Tag: recipes

Whopper of a Brownie

3 Comments

First of all, sorry for the lack of posts last week! I would like to think that all 6 of you who read my blog were heartbroken at the lack of content. The days flew by last week and it seemed there was no time to write.

While rocking Baylie to sleep for a nap last week, I saw a segment on the Today Show about what to do with all the leftover Halloween candy. However, all the types of candy they were using, I didn’t have. So really, it made me want to go out and buy more candy I don’t need to make desserts that I really don’t need. I am going to make the white chocolate pretzel and candy corn “bark” for Thanksgiving though!

One of the recipes they had was Peppermint Pattie brownies. Brownie mix is layered with peppermint patties and it looked delicious. Because I’m not a total weirdo, we didn’t have any peppermint patties left over because we didn’t buy any. I did think Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups would be a delicious substitution, but I ate most of those and since the purpose was to get rid of the candy, I didn’t want to buy more.

We did, however, have an abundance of Whoppers. I very much like Whoppers, but not in a “can’t-stop-eating-them-please-take-them-to-the-office-because-I-can’t-stop” kind of way so I decided to try it out in some brownies. My reasoning was that when we were kids, my mom would buy a jar of malt – it’s kind of a powdery substance – and we would make milkshakes with it. And it was DELICIOUS. So I thought the malted milk balls would melt into the brownies thus creating malted brownies. The result? Not so good.

Instead of melting, the malt seemed to harden into tiny rocks. I now have an entire pan of brownies with rocks.

So apparently America’s Test Kitchen won’t be calling me to offer me a job any time soon….

Hearty and Healthy Turkey Chili

Leave a comment

This is a great cold night or football game watching dish. It’s great because you dump all the ingredients together and let it simmer until you’re ready to eat.

1lb of ground turkey

1 small can of tomato sauce

1 packet of ranch dressing

1 packet of chili seasoning

1 can of condensed French Onion Soup

1 can of kidney beans

1 can of canalleni beans (sp? white kidney beans is what I’m looking for here)

1 white onion

3 garlic cloves, crushed

 

In a stock pot, heat olive oil with the garlic. Add in the turkey and brown and then add in the diced onion. Salt and pepper and let cook until the onions begin to become translucent. Add in the ranch and chili packets.

Partially drain the beans and add them in. Then the onion soup and tomato sauce. If it seems too thick, add a little hot water, but it should be pretty dense. Reduce the heat and really scrap the bottom of the stock pot to get all the bits off the bottom. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes or until you’re ready to eat.

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and crackers. Also cornbread would be delicious!

My Meatballs Are Better Than Your Meatballs

3 Comments

I like to cook with ground turkey a lot – however, my recipes always need a little tweaking. The extra lean turkey is a little dry because of the lack of fat so it needs a little extra work to make it tasty. I hit pay dirt with my meatball recipe last night. The proof? I thought they were delicious and Baylie ate an entire meatball!

1 lb of ground turkey – lean or extra lean

1 packet of ranch dressing mix

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 mozzarella cheese sticks

1-2 eggs

bread crumbs or cracker crumbs

Combine the turkey, garlic, 1 egg and ranch packet. Chop the cheese sticks into small quarters (cut lengthwise into 4ths, then dice) and add to the turkey mix. If the mixture seems dry, add the second egg. If it’s too wet, add some bread crumbs. It should be very moist, but hold a ball shape.

In a big skillet, heat some olive oil. Roll the meatballs and drop them into the pan. If you leave them alone until  you see browning on the pan, then you can easily roll them to the opposite side to continue browning (i.e. if they stick, they aren’t ready to turn). Cover with a lid and reduce the heat until cooked through.

Sauce:

1 small zucchini or yellow squash OR 1/2 a large one

1 pint of grape tomatoes

1 jar of  your favorite red sauce

Dice the zucchini into small chunks. Add zucchini and tomatoes to a sauce pan with a tablespoon of butter. Saute until soft and a little brown and the tomatoes are popping. Add sauce and let simmer until you’re ready to eat.

Combine whole wheat pasta shells, meatballs and pour sauce over all of it. A little sprinkle of parmesan and you’re ready to eat a delicious and healthy meal! Some fresh basil or parsley would be a great addition too. It makes a ton and is awesome for lunches the next day (and probably the day after!). Bon appetite!

 

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

Leave a comment

Like most people, I like to start the day and mid day and sometimes late afternoon with a coffee. And again like most people, going to Starbucks once or twice a week is not in the budget let alone three times a day. So I make my own delicious drinks at home.

At an after Christmas party last year, a  friend of a friend’s college (I kid you not, that’s actually the connection) began telling me about a great coffee shop in North-ish Scottsdale that roasts their own beans. She detailed how amazing each of the blends were and how unique each of the types of beans were in flavor, color and scent. I don’t fancy myself someone who knows a lot about all that jazz, but I do like a really delicious iced coffee. So Bay and I ventured out to the Village Coffee Roastery and were very pleased with the results. Not only is the shop its self adorable, but they offer a variety of pastries and sandwiches in addition to great beans. The best part is the coffee is really noticable better than something you buy in the grocery store or, dare I say it, Starbucks. I tried the Mexican blend this time and it has a very noticable chocolate flavor to it. It is delicious with some Truvia sweetener, two shakes of cinnamon, milk and ice for an afternoon jolt.

The manager is always there and might be one of the nicest ladies I’ve ever met. She knows about each bean and what it tastes like and is more than helpful with trying something new or bagging up your long time favorite. Try it for breakfast and take a bag home to keep your caffeine addiction fed.

Village Coffee Roastery

http://www.villagecoffee.com/index