travel through the south of France in the early 2000s and it was a pleasure to eat such great food, such as this.

Poulet Basquaise
From Food & Wine Magazine - Anthony Bourdain

Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken, about 4 lb, cut into 8 pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of cayenne pepper or piment d’Espelètte
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1 TBS butter
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into fine julienne
- 2 green bell peppers, cut into fine julienne
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 16 ounces canned Italian plum tomatoes
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cube chicken bouillon or 1/2 cup light chicken stock or broth 
- 3 sprigs of flat parsley, finely chopped (I forgot to add this and it tasted fine)
- Rice pilaf as a side dish

NOTE: I used two 14.5 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes with garlic. I like a lot of tomatoes and garlic; it added great flavor , but I do think two cans was way to much. I couldn't find a 16oz can of tomatoes anywhere, so next time I will use one can only.

NOTE 2: Bourdain says this is one dish that can handle a bouillon cube.

Season the chicken all over with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Heat the large pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the butter. When the butter has foamed and subsided, add the chicken, skin side down, and brown on that side only. Remove the chicken and set aside on the plate.

Add the peppers and onion to the pot and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the tomatoes and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the wine, scraping, scraping—as always—to get the good stuff up. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, then add the water and the bouillon. Return the chicken to the pot, making sure to add all the juice on the plate.

Cover the pot and cook on low heat for about 25 minutes. Remove the chicken to the platter. Crank up the heat to high and reduce the sauce for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the parsley. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with rice pilaf.

Apple Stuffed Pork Loin Roast

I was fortunate and so happy to spend Easter with my family in Knoxville, TN. I spent several days with my mom and her hubby Joel, my sisters Tarin and Ciony and their significant others, John and Cody, my nephew Cameron, my niece Cimone, and my best friend Amy, her hubby Drew, and their seven month old, Rachel. It was such a great visit and I wish I could travel to Knoxville to visit with family more, although I suppose I appreciate my visits so much more because I don't make trips a lot.

I am feeling very blessed for everything in my life. I have a great family, an amazing man in my life who has two of the greatest kids, and my great friends. I really am blessed to have some of the greatest friends and even though we don't talk all the time, whenever we get together, we just pick up the conversation. This Easter was extra special because my niece Cimone was baptized and I am honored to serve as her Godmother, a job that I take very seriously!

I had a great time cooking Easter dinner with my mom. We shared many laughs over making Paula Deen's Apple Stuffed Pork Loin Roast. I highly recommend this dish, it was fantastic. We ended up having a lot of leftover stuffing as we were originally going to make two of these, but determined one was enough for our family. Mom and I decided to experiment and turn the leftover stuffing into a side dish. It was not a good experiment! Just enjoy this stuffing in the pork :)

My family (from l to r): Brother in law John, Nephew Cameron, Sisters Tarin and Ciony, Ciony's boyfriend Cody,
Niece Cimone, me, Mom and mom's hubby Joel

Below are some photos from our roast:

Apple Stuffing

Pork Loin "rolled out" and pounded

Completed Roast was so tasty!

Lemon Rosemary Scones

Life as a scone must be boring; they rarely have a ton of flavor and are incredibly dry. As someone who doesn't like dunking my bread or breakfast pastries into hot tea, I have never been a fan of scones. It is odd to me that a scone is considered a pastry because they are so dull and lifeless! Scones have always been a mystery to this food lover!

In March I traveled to Washington, DC for a girl's weekend and Mary was excited to share with me that she made scones for breakfast. Since I hadn't eaten a scone in nearly three years, I decided it was time to try this breakfast pastry once again. The last time I ate a scone was sitting in front of Buckingham Palace in London, enjoying formal afternoon tea with my good friend Christine.

I awoke the next morning and walked back and forth in the kitchen, pondering which scone to try. I decided to go for the Lemon Rosemary Scone, which Mary said was a recipe from the Pioneer Woman. I love Ree Drummond and many of her recipes. She cooks for a crowd, which I rarely do, but she uses many fresh ingredients and herbs and often puts a new spin on an old classic. How could I not try a Pioneer Woman scone?

I took one bite and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. Oh my goodness, this was - hands down - the best scone that I had ever tasted! Rich lemon flavor with the hint of rosemary. The scones were moist, unlike the dry boring scones I'd avoided for years, and it was a true pastry in my book since it was topped with a glaze. The recipe calls for the perfect balance of lemon and rosemary. If you cook with rosemary, you know that  your dish can quickly be overcome with this flavor. If you're not a scone lover, I urge you to make this recipe!

Click here to check out this recipe and enjoy your own morning of bliss!



No pictures of the Lemon Rosemary Scone, but here is a photo
from the formal afternoon tea in London in 2010 with Christine.



Mushroom Lasagna

Oh how I love mushrooms. I could eat mushrooms everyday whether they're oysters, portobellos, or just plain old button mushrooms! Growing up, mushrooms were a large part of our diet. An interesting tidbit from my family life is that my stepdad used to "hunt" mushrooms. He read many books and took classes on foraging mushrooms. Mushroom picking is a skill and one must know what they're doing because there are many poisonous mushrooms.

I recently ran across a great recipe on the Smitten Kitchen, which is an Ina Garten recipe for a mushroom lasagna. I was a little hesitant about making this at first because when I think of a lasagna, I think of noodles, cheese, tomatoes, and meat. This recipe doesn't have meat or tomatoes. I decided to make it on a recent evening, which left Pete and I oooohhhhing and aaaahhhhing during the entire meal. Even little Maggie enjoyed the flavor of the noodles, she just wasn't sure about the mushrooms yet!

My only complaint about this recipe is the amount of pots and pans used to make the lasagna, but it is worth it! I will also warn you that this is a rich lasagna!

Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- Good olive oil
- 3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
- 4 cups whole milk
- 12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1.5 pounds portobello mushrooms (I used cremini mushrooms and some button mushrooms). Cleaned, separate the stems from caps, and slice caps. Discard stems or keep for another use.
- 1 cup freshly ground Parmesan (I used an Italian Cheese Mix)
- I clove garlic, minced (a Lindsay addition as I can't have lasagna without a little garlic!)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside. (I do not know if you can do this recipe with no bake lasagna noodles)

For the white sauce, bring the milk and garlic to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for one minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture a ladle at a time until all incorporated. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.

Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems. Slice the caps 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices. If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.

To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8x12x2 baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.

Compiled lasagna before going in the oven to melt all the cheese!

A Quiet Christmas

Christmas this year was simple, just the way I wanted it. I did not travel for the holidays and while part of me was sad that I wasn’t with immediate family members, it was time for me to take a break from holiday travel and enjoy just being in Green Bay.

We kicked off the holiday on Sunday at the Packers vs. Titans football game. My good friends Mary and Brian from Washington, DC were back in Wisconsin to celebrate the holidays with their family. I am so happy that they met Pete, we caught up after several months of not seeing each other, and most importantly, that we celebrated a Packer’s win!

I spent my Christmas holiday with Pete, Sam (four years old) and Maggie (two years old). We celebrated the holiday with Sam and Maggie on Christmas Eve morning since their mom had them on Christmas Day. It was so much fun watching two little girls open gifts, as well as how different their personalities are in a task as simple as opening gifts! Sam was the first one awake and she couldn’t wait for Maggie to get out of bed so that they could start unwrapping gifts. Pete finally realized Sam wouldn’t stop asking to get Maggie out of bed, so they ran upstairs to tell Maggie that Santa left lots of gifts!

Poor little sleepy head. Maggie looked so tired when daddy carried her down the stairs, but when she sat on the couch, her eyes lit up as she saw the five foot brown teddy bear leaning against the television stand. She jumped off the couch and started inspecting all the presents with her sister. Sam couldn’t wait to open her next present while Maggie wanted to open and play with everything she unwrapped right at that moment. The girls were blessed with gifts from Santa and their family members far away. Daddy made a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and turkey bacon before they began all of their other family celebrations. Sam asked when Christmas is coming again…a question that I’m sure will be asked for several years! :)

While eating breakfast the girls surprised me with a beautiful and very colorful cat that they painted at a pottery shop. Kitty now lives on my desk at work.



Pete and I had a wonderful and very quiet Christmas. We enjoyed The Hobbit on Christmas Eve followed by a lasagna dinner and evening of opening gifts at his house. Christmas morning we enjoyed sleeping in, a late breakfast, and we saw the movie This is 40 at the theatre. Since we rarely get time alone together during a weekend or weekday, we decided to take advantage and enjoy a couple of movies at the theatre.

Christmas dinner was my favorite salt, garlic, and rosemary encrusted roast beef with cooked carrots and a spinach and mushroom salad for dinner. It was a great Christmas!

Lindsay’s Crockpot Lasagna
Layer the lasagna in the Crockpot, just as you would a baking dish. It really doesn’t matter what order you layer this lasagna, just make sure the noodles have sauce over the top of them.

Do not cook this for more than five hours as the noodles will become mushy.

- 1 lb. Mild Italian Sausage
- 24 oz jar of Spaghetti Sauce
- 15 oz tub of Ricotta Cheese
- 1.5 cups of Mozzarella Cheese
- 1.5 cups of Parmesan Cheese
- 2 TBS minced garlic
- Uncooked Lasagna Noodles
- Salt, Pepper to taste (be careful on the amount of salt as spaghetti sauce and cheeses can be salty)
- Oregano and Parsley (I use dried, but you could use fresh if you have it)
- ½ cup water

Brown the Mild Italian Sausage in a skillet on the stove top. Meanwhile, mix together all the cheeses and garlic in a bowl.

In the bottom of the Crockpot, mix 1/3 of spaghetti sauce with ½ cup of water. Place uncooked lasagna noodles over the sauce, breaking lasagna noodles as needed to fill in the gaps. Top with half of the Italian Sausage and 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Sprinkle the top of the cheese mixture with salt, pepper, and a little bit of oregano and parsley.

Second layer: Place noodles on top of the cheese mixture, top with 1/3 of the spaghetti sauce, the remainder of the meat, 1/3 of the cheese mixture, and sprinkle the top of the cheese mixture with a little bit of oregano and parsley.

Final layer: Place noodles on top of the cheese mixture, top with remaining spaghetti sauce covering all the noodles, the remainder of the cheese mixture, and sprinkle the top of the cheese mixture with a little bit of salt, pepper, oregano and parsley.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Do not cook on high and do not cook for more than five hours.

Edamame Feta Dip

Edamame is such a tasty treat! I love to purchase edamame in the shell, sit in front of the television, and pull the beans out of the shell with my teeth. They are good cold or hot, in a salad, or served as a side dish. I recently attended an event with Pete's multisport team and someone made an edamame, feta, and quinoa dip. It was something different, but was healthy and different than a boring crudite or unhealthy cheesy dip.

We were invited to a friend's home for a playdate with the kids and to watch a Packers Game. I decided to recreate something similar. Since edamame is green, it was the perfect appetizer for the Packers; if only the feta cheese was gold!

Edamame Feta Dip
Adapted from Cooking Light Community

Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen shelled edamame (fresh soybeans)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled (not chopped or minced, leave whole)
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2.5 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add edamame and garlic; return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until edamame are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

Place the edamame, garlic, 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Puree, scraping down the sides as needed, until completely smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with feta cheese.

If you'd prefer, you can blend or process the feta cheese in with the edamame, but I wanted to make sure my dish was green!

Great served with pita or bagel chips or tortilla chips.

Spinich & Cheese Quiche

I am not a huge egg person, but I have fallen in love with quiche. It is a very easy dish. Just purchase a frozen pie crust, throw whatever veggies and meats (cooked) in the shell with cheese and about 4-8 eggs. Bake for an hour. While making a quiche is easy, I always follow recipes because there are so many tasty quiche recipes out there. Following a recipe makes me try certain ingredients in a quiche that I wouldn't always think to cook together.

You can bake this and keep it in the fridge for a few days. I reheat each slice in the microwave, but if you're going to make it ahead, I would reheat the entire quiche in the oven.

Try out this quiche next time you have overnight guests, the morning of a holiday, or as an easy-to-go breakfast when you're on the run.

Spinich and Cheese Quiche
Courtesy My Recipes

Ingredients
- 1 TBS unsalted butter
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère (I just use swiss)
- 1 9-inch unbaked pie shell (can be frozen)
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1.5 cups milk
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Pinch of ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute longer, stirring. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

Sprinkle onion mixture, spinach and Gruyère over bottom of pie shell. Beat eggs and milk together, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Gently pour into crust.

Bake quiche for 50-60 minutes, until set and nicely browned. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

NOTE: If the crust starts to brown, , place foil over the top.

Thanksgiving 2012

There is nothing better than walking into your home on Thanksgiving and smelling all the delicious goodies baking in the oven. I love the smell of a turkey roasting with all its seasonings, the smell of pumpkin pie and allspice, and simple dishes like mashed potatoes loaded with butter and heavy cream and green beans floating in cream of mushroom soup.

Cooking is one of my few hobbies and I jump at every chance to make a big meal for friends and family. It’s not a chore and when I feel stressed and overwhelmed, that is the time I choose to conquer a difficult recipe. If I conquer a complicated recipe, it helps me conquer the hard times in life. 

I am not a creative or artistic person and cooking is one outlet that I have to be both. I will follow a recipe once or twice, but after that, I let creativity take over.  I prefer to cook and not bake because it’s imperative to follow recipes when baking due to the formula of ingredients. As much as I follow rules in life, I don’t like following them in the kitchen.

For Thanksgiving this year, I entertained Pete, Sam, Maggie, my mom, her husband Joel, and my grandparents. I moved into my new home (my friend Sara’s house) the week before Thanksgiving so that I could host everyone there since she has a nice sized kitchen. It was a busy day, but I just loved cooking dinner for my family.

Below are two new recipes that I made for Thanksgiving, as well as the electric roaster details that I used for the turkey. Everything was wonderful. Besides the recipes below, I also made gravy, a basic bread stuffing, green bean casserole, and my grandparents provided an apple raisin stuffing and pecan pie. When my grandparents showed up with the apple raisin stuffing, my grandfather clearly neglected to realize that more than two people would be eating dinner, so mom added apples, raisins, and half a loaf of bread to ensure there was enough!

Turkey
For the first time, I cooked the turkey in an electric roaster and it was such a success that I don’t think I’ll ever cook a turkey in an oven again. When I move out of Sara’s house, an electric roaster will be one of my first purchases. The thirteen pound turkey was moist and cooked to perfection in exactly two hours. All I did was stick pats of butter under the skin, I used olive oil all over the skin and sprinkled the outside and cavity of the bird with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. I put about one cup of water in the bottom of the roaster to ensure I would have juices to make gravy. I heated the electric roaster to its highest setting for 15 minutes (450 degrees) and put the bird in for 20 minutes. I then dropped it 325 degrees for the remaining amount of time. The most important thing to note is that you cannot take the lid off the top of the roaster while the bird is cooking. Just trust the process!




Turkey, Crescent Rolls and other Goodies


Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Courtesy of Cooking Channel

Ingredients
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup orange juice (no sugar added or freshly squeezed)
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
- One 12-ounce bag cranberries

Combine the sugar, orange juice, 1/2 cup water, the cinnamon, salt and cranberries in a medium saucepan. Bring up to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 15 minutes. Let cool completely before serving. I made this two days before Thanksgiving and it was perfect the day of.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Sweet Potato Casserole
Courtesy of Food Network

I used yams for this recipe because that was what my grocery store had. I don’t eat this dish, but Pete said it was fabulous. He ate all the leftovers, so they must have been good.

Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 large), scrubbed
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
- 3 TBS unsalted butter, melted plus more for the preparing the pan
- 2 TBS packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and pierce each one 2 or 3 times with a fork. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool.

Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F. Scoop the sweet potato out of their skins and into a medium bowl. Discard the skins. Mash the potatoes until smooth. Add the eggs, butter, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Whisk the mixture until smooth.

Butter an 8 by 8-inch casserole. Pour the sweet potato mixture into the pan and sprinkle the top with the pecans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a bit puffy. Serve immediately.

Sweet Yam Casserole and Green Bean Casserole

Potluck Group and German Beef Stew

When I lived in Washington, DC, I was part of a potluck group that met every month for several years. We were six ladies who would try new recipes or make our favorite recipes for each other. Each month someone would host potluck at their home or very small apartment. The hostess would make the main dish and everyone else would bring a dish - appetizer, side dishes, soups, salads, and desserts.

I met many of these wonderful ladies on an adult kickball league in my early twenties. I didn't know many people in the DC when I heard about the kickball league, so my coworker Daniela and I decided to join a team. Because of that decision, we made friends with so many incredible people and women who I learned a lot from. We were like kids one night every week during the summer months out on fields playing the game from our youth and we had a great time getting to know each other. We would play kickball and then go to the bars in Adams Morgan to have a few drinks and play flip cup. I'm convinced we all joined the kickball team to be able to go out and drink with friends; most of us didn't care about the game.

After getting to know several of the women in the group, we decided to form a potluck group with six of us. I don't remember how the conversation started, but I'm so glad that someone mentioned the idea. For many years, Daniela, Allison, Nancy, Elizabeth, Rachel, and I (and then Jacey once Allison moved out of the area) would get together to try new foods. In 2005, Nancy put together a cookbook with many of the recipes that we made. Since 2005, I have moved several times and my cookbook was lost somewhere between Washington, DC and Green Bay. Recently, I was reminiscing about our potluck group and thinking about all of the wonderful food and friendships that were made!

I sent a Facebook post out to the group and get a copy of the book and Nancy emailed it the next day (always so efficient!! :)) I read all the recipes and laughed about how some recipes got their names and thinking about conversations that we had over great food. I am thankful that I was part of this potluck group. Many of us have moved away from Washington, DC but we all find ways to stay up-to-date with each other (thank you Facebook and blogs) and I hope like me, all of the other ladies have great memories of our food and friendship.

One of my favorite recipes is a German Beef Stew that Daniela made. I make this stew several times during the winter and it always gets a thumbs up from people. And for some strange reason I email or Facebook Daniela every time I make this recipe. I'm not sure where she got the recipe, but I'm happy to share it with you all today!

German Beef Stew
- 2 Tbs vegetable oil
- 1 Clove garlic, crushed
- 8.5 cups Beef broth or water
- 1/2 cup White vinegar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1.5 lbs Potatoes, peeled, cut into large chunks (4 cups)
- 1 cup Sliced onion
- 3 lbs Stew beef, cut 1" cubes
- 1 Tbs Sugar
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 cups Carrots, sliced
- 1 tsp Dill weed, crushed
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 TBS Flour

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion and garlic, saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. Add beef, saute until browned on all sides. Return onion to pot. Stir in broth, vinegar, sugar, salt and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered about 1.5 hours. or until tender. Add potatoes, carrots and dill. Simmer covered until meat and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

If you're eating the stew the evening you're making it: Mix flour and 1/4 cup water. Stir in stew, mix well. Cook and stir about 2 minutes until thickened. Eat and enjoy. (My stew never seems to thicken, so I just leave it more as a soup.)

If you're eating it the next day: Refrigerate overnight. Remove layer of fat. Simmer, stirring frequently, until heated through. Mix flour and 1/4 cup water. Stir in stew, mix well. Cook and stir about 2 minutes until thickened. Eat and enjoy.