Macaroons

Just about every Christmas, my mom makes these cookies. This year, I asked her for the recipe so I could make them. They are, I think, my favorite cookies ever. And they are so easy!

2/3 cup condensed milk
3 cups shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix ingredients thoroughly. Drop by teaspoon onto a well greased baking sheet (or if you're like me and use parchment paper on your baking sheets, grease the paper first). Bake in a 350F oven for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet immediately to cool.

Candy Cane Sugar Cookies

I wanted to make a special Christmas treat to bring to our staff Christmas party, and after much deliberation, I decided to take my sugar cookie recipe (which is the best sugar cookie I've ever had) and alter it a bit. The result is candy cane sugar cookies.

Here's the recipe. Much of it is the same as my Easy Sugar Cookies from November 2011, but so you don't have to go back and forth, I'll just post it all here. :)

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
5 peppermint (red and white) candy canes, crushed

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix sugar and butter until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla and mint. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Take rounded teaspoons of dough (I used more as I didn't want to make a huge amount of cookies) and place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet, flattening them. Sprinkle with the crushed candy canes, lightly pushing the bigger pieces of candy cane into the cookies.

Bake 8-10 minutes (12-14 minutes for bigger cookies like mine) or until golden brown. Let sit on cookie sheets for two minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.

*I debated using 1 teaspoon of mint extract instead of just a 1/2 teaspoon, but decided against it as I didn't want the mint to be too overpowering, and since I was putting candy canes on them I thought it would be a bit much. However, if you try this and would prefer more mint, try them with 1 teaspoon and tell me how they turn out!

Italian Chicken Casserole

This is something I threw together tonight and it is delicious. I'd like to think it's fairly good for you too, and really simple to make. There is a bit of prep work, but not anything unreasonable. I think, if you wanted to do a dairy-free version, you could probably figure something else to put on the top instead of the cheese, but that would be up to your own preferences. You could also use other peppers (such as red or orange) in addition to the green, for more color.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
3 chicken breasts, skinned and boned, cut into small bite sized pieces
2 cups pasta (your choice)
1 cup Italian dressing (regular, not zesty)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350F

Cook pasta according to directions on the package,  drain

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook chicken in about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (or other oil of your choice) until cooked. Add onion, green pepper and garlic and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add cooked pasta and Italian dressing and mix well. Pour into a casserole dish (I used my 2 quart dish and this took up about half the dish, so use what you have).

Cover evenly with the shredded mozzarella cheese and then bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes (until cheese is melted and starting to brown a bit).

Allow to sit/cool for 5 minutes before eating.

Cheesecake

At the moment, we can't tell you how this turned out, as it's the first time I'm making it and it's still in the oven (and we can't even eat it tonight...), so I will update this tomorrow after we've tried it. However, the recipe is dead simple and looks/smells awesome. Picture below is the cheesecake just before I put it in the oven.

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
3 packages (250 g each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix crumbs and melted butter or margarine. Press firmly onto the bottom/sides of a 9" pie plate (or onto just the bottom of a 9" spring form pan)

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and mix until blended. Pour into crust.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until centre is almost set. Cool completely, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Garnish with whatever topping(s) suit your fancy and serve.

Hashbrown Patties

Another made-up-by-Alex recipe, something he just did yesterday and dear lord are they ever good.

3 medium potatoes
3 tbsp canola oil (at least)

Peel and wash potatoes. Shred with a standard grater (just like if you're shredding cheese).

Meanwhile heat a cast iron skillet with the oil.

Take 1/3 of the shredded potatoes and press firmly into a patty (we use a plastic hamburger maker device we have, but you could use whatever you would use to make hamburger patties). Continue until you have 3 potato patties.

Gently place the patties in the skillet. Cook on medium high heat for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for 5 minutes on the other side. Remove and use paper towel to soak up excess oil. Serve immediately. I like them with just a bit of salt on them, both Charlie and Alex eat them with ketchup.

The "Homlette"

Alex makes an omelette that is completely out of this world. His last name is Hombek, so he calls it the "Homlette". I've been meaning to share the recipe with you, but kept forgetting. Tonight, I share!

1 onion, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4-1/2 green pepper, chopped
4 eggs at least (2 eggs for every person eating the Homlette)
1 tbsp milk
6-7 strips of bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.
Fry bacon in a cast iron skillet (or some other skillet that can be put into an oven), remove once cooked and set aside to cool.
In the grease from the bacon, cook the onions, potatoes, garlic and green peppers.*
Meanwhile, mix eggs with the milk. Once the potatoes, onions, garlic and peppers are browned, pour the eggs/milk into the skillet. DO NOT STIR.
Let it cook. Once it starts to congeal around the edges, put the bacon and cheese on top and then bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into it to eat.

*For tastiest results, do it this way. However, we realize that's not exactly healthy, and so, Alex has also made it by cooking the bacon in the microwave (our preferred bacon cooking method) and cooking the potatoes/onions/garlic/peppers in a decent amount of olive oil (he says to use enough oil so that the food doesn't burn or stick to the pan).

Alex's Easy Slow Cooker Chili

The other day, before I left for work, I gave Alex a task: find a way to use the piece of steak and package of stew beef that were about to get freezer burned. I came home to one of the best slow cooker chili meals I've ever had in my life.

2 lbs beef, cubed into bite sized pieces
2 cans of chili style kidney beans
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 cans of sliced mushrooms (or 1 package of fresh mushrooms, diced up)
2 onions, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put all ingredients into slow-cooker and mix well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Snickerdoodles

I've been dying to try snickerdoodles in recent weeks, as everybody seems to be talking about them and how good they are. So I decided to try this recipe tonight, and I think I've found my new favorite cookie.

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Coating:
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Cream together butter, shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.

3. In a bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place two inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

4. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Blonde Brownies

These are still cooking, but here's the recipe I used this evening to make blonde brownies after Alex requested them. No idea if they're any good, but they sure as heck SMELL good!

1 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.

Measure 1 cup sifted flour. Add baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift again. Add chopped nuts and mix well. Set aside.

Stir the brown sugar into the melted butter and mix well. Cool slightly.

Mix the egg and vanilla into the brown sugar mixture. Add flour mixture a little at a time, mixing just until combined.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.

Choosing to Buy Local

So recently, especially if you're in Canada, you may have heard about the beef recall due to possible e. coli contamination.

Upon hearing about it, we decided not to buy meat (beef in particular) from the grocery stores anymore, since we don't know where it's from, what's been done to it, etc. Besides, too many times in the past few months, one of us has gotten ill from meat (beef) bought at the grocery stores.

We also learned that if Charlie won't touch it...it's probably spoiled or bad in some way. He loves meat and it's rare that he won't eat it, but if he refuses, and we still eat it...one or both of us is sick the next day.

Lesson learned: Pay attention to the toddler when it comes to meat. LOL.

Anyway, there is a butcher shop in town, they've been around for longer than I've been alive. When I was little, my parents got their meat from him all the time, but stopped when I was probably five or six, and started buying it at the grocery store.

Because of the recall...my parents have started going to them regularly again, and I have as well. I told the lady who waited on me today that I will be a regular customer of theirs because of that recall, and the fact that it's just so much better.

It's also kind of cool that they know my parents...and that the lady recognized me as their daughter (even without seeing me with them) and we were talking about them while I was there today.

They get the meat (beef, chicken and pork) from local farms in our county. They also sell eggs, cheese, apples and other stuff, all of it from our local area. No chemicals, nothing. The meat looks fresher (heck, most of it, they will slice it fresh right in front of your eyes, to your specified thickness, as I discovered today) and tastes a million times better than meat bought at the grocery stores.

So far, we've had ground beef and pork chops. So...freaking...good. And it just feels good to be supporting our local butcher and local farmers, you know? I know it's not for everyone, but it's really not more expensive (if anything it's cheaper!) and it has to be better for you (but that's just my opinion).

I can't wait to try other cuts of beef and pork, and chicken, from them, ha ha!

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cookies

So, Alex found this recipe on allrecipes.com. There, it's called "Craving Cookies" because they're high in magnesium, and when a person craves chocolate, it's actually magnesium that is being craved. I didn't want to just call them that, though, so...yeah. They. Are. Awesome.

1/2 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup peanut butter
5 tablespoons cocoa*
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder

In a medium bowl, stir together the mashed banana and peanut butter until well blended. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla until smooth. In another bowl, combine flour and baking powder, then add to the peanut butter mixture and mix well. The add the cocoa and mix again. Cover and chill dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and place two inches apart on the sheets. Press lightly with a fork (like you would do for regular peanut butter cookies).

Bake for 10-12 minutes (Alex cooked ours for 12). Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

*The actual recipe calls for 1/4 cup of semisweet chocolate chips, but we didn't have any so Alex substituted for the cocoa. Personally, I think they're better this way than they would be with chocolate chips.

Chicken Alfredo

I came home from work today and Alex was in the process of making this. It's very, very rich, but oh so good. Would definitely make it again (or get him to, ha ha)! It *is* a bit time consuming, but it's so worth it.

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
6 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 pound pasta
1 onion, diced
1 8-ounce package sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups homogenized milk
3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 cloves garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter int he skillet. Saute onion, 2 cloves garlic and mushrooms until onions are transparent. Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes. Slowly add in milk, stirring until smooth and creamy, then stir in sour cream and cheeses until cheese is melted. Finally, stir in the chicken mixture and heat while stirring for about 5 minutes. Serve over the cooked pasta.

Cheesy Chicken Lasagna Rolls

This is another of those situations where I wanted to try something different...and I have to say, it turned out amazing. Charlie didn't eat it, either because he didn't like it or because he was just being 17 months old, but Alex and I loved it. It may seem to be time consuming, but if you cook the chicken and the pasta noodles at the same time, it's really not that bad.

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced and cooked
8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1 cup Ricotta cheese (I used mozzarella because we don't have Ricotta and the stores are closed today)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon white pepper (used black because we don't have white)
1 can of Hunts basil and mushroom spaghetti sauce
Sprinkle parsley and garlic

1. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cheeses, milk and pepper.
2. Spread some of the mixture on each lasagna noodle; roll jelly-roll fashion
3. In a 13x9 inch baking dish, spread half of the spaghetti sauce
4. Arrange lasagna rolls, seam-side down, in sauce in baking dish
5. Sprinkle each roll with parsley and garlic (use as much of each as you like)
6. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce
7. Sprinkle a little more grated Parmesan cheese on top of each roll
8. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 375F for 30 minutes, or until hot

Vegetable Beef Soup

I wanted to try my hand at making soup...something I've never done before. So yesterday I did it and it was incredible. It's a slow-cooker recipe, but I imagine you could also do it on the stovetop if you don't have a slow-cooker.

1 lb. stew beef, diced into small pieces
3 regular sized cans of Mixed Vegetables including juice (I used the Compliments brand from Sobeys)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 of a 900mL box of Campbell's low sodium Beef Broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients into the slow cooker and mix well. Cook on low for 6 hours. We actually did it on low for 4 hours and then high for 1 hour at the end, so that works as well.

Of course, if you had lots of time (and didn't have a toddler to deal with) you could chop up fresh veggies of your choice and put those in the soup instead of the canned veggies. This is just the quick-and-easy (somewhat cheating) way to make a delicious soup without spending a lot of time doing it. The part that took me the most time was dicing up the pieces of stew meat.

Alex's Burger-n-Rice Casserole

I started a new job yesterday, so Alex has been in charge of cooking supper the last couple of days. Tonight, he made up a new casserole and it is AMAZING. All three of us loved it and I told him he could make it again any time. Then I proceeded to ask him for the recipe, so I could share it with everybody. So here we go, Alex's Burger-n-Rice Casserole!

2 cups of long-grain rice, uncooked (do not use instant or minute rice)
1+ lb ground beef
1 can of chili style kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced onions
2 tbsp (approx) minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp Club House Italian Seasoning
Dash basil
Dash sage
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of shredded cheese (1 cup mozza, 1 cup old cheddar)

Cook rice according to directions on package, set aside.
Brown rice with 1 teaspoon italian seasoning. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large wok, stir fry onions, carrots, green peppers, the rest of the italian seasoning, basil, sage, salt, pepper and garlic until the onions are clear.
Mix in rice, kidney beans and hamburger.
Put in a casserole dish (or two), cover with the shredded cheese, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Note: This makes a HUGE amount of food, so make sure you use a really big wok. That's also why I said the (or two) when I spoke of the casserole dish. It might be too much to fit in one dish.

Chicken and Rice Casserole

That's probably not a great name for the recipe, but it beats "Oh So Good Chicken", which is what the recipe was called online. LOL. Wanted to do something different with the chicken for supper tonight and even though Charlie didn't like it, Alex and I absolutely loved it and definitely recommend it. :)

4 teaspoons olive oil
6 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1 regular sized jar of salsa (we used mild)
2 cups cooked white rice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
A few handfuls of crumbled tortilla chips

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute mushrooms.
2. Combine mushrooms, sour cream, cheese, salsa, rice and chicken, mix well. Place in a greased casserole dish.
3. Cover with crumbled tortilla chips and bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes.

Cheesy Chili Hamburger Helper

I wanted to make my own hamburger helper, instead of buying the pre-packaged stuff. This is better than any packaged hamburger helper I've ever had in my entire life, and I will most definitely be making it again.

1 lb ground beef
1 cup hot water
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a small bowl, mix corn starch, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, sugar and paprika. Set aside.

Brown ground beef in a large skillet, drain.

Add hot water, then add milk. Then add the pasta and the spice mixture. Stir thoroughly, and bring to a boil.

Cover and simmer on low for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender. When there are about 3 minutes left, stir in the cheese, then cover again for the final few minutes of cook time.

When the pasta is tender and the cheese is melted, turn off heat and uncover. Let stand for up to 5 minutes so the sauce can thicken. Stir and serve.

(Note: I found this recipe at the following website: http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/homemade-hamburger-helper/ and they have plenty of other hamburger helper ideas there as well that I may try in the future)

Brown Sugar Biscuits

These are not your average cinnamon rolls, and they are awesome. They took very little time to prepare, and they taste amazing. Alex says they're "addictive", so there must be something to them. I found the recipe online and modified it a little bit. As always, I will post the original recipe and then list my modifications.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

2/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup brown sugar

5 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or use parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in milk and vanilla. Knead briefly on a floured surface. Roll out into a large rectangle, 1/2 inch thick. Spread softened butter onto surface of dough. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over butter. Roll tightly, and cut into 12 equal slices. Place on prepared baking sheet.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

My Modifications: 

1. I didn't have any cream of tartar, so that got omitted. 

2. I didn't have butter flavored shortening...so I used actual, real butter. 

3. Instead of spreading real butter on the dough, I used Becel olive oil margarine.

4. I used about 1/2 cup of brown sugar and only 3 teaspoons of cinnamon. We feel that any more cinnamon would have been way too much. I didn't put all of it in the dough...the leftovers got sprinkled onto the parchment paper so the bottom of the rolls would be caramelized and yummy.
5. I actually baked mine for about 25 minutes. 

Apple Crisp

I wanted to try my hand at making an apple crisp, so I did. I found a recipe online and tweaked it just a little bit. Let's just say between Alex, myself and our friend John...it's almost gone. It's THAT good.

6 cortland apples
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish, set aside.

Chop apples into small pieces, put in the baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon and then stir, so it goes all through the apples. Pour water in

In a dish, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. Cover the apples evenly with the mixture

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. When done, apples should be soft and crust should be golden brown.

Note: I didn't actually measure the cinnamon so I have no idea how much I actually used. The recipe called for 1 teaspoon, but that didn't seem like enough so I actually probably put closer to 1 tablespoon. The other thing I did differently was the brown sugar...the original recipe called for just 1 cup of white sugar, but a lot of the reviews said it was better if brown sugar was used in place of half of the white sugar.

Slow-cooked Pork Ribs

Alex made the best ribs in the world today. Best we've ever had in our lives. Ever.

1 lb rack of pork ribs (we used side ribs)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Diana barbeque sauce

Put rack of ribs on a broiler pan.
Mix brown sugar and spices in a bowl, rub into ribs.
Cook in a 200F oven all day (Alex started them around 8:30 am and took them out around 4:30 pm) then transfer to the BBQ (on one burner on low heat) for 1 hour, basting with the Diana sauce and flipping them every 15 minutes).

The only thing Alex would do differently is not cook them when he was home. I was at work today but he wasn't and the smell of the ribs cooking all day in the oven nearly drove him crazy.

Pasta Casserole

I know other people have probably made their own versions of this, but I wanted to share my version, because it's awesome and delicious. LOL.

3 cups pasta
1 can of Hunt's Thick & Rich mushroom and basil spaghetti sauce
1 lb lean ground pork
6 mushrooms, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon parsley
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to directions on package, drain and put in the bottom of a casserole dish.

Cook pork in large skillet until no longer pink. Drain. Add mushrooms, green pepper, onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add spaghetti sauce and spices, stir well. Cook for 5 more minutes.

Spread sauce evenly on top of pasta in casserole dish. Cover evenly with shredded cheese.

Bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and hot. Remove from oven and let sit for 2-3 minutes before serving.

Ginger Beef Stir Fry

I wanted to try something a little different tonight. I had a steak and a package of frozen stir fry veggies, so I went looking for a decent stir fry recipe to try. I found this, and in spite of me not liking ginger that much, it was quite tasty and I'd make it again.

1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup plum sauce
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin 2-inch strips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
1 1/2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
4 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons salted peanuts, chopped
Hot cooked rice
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Stir in the plum sauce, ginger, soy sauce and pepper flakes; set aside. In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in oil until no longer pink; remove and keep warm.

In the same pan, stir-fry the red pepper, broccoli, carrots, onions and garlic until tender. Return beef to the pan. Whisk the plum sauce mixture; stir into skillet. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. Stir in peanuts. Serve over rice if desired. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Notes: I used 1/2 cup water instead of 1/4. I didn't have fresh veggies, I used frozen ones. I didn't have plum sauce, so I used about sweet and sour sauce. I used a lot more garlic than it called for, and I didn't have fresh ginger, so I used the ginger from my spice rack. It's got a bit of a kick from the ginger and red pepper flakes, but like I said, it's quite good and I'd make it again.

Adventures in Baby-Led Weaning Part 5

I haven't posted about BLW in quite awhile, mainly because there's not much to talk about. But tonight I'm going to.

Back around Christmas, I stopped directly breastfeeding. Between Charlie biting me constantly and his poor latch causing open sores on my nipples, I had just had enough. I couldn't relax, and I wasn't enjoying it anymore. So, I started pumping and mixing what I pumped with whole milk and giving him that in addition to his food.

In the past couple of months, because I'm getting ready to go back to work, we've actually gotten him onto a type of schedule and it works out really well for us.

When he wakes up early in the morning (usually between 6-7 a.m.) he has about 5-6 oz of milk and goes back to bed. We get up for the day around 8-8:30 and at that time he has a couple more ounces of milk, half a banana and a cup of Minigo yogurt.

Lunch is usually between 11:30 and 12:30 (depending on his morning nap) and consists of about 4-6 oz of milk followed by sharing whatever I'm eating for lunch that day. Admittedly, our lunches aren't usually that great (but I try). It's usually things like hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, soup, macaroni and cheese (not KD, although he has had that too) or if I'm really lucky, something left over from supper the night before.

His afternoon snack is usually around 3-3:30 p.m. (again, depending on naps) and is usually another 4 or so ounces of milk along with a dish of applesauce or some canned fruit (such as peaches...he loves peaches...). If his nap is late and his snack ends up being late, I just give him the milk.

We all sit down for supper around 6:30ish every night. Charlie drinks another 4-6 oz of milk, and shares whatever we're having for supper. A typical supper meal for him will be about 5-10 bites of mashed potato or rice, some vegetables (we usually have either carrots or green/yellow beans...he will eat 5-10 bites) and 5-10 bites of whatever meat we're having. I never really count how many bites he eats. His favorites are pork and chicken. Pretty much immediately after supper is bedtime for Charlie...it's usually around 7 p.m. If he wakes in the evening (which he's been doing a lot of lately), sometimes I'll give him a couple ounces of milk, sometimes I won't.

He's not afraid of spicy stuff, either. He loves the Mexican and curry recipes on this blog. He might make a face the first time he tries something like that, but he has never turned down more.

He's been getting really, really good at feeding himself. I cut everything up into bite-sized pieces and let him feed it to himself. However, we learned the hard way that if we want him to eat (which we do) we can't put more than one piece of anything on his tray at one time, or 99% of it ends up on the floor. If we give him one piece at a time, he will eat most, if not all, of his meal. We also know when he's done: he starts playing with it and smushing it into his clothes. What a kid.

There are some things that I spoon-feed him: yogurt, mashed potatoes, soup, and applesauce. He likes to grab the spoon and help me do it, and I let him sometimes, but not all (depends on what it is he's eating and how much of a mess I have time to clean up). For instance, he fed himself his mashed potatoes last night, but I generally won't let him feed himself soup unless I know we have time for a bath (because he'll need it, especially if it's tomato or vegetable soup...it gets EVERYWHERE...).

I'm really, really happy that we went the BLW route for introducing solids to him, instead of going the pureed, jarred baby food route. I have a child that will eat pretty much anything (he doesn't like plain pasta, but if it's got cheese on it, he'll eat it) and who is a total foodie just like his parents. I also know that when I got back to work in a few short days (yikes!) and he starts spending most of his time with Nannie and Grampie, they won't (or shouldn't) run into any issues feeding him.

And that's pretty awesome.

Mexican Rice

Found this recipe in a different issue of the magazine I got the vegetable mash casserole recipe in. We love Mexican-type stuff, so we had to try it. I made a couple of small changes (nothing major). My notes and changes will be at the end, but here is the recipe as printed in the magazine.

1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 garlic cloves and 1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup long-grain rice
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/2 cup water
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

In a large sauce pan, saute garlic, onions, green peppers and beef in melted butter.
Add spices and saute for 2 minutes.
Stir in kidney beans and rice and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the corn, salsa and water. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for about 20-25 minutes.
Serve in bowls and garnish with the shredded cheddar cheese

Notes: Alex doesn't like corn, so I omitted that and instead I used chopped red and yellow peppers (about a half cup of each). When I did the first step, I included them. I also didn't use a whole green pepper, I used about a half cup.

We also put some sour cream on top as well as the cheese.

I would highly recommend cooking the rice at least partially before adding it to this recipe (or else use pre-cooked long-grain rice). Because I used uncooked rice, I had to add probably an extra 3/4 cup of water and cook it longer to try to get the rice to cook.

Overall, all three of us LOVED this, and will definitely be making it again. Next time, in addition to pre-cooking the rice, I'm planning on making it with diced chicken instead of ground beef.

Baked Paprika-Parmesan Chicken

I had a whole, cut up chicken that needed to be cooked, but I didn't want to just do shake-n-bake. So I went looking and found an recipe to experiment with. This was quite possibly the moistest, tenderest and tastiest chicken I've ever had.

1/4 cup all purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup to be sure, but the 1/4 would have been enough)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used a heaping 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons paprika (I used probably 4 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used about 1/8 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used a whole cut up chicken, bone-in)
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl, set aside. In another bowl combine egg and milk.
Dip chicken pieces in the egg/milk mixture, then dredge in the flour mixture. Place in a baking dish.
Pour melted butter over the chicken.
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes in the 350F oven, then to crisp it up some, raise the temperature of the oven to 450F and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes.

Lactation Cookies

I got this recipe off http:theleakyboob.com which is where I've spent a lot of my time since becoming a mother. Well, mostly their Facebook page, but still. Recently, since I've started pumping instead of directly breastfeeding, I've noticed a bit of a dip in my milk supply, so I decided to try lactation cookies to see if I could boost my supply back up. I can't tell you yet if it works or not as I just made these today, but I can tell you that even if they don't work, I think I'll be keeping some of these in the house constantly from now on. They are THAT good. Many thanks to Krista at TLB for the recipe. :)

1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
4 tablespoons of water
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons brewer’s yeast
3 cup rolled oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Soak the flaxseed in the water for a few minutes to soften.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar, add eggs, flaxseed and vanilla.
Add to dry ingredients, mix well.
Drop on cookie sheet, bake 8 – 12 minutes on 375F. (I actually baked mine for 14 minutes and they're perfect. Crispy around the edges, soft in the middle, just the way I like cookies). This recipe made 49 cookies (and I'm horrible at making all my cookies the same size, so it probably could have been more had I been more consistent with my cookie sizes).

Vegetable Mash Casserole

I found this recipe in a magazine we got in the mail, and decided to give it a try. I didn't follow the recipe exactly, so what I will do is provide the recipe as it was printed in the magazine and then detail what I did differently.

4 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 cup cauliflower, cut into large pieces
1/2 cup onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups provolone cheese, diced
2 tablespoon parsley, freshly chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup breadcrumbs

In a large saucepan, boil some salted water
Add vegetables (potatoes, carrots and cauliflower) and cook 20 minutes or until tender
Preheat oven to 400F
Drain vegetables, add onion and garlic, then mash thoroughly with a potato masher
Add butter, 1/2 cup cheese and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mash again.
Spread mixture into a 9" baking dish (round or square)
Cover with remaining cheese and the breadcrumbs
Bake 10 minutes to melt the cheese and serve

Differences: Instead of the cauliflower, I used broccoli (because Alex and I both hate cauliflower), instead of the provolone, I used old cheddar, I used dried parsley flakes instead of fresh, I used 3 cloves of garlic instead of 2, and I did not use any salt or pepper. I also didn't really measure anything: I used 4 medium/large potatoes, 3 good sized carrots and one bunch of broccoli. I also don't have a 9" baking dish, so I used our large casserole dish and it worked quite well.

Verdict: Alex hasn't tried it yet, but Charles and I absolutely loved it. It's a fantastic way to get someone who doesn't like broccoli to eat it (I'm not a huge fan, and this is now a way I will eat it willingly) and I will most definitely be making it again. It makes a lot.

ETA: Alex loved it as well. This is definitely going to be something we make again and again and again!

Easy Mexican Casserole

A few months back, one of my FB friends, Brittany (someone I know due to a mutual love of all things DTBH) said in her status that she was making "Mexican Casserole" for supper that night. I was intrigued, and asked her for the recipe. It sat on a sticky note on my desktop since that day, waiting for the time when I decided to finally make it. The other day when I was making my meal plan for the next two weeks, I decided to do it. Tonight was the night. I have to say, it is absolutely delicious and was a total hit with myself, Alex and Charlie. Alex said the only things he'd change would be to have more tortilla chips and less sour cream.

1 lb lean ground beef
2 cups salsa
1 can chili beans, drained
3 cups crushed tortilla chips
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 small can black olives, drained (optional)
1/2 cup chopped tomato (optional)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a skillet, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain fat off.
Add salsa, stir, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.
Stir in beans, heat through
Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish
Spread crushed tortilla chips on the bottom of the baking dish, then spoon the meat mixture on top of the chips.
Spread sour cream over the meat. Sprinkle with green onion, olives and tomatoes.
Top with the shredded cheese.
Cover with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Pizza Sauce

In addition to making pizza crust from scratch, I've decided to start making the sauce from scratch as well. I just made this up and, while we haven't put it on pizza yet, it tastes awesome, so it will probably work well. This makes s fair amount of sauce, just as a warning. We're going to use it on two pizzas and maybe some homemade pizza pockets afterwards.

2 small cans tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon oregano

Mix tomato paste and water together until smooth. Add spices one at a time, mixing well after each one.

Chocolate Coconut Bars

I kind of made this one up, using different ideas from other recipes. Haven't actually eaten them yet (they just came out of the oven) but I thought I'd share the recipe now while I was thinking of it.

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 of a 300 ml can of condensed milk
1 200g package of sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix graham cracker crumbs and butter in a bowl, then press into a greased 8x8 pan

Mix coconut and condensed milk thoroughly, then pour on top of graham cracker crumbs. Spread evenly to cover the entire pan. Then sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting/eating.

Cream Cheese Frosting

I needed a cream cheese icing recipe for the carrot cake I was making, because no carrot cake is complete without cream cheese frosting. I found this recipe online and decided to give it a try. It was perfect and quite possibly the best cream cheese icing I've ever had. I didn't need to make as much as the recipe calls for, so I cut the recipe in half when I made it and it still made a lot of icing. :)

2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in refrigerator.

White Cake

I wanted to make a cake last night, and went looking online for a good white cake recipe. Found this and it's pretty good. Really dense, but quite yummy.

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a muffin pan with paper liners

In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat int he eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. In another bowl, combine the flour and baking powder, then add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally, stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter in the prepared pan (or muffin tin).

Bake for 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven. For cupcakes, bake 20-25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

Homemade Pizza Crust

So, Alex and I got sick of buying those packaged just-add-water pizza dough mixes. The last time we were going to make a pizza, he said "Find a pizza dough recipe." So I did. And we will NEVER use anything else again when making homemade pizza.

1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour


Stir water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved. Add the olive oil and the salt. Stir in the flour until well blended. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.


Pat dough into pan or on to a pizza stone using fingers dipped in olive oil. If desired sprinkle basil, thyme or other seasonings on crust. Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven.