Blogging Contest

For those that know me well, you know I read a lot of blogs. Google Reader is an amazing and convenient way for me to browse several sites for recipes, party planning tips, decorating ideas, etc. I love it!

Last week I stumbled upon a blog called Oh Happy Day while looking for photo booth prop ideas. Oh Happy Day had free printables, and I was sold when I saw the Princess Beatrice fascinator from Will and Kate's wedding. How hilarious! (Will post pics after I get them of our photo booth!!!) They also have this really cute postcard idea that I would totally do if I had a good enough reason. (As of now I don't....) Love the blog though!

Today on Oh Happy Day, they are giving away a trip to Paris. I didn't stutter. A TRIP TO PARIS! Wow! I'm super excited! And all you have to do is enter! Seriously! There are several different ways to enter. Visit the Oh Happy Day site here - http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris. Wow! It would be so amazing to take a trip to Paris! I never win these giveaways, but it never stops me from trying!

Go to the Oh Happy Day site and enter to win. And since you are reading my blog and that's where you find out about the giveaway, you can take me if you win! : )

What are your favorite blogs to read? I'll have to compile a list of mine and post later on.

Memorial Weekend

What do you do on a summer holiday weekend? Cookout. Okay, maybe you do that on any weekend, but especially so on a long one celebrating one of America's traditions. This weekend we honored all of the men and women who have fought so fiercely for our nation's freedom by cooking out, hanging with friends, and lounging around the house. It was fantastic. I appreciate all of their efforts with the privilege to do just that.

When you have a cookout what do you need besides burgers, hot dogs, ribs, or some other form of meat? Potato Salad. Yeah...its a must have. Its a definite must have when your mother makes the most wonderful potato salad in the world and she taught you all of her secrets! So with our burgers, with our brats, we had potato salad (and pie). Its one of those must-have American dishes that keep the folks coming back to the table for more! : )

Mom's Potato Salad
**This recipe is written for 4. Its easy to make it for 80, you just have to increase the quantities proportionately.

Ingredients:

5 to 6 Yukon Gold or red potatoes
2 boiled eggs, chopped
3 to 4 tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1/2 to 1 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 to 1 tbsp. yellow mustard
salt and pepper to taste
paprika for garnish

Directions:

1. Chop potatoes in quarter inch size pieces.

2. Boil potatoes and eggs for approximately 10 minutes, or until potatoes are soft, but not mashable.


3. Drain and rinse potatoes. Peel and dice eggs.

4. Pour potatoes and eggs in a large bowl. Add relish. Mix in mayonnaise and mustard until you reach your desired creamy texture.


5. Add salt and pepper to taste. (The important part is to taste as you go!)

6. Sprinkle a little paprika for color and a little kick!

Blogger is killing me because it keeps messing up my posts and I can't get this dip online

I know that's a really long title...but I have been trying for 2 days to post this recipe, and blogger keeps reformating it to delete the breaks in my HTML code. Grrr....

Have you ever had black bean and corn salsa? If so, probably not at my house. Because I can't make it and not eat half of what I make. Seriously. Its that good. I originally found a recipe on a can of black beans, but was without when I needed to make it for Bible study last week. So...I did a little research and came up with the following. Its super easy and fast, and is a definite crowd pleaser!

Mega Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Ingredients:
2 cans of black beans
1 can of golden corn
1 can of white corn
1 can diced tomatoes with jalapeños (Or 2 large tomatoes diced & 1/3-1/2 can of diced jalapeños)
1/2 onion diced (red or white)
1/4 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin (to taste)
1 to 2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper (to taste)
juice of 2 limes (I always use fresh lime juice.)

Directions:
1. Drain and rinse black beans. Place in a large bowl.
2. Drain corn and add to beans.
3. Drain tomatoes and add to bowl.
4. Add onion and cilantro, and follow with lime juice.
5. Start adding seasoning and keep mixing (AND TASTING!!!) until you reach your preferred taste. May need to add more lime and cilantro too.
6. Serve with tortilla chips.

You can also cut up some avocado and add it in there, but only if you are going to eat it all that same day. Avocado doesn't keep well overnight. Also, this is easily cut in half! ENJOY!!!

PS – I made more today because my cilantro was going bad. I had chips and salsa for dinner. And some ice cream. It was a great end to a Monday.

Missing in Action

I should probably update my blog this weekend. I've been slacking. Well, I've been working a lot, spring cleaning, playing tennis, and am committed to 2 bible studies per week. So I'm not being lazy...I'm just not blogging.

How 'bout this? How 'bout I make some cupcakes this weekend to test them for my SIL's baby shower and I blog about it? Sounds like a plan.

Here's the invite I designed. I plan on pairing it with green envelopes. Its A7 size.

Do you think it coordinates with the nursery? That was my goal.

Peanut Butter + Chocolate = Happy Family & Friends

A little over a month ago I had a thought. I mean...I have thoughts a lot...but this thought was about cake. Cake that involved peanut butter and chocolate. These two things. like Romeo and Juliet, were made for each other.

The cake was first attempted for our Super Bowl party. I used a recipe for the icing out of Food Network magazine. It was good, but not quite the balance of the two flavors that I wanted. So I thought about how to improve the recipe, and waiting until this weekend (my sis-in-law's b-day) to make it again.

I finally decided on chocolate cake with a mixture of peanut butter and chocolate icing. It wasn't until I tasted the two types of icing that I decided how I would divide it. In the end, the cake was fantastic! And I'm finally ready to share with the blogosphere!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Adapted from several sources

Cake Ingredients: (From my Hershey's cookbook. Or you can just use a box mix!)
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans.

Mix sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl or mixer. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Divide batter into prepared pans evenly.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Place bottom layer on a cake plate. Cover top with peanut butter icing (recipe follows). Place second layer on top and cover with peanut butter icing. Finally place third layer on top of second and spread a very think layer of peanut butter icing on top.

Cover entire cake with chocolate icing (recipe as follows). If desired, pipe extra peanut butter icing on cake.

Serve with vanilla ice cream!

Peanut Butter Icing

Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used reduced fat.)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (Or salted butter and leave out kosher salt)
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions: Mix confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth. Adjust consistency to icing by adding more confectioners' sugar or more heavy cream.

Chocolate Icing (As seen before)

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons evaporated milk

Directions:
Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa in a medium bowl. With a stand or hand mixer, cream butter until smooth. Gradually add in the sugar mixture, alternating with a tablespoon of evaporated milk at a time. Once all ingredients are combined, beat until light and fluffy.

Take a spatula, and test the stiffness of the icing by seeing if a peak forms when you flop it over. (This is very technical.) If too thick, add a tiny bit of more milk. If not thick enough, add more powdered sugar. Most likely it will not be thick enough!

Birthdays and cupcakes

On Saturday, my family celebrated my sweet nephew’s 4th birthday. I can’t believe how fast he is growing up!!! In celebration of his birth, we had a friend party on “The Compound” complete with a bounce house and slide. Yes, I did jump before AND after the party. It was pretty awesome!

The sweets for the party were a community effort. My sister made the cupcakes, my mom made the icing, I piped the icing, and Will put sprinkles on the cupcakes. We like to work together as a team! : ) They turned out to be quite delicious, so I thought I would share.

I was so stressed out last week, and going home to see my family just made everything better. I was only home for one night, but I got to do a little cooking at my mom’s, play outside on the farm in the beautiful sunshine, go to dinner with my brother and sister-in-law, and have lunch with both siblings and their families. It was such a wonderful two days!

I am pretty blessed to have such a great family. My grandparents were married for 62 years, and my parents have been married for nearly 37. I have a great sister and brother, who at times I don’t get along with…but hey, we are siblings after all! I have a brother-in-law who is the smartest person I know, and a sister-in-law who has become one of my best friends. I also have the cutest niece and nephew who I adore, and another one who is on the way. (We find out if it’s a boy or girl today!!!!) You folks should be jealous…because I think my family is pretty darn great!

Anyway…happy cooking! For yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing, this simple recipe is super yummy!

Yellow Cupcakes

Ingredients
1 box of yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
Amount of oil on box

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Mix together cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and oil. Beat with an electric mixer until combined.

To fill your cupcake liners either:
1. Spoon batter into a zip-top bag. Snip a ¼ inch corner from the bag and fill paper liners 2/3 full.
2. Use an ice cream scoop. One scoop = one cupcake.

Bake about 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Place on wire rack to cool. Yields approximately 24 cupcakes.

Chocolate Icing

Ingredients
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons evaporated milk

Directions
Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa in a medium bowl. With a stand or hand mixer, cream butter until smooth. Gradually add in the sugar mixture, alternating with a tablespoon of evaporated milk at a time. Once all ingredients are combined, beat until light and fluffy.

Take a spatula, and test the stiffness of the icing by seeing if a peak forms when you flop it over. (This is very technical.) If too thick, add a tiny bit of more milk. If not thick enough, add more powdered sugar. Most likely it will not be thick enough!

Spoon icing in a piping bag and pipe on top of cupcakes.

To Decorate
For these cupcakes, I used a 1M star tip. I started from the outside of the cupcake, and circled in squeezing the bag lightly, but continuous. It took two full recipes of the icing to ice all 24 cupcakes.

We also added sprinkles to the top of the cupcakes for decoration. We filled a toothpick dispenser with the sprinkles, and let Will shake them over the cupcakes.

Last day of work for 2010

Today is my very last day of work for the year. *sigh* It's been a long year. It has been an even longer semester! The lack of posts from August-November were a sure sign that things were hoping over at the HHC. We survived though, and we completed all of our 2010 projects with a few hours to spare! Go team SAS!

Even though I have only been at my current place of employment for two years, I have picked up on the annual "last day of work party." Last year we had a soup exchange for lunch, and this year a sweet/snack swap. Needless to say, in true Southern form, our last day of work is spent eating.

Today we has a variety of super yummy snacks to devour. I brought Martha Washington balls, fudge, pumpkin bread and chicken salad sandwiches. We had an assortment of chips and dips, candies, cookies, donuts, cakes, etc. One of my favorite dips came from a new division employee. Its super easy and a crowd pleaser, so I thought I would share.

As we look to Christmas, and close out another year, I hope each and every one of you are thankful for the blessings bestowed on you in 2010. It's been a great year, and I look forward to all of the new adventures of 2011!

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.....

Cheddar Cheese Dip

Ingredients:
2 cups cheddar cheese
4 stalks green onions, chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped & toasted
mayo (Just enough to make the ingredients stick together - 2 tablespoons.)
1 jar red pepper jelly
1 box of crackers (Wheat Thins or Ritz)

Directions:
Mix first four ingredients together. Spread into serving dish or form into a ball. Best if you refrigerate overnight. Right before serving pour pepper jelly on top. Serve with crackers and ENJOY!

Holiday baking with the kids

If you are a regular blog reader of mine, you’ll know that I love doing special projects with my nephew. I always like to involve him in activities. Something to keep his little boy hands busy. It also provides great bonding opportunities for us.

Now that the niece is getting older, it’s her turn to get involved. Hopefully. I have this baking project I want to do with them over Christmas, and I hope it’s not too much of a disaster with her. I mean…she’s just barely 19 months old. But we are going to attempt this cookie making activity with both of them this year. And yes, I will be sure to call in Mama and Nana for backup.

Last year we made reindeer out of gingerbread cookies, m & m’s and tiny pretzels. It turned out to be a pretty cute project, and Will loved helping. This year, though, my friend Sarah from high school (who has a cute little girl of her own) sent me the link for melted snowman cookies. Immediately I knew this would be our holiday baking project.

So…next week…pray for me. One night I will be making these cookies with two toddlers. I’m sure we will make a mess, and I’m sure we’ll have a blast doing it. And I’ll be sure to clean up the kitchen after so Nana doesn’t have to!

Melted Snowman Cookies

Ingredients:
1 batch of sugar cookie (either store-bought dough or the packets of mix)
1 pack of large marshmallows
Vanilla icing
Cake Decorating Gels (Colors for eyes, nose, mouth, etc.)
Mini M&M’s (Optional for buttons)
Pretzel sticks (Optional for arms)

Directions:
1. Bake cookies according to package and let cool.
2. Warm icing in microwave and spread across cooled cookies to make it look like is runny or melted.
3. Microwave marshmallows on a plate for about 15-30 seconds. (You don’t want them too, too melty.)
4. Let a grown-up place the hot marshmallows on top of the cookies for the head. Let cool to the touch.
5. Decorate snowmen with cake gels or optional food items.
6. Eat and enjoy!

I also want to make a chocolate frosty recipe I saw on Sandra Lee Semi Homemade. It looks like a Wendy’s Frosty! Sandra calls it a “moon and stars mocha,” and she makes it with her nieces and nephews. They named it that because she says she loves them to the moon and stars. That’s sweet! I love Will and Maggie that much (and more) too! Here’s the very simple recipe (that even grown-ups will love):

Moon and Stars Mocha
From Sandra Lee

Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
2 cups ice

Directions: Combine all ingredients in blender and blend on high for 1 minute or until smooth.

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Will you be baking anything with kids during the holidays? If so, share links to your projects in the comments section!

Christmas Sweet Swap

One of the best things about the holidays is the opportunity to spend countless hours in the kitchen. As you can probably guess by my blog, you probably know I like to cook. Given, huh? The holidays provide an opportunity for this cooking/baking lover to wear her little feet out and consume lots of calories in the kitchen.

The thing about living in the South is that I'm not the only one who likes to cook. Most women like to! Its just...part of who we are as women. I know we get a bad wrap about the whole barefoot and pregnant thing, but the truth is, even us career ladies who work all day still enjoy coming home, throwing on a apron, and creating something wonderful in the kitchen.

Since so many of my girlfriends enjoy baking, I decided to host a sweet swap this year. It wasn't a passive event where folks just brought their favorite treat, but a hands-on night of baking and cookie decorating. And in the end, everyone got to take home a variety of treats. We had apricot cookies drizzled with chocolate, sugar cookies with icing, chocolate-peanut butter-cheeze its, and butterballs.

The two treats we made that night were spiced apple cookies and my childhood favorites, chocolate oatmeal cookies. One was a no-bake that you boil on the stove, and the other was a traditional cookie. I set up two stations on each side of the kitchen, and two people took the recipe and made the treats. And while the apple cookies were baking, we decorated about 1,000 sugar cookies and laughed and talked and enjoyed each other's company.

That's the thing about Southern women. We love to bake. We love to laugh. And we love to spend time together in each other's home. The sweet swap was a great night, and I look forward to many more nights in the kitchen with these gals!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
From Bell's Best II Cookbook

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups quick oats

Directions:

1. Melt butter on medium heat in medium stock pot. Mix in milk, sugar and cocoa.
2. Bring to a slow, rolling boil for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and oatmeal. Stir well.
3. Immediately spoon mixture onto wax paper. Move quickly before mixture sets.
4. Let cookies cool completely until set.

Spiced Apple Cookies
From The Naptime Chef

Ingredients:
½ cup shortening
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
¼ cup whole milk
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped walnuts
1 cup unpeeled apple, finely chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat together shortening and brown sugar until full combined. Add egg and milk and mix ingredients well.
3. In a separate bowl combine flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients, scraping down the sides as necessary, until everything is fully combined.
4. Stir chopped apple and walnuts into the batter with a wooden spoon.
5. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls about 2-inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper. Press the tops of the cookie down with your top two fingers so they are slightly flattened.
6. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until cookies hold their shape and are slightly browned on the edges.

Halloween snacks for the kiddos

I know this post is a little late, but I still wanted to put it up. First off, I have to give a shout out to my Internet/blog stalker who I met Friday night! HEEEEEYYYY!!!! I can't believe people other than Jana and April read my blog! Its kinda cool!

Halloween weekend I had the pleasure of hosting my sister's family in my home. Which means I had the cute little kiddos running around everywhere! : ) We got all dressed up , and went to the town fall fest Friday night. Will went as Diego (from Go Diego Go) and I was his precocious and youthful sidekick, Baby Jaguar. Pretty cute, huh?

Saturday we went to the park and lounged around the house before our football game that night. Whenever I hang with Will, I always try to encourage him to cook with me. Sometimes he goes for it. Sometimes he doesn't. Depends on his toddler mood of the day. On this particular day, though, he was willing to help me with lunch. So we made a cute and creepy version of hot dogs. Its a super easy treat to make with kids!

Mummy Dogs
Ingredients:
1 package of hot dogs (I prefer Bryan all beef juicy jumbos)
1 package of crescent rolls
Mustard

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll hot dog inside of crescent roll, and leave an opening for the eyes. Form crescent roll around the bottom and top of the dog to make sure it is covered. Place on cookie sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until crescent rolls are golden and crispy. Remove from oven and dot on mustard for eyes and mouth.

For the love of pumpkin...Part 2

This could turn into a 14 part post if I'm not careful! : )

We had our bi-monthly staff birthday celebration at the beginning of October, and one of our secretaries made the most delicious pumpkin dip! It's cold, creamy, sweet and all around fantastic! This is a great tailgating treat during football season or appetizer for a family gathering! Definitely something you should add to your to-do list! : )

Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients
2 pkgs. Fat free cream cheese, softened
1 can pumpkin
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions
Whip cream cheese and pumpkin in large bowl until smooth. Stir in sugar and spices, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 at least hour. Serve with sliced apples, graham crackers, vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, etc.

The Art of Being Neighborly

So, I live in a small town. So, I bake things for my neighbors. So, I'm really Southern. So what!

My sister made fun of me tonight because I baked a batch of brownies for my new neighbors. But, the thing is...I like to bake. AND...when you bake for your neighbors then eventually they might do things for you in return. Like move heavy things. Or kill snakes. At least...that's what I hope will happen in result of the brownies.

I had an idea the other night. I wanted some vanilla brownies. But with chocolate chips. And with cinnamon. But I couldn't find a recipe. So I googled a couple of things, and came up with this:

Vanilla Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla (I always use Mexican)
3 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10x15 inch pan. (If you don't have 10x15, use a 9x13, but you will need to bake longer.)

2. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add 1 egg at a time, continuing mixing.

4. Slowly add flour mixture to batter and beat until well mixed. Fold in chocolate chips.

5. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake for 35-45 minutes.**

6. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. When cooled, cut into squares.


**Watch the brownies as you get near the end of baking. The top of mine started to get a little crunchy, but once it cooled, they cut fine.

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Ummm...these brownies were pretty darn good! Very rich, but good! And I might add a little more cinnamon next time to bring out that flavor. Or some nutmeg. Something to spice it up though.

I think the neighbors were impressed. You know, it never hurts to sweeten them up! I may need their muscles in the future!

Happy cooking!

Buttermilk Ice Cream

And they doubted me that it would taste good....

Last Saturday night I went home to visit the family and help my grandmother move. I ended up also cooking dinner for my parents, grandmother, sister, and kiddos. I made a thrown together version of the summery pasta that Jana and I cooked in Idaho last year. We used some of the vegetables my brother has been growing in his garden. (The compound really could be self-sustaining if it had to be. You can find fish and deer for meat (or cats, squirrels and raccoons if you are into that stuff), and eat corn, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, pears, squash, zucchini, etc. That's how we roll!

Anyway, for dessert I wanted a special treat, and since my mom had some fresh (from the market) strawberries and (grown by a friend) blueberries, I decided to make some homemade ice cream to go with them. I flipped through my mom's ice cream cookbook, and stumbled upon a buttermilk recipe. I'm always looking for ways to use the buttermilk I buy when I make banana bread, and this is a great follow-up to that!

Buttermilk Ice Cream
(Adapted from A Passion for Ice Cream cookbook.)

Ingredients:
6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp kosher salt
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups buttermilk

Directions: Whisk together egg yolks, salt and 1/4 cup of sugar. Cook heavy whipping cream and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar on medium heat until almost simmering. Remove from heat, and slowly begin to temper eggs with cream mixture. As you add cream mixture into eggs, whisk and pour slowly in order to prevent "cooking" the eggs.

Return mixture to pan and cook on medium heat, stirring consistently with a wooden spoon or non-stick spatula. Use a candy thermometer to measure temperature, and continue cooking custard until it reaches 175 degrees and lightly coats the spoon. Strain custard into a medium sized bowl.

Fill a larger bowl with ice and water, and set medium bowl in the ice bath. Chill custard mixture in the ice bath for an hour or so. You can also put custard in fridge for four hours or overnight to chill.

When ready to put in ice cream mixture, stir in buttermilk. Then churn/freeze according to the manufacturer instructions of your ice cream machine. Serve immediately, or store in freeze. Top with fresh fruit or your favorite ice cream toppings.

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Side note: I totally rocked this ice cream! It was amazing! My family doubted the yumminess of buttermilk ice cream at first, but ended up LOVING it! Its a great treat for a summer holiday...such as...you know...4th of July!

Five O'Clock Friday: Special Cinco de Mayo Wednesday Edition...oh, and some cookies

Today is a special day for our neighbors to the south. Its Cinco de Mayo, or Battle of Puebla day. As the northern neighbors, we Americans feel like it is our duty to celebrate another nation's holiday, probably because it gives us an excuse to eat massive amounts of chips and salsa and drink margaritas.

None-the-less, it is a holiday that even we in Mississippi like to celebrate. I mean, I can understand celebrating in Texas. There are lots of Mexican immigrants that live there. But, in Mississippi, the only folks I know celebrating Cinco de Mayo have no Mexican heritage what-so-ever. But that doesn't matter. We still get to drink tequila!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I made sugar cookies with a lime glaze last night. Talk about yummy! (I also made Joy the Baker's oatmeal pecan chocolate chip cookies. Find the recipe here - http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2010/04/oatmeal-pecan-chocolate-chip-cookies/.)

I also wanted to post a make-shift recipe for a drink that one of my coworkers introduced me to - the margaveza. They used to serve these at The Grill, but last time I asked, it was off the menu. Basically its just a half and half mix of margaritas on the rocks and Dos Equis beer. Its worth trying!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Have a great May 5!

Margaveza

How to make the margarita:
According to Tyler Florence, the basic margarita is a 3:2:1 ratio of tequila, triple sec and lime juice, respectively. That seems a big strong, but here are some different ways to mix your pitcher of margaritas.

Method 1: Pour 3 cups of white tequila, 3/4 cup of triple sec, and fresh squeezed juice from about 14 limes in a pitcher. Stir well.

Method 2: Mix 1 cup of white tequila, 1 cup of triple sec, 1/2 cup each of fresh squeezed lime and lemon juice in a pitcher. Add zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime, and mix with 1/3 cup of simple syrup (see below). Stir well! You may need to strain it as you pour into each individual glass.

For the simple syrup: Mix 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup of water. Boil until sugar is dissolved. Chill before you add to margarita mix.

Method 3: (The 3:2:1 method) Pour 3 cups of tequila, 2 cups of triple sec, and 1 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice in a pitcher. Add simple syrup and mix well.

To make a margaveza:
Fill glass halfway with Dos Equis beer. Top off with the margarita mix. Stir and serve with a lime wedge for garnish.

Sugar Cookies with Lime Glaze:
Adapted from recipes by Paula Deen and Rachael Ray

Cookie Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 sticks of softened butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Directions: In a bowl, cream together the sugar and butter, then mix in the egg and vanilla and almond extracts. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cream of tarter and cinnamon. Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, then cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spoon out a quarter to half dollar sized piece of dough, roll into a ball, and flatten to about 1/4 of an inch thick. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.

Lime Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon (or so) milk
grated peel of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime (or so)

Directions: Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until sugar is dissolved and glaze is smooth. I had to add a splash more of milk and lime juice to get the right consistency for drizzling.

Once cookies are cooled, drizzle glaze over top of cookies with a spoon or spatula. Let the glaze dry/set before serving.

Happy cooking!

Cream Cheese Cookies

Cinco de Mayo is this week. Its a Mexican holiday, but celebrated quite fervently in my former Texas hometown. I love any excuse to have a party, especially when you get to drink margaritas.

I've been reading quite a few blogs that have featured Cinco de Mayo recipes lately. Many of them are lime-flavored cookies. I've been trying to decide exactly which cookie I would make in honor of the holiday. While doing that, I put out a request on Twitter and Facebook for feedback. In the midst of that, an old high school friend sent me the following recipe. Sounds delish! I had to post! Maybe I'll make these instead!

Cream Cheese Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions: Cream butter and cream cheese. Slowly add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in egg yolk. Add flour and vanilla; mix well. Chill dough at least 1 hour. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes. These cookies DO NOT brown. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:
2 cups confectioner's sugar
2 tsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (3 1/2 oz) cream cheese, softened

Side note from Rachel: My mom has always made these at Christmas time and puts red and green candied cherry halves on top. I top with a peppermint or crushed peppermint, or use peppermint flavoring for Christmas. For spring and summer, I love to do lemon iced ones and add just a hint of yellow color to the icing (these may be my favorites). I keep meaning to make some using the strawberry cream cheese in the frosting and see how that turns out, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I think lime sounds yummy. Orange or banana might be good, too. Such a good cookie, and so versatile! And you can switch the vanilla in either the cookie or the icing to flavor whichever (or both)...lots of variations!

Thanks for the recipe, Rachel! Adding this to my to-do list!

Happy cooking!

Five O'Clock Friday: Sweet Tea Vodka

So, the other day I was catching up on some Google reader action, and I came across a post on iced tea. I love tea. I'm Southern, though, so down here we drink tea instead of water. Tea with lots of sugar in it. Its really healthy, I promise.... *crickets...*

In the post, the blogger introduced me to something I have never heard of before - Sweet Tea Vodka. WHAT???? Someone made vodka taste like sweet tea? I love vodka (in moderation). I love sweet tea (but weak and only slightly sweetened). I can't believe some drunky drunk went off and combined the two! They must be Southern.

As soon as I read about this, I was sitting in my office in giddy shock...wondering if anyone in town carries this new mysterious wonderfulness. Then in walks my VP coming to congratulate me on a job well done. And what do I do?

Me: "Did you know they make sweet tea vodka?"
diarrhea of the mouth
VP: rather enthusiastically - "YES!! My friend in blahblahblah introduced it to me!"

Crap.

The first words that come out of my mouth to the boss at 8:30 in the morning were about booze. I bet his thinks I'm a lush. But, honestly, I think he knows me better than that. And...during our discussion on sweet tea vodka, he did say this was the best conversation he had all day. Whew!

So far I haven't been fired from my job for talking to the boss about booze early in the morning. He did go on to thank me for helping with an important project we were working on. So I think I'm okay! But still....talk about open mouth, insert foot! I still can't believe I blurted that out to my boss.

Moving on....

Today's Five O'Clock Friday is in ode to the new found sweet tea vodka...I must locate some. And when I do, I'm making this:

Mighty Mint Tea

Ingredients:
Fresh mint
ice
sweet tea vodka
lemon wedges
sugar

Directions:
1. Place a few (6-10) mint leaves in the bottom of a lowball/old fashioned glass. Sprinkle with sugar and muddle leaves. (Basically, muddling requires you to put mint in the bottom of a glass and crush it with the end of a wooden spoon. Or you can use a mortar and pestle.)
2. Drop in a few ice cubes and pour in vodka. If you don't want an entire glass of vodka, mix half and half with tonic water or club soda.
3. Stir and garnish with a lemon wedge. Serve and enjoy!

Remember kids...only drink in moderation, and DON'T drink and drive!

Greek-Style Stuffed Turkey Burgers

This weekend was spring homecoming at the ole alma mater. My brother and sister-in-law came to visit, and we tooled around town, grilled out, and hung at my house. The weather was beautiful, and it was a super fun Super Bulldog Weekend!

Saturday night I invited some friends over for a little homecoming cookout. I was inspired to create a new turkey burger after watching an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on Food Network. They didn't use turkey, I don't think, but some of the same ingredients.

The family helped with the creation, and we ended up with massively large and delicious, and somewhat healthy, burgers.

Ingredients:
**All of my measurements are estimates. I eyeball the ingredients and feel it out as I go....
1.5 to 2 lb. ground turkey
2 to 4 tbsp. Chicken Marinade (Worcestershire)
3 to 4 tbsp (or palmful) parsley flakes or freshly chopped parsley
3 to 4 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2-1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2-1 tbsp Cavendar's Greek Seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2-1 tbsp ground oregano
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella
EVOO

Directions:
1. Heat grill on high heat.
2. Saute onions and bell pepper in olive oil for about 5-7 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until all vegetables are soft. (About 3-5 more minutes)
3. Mix remaining ingredients together in a large bowl.
4. Take palm size of meat mixture and form into a thin patty.
5. Spoon sauteed vegetables on top of patty and sprinkle with mozzarella.
6. Take another palm size of meat and form another patty. Place on top of patty and vegetables, and crimp size to enclose vegetables and cheese.
7. Repeat 7 more times.
8. Grill burgers for about 10-15 minutes per side, or until juice squeezes out clear.
9. Serve on whole wheat bun with tomatoes, lettuce, and condiments.

Side suggestions: Potato salad, grilled squash and zucchini, chips, baked fries, etc.
Wine pairing: Biltmore Malbec or a Syrah

I do have to admit these burgers take a little more prep time than usual, but they were SOOOO worth it! Plus, I had a sous chef, aka my brother, aka grillmaster and master chopper. He cut all of the vegetables in record time and grilled the meat. Okay, he did most of the work. I just figured out the seasonings and put it all together. We were co-chefs. And Lauren helped too. We had three cooks in the kitchen, and actually prepared it quite fast....

I, rather unfortunately, had leftover raw turkey. I bought and mixed too much, and only made 8 burgers. (I wasn't sure how much meat I needed.) So, with the leftovers I made THE MOST AMAZING TURKEY MEATLOAF EVER tonight. I'll make you wait in suspense for that recipe!

After dinner was done, we spent the evening in the backyard taking and hanging out with friends. New friends and old friends, but all great company. It was a perfect spring night, and I can't wait to have many more like it to come!

Happy cooking!

Healthy Springtime Meal...except for the cake part...

Last night a few of my girlfriends and I celebrated J's 29th birthday. It was quite a celebration of life...since we are getting older, much more beautiful, wiser, etc., with ever passing year. It was another perfect day in town, so we decided to dine outside in the back yard. Dinner was full of lots of laughter and conversation, and it was a great night.

Following our meal and dessert, we moved to the other side of the patio and decided to break in my fire pit. That was an adventure in itself. At first I wasn't going to use one of the 2 hour logs...who knew we had that much life to cover in our fireside chat? I first attempted to burn old bills and papers. Well, that didn't go over so well...so I got out the fire log, lit it up, and covered it with the only slightly burned papers, and sat back to enjoy the warmth.

It was a great time! I hope J enjoyed her birthday party as much as I did! I thought it was a blast. In honor of the event, I have posted the recipes for each menu item below. We will definitely have to repeat this night again soon! : )


Grilled salmon

Ingredients:
salmon (amount and size dependent on who you are cooking for)
Colorado Spice Salmon and Trout Rub (**Use your own desired seasonings. This is what I used. It contains BLACK PEPPER, SALT, BELL PEPPERS, GARLIC, ORANGE PEEL, THYME, BASIL, ONION AND SPICES 100% Kosher.)
1-3 twigs of fresh rosemary
EVOO
aluminum foil

Directions:
Create a foil pouch for fish. (Typically I lay two 1 foot to 1.5 foot pieces down and cover with an additional one at the end.) Lay salmon on foil and rub in spices. Lay rosemary on top of salmon, and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Cover fish with additional foil, and fold up sides to create a pouch. Cook on grill for about 10 minutes, flip pouch, and cook an additional 10 minutes. (Cooking time may vary on amount and thickness of the fish.)

Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients:
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups water
3 tbsp butter
2 limes
2-3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
EVOO
Kosher salt, to taste

Directions:
Boil 2 cups of water. Add rice, 1 tbsp butter, a dash of olive oil (EVOO), and about 1/2 tbsp or so of Kosher salt. Bring to a boil, cover and let cook for approximately 20 minutes (or until rice is done).

Transfer rice to a bowl and add additional butter, to taste. Squeeze the juice of 2 limes over rice, and add chopped cilantro. Stir and serve!

Squash and zucchini

Ingredients:
2 yellow squash
2 zucchini
2 tbsp butter
salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning, to taste

Directions:
Slice squash and zucchini in rounds of about 1/8-1/4 an inch. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Add butter and seasonings. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling for about 10 minutes, or until soft.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:
4-6 oz. fresh baby spinach
6-10 strawberries, sliced
shaved Parmesan cheese
Poppy seed dressing

Directions:
Add spinach in bowl. Top with strawberries and cheese. You can add the dressing and toss...or...to keep the leaves fresh and crisp, let each individual dress their own salad.

**Also good with chopped walnuts and/or sunflower seeds.

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

Another version can be found here.

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
¾ cup oil
¾ cup water
4 eggs
1 box instant chocolate pudding
8 oz. pkg. chocolate chips
1/2 tub chocolate icing
powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cake mix, oil, water, eggs and pudding. Once smooth, fold in chocolate chips. Pour into greased/floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 50-70 minutes, depending on how quickly your oven cooks. (Look for the cake to spring back when you gently touch it, and for it to begin pulling away from the sides of the pan.

Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes. Transfer cake to plate or cake stand and let cool for about an hour.

Spoon out about 1/2 of a tub/jar of chocolate icing into a microwavable cup or bowl. Heat for about 20-30 seconds. (Be careful not to burn it though!) Remove from microwave, stir chocolate, and drizzle with spoon or spatula over cake. If desired, put about 1 tbsp of powered sugar in a strainer, and lightly tap/dust top of cake.

HAPPY COOKING!

Turkey Cheesy Peppery Sausage Dawgs

Today was one of those perfect spring days. It was warm, absolutely beautiful, and I spent the entire day outside enjoying God's creation. Sure...I spent it laboring in my yard with my "remodel" project. But...it was a perfect day.

On perfect days like this, I love to cook and eat outside. So, tonight, I decided to fire up the ole grill and cook some hot dogs. It was the....perfect...way to end a....perfect....spring day!

Ingredients:
Johnsonville Turkey Cheddar Hot dogs
1 bell pepper, sliced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
hot dog buns
salt and pepper, to taste


Directions:
Preheat grill. Cook hot dogs for about 10-15 minutes, rotating every few minutes. Saute bell pepper for about 2-3 minutes, add onion and saute about 3 more minutes. Add mushrooms (which are sliced and then slivered) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until soft.

I like to toast my hot dog buns on the grill or in the oven before eating them. Takes about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Dress hot dog bun with desired condiments. Add hot dog and then top with vegetable mix. Eat and enjoy!

Side Suggestions - If you want to go healthy, salad. Or...sauteed or grilled squash and zucchini. Or you can serve baked french fries, cole slaw, baked beans, chips, etc.

Drink - Skip the wine! Go for a light ale! Or sweet tea! : )

Five O'Clock Friday - Ulitimate Girly Cocktail

Several years ago my former boss won a free wine tasting at a local store in Plano, TX. Since he was such a great boss...he invited the entire harem to join him. We were able to sample several new wines that I have never tried before, and that is when I began building my collection.

One of the most wonderful things we tasted that night was a Moscato di Asti. It is a sweet sparkling white wine with a low alcohol content. Its very similar to a Gewürztraminer, if you have ever tried that. (FYI - Fetzer is a good, cheap Gewürztraminer.) I can't remember the brand of moscato we tried, but I remember it was quite delicious. And during the tasting, the store owner suggested the following cocktail made with Moscato. Its very girly and works great for brunch in place of mimosas.

Try it! You'll fall in love!

Ingredients:
1 bottle chilled Moscato di Asti
1 bottle chilled pomegranate juice
thin orange slices

Directions:
Mix wine and juice together in a large pitcher. (Be careful of pouring the wine! Remember...its bubbly!) Pour into champagne flutes or white wine glasses. Garnish glass with thin orange slice. Serve to your favorite girlfriends and enjoy!