*sitting in cave, eating apple cinnamon cheerios and surfing the internet*
*emerges from hole, sees shadow*
*blink*
*blink*
Has it really been since February that I blogged?!? Oh dear.
Well, let's catch you up, then. I competed with my chorus, the wonderful Sooner Sensations Chorus in March, where we earned top marks: 1st place midsize chorus and 3rd place overall. I'm pretty sure that's been our best showing ever. :) My lovely niece turned 2. Our state's lame ol' drought was quenched in a nice storm on Easter Sunday, and has been getting progressively more wild weatherwise since then. Tornadoes finally reared their ugly heads, with one passing 2.5 miles north of us and another 6 miles south this last Tuesday. I was told not to come to work that day by my boss, so I stayed happily home and made dinner. Just as the entree emerged from the oven, it was whisked into containers and away we flew to a basement at the university to hide from the storm. Here's what I made. :D
Cucumber Salad
(recipe thanks to Zach's momma)
2-3 cucumbers, peeled and sliced thinly
salt
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
3-4 green onions, diced small
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
pepper, to taste
minced fresh dill, to taste
Place your cucumber slices in a colander in the sink. Coat them with a generous amount of salt. Let them sit for 30 minutes.
While the cucumbers are being transformed by the salt, go ahead and get the tomatoes and green onions ready to go in your salad container. Heck, go ahead and get the lemon juice and dill prepped too. You have time, if a tornado isn't looming too close by. lol :D
Once your 30 minutes is up, rinse your cucumbers off very thoroughly, for about 5 minutes. You don't want any salt left on the cucumbers themselves, they'll already taste like it.
Take your cold-rinsed cucumbers and add them to the tomatoes and onions. Add the lemon juice, dill, and pepper. Stir it up. You have 2 choices: Be bad and scarf it down now, or be good and let it chillax in the fridge for a while. It's tasty either way, but even more so when the flavors have had a chance to mingle.
In my house of 2, this amount will be gone in less than 2 days. If you have a lot of people to feed, you could double or even triple the ingredients (heck, make as much as you want!) pretty effectively.
The entree:
Tuna Patties!!!
(recipe originally posted here June 2009)
2 cans of tuna, drained
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 cup of shredded cheese
1/2 of a small onion, diced and sauteed
1/2 of a small bell pepper, diced and sauteed
a good dash of salt and pepper
a sprinkle of paprika and dill
combine all ingredients into a bowl, taking care to not cook the egg with the sauteed veggies. (room temp veggies help)
form into patties that are about 3/4-1 inch thick, place on a baking sheet, bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes, until everything's all hot and nice, with a crisp exterior.
This food was good, since the weather was so muggy and tense that day. The only thing is, I forgot forks when we went to the basement! So, we were in this basement area, eating tuna patties with our hands, and no salad (too wet to eat with your hands, at least with any dignity)! When it blew over, we went home and ate some dang salad, finally! lol
Be safe this weather season!
<3 Jen
May 27, 2011
February 9, 2011
They say it's your birthday, it's my birthday too, yeah! :D
I'm 26 today! Yee haw! :D I got a snow day, a car stereo, bath stuff, a bracelet, and a pimple zapper. Good haul. :D
Tonight's dinner is special, because I like it. :D
Salmon Fantasia is an old fave, it's so darn good. I got the recipe off the back of a bag of frozen salmon fillets. lol
1 pound Salmon Fillets
8 Tbsp. Honey
3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
8 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. Mustard
3 Tbsp. Chopped Chives
3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
4 Tbsp. Butter
Mix first 5 ingredients (after the salmon) in a shallow bowl. Add salmon fillets and turn several times to coat well. Transfer salmon and marinade to a plastic zipper bag. Squeeze the air out of the bag before sealing. Marinate for 30 minutes (or longer). Remove from bag. Grill 3-4 minutes per side, or until the salmon is flaky.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over high heat. Add lemon juice and chives. Pour over the cooked salmon and serve.
I stumbled across this awesome salad dressing on Tasty Kitchen last week. Unusual, but wonderful. Thanks to TK user Sally Darling. :)
Lemon Maple Vinaigrette
* 2 cloves Garlic Chopped
* 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
* 1 whole Lemon, Juiced
* 4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
* 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
* 2 Tablespoons REAL Maple Syrup (Not The Pancake Syrup)
Combine all ingredients in a jar or a salad dressing bottle. Shake shake shake 'em up. Let them mingle and combine for a little while before you eat it. :)
Okay, now for the science and magic portion of the show:
Chocolate Spice Cupcakes for Two!!!
This gem came from an article on Paula Deen's website.
(Note: use silicone cupcake liners, since these are being "baked" in the microwave. The paper liners will fall down, and you don't wanna be there when you put a foil liner in the microwave. Just believe me. ALSO: I doubled the recipe so there'd be 4 cupcakes. Dividing an egg in half seemed silly, and who doesn't want another cupcake on their own birthday? :D)
Chocolate Spice Cupcakes For Two
Yield: 2 cupcakes
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 ½ teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
4 ½ teaspoons milk
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ egg, lightly whipped (approximately 2 tablespoons whipped egg)
Prepared Whipped Cream
Sprinkles
Instructions:
Whisk flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger in a small bowl.
Mix in milk, butter, and egg.
Divide evenly between two silicone cupcake liners.
Microwave on medium for one minute.
Microwave again on medium for thirty seconds. If the cupcakes do not bounce back when lightly touched, repeat this step.
Top with whipped cream and sprinkles, serve warm. :D
Don't freeze your little toes off this week!
Eat well!
New 26 year old Jen <3
Tonight's dinner is special, because I like it. :D
Salmon Fantasia is an old fave, it's so darn good. I got the recipe off the back of a bag of frozen salmon fillets. lol
1 pound Salmon Fillets
8 Tbsp. Honey
3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
8 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. Mustard
3 Tbsp. Chopped Chives
3 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
4 Tbsp. Butter
Mix first 5 ingredients (after the salmon) in a shallow bowl. Add salmon fillets and turn several times to coat well. Transfer salmon and marinade to a plastic zipper bag. Squeeze the air out of the bag before sealing. Marinate for 30 minutes (or longer). Remove from bag. Grill 3-4 minutes per side, or until the salmon is flaky.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over high heat. Add lemon juice and chives. Pour over the cooked salmon and serve.
I stumbled across this awesome salad dressing on Tasty Kitchen last week. Unusual, but wonderful. Thanks to TK user Sally Darling. :)
Lemon Maple Vinaigrette
* 2 cloves Garlic Chopped
* 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
* 1 whole Lemon, Juiced
* 4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
* 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
* 2 Tablespoons REAL Maple Syrup (Not The Pancake Syrup)
Combine all ingredients in a jar or a salad dressing bottle. Shake shake shake 'em up. Let them mingle and combine for a little while before you eat it. :)
Okay, now for the science and magic portion of the show:
Chocolate Spice Cupcakes for Two!!!
This gem came from an article on Paula Deen's website.
(Note: use silicone cupcake liners, since these are being "baked" in the microwave. The paper liners will fall down, and you don't wanna be there when you put a foil liner in the microwave. Just believe me. ALSO: I doubled the recipe so there'd be 4 cupcakes. Dividing an egg in half seemed silly, and who doesn't want another cupcake on their own birthday? :D)
Chocolate Spice Cupcakes For Two
Yield: 2 cupcakes
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 ½ teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
4 ½ teaspoons milk
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ egg, lightly whipped (approximately 2 tablespoons whipped egg)
Prepared Whipped Cream
Sprinkles
Instructions:
Whisk flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger in a small bowl.
Mix in milk, butter, and egg.
Divide evenly between two silicone cupcake liners.
Microwave on medium for one minute.
Microwave again on medium for thirty seconds. If the cupcakes do not bounce back when lightly touched, repeat this step.
Top with whipped cream and sprinkles, serve warm. :D
Don't freeze your little toes off this week!
Eat well!
New 26 year old Jen <3
February 5, 2011
Easy, kid-friendly desserts!
I've been bored out of my gourd just hanging around the house this week. Dang blizzard! lol So, I've been cleaning, cooking, and generally making myself useful. I've made 2 quick and easy sweets that kids and grownups alike will enjoy!
*Vanilla dipped oreos
Ingredients:
-1 package white candy melt (mine came from baking aisle at big box store, labeled "Make your own almond bark")
-1 package sandwich cookies of choice (I got these awesome candy cane flavored oreo-like cookies at Aldi last month that were great)
-Sprinkles
How-to:
Break off 6 squares of the candy melt into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for about 90 seconds, then stir to check progress. Microwave for additional 30 second intervals until all candy is melted and smooth, stirring in between intervals.
Remove candy from microwave. Drop in cookies, one at a time, and coat both sides of cookie. (I use a 2 fork method, where I flop the cookie around with my forks, heap a bunch of coating over the top of the cookie, then lift it out with one fork, tap it on the edge of the bowl to shake off any excessive coating, then scrape the bottom of the cookie fork with the free fork.) Place coated cookies on a piece of foil or wax paper to dry. While the cookie is still wet, you can put sprinkles on to make it purdy. :) 6 squares of candy coating yields about 24 cookies.
*S'mores Treats
Ingredients:
-about 9 cups of graham cereal (like Golden Grahams)
-3 tablespoons of butter
-3/4 cup of light corn syrup
-12 oz bag of chocolate chips
-1 teaspoon of vanilla
-2 or 3 cups of mini marshmallows (go for 2 if you like marshmallows, 3 if you love 'em. Any more than that probably won't stick so well.)
How-to:
Grease a big cookie sheet.
Pour the cereal into a big mixing bowl.
Combine butter, corn syrup and chocolate chips in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until everything has melted and combined thoroughly.
Remove from heat, add vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal in bowl, stirring quickly to ensure the cereal is thoroughly coated. Add marshmallows and stir more. Turn out onto cookie sheet. Press it into the pan with damp fingers, let it cool, and eat it! nom nom nom
Please share these, so you don't turn into a jigglesaurus. They'll make you really popular! :D
Eat well!
<3 Jen
*Vanilla dipped oreos
Ingredients:
-1 package white candy melt (mine came from baking aisle at big box store, labeled "Make your own almond bark")
-1 package sandwich cookies of choice (I got these awesome candy cane flavored oreo-like cookies at Aldi last month that were great)
-Sprinkles
How-to:
Break off 6 squares of the candy melt into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for about 90 seconds, then stir to check progress. Microwave for additional 30 second intervals until all candy is melted and smooth, stirring in between intervals.
Remove candy from microwave. Drop in cookies, one at a time, and coat both sides of cookie. (I use a 2 fork method, where I flop the cookie around with my forks, heap a bunch of coating over the top of the cookie, then lift it out with one fork, tap it on the edge of the bowl to shake off any excessive coating, then scrape the bottom of the cookie fork with the free fork.) Place coated cookies on a piece of foil or wax paper to dry. While the cookie is still wet, you can put sprinkles on to make it purdy. :) 6 squares of candy coating yields about 24 cookies.
*S'mores Treats
Ingredients:
-about 9 cups of graham cereal (like Golden Grahams)
-3 tablespoons of butter
-3/4 cup of light corn syrup
-12 oz bag of chocolate chips
-1 teaspoon of vanilla
-2 or 3 cups of mini marshmallows (go for 2 if you like marshmallows, 3 if you love 'em. Any more than that probably won't stick so well.)
How-to:
Grease a big cookie sheet.
Pour the cereal into a big mixing bowl.
Combine butter, corn syrup and chocolate chips in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until everything has melted and combined thoroughly.
Remove from heat, add vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal in bowl, stirring quickly to ensure the cereal is thoroughly coated. Add marshmallows and stir more. Turn out onto cookie sheet. Press it into the pan with damp fingers, let it cool, and eat it! nom nom nom
Please share these, so you don't turn into a jigglesaurus. They'll make you really popular! :D
Eat well!
<3 Jen
February 4, 2011
Baby, it's cold outside!
♪♪♪I'm dreaming of a whiiiiite... February....♪♪♪
Okay, I'll stop. LOL It's been nasty cold here in Okieland for the last week, meanwhile, last weekend it was in the 70's and sunny. Bipolar weather for ya.
It's been good weather for making hot suppers! Today, I'm making spaghetti sauce in the crock pot.
Ingredients:
1 pound ground meat of choice (I'm using turkey, but whatever makes you happy)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, juice and all
1 8 oz can tomato sauce (the plain kind without any spices or anything)
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 yellow onion, diced
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I had only ground red pepper, so I used a bit less than 1/2 tsp)
1 bay leaf
3-4 cloves minced garlic (more if you're feelin' it)
handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Optional exciting ingredients: 1 de-seeded and diced bell pepper, handful of minced parsley, tiny can of tomato juice, a good "glug" of red wine
How-to:
Brown your meat until it's not pink anymore. Drain off excess fat and add to crockpot. Add all other ingredients, stir it up, and let it cook on low in the crockpot for about 6 hours.
Man, it's gonna start smelling really good in here in about an hour. Let's hope I can hold on that long!!! :)
**UPDATE** I felt this lacked a necessary robustness. I'll tweak it next time I make it and let you know. :)
Eat well!
<3 Jen
Okay, I'll stop. LOL It's been nasty cold here in Okieland for the last week, meanwhile, last weekend it was in the 70's and sunny. Bipolar weather for ya.
It's been good weather for making hot suppers! Today, I'm making spaghetti sauce in the crock pot.
Ingredients:
1 pound ground meat of choice (I'm using turkey, but whatever makes you happy)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, juice and all
1 8 oz can tomato sauce (the plain kind without any spices or anything)
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 yellow onion, diced
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I had only ground red pepper, so I used a bit less than 1/2 tsp)
1 bay leaf
3-4 cloves minced garlic (more if you're feelin' it)
handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Optional exciting ingredients: 1 de-seeded and diced bell pepper, handful of minced parsley, tiny can of tomato juice, a good "glug" of red wine
How-to:
Brown your meat until it's not pink anymore. Drain off excess fat and add to crockpot. Add all other ingredients, stir it up, and let it cook on low in the crockpot for about 6 hours.
Man, it's gonna start smelling really good in here in about an hour. Let's hope I can hold on that long!!! :)
**UPDATE** I felt this lacked a necessary robustness. I'll tweak it next time I make it and let you know. :)
Eat well!
<3 Jen
January 27, 2011
Super simple beef bourguignonne stew
It's been another wild week in this neck of the woods! The crock pot continues to help us out, it's been a busy bee this month!
Tonight's selection: Beef Bourguignonne stew!
You'll need:
2 lbs beef stew chunks (they're in the meat case, all cut and packed up)
a tablespoon or two of cooking oil
1 10 oz can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup dry red wine (like Burgundy)
several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 smallish carrots, chopped
4-6 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup cold water and 1/4 cup corn starch, if you think it needs it.
Here's how:
Brown the meat in the oil, then put it in the crockpot. Combine the soup, Worcestershire sauce, wine, spices, garlic, and veggies in a bowl, then pour over meat in crockpot. Cover it up, then cook on low for 10 hours or high for 5.
*If it looks too thin for your liking, add the cornstarch to the cold water, mix it up, then add to the crockpot about 15 minutes before go-time. Stir until it's thick and bubbly.
Serve this goodness over some noodles! If you got the good wine, it'd be a good time to have some. :) lol
Enjoy, and stay warm!
Eat well!
<3 Jen
Tonight's selection: Beef Bourguignonne stew!
You'll need:
2 lbs beef stew chunks (they're in the meat case, all cut and packed up)
a tablespoon or two of cooking oil
1 10 oz can of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup dry red wine (like Burgundy)
several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 smallish carrots, chopped
4-6 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup cold water and 1/4 cup corn starch, if you think it needs it.
Here's how:
Brown the meat in the oil, then put it in the crockpot. Combine the soup, Worcestershire sauce, wine, spices, garlic, and veggies in a bowl, then pour over meat in crockpot. Cover it up, then cook on low for 10 hours or high for 5.
*If it looks too thin for your liking, add the cornstarch to the cold water, mix it up, then add to the crockpot about 15 minutes before go-time. Stir until it's thick and bubbly.
Serve this goodness over some noodles! If you got the good wine, it'd be a good time to have some. :) lol
Enjoy, and stay warm!
Eat well!
<3 Jen
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