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Classic Hummus

Posted by Alaina in Healthy Living and tagged with , , , ,

I always have such healthy eating goals after the sugary (and delicious!) excess of the holidays. So, I’ve started brainstorming some healthier snack options and decided to make hummus. Over the weekend, I made a double batch of it and we have been enjoying it! The kids even like it which is always a plus! I serve it with carrots, celery, and pretzels – the best compliment is our three-year-old proclaiming, “I loooove hummus.” Too cute!

Anyway, this is a quick, easy, and inexpensive snack or side dish. So yummy! You could easily add roasted red peppers or cilantro or other flavors to change it.

CLASSIC HUMMUS
Print This Recipe

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, half the liquid reserved
3 Tb. lemon juice
2 Tb. tahini
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp. salt
black pepper
2 Tb. olive oil
parsely, chopped (opt.)

In a blender or food processor, pour garbanzo beans into blender with chopped garlic. Add lemon juice, tahini, chopped garlic and salt in blender. Blend until creamy and well mixed.

Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl or storage container. To serve, sprinkle with pepper and parsley, and drizzle olive oil over the top.

2012 Question

Posted by Alaina in Healthy Living

Hi. My name is Alaina and I used to menu plan.

When the new year starts, I always feel ambitious and inspired. I want to try new things and more than anything, I want to be a regular menu planner. I know it would make life easier because…true confession…I used to be a fairly successful weekly menu planner (do you like weekly or monthly plans?). Now, I occasionally make out a list and even less occasionally actually stick to it. WHY? I honestly don’t know. Life happens, I get busy, there are a lot of poor excuses.

So, once again, I’m here at the beginning of the year and ready to dive in on menu planning. I know it will save money, reduce stress, and mean healthier eating for our family. I’m a little weary of failing and really, really want to be successful. So – I have two questions for you today that I hope it will be helpful to other readers.

1) Do you menu plan? How often? (Answer on the poll.)

2) What makes you successful (your top couple of tips)? (Please share in the comments.)

Ooh, can I add a third…pretty please…

3) Do you use any type of menu plan sheets, websites, recipe sites, freezer meals etc?

Yes, I realize that was about 5 extra questions not-so-subtly masked in one question. :)

Please, please help a girl who desperately wants to be back in the menu planning game.

Happy New Year

Posted by Alaina in In My Kitchen

Well, our good intentions failed… We really did intend to post last week but we took a vacation week instead. :) We actually got to spend a couple of days together with the rest of our siblings and family – we enjoyed great food, a lot of laughter, and many games. I have precisely zero pictures to show for this. Sigh.

While I didn’t really make any new recipes, I did spend ALOT of time in the kitchen making:

Fudge – I combined the peanut butter and chocolate and made it double decker in a 9×13 pan (yum!), made more mocha coconut, and another batch of butter pecan fudge. Now, all of the leftovers must permanently disappear.

Cookies – Many dozen of many varieties.

Cinnamon Rolls – Pioneer Woman’s recipe is my favorite. The frosting with the maple and coffee is divine but you can also make them with vanilla frosting. They are super easy and I’ve made them a few times this year… :)

Jalapeno Dip - This was a last minute decision and I was reminded again of how absolutely delicious and easy this is.

Caramel Corn - Two big batches were consumed in and embarassingly short amount of time. We shared with our neighbors and others but still…

Chex Mix - It’s addictive and somehow never gets old. I can’t stay out of this stuff!

Brie – Just yum. I could live on brie.

I’m sure I’m missings something…I did make a nutritious and delicious salad with spinach, mixed greens, pear, pecans, dried cranberries, feta, and balsamic dressing.

All in all, good food, wonderful holidays!

Did you make anything awesome? Any food goals for the coming year?

Welcome, 2012. Back to health and fitness – more of the time. :)

 

 

Overnight Coffee Cake

Posted by Alaina in Holidays and tagged with , , , , , ,

In case you still haven’t set your Christmas breakfast menu, let me offer this delicious coffee cake! My favorite part is that you make it the night before and refrigerate it overnight before baking. In the morning you can stick it in the oven and hit snooze a couple more times or send your significant other down to stick it in while you stay asleep – I would, of course, never  do that (hehehe). This recipe is delicious and you are a total rockstar for effortlessly serving a warm cake.

I like to pair this with egg casserole which can also be made the night before AND they can be baked at the same time. WIN! Now you will actually need to accept an award for your fabulous, organized, awesome breakfast – I promise I’ll keep the easiness a secret from your admirers… :) The awesome thing about this egg casserole is that you can customize it for your taste – you can add veggies, herbs, different meats, or various kinds of cheese – it is an all-time family favorite!

You will thank your self for getting it done the night before and you will love the results! I serve with coffee and tea and with fruit juice and/or fruit salad. Since it’s the holidays, sometimes we will sneak in some of our favorite(!) eggnog from the local creamery or a wonderful champagne cocktail or sparkling wine. Delish!

OVERNIGHT COFFEE CAKE
Print This Recipe

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. yogurt (or sour cream)
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons milk

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with yogurt. Pour into a greased 9×13 in. baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans and cinnamon; sprinkle over coffee cake. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. Combine confectioners’ sugar and milk; drizzle over warm coffee cake.

Gingerbread Cookies

Posted by Alaina in Baker's Delight, Holidays and tagged with , , ,

We enjoyed having friends over to decorate giant gingerbread people – candy, icing, sprinkles, the works! It was much less work than houses for our age group.

So I was in search of the perfect gingerbread cookie recipe and I think this one is pretty close! The recipe I adapted it from received great reviews but after reading them and reading the recipe, I adjusted the spices. So, this is my version of gingerbread.

I rolled these out but I’m also thinking you could form them into balls, dip the bottom of a cup in sugar and flatten the cookies before baking. If you do the latter, I think the refrigeration time would matter less.

These make your house smell wonderful and they are truly delicious – not too sweet. It was so fun making memories with my kids and their friends as they decorated their people. Their cookies were be-decked with candy – too cute! My examples are not nearly as cute. :)

GINGERBREAD COOKIES
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3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground allspice
3/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp/ salt
1/4 tsp. freshly milled black pepper
2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
2/3 c. unsulfured molasses
1 large egg

Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, salt and pepper into a medium bowl.  Set aside.

In a large mixer, beat the butter and vegetable shortening until well-combined, about 1 minute.  Add the brown sugar and beat until the mixture is light in texture and color, about 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses and egg.  Gradually mix in the flour mixture to make a stiff dough.  Divide the dough into two thick disks and wrap each disk in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until chilled – at least 3 hours.  (The dough can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.)

To roll out the cookies, work with one disk at a time, keeping the other disk refrigerated.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature until just warm enough to roll out without cracking, about 10 minutes. (If the dough has been chilled for longer than 3 hours, it may need a few more minutes.) Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with flour.  Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick, being sure that the dough isn’t sticking to the work surface (run a long meal spatula or knife under the dough occasionally just to be sure, and dust the surface with more flour, if needed).  For softer cookies, roll out slightly thicker (about 1/4 inch or a little less).  Using cookie cutters (or these templates – I printed the large boy and girl on cardstock and cut around them), cut out the cookies and transfer to nonstick cookie sheets, placing the cookies 1 inch apart.  Gently knead the scraps together and form into another disk.  Wrap and chill for 5 minutes before rolling if it is sticking and then cut out more cookies.

Bake until the edges of the cookies are set and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes.  Cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire cake racks to cool completely.  Decorate as desired.  (The cookies can be prepared up to 1 week ahead, stored in airtight containers at room temperature.) Makes about 3 dozen depending on size of the cookies.

Champagne Cranberry Cocktail

Posted by Alaina in Holidays and tagged with , , , ,
These lovely cocktails will be making an appearance at our Christmas Brunch. They are beautiful and festive. If you like them sweeter (as my husband prefers), I think you could add a sugar cube in the bottom. These are quick and easy and lovely!

Oh and you can easily serve them to all of your guests by substituting sparkling white grape juice!

CRANBERRY CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
adapted slightly from Food Network
Print This Recipe

1-ounce cranberry juice (sweetened)
1 wedge lime
Chilled Champagne or sparkling white grape juice
Cranberries (frozen)

In a Champagne flute add cranberry juice and a squeeze of lime. Top off the glass with Champagne or sparkling white grape juice. Garnish with 3 or 4 cranberries or sparkling white grape juice. Makes 1 cocktail.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles

Posted by Alaina in Holidays and tagged with , , , , , ,

Have you been on pinterest? It’s this amazing site that is really like an online scrapbook of ideas. It makes you feel completely inadequate and empowered all at the same time. There are so many categories like cool crafts, awesome looking recipes, fashion ideas, and even fitness plans. Anyway this is actually not a commercial for pinterest but it is where I found this recipe. They were called Chubby Hubby Truffles (after some rather well known ice cream) or Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles.

These are quick, very easy, and they look really nice. They are a wonderful combination of salt and sweet and the creamy peanut butter is a nice texture with the crunch of the pretzels. In full disclosure – I was not thrilled with how big I accidentally made them. These are really good!

Peanut Butter-Pretzel Truffles
adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Makes About 18-24 truffles

1½ c. pretzel pieces
½ c. creamy peanut butter (I used Skippy)
1 Tb. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 Tb. light brown sugar
3 Tb. powdered sugar
1 1/2 c.  milk or semisweet chocolate chips
1 Tb. vegetable shortening

Put the pretzel pieces into a resealable plastic bag and crush into very small bits – I used my food processor.

In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar and salt. Stir until all of the ingredients are completely blended and smooth. Add the pretzel bits to the peanut butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Add the powdered sugar and mix until completely combined.

Line a small baking sheet or plate with wax paper. Using a small cookie scoop, or about 2 teaspoons worth of peanut butter mixture, gently roll  into a ball (I put a little butter on my hand to reduce sticking and had to wash my hands after every 5 or so). Place the ball on the wax paper-lined cookie sheet and repeat with the remaining peanut butter mixture. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to dip the truffles, microwave the chocolate chips and vegetable shortening together in a small bowl at 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth.

Dip each peanut butter-pretzel ball into the melted chocolate and use a fork or spoon to roll it around, ensuring that it is completely coated with chocolate. Let any extra chocolate drip off and place back on the wax paper-lined sheet. Repeat with all of the peanut butter-pretzel balls.

Return the baking sheet to the refrigerator and again chill for at least 30 minutes. Garnish with a drizzle of melted peanut butter (melt the peanut butter for 30 seconds in the microwave and use a fork to drizzle) and crushed pretzels, if desired. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Mocha Coconut Fudge

Posted by Alaina in Holidays and tagged with , , , , ,

When How Sweet It Is posted this recipe, I knew immediately that I would be trying it. I mean really, with her willingness to interrupt our busy plans with this recipe, how could I refuse? :)  The flavor combination was an instant win in my book – kind of an extra rich and sweet twist on a yummy frappucino I enjoy occasionally – ahem.

This recipe was super quick, super decadent, and totally yum. I think we may have a new fudge recipe to add to our annual favorites – peanut butter, chocolate, and butter pecan. We may like fudge – the vote is still out – you can send me more recipes to, you know…make sure!

Let me tell you a little secret about this recipe…I made it in the microwave. You can certainly use the double boiler as the recipe recommends but I noticed that she mentioned the microwave as an option and I was sold. You see, I was up to my eyeballs in cookie baking when I threw this recipe in to the mix between shuffling cookies into the oven. So, yes, it was easy. :) You can go here for her original awesome recipe. I’m going to post my microwave version in case you are lazy like me.

Seriously, how pretty is this?! This would make aa really great gift! Oh and I forgot to mention – my mom thought this was wonderful.

Mocha Coconut Fudge
Adapted from How Sweet It Is
Print This Recipe

12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used 2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips)
12 oz. white baking chocolate, chopped (I used 2 c. white chocolate chips)
1 can (15oz) sweetened condensed milk (mine was 14 oz which was no problem), divided
1 1/2 Tb. espresso powder or instant coffee (I used the latter – two packets of an instant because that’s what I had)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1 Tb. coconut oil, divided
1/2 c. flaked coconut, toasted (350 degrees for about 10 minutes but watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn!)

Line an 8×8 pan with buttered foil.

Add semisweet chocolate to microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave for 30 more seconds. Add in half of the sweetened condensed milk (I eyeballed it), the coffee powder and 1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 tsp.) of coconut oil. Return to microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and stir. Continue 30 second increments until fully melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Spread evenly in the bottom of the pan. Mixture will be quitethick. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes (or less if your me and you want to hurry).

Add white chocolate to a micorwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds. Add in remaining condensed milk and coconut oil and return to microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave 30 more seconds if needed until mixture is completely melted. Add coconut extract and thoroughly combine. Remove fudge from freezer and add white chocolate on top, spreading evenly to coat. Top with toasted coconut, then chill in the refrigerator for 60-90 minutes.

When ready to cut, fill a large cup with hot water or run knife under the tap. Dip a sharp knife into the water, then blot on a towel. Use knife to cut fudge into your desired size of squares.

This is SO rich and SO good – I think you could easily cut this into 1 inch squares which would make for 64 pieces of fudge. :) Enjoy and go thank How Sweet It Is for this deliciousness and check out her site! If you like chocolate, coffee, and coconut, you will LOVE this.

Simple Food, Beautiful Presentation

Posted by Alaina in Entertaining 101

This is a topic that I often struggle with. A reader asked about  how I try to make something look beautiful on the table. I must give my mom credit, she has always presented food nicely even when it was just the family - no pots or pans on the table, table properly set etc. Here are a few tips I’ve learned over the years:

1) Choose the appropriate size of bowl or serving dish.

2) Use herbs to garnish – they are gorgeous and edible. Oh and I’m not talking about the diner piece of curly parsley on the side of the plate. :)

3) Think about the colors on the table and the colors of the food. I would put carrots in a white dish so the orange color pops but I would avoid putting mashed potatoes in white if possible.

4) Think outside the box – don’t be limited by your bowls and plates. You can often stack, combine, or find different uses for what you already have.

5) Look for clearance or second hand dinnerware, serving pieces, and table clothes. It’s always rewarding to find great deals that make your table beautiful.

6) Arrange the food. Take a minute and look at the dish – garnish, mound, fix.

7) When preparing a buffet, try to use various heights of dishes. You can easily but books or boxes underneath a cloth to raise regular dishes or you can use pedestal dishes.

In the first picture, I like the subtle color of the plate with the bright vegetables. In the second picture, even though the rice is white, the lentils really pop. I like the square dish and the way that the rice extended beyond the lentils – it frames the dish.

This square bowl is one of my favorites! The components of the salad look so pretty being towards the top.

While this isn’t my favorite photo, it does show the different heights and the different ways I use dishes. I like to use simple dishes so the food is really the star. Most of the dishes on the table are dishes that we use everyday as well as for entertaining.

***Stay tuned – next week is devoted to Christmas goodies – especially chocolate! We will have new recipes for you every day!***

Lentil Pasta Soup

Posted by Alaina in Soup Pot, Vegetarian and tagged with , , , , ,

Lentil soup is pretty much one of my family’s favorites. It’s comforting, healthy, and just plain delicious. One thing I love about cooking with lentils is that they are quick and easy to prepare – you don’t have to soak the beans or let them cook for hours like most dried beans.

Anyway, I’ve made many variations of lentil soup and this one did not disappoint. I adapted it from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe. The pasta made it extra good and we definitely enjoyed this meatless, hearty soup. It’s heathy and easy - perfect for winter and perfect for these busy holiday prep days!

LENTIL PASTA SOUP
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2 Tb. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 1/4 c. lentils (I used a combo of green and red)
11 cups chicken broth (or vegetable to make it vegetarian)
3/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 c. dried elbow pasta
Parmesan cheese (opt.)
Olive oil for drizzle (opt.)

Heat the oil in a  large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes (do not drain). Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Return to a boil and stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve: sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil.