Sandwich for you, sandwich for me

It's true, I love me some sandwiches. Check out this list of the current 'top ten' sandwiches (according to the authors of Endless Simmer). Yum! 

http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2011/01/20/americas-top-10-new-sandwiches/

Water, water everywhere....



I think by now we all know that drinking plenty of water is a good thing. A very good thing. Staying hydrated flushes toxins, keeps your skin looking fresh and dewy, helps maintain energy levels, etc. The list goes on and on. But do you ever get tired of drinking boring ol' water? I sure do. Which is why I was ecstatic to find this water pitcher at CB2. 



buy one HERE



Imagine all of the delicious flavored waters you could make using fresh fruit, veggies, and herbs!!! The possibilities of creating the ultimate combination are endless, but here are a few ideas to get you started. If you have any more ideas, please share!

- Lemon slices and fresh basil

- Cucumber slices and fresh rosemary

Watermelon cubes and fresh mint

- Raspberries and lime slices



Crockpot Cooking Mama

I'll let you in on a little secret of mine - I'm a closet crockpot lover. Perhaps it's the fact that I love cooking and also love DIY projects, but in the days when the term 'DIY' is gaining a cool-girl connotation, I can't help but feel that crockpots are still being left in the dark. Still associated with bored housewives who have lost the will to slave over the stove for the ones they love - when really, as Americans are working even longer and harder, crockpots are a salvation. An appliance that allows you to eat a healthy, homecooked meal, even when you're strapped for time. So if you don't own a crockpot....buy yourself one and thank me later! :) And to give you plenty of ideas regarding what your new, treasured crockpot is capable of producing, check out the blog, http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/. The author behind this blog made a New Years resolution to cook an entire years worth of meals (yep, every single day!) in her crockpot. What I love most about this blog is that the author dives into each and every crockpot cooking trial with hope and optimism.....and then tells the readers very candidly whether or not the recipe was a success.



http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/



Bottom's Up!

Tomorrow is New Years Eve! Whether you're planning a big night out or curling up on the couch to watch the ball drop, surely your night would be incomplete without a tasty adult beverage! After scouring the internet and reading hundreds of recipes I think I've narrowed it down to these two...one sweet recipe that incorporates some bubbly, and one that is fresh and tart - a perfect balance!

Cucumber Cooler

Ingredients

1 cucumber

1 1/4 ounces gin

Splash of fresh lime juice

Splash of simple syrup

Chilled seltzer

Directions

Slice a piece of cucumber and reserve for garnish. Peel, halve and seed the remaining cucumber. Puree in a blender until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh sieve.

Fill a highball glass three-quarters of the way with ice. Add 2 ounces cucumber puree, the gin, lime juice and simple syrup and stir. (To make a batch of simple syrup, simmer equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves, then cool.) Fill the glass with seltzer and stir again. Garnish with the reserved cucumber slice.

Grand Champagne Cocktail

Ingredients
4 shots orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
4 teaspoons honey
4 fresh strawberries, tops trimme
1 bottle Champagne, well chilled
Special equipment: 4 chilled Champagne flutes

Directions

Add the orange-flavored liqueur, honey and strawberries to a food processor and process until smooth. Fill the chilled glasses half way with the strawberry mixture and then fill the rest of  the glass with Champagne.


If neither of these two recipes spark your interest check out more amazing recipe ideas at;

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipe-collections/cocktail/index.html

Healthy Grub

If your New Years resolution is to lose weight, get into shape, or just be as healthy as you can you should check out the link below. I've followed this blog for a couple of years, and find it super helpful. The blog 'eat like me' details the (food) life of a nutritionist....helpful for those who are skipping the latest diet fads in exchange for a realistic, healthy diet. Any diet that prohibits me from having the occasional nachos or margarita is no diet for me! But I can handle eating sensibly....most of the time.

http://www.self.com/fooddiet/blogs/eatlikeme/

preparing for hibernation

The sun didn't peak out for even a moment this past weekend, so I took advantage of the forced hibernation and made beer cheese soup AND cornflake xmas wreaths. Despite my Wisconsin roots, beer cheese soup is completely unfamiliar territory to me....wasn't sure what to look for in a recipe or what to expect in the finished product. I agonized over what kind of beer to use (seemed like an awfully important factor and my internet research sent me in every possible direction), so I ended up going with a good quality amber ale....not to be confused with the beer in the photo, which was a porter that I was drinking along with my beer cheese soup!

I sorta, kinda followed this recipe

And the Christmas wreaths! Notice the St. Bernard in the photo, observing her prey....

recipe for christmas wreaths

DIY Christmas gift idea - for the cook!

I'm sure you have at least one person in your family who loves to cook, right? Here are a few suggestions for a customizable DIY gift basket...

- Excellent quality spices (perhaps from Penzeys?)

- A cute OR masculine apron (check out the cupcake apron on wrapables.com!)

- A unique cooking gadget based on what the individual enjoys cooking the most (Sur la Table has THE most unique cooking gadgets - trust me!)

- And finally, for the greatest touch of personalization, include a DIY cookbook. Add recipes you love to make, and/or ask family member(s)/friends for their favorite recipes. Based on how much time you are able/willing to devote to this project you could either print the recipes on 3x5 recipes cards and purchase an inexpensive photo album to keep them neat and tidy, or buy a blank journal/book and hand write them yourself! Maybe even add your own illustrations? Even if you're not exactly an artist, I'm guessing adding your own little doodles would make anyone smile.

Another Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe

I have a fridge full of yummy leftover mashed potatoes, but I absolutely cannot eat another bite of mashed goodness. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com for potato pancakes! I think it sounds delicious! I think I'm going to make them in a frying pan as opposed to baking them though (not as healthy, I know). I'm going to try it tonight and I'll let you know.....

Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe 

IngredienTS

1 medium onion, chopped 2 tablespoons butter 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 dash hot pepper sauce 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1.	In a skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Remove from the heat. In a bowl, lightly beat one egg. Add the onion, potatoes, flour, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce if desired.
2.	Shape into four to six patties; place on a greased baking sheet. Lightly beat remaining egg; stir in water. Brush over potato cakes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'm assuming that those who are planning to partake in the typical Thanksgiving fare are well on their way to sitting down to enjoy the feast. But what about tomorrow? What are you going to do with all of those leftovers??? I browsed TONS of recipes on-line, and here are the top three recipes that appeal to me (all courtesy of the Food Network)...don't they sound good?!?

(click the recipe title for a link to the recipe on Food Network's website)

Turkey Soup with Stuffing Dumplings

Ingredients

• Carcass from one 12-14 pound roasted turkey, picked clean
• 2 large onions, one quartered and one chopped
• 4 peeled carrots, 2 coarsely chopped and 2 sliced
• 4 stalks celery, 2coarsely chopped and 2 sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, 4 smashed and 2 chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 whole black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large eggs
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups leftover stuffing
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cups shredded leftover turkey meat
• 1 cup leftover corn kernels

Directions

Put the turkey carcass, quartered onions, coarsely chopped carrots and celery, smashed garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a large stockpot and add enough cold water to just cover, about 2 quarts. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour. Remove from the heat and strain the solids from the broth. Pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer and reserve; you should have about 10-12 cups broth.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the eggs, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some black pepper together until smooth. Add the stuffing and mix until well combined; cover and reserve.

Wipe the stockpot clean with a paper towel. Heat the oil in the pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the sliced carrots and celery, thyme sprigs, and reserved broth and bring to a simmer; cook vegetables are just soft, about 10 minutes.

Roll level tablespoons of the dumpling mixture into balls with wet hands (see note) and drop into the simmering soup; cook until dumplings float, 3-4 minutes.

Gently stir in the turkey meat, corn, and season with salt and pepper, and simmer until heated through. Serve immediately.

Note: Moistness of stuffing can vary; if the dumpling dough is too soft to roll, add flour a teaspoon at a time until it is firm enough to hold its shape while rolling.

Food Network's Turkey Cranberry Panini 

 Ingredients

• 8 slices whole-grain bread
• 6 ounces thinly sliced Fontina cheese
• 8 ounces sliced leftover turkey
• 1/2 cup leftover cranberry relish
• 1 cup arugula leaves
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

For each sandwich, lay 2 slices bread on a work surface. Lay about 3/4 ounce cheese on one slice of the bread; top with 2 ounces turkey meat, 2 tablespoons relish, about 5-6 arugula leaves and an additional 3/4 ounce cheese. Top with the other bread slice (there should be cheese next to each bread slice). Repeat with remaining ingredients. 

Brush the top of the sandwich with olive oil; heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. 

Put the sandwich, oiled-side down, into the pan, place a small heavy pan, or aluminum foil-wrapped brick on top of the sandwich to press it down. Cook until bread is golden and crisp and cheese is beginning to melt, about 5 minutes. 

Remove the heavy pan or brick, brush the top of the sandwich with oil and carefully flip it. Put the heavy pan or brick back on top of the sandwich and continue cooking until bottom bread slice is browned and crisp, cheese is melted, and sandwich is heated through, about 5 minutes more. 

Remove from the pan and cover to keep warm while cooking the remaining sandwiches.

To serve, slice each sandwich on the diagonal and serve warn. 

Food Network's Turkey Hash with Potato Pancakes 

Ingredients

• 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, plus 4 for frying
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped sage
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 8 ounces diced leftover turkey meat, about 2 cups
• 1/2 cup leftover turkey gravy
• 1/4 cup leftover cooked corn kernels
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix the potatoes, egg, and milk together until combined. Add the flour, season with salt and pepper, and mix until smooth.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil on a non-stick griddle over medium heat; pour about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the warm griddle, gently spread it to a circle about 4" wide, and cook, flipping once, until golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes more. Add the turkey, gravy, and corn and cook, stirring, until turkey is heated through. Season hash with salt and pepper, stir in the parsley, and keep warm over low heat.

Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil on the griddle over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs onto the griddle and cook until desired doneness.

To serve, put a warm potato cake on each of 4 plates; top the cakes with a fried egg and divide the hash evenly among them.

The spice of life

If you're anything like me, I have a cupboard full of spices and I have no idea what to do with half of them. I'm not even sure why I purchased some of them but in an effort to actually use them I found this awesome, quick guide on the blog http://www.thekitchn.com/. Check it out, trust me! You'll be cooking like a pro in no time...

Guide to Herbs and Spices

Food, food, food....yummy, yummy, yummy

I try my hardest not to look at ANY food related websites late at night, because - no fail - it always makes me insanely hungry. But these websites are so addictive! And look at this  - Roasted Cauliflower! 

 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a large casserole dish.
2. Place the olive oil and garlic in a large resealable bag. Add cauliflower, and shake to mix. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
3. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley, and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown.

pre-autumn perfect cocktail recipe

it feels like autumn today, and i have a big day ahead of me tomorrow. so for today, let's relax with the most delicious soul-warming cocktail recipe i could find! 

Cinnamon Toast Cocktail

Ingredients: 

1 1/4 ounce(s) Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum 

6 ounce(s) hot apple cider 

1 tablespoon(s) sugar 

 1 tablespoon(s) cinnamon

Add hot apple cider and Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum to a glass rimmed with sugar and cinnamon

recipe and photo courtesy of delish

Pumpkin Cupcakes!

I'm not usually a fan of sweets (I crave spice!) but these cupcakes look good enough for me to actually go to the grocery store solely for the purpose of buying these ingredients....

photo and recipe courtesy of Allrecipes 

 

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree

 Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners. Sift together the flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.
2. Beat 1/2 cup of butter, the white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Stir in the milk and pumpkin puree after the last egg. Stir in the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.
4. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting by beating the cream cheese and 1/4 butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar a little at a time until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; beat until fluffy. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost with the cream cheese icing.

It's the weekend again! Let's have an outdoor fiesta - what 'cha think?

I'm thinking something like this.......

or

and then perhaps we could drink these

the 'Sidecar' from delish

Ingredients

• 1 ounce(s) Crown Royal Special Reserve
• 1/4 ounce(s) triple sec
• 2 ounce(s) sweet and sour mix
• 1 wedge(s) lime

---

Directions

1. Add Crown Royal Special Reserve, triple sec, and sweet and sour mix.
2. Shake with ice and strain into chilled sugar-rimmed cocktail glass.
3. Garnish with lime wedge.

Artichokes for you and me

I just stopped at the grocery store on the way home and artichokes are cheap, cheap, cheap right now! I'm not too familiar with cooking them though, so I found some recipes on the mouthwatering website coconut & lime. 

Now.......which recipe to try first?!?

Artichoke Panini

8 slices rosemary Italian bread
2 whole marinated artichokes, thinly sliced
4 slices sharp provolone
1/4 lb lean capicola
1/4 lb spicy sopressata
1/4 lb mortadella
1/4 lb prosciutto

olive oil

Directions:
Create a single layer of each meat on one slice of bread. Top with single layer of marinaded artichokes. Top with a single layer of cheese. Top with a second piece of bread. Brush the exposed sides of the bread with a small amount of olive oil. Place on your panini press and press on medium heat, until the sandwich is warm and the cheese is melty. Repeat for the remaining bread and meat.

 Artichoke Chipotle Dip

Ingredients:
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
4 oz defrosted frozen artichoke hearts, chopped
3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained*
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 shallots, sliced
2 chipotle chiles in adobo with 1 teaspoon of the adobe sauce
1 tablespoon key lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
In a food processor, blend together the cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, shallots, lime juice, chipotle, and adobo sauce until very smooth. Stir in spinach, artichokes until just combined. Serve chilled.

*This should yield a packed 1/4 cup of defrosted chopped spinach.

Artichoke Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:
10 oz frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted
1 1/4 cup shredded asiago cheese
3/4 cup panko
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz short pasta, cooked almost to al dente

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In a large pan, saute the red pepper flakes, garlic and artichoke hearts for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Stir into the cooked pasta. In the same saute pan, quickly brown the panko. Remove from heat and stir in the paprika. In a large casserole, sprinkle some cheese, top with pasta repeat until all of the cheese and pasta is gone, taking care to end with cheese. Pour the milk over the top. Sprinkle with panko. Bake covered for 20-20 minutes then uncovered for an additional 10 minutes to brown the top. Serve hot.