Sunday Morning Pancakes

Our Sunday morning tradition is to spend most of the morning in PJs and eat pancakes.  We have a homemade recipe for pancakes I make in bulk and then just make batches every weekend until it's empty and refill.  Being that it is fall and I am on a pumpkin/chocolate chip kick, it was totally a sign when I saw a recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes on Pinterest.

It took a bit more effort pre-coffee to make which is kind of a big deal when you have a toddler "helping" you.  It used all of my measuring cups and spoons and dirtied far more dishes than our typical Sunday morning treat, BUT I think it was worth it.  I am not one for saying pancakes don't really need syrup, but these really are good on their own.  To me, pancakes are the vehicle to eat syrup because taking shots from the bottle is kind of frowned upon by health experts.

Anywho, these turned out fluffy and delicious.  They took a bit longer to cook because the batter is so thick, so by the time I got around the eating my pancakes, the rest of the family had finished theirs.  (I eat mine from the last batch).  The recipe actually made about 16 pancakes by my 1/4 cup portions, so we have plenty in the freezer for any other fall weekend we want these but don't want to put the time in to achieve the desired results.

Thank you fall for inspiring wonderful flavors into regular meals.  We will be trying a Pumpkin and Sausage Penne Pasta later this week too.  :)  Could be delicious!

Grilled BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas

We are always looking for something new to try at dinner. Bonus points if it's easy and possibly could be tailored to get a toddler to eat it. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and thought, huh, that does sound delicious!

The recipe!

I have never grilled pineapple before but thought it had potential. I started with a misfire getting to grill properly lit (I still have no idea what happened exactly), but once I got going, there was no stopping me!

This recipe come together fairly easily and is customizable to your taste preferences. We had Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce on hand (who doesn't?) so we used that for the chicken and as some added flavor in the quesadillas. We opted to skip the jalapeños but I am sure they would have been delicious too. I did devour at least half a "stalk" of the pineapple we grilled. We should have had more cheese on hand, but I was impressed we at least had the monetary jack the recipe suggested. Just not as much as we could have done.

Verdict: We absolutely need to do this one again. The toddler even looked the pieces of it (just not all together).

Fettuccine Carbonara

I apparently am on a Foodie kick lately.  In a sort of panic on what to make for dinner Sunday, I asked my husband to pick something.  He came up with Fettuccine Carbonara which seemed to hit the mark for quickness to put together and the food mood we were in.  I am not from an Italian family, but there's something about a big pasta meal on Sunday that just seems right.

Fettuccine Carbonara
6 slice of bacon diced
1/4 cup of onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
3 eggs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (this makes it spicy which we like, but you can dial it back if it's too much for you)
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1 pound Fettuccine (we actually had half a box of linguine and half a box of thin spaghetti, worked fine)

Put the water on the for the pasta.
Place bacon, onion and garlic in a medium frying pan over low heat for 12 minutes.
Boil pasta for 6-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a small bowl.  Add the Parmesan cheese, red pepper and black pepper.

When pasta is done, drain and place in a large bowl.  Pour the bacon mixture over the pasta and toss quickly.  Then immediately add in the egg mixture and toss to coat.  Serve and enjoy!

It might not be the fanciest version of this meal, but it sure was delightful!  I was so thankful we actually had bacon in the house which made this meal possible.  Kind of makes it a case to always have bacon in the house.  Haha.

Parmesan Chicken

So as promised, here's the second meal I choose to freeze using the LDMM.  This recipe comes from my sister and I am sure it's going to be excellent.  So without further ado, here we go!  These are her exact notes:

One of the things that can be dispiriting about skinless, boneless chicken breasts is that they lack the luscious contrast between crisp golden skin and moist, tender meat.  Not here.  Use English muffin crumbs and Parmesan cheese to make a coating for the chicken.  This is classic comfort food without too much fat.  The chicken can marinate in the mustard mixture, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 hours.

3 Tablspoons Dijon mustard (or any favorite mustard)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (or we use just white vinegar for some kick)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly, ground black pepper
6 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts, rinsed and patter dry (scant 2 pounds total - To get this, we just took 3 big chicken breasts and cut them in half, and when I say we, I mean my husband did this part while I was pulsing cumbs)

1 1/2 English Muffins
3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (she recommends the fresh stuff, not the can, but I think either would work, just fresh is best))
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1-2 Tablespoons fresh herbs if desired - parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, etc (I used a bit of fried mixed Italian herbs)

White together the marinade in a large bowl.  Add chicken, tossing well to coat. (This is where I put everything into a Gallon size Freezer bag and label it "Chicken Marinade" and set aside).

Pulse English muffins in a food processor until finely ground.  Add cheese, butter and black pepper.  Pulse until well combined.  Transfer to shallow dish or pie plate.  (This is where I put the crumb mixture into another Gallon size Freezer bag and label it "Breading" and set aside).

Put both of those Freezer bags into another Gallon size Freezer bag.  Also include a packet of potatoes (Betty Crocker) and a frozen vegetable of your choice for 4 servings.  On the outside of the bag write the instructions:
Preheat oven to 450*.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Dredge chicken one piece at a time in crumbs, coating completely and pressing gently so crumbs adhere then transfer to baking sheet.  Bake until golden brown, and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Ta da!  Another meal ready for the freezer which hopefully will make another easy night of dinners.  I would guess the time to make this meal from start to finish would be about 30 minutes (10 minute oven warm up used to prep chicken and then cook time can be used to prep side dishes).

Stocking The Freezer

So in my mission to not have to be in the kitchen as much during the coming months, I took it upon myself (with my husband as my sous chef - he did excellent!) to identify some meals for freezing now to cook later.  This time I broke away from the crock pot theme and tried to go for something more like the Let's Dish version of freezing meals.  For those who do not know Let's Dish is a place you make your own meals for freezing which you can cook either in the oven, on the stove, or sometimes the crock pot too.  They have all the food and recipes ready for you with cooking instructions, so you basically just assemble your meals.  I love the concept and I have been twice (thank you Groupon!), but I do find it a bit pricey.  It's not completely outrageous, but it does require you dropping about $25 a meal (serves 5-6). You get a lot of food and the convenience factor, but being me, I'll figure out how to recreate it at home.

So, I picked two easier meals which I think will come out just fine with the Let's Dish Meal Method.  Maybe I out to abbreviate that, LDMM.  Ok, I am going to go with that. The first batter up; Pork Tenderloins with Pan Sauce which I wrote about a while ago on the topic of Pinterest.  It was pretty fabulous and some of the recent meals I have used from Let's Dish (I am shortening that too - LD) have been pork in a marinade which you cook in the oven plus some kind of side dish with it.  So I figured this would be perfect to try it out.  I mean honestly, how often do we think, oh I have time to marinade that?  With a baby in the house, I can assure you that train of thought goes right out the window.  So here's the recipe from Chef Mommy  (My notes are in italics):

Ingredients (for marinade):
1⁄2 cups olive oil
1⁄3 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon (this is about 1 tablespoon if you just have juice like myself)
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (I used dried)
2 tsp dry mustard
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1-lb. pork tenderloin (silver skin removed) (In my opinion this is a lot of marinade for 1 tenderloin, I did 2 tenderloins somewhere between 2-3 pounds and it was still plenty)

Directions:
Combine all marinade ingredients and reserve 2-3 Tbsp (I reserved 4-6 Tbsp since I used two pork tenderloins instead of one). Place the pork tenderloin and marinade in a Gallon size Freezer Ziplock bag and let marinate for at least 3-4 hours. (It will marinate while thawing, so have no fear, it'll still be a happy pork tenderloin in the end).  I put the pork and marinade in the bag and write "Pork Marinade" on it.  
In another Quart size Freezer bag, I put enough frozen peas for 4-5 servings.
In another Quart size Freezer bag, I put the ingredients for the Pan Sauce (and label it as such):

Ingredients for Pan Sauce:
Pan scrapings from pork tenderloin (will come when you actually do the cooking)
1/2 cup (~1 cup, maybe less, I think you don't need as much, maybe go 3/4 - 1 cup) of chicken broth
2-3 tbsp (4-6 Tbsp) of pork marinade (thoroughly mixed)
1-2 tsp (1 Tbsp) butter

I also write the instructions (or an abbreviated version of them) for making the pan sauce on this bag (I realize it says to add chicken broth first to get up brown bits - I rarely have brown bits because I use non-stick pans, but you could freeze the chicken broth separately OR just add it in if you always have it in your pantry.  Just use your best judgement.  I think it's not going to overly affect the outcome so I just tossed it all together.  You may feel differently.):
Meanwhile, place the skillet back on the stove over medium heat. Add the chicken broth and scrape up all the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan. Add the marinade and let it boil down for 2-3 minutes. Add the butter and remove from heat stirring until butter has melted. Pour over the pork tenderloin.

I put all 3 of those bags plus a packet of Better Crocker Potato flakes (with the name and ingredients need listed on that bag in marker) into another Gallon size Freezer bag (yes it will fit :) ).  Then I wrote the following instructions on the outside of that bag:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a hot skillet over medium-high heat, sear each side of tenderloin for 2-3 minutes. Place in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the meat has reached 160 degrees. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

***When defrosting, remove peas and keep frozen.  Remove the potatoes and set on counter, otherwise the bag will get damp from moisture from the thawing process. I think it would be protected since the bag is kind of foil lined, but if you can remove it first, that would probably be better.

So in the end you will have a bag that looks like this:

It's full, but it's a pre-packaged meal ready for action whenever you need it.  If you had thawed this bag out, I think it would probably take an hour start to finish to have your meal ready.  And yes, sure, we usually have peas and probably would have the potatoes on hand, but ya know what?  They are now sitting happy with this meal and there's no guessing or relying on the old memory bank (which seems to be spotty lately) for making sure you have the other food to go with your main dish.  And maybe you aren't like us with random pantry staples and it would be a really good idea to have everything together and ready.  Either way, I like this method, it allows you to just grab and go.  Maybe you'll like it too. :)

I'll share the next LDMM recipe in my next post.

A New Kind of Sweet Roll

Here it is Sunday morning again and we tested out a new recipe for our breakfast collection and I believe we have a winner.  I pinned this tasty treat from inspired by charm Nutella Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing.  If you are like me, you are probably thinking, how could that possibly be anything but deliciousness?!  Let me tell you, it was amazing.  And the upside is they really don't take that long to put together!  Using the canned biscuits saves a LOT of time.  Thank you Pillsbury! 

Here's the recipe so you don't have to click another link just to get it.

Nutella Rolls
Makes 8, Prep time 15 minutes, Bake 15-20 minutes

Rolls:
1 can Pillsbury Grands Biscuits
3/4 - 1 cup Nutella (I just eyeballed this)
Flour and Sugar for rolling
*For a variation I bet you could try jam or marmalade in place of Nutella and still get an amazing breakfast sweet roll.

Cream Cheese Icing:
4oz Cream Cheese (softened)
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and spraying eight sections of a muffin pan with cooking or baking spray (or use your reusable muffing cups).

Lightly flour and sugar your surface. Michael likes to sweeten the dough with the sugar.  You really don't need it, but it just adds something.

 Roll out your biscuits until they are about double in size.  Spread Nutella on them, like I said I eyeballed this part.  If you love Nutella, I guess you could just spread it on thick.

 The next step he took better pictures of, but you'll roll them up and cut them into thirds.  Then take those three piece and stand them up in a muffin tin (or cups in my case).

Place these in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

 While those are in the oven, you can whip up you icing.  Just blend the 3 ingredients together until creamy.  You'll have plenty to put a healthy dose of icing on all of them, in fact I had left over.  Once the rolls have cooled enough, frost them and gobble them down.  Be warned, you may want seconds!

Freezer Meals - Review #1

A short while ago I did a blog entry on freezer meals and the recipes I chose from the great pool of internet choices.  We decided to thaw and make the one I was least excited about - Pork and Veggies.  I wanted variety and try to expand my food diversity some.  For a review here's the recipe:

Pork and Veggies

1 lb Pork Roast, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 Onion, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced
4 Carrots, sliced
½ pound Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
1 8oz can Tomato Sauce
1.5 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Combine ingredients in a large ziptop bag, freeze. Thaw contents of bag and place in a slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve over hot rice. Serves approx. 5-6 people.

* Again I put all of these ingredients into a 1-gallon freezer bag, then 1.5 cups of rice into a sandwich bag and both of those into another 1-gallon freezer bag.

Pros
Does indeed make enough for 5-6 people.  My husband had enough for close to 4 full meals out of this.  

The 1.5 cups of dry rice was perfect.

Definitely moist.

Cons
Kind of flavorless.  I am not sure why, but looking at the ingredient list there are no spices (salt doesn't count in my book).  Some sage, thyme, or rosemary might have been a good add.

The mushrooms didn't really look like mushrooms in the end.  I used a food processor to slice them, so maybe they were too thin?  We basically had a LOT of carrots and peppers and the onions and mushrooms were kind of not there.  I would consider adding other vegetables to help balance it more.  Keep the quantities kind of even between them all.

Excessive liquid.  I am not sure why this is.  There's really not much that was added aside from the 8 oz of tomato sauce.  I might consider straining the liquid from all the other ingredients and thickening it up some with corn starch or flour. 

Updated verion

Pork and Veggies

1 lb Pork Roast, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 Onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced
2 Carrots, sliced
2 heads of broccoli, chopped (or 1/2 - 16 ounce bag of frozen florets)
1/2 15 oz can Chicken Broth
1.5 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme or sage
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Combine ingredients in a large ziptop bag, freeze. Thaw contents of bag and place in a slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Strain liquid from the crockpot, place in small saucepan.  Add corn starch (1 tsp at a time until the consistency is right) and bring to a boil to thickened.  Pour back over pork and veggies.

Serve over hot rice. Serves approx. 5-6 people.

* Again I put all of these ingredients into a 1-gallon freezer bag, then 1.5 cups of rice into a sandwich bag and both of those into another 1-gallon freezer bag.

I can't say the recipe is "fixed", but that would be my next attempt if there were going to be one.  Not sure I will bother though.  We have another 3 meals to go and I have higher hopes for them.  

And the Nominees Are....

So, my friend Holly has nominated me for a Liebster Award!  I had no idea what it was and truth be told I was skeptical that her account may have been hacked.  How sad is that?  But I did a little research and discovered it to be a for real thing, so Awesome!  For those who are like me and wondering what in the world this is all about here's the skinny:

What is a Liebster Award? A Liebster award is given to blogs with less than 300 followers as a way of making them more well-known. The rules for the acceptance are:
1) Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you
2) Acknowledge that blogger on your blog and link back
3) Answer the 10 questions posed by the blogger who nominated you
4) Select 3 – 5 bloggers for the award
5) Pose 10 new questions to the new nominees
6) Post the award on your blog

So here are my questions from Holly:

1. How long have you been blogging? According to my archives, they tell me about 2007.  I hit my stride in 2008 when I think I had WAAAY too much free time on my hands.  Then I decided to move twice (GA-NY and NY-VA), get married, and have a baby (wow a lot has happened in 4 short years!), so free time is something of an endangered species.  I blog to share cool things I find, annoyances of the world, delicious recipes, nifty crafts, and and also to just have a place to practice writing. 

2. Morning person or night person? Before my son was born, I would say hands down night person.  Anywho who knows me knows I do not operate without a cup of coffee and/or being awake for roughly 3-5 hours before being 'cheerful' enough to talk to.  In fact, at one workplace, I had been known to grunt at people until I had been there 30 minutes or so, made and ate oatmeal and had a chance to process what it would take to be productive for the day.  Since having him, mornings haven't been the dreadful thing they once were.  When there is someone who greets me which such joy, I can't help but be happy and kind of get over my own lack of sleep just to partake in the happiness in front of me.

3. Favorite book?  I do love so many books, but the one I love to read over and over (at least once annually) is Stardust by Neil Gaiman.  It is part of the inspiration for this blog name.  I just love the tale and the world he creates in the land beyond the village of Wall.  I have not and will not ever see the movie.  My imagination has it just right in my head and I don't need Hollywood screwing it up.

4. Summer sun or winter wonderland?  Summer sun.  The days are longer, people are happier, there are more picnics and sunshine.  The Summer also compliments my love of the beach.  It's a lot more fun to be there in the warmer weather than in the cooler weather (I have done both).  There's something about putting your feet in warm sand and feeling a warm breeze on your face that just makes a person happy.  Also in the summer, there is far less hassle with the weather.  It's either sunny, breezy, or rainy so pick the appropriate jacket.  In the winter you have cold, ice, snow, and windy.  All of which need too many layers to enjoy unless you are under the age of 12.

5. What do you do in your free time?  Free time?  Ha.  My free time has been extremely reduced, but I am the queen of multi-tasking.  I also find it impossible to sit still, so I do make the most of what little time I have.  When I am watching TV I tend to use my laptop to surf the web for any number of things.  Facebook and Pinterest are frequent stops as well as any other "research" I am currently interested in.  Right now I have a "Couch to 5K:" and Online Fabric shopping tabs open.  I also enjoy working on my projects (which are piled high and deep right now, let me tell you!).  I sew a lot, mainly quilts right now. I take a lot of pictures, mostly of my son, but the cats get in on the action too, which means I also spend a lot of time uploading and purchasing photo stuff (books, cards, etc).  I love to work on the house (which has gotten surprisingly more difficult with a baby) and my next two projects are repainting hideous brass lamps and reupholstering two obnoxious pink wing back chairs, FINALLY.  I also try to read a little each day and because of my health plan at work, I am trying to get at least 7,000 steps a day on my pedometer.  Sometimes this means walking around the house in circles after Colin has gone to bed.  Thankfully I recently acquired a Kindle so I can watch older TV shows while moving around the house.  It has worked out well. 

6. Do you make New Year’s resolutions?  Yes.  I think they are a great way to think about doing something new and different.  They don't always have to be tied to a "don't" which I think is where people get stuck sometimes.  Make them small and manageable and write them down and put there where you see them everyday.  I try to use my resolution as a way to be a better person.  This year mine could have been trying not to swear like a sailor while driving in DC, but I opted for something that would help others.  I am buying and donating food monthly to a local food shelter in our area.  Before the holidays had come, I heard a news story on the radio about how much the need for food has gone up and it made me sad.  People only ever think to donate to the food pantry around Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And that's not to say it's not a good thing, but those people don't miraculously get food the other 10 months out of the year.  So I have decided to make a donation drop off once a month.  My preferred way of giving is 100% anonymous so it works out well.  I don't need a thank you, just appreciate what was given to you and that's enough for me.
 
7. Family’s favorite meal? (Share the recipe)  We have many, but here's one of our go-to favorites.

Angel Hair Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
(makes 4-6 servings)
1, 10 oz. jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped (oil reserved)
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
1 lb. angel hair pasta
3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (flat leaf italian parsley)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
3-4 oz. soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Heat 3 tbsp. of reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add wine and chopped sun-dried tomatoes and simmer until liquid reduces by half, about 2 minutes.

Cook pasta according to package directions, but when you drain it, reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.  Add cooked pasta and parsley to the tomato mixture and toss to coat, adding some reserved pasta water to moisten.  Season pasta with salt and pepper. Place into a serving bowl and mix with crumbled goat cheese.

8. Preferred way to communicate? Email/text/call/facebook/etc It depends.  If you are a close relative, I prefer a phone call or email.  If you are a close friend, phone call, text, or email.  If we are just friends, email or Facebook.  Right now I will lean towards more written forms of communication because it allows me to write them whenever I can (in the likely event I am interrupted) and give some thought to what I am telling you.  With a baby, sometimes that routine phone call just doesn't fit in.  And besides, if I write an email, I can send pictures too. :)  Facebook is fantastic for staying in touch with people in general though.  I have a manageable number of friends, and I am interested in what they are up to.  Some share more than others, but I enjoy catching up with everyone's lives when I can sit and process through my stream. 

9. How many people/animals live in your house?  We have three people (me, my husband, and our son) and two fat cats.  In my opinion, it's a good human/animal ratio. 

10. Favorite snack food?  I am a sucker for chocolate covered pretzels.  I will eat an entire bag if I am not careful.  That whole salty/sweet combo is to die for. 

So my nominees are....
1. LaTisha over at Blushing Black keeping it real for all things fashion and beauty.  She's got an eye for style; sophisticated and fun.  We used to work together and then she got smart and is doing something way more fun, but we still keep in touch thanks to the internets. :)
2. Ryan and his crazy adventures in fatherhood, cooking, and funny stuff at Grillside Stories.  He is a  co-worker and truly has a knack for seeing the bright side of life.
3. My third would have been Holly, but as she's nominated me it'd be a never ending loop.  She is so much better at keeping her blog updated and it's always interesting bits of her and her family's life that make me smile. 

So here are my questions for you:
1. Why do you blog?
2. If you could get on a plane and go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
3. What is your favorite holiday?
4. What is your favorite vacation spot or what was your favorite vacation?
5. What do you do in your free time?
6. If you could have a super power, what would it be and why?
7. What is your favorite game (board, video, card, school yard)?
8. Cat or Dog Person?
9. What is your idea of a perfect weekend?
10. What is your all-time favorite blog entry you have written?

Many thanks again to Holly for nominating me and giving me a reason to answer fun questions and pass it onward to others.  As a result of this exercise, I realized I need to update my links of people I follow on my side bar.  I think many people have dropped the blogging routine, which is to be expected, but I just need keep it updated. :) 

Molten Chocolate Cakes

My mother-in-law visited for her birthday so she could spend the weekend with her favorite little person, her grandson.  To celebrate her birthday I told her I would make her any kind of dessert she wanted, so long as I didn't have to set it on fire.  She replied, "something chocolate".  So I thought for a short while and said "OH I KNOW!"

So I made her this:

Molten Chocolate Cakes!

They are the most decadent dessert I know how to make.  And lucky for you, you'll know know how to make them too!  The only "special" equipment you'll need are ramekins and a double boiler (which you can improvise if need be - I do).  If you don't have ramekins, the best deal I have found on them is at Pier 1 Imports of all places.  For a double boiler, you can use a regular pot filled with a couple of inches of water and setting a glass or metal (my preference) bowl on top of the water.  It'll do the same thing without add another pot to you cabinets.

Active Time: 15 minutes Total: 30-35 minutes
6 servings

2 sticks unsalted butter plus more for ramekins
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cake flour, plus more for dusting (I have used regular flour, so don't sweat buying special flour for such a small amount)
1/2 bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli - 70% Cocoa, usually found in the baking aisle)
1/2 cup sugar
4 large whole eggs
4 large egg yolks
Unsweetened cocoa and confectioners sugar, for dusting (to make it "pretty")
*Not listed as an ingredient, but you should definitely get vanilla ice cream to have with it

1. Preheat oven to 350*.  Butter six 4-ounce ramekin dishes and dust with flour.  This step is ubber important, make sure they are well buttered, it's how they pop out smoothly.
2. In the top on the double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate together.  Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar, whole eggs, and egg yolks.  Whisk in the flour.
3. Scrape the batter into the 6 ramekins, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the sides of the cake are set, but the center is still slightly loose.  Let the cakes cool for 1-2 minutes and then run and spatula around the top part of them to loosen if necessary from the ramekin.  Then invert them onto plates.  Dust with cocoa powder and confectioners sugar and serve.

You can make these earlier in the day and park them in the fridge until you are ready to make them.  Just take them out for about 20-30 minutes before hand to get them to room temp.  If you want to put them in straight from the fridge, you'll need to extend the baking time accordingly.

Enjoy!

Freezer Meals

Now that we have all survived the holidays and all the chaos that comes with them, I have been buckling down on those things I have put on the back burner for the past 3 months.  One of these projects is working out how to make some freezer meals.

For those of you who aren't up on this latest fad in food prep, basically, in theory you are spending a lot of time up front for prepping these meals which you freeze and then pull them out and cook later.  Specifically I have been looking for recipes to work with crock pots.  I mean if you are really looking for a hands off cook after all that prep, there's no better way than the crock pot.  Since I upgraded the crock pot I am excited to use it all the time.

I have been using pinterest for some inspiration in picking some of recipes to use.  So I decided to start small and go with 4 options from a couple of websites.  Three were designed to be freezer meals and I kind of sort of turned a regular crock pot meal into a freezer meal.  We will see how that works out. 

It took about 3 hours from start to finish (meaning from gathering ingredients to clean up) to do all of these.  I also using a food processor for the chopping which I think saved a load of time.  I wasn't in a race and was just enjoying my afternoon to myself so I am sure there's room for improvement.  I think if I did this more and became familiar with all the recipes and prep and it would get faster.  As it is, I still think it wasn't all that bad given how many meals and how many leftovers it will make for us.

In the short term, your kitchen does get quite messy, just keep yourself organized as best you can.

So here's what I chose to make (originally sources linked if you are interested in more recipes)

Beef Burritos - http://www.savingyoudinero.com/2012/06/12/1-hour-1-mess-5-crock-pot-meals/
(6+ servings)

• 1 London Broil or top round roast (about 2 lbs)
• 1 diced onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce – Use just 1 pepper!! (It’s in a can.)* You can freeze the rest of these to save and use in the future.  Great in chili, process in a food processor and add to mayo for chipotle mayo, or use in other recipes which call for them.
• 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder (you can adjust this according to your taste)

1. Add all the above ingredients into a freezer bag.
2. When you are ready to cook the meal, dump the contents of the bag into the crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-7 hours Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
3. When the meat is cooked, you will need to strain the juices and add the juice back to the slow cooker. (You want to remove the peppercorns and onions.) Shred the meat and add back to the juice in the slow cooker for about 30 minutes. This is one of our favorite recipes. My kids eat it as long as we have leftovers.

* Tip from what I did in addition to the above.  I put the above marinade into a 1-gal freezer bad and then also purchased Burrito Wraps, put 1 cup of Mexican cheese in 1-quart freezer bag, and 1 cup of rice in a regular sandwich bag.  Then I put all of this (well tried, the wraps wouldn't fit), into another 1-gal freezer bag to hold it all together.  It helps have everything together do you don't get to the meal and say, "aww crap, I am out of X."

The next two are both from this website: http://lovingmynest.com/learning-activities/cooking/freezer-crock-pot-recipes/

Pork and Veggies

1 lb Pork Roast, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 Onion, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced
4 Carrots, sliced
½ pound Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
1 8oz can Tomato Sauce
1.5 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Combine ingredients in a large ziptop bag, freeze. Thaw contents of bag and place in a slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve over hot rice. Serves approx. 5-6 people.

* Again I put all of these ingredients into a 1-gallon freezer bag, then 1 cup of rice into a sandwich bag and both of those into another 1-gallon freezer bag.

Creamy Farmhouse Chicken and Garden Soup

1/2 package (16 ounces) frozen pepper stir-fry vegetable mix * I just used a stir fry mix I liked, I think it was an Asian mix. 
1 cup frozen corn
1 medium zucchini, sliced
2 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup half-and-half (or non-dairy milk for dairy allergies)
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed *not sure why you could thaw them just to re-freeze them.  I politely ignored this step.
2 tablespoons chopped parsley *I used dried, conversion is on the bottle for fresh to dried ratio
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 can (14 ounces) fat-free chicken broth

Put all ingredients in a Ziploc bag except chicken broth. Freeze. Thaw and put in slow cooker and add chicken broth. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in 3 cups prepared noodles. Serves 7-8 people.

The final one I made into a freezer meal from this site: http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2012/10/19/chicken-tikka-masala-crockpot/

Chicken Tikka Masala {Crockpot}

Yield: 6-8 servings | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours

Ingredients:

8 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins, or about 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 lbs.)

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 (29 oz.) can of tomato puree

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. Garam masala

1 tbsp. cumin

1/2 tbsp. paprika

2 tsp. salt, or to taste

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1-3 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on your heat preference)

2 bay leaves

1 cup heavy cream

3 tbsp. cornstarch

Chopped parsley or cilantro, for topping

Instructions Adapted for my Invented Freezer Meal Version:

1. Place everything up to the bay leaves in a 1-gallon freezer bag.  Seal bag and mix well to coat. Label it "marinade"
2. In a 1-quart freezer bag mix together heavy cream and corn starch.  Label it "cream".
3. In a sandwich bag (no need to waste a freezer bag on rice), put 1.5 cups of rice in the bag. Label it "1.5 cups of rice - add 3 cups water".
4. Place all 3 bags into 1 1-gallon freezer bag.  Write the cook instructions on the outside: "ADD TWO BAY LEAVES.  Cook for 8 hours on low (or 4 hours on high).  When done, add "cream" bag mixture into the crockpot and gently stir. Let cook an additional 20 minutes to thicken up. At the time you put the cream in, cook the rice."

Homemade Mixes

Lately I have been pondering ways to be more efficient in the kitchen.  Sometimes this means time-wise and sometimes this means cost-wise.  In this particular instance, I think it might have been a little bit of both.  With fall settling in fast and furious, comfort food season will soon be underway.  This time of year I find myself wanting to bake more and this includes breads, specifically as it relates to this post - corn bread.  Ain't nothing wrong with that!

I have always just bought the blue box of Jiffy mix and called it a day, but I thought how hard can this be to make my own corn bread?  Thanks to the age of the internet, turns out, its really not too difficult.  This website offered the recipe for the dry mix and then how to use it.  For those that are too lazy to go to the site, here's the scoop.

This cornbread mix makes one batch of either a 8x8 baking dish, or approximately 6 muffins. You can also use it any place a recipe calls for a “8.5 ounce cornbread mix box.” It can be easily doubled, tripled or multiplied to any degree you wish (I did quadruple) and stored in an airtight container for 4-6 months. If you do multiply this mix recipe, simply use approximately 1 ¾ cup mix.

Homemade Cornbread Mix
¾ cup cornmeal
¾ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together. Store if needed.

When ready to use preheat oven to 425 degrees, then, mix in a separate bowl:
1 egg
¾ cup skim milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Add the wet ingredients to the cornmeal mix and stir until just incorporated.

Cook for 20-25 minutes if using a 8x8 baking dish, or 15-20 minutes for muffins, removing the muffins or bread from the oven when the center is no longer jiggly and the edges are slightly browned.

The site goes on to mention that this is a great money saving way to use pantry staples for something you would normally get "out of a box".  Also, they make another great point which is this probably has less chemicals/garbage than you average box mix too.  That's always nice. 

I am hoping to make a few more of these mixes as I find ones I would actually use.  I just need to find containers for them all.  I happened to find the one for this in a random cleaning on the cupboards the other day.  I don't think I'll get that lucky again, but ya never know!

Crock Pot Wisdom

When I first moved out on my own and got my "real" job, my parents had told me what the value of a crock pot was.  You can set it up in the morning and come back to a hot meal with very little prep time.  Sounds good to me!  I bought one at random back in 2004 (read cheap) and I have been using it every since loving the set it and forget it feature which cooks food for as long as you tell it to and then goes to warm to keep it happy while you get around to eating. 

I made a crock pot meal for my sister and brother-in-law when they were here helping paint the nursery in January.  I had never made the meal before, but the directions had mentioned that I would have liquid left over in the pot when I was done and this was not the case for me.  In fact everything looked like it had been overdone a bit.  My sister had liked the recipe enough she tried it when she got home and confirmed some suspicions I had been starting to have about my crock pot.  She told me hers turned out different and had liquid leftover and that she suspect my crock pot was running hot.  This wasn't the first time I had thought this, but I kind of figured crock pots never "went bad".  There were a few other meals I had made that had what looked like hot spots in the pot when the meal was done, but I just thought, "oh it's being quirky". 

I have finally conceded that my crock pot was broken and decided to replace it.  The beauty of crock pots is that they are relatively cheap for a kitchen appliance, so for me, it's a matter of admitting mine is junk and throwing it out.  I wouldn't want anyone else using this piece of junk which is really too bad.  But it doesn't cook things properly, so who on earth would want that?  Here, have my broken stuff! 

Being the spend thrift that I am, I started my search on Amazon, which in my experience usually has some of the better prices for almost everything.  Not to mention a healthy mix of reviews for whatever you are looking for.  So I plugged in "crock pot" and started to read.  What surprised me was reading about the crock pot I owned.

It was rated 2 stars and had 185 reviews.  Most of the ones I read mentioned cooking food too hot.  Amazing what other people had also found with this stupid crock pot. 

Anywho, I moved on in my research and ended up with a Hamilton Beach one that has a programmable feature and has generally been rated very well.  After finding it on Amazon, I checked good old Bed Bath and Beyond to see what they had for a price.  It was the same as Amazon, but I could use a 20% off coupon, so we made the trip on Monday to pick it up.  Saved myself $10 doing it that way and got it instantly.  Tonight, I made the same crock pot meal to test it out and see how it did.  I'll be damned if it didn't turn out like it was supposed to according to the recipe.  I am really happy with it and am glad we bought it!

Recipe from tonight's meal if you are interested.

Slow Cooker Chicken
6 bone-in chicken thighs skin removed (about 2 1/4 pounds)
1 large onion diced
2 medium carrots chopped
3/4 cup unsweetened apple huice
1 garlic glove
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dried apricots chopped
Couscous

Spray the crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.  Place the onions and carrots in the bottom on the crock pot and then place the chicken on top of them.  In a small bowl, combine the apple juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and cinnamon.  Pour over the chicken and vegetables.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Remove chicken from crock pot, shred chicken with two forks and remove bones.  Add apricots and chicken back to the crock pot to warm.  Make couscous and serve over the couscous. 

It's tasty and easy to make!

Zucchinifest

A guy from work was handing out squash and zucchini from his garden this week.  He had massive zucchini and was begging people to help him eat them before they overran his garden.  I decided, what the heck, I am sure I can find something to do with it.  *grabs gianormous zucchini* 

This thing was huge!  As I was carrying it around the hallways of work (as most people would normally do), a lady offered up a recipe to help me use some of the zucchini.  She pointed me to the Pillsbury website for this recipe Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie.  It looked yummy and so I figured I would give it a shot.

 The zucchini is actually bigger than the cutting board.  Four cups equaled just about half of this beast. 

I meant to take a picture of this right when it came out of the oven, but I was apparently hungry and so, too bad so sad, you get a half eaten pie photo.  Bottom line: this was yummy!  Rob doesn't really like zucchini all that much and he even liked it.

As dinner was cooking and the half used zucchini was staring me down, I said, hmm, I bet I can make zucchini bread!  So I started shredding another 2 cups of zucchini and whipped up a batch to toss in the oven.  It makes two loaves, so I will take one to work.  I have never made this before and have never actually eaten anyone's version of this.  Should be interesting!

Zucchini Bread
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 t vanilla
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
3 cups flour
1 cup nuts (walnuts)

Blend together oil and sugar, add eggs.  Stir in zucchini, then add the vanilla.  Mix the dry ingredients together and then slowly add to the zucchini mixture.  Then add the nuts(we didn't have any, so I left them out).  Bake at 350* for one hour.

I still have another 2 cups of zucchini left to use.  If I had more eggs and more bread loaf pans, I might make another double batch of bread and just give it away. 

Awesome Potato Salad!

This is a "makeover" recipe from the Taste of Home - Healthy Cooking Magazine.  In other words, this is the healthy (and extremely tasty!) version of the typical potato salad.  Great to bring to a summer BBQ!


Makeover Loaded Baked Potato Salad
Prep: 20 min  Bake: 35 min + cooling Servings:12

2.5 lb small unpeeled red potatoes, cubed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1 dill pickle, chopped
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup fat fee mayo
1 tsp. prepared mustard.

1. Place potatoes in a 15"x10"x1" baking pan coated with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Backe, uncovered, at 425* for 30-35 minutes or until tender.  Cool on a wire rack.

2. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, bacon, cheese, onion, and pickle.

3. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayo, and mustard.  Pour over the potato mixture and toss to coat.

Salmon on the Grill

Now that we finally own a grill, we are getting to try all sorts of new recipes.  Some are ones we had to adapt to cook in an oven and are getting a new life in the way they were intended to be cooked.  My sister gave me this recipe, Grilled Salmon Marinade.  We have had it prepared on the grill, but we have had to cook it in the oven for a long time.  We were super excited to grill it for the first time ourselves. 

Grilled Salmon Marinade
1/4 cup olive oil
3 T. Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
2 Green Onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 t. fresh ginger, grated

Mix oil, soy sauce, onions, garlic, and ginger to make marinade.  Place salmon in a plastic bag and pour in marinade.  Marinate for 1 to 6 hours (or more, to your preference), rotating the bag every 1/2 hour or so.

To grill on a cedar plank - soak plank at least 30 minutes before grilling.  Place salmon on board, pour marinade over salmon and grill 10-20 minutes.  Check for doneness with a thermometer.  Rare is 140, medium is 160, well is 180.

We also have found we like corn on the grill as well.  Easy method for preparing corn (without fancy add ins), soak in water with the husks on for 30 minutes.  To cook, place on the upper rack of your grill for about 20 minutes.  Some people will tell you to peel back the husks and remove the stringy hair, add butter, salt, pepper and other things, but we are perfectly happy with just cooking it and dressing it afterward like normal.

It was good food for a summer cookout.

Huli Huli BBQ

We tried another recipe for the grill last week.  This was a Hawaiian inspired recipe which was published in 2008 in the Cuisine at Home August edition.  Its the first time we used the indirect cooking on the grill which was kind of nifty.  Of course, this made the cook time a bit longer, but I think it was worth it.

Huli Huli BBQ
Makes 2 servings, Total time: 1 hour + marinating

Whisk Together:
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 T. ketchup
2 T. dark soy sauce
1 T. garlic, minced
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
1 T. vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

Marinate; Grill;
4 chicken drumsticks

Whisk all ingredients (except chicken) in a bowl.  Marinate drumsticks in half the pineapple juice mixture in a large reseable plastic bag for 1 hour, refrigerate.  Reduce remaining mixture in a saucepan over medium-high heat until thickened, 5 minutes; set aside for basting.

Preheat grill to high.  When hot, turn off 1 burner, leaving the other lit.  Remove drumsticks from marinade and arrange on the unlit portion of the grill.  Cook chicken to an internal temperature 165*, about 40 minutes.  Baste with reserved glaze every 10 minutes and turn after 20 minutes.

There were a couple of sides they offered up to make with it.  I would recommend the Coconut-Lime Rice, and I was only so so on the Hawaiian Salad. 

Coconut Lime Rice
Makes 2 cups, Total time: 30 minutes

1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 cup basmati rice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Bring coconut milk, water, lime juice, and sugar to a boil.  Stir in rice, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a for and stir
in cilantro.

Hawaiian Salad
Makes 2 cups, Total time 15 minutes

Whisk together:
1 T. pineapple juice
1 T. olive oil
2 t. fresh ginger
1 t. lime zet, minced
1 t. lime juice
1/2 t. hot sauce or Tabasco
1/2 t. brown sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste (you'll need to, it's bland otherwise)

Add:
1/2 an avacodo, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1/2 cup jicama, cut into sticks
1/2 cup pineapple, diced
1/3 cup red bell pepper, sliced
1/3 cup frozen shelled edamae, thawed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (personally, I am not a fan of the spice and thought this was entirely too much.  I would do like 2 Tablespoons instead)

Toss everything together and serve immediately.

I would do this recipe again without the Hawaiian Salad portion and I would probably do chicken legs and thighs.  Nice change of pace from the normal options we have for dinner.

Korean BBQ

Tonight was my first adventure into Korean BBQ.  I have been told by many people it's good, but always thought it was some bizarre branch of food I wasn't quite willing to try.  Like pineapple, I think I seriously misjudged this food group. 

The idea for this came from an agreement at the dinner table to use the grill more this week.  I went in search of new recipes and found this one for Korean BBQ Bulgogi in an old issue of Cuisine at Home.  It was a fairly straight forward recipe and I had a steak in the freezer so I was willing to give it a go. 

Korean-style Bulgogi with ginger dipping sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. fresh minced ginger
1 T. minced garlic
2 t. toasted sesame oil
2 t. sambal
1 t. cornstartch
1 t. water

3/4 pound rib-eye steak cut into 1/4 inch strips
salt and pepper
toasted sesame seeds
sliced scallions

In a small pot, simmer the brown sugar and the next 6 ingredients until blended.  In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water, then add to the sauce.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for one minute.  Set aside.

Turn your grill on high.  Season the meat strips with salt and pepper and place them on the grill for 2 minutes for each side.  Remove from grill and toss in 2 tablespoons of sauce.  This helps the sesame seeds and scallions stick to them.  Place strips onto two plates and divide the dipping sauce into two ramekins (or other small containers for dipping).

Sesame Rice Vermicelli
4 oz dry rice vermicelli
2 T. scallions, sliced thin
1 T. toasted sesame oil
1 T. toasted sesame seeds.

Prepare vermicelli according to package instructions and cool.  Toss with remaining ingredients.

There are no leftovers from this recipe, it serves two well.  The recipe said it was to take 25 minutes, but for a first time I would say more like 30-35 minutes.  I take my time on the first go around, but the second I am sure I would have it to the table in under 30.  I had never made vermicelli, so I wasn't sure what it would take.  Mine claimed 2 minutes in warm water would work.  Warm water means just under boiling apparently because hot tap water didn't do a thing.  So, those things I know now and lessons that should be applied on the next go around.  And believe you me, there will be a next go around for this one!

Smitten Kitchen

There's a blog out there called Smitten Kitchen which is about cooking in a tiny apartment/closet in NYC.  A friend of mine showed me this really nifty recipe they did a while ago called White and Dark Hearted Brownies.  They looked ubber cute and not too complicated.  And to boot, I actually have a small heart cookie cutter that was perfect for this project.  You can use any shape really, but since I had a heart, I used it.

The recipe itself was pretty straight forward.  I bought Ghirardelli brand chocolate bars for the white and semi-sweet chocolates and that seemed to work out well.  I only wish I owned two 8x8 baking pans for this recipe as you have to bake two sets of brownies separately (one white and one dark).  So as an industrial engineer, there was a lot of waste in this process waiting on my other pan to cool enough to get the other brownies out and be cool enough for me to line to pan with tin foil again.

The recipe worked pretty well in the end.  The one piece of advice I would give as a way to enhance the difference of the white and dark brownie is so use clear imitation vanilla in the white brownies to keep them lighter.  I totally forgot and the recipe doesn't hint at it (at least the part I read) so my came out "darker" and don't show as great a contrast as what the photo on the site shows.  They were a big hit for the dinner with friends last night and were a delightful mix of flavors.  I thought it would mostly be different by color, so I was surprised by the difference between the two match ups; eating a dark with a white heart and a white with a dark heat.  If you have one pan, and about 2 hours to kill, I would try it out!

Old Recipes

As part of a wedding shower gift I was given a book from my dad of photocopied pages from my grandmother's cookbooks.  They are not the complete works, but highlights from both of recipes my dad remembers my grandmother making or any she contributed to these books.  I have decided to transpose these recipes from the photocopies I have to a word document which I can print or send to other family members who have expressed an interest in getting a copy of these recipes.

In transposing these recipes, I have realized a couple of things about recipes from the 50s.  For one thing, I had no idea what a yeast cake is.  From the Cooking For Engineers website I have learned that it is equivalent to three 1/4-ounce packets of yeast.  The actually yeast cake looks like this:

Another thing I have noticed with the dozen or so recipes I have done so far is that time and temperatures for baking seem generally irrelevant.  Instructions will read something like, "bake in a moderately warm oven until done" which is less than helpful.  I think these ladies just knew the lingo or they all got a decoder ring with this cookbook when it came out.    

As I was typing these up, they made me hungry and want to try them, so I took this one for a spin tonight.  This is how it was written in the original text:

Crumb Kuchen

1 cup sugar

2 ½ cups flour

½ cup butter

Work these together till crumbs form.  Save one cup of these and to the remainder, add 1 cup sweet milk, 1 egg beaten, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 teaspoons baking powder.  Put in shallow pan, sprinkle crumbs on top and cover with cinnamon.

Mrs. H. E. Hyattm, Farmdale

A few things that might make this recipe work a bit better include pan dimensions and baking times and temperature.  I baked this in a 9x13 pan and it turned out well.  I looked up a similar recipe on the internet and it offered up baking at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  I would say at least 25 minutes.  I used skim milk and I melted the butter to make things mix up easier.  Overall, this was super easy and turned out to be amazingly delicious.  Here's hoping I find another few gems in the recipes as I go through them.  :)