Friends, food and a baby

Not sure if you remember or not, but last fall I ran a marathon. With marathons, the actual race is really the "easy" part. It is the months of training-- the early morning jogs, the long weekend runs, the blisters and the overall bodily soreness that is the kicker. However I had Emily and she made everything better. Emily was my running partner. We ran, and ran, and ran together. We spent literally hours together on the the WO&D trail. Running. Talking. Sweating. Laughing. And at times walking. I heart Emily.

Well today, I was so happy to be able to help throw Emily a Baby Shower. It was an afternoon of great, great friends, silly fun and good food.

Me and Emily

The shower was at 11am, so I kept with a brunch-y based menu-- Ham Biscuits, Cucumber toasts, fruit salad (Thanks Sonya!) Egg Casserole, Baked Brie and Punch. I didn't snap to many pics of the food I was too busy taking pics of us girls, so you will have to imagine what the dishes look like!




For one of the main dishes, I relied on an old standby--Cheesy, Sausage, Egg Casserole. I am not sure where this recipe originated, it was either with Wendy or Erin but it is easy, feeds a crowd, and good.

Cheese, Egg, Sausage Casserole

**This makes TWO 9x13 dishes
1-2 loaves French bread; cut into cubes
6 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
3/4 lb Swiss cheese (shredded)
1/2 lb Monterey jack cheese (shredded)
2 cups (or more if you would like) sausage
16 eggs
3 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 large green onions, minced
1 Tbsp Grey Poupon mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Day Before:
Butter 2 9x13 dishes. Spread bread over bottom and drizzle with butter. Sprinkle with swiss cheese, monterey jack cheese and sausage.

Beat together eggs, milk, wine, green onions, mustard, black and red pepper until foamy. Pour over cheese. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Serving Day:
Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake covered with foil for 1 hour. Uncover and spread with sour cream and parm cheese. Bake uncovered until crusty and lightly brown (about 10 min.)

On the buffet line was another baby shower standby,

Baked Brie en Crute

1 round of President Brie
1 sheet of puff pastry thawed
1/2 cup (approx) brown sugar
1/2 cup (approx) chopped walnuts
1 egg beaten

Slice the cheese in half so that you have two rounds of cheese, layer the brown sugar and nuts on one half of cheese and place the other half of the cheese on top. Next wrap the pastry around the cheese and brush on egg wash.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until brown.

Serve with crackers.

Brunch Punch

It isn't often that you have punch anymore. But punch is fun. I got this recipe from my sister Molly's good friend Linda. Most people love it!

You will need a big, beautiful punch bowl

2 liters of 7up, Sprite or Ginger Ale
Rainbow Sherbert
1 bag of frozen mixed berries

Combine the ingredients and serve, the punch foams and bubbles and is quite fun.

Never Before

I hadn't. Ever. Have you? Have you ever eaten quinoa? Pronounced KEE-no-uh. It is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its seeds. Interestingly, it is gluten-free and it is very high in protein, even though it looks and tastes very much like pasta.



Last week, I was visiting with my good friend and neighbor Karin. You remember her, her treats have made several appearances on the blog. Happily, I arrived at her house just in time for dinner. I was thrilled to be served this brand new dish, quinoa.

As I was "elegantly" stuffing my face with the lime scented grain that was mixed with beans, scallions, and fresh parsley Karin was explaining how easy the dish was to prepare. Ever since I had my first taste, I haven't stopped thinking about this round grain and all of the different ways that I could prepare it. I suppose that is what foodies do. Obsess over new ingredients. Apparently I wasn't the only one thinking of quinoa this week, I noticed it was a feature story on Gourmet.com.

I did lots of researching and found quite a few recipes that looked tempting. I didn't try any of them yet...I stuck with Karins recipe. I really, really loved the freshness of the lime flavor in her dish so I tried not to sway from her dish too far. If you have tried a quinoa dish that you love, please do share.



Ingredients
1.5 C quinoa (I bought it in the bulk aisle of the food store)
the rind and the juice of 2 limes
3 scallions chopped (both the white and the green parts)
3T of parsley chopped
1 can of black beans drained and rinced
1/2C olive oil
2T sugar
Mix all of the above together in a large bowl

In the meantime, make the quinoa.

Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time
Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water, uncovered for about 10 minutes. rain in sieve, then set sieve over same pot above 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don’t worry if lid doesn’t fit tightly) and steam over simmering water until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Stir into dressing.

Hop Hop

I am having a difficult time believing that it is Sunday evening already. The weekend blew by in a blink. I am not sure I realized when Friday evening started, but I am quite sure that the weekend is nearly complete. The pile of clean laundry on the bed is the biggest tell.

Today, of course, is Easter Sunday a day marked by painted eggs, bunnies and a whole lot of food. Our family sat down to break bread around 3:30 this afternoon and I am still uncomfortably full nearly 6 hours later. I haven't eaten so much in quite a long time. Our Easter Dinner is mostly traditional, honey ham, turkey, and potatoes. However we do indulge in a few dishes that are rather special to our dinner table. One dish that my sister Molly always makes is kugel. I love it. It is creamy, and sweet, and delish. It made my top three favorite dishes of the day (which were kugel, orange rolls, and honey ham).

I have heard of kugel made several different ways, some on the sweet side others on the more savory side. This one is definitely on the sweeter side.



Ingredients
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat until thick

2 8oz cream cheese
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1 cup sour cream
Add to the first mixture and mix well.

8 oz thin egg noodles cooked, mix with 1 stick of butter
Add noodles to cheese mixture

Spray 9x13 in pan with non-stick spray

Sprinkle top with cinnamon and bake covered at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes

Kugel freezes well and can easily be made in advance. It is perfect for brunches too.

Life is like a bowlful of cherries...

Or perhaps a tart full of cherries.

This past Saturday we were invited to have dinner with friends. I was in charge of dessert. The challenge was that it was the first perfect Saturday of spring. Breezy, warm, sunny, it was too nice to be inside, so I spent it all, the entire day outside. Do you see where this is going? I had hardly an hour to pull together a dessert. The pressure was on.



Within 30 minutes I had dessert done. It was silly-easy and was extra delicious when served with vanilla ice cream. First I baked the pastry, 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Then in a large sauce pan combine thinly sliced pears, a bag of frozen cherries, and some brown sugar.
let it simmer until it gets gooey, sweet and delicious. Finally spread a thin layer of tapioca pudding on the pastry and top with the fruit.

Ingredients
One pear thinly sliced
1 bag of frozen cherries
1 tub of vanilla or tapioca pudding
1 sheet of puff pastry
1/2C Brown Sugar
dash of vanilla
dash of corn starch (I added this to the fruit so that it got thick)

Welcome Spring

Even though it is chilly, foggy, drizzly and shows no sign of getting sunnier, I have declared it Spring in my house. I am ready for warm weather so that I can sit on the porch and wear flip flops. It doesn't matter that it is still sweater weather, I am going to start acting like spring.


So tonight we ate like it was springtime--we had tilapia with lemon, brown rice, bright green broccoli and strawberries. The fish is an old recipe that Mike's Mom used to make and it is now a staple at our house (thanks Christia).


I know that the recipe seems too easy to be really good, but it is. I doubted the lemon worcester combination, but the bright lemon and the briny sauce pulled together with the butter makes for a delicious meal.

Ingredients
4-6 Tilapia filets
1 stick of butter melted
the juice of one lemon
1/4 C worcester sauce

Place the filets in a baking dish and simply combine the butter, lemon and worcester pour over the fish. Bake for 15 minutes at 375. The bright and salty sauce is excellent with the fish and makes the rice juicy.

Beans, Beans, Beans the Musical Fruit the More You Eat Them the More You...

Some rhymes are still funny after all of this time. Last week our house was a-hoppin. Our favorite niece and nephew from Arizona came for a visit. The days were filled with rocket balloons, dinosaurs, Scooby-Doo and lots of toots!

The kiddos are 2.5 yrs and 4.5 yrs so for dinner I stuck with the basics-- Hot Dogs and Tater Tots (who doesn't like tater tots, right?) Though the menu was pretty fool proof, I decided that I would make one more dish to satisfy us older kids. I stuck to this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Prudence Penny Wise.

Delicious beans that require very little effort and cook in the crock pot all day. Sounded like a winner to me. I wasn't able to find Pinto Beans, so I used Red Kidney Beans instead. I just put the dried beans (no soaking) directly into the crock pot and set it to low for 8 hours. The beans held their shape and were very mushy and good. The dish as a whole had wonderful chili-ish flavor that made the entire house smell good.

The pics are not very appealing, I know. But the dish was, I promise.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, very finely mined

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 stalks of celery, peeled and chopped

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies

1 small minced jalapeno

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 cups dried pinto beans

2 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

5 cups water

Pour oil into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker; stir, and cook on high for four to six hours, or on low for 8 to 10 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve beans with shredded cheese and corn bread if desired.

Taco Pile

Before I start. Let me just fess up. I know that it is March and my blog is still in her February clothes. Who's idea was it anyway to change the look every month? It would have been a much better precedent to change the look on a seasonal basis rather than on a monthly basis. But that is not the point.




The point is the Taco Pile that I made for dinner this evening. I was inspired by this recipe on Closet Cooking. You will see that Kevin's turned out to be much more photogenic than mine, but I would bet that my version is just as tasty as his.

Just imagine, you start with a spring form pan and layer tortillas, roasted chicken, taco meat, black beans, salsa, grilled veggies, cheese and then repeat. Don't be daunted by the list of ingredients, it came together very easily and the recipe can be modified to fit your cravings.

Ingredients
2 breasts of roast chicken (or a small rotisserie chicken from the food store)
1 package hamburger pan fried with cumin and chili powder until it is no longer pink
1 onion
1 bell pepper
1 poblano pepper
1 can of black beans rinced
8oz of cheddar cheese
1 jar of salsa
4-6 large flour tortillas

Toppings
Black olives
lettuce
tomatoes
sour cream
salsa
avocado

Preheat the oven to 375
Spray the spring form pan with cooking spray

Gather all of the ingredients, just so they are handy
Start the pile with a tortilla and layer however you like. I started with a layer of chicken, beans, salsa and cheese. Then I added another tortilla and piled on the hamburger, veggies and more salsa. Repeat as necessary. I was sure to keep some cheese to sprinkle on top!

Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is oozy.

Be sure to top off the Taco Pile with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, olives, salsa and avocado.

This easily serves 6-8 hungry people.

A Dinner Worthy of Posting

You might have noticed. I have been in a food funk. I haven't posted in over a month. It isn't that we have gone hungry, I assure you that we have been fed, just not well fed.

Finally the good-new-recipe-drought came to an end tonight. I made a dinner that was worth blogging about. Hip Hip Hooray shouted Mike. Though by the time I realized that the recipe was blog worthy, I had already finished eating. Whoops.



Tonight I made a classic winter meal, Shepherds Pie. Don't be fooled though, there really isn't anything about the dish that reminds me of pie, nor of a shepherd for that matter. The dish is basically a rich, beef and vegetable stew that is topped with creamy mashed potatoes. Beside this hearty dish I made a light salad of argula and blood oranges. It was the perfect palette cleanser for the stew.

You must make this dish on a long, slow, cold weekend day because it needs to simmer on the stove top for several hours. You are welcome to make home made mashed potatoes, however I cheated and bought the Bob Evans brand at the food store, they are perfect consistency for spreading and very tasty.

INGREDIENTS
3T of butter
1 medium onion sliced
1 package of Baby Bella mushrooms
1 clove of garlic minced
2 large carrots chopped
2 C butternut squash cut into bite sized pieces
1 small can of chopped tomatoes
1 lb bag of frozen sweet peas
2 lb of stew meat/chuck roast chopped into bite sized pieces
2 C of a good red wine
1/2C beef broth
2T Herbs de Provence
salt and pepper
2 packages of Bob Evans mashed potatoes

In a large stock pot, melt the butter
Add the onions and carrots, a dash of salt and pepper and some of the herbs de provence, cook until the onions are soft and translucent
Add the mushrooms and squash next, cook for another 3-4 minutes
Add the beef all ow it to begin to brown, 3-4 minutes
Add the wine until it nearly covers the ingredients in the pot, allow to boil
Add more herbs
Add the can of tomatoes and turn the heat to a low simmer

Place the lid partially on the pot and allow to cook for at least 2 -3 hours. Add beef broth periodically if too much liquid evaporates, you want for it to be a really thick stew consistency.

Add the bag of peas

Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and spread with the mashed potatoes, cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

The dish will likely boil over, so be sure to place the baking dish on a cookie sheet covered with foil.

More, Simple Traditions

If you are a regular, you might remember that I posted about Mike's favorite birthday cake last July. I lamented that year after year he asks for the same (plain) Pound Cake. Don't get me wrong, I like it very much, the cake is very dense, yet light and is perfectly scented with vanilla. It is just that after so many years, it gets a bit boring as the head-birthday-cake-baker.

Well. I just had a shocking realization. I am the same way. EEK.



Earlier this week, I turned 31. My mom made the birthday cake and you know what? She didn't even have to ask me what kind of cake I wanted. Yep. It is true. For the last several years I have asked for the same Chocolate Chip Cake. It is my favorite cake. I can't think of enjoying a different cake.

The recipe comes from Susan, mom's college roomie and good friend.

Chocolate Chip Cake

1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16 ounces sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

12 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar, then mix in the egg yolks and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder together into a separate bowl. Alternately add sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture. Beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold into batter. Mix last 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon together in a separate, small dish.

In a greased 9″x13″ pan, pour in half of the cake batter. Sprinkle the top with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and half of the chocolate chips. Pour remaining batter on top, sprinkling the top with the remaining cinnamon-sugar and chocolate chips.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

2nd Annual Hamlets at Red Cedar Progressive Christmas Party

I know that there are a lot of really great neighborhoods out there, but mine surely ranks among the best. It has to. I have not heard of another place that features a mix of interesting and fun people that love to welcome you to their home. Mike and I purchased "the house" but had no idea that the best part would be the people we get to live there with.

Last year, the first Christmas in our new home, I planned and helped host the First Annual Hamlets at Red Cedar Christmas Party. It was quite fun. All of the neighbors in our section were invited and we "progressed" to four different homes for Drinks, Appetizers, Main Course, and then Dessert. This required lots of hosting, lots of moving and lots of people leaving one stop to heat up food for the next stop. This format worked, but it was really too much moving around. As soon as we got settled in to one spot, we hurried off to the next, leaving lots of delicious, uneaten food in our wake.

So this year we made some slight tweaks to the format, only two stops this time, drinks & appetizers and then we progressed to the main course & dessert. Perfect. This allowed everyone to get comfortable, mingle, and slowly graze on the food without feeling too rushed. Because we only had two stops, I requested that everyone bring a drink or dish to share, since there were over 30 people attending, I didn't want two people to bear the burden.

Drinks & Apps were two houses down at Jill and Steve's. Steve is an Englishmen and is famous for his Pimms drinks. It is a sweet delight that is tinted red, perfect for the season. There we noshed on shrimp, crescent-cheese rolls, and a gorgeous roasted pepper-pesto-goat cheese torte. I think that I ate 75% of that one.

From there we progressed to my house for main course and dessert. This stop lasted about 3-4 hours. It was really so fun. The tree was lit, candles were glowing and Christmas tunes were playing--though you couldn't hear them over the crowd noise, by the end of the night my throat hurt from talking/shouting so much. At times, it was very much like talking in a crowded bar. Here is a pic of me in front of our tree.



The main course was really just heavy-ish appetizers as I can't accommodate over 30 for a sit down meal! I didn't try too many new recipes, I stuck with some old standbys. Here was the spread.

Alfredo & Mushroom Pizza (this may be the best recipe that I have ever created, if you haven't tried it. You Must. You will never make homemade pizza the same again.)
Hot and Cheesey Spinach Artichoke Dip this one is a classic by a fellow blogger at Closet Cooking.
Sausage Pastry Puffs (this is a super easy dish that I got from my dear friend Mandy. All you do is cut up puff pastry sheets into small squares and wrap it around good smoked sausage. Bake at 350 for 20 and serve with sweet/hot mustard. I made about 50 of these suckers and they were all gone 30 minutes into the party.
Turkey Biscuits with warmed Cranberry Sauce this one is a piece of cake. You can make your own biscuits or buy some, then add sliced turkey and this easy and amazing cranberry sauce.

• 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries
• 3/4 C orange juice

Combine all ingredients into a sauce pan, cook for about 45 minutes on low until nice and thick.

(Photo from chow.com)

I also served mini crab cakes from costco and spiced pecans. My friends brought all sorts of treats as well including spanakopida, more cheese, and a wonderful hash brown dish with bacon. As you know, bacon makes everything better.

Dessert. Ahh dessert. Always my favorite course. We had a huge litany of sweets to choose from including these devilishly good chocolate truffles made with Oreos and cream cheese. My friend Karin (who I have mentioned in several past postings) created a Truffled Pudding Cake served with warm butter sauce. I was not sad at all when she left the remaining cake (1-2 slices) at my house. Nope, not sad at all. This cake was gooey, buttery and gone by noon the next day.



As the evening drew to a close, I armed each guest with some homemade granola for breakfast the next day.

I can't wait for the Third Annual Hamlets at Red Cedar Progressive Christmas Party! Oh the laughs we will have.

I am about a week late in posting this....so more to come soon. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!