Fallen Souffle

Evan has been in a bit of an indecisive mood recently. As I went to the grocery store Monday he asked me to pick him up “something good” for him to eat for lunch. So I picked up some pre-seasoned chicken breasts so he could grill them up for a sandwich. He went to Chick-fil-a instead. For dinner last night I made some pork chops cooked in beer and barbeque sauce, he grilled a burger instead. We have been limited on dessert options in the house so I felt bad and made some cookies hoping he would like what I made. I scored big time with these cookies. Easy to put together, soft and chewy, a real hit with the big man. I made thee cookies larger than the originally recipe called for because I used a 1 1/2 oz cookie scoop. The originally recipe said it made 4 dozen but I only made 2 1/2 dozen.

These would freeze beautifully, just roll them and freeze then in a ziploc. Allow them to thaw in the fridge before baking.

Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*toppings

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in topping of choice. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

*I rolled our cookies in raw sugar and did some in cinnamon sugar. You could also do colored sugar or add chocolate candies. The sugars add a nice slight crunch when they bake. A lovely contrast to the soft, chewy cookie.

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As if I didn’t have enough going on right now, I have joined the team over at the Well Fed Network on their newest blog A Nice Cuppa. This site focuses mostly on all things related to tea and coffee but I am sure you will see one or two food related articles

So sit back with your favorite “cuppa” and check out the site and my first article!

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So I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner tonight, but luckily beef stew meat was on sale at Harris Teeter. I really love using stew meat, I use it for so many different dishes and it is really cheap which is a huge plus! So I have been wanting to try making stroganoff in the crock pot and thought this would be as good a day as any. I have made a Tyler Florence stroganoff on the stove top which was really nice but took forever to cook down. After a little research online I put this recipe together using the kitchen staple, cream of mushroom soup. I always worry about using this because it can tend to be too salty but this was nice. I would add more meat next time because this makes alot of delicious sauce. I can only imagine how good the leftovers are!

This dish took a commercial break from Martha to throw in the cooker. All of the ingredients were in the house and the husband liked it! What more could you ask for!

I did not take a picture of this because beef stroganoff is not that appealing to the eye but I am convinced that if it looks photogenic, you did something wrong.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
1 to 1 1/2 pounds of beef stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup beef broth
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup chopped onion (I used a couple tablespoons of dried onion)
1 T Dijon mustard
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 T Worcestershire sauce
4 oz cream cheese

1. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours. Serve with egg noodles and sauteed mushrooms.

PS- This will look really gross when you put it all in and stir it up but trust me it will tastes great! Just don’t let you husband see it before it is done cooking!

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As most of you know, Evan and I gave up chocolate for Lent so I have had to find creative alternatives to feed my ever aching sweet tooth. I have made lemon bars, ginger cookies and biscotti all without my favorite flavoring. One thing I had a huge hankering for last night was cheesecake. Though seeing as it was 8pm and I had to get up at dawn to go into work, a traditional New York Style or creamy Italian Ricotta cheesecake would not work. The required chill time would mean my cake would be ready by breakfast and I needed to feed my craving that night!

So I remembered a Cream Cheese Tart that I had seen Paula Deen make which I made for an office party. What I forgot about was how easy these little treats were to throw together. As luck would have it,I had all of the ingrediants in the house…I love when that happens! These mini cakes (Evan was shocked at how small they were- portion control my love!) can be made during a commercial break and will be totally baked and cooled by the end of American Idol. They are perfect for a pot luck or dinner party because you can double and triple the recipe easily. I halved the original recipe since I would be the only one eating these gems. But they are perfect for any last minute creamy craving.

Mini Cream Cheese Tarts
adapted from Paula Deen
makes 6 tarts

1 block of softened cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of extract (Paula uses vanilla but I put almond in)
6 vanilla wafers
topping of choice*

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with liners and drop one wafer, flat side down, into the liner.

2. Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add egg and extract and mix until smooth. Spoon into muffin tin.

3. Bake about 20 minutes until center of each tart is set. Add topping of choice and allow to cool completely in the fridge.

*Paula used cherry pie filling to top her tarts but I used cherry preserves, though you could use an jam, preserve, pie filling or just eat plain!

PS- Evan posted his account of our London trip as well as our pictures here. Also surf around his site for information on making the perfect meatball (he makes the best meatballs- one of the reasons I married him!) as well as other little known news facts. Happy 100th post baby!

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It’s Saturday morning. The first load of 10 is in the washer. Suitcases are all over the living room floor. The dogs are sleeping after a week with the Grandparents. Evan is catching up on his 1800 e-mails. I have no motivation to do anything. I need a vacation after my vacation. Needless to say I had no desire to cook but I didn’t want to eat out anymore. I wanted something healthy and light but filling. Leave it to Rachael to come to the rescue. I rarely make any of her dishes but I do like watching her and getting ideas. Her menu on Saturday morning was all about chicken, which was perfect since I had had my fill of red meat for a while. The ingredients were “normal” no running around trying to find something. So I head upstairs to find the recipe online only to find that FoodNetwork.com has misprinted the recipe for the chicken and “slaw” she made. Now I had to rely on my memory. Yikes!

The recipe turned out just fine though. She grilled up some pineapple with lime juice then sprinkled lime zest and honey over it. Evan really liked that! I am going to link to the recipe for the chicken and slaw here.

I really liked this dish. It took me 45 minutes only because I had to butterfly the chicken myself but it really cuts down on the cooking time when you do this. The only think I would change about the slaw would be to add less oil in the beginning. I think I added more than Rachael called for, some my veggies steamed instead of getting crispy. But the pickled ginger is really awesome. I would have never thought to use this but it is perfect with the honey and vinegar. A nice alternative to a salad but you still get the benefits.

I will definitely make this again for dinner. It’s quick and easy and really tasty. And it’s easy to slim down to two servings!

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These calzones are so easy, I am almost embarrassed to post it, but they take not time to make and everything can be stored in the fridge or freezer for a quick meal.

The star of this dish is frozen bread dough- I know- I feel like Sandra Lee. But I promise these are good and do not utilize the plastic storage bag as a piping bag!

This does require a bit of planning only because the dough needs to be thawed, but that can be taken out in the morning and be ready by the time you get home. I like to grease a baking sheet as well as grease a piece of plastic wrap that you will cover the dough with- otherwise it gets dry and crusty.

For three calzones, I would use one standard size loaf of dough. (They come in a 5 pack at my Kroger for like $2.50) Thaw it out during the day, or even overnight in the fridge. When you get home, cut the dough into three pieced and stretch them out like you were making pizza. You can really add whatever filling you like, tonight it was salami, prosciutto, provolone and mozzarella. I have to say though my favorite is probably spinach and ricotta. Once you have put in your fillings, add some garlic powder and spices and fold it over. Press the seams together, don’t use any liquid to try and seal them- it won’t work. I like to brush the top with melted butter. Bake them for about 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven or until golden brown. When they come out, I brush them again with butter and some garlic. Serve with warm marinara to dip and dinner is served!

I have also used the frozen bread dough to make stromboli, which is basically a large loaf of bread stuffed with meat and cheese. For this I like to use 2 loaves of dough, once thawed knead them together into one piece and stretch it out to a large rectangle. Add your filling down the center and then roll the dough over so it covers the filling. Bake at the same temperature for just a bit longer. This is a great appetizer for a party or game day.

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One of the great things about traveling is that in the end, for the most part, you are happy to live where you live and you truly appreciate what you have back home. I appreciate my car, my grocery stores and the warm weather. I love seeing new places and encountering different people and cultures, but I always look forward to sleeping in my own bed and seeing the mutts.

This trip was no different. For one thing, I was sick of being cold. We kinda skipped over winter here in NC so I really have had no need to wear a heavy coat except for a few days of the month. In London, it never made it over 35 degrees and there was wind everyday. I think I saw sun two days out of the week we were there. Though I did not go to London for warm weather (especially in March! What was I thinking!) I went for the sites, the history, and Big Ben (Ok inside joke!) I also did not go particularly for the food though I did have a specific list of things to try. I was surprisingly surprised by the food in London- it actually isn’t bad. It is definitely a culture thriving on hearty meat and potato meals but I think all of our meals were of the utmost quality.

One of the things I love to do is bring back little ideas for enhancing some of the things I currently cook. I am a lover of sandwiches, which shouldn’t come as a huge shock since I am surrounded by amazing bread all day. Before we were about to tour the Tower of London, I was becoming cranky because my breakfast was quickly wearing off and I knew we would be inside the Tower for a while among many people. So we stopped in a little cafe called “Eat.” and I found myself in a foodie’s heaven. Not only did they create made to order sandwiches and pies but they had amazing sandwiches pre-made with some of the most interesting combinations. I actually settled for a veggie sandwich, English cheddar with mayo, leafy greens and a sweet sauce on a grain bread. This sandwich was amazing! The sauce was sweet while the mayo added a nice creaminess and the bread was just perfect. This I had to re-create! I jotted a few notes in my notebook and vowed to make this at home.

Before leaving we stopped in a grocery store; my kind of gift shop if you know what I mean! Along with the hoards of Cadbury chocolate and orange marmalades I found an apple and walnut chutney. Eureka! This would be perfect on my sandwich.

Fast forward three days, our first day back in the states and I am craving something light and simple (did I mention how much fried food I ate-yikes!) I picked up a loaf of whole wheat from the bakery, slapped on some light mayo on one side and a thick layer of chutney on the other and sandwiched in some white Vermont cheddar. Divine! A great take on a British treat and a nice change of pace from a heavy meat sandwich.

So I will be writing on some of our meals in the coming days- I don’t want to bombard you all at once. Evan should have his take on the trip up soon and I will link to that as well as our pictures once we get them up.

Ah…It’s good to be home!

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It’s so cliche, but so true…time flies by so fast! I cannot believe we have been man and wife for a whole year. I never thought our wedding day would come, after a 15 month engagement, I couldn’t wait any longer! Our wedding day really was perfect, I could not have asked for more. Being surrounding by our friends and family was truly surreal, especially considering all of the miles they traveled.

Then there was the honeymoon, what started as an absolute travel nightmare turned into a wonderul relaxing 10 days exploring beautiful islands and eating way too many desserts.

I don’t think either of us expected the coming months to develop the way they did. I think we learned more about ourselves and our relationship during that time, and as hard as it was it truly made us stronger as a couple.

Through it all, I am still crazy about you. I still think about our first kiss in Italy and I still get those butterflies. I love your zest for life and that little kid that is still inside of you. I am excited about the traveling that is ahead of us, and the kids that we will raise and the life we have left to live together.

Thank you for being a wonderful man, a wonderful husband and a wonderful friend.

I love you Evan.

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i’m not using capitals, the shift button is too hard to reach. jen and i are having a great time here in london. we arrived with no problems and everything has been good. i believe we have walked sixty-five hundred miles already and my feet are reminding me so. food is good, beer is better. thankfully, sites are not too crowded (i can’t imagine what it is like in summer time here). subway system is a big pain in my ass, but the streets are even worse, nothing is where it is supposed to be according to Rick Steves and our other maps.

all in all, doing well, miss everyone. sorry to just post here instead of emailing but internet time is limited.

cheers!

evan and jen

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Evan and I leave for London this afternoon and we couldn’t be more excited! I have meticulously packed my rather large suitcase while Evan is just not loading up his duffle bag…yes duffle bag, he is a light packer. We have sticky-noted our large laminated map with every possible site, market, and interesting looking pub. We will certainly bring back many pictures, and I’m sure many interesting stories!

We will be back next Thursday, if we get some internet access while we are there, I will drop a line!

Cheers!

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