May 12, 2013 · 6:09 pm

Peanut Butter Banana Icebox Cake

DSC_0027I am notorious for trying out new recipes on guests.  I know they say not to do that, and it makes sense…what if it’s a total flop?  But I just can’t help myself.  So we were having some friends over for dinner a couple of weeks ago, and I was looking for a new idea for dessert.  If you’ve been around the blog before, you know my love affair with peanut butter is no secret, so immediately, my mind went there.  And I happened to know our guests share my affinity for peanut butter.  It seems icebox cupcakes and cakes are all the rage lately, but until now, I really was uninterested.  I mean, layering cookies with pudding so they get all mushy just didn’t sound that appealing to me.  But something in my head clicked with the peanut butter and bananas, so I decided to combine my beloved peanut butter with this recent trend.  I am so glad I gave it a chance, because, wow!

What I came up with was really easy but so amazingly delicious.  Here’s how it came together.  I took some vanilla wafer cookies, then layered on a vanilla pudding, peanut butter, whipped topping concoction (basically what I made in a previous trifle recipe), followed by a layer of bananas.  Then I repeated the cookies and pudding layers and topped with peanut butter chips, and of course, chocolate chips.  Because where there is peanut butter, there must be chocolate.  The result was a mind-boggling deliciously fluffy dessert.  It’s so satisfying, you’d never know it’s so simple.  The combination of peanut butter, banana, and chocolate is pure bliss.  I think this will be my go to dessert to bring to cookouts this summer!

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Peanut Butter Banana Icebox Cake

Ingredients:

  • 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding (I used fat free sugar free)
  • 1 3/4 cups cold skim milk
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cup peanut butter, depending on how much you like
  • 8 oz whipped topping (lite or fat free if you like)
  • 1 box of vanilla wafer cookies
  • 2 large ripe bananas, sliced about 1/4″ thick
  • peanut butter chips and/or chocolate chips for topping (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk pudding mix and milk.  Allow to stand for about five minutes until set.  Whisk in peanut butter, and then fold in whipped topping.

In an 8×8 or 9×9 pan (I actually used a 2.5 qt casserole dish), place a single layer of the cookies.  Top with 1/2 of the pudding mixture.  Then layer on the banana slices.  Repeat another layer of cookies and then another layer of pudding.  Top with peanut butter chips and/or chocolate chips.

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Refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours before serving in order to allow the cookies to soften. The longer it sets, the softer they will get.

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Eat, enjoy, repeat. :)

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April 28, 2013 · 1:16 pm

Crustless Spinach, Ham, and Feta Quiche

I’ve been kind of slacking on posting lately, but I think you’ll forgive me.  See, Tim and I have been spending a lot of time nesting, getting ready for our little one’s arrival.  Good thing, too, because Wesley decided he was ready to come three weeks early and graced us with his presence on April 17th.  Now, we have this amazing little man to spend time with! So if it seems like the posts are slow for a while, they probably will be, but can you blame me?

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So, onto the recipe.  I love to make brunch on weekends.  My go to is whatever skillet scramble I can come up with what we have in the fridge, but we’re also fans of various types of pancakes and french toast. When we have guests in town; however, I like to make some kind of casserole or quiche.  My mom and best friend, Erin, were over a few weekends ago after celebrating my baby shower, and I threw together this amazingly delicious and extremely easy crustless quiche. This took very little effort, didn’t require me to make it the night before, and was really tasty. Give it a try the next time you are looking for an easy and delicious brunch idea that is impressive enough for guests.

Crustless Spinach, Ham, and Feta Quiche

Ingredients:

  • 6 eggsDSC_0366
  • 1 box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • about 1/2 cup of chopped ham
  • 1/3 cup of feta cheese
  • 2-3 scallions, finely chopped (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and season with salt and pepper.  Stir in spinach, ham, feta, and scallions.  Spray an 8 inch glass pie pan with cooking spray (I used my Misto).  Pour egg mixture into pie pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until eggs are set and a butter knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.  The top will be slightly browned.

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Enjoy!

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April 23, 2013 · 4:47 pm

Make Your Stainless Sink Sparkle!

So, this is not a recipe post.  It’s not even a post about food.  It is a kitchen related post, however.

I see pins on Pinterest all of the time about natural cleaning methods and tricks for cleaning various things around the house.  One day, I saw one about how to clean your stainless steel sink, so I pinned it.  And then I proceeded to not do anything about it.  For weeks.  And months.  Until we were having some guests over and I got to thinking that the sink was looking pretty cruddy after taking some abuse, including scratches, paint rinsing, and various types of food/crud buildup.  But the nice thing about what you pin is that you can go back to it whenever you want!  So I did.  And that’s what I’m here to tell you about today.

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This sink cleaning method was a pretty impressive trick.  It used all things I already had in the house, was easy to do, and really did make my stainless sink look like new!  I’ll definitely do it again after we abuse our sink some more. :) I think you are going to be so impressed by the difference this makes, I’d suggest taking before and after pictures…just for fun.  Here’s our before and after. Looking at them kind of makes me want to go do it again.

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Gross, right?

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Much better!

“Ingredients”:

  • Vinegar in a spray bottle
  • Baking soda
  • Boiling water
  • Goo-Gone
  • Olive oil
  • Sponge
  • Paper towels or 2-3 soft rags

Directions:

First, put a smallish pot of water on to boil.  Not super small, just like the size you would use to make rice. And really, if you have too much, it’s just water. So it’s not a huge deal.
Spray your entire sink with vinegar and then sprinkle with baking soda. Let that sit for ten minutes while your water comes to a boil.
Rinse the sink with the boiling water.
Spray with more vinegar and give it a good scrub with your rag. Once you have scrubbed it well, wipe it down with a clean rag or paper towel. Really make sure you get all of the baking soda residue cleaned off.
Next, spray Goo Gone onto the entire surface of the sink and rub down with a dry rag or paper towel.
Finally, put a little bit of olive oil on your rag and buff your sink. This is the final step, so really make it shine!

 

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April 14, 2013 · 4:33 pm

Everything’s Better with Bacon, Tortellini, and Spinach

DSC_0083I love tortellini, so I am always looking for new ways to cook it.  Specifically, there’s a type of cheese and spinach tortellini (by Barilla) that I think is exceptionally delicious. I saw this recipe on Pinterest, and I knew I wanted to try it. (They just so happened to use the kind of tortellini I love, which I would have done anyway.) I asked Tim if he thought we should add chicken to it, and of course he commented that adding more meat to something was never a bad thing, so I did. And it was amazing! This was definitely a success, and a way of preparing tortellini that I had never thought of before. It’s not difficult, but the lemon really such a nice accent to the sauce and keeps it from feeling too heavy and rich. I mean afterall, there is bacon and bacon grease used in the recipe. I normally try to cook healthily, but we’re just going to have to look the other way a little on this one. I did use skim milk in the sauce and the spinach is a little bit of a saving grace, but let’s not kid ourselves. What this dish lacks in healthiness, it makes up for with deliciousness.

Tortellini with Bacon and Spinach

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Ingredients:

  • about 3/4 of a 12 oz bag of Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortellini
  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 -6 strips bacon, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 tsp basil (dried)
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes or more to taste
  • 1 medium lemon
  • about 2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 2-3 minutes.  Add onion and cook about another 4-5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and onions are tender.  Remove from skillet and set aside.

Put a large pot of water on to boil and cook tortellini according to package instructions. When it’s cooked, drain and return to the pot.

In the same skillet you used for the chicken, cook bacon pieces over medium high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set on a paper towel to soak up the grease. Carefully remove all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the pan.  Add garlic and cook approximately a minute, then add flour and cook for an additional minute, stirring with a whisk.  Slowly pour in milk and whisk until smooth. Add basil, red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper and bring the sauce to a simmer.  While that is cooking, zest and juice the lemon.  Add about two teaspoons of zest and one tablespoon of juice to the sauce.  Continue to whisk the sauce until it is thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

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Add the chicken, sauce, and half of the bacon to the tortellini in the large pot.  Stir in the spinach and about 1/2 of the mozzarella.  Pour pasta mixture into a baking dish (1.5 quart, 2 quart, 8 x 8 or 9 x 9), and cover with remaining bacon and cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

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Enjoy!

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April 7, 2013 · 7:14 pm

Guest Blog: Man-Made Pizza

First, man invented fire. Then, he invented the wheel. Today… I give you mini pizzas. Impressed? You should be. Okay, I thought I needed a big intro to get your attention. Well, I guess it’s better than my alternate title idea – “Baby Pizzas: They’re Made From Real Babies!” Eh? Well… With my lovely wife being pregnant, I’ve been trying to do more to support her around the house. Sexy, right? Anyways, let’s get down to business.

I started with cooking Italian pork sausage and chopped onions. As you can tell, I had my Sous Chef Josie helping me with this undertaking. I decided to use whole wheat (pronounced whole hwheat in our household) sandwich thins as the crust in an attempt to match my wife’s penchant for healthiness.

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So as the innards were cooking, I applied the roasted garlic pasta sauce to the whole wheat thins. I added more sauce to Cara’s because she’s rather saucy (get it?). After the innards were thoroughly cooked through, I started assembling my mini pizzas. I personally like mushrooms and spicy stuff, which I added to my own. Cara, not so much. I guess, at this point, you can add whatever you’d like to your pizzas. I mean, this is still America, is it not?

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It’s important to note my assistant, Josie Philip Sous-a (get it?), had become delinquent on her duties midway through the process. So I had mounting pressure to pull off this masterpiece of culinary prowess. Knowing my pregnant wife was needing sustenance, I continued the process by adding pepper, oregano, mozzarella, and parmesan to top off the mini pizzas. I placed them on a baking sheet with a piece of foil. They then went in to the oven set to 375 degrees for roughly 15 minutes.

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Full disclosure here – I didn’t set the timer, so I had to eyeball it. I pulled them out once the cheese started browning up. To top them off, I added some chopped basil. Now, I know I don’t have the culinary/artistic/writing skills my wife has, but I hope you enjoy this admittedly simple recipe as much as we did. So,without further ado, here’s the finished product…

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In case you’re wondering, there is an actual back story to the baby hand. You should ask Cara if you’re interested. By the way, this is how Josie ended off her tour of duty…

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Ingredients List:

  • 8 whole wheat sandwich thins
  • Italian pork sausage roll-thingy
  • 1/2 chopped onion
  • Tomato-based pasta sauce
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Shredded parmesan cheese
  • Black pepper
  • Oregano
  • Chopped basil
  • Sliced mushrooms (optional)
  • Crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook sausage & onions. Assemble mini pizzas. Place on baking sheet with foil. Bake for roughly 15 minutes or until cheese starts to brown. Add basil. Eat. Drink. Be merry.

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April 6, 2013 · 2:38 pm

Berry Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette

DSC_0460Well it seems  Spring is finally here!  The weather has been warmer here for the past few days, and we are loving every minute of it.  We are breaking out the grill for the first time tonight! I’m getting really excited for the farmer’s market and all of the wonderful produce we will find there.  Berry season will soon be upon us, and this fruity dressing will be a perfect accompaniment to your warm weather cookouts.  The strawberries are already looking pretty good at the grocery store (and are reasonably priced too!), and I can’t wait for the blueberries to follow suit.

If you’ve never had strawberries and basil together, you’re in for a treat.  It may seem like an unlikely combination, but they really go wonderfully together.  The basil doesn’t overwhelm the dressing, it just kind of sits in the background and provides a sophisticated level of depth to the berry vinaigrette.  When I made this dressing, I just happened to have a mix of fresh berries – mostly strawberries – with some raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries mixed in.  You could use all strawberries or whatever blend you have or like.  Mine were fresh, but frozen would work too.  The way the recipe is written, the dressing ends up pretty thick.  If you prefer it thinner, you can add more vinegar, oil, and sugar to your taste.  As usual, I used canola oil so I could refrigerate my leftover dressing.  If you plan to use it all when you make it, you could use extra virgin olive oil.

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Berry Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of fresh or frozen berries (strawberries or a mix)DSC_0433
  • 3 Tablespoons of canola or extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons of sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice (fresh is best)
  • 8 leaves of basil
  • salt to taste (in my opinion, this dressing does need a little salt)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Serve over your favorite salad.

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Enjoy!

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March 16, 2013 · 4:48 pm

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

DSC_0162I know it’s almost spring, so our time for soup is really winding down, but I think this soup recipe is perfect for this time of year.  It’s light, brothy, full of flavor, and very refreshing with the hint of lemon and fresh grassy parsley, yet definitely filling enough to be a meal.   I saw this recipe on a blog that I like, Two Peas and Their Pod, and didn’t really do too much to it except to add some fresh spinach.  As usual, this soup starts with carrots, celery, onion, and garlic, but that’s about the extent of the work involved.  It uses a rotisserie chicken (mine was kind of a bigger one this time, so I didn’t even need it all) and store-bought broth.  If you’re feeling froggy, go ahead and make your own.

Now I have to tell you, when I was adding the lemon zest and juice to the soup, I kind of wondered if it would be too tart and overpowering because it was a lot of zest and my lemons seemed really juicy.  But, I was pleasantly surprised that it was just the right amount.  The lemon was not overwhelming at all, it just kind of blended nicely with all of the other flavors and was really mellow.  I used one and a fourth cups of orzo in mine, and it was a pretty substantial amount of orzo.  You could use less if you don’t like as much in yours.  If you anticipate having leftovers (it does make a pretty big batch), you might even consider cooking the orzo separately and combining it with the soup in the individual serving bowls.  I cooked it all together and the orzo sucked up all of the broth in the leftover soup, but it was ok because I just added some additional broth when we heated up our leftovers.  So that’s your call!

This was my first time making this, and Tim, my mom, and I all loved it!  And bonus – it’s pretty healthy!  I’ll definitely make it again.  I’m so glad to have another soup recipe in my arsenal!

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Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 large (or 3 small) carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick
  • 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
  • 8 cups of fat-free low sodium chicken broth
  • Zest and juice (about 1/3 of a cup) of 2 lemons
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/4 cups orzo pasta
  • about 2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • a couple of generous handfuls of fresh spinach
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot.  Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften.  Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more.  Add the broth, bay leaf, lemon zest, and lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Add orzo and cook for 7-8 minutes, until the  orzo is tender.  Add the chicken and cook for a couple of minutes to allow it to heat through.  Stir in spinach and allow it to wilt for about one minute.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. When ready to serve, remove the bay leaf and stir in the parsley.

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Enjoy!

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