A couple more pictures

i added some more pictures to flickr today. check them out. click here.

morning glory muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c white sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups grated carrots
1 apple cored, peeled and cut into little pieces
1 cup raisins

1 egg
2 egg whites
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1tbsp vanilla extract


2 tbsp chopped walnuts
2 tbsp wheat germ
(1 tbsp sugar)


Preheat oven to 375. Place muffins cups in muffin pan. In large bowl mix together the first group of ingredients. In a medium bowl whisk together the second group. Stir in apple butter mixture until just moistened. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full. In a small bowl combine walnuts and wheat germ (and I added sugar), sprinkle over muffin tops.

bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes (mine took more than 20 in a convection oven, so go more toward 20).

everyone loved them. next time i might add flax seeds to the batter, too...

Clean food

i got several new cookbooks for christmas and i've been cooking a lot out of one called "clean food." i am still forming my opinions on this cookbook, but a few thoughts on it before i go on...

1. this is no beginner's cookbook. you need to already be committed to really nourishing your family, not just feeding them. if you're not, you will take one look at the recipes and give up. it has a lot of hard to find ingredients and things you've just plain never heard of.

2. it is organized seasonally, which is fabulous. that way you can actually cook with things that are grown locally, or at least not too far away :)

3. i fully subscribe to the philosophy of training your taste buds not to need so much salt, sugar, etc. but to learn to truly appreciate the taste of beautiful, natural food. even still, i've had to slightly "fix" a few of these recipes so far (e.g adding greek seasoning or a dipping sauce). some have been just a little bland. having said that, there are also some recipes in here that are satisfying on every level: extremely healthy and extremely tasty.

anyways, here is what we had for dinner last night, all from the clean food cookbook. it was a homerun. even the kids loved it.

homemade  pomegranate vinaigrette  

atop

winter salad

6 cups romaine lettuce

2 d'anjou pears

seeds from 1/2 pomegranate

topped with

sugared walnuts

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp walnut oil

1 Tbsp maple sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups walnuts

preheat oven to 350. in medium bowl combine syrup, oil, sugar, cinnamon. add walnuts and toss to coat. spread on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake until lightly browned (about 20 minutes). remove from oven and set aside.

place greens in salad bowl, combine with most of the sliced pears, drizzle with pomegranate vinaigrette and toss to coat. arrange remaining pears and sugared walnuts over salad greens. top with pomegranate seeds and serve.

and

simply delicious spaghetti squash

1 spaghetti squash

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves minced

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

preheat oven to 400. place squash on cookie sheet and bake 1 hour or until soft. remove from oven and set aside.

in small skillet over low heat, saute garlic in oil until soft (about 2 min). cut squash in half lengthwise and remove and discard seeds. hold half of squash upside down over serving bowl and using a fork, scrape out flesh from to to bottom to separate the strands of squash. repeat with other half, toss with garlic, oil, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

 top with favorite spaghetti sauce and garnish with parmesan cheese. lots of it :)

YUM!

Midnight Snack

I have to brag on my husband for a moment. This is not hard to do. He is awesome in many ways. One of which: his mad midnight snack skills. When I ask Dan to be "snackmaker" he will most likely come back with one of two things: bluebell ice cream or a Masterpiece. These snacks are quite often so beautiful I can't bear to eat them until I have taken a picture. So I present a little collage of my dining pleasure for your viewing pleasure....

Pictures

i posted some new ones on flickr. check them out here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/melissacurls/

Molten Lava Cakes

This recipe is sinfully delicious!!! Half the recipe for a nighttime treat for you and your other half ;)

Molten Chocolate Cake

• 4 pieces (squares) Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate
• ½ cups Butter
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• 2 whole Egg Yolks
• 6 Tablespoons Flour
• 2 cups Real Whipping Cream (seriously It's So Much Better!)
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray 4 custard cups with Pam and place on cookie sheet.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl on high for about 1 minute, until butter is melted. whisk until chocolate is also melted.

Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour.

Divide between cups.

Bake 13-14 minutes until sides are firm and center is soft. Let stand 1 minute.

Combine sugar and heavy cream and whip until stiff.

Invert cakes on dishes and top with whipped cream.










this recipe is from

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/molten-chocolate-cake/comment-page-3/#cr

recipe blitz

Pork Roast with Plum Sauce
i ran out of ginger the day i made this, so mine didn't have any ginger in it. i'm assuming it would still be tasty with ginger :)


Ingredients

• 1 boneless whole pork loin roast (4 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup sherry (use apple juice)
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup plum jam
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water

Directions

• Cut roast in half. In a large skillet, brown roast in oil on all sides; drain. Transfer to a 4-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the sherry, thyme, soy sauce, garlic, mustard, ginger, garlic salt, salt and pepper; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.
• Remove meat to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. Add jam. Bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice roast and serve with gravy. Yield: 10 servings.

Spinach Tortellini Soup

i left the chicken out of this one. it was a very hearty soup, we liked it garnished with parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

• 3 small red potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 2 quarts water
• 3 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 packages (9 ounces each) refrigerated cheese tortellini

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, combine the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, bouillon and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the chicken, spinach, parsley, garlic powder, oregano and pepper and salt; return to a boil. Add tortellini; cook, uncovered, for 7-9 minutes or until tortellini is tender. Yield: 10 servings (3-3/4 quarts).

serve this soup with:

Herb Bubble Bread

this bread was deeeelicious. i messed up an accidentally added 1/4 tsp of all the 1/8 tsp spices... a mistake i might repeat next time :)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/8 teaspoon each dried thyme, basil and rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine cheese and seasonings. In another bowl, combine butter and garlic; set aside.
• Divide dough into 16 pieces. Roll into balls. Coat balls in butter mixture, then dip in cheese mixture. Place in a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 350° for 22-26 minutes or until golden brown. (Cover loosely with foil if top browns too quickly.) Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 16 servings.

Hearty Minestrone Soup

i left the pork out.  served this when i had guests over, everyone loved it.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Progresso ® Beef Broth
• 3 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar, optional
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 
  ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS (for each batch):
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup uncooked ziti or small tube pasta

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, cook the pork, celery and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain.
• Stir in the tomatoes, beans, tomato juice, tomato sauce, broth, carrots, zucchini, Italian seasoning, salt, sugar if desired and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until carrots are tender.
• Transfer 6 cups of soup to a freezer container; freeze for up to 3 months. Add water and pasta to remaining soup; bring to a boil. Cover and cook until pasta is tender.
• To use frozen soup: Thaw in the refrigerator; transfer to a large saucepan. Stir in water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Add pasta; cover and cook until tender. Yield: 2 batches (6 servings each).

i served this soup with:

Breadsticks!

Dissolve 1 tbsp Yeast in 1 1/2 cup warm water. Add 2 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix in 3 c. flour. (tonight i used 1 c. whole wheat flour and 2 c. white flour) Let dough sit for 10 min. Knead on  a floured surface, cut in strips and fashion into breadsticks. melt 1/2 stick butter and dip each breadstick. let rise for 20 min or so then season with garlic salt. Bake 375 for 15 -20 minutes.

Lentil Soup

i grew up on this soup. it's surprisingly delicious. it has become a "metaphor for life" in our home.

1/4 lb bacon sliced

2 med. onions chopped

4 large carrots, grated or chopped small

1 pkg (16 oz) lentils

2 quarts water

1 c. sliced celery

1 large potato, grated

2 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dry thyme

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp lemon juice

leftover chopped ham (i used 3 ham steaks) or 1 can spam. yes, you read that right. i have never actually been able to but spam in it myself, although i grew up on it with spam in it and loved it. i think sausage in it would be deelicious, too.

wash beans and soak until plump (overnight). In large pot, saute bacon , add onions and carrots and saute until onions are golden. add lentils, water, celery, potato and seasonings. simmer until tender (2-3 hours) take out bay leaves, add lemon juice and meat. 

i like to eat it with saltine crackers.

i told you it was soup season. happy eating.