My Hubby's Birthday

Today is Jamey's birthday.  So that means his favorite French Beef Salad and  Chocolate Chip Squares for dessert.  The Chocolate Chip Squares that he enjoys so much I found well over 13 years ago from a Southern Living Annual, but I can't find the original copy of the recipe, so I can't give proper credit for the recipe and the wonderful lady who submitted it at this moment, but when I find it I will! I promise!

Lunch today, I made French Onion Soup using the broth that was made from the beef roast that I  cooked in the Crock-Pot  last night while we slept.  I love my Crock-Pot! Now, the said meat is chilling in the fridge awaiting on me to dress it with it's vinaigrette, Swiss, Red Onions and Green Peppers.  Since Joey don't care for FBS, I picked up some thin steaks I will grill for him before we eat.  The kids have also requested Yorkshire Pudding, which I will be ever so grateful to fulfill for them.  Jamey will be happy with just the FBS and a glass of Sweet Tea.

Top Secret Recipes….Revealed!

Earlier this morning I posted a picture of a birthday cake I made for a friend stationed here with her husband & family at Fort Riley, who are also from North Carolina. I figured I’d show some NC love and make a Cheerwine cake with a twist. My friend is allergic to walnuts and I couldn’t top her cake with the normal Cheerwine icing, so I made a new special icing to frost two 9 inch cakes.

This recipe is no secret for Cheerwine loving fans. The recipe has been posted before on their website along with their Holiday Punch, BBQ sauce and ice cream recipes, but they’ve disappeared. Have no fear, this Cheerwine addict has them all.

For the basic Cheerwine cake recipe, you'll need....

CheerDevil Cake

1 cup Cheerwine*

1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix

1 teaspoon almond extract

Prepare cake mix as directed on the package, substituting 1 cup of Cheerwine for the water and add almond extract. Pour into a 9x13 greased and floured pan. Bake as directed. Pour frosting over hot cake with recipe below.

Cheerwine Icing

1/3 cup Cheerwine*

2 ½ cups powdered sugar

½ cup margarine

¼ teaspoon almond extract

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat Cheerwine, margarine and cocoa together over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and blend until smooth. Stir in almond extract and mix in chopped nuts. Cool slightly and spread over cake. *Diet Cheerwine can be substituted for the cake and icing in either recipe.

Here’s my little Ayden on his second birthday enjoying a classic Cheerwine cake my husband made for him.

Now for the enhanced version of Cheerwine Cake and new creamy icing, I made a few substitutions. Starting with the cake mix, I replaced the vegetable oil with the same amount of all natural applesauce and proceeded with the basic Cheerwine cake recipe. This makes you feel a bit less guilty while enjoying all this chocolaty goodness infused with Cheerwine. Then grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans and bake as directed. Let the cakes cool completely and then frost with the icing.

I went in a completely different direction with the new icing. The regular icing is very runny and sets up after an hour or so. I opted for a semi-homemade Grandma Strick inspired chocolate icing that would be creamy and ice two 9 inch cakes.

Creamy Chocolate Cheerwine Icing

1 container creamy home-style milk chocolate icing

½ teaspoon almond extract*

¼ cup of Cheerwine*

4 tablespoons of powdered sugar*

Starting with a container of creamy home-style milk chocolate icing from the store, place in bowl of stand mixer or use a hand mixer. Add the almond extract and Cheerwine. Mix well and add powdered sugar to thicken it back up. Frost cake and place it in fridge for an hour to set up completely before serving.

*These amounts are estimation, add to taste and desired consistency of icing.

If you can’t find Cheerwine near you, try the Cheerwine locator online. The basic recipe uses almost an entire 8 oz can for the cake mix and icing. Enjoy!

Anniversary Dinner

Last Wednesday, my husband & I celebrated our 9^th wedding anniversary.

For the first time in 2 years (thanks to the U.S. Army) our traditions continued together. Monday night we watched How I Met Your Mother & WWE Monday Night Raw, we watched Billy Madison on Tuesday evening, which was our first date movie & enjoyed dinner together on Wednesday. We can almost turn it into a week long celebration. The only thing that was missing was the Blue Bell Wedding Cake Ice Cream. We had decided early on that we would be going out for dinner due to it being a school night and saving all we can for our trip home at Christmas. But, we had a nice candlelight dinner with two of the world’s cutest boys.

For dinner, I prepared Beef Wellington with mushroom duxelles for MtAoFC Vol. 1 by Julia Child (see I told you that you needed to buy that cookbook) and modified it slightly by using store-bought puff pastry sheets.

Alongside the Beef Wellington, I served braised Brussels sprouts with lemon-pepper and parmesan cheese. Super simple recipe, just steam frozen sprouts for 5 minutes in the microwave, cut in half, and toss with EVOO and lemon-pepper seasoning. Then place in a baking dish cut side up, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and bake along side the Beef Wellington and then broil for 5 minutes to brown the cheese. After dinner we snuggled up on the couch and watched Survivor, cheered on Cochran and enjoyed a sweet Pumpkin Whoopie Pie!

The whoopie pies were a first attempt for me and they turned out great! Thanks to the lovely ladies once again at Our Best Bites for the recipe. I hope you all enjoy these tasty recipes!

Further Proof I need a Le Creuset Dutch Oven!

Today, since I couldn't be in North Carolina to celebrate my oldest sister Mande's birthday, I decided to honor her in a different way. I'm not talking about sending her a card or posting a "Happy Birthday!" on her Facebook wall (which I did), but I did make a dinner in her honor.Earlier last week, while grocery shopping I bought all the ingredients for a recipe that I had never made before:

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

Yep, JC's timeless Beef Burgundy. One of Mande's favorite dishes that she likes to make is her own version of Rachael Ray's Beef Burgundy. She has since then been inspired to one day make Julia's version, but I beat her to it. (Sorry Sis!)
Let me say that the aroma that has filled the house all day while this has been cooking is amazing. It's a deep, earthy smell of root veggies, wine, thyme and bay leaves.
Almost as enticing as Christmas Scent, which is a slow simmered pot of cinnamon sticks, cloves, bay leaves and citrus. Mmmm...heaven. Cloves have that homey smell and reminds me of my Grandma Strick's kitchen. Ah, memories.
I didn't have the bacon rind as called for and used Merlot. I was limited in my choice of wines this time, but next time I will be swinging by the Oz Winery in Wamego, Kansas for a bottle of "Ding Dong the Wine is Red" next time I prepare this wonderful dish.
This dish is simple enough, ingredient-wise, but is labor intensive. I used too many pots and pans. I had a hard time making the Beef Burgundy in my small 2 1/2 quart stoneware casserole dish that I got a Pier One long ago, which is further proof I want a Le Creuset Dutch Oven! A cast iron casserole dish or dutch oven would have saved me from washing several pots & pans, since I couldn't put my stoneware directly on the stovetop. Then again, a $200 price tag on a 3 1/2 qt. cast iron dutch oven makes me a bit sick and doing a few extra dishes isn't so bad. But, I would love to have an Ikea Senior 3 quart Casserole for $39.99 (as pictured above) in the same color blue as the fancy overpriced one.
I browned the bacon and beef in my small cast iron frying pan, transferred it to my smallish stoneware casserole dish for part of the cooking process, transferred into my large pasta pot to simmer the wine and broth in, then bravely poured the contents back into my stoneware casserole dish & prayed it didn't overflow on the counter. It didn't, but I'll be the first to tell you this fills up an entire 2 1/2 quart dish. I set it back in the lower 3rd of my oven as instructed by Child and put a baking sheet underneath the dish to eliminate my worries of a bubbling mess on the bottom of my oven. Fears aside I went ahead and sautéed my Baby Bella mushrooms in butter and did the same with my frozen pearl onions in lieu of brown-braising them in stock. The Boeuf Bourguignon cooked for 2 hours and 45 minutes and finished up around 12:30. I took it out of the oven and let it cool....

......had a bowl for lunch......

and then put it into the refrigerator. When we were ready for dinner I set it back in the oven to warm up while I got the egg noodles ready. It took a good 20 minutes to heat through after a quick 5 minutes in the microwave. I served it over buttered egg noodles and alongside a salad with French dressing and a crusty loaf of French bread.

Delicious ~ is all I can say.

There's a bit of disappointment I have to share and it's that I'm not posting the full recipe on our blog. This is one cookbook that I believe that everyone should have or borrow and read through. Here's a real treat, Barnes & Noble just released the Nook e-book version of Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. 1 for $19.99, so there's no excuse why you don't have a copy. If you're real desperate here's a link to the recipe on food.com. I have learned so much from reading through the different recipes in Volumes 1 & 2, My Life in France and reading one of my favorite books, Julie & Julia which I read back in 2009. I even did a review of Powell's book on my personal blog. I hope that this post has given some of you a bit of inspiration to attempt this timeless dish.

Bon appétit!

Recipe Failed

I am an addict of pinterest.com. I'll admit it.  I have no shame. Anywho, one of the recipes that I pinned to my board was Blooming Cheesy Onion Bread. The only thing I changed was the cheese and I used Colby Jack that I got from Whole Foods yesterday.  I lucked up on the bread and found it this morning marked down to $2.70 at Wally World when I picked up stuff to make spaghetti for Em's volleyball team later this week.  It turned out ok but it wasn't a knock out of the park. It lacked layers of flavor.  You would get a little of the onion, cheese and bread in one bite then the next wasn't as good as the first. Even the kids were like "Eh, I'll eat it but it would be better with meat." I agreed thinking I would have rather spent the money to make Bacon Swiss Bread.

I did make some potato cakes made from the leftover mashed potatoes from lunch today, and those turned out awesome. :)

Southern Lunch

I decided when at the grocery store yesterday to make an ol' fashioned southern lunch for today. Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Buttermilk Biscuits.  I picked up a pack of 12 chicken legs at the grocery store for $3.72.  Not a spectacular deal, but the way my 3 teens eat, I needed that  much for one meal.  They always fight over the legs if I bring Bojangles home.  So, that was the other deciding factor in getting the legs.
I read many a recipe on frying chicken.  Everybody has their own way.  So, I took info from here and there and made my own Fried Chicken recipe! I soaked the legs in buttermilk for about 4 hours this morning after I washed and dried them. 

Then they hung out in the fridge while I made the Pumpkin Bread I have been hungering for. I had to wait for my local Wally World to start carrying it since apparently it is a "seasonal" item.  Well, since my Pumpkin Bread Season begins before they start selling it (Food Lion STILL does not have it!) I will make sure I have stock to carry me through until next year just in case I have to make random pumpkin items. This recipe for the pumpkin bread is some of the best I have ever had.  Just a note on the recipe, I use the 28oz can of pumpkin and 2 1/2 tbsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of the cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I make 2 full loaves and 8 mini loaves instead of the 3 regular loaves.

I had Emma peel some potatoes and then Michael sliced them for our mashed potatoes while I began frying the chicken up.  Emma then began work on some Buttermilk Biscuits. We have tried several recipes in the past and like them, but I wanted to do something new.  She did a great  job and they were light and airy.

Once the chicken was done I made up some basic gravy using the oil the chicken was fried in and the flour left over from dredging.  We got the potatoes mashed up and were ready to eat.

I finally made it for them...

Dinner tonight was a good enough reason not to ever go to a steakhouse again for dinner.  We had steaks, twice baked potatoes, salads, roasted broccoli, Yorkshire pudding and for dessert: No Crust Egg Custard Pie!

(Well, the only reason we really go to a steakhouse or out to eat now, is that there is NO CLEAN UP required on our part.  We learned a long time ago, that we can cook better than what we can go purchase and for much cheaper. But all that is beside the point.)

Tonight was the first time I have ever made the No Crust Egg Custard Pie for my family.  No clue to why I never have, but I didn't.  I use to make it a lot when I was growing up.  

I did run into a problem, as that the recipe which came from my Mom, is that I really wanted to make this but was out of vanilla extract.  I took a chance and used almond extract in its place.  It worked out great!  

The custard has a creamy texture that is just dreamy.

Yesterday, I made an Onion Quiche with a side salad for dinner.  Just thinking about this makes me want more!!!

Could it be Mamaw's Saucy Pineapple Pork Chops?

Hello there. It's time for another Adventure in Crock-potting!! I'm making a variation on my Mamaw's Saucy Pineapple Pork Chops.  I really wasn't big on pork until the last year or so and didn't appreciate this wonderful meal when it was made when I was younger. So while channeling my maternal grandmother's (aka Mamaw) love of pork, I decided to use her Saucy Pineapple Pork Chops recipe and combine it with a similar slow cooker recipe. Here's what I've got cooking now.

 Saucy Hawaiian Pineapple Pork Chops
4-6 large boneless pork loin chops, trimmed of fat & about 1/2 inch thick (2-3 lbs)
1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
Salt, pepper & paprika
1 8oz can of pineapple rings in juice
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. arrowroot (Cornstarch or quick cooking tapioca can be substituted)
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 Tbsp. water
A dash of ground cloves
2 cups of assorted sliced veggies (green, red, yellow & orange bell peppers and onion)
2 cups of cooked hot rice, for serving
1/4 cup chopped, toasted macadamia nuts (optional)

Salt, pepper & paprika the pork chops and brown both sides in hot oil. While the pork chops are browning, combine the pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, arrowroot, dry mustard, cloves and water in a bowl with a whisk. When the sauce is combined and no lumps remain, set aside. Drain and place pork chops into slow cooker, cut to fit if needed. Arrange sliced peppers and onions on top (mine were already sliced and frozen and ready to throw in) Arrange pineapple slices on top of the vegetables. Pour reserved sauce over pineapple, vegetables and pork chops. Cover; cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Skim & discard fat from top of sauce, if any. Serve meat and sauce over hot cooked rice. Sprinkle with toasted macadamia nuts, if desired. Steamed Sugar snap peas would be an excellent side to this dish. Enjoy.

Be sure to check out our Facebook fan page "Adventures in Our Kitchens"  and like us to see picture of the finished meal and other fun stuff. :D

Adventures in Crock-Potting.....

Wow, we've been a bit behind on the blogging bit. Our family is finally in the swing of things with school back in session and back to planning our evening around our favorite fall line-ups on television. So to work around the Monday night line-up on CBS, Survivor on Wednesdays and I about forgot my oldest having Cub Scout meeting on Thursdays we're Crock-pot cooking around here. As much inspiration as I have found from these lovely gals at Crockpotgirls(dot)com, it's made me also realize how much time I spend cooking while I could be playing with my kids, reading the next best seller, or spending time with my husband watching "How I Met Your Mother" or "Survivor". So I'm doing my own 
"Adventures in Crock-Potting" series on here.  Not all of my post will be Crock pot related, but this fall and winter will have lots of quick & delicious meals to make it a Crock-pot. Hopefully, this will catch on better than the Fabulous Friday thing I tried. :( Plus, it reminds me of that great 80's movie. You know, the one with Elizabeth Shue , where she takes the kids she's babysitting to downtown Chicago to help a friend. Good movie. Anyway, so today's adventure is a simple twist on a recipe that I posted several months ago on here: Roast Chicken with Pears.

 I was going to fix a simple beer can chicken this evening, but I drank my last Halcyon last night and didn't want to run out and buy a six pack for the chicken tonight. Well, I could have, but then I'd have 5 extra Halcyon's calling my name from the fridge. This beer is so far the best thing that has come out of Kansas. Check out my personal blog to read about our tour to the local brewery where Halcyon is made. But, instead I decided to cook this favorite of mine and with a bit of inspiration. My aunt back in NC who reads our blog, wrote me and told me how much she enjoyed this meal, but it was a bit labor intensive and saved it for the weekends. I didn't blame her, because it is a chore to roast the chicken and veggies after a long day at work.

Thinking to myself: Why not try it in the crock-pot? Well, I did. :D

Today I had everything on hand to make this dish, except the fresh pears, but I had canned. Starting the same way I did with the normal recipe, I used a few red potatoes that I quartered (in lieu of turnips), baby carrots (in lieu of parsnips) and an onion quartered, mixed with balsamic vinegar, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper.  **This step can be done the night before and placed in a gallon zip top bag with the marinade in the fridge, same goes for the chicken.
 I had a whole chicken, but it didn't fit in the crock-pot and had me cussing, so I chopped it up into quarters, coated it with some olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper. Then I  arranged it skin side up on top of the vegetables and topped it with two 15 oz cans of drained pear halves and a cup of dried cranberries that had soaked in water for a few minutes. (add some of that water to the crock-pot). I cooked it on low for 5-6 hours. When your time is up, preheat the oven *Broil* and grab a large baking sheet. Carefully scoop the pears off the top and lay them on a small plate while you remove the chicken from the crock-pot and arrange on the baking sheet along with the veggies. Add the pears to the baking sheet on top of the veggies, mix 1 Tbsp of honey with 1 Tbsp of EVOO and brush on the chicken and pears. Broil for 10 minutes until the skin begins to brown and crisp.  Remove and serve while hot. 

The only down side of using a whole chicken and including the breast was that it got a little dry, but other than that, it was a delicious dinner. Enjoy. :D

Pumpkin Bread

It's that time of year!!!!  It's pumpkin bread time!!!!!  I plan on making some this weekend, so excited!

Help from the "Sandwich King"

Last night, I wanted to do something different but not TOO dramatic since I didn't want to cook for hours.  So, I went through my normal recipe stash then decided to look on Food Network.  I saw that the Sandwich King - Jeff Mauro was featured on the front page.  He wasn't my favorite during the last The Next Food Network Start series (Sorry, I was a Vic fan!) but his point of view (POV) as they called it, stayed the same from the beginning to end.  I am sure that is what put him ahead of Vic & Susie , as Jeff's show was something different that hasn't been seen yet. 


Anyways, back to the actual food.  So, I clicked on the link and brought up his page. I scanned the recipes and landed on Chicago Steakhouse Sandwich.  After giving it a read, I made my grocery list.


To bad I couldn't afford 40oz of Boneless Ribeye, because it would have made this sandwich even awesome-er!  I say 40oz because I have to double things for my teenage garbage disposals. I ended up getting a nice top round that was on sale.  The recipe also calls for 30oz of fresh spinach.  I only got a 5oz box of spinach basically because I didn't know how well it would go over. Well, needless to say that I will probably do 10oz next time. I think 30 oz or the shocking 60 oz for doubling would be completely insane in the amount. The spinach adds another layer of flavor that will make you moan.  I also used sub rolls since they were BOGO at Lowe's Foods.  I made the blue cheese dressing as it calls for and it was a little runnier than needed for sandwiches as you can tell from the first bite picture, however it was really good. 

With a side of fries baked in the oven, the meal was complete. The only thing I think I screwed up on was the cutting of the meat.  I didn't get it "against the grain" so it was tough to bite off cleanly, but it was yummy. Even my mother-in-law said so. ;)

Veggie Day

Not having a lot of options for dinner in the house and not a lot of cash to do anything big for lunch or dinner today, I decided on the laco-ovo vegetarian option for our meals.

For lunch I made French Onion Soup. Instead of using beef broth, I used Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Beef Base. There are many other varieties of this product. I purchased this when I did my month of "Meatless Mande" from the very bottom shelf at my local Whole Foods store. The jar ran around $4.50 or so, but after seeing the other varieties at Food Lion, Wal-Mart, Harris Teeter and Lowes Food cost about the same amount, it didn't hurt the pocketbook that bad.

Now, I know the link above goes to my Vegan French Onion Soup, but the only thing that changes from what I made today is that I used regular no salt butter & sweet onions. I didn't have any cheese to go with it, but we made due and just had it with croutons. I do have to say that I did miss the cheese just a little bit, as did Emma & Michael.

I searched the cabinets for inspiration for dinner and found I had some Jiffy Mix. The thought of dumplings sounded good but I stopped buying chicken broth/stock ages ago. I had my supply of veggie broth though. I made the dough as it is called for, rolled them out & cut them. Then I brought to a boil 2 -32oz boxes of veggie broth and seasoned it with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. I added the dumplings and cooked them as the packaged directed. I served them up in my Fiestaware bowls. OMM (Oh My Marshmallows), this turned out SO yummy! Joey had no idea that I didn't make the dumplings with chicken broth until I told him.

For our "dessert" I made some cornbread muffins as the kids have been craving them since Joyce sent some home with her Chili Beans that Jamey and Michael love so much. Matter of fact, I think I hear one calling my name right now!

Southern Style Cooking in Kansas

Yesterday, I had the privilege of spending the day with my neighbor, Tenisha and celebrating her birthday all day long. One of the joys of being an Army wife is that there's always a time when a spouse isn't here to help celebrate special occasions and this is were other Army wives step in and help fill that void. I did the best I could.
The day started off by dropping off a carrot cake that I had made for her and gave her a copy of "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. Then I went home and whipped up the two of us a simple breakfast of baked eggs, buttered toast, fresh fruit and coffee, which we enjoyed outside at her patio table. Then I chauffeured her around post, managing every close parking space possible (which never happens to me) and then we cooked and ate dinner together along with our children. Now after reading this, everyone will be wanting to be my neighbor.

Last night for dinner, she fried chicken and I made homemade Bojangles' biscuits. Let me tell you, that was an awesome dinner. We ate the chicken and biscuits alongside some pickled beets and capped off the night with a slice of carrot cake. Now if that's not a good birthday, I don't know what one would be.Now, there was nothing special to the chicken just the mini wings and arm joints coated in flour and fried up golden brown. The biscuits were a recipe I had never tried, but will be my go to biscuit recipe from now on. I found them in a cookbook that I've had for years. Don't be thrown off by the mayo in them. They're amazing!

Homemade Bojangles' Biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk*
Butter, melted

Mix dry ingredients; add buttermilk and mayonnaise. Knead dough slightly and then roll out onto floured surface and cut into biscuits. Place onto a baking sheet coated with non-stick spray. Bake at 450* for 10 minutes. Brush melted butter on top and then continue baking about 5 more minutes or until golden brown. Makes 9 biscuits. Enjoy.

*Buttermilk Substitution -Place a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line. Let stand for five minutes. Then use as much as your recipe calls for.

The Famous Mac & Cheese from Pickett Place

So last night, I finally learned the "secret" recipe for the famous macaroni and cheese our neighborhood is known for. My neighbor, Tenisha has lived here on the the same street for over four years. If people don't know her name, which very few people don't, she's know as the lady on Pickett who makes that awesome mac & cheese for bbq's and cookouts. I was skeptical about a German-born Army brat making better macaroni and cheese than an 85 year old lady from the South. After the first bite, I was in LOVE with this macaroni & cheese. The recipe makes a 9x13 pan and after a typical bbq with around 15-20 it's gone. Luckily, last night there was some left over. This much.

Now, if a picture is worth a thousand words, you know that this mac & cheese is a winner! It's creamy with melted cheese running through and a little "Oomph"! There are really no measurements, like all great recipes, just amounts used.

Pickett Place's Famous Mac & Cheese
1 box elbow macaroni
4 cups sharp cheddar, grated (Tenisha only uses Kraft)
3 eggs
Milk, maybe 1/2 cup or more
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Creole Seasoning, to taste (Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning)

Preheat the oven to 400*. Boil noodles and drain. Return the noodles to the same pot crack 3 eggs, add and mix well, then add 3 cups of cheese, stir and mix well. Add milk in small amounts as you stir to avoid making it too soupy. Add seasonings to taste. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray and add macaroni. Top with the remaining cup of cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted throughout.

Now that I've shared the secret with you, it's your turn to make this simple, yet delicious mac & cheese. If you're not up to making a whole 9x13 pan, cut the recipe in half and use just one egg. Hope you all enjoy this dish!

Pork Chop kind of day.

Due to my super hectic schedule, I haven’t been cooking much at all much less being able to blog.Last Saturday was a Pork Chop kind of day. They were the thin boneless, but they packed a punch.I brought the pork chops up to room temp, drizzled them with some EVOO and then sprinkled on a packet of Lipton Recipe Secrets – Savory Garlic & Herb. I rubbed the seasoning packet in with the oil and then let them marinate while I began the prep and cooking of other dishes. When it was time to grill them, Michael our newest Grill Master, took them out to the grill.

During one of my searches on the Weights Watchers website, I found a recipe for potatoes that had OVER 5,000, yes FIVE THOUSAND positive reviews! I decided that I would give them a try. The recipe is for Dijon Roasted Potatoes. Potatoes are cut and cubed then dressed with Dijon mustard and several other spices before being baked in the oven. I can’t share it here unfortunately since it is a registered WW Recipe. These potatoes went from an unknown new dish to a place in our reoccurring recipes.

The other side dishes weren’t anything new just tried and true favorites: Broccoli with Cheese Sauce, Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Asparagus and Mice. Michael doesn’t eat Broccoli with Cheese Sauce but likes Roasted Broccoli so that is why we had two broccoli dishes at the table that night. The Roasted Asparagus is made just like the Roasted Broccoli, but just changing the veggie involved. The Mice are one of an acquired taste, but Emma and myself love them.

Fabulous Friday ~ Mande's Top 5

So, my little sister threw down the gauntlets for doing at Top Friday 5. I wasn’t able to do a post last night because I volunteered to work the concession stand at West Davidson for the NewBridge Bank High School Football Jamboree. But I can do it now! Here we go!

#5– Ketchup

I know you are like why plain ol’ ketchup. Simple. It is awesome. My kids go through about a bottle a week.

#4 – Lipton Recipe Secrets Savory Garlic & Herb

I have been using this since Jamey and I got married17 years ago for potatoes until the stores stopped stocking it. So, I just did without. Nikki moves to Kansas and finds it there then the store here start carrying it about 2 month after she leaves. She was kind enough to supply me with a stash.

#3 – Kraft Pineapple Spread

Can’t find this stuff NOWHERE, but they have it in Kansas. Go figure. This is awesome on an original Triscuits and even better on a spoon.

#2- Joy of Cooking Cookbook

This is one of the classics that I think everyone should have a copy of. I would even go as far as saying to have an older one as well as a newer one – just for the changes and new additions. I have made several things out of here and is my first go-to cookbook when I know what I want to try but don’t have the recipe.

#1 – Marie’s Blue Cheese Dressing

I have loved this stuff since I was young. My kids love it now. It has found other places to be used besides a salad, like eating it with fries, on a baked potato and dipping your steak/pork/chicken in it. I am proud to say that my kids got that from me. It’s also a special item in our home because of the cost, so the kids know to “cherish” it when is purchased.

My New Favorite Cake!

Last night I made a new cake recipe in preparation for a neighbor's birthday later this month. My neighbor said she liked carrot cake and I had found a recipe in the mini magazine I get at the commissary on post. So I decided to make it so Clay could test it out. It's actually a "healthy" recipe, only 342 calories per serving, which isn't too bad. I also made the cream cheese icing in the recipe, which very well could be the world's best cream cheese icing. After I pulled the cake layers from the oven, they smelt so good and I couldn't wait for the layers to cool before I put the cream cheese icing on it. So it got a little "melty" before it set up in the fridge, but by far one of the best cakes I've ever had.

This is after Clay has taken his slice. *joking* Click here for the recipe. I hope you all enjoy this cake as much as I did. I can't wait to make it again for my neighbor's birthday!

Fabulous Friday ~ Nikki's Top Five

Okay, so I know it's been awhile since I've done a post! *eek!* But, we've been busy. We've had family from out of town and I've been dealing with a nasty infection in my leg from a wolf spider bite. I'll spare you with the details, but it wasn't pretty. I'm going to attempt to start a list of our top five of fabulous things (kitchen or food related) every Friday and let my wonderful co-blogging family have a turn too!

Okay, so on to my Fabulous Friday ~Top Five!

#5 - Knorr Salad Dressing

This is a wonderful, light salad dressing my German neighbor introduced to me. I can even read in German now - mix 3 tablespoons oil and 3 tablespoons of water to the seasoning packet to make a fast and refreshing dressing.

# 4- Jäger-Sahne Schnitzel by Maggi

This is another wonderful German product that I found in the Commissary (okay, my neighbor told me about it). Add cream and sliced mushrooms to this seasoning packet along with some pork cutlets and you've got a tasty meal. Germans typically eat this over a plate of French fries, but we serve up this dish with roasted baby red potatoes and Brussels Sprouts. Mmm...delicious!

#3- Millstone Breakfast Blend Coffee and International Delight Almond Joy Creamer

We've been hooked on some Dunkin' Doughnut coffee for well over a couple years, until now. The price of coffee (even at the Commissary) is a bit high. I was looking for a *cough* cheaper brand to switch to, but came home with a $7.30 bag of this splendid treasure after trying a small $1.00 sample of it. Add some International Delight Almond Joy Creamer and you've got the best cup of coffee you've ever dreamed of!

#2- Small Santoku Knife Colori by Kuhn Rikon

This by far is the most awesome knife I have ever used. I got the blue one at Dillard's for less than $11.00 back in January. It slices, it dices, it chops, it does everything that a knife is supposed to do. As if that wasn't enough, it come with a plastic cover for the blade to use during storage, which means no more cut fingers while digging through your knife drawer!

#1- Narumi Phoebe China made in Japan

Okay, this is the most beautiful China I have ever seen! On weekends as a getaway from the kids and my husband and for sanity reasons, I go thrifting or visit local antique shops. I found this china pattern with a 16 piece plate setting complete with serving platter and two serving bowls for $40.00. I haven't bought it yet, but it retails online for $17.95 per dinner plate. So, I'm saying this is a steal! Hopefully, I'll get this for mine and Clay's 9th wedding anniversary in October. *hint hint*

Lunch

I have been wanting something that Dad & I saw last week on America's Test Kitchen on PBS - since they did it. There isn't really much I have ever seen on TV that I had the feeling to make immediately. I have tested, tried and liked many recipes I have seen done on TV, but a very small few gave me the notion to do then & there. This was one of them: Quick Tomato Sauce from the Italian Bread and Sauce from Season 10. To see the recipe, you have to go to there website, register (it's free - that's what you use that junk email address you created for right???) then just type the recipe in the search bar. The same episode, they made Ciabatta bread, I think I could pull it off, but it makes me want a Kitchen Aid mixer more than I already do!!!!

I went on a hunt this morning for the crushed tomatoes they said use. I started at the Food Lion in Salisbury at Innes Market looking for the Muir Glen kind because they are the Organic ones & I didn't feel like driving over to Harris Teeter on the other side of town. Well, FL had it but it was over $3 for

it and I only had $2.85 on me since I cleaned out the silver change holder in my room and didn't feel I should pay that much for them since I knew I could cheat and use something cheaper. I decided to go ahead and drive over to HT with a pit stop by Starbucks for my non-fat raspberry latte. I did find the Tuttorosso Crushed Tomatoes there for $2. Score! I did consider getting the Furmano's or Cento's brands if I couldn't grab one of the brands shown on the show. I suggest to definitely look at the pictures of the labels if you choose to go shopping for these as there are many choices they can blend together.

The cooking of the sauce was extremely easy and turned out super tasty!

I was going to make French Bread using a recipe from my Joy of Cooking

cookbook and I was reading over the recipe and Emma began looking with me since I mentioned about making it. The recipe beside of it was Egg Bread, but the picture is what caught her eye. It showed how to braid it. Needless to say, we made Egg Bread. Emma helped me measure and Michael sifted the flour. Emma and I mixed the dough (insert our wishing for that Kitchen Aid Mixer with dough hook here) then Michael helped us as we took turns kneading the dough. Then we waited it to rise....then we braided.

The picture to the right is Michael dividing his dough for braiding. The one here on the left is Emma braiding her bread.

Let me say, braiding hair is much easier!

Here is the completed sauce made by the directions with pasta and a slice of our Egg Bread.

Could Have Been from Mom's Kitchen

Our dinner tonight could have been found at my Mom & Dad's table on any given day in the summer. Grilled Cube Steak and Italian Potatoes with Hockey Pucks for dessert.

Hockey Pucks you say? I did, say!

Hockey Pucks is actually what we call Boiled Cookies or No Bake Cookies. Our Uncle Gary dubbed them Hockey Pucks because that is what they look like!