Inkin' & Thinkin'

A Week of New Recipes

We got on a "new recipe" kick this week at our house and so I thought I'd share the 7 recipes we tried this past week. 

Honey Glazed Chicken - This was so good.  We decided that the next time we make it, we are going to add in some bell peppers, onions, carrots and maybe some peanuts and sesame seeds. 

Biscuit Beignets with Praline Sauce - We ended up cutting these into strips rather than quarters to get them to cook evenly without being overly greasy.  The girls preferred them rolled in sugar as did I although the sauce was really tasty.

Sugar Steak with Bourbon - this was delicious but a little sweet for my tastes.  I would probably cut back on the sugar or the honey next time but it was pretty tasty. 

Jalepeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwiches - Oh my goodness!  SO STINKIN' GOOD!  Next time we will be adding bacon to the mix as well.  Everything is better with bacon. 

Coffee Crusted Steak - I'm not a coffee girl but oh wow!  This was so good.  I think if it was smothered in creamy butter after it would be even better.  So delicious!  We are going to try it again with hazelnut coffee next time.  We used a Columbian Blend this time and it was so good but I think the nuttiness of hazelnut will make it even better.

Southwest Potato Corn Chowder - Heaven on a spoon!  This was so delicious.  We did not add the cilantro because Andy doesn't like it and we substituted a yellow bell pepper for the roasted reds because we had them on hand.  The only thing we thought was to add a little more salt and more bacon.  So yummy!

Salted Caramels...yeah, pretty dang good!  Anything sweet and salty always makes me happy. 

Salted Caramels from Food52 on Vimeo.

 

What have you tried lately?  We love trying new foods so if you have any suggestions for must tries...we'd love to hear it.

 

 

Food Lovin' Friday

I have been finding so many wonderful food photos or recipes lately that I thought I should just do a post about them.  So, if you're dieting or hungry right now...you should probably take a moment to eat something healthy, drink a tall glass of water and then come back and read this post.  If this is torture...I apologize.  I too, know how it feels to get a sudden craving after seeing a food online.  LOL!  Whatever the case may be, enjoy it. (All images are linked)

Gluten Free Puff Pastry

Gluten Free Cheesecake

Gluten Free Samoas

I have got to make these this weekend...have to.

14 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON GROCERIES

1. Line the bottom of your refrigerator’s crisper drawer with paper towels. They’ll absorb the excess moisture that causes vegetables to rot.

2. To keep herbs tasting fresh for up to a month, store whole bunches, washed and sealed in plastic bags, in the freezer. When you need them, they’ll be easier to chop, and they’ll defrost the minute they hit a hot pan.

3. A bay leaf slipped into a container of flour, pasta, or rice will help repel bugs.

4. Stop cheese from drying out by spreading butter or margarine on the cut sides to seal in moisture. This is most effective with hard cheeses sealed in wax.

5. When radishes, celery, or carrots have lost their crunch, simply pop them in a bowl of iced water along with a slice of raw potato and watch the limp vegetables freshen up right before your eyes.

6. Avoid separating bananas until you plan to eat them – they spoil less quickly in a bunch.

7. Put rice in your saltshaker to stop the salt from hardening. The rice absorbs condensation that can cause clumps.

8. Stock up on butter when it’s on sale – you can store it in the freezer for up to six months. Pack the butter in an airtight container, so it doesn’t take on the flavor of whatever else you’re freezing.

9. In order to make cottage cheese or sour cream last longer, place the container upside down in the fridge. Inverting the tub creates a vacuum that inhibits the growth of bacteria that causes food to spoil.

10. Believe it or not, honey is the only nonperishable food substance, so don’t get rid of the stuff if it crystallizes or becomes cloudy. Microwave on medium heat, in 30-second increments, to make honey clear again.

11. Prevent extra cooked pasta from hardening by stashing it in a sealed plastic bag and refrigerating. When you’re ready to serve, throw the pasta in boiling water for a few seconds to heat and restore moisture.

12. Keeping brown sugar in the freezer will stop it from hardening. But if you already have hardened sugar on your shelf, soften it by sealing in a bag with a slice of bread – or by microwaving on high for 30 seconds. 

13. If you only need a few drops of lemon juice, avoid cutting the lemon in half – it will dry out quickly. Instead, puncture the fruit with a metal skewer and squeeze out exactly what you require.

14. If you’re unsure of an egg’s freshness, see how it behaves in a cup of water: Fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.

We actually made these last week and the girls were so amazed that they made cake and pudding from scratch.  It was so delicious!  Here's ours...

Baked Sweet Potato Chipotle Fries....sounds divine!

Here are a few food blogs I stumbled on this week...

Vegetable Matter

Not So Humble Pie

Fish Food

Naturally Ella

Just A Taste

Shutterbean

The Girl Who Ate Everything

Pinch Of Yum

Bakerella

Picky Palate

The Kitchen Sink

Family Fresh Cooking

Closet Cooking

Jule's Gluten Free

The Craving Chronicles

The Hungry Mouse

Tartelette

Have great day!

 

Monday Munchies ... Brie en Croute

Hmmmm, I'm not so sure I'm loving this Monday Munchies idea.  It is forcing me to try new things which is good but honestly, I started to panic about what I was going to write about this week.  It was Saturday night when the thought hit me that I hadn't photographed any food this week (other than my S'more...does that count?....anyone need a recipe?  ROFL!).  But then my mom sat down and was trying to decide on a dinner and she remembered that we had seen a recipe for Brie en Croute that we wanted to try a couple of weeks ago.  She had bought the Brie so we thought we'd give it a whirl. 

So here is the recipe...then I'll tell you what we thought about it...

*1/2 of a 17 1/4 oz package frozen puff pastry, thawed (1 sheet) ...this confused the heck out of us but we did what we thought was best.

*2 Tbsp jalapeno pepper jelly (we thought there should be much more of this)

*2 4.5 oz rounds Brie or Camembert cheese (we had a big round so we just used chunks kinda squished into balls...rofl!)

*2 Tbsp chopped nuts, toasted (definitely need more of this as well)

*1 slightly beaten egg

*Apple and/or pear slices (we rolled with the apples)

Unfold pastry on a lightly floured surface; roll into a 16x10 rectangle.  Cut into two 8" circles (use an 8" round cake pan); reserve trimmings. 

Spread jelly over top of each cheese round.  Sprinkle with nuts & press into the jelly.  

Combine Egg with 1 Tbsp water; set aside.

Place pastry circles over cheese rounds.  Invert cheese and pastry (oops...we missed this step).  Brush pastry edges with a little egg mixture.  Bring edges of pastry up and over cheese rounds, pleating and pinching edges to cover and seal.  Trim excess pastry. 

Place rounds, smooth side up, on a greased baking sheet .  Brush egg mixture over tops and sides.  (Obviously we missed this step as well since we didn't invert the cheese and pastry to begin with...perhaps we should read the recipe a little better next time!  LOL)

Cut small slits for steam to escape. (oops again...great steam when they were cut into afterward though)

Cut shapes from reserved pastry (leaves, etc), brush with egg mixture and place on rounds.  (We did not get that fancy)

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 mintues or until pastry is deep golden brown. 

Let stand for 10 to 20 minutes before serving. 

Serve with apple and/or pear slices.

***

So to begin with, my dad smelled the Brie and said he was going to have a bowl of ice cream instead.  CHICKEN!  My mom thought it smelled like a rotten refrigerator but was willing to try it.  I assured them that Brie was tasty and they needed to try it.  So as I pulled it from the oven, I said, "Doesn't that smell good?"  They both wrinkled their noses and said it still smelled like rotten refrigerator.  LOL!  So as it was resting, I sliced an apple, placed it on a plate and took the foodie photo.

I brought it to the table and sliced it open for all to enjoy.  Dad did try a little taste and made a face like this:

Mom tried it and made a face like this and then couldn't stop laughing.

 

Izzy added it to her ice cream and said it was delicious...love that child!  Lexi took one bite and said it was good but she didn't want any more ... such good manners!  LOL!  Kaylee tried it and made a face like this:

I tried it and thought it was alright...definitely not something I'd have to have over and over again but it wasn't bad.  However we all agreed that it needed more jalapeno jelly next time and added more to the plate this time. 

Here are a few more recipes that I found this week and thought were try-worthy:

Bombay Chicken

Monster Cookies

Lemon Gingersnap Icebox Cake

BBQ Pork & Pineapple Quesadilla

Pistachio Pineapple Coconut Amish Friendship Bread (say that 3 times fast!)

And just because giving things away is fun sometimes...here's another quick page with my newest kit...

You can download it here.

Enjoy!

Monday Munchies... German Pancakes

So I thought I would try something a little different for breakfast yesterday and I had stumbled upon a recipe for German Pancakes somewhere last week.  Well, I have to tell you that these pancakes had me a little nervous.  I followed the recipe but halfway through the baking process I was wondering if things were really what they were supposed to be.  Here's the recipe and then I'll tell you why I was so nervous...

Place 3 Tbsp of butter in a 9x13 pan and place in the oven and then preheat your oven to 400 as the butter melts. 

While the butter is melting, mix the following in a bowl:

6 eggs

1 C Flour

1 C Milk

1/2 tsp Salt

As soon as the butter is melted (and yes, before the oven in preheated probably), pull the pan out and tilt so the butter covers the bottom of the pan.  Pour the mixture into the pan and return to the oven.  Bake for 20 minutes (even if it's not preheated just yet...go ahead and set your timer).

Now, the reason I got pretty nervous was that this recipe kinda creeps up the edges of the pan...okay, truly mine came about 3 inches above the edge of the pan.  The part that made me second guess myself was when this mixture was climbing high above the pan on the edges but the center was relatively flat (like 1/4" flat).  It was starting to look like a giant rectangular bowl of crust or something like that.  I was sweating!  But I decided to just ride it out and see how things turned out. 

While this was baking and freaking me out, I kept myself busy by making some fresh whipped cream and cutting up some strawberries to cover this "pancake" with. 

So in the end the result was that we didn't love them because there simply was no flavor to them.  However the texture was good and we never ever pass up the opportunity to eat fresh whipped cream and strawberries!  LOL!  Needless to say, we will be trying these again in the future but I'll be adding a little spice to the batter next time.  I'm thinking it would be wonderful with a little sugar and a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. 

Here are a few other recipes that have caught my eye lately...who knows which I'll tackle.  If you know me at all, you know that I'm not a very talented cook.  I like to blame it on my extremely limited counter space and my loathing of doing the dishes.  ;)  I think I could really love to cook if I had a gorgeous and large country kitchen. Yes, that would totally increase my talent in the kitchen!  ROFL!

Here are a few other recipes that caught my eye this week:

Guacamole Salsa

Carrot Cake Loaf

Nutella Swirl Pound Cake

Ravioli with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

Strawberrylicious Chocolate Cheesecake

Sour Cream Lemon Pie

Chocolate Fudge

Looking back at that list, perhaps there's a reason my rear end keeps getting wider!  LOL!  Perhaps I'll have to look for a few more healthy meals next week! 

Have a great day!