Food blog!!

It has been SO long since I posted about food.... I think this is largely due to having a baby (who is much more fun to post about) but here is the latest food stuff I have made

Chocolate croissants inspired by one of my pintrest pins
First you take nutella (yum) and spread it on croissant dough (I bought a refrigerated roll at walmart)

 Then you put marshmallows on top

pinch together the sides and bake at 350 for around 12 minutes

They turn out tasting kind of like smores... yummy!

Now for my new go to dinner:

Garlic and cheese pasta. You boil pasta and while it is cooking, you saute garlic with oil in a pan. Add in whatever veggies you like (I did zuchinni, bell pepper, and tomato) and cook. Then add in cooked pasta and parm cheese. It is SO good and so easy! 

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Well, I posted this earlier, but blogger deleted it so I am going to blog about it again :)

I found this recipe and decided to give it a try! The only thing I did differently was I used a gluten free cake (I did it only because this was the only cake without trans fat!). 

Here is how my lemon poppy seed cake/bread turned out!

While I was making the batter, I found that I actually have a bunt pan! LOL... it does make a pretty cake though, right?

Look at that golden outside crust!! YUM!

The great thing about this cake is it is so moist! Having the pudding in the mix makes this cake super moist and yummy.... the only thing I would do differently is to put in a bit more lemon. Maybe I'll try lemon extract or some extra lemon zest for the next cake (and I am sure that I will be making this again.. Carl loves it!)

pancakes

Here is a very quick post.... about pancakes.

Carl and I have tried so many pancake recipes. They never taste like the kind you get at a restaurant. I am almost always disappointed. NOT THIS TIME!!!!

I looked up a recipe for IHOP pancakes and came across this website. I read the ingredients while Carl put it all together and it took about 5 minutes. That's it.... pancake mix in 5 minutes. The only thing we did differently, was we didn't have buttermilk so we made our own with lemon and milk.... and we added a tsp of vanilla.

These were the most fluffy, moist, yummy pancakes ever. They really did taste exactly like the pancakes you would get at IHOP, Village Inn, or Dennys. They were so good! And so easy! It made just enough for Carl and I to get full, plus about 4 more for leftovers. We even added mini chocolate chips to a few....YUM!

My pancake! 

Soooo... if you are like me (craving good pancakes without having to pay $7 a plate), try the recipe! You will not regret it!

Fries that are good for you!

Last night for dinner, I decided to try a recipe that I found. It was for zucchini fries! I thought it would be so easy to make BBQ crockpot chicken and have these as a side.. Easy Peasy...

I started the chicken at like 2- put chicken in crockpot, add about a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, turn on low. That's it! It cooks itself and makes your home smell amazing.

Then, around 5 I cut up 3 zucchinis into long strips, tossed them in with an egg, and put them into a ziplock baggie of shake and bake (plus Parmesan cheese). Then baked at 450 for 12 min (turning them at 7 min).

It was so easy to make and so yummy. Carl even commented that the dinner was amazing and we ate all the zucchini fries! They tasted like the fried zucchini you can get at resaturates, but better and more healthy! We used buffalo shake and bake, so ours turned out a bit spicy but they were so good... especially dipped in ranch!

I didn't take any pictures, but here is a pic from the website I found this recipe on... and if you want to read the whole recipe, click here... you can see the recipe, the picture, and read about TONS of good recipes.

Picture taken from this page

I really recommend that the next time you have zucchini, you try this recipe. You won't be disappointed... I know I will be making these fries a ton this summer with the zucchinis from our garden.

Cookies and Hiccups

COOKIES!

Today I decided to use the organic peanut butter that I had left over to make cookies! I found this recipe and only added vanilla extract. They were easy to make and really tasty!

Here are the cookies I made... they are so good and soft and a bit crumbly.

Here is a close up!

Sorry the pics are bit blueish but that is due to my funny phone. They are really good! I am hoping to give a few to my neighbors along with the lemon bars I made a few days ago (the lemon bars were a bit weird to make and turned out only ok or I would share that recipe too).

NOW... ON TO HICCUPS!

Yesterday, while talking to Carl, Miles started moving. Carl put his hand on my belly and we realized that the movements were too regular and too small to be kicks. That's when we realized that they were hiccups! I have been waiting to feel his hiccups, and figured that he was just too young to have them yet. It was so exciting to finally feel him hiccup! He kept up the hiccuping for around 45 minutes... every few seconds, just a little bump in the same spot. It was really neat to feel and GREAT that Carl got to be here when I felt it for the first time.

Meatloaf?

This is my first time blogging from my phone, so I hope it works.
I haven't really ever made meatloaf and I never really ate it as a kid...in fact, I have only heard bad things about it... It is dry and isn't that great at all... Don't even waste the meat on it......BUT I decided it would be fun to give it a try anyway.
I found this amazing recipe for meatloaf and it was so good! Carl and I loved it! We even used ground turkey and out still turned out great.....sooooooo of you're looking for something to make for dinner tonight that is yummy, most, easy, and will be making you want thirds... Try meatloaf! It is much better than people give it credit for.

Sunday Baking time

I seem to go through phases where I enjoy baking (and have been going through it more and more now that I'm pregnant). Today I was lounging in bed, really just putting off having to get up because it's my last sleep in day this week too (now that Carl goes to school, I wake up with him and we get up at either 5 or 6 every morning) and started thinking about what we were going to eat for breakfast tomorrow.

Last week I made amazing pancakes. I used a mix and added this cinnamon apple stuff I had made for apple turnovers. It was really good- Apple pancakes! We ate them all week with peanut butter on top. It was so easy and yummy and kept us both full for awhile, which is very important for pregnant woman and students alike :).

This week, I decided to make muffins. They taste good and are easy to heat up every morning. SOOOOO... here is what I did:

I took regular muffin mix (the only one I can find that doesn't have transfat listed) and doctored it up! So easy.... the only thing the muffins called for is 1 cup of water.

I added:

1 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup chopped up almonds

1/2 frozen blueberries that I thawed out

1/4 cup craisins (I soak them in water for a few minutes)

1/4 flax seed

frozen slivered almonds on top

Here is what they turned out to be! They are SOOOO good! The almonds on top were frozen so they didn't burn and they taste so almondy and fruity.... YUM!!!

I also decided that while the oven was hot, I would make cookies... I had made them before but we gave some away to neighbors and they are SOOOO yummy, so I made more. Here is what to do:

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup splenda or regular sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp cinnamon (I am not sure if this is how much I added…. I just keep adding until it looks right. I most likely used a bit more than 1 Tbsp)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2-3 cups rolled oats depending on how oaty you like your cookies... the first time I made it I did 3 cups, this time I did about 2 1/2 cups

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1 1/4 cup raisins

3/4 cups MINI semisweet chocolate chips (if you use the mini chips, you can get away with using less but it still tastes good)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl cream shortening, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

3. Combine the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and flour and stir into creamed mixture

4. Add oatmeal, almonds, raisins, and chocolate chips and stir until well blended.

5. Drop by the spoonful onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

The mix in my wonderful mixer... it makes cookies so easy!

The cookies on the sheet... If you make them bigger it will make about 60 cookies.

The finished product! YUM!!!

The cookies are so good! They are nutty and chocolaty and cinnamony but not too raisiny. A really good cookie that is easy to make and tasty to eat (even Carl says they are super yummy and he is a cookie expert!)

Tonights dinner

I made the most incredible meal tonight! It was so easy and SO good! Carl and I loved it and it is pretty healthy. I made black bean tacos and Brazilian Lemonade.

Here are some pics of the finished product:

These are Carl's tacos... he cut up all the stuff we put on the tacos while I cooked

Here are my tacos- covered in lettuce, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice

Here are the AMAZING drinks along with the food

It was all so easy to make and VERY yummy... if you want to try them, here are the recipes:

Brazilian Lemonade:

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/05/brazilian-lemonade.html

Black beans:

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/07/quick-and-easy-black-beans.html

Pasta

So, I know I have been posting about food A LOT..... but just go with it. This is all about Pasta Salad (Thank you Lindsey!!). I normally do not like pasta salad, it is too creamy and oniony and gross but THIS pasta salad is so easy and so good!

Here is what you do:

This is all you need.... rotini, black beans (and/or kidney), corn, olives, green beans, Italian dressing, Italian seasoning, oregano, parsley

(you don't HAVE to have all of these, it is really easy to customize this to fit what you like. I have even made this with cherry tomatoes)

Start by boiling about a half a box of the pasta.

Open all the cans into a bowl. I usually cut the olives in half because I don't like a whole olive in each bite.

While the pasta is boiling, I make the sauce. I pour about half the bottle of Italian dressing into the bowl of veggies. I then add about 1 1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning and add a bit of Oregano (I taste it to see if I like it, then add more as necessary)

Drain the pasta and let it cool. When it is cool, add it to the veggies and mix.

Serve chilled. It gets better the longer you leave it. I would recommend waiting overnight, but I can't ever wait that long. I usually eat it as soon as it isn't hot anymore :)

I like to serve it with sunflower seeds on top because I like the extra crunch it gives, but Carl likes it plain.

Tips:

*Don't over cook the pasta. It needs to be aldente because the vinegar in the dressing is going to cook the pasta a little more each day and you don't want the pasta to be soggy.

*When you are adding the dressing, don't worry about it seeming to be too much. After you add the pasta, some of the dressing will be soaked up by the pasta.

*If you like more corn or don't like black beans then add more or take it out... this is YOUR pasta salad. Don't feel bad about using what you have and leaving out what you don't like.

I have made this 3 times in the last 2 months. It is so good and reminds me of summer. It is so easy to make and easy to serve... no heating up, just mix it and put it in a bowl. YUM! Also, you don't have to feel bad about eating it because it is mostly veggies!

I hope you give it a try and love it like I do!! (and thanks again Lindsey, I am so glad you showed me how to make this!)

Dinner time

Tonights dinner. What to make???? I am hungry and ready to eat and a bit grumpy. I think I will eat some snap peas while I try to think of something easy to make. Considering the only thing I have eaten today is a pancake with blueberries, one mini cheesecake,and now some snap peas I decided that I could afford to make a less healthy meal. I was thinking about my taco sauce and thought about what it would be good on.

I came up with fried bean and cheese burritos. Like the kind you get at taco box or taco time. I thought it would be easy and taste super yummy with taco sauce, so I looked up a recipe and i found this:

http://www.westcoastcooking.com/content/view/123/34/

I read it through and decided that beans, cheese, tortillas, and green chile for Carl would be all we'd need (along with oil... we used the smart oil) and of course my taco sauce :) We heated up the oil (left over and reused from our tempera batch a week ago) and made 2 burritos in no time!

They were really good and tasted like the ones you buy at those taco places. I enjoyed my taco sauce, but found that RIGHT after I was finished eating I had MEGA heartburn AGAIN! I have now found the culprit for my heartburn last week..... taco sauce. :'( WHY???? I have been wanting this sauce for years and have never found it, until just last week at Smith's. I was so excited to eat it and now I realize I can't until I am no longer pregnant...... that leaves 21 more weeks of no taco sauce :'(

Here are some pics of us cooking

The ingredients for our burritos

Frying it up

Flip it over

Finished product

These were really tasty but I am now facing horrible heartburn again.... oh well, at least I now know what to stay away from.

mini cheesecake

I was checking my e-mail the other day when I came upon this recipe for easy mini cheesecakes. I really feel like when I see something that looks good or read about something I can't get it out of my mind.... I MUST try it (at least until I read about or see something else that looks good).

SOOOO.... we went to the store and I picked up the few items the recipe called for and decided to make it. These were so easy! Just mix, bake, and eat. They looked so good and Carl and I ended up eating a warm one last night and then a cold one today... YUM! Here are some pictures

Here is what they looked like after baking and the cherries we put on top.

And yes, I did eat one before taking this picture... I couldn't resist!

Here is the finished product with cherries... Yum, right?

This just shows how good they really are :)

I think next time (and Carl has already requested a next time since we only have 4 more left) I will try to use mini muffin tins. These were good and really easy, but I think it would be fun to have a bite sized cheese cake, instead of a muffin sized cheesecake.

Here is the recipe I used, give it a try and let me know what you think!!

Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients

18 vanilla wafer cookies

2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Lemon curd or fruit preserves for topping, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line muffin tins with decorative paper or foil baking cups. Place one vanilla wafer in the bottom of each cup.

3. In a medium mixing bowl or in the bowl of a standing mixer, add cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, then increase the speed to high and continue mixing for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.

4. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin cups to ⅔ full.

5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and set. Remove from pans to cool, and refrigerate until serving. Top with lemon curd or preserves, if desired

Tips

· For a yummy variation, try substituting Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer Cookies for the Nilla Wafers, and top with raspberry preserves.

· The cheesecakes can be made ahead (without the toppings), wrapped tightly, and frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost them in the fridge the night before, and top them before serving.

Sushi

A few days ago I was looking at blogs and came across this post explaining how to make sushi. It looked SO good (and if you've ever been pregnant, you KNOW that when you see something that you like, you crave eating it until you finally do eat it.... or is that just me?) I looked at this picture for days and days and finally told Carl that we should try to make sushi here at home. It could be fun.... right?

So on Wednesday we went and bought a bunch of fresh food: asparagus, cucumber, avocado, bell pepper, zucchini, onion, and fresh just got to the store tuna. We also picked up some sushi rice, rice vinegar, seaweed, and a few other items.

I thought about my favorite sushi (the tempura asparagus roll) and decided that we should try to make tempura as an appetizer. WE WERE SET!

We had originally planned for this to be a sweet date on Thursday since Brock had said they would be here Friday.... but he changed his mind and came on Thursday so we changed our mind and decided it would be fun to try all together :)

Here are some pics of our endeavors:

This is the tempera we made... well, after we all ate most of it. It was SOOOOO good... but it took us awhile to get the hang of the batter thickness and the oil temperature

The start of a roll

Carl's roll after he cut it open

This is a better pic of Carl's tuna roll he made - tuna, avacado, red and yellow bell pepper

This was Brock's roll- tuna, tempera asparagus, avocado, and yellow bell pepper

These beauties were my roll!- Temper asparagus, carrot, avocado, cucumber (next time, I would use more rice)

Making sushi together :) We had a very full table with all of the fillings!

We had fun and making your own sushi is so easy AND you get to control what you put in it. It was a lot of fun and I would totally do it again. The only down side is since I'm pregnant, I have a major easy gag reflex. If I have too much in my mouth at one time, I gag.... this was a little problem since you have to eat sushi whole.... SOOOOOOO I think I will wait until I am not pregnant to eat sushi again.... It will be a bit more enjoyable then :)

So be brave and try to make sushi with some friends at your home... it is super fun and tasty (only recommend to those not currently pregnant).

cinnamon rolls

Last week I made cinnamon rolls.... from scratch. It was so easy and yummy! I made them on Wednesday and they were all the way gone by Saturday. I think they were enjoyed... lol. Carl and I ate them for breakfast everyday until they were gone. They were so sweet, I didn't even put icing it. I added raisins and I think when I make them again, I will add nuts too. Here are some pics of how they turned out :)

Quesadillas!

On Friday, while Carl was at school, I looked up some recipes for some corn

we had leftover (we bought some on the cob corn and had about 6 left that we hadn't eaten yet). I was searching for something yummy and came across black bean & corn quesadillas. I thought.... "hmm.. those could be good." So when Carl got home, he grilled the corn and I homemade some tortillas from a mix that Uncle Pat bought us. We cut the corn off the cob and got out a can of black beans, grated some cheese, and made some YUMMY dinner! Here are the pics!

Sorry if the pics are a bit blurry... i took them with my phone :) I would recommend if you are hungry, to make these and eat with just a bit of salsa. YUM!!