Why Feeding Toddlers is a Joke

Last night for dinner I made a broccoli quiche. I may have over-bought on eggs when they were on sale a few weeks ago, and a quiche seemed like a good way to use some up (plus--turns out they are pretty easy and equally tasty!). William loves eggs, broccoli, and cheese, so I figured it would be a sure-fire win for him. Garrett, on the other hand, is hit or miss with eggs, usually has to be fed his broccoli because he won't eat it on his own, and within the past two weeks has started throwing cheese off his tray when I give it to him for a snack (although I found out that I may have been cutting it wrong, so that may have been the issue).

You've figured out where this is going, right? Garrett straight-up inhaled the quiche (and demanded seconds before he even had his first serving completely finished) and William gingerly tried a few pieces before declaring that he was "full". Seriously? Since we knew William wasn't actually full, we told him that he needed to eat at least four bites of what we served for dinner (standard rule in our house) and then he could have something else. And guess what--we cooked him an egg, fished a few broccoli pieces out of the quiche, sliced up some cheese--and he ate it without complaint.

Of course, the real joke will be when I try serving them some of the leftover quiche for lunch--Garrett will probably refuse to touch it, and William will eat it all. Because why not.

Cake Balls: A Learning Experience

So I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but as much as I loved how William's birthday cake turned out, I hated how much leftover cake I had sitting in my house.

Although the pan I baked the cake on was smaller than the one it is currently on, it was still a rectangular pan (two rectangular pans, actually, because it was a double-layer cake). Which meant I had quite a bit of scraps leftover after cutting the rectangles down to a three

Since most of the scraps were a mess and--in my opinion--not worthy of being served to others, I racked my brain for something to do with them because wasting them seemed like a shame but I certainly didn't need to eat them all myself (or feed them to the boys). So, in a moment of brilliance (or so I thought), the idea to make cake balls (or cake pops or cake truffles or whatever you want to call them) was born. While it was a good idea in theory, the final product was less than stellar (and that's being kind).



I know it is a terrible photograph, but trust me--there was not really anything I could have done with the lighting or staging or anything that would have made those little balls look appetizing. However, they were still very much edible (and reasonably tasty) so I allowed Darrell to take them to work (although I made him promise to tell his new coworkers that these were by no means representative of what I normally bake and that I promised to make something much better to send with him soon). Here's a few things I learned from this "experiment":

• Since I was using homemade cake and frosting, I couldn't really follow the standard recipe of "bake a 9x13 cake, crumble, and mix with a can of frosting". So I kind of kept mixing a little cake with a little frosting until I got a consistency that I could shape into balls. However, I'm pretty sure the frosting to cake ratio was too high because they ended up being a little on the sticky side (even after freezing) and they were definitely plenty sweet. I wish that I would have had some practice making these per an actual recipe so I would have known what consistency to shoot for.
• I stacked the cake layers before I cut out the three, so most of my "scraps" included some of the chocolate frosting that I used between the layers. Crumble that up with the yellow cake and green buttercream icing and you get an ugly mess. And since my cake balls were a little too big to be bite-sized, you were pretty much guaranteed a look at the (pretty unappetizing) inside. Next time I might consider adding some food coloring to the mixture so everything is at least a uniform color.
• In order to make the balls easier to dip, you are supposed to freeze them. And I know that lots of people freeze them with cute little straws so you can do fancy little displays with them to serve. Well, I didn't care about that, so I just went without, thinking that I wouldn't have an issue dipping them because I've been dipping stuff in almond bark for years and have a pretty good system figured out. Except I failed to consider that I'd be dipping cold cake balls into warm almond bark, and that it wouldn't quite work the same as the room temperature stuff I normally dip. As you can see from the picture, the coating is incredibly sloppy and terribly uneven. Next time I'd definitely consider using toothpicks or something similar to aid in the dipping process.
• I had planned to put some fun sprinkles on them to dress them up a little, but the coating was starting to harden almost immediately (see above note on cold cake balls plus warm coating), and I felt bad asking Darrell to stand over my shoulder and put sprinkles on them one at a time as I was taking them out of the coating. I think doing some sort of drizzle on the top would work best to "fancy" them up a little, but with all the headaches I ran into along the way it was well after my bedtime by the time I got them finished so I decided they could go without. And let's be honest, I really didn't need to slop one more thing on top of them after the mess that they already were, because I probably would have screwed that up too.

Overall, it was probably the best way to get rid of all the leftover cake we had, and it's definitely something I'll keep in mind in the future--although maybe next time I'll just be more careful when I'm cutting my shape out so I don't have so many "wasted" pieces!

No Shame

Saturday night, in a "I'm pouty about still being pregnant" mood, I made a batch of brownies (they were zucchini brownies, so they kind of count as a vegetable, right?). Darrell and I shared a piece that night in a brownie sundae... And then being pregnant and still at home happened. Come Tuesday night, this is what the pan looked like:

I wish I could Darrell helped with some of that, but that would be a lie. Aside from the piece we split Saturday night, that damage was all me (and WEBS). I hadn't even been nice enough to share them with William (although Darrell did last night and he LOVED them). I'm not the least bit sorry, either, and I won't even care if my doctor raises an eyebrow about my weight gain at my appointment tomorrow. After all, he was the one who told me last week that it was "unlikely" that I'd still be pregnant in a week. Looks like the joke's on him--baby doesn't seem to be interested in making a move any time soon!

A Bottomless Pit

Folks, I think there is a serious problem with my son. I'm quite certain there is some sort of hole in his stomach or intestines or something because he seriously never stops eating. I'm going to have to take out a part-time job just to keep him full. Seriously. For breakfast yesterday he ate a whole egg, an entire banana, a serving of oatmeal, and 4oz(ish) of yogurt. And he still wanted more. I know, I know, there are worse problems we could have, but still. My 30-year old sister doesn't even eat that much--at any meal!

The upside to feeding a human garbage disposal is that he will eat pretty much everything. So for lunch and dinner Darrell and I just chop up whatever we are having and give it to him (usually with an extra side of vegetables because let's be honest, Darrell and I probably don't eat enough of those ourselves. And he's inevitably still hungry anyway). The only thing we have consistently found that he doesn't like is BBQ sauce. He will spit out any bite of a pulled pork sandwich that gets near his mouth--but he eats pork fine prepared other ways. Weird kid. And hungry kid. ALWAYS hungry. 

Maybe it's not too late for me to get a garden in at our new house? And maybe raise some chickens? And I don't know, buy a cow or something? Eesh. We always knew our budget would change with having kids, but we didn't expect this much of an increase this soon. But at least he's healthy, right? 

National Pancake Day?!?

So I was all excited to blog today about the awesomeness of National Pancake Day, and was super proud of myself for actually having a pancake recipe to share, only to discover that today, in fact, is not the only National Pancake Day. In fact, today is truly not about pancakes at all, but rather about the end of Mardi Gras and the beginning of Lent. And traditionally, today--also known as Fat Tuesday--was just a day to use up the richer, fattier staples such as milk, butter, and eggs before the fasting of Lent began. And it just so happens that pancakes happen to be a quick, easy, delicious recipe that use all of those ingredients. In fact, according to Food.com, National Pancake Day is actually not until September 26th. How disappointing is that?!?

But, since IHOP recognizes today as National Pancake Day by giving away FREE pancakes (yes--even your local IHOP is probably participating in this giveaway), I'm going to follow suit. And, just for fun, I'll probably celebrate again come September 26th. Because really, any day with a built-in excuse to eat pancakes is a good day in my book.

Buttermilk Pancakes
(recipe originally found here)

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk together dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients, folding to combine. Batter will be lumpy. Cook pancakes on a preheated pan or griddle (approximately 300 degrees) until bubbles begin to form (three to four minutes). Flip and cook another minute or two.

If you need a quick substitute for buttermilk (because who really keeps that stocked in their fridge?), pour one tablespoon lemon juice into a measuring cup and fill to one cup with milk. Let stand for five minutes before using.

Oh, and fingers crossed this works as my shelf-stable dry pancake mix! I mixed up a few extra servings of the dry ingredients in a storage container and hopefully I'll be able to just scoop out a cup or two whenever Darrell and I want to make pancakes. Granted, we'll still have to measure out the correct ratio of wet ingredients, so it won't be quite as simple as those "just add water" mixes, but they should definitely be way more delicious. As long as the dry ingredients stay homogeneously mixed and don't get clumpy. I'll check back in after a few weeks/months to let you know how the experiment is going.

Zucchini Nut Bread

I know I probably should have shared this recipe with you before I shared the zucchini brownies because now that you've tried those you are probably never going to make anything else with your zucchini again... But on the off-chance you need to make something for an event or get-together where brownies aren't appropriate (not that I can think of what kind of event that might be) or if you want something a little healthier to start your day with (although a brownie for breakfast? Totally okay in my book), this is definitely the recipe for you. In fact, this is always the first recipe Darrell requests once we get our first zucchini out of our garden, and since it is a recipe from Mama Shirley, I'm always willing to oblige him. And of course, happy to oblige him as well, since the recipe is wonderfully delicious. Maybe I should even try throwing some cocoa powder into this recipe just to see what happens? Hmm.... The possibilities... Although as Darrell would say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Zucchini Nut Bread
(from Mama Shirley)

4 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
3 cups flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped nuts (we usually use walnuts or pecans)

Preheat oven to 325*. Grease bottoms only of two loaf pans. Blend all ingredients on low speed for one minute, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on medium speed for another minute. Pour into prepared loaf pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool ten minutes. Remove from pan; place on wire rack and cool completely.

Zucchini Brownies

Even though I've had my fair share of bad luck growing zucchini in my garden, I'll never stop trying. Because no matter what, I always get at least a handful of good, delicious zucchini before my crop dies (I'm shaking my fist at you squash vine borer!). In fact, "handful" may, at times, be a little bit of a misnomer; on more than one occasion we've had multiple handfuls of zucchini (and squash) out of our garden. But no matter how many of them pile up on my kitchen counter, I will never complain. Because they are soooo delicious. And soooo versatile. Five years ago if you had told me that my absolute favorite brownie recipe had zucchini in it, I probably would have called you crazy (and refused to eat one). But seriously--these are the best brownies ever. They are incredibly moist (and probably stay that way for awhile; they never last long enough in our house for me to find out!) and taste so rich that you feel like they must just be terrible for you, but surprise! There's good healthy zucchini in them! (Which is how I justify all my extra helpings.) Even if you don't have an abundance of zucchini from your garden that you need to get rid of, go out and buy some just so you can make this recipe. (Go ahead and go now. I'll wait. And don't tell me you don't have time. I've made these at least three times in the past month--with a four month old. They're super easy. Shredding the zucchini is probably the most time consuming part, and as long as you don't slice a finger open--not that I've ever done that or anything--they shred pretty quickly.)

Zucchini Brownies
(I have no idea where I originally found this recipe, so my deepest apologies for not being able to properly thank the genius behind introducing them to me)

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. In a large bowl mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes; if desired, top with a chocolate frosting once cooled.

A few notes. I find that one of the quite large zucchini from my garden will yield about two cups when shredded. If I'm buying zucchini from the store (which--for whatever reason--are always significantly smaller), I usually get two or three. I also never put nuts into my brownies. Never. If you do, I probably won't eat them. Just saying. And frosting--definitely a go on these. I'm not typically fond of frosting on brownies that are like the ones that come out of the box (you know--the ones that get that crack-y little crust on top), but frosting is delish on these because they are a little more like a cake (but still dense like a brownie. If that makes sense. You know what? Just go make these. You'll understand).

Peach Margaritas

Despite a few less-than-pleasant nights (or perhaps, early mornings) with tequila, the two of us have remained close friends. So when I found a margarita recipe that would help us blend through the surplus of peaches we had a few weeks (months?) ago, I was sold. While the recipe is quite delicious, I'm not sure that I would go out and buy peaches for the sole purpose of making these margaritas; that's way more forethought than I usually put into my margarita-drinking experiences. But when we already had the peaches on hand? You can bet we were all over these. My dad even went so far to call these the "nectar of the gods", but let's just say this wasn't his first drink of the evening, so you might want to take his opinion with a grain of salt (which, for the record, I would not recommend salting the rims of the glasses for these margaritas. Maybe sugar. Just an FYI. And you know, maybe serve them in actual margarita glasses instead of rocks glasses. That is, if you're picky about that sort of thing. Which clearly we are not).

We're apparently also not picky about the quality of our photos. I blame the glare and fuzziness on Darrell's iPhone.



Peach Margaritas

(I seem to have misplaced the original link for this recipe. I swear that is because of the amount of time that has passed since making these, not because of the amount of alcohol that was consumed in sampling them. But I'm pretty sure this is the recipe we followed/modified.)

(Makes 3-4 margaritas)

 

3 peaches, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 cup tequila

1/2 cup triple sec or peach schnapps (we preferred the schnapps)

3 tablespoons honey

3 cups ice

 

Blend all ingredients in a blender on high speed until desired consistency is reached. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

 

PS It is only fitting that I post a recipe for an alcoholic drink today, as it is the birthday of one of my dearest friends Tim. While he doesn't quite share my love of tequila, he certainly knows his way around a good bottle of scotch. Cheers to you Tim! 



Peach Pancakes



So I was going to wait and post this recipe on Friday, but then I decided that I wanted to make sure you had plenty of time to go out and get the ingredients before the weekend so you can make these. Because you need to make these--maybe even before this weekend if you are in the mood for breakfast for dinner (and really--you should always be in the mood for breakfast for dinner). A few months ago I probably would have balked at the thought of having twelve plus pounds of peaches in our house, but it was really fun finding new recipes to use them up--and now I actually have an excuse to buy peaches because you can bet I will be making these again (and again and again!)

Yes, that is raspberry syrup on those puppies. Sooo good (although regular maple is just as delicious).

Peach Pancakes
(Delightfully borrowed from here)
(One batch makes approximately twenty pancakes)

2 eggs
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons oil
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
2 cups ripe, peeled, diced peaches (approximately two peaches)

Mix egg, buttermilk, and oil in a large bowl. In a separate bowl stir together remaining ingredients (except for the peaches). Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the peaches and let mixture stand for five minutes (batter will be lumpy). Cook on a hot griddle, and press down gently after turning to make sure the batter cooks evenly around the fruit.

Truthfully, you could probably add peaches to any pancake recipe (much like you would add blueberries or chocolate chips), but the spices pair wonderfully with the peaches and the buttermilk helps to make them deliciously fluffy. And just in case that earlier picture wasn't enough to convince you to make these, try this one on for size (just look at those delicious chunks of peachy goodness!!)

Bountiful Baskets

I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but Darrell and I have awesome neighbors. In fact, the whole neighborhood/development is pretty fantastic. We bought this home intending for it to be a starter home--we initially intended to move before we started having kids--but now I can't really imagine living anywhere else. Granted, our house is still built a little like a starter home and not a family home... But that's an issue for another day. And I digress.

The point of this post is to talk about Bountiful Baskets, this awesome food/produce co-op delivery thing that one of our neighbors introduced us to shortly after William was born. Instead of the typical meal or dessert that many people bring new parents, she came over with a small basket full of fresh produce. And it was delicious produce. We found out that she buys and picks it up every two weeks through this Bountiful Baskets program, and we were hooked. Over the past few years we have made a point to buy pretty much all of our produce fresh, and we try to stick to stuff that is in season (and subsequently cheaper), so it only made perfect sense for us to get involved in this program. For a flat fee, you are able to buy a basket full of produce (you never know what it will be!), and you can also buy add-ons of additional produce (like 25 pounds of peaches) and bread. Doing the program with our neighbor makes it even more great--Darrell and I on our own would never be able to eat through 25 pounds of peaches before they went bad, but splitting them with her makes the load much more manageable (plus--as we did when we had the peaches--it's a good excuse to make some pies or other desserts to share with family and friends). One of the other things we love about the program? Since we can't control what is in the basket, Darrell and I get produce that we would probably otherwise pass by in the grocery store out of fear of the unknown (what does it taste like? how do you fix it? will we like it? etc.) Thanks to Bountiful Baskets, we've learned how to tell when a mango is fresh (and how to cut it), we've tried cooking with eggplant (we grilled it--it was okay, but next time we'd definitely us it more in a meal versus on the side), and we've found creative ways to eat through large quantities of produce (like 13 pounds of peaches--don't be surprised to see some peach recipes pop up in the next few weeks!)

Here's a picture of our basket from a few weeks ago--yum!!

In addition to our "normal" basket haul, this week we split 25 lbs of peaches and 18 lbs of grapes with our neighbor. It was a lot of produce for a little dough!

Rainbow Cupcakes

One of the most time-consuming projects I undertook for my sister's bridal shower was these rainbow cupcakes. I knew they'd be perfect for the event, but they took a little more work than I was anticipating. Thankfully I had Macy and my mom to help--both with the cupcakes and watching over William. Here's the final product:

And on the inside:

Totally worth all the effort. And really, making them was quite simple--just tedious. Having a glass (or two....or three) of wine while working on this project is totally advisable.

All you need for this project is a basic white cake mix and food coloring. Divide the batter equally into six bowls and color each bowl to the desired shade. Then layer the colors into a cupcake tin, being sure to spread the batter out to the edge (of course, if you don't care about trying to create even lines, you probably wouldn't have to spread the batter). That's it!

As I mentioned though, in spite of the directions being very simple, the actual process is quite time consuming. The cake recipe we used was fairly sticky, which made it hard to spread (although maybe all cake batters are a little sticky? I don't make cake very often). Plus the whole process of divvying up and coloring the batter takes a little bit of time. But are they worth it? Totally.

Modified White Cake Mix

Someday I would like to find a delicious from-scratch cake recipe, but for my sister's shower a few weeks ago, I just didn't have the time to experiment with different recipes to find a good one. Judge me if you'd like, but I always trust that I can get a quality cake starting with a boxed mix. For the shower though, I wanted something a little more than just a boxed mix, so I found a recipe that used a boxed mix as a base but modified the directions and ingredients slightly. The end result was a super easy, deliciously moist cake that would work for just about any event!

If you can get past the crazy colors, you should be able to see how light and airy the cake is--and this was three or four days after I baked it! Tomorrow I'll share how I got the colors to layer like that

Modified White Cake Mix
(recipe originally found here, along with a much better--and less colorful--picture)

1 box white cake mix
4 eggs
3/4 cup oil (I used canola)
1 3 oz box instant vanilla pudding
8 oz can of Sprite

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans (I made 24 cupcakes instead with no issue). Mix ingredients on low until just combined then mix for two minutes on medium. Pour into prepared pans and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (I think the cupcakes were done after closer to twenty minutes).

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

When Darrell and I find a recipe we love, we stick with it. We don't look to improve it, we don't look to find one that might be better--we stick with what we know works and call it good. So imagine Darrell's surprise when I suggested trying a new chicken enchilada recipe. He knows that I love our chicken enchiladas and was shocked that I would consider changing or replacing it. However, I quickly assured him that this recipe would do no such thing--it would be a second chicken enchilada recipe (can you ever have enough Mexican recipes? I think not). These two recipes are so different that there is no way to pick one as being better than the other. Our "original" recipe is much more traditional, with salsa and pepper and some cream of chicken soup for extra creaminess. But this one? The chicken is marinated in a sweet/spicy honey lime sauce, and the enchiladas are covered in gooey Monterey Jack cheese and green enchilada sauce. Wildly different flavors from our other enchiladas--but equally delicious. So delicious that Darrell and I have made it twice in three weeks--and considering it makes two to three days worth of leftovers, that's a lot of enchilada meals. And we're not even close to being sick of them. In fact, we're already looking forward to making them again--I'm thinking this will be a good one to whip up once baby arrives: easy prep for a delicious meal with lots of leftovers. Definitely a win in my book!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
(recipe originally found here)

3 tbsp honey
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb chicken, cooked and shredded
8 tortillas
16 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
2 10 oz cans green enchilada sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream (half and half would probably work here as well)

Mix the honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder together. Pour over the shredded chicken and stir to combine. Marinate for at least thirty minutes. Preheat oven to 350*. Spray a 9x13 pan and then pour a little bit of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan. Fill a tortilla with approximately an eighth of the chicken mixture and a few tablespoons of cheese (set aside at least one cup of the cheese to sprinkle over the top of the enchiladas). Roll up the tortilla, place in pan, and repeat until all the tortillas are used. Mix together the cream and remaining enchilada sauce. Pour over the top of the enchiladas (it may seem like a lot, but it isn't overly sauce-y after baking). Sprinkle with the reserved cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake

I must have found a cookbook or website at some point years and years ago that had a bunch of copycat recipes posted on it, because this is the third restaurant copycat recipe I've had in my recipe box--and they are all so old that I'm not actually sure where they came from. I suppose part of the credit goes to the restaurant the recipes are copycat-ing, but clearly someone took the time to "crack" these restaurant recipes and share them with the world--and I'm not sure where that credit should go. Whoops.

All I know is that I'm glad to have this (and my other copycat recipes) in my recipe collection. Even though I've had this recipe for well over five years, and have probably only made it three times in that timespan, it's always a winner. And always leaves me wondering why I don't make cheesecakes more often (oh right--it's because Darrell and I would devour an entire cheesecake way too quickly--and no one really needs that much dessert). Especially considering we like to doctor up our cheesecake with extra sweets (and calories)--not because it needs the extra flavor because it is great on its own, but because who can say no to cheesecake drizzled with homemade chocolate topping and macerated strawberries? That's right, I didn't think anyone could.

Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup melted margarine

Filling
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1 1/3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon juice
16 oz sour cream

Combine all crust ingredients and press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan that has been lined on the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Place in the freezer until the filling is done.

Bring all filling ingredients to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325*. Beat the cream cheese on low until light and fluffy. Add the sugar a little at a time and beat until creamy. Add one egg at a time and beat lightly after each addition. Mix in flour, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat in sour cream. Pour cream cheese mixture into pan. Place toward the top in the middle of the preheated oven (I like to put a pan of water on the rack under the cheesecake to help prevent it from cracking). Bake for one hour and fifteen minutes. When the time is up, turn off the oven and prop open the door for an additional hour. Remove from oven and bring to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least twenty-four hours before serving.


Disclaimer: I actually have no idea if this is an authentic copycat recipe or not. I've only eaten at The Cheesecake Factory a handful of times, and I have never ordered their "original" cheesecake because they always have too many flavored cheesecakes that sound too good to pass up. Regardless, this is still a delicious "plain" cheesecake recipe, and you should definitely give it a try!

Apricot Chili Pork

Honestly, this recipe deserves a big, grandiose introduction describing its incredible deliciousness... But all I can muster right now is TGIF. Because that's really all I can think about. And truthfully, even if I did try to tell you about how wonderful this recipe is, I'd probably come up short because there is no way for words to capture the magnificence of this meal. So please, allow me to revel in the fact that it is (FINALLY) Friday, and just try this dish for yourself so you will know how truly fantastic it is.

Apricot Chili Pork

(slightly adapted from here)

2 pounds pork tenderloin, fat trimmed

Spice Rub:

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups apricot jam/jelly

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp hot sauce

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

2 small limes, juiced

Mix together spice rub in a small bowl. Spread over the tenderloins (or place into a bag and toss to coat). Cover and refrigerate two to twenty-four hours. Preheat oven to 375*. Place the pork tenderloins in a roasting pan (or 9x13 pan lined with foil and lightly greased). Bake for 15 minutes. While the pork is baking, melt the apricot jam in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining glaze ingredients. Set aside half of the glaze to serve with the pork. When the 15 minutes is up, remove the pork and brush it with the apricot glaze. Bake for 15 more minutes, then brush again with the glaze. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the pork reaches 160* internally. Remove from the oven, tent with foil, and let rest for five minutes before slicing. Serve with the reserved glaze.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

As you may recall, one of the items on our "101 in 1001" list was to go out once a month for a date night. We've been really good about this, and have really enjoyed our nights out, but through the months we've definitely learned something about our dining out preferences. Namely, we prefer small, local restaurants to the big chains. We've found that at local restaurants, the food is often better (and fresher!), the atmosphere is cozier, and the staff is more knowledgeable (I won't mention this one time we tried to get a wine recommendation from a server at a big-name Italian restaurant--it didn't go so well).

However, that isn't to say that the chain restaurants do everything poorly. In fact, most chain restaurants do at least a few things well--after all, there has to be something that contributes to their long-standing (and nationwide) success. And sometimes, without reason, I get a craving for one of those "feature" items at a big chain restaurant.

Thankfully, there are people who have made it their mission to re-create such popular items, making it possible to satisfy the craving without dropping any cash at the restaurant. And for this copy-cat recipe, you don't even have to put in very much work! Definitely a win-win in my book.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
(yields 12 biscuits)

2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup shredded cheese
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450*. Mix Bisquick, cheese, and milk until a soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, approximately ten minutes. Mix butter and garlic powder. Brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Best served warm.

Looking for another copy-cat recipe? Check out this one for a Jack Daniel's Grill Glaze!

Happy Pi Day!

Math nerds of the world rejoice! Although I wish I had plans to bake and share a new pie recipe today, that just wasn't in the cards for this week because I've been busy with some other baking for a family event tomorrow night and Darrell would not have approved of chocolate cake, cheesecake, AND pie sitting around our house. I suppose he has a point. But, if a pie is in the cards for you, here are a few recipes you can celebrate with!

Chunky Pecan Pie Bars--technically not a "pie", but close enough to count in my book!

Peanut Butter Brownie Pie

Toasted Coconut, Pecan, and Caramel Pie

Turns out I don't have much for options in the pie department... Guess I'll have to work on improving that for next year!

30 Before 30: Food

As I mentioned on Friday, food is one of the areas I want to focus on with my 30 before 30 project. In general, my goal is going to be to find thirty new recipes to add to our recipe collection before my thirtieth birthday. Now, before you assume that this will be as simple as trying thirty new recipes, you should know that Darrell and I are kind of picky about which recipes "earn" spots in our permanent collection. We always make a recipe twice before putting it into our collection (unless it is just ahh-mazing), and we consider more than just the taste of it when reviewing it: how manageable is the prep, how easy are the ingredients to find, how affordable are the ingredients, how do the leftovers keep (if it makes leftovers), etc. When I am baking, I always take into consideration how foolproof the recipe is: am I able to get the same results multiple times or is the recipe finicky? So, as you can see, adding one new recipe per month to our permanent collection will be a bit more tedious than just trying thirty new recipes.

Although I'm not going to constrain myself to a list of thirty specific recipes to try, there are a few important ones (to me) that I would like to get in my permanent collection by the time I'm thirty. Some of these I've tried recipes for in the past (unsuccessfully); others are challenges that I want to push myself to attempt.

Buttercream and/or Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Chip Cookies (I actually set out to find my "perfect" chocolate chip cookie recipe a few summers ago, but didn't really make any progress. Whoops.)

Homemade Croissants

Basic Brownies

Cinnamon Rolls

Homemade Pancakes (Bonus points if I can find a recipe to make into a shelf-stable dry mix; have you seen the sodium contents of the mixes you buy in the store?)

Caramels (Probably going to need to buy a candy thermometer for this, but I'm totally okay with that.)
Macaroni and Cheese (not from the box--I've already got the boxed kind mastered)
Jambalaya
Roast Chicken (a whole chicken)
Tomato Sauce
Chicken Noodle Soup

Are there any other recipes you think I should try to master by the time I'm thirty? What are some of your favorite recipe box staples?

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Crackers

That may be quite a mouthful for the name of this recipe, but it covers all three ingredients necessary for it: chocolate, peanut butter, and crackers. And I suppose you also need a little bit of time and patience--but the end product is totally worth it. Be warned, though: these tasty treats are highly addictive. And if people start to get attached to them... Well, you might be on the hook for providing them on a regular basis. Just ask Darrell's grandmommy if you don't believe me--for as long as he can remember (so twenty-plus years), she's been providing them for her kids and grandkids at Christmas. And let me tell you--the moment when every family gets their tin of cookies is always a big deal. Not to mention how exciting it is to get married and start a family of your own, which entitles you to your own tin, not one that you have to share with your parents and unmarried siblings.

I've always known that the basic concept of these cookies was ridiculously easy, but much like my cut-out cookies, I've always been intimidated by the process. After all, chocolate will only melt so quickly on a double-boiler, and dipping the cookies one at a time is tedious. But I found that once I got into a routine, the whole process went quite smoothly, and I was done before I knew it. Blaring fun dance music always helps to pass the time as well :)

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Crackers

Ritz (or similar) crackers
Peanut Butter
Chocolate for coating

I know that ingredient list is really vague, but truthfully, this is more of a method than a recipe. Just slap a small spoonful of peanut between two crackers and coat with chocolate. That's it. I did find that I could coat approximately 40 sandwiches with one 24 oz package of almond bark, so that might help give you a gauge on quantities. And just in case you are a visual learner who has never had one of these before, here's a picture of the inside:

Doesn't that just make you want to whip up some of these right now? Maybe for your sweetie for Valentine's Day so you don't have to pay for ridiculous candy and flowers at the store? That's one of the beauties of this "recipe"--you can make as many or as few as you would like! Of course, if you are going to take the time to melt the chocolate for them, I'd recommend making at least a couple dozen--also because you'll probably discover that once they are made they don't last very long.

They are also easily customizable to any occasion (hello, sprinkles), and once the chocolate has set they are virtually indestructible, making them perfect for traveling to any type of gathering. Just be prepared to be the hero--and don't be surprised if people request them again and again.

Almond Poppy Seed Bread

Look at me--food posts two days in a row! This might be the closest I come to nesting; I am totally fine without doing any of the cleaning/organizing stuff, but sign me up for spending more time in the kitchen and building a stockpile of recipes to be able to fall back on once baby gets here. And this bread is definitely a good place to start. It's sturdy enough that I imagine it would freeze well, although I can't say that we've ever tried that because we eat through the loaves quickly enough without needing to freeze them. I'm not even sure we would need to stock our freezer with any of these loaves before baby comes, either--the recipe is easy enough to prepare that I could do it while baby is napping (does that totally make me sound like an overly optimistic/ambitious novice Mom? Yes? Well, I guess I'll learn soon enough).

Oh, and don't be tempted to forgo the glaze. While I love me some almond extract (like in this recipe) and the unique flavor that the extract gives the bread, the glaze just gives it that extra boost of sweetness that takes this bread from delicious to delectable. And maybe makes it just slightly addicting.

Almond Poppy Seed Bread
(recipe originally found here)

Bread:
3 cups flour
2 1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp almond extract

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease two 9x5 loaf pans. Mix all bread ingredients together and beat for two minutes. Pour into pans and bake for 45-60 minutes (begin checking at 45 minutes until you know how quickly it will cook in your oven). In a small bowl, mix together all glaze ingredients. Loosen bread from the side of the pans and poke some holes in the top. Pour the glaze over the hot loaves, making sure to cover the entire top. Let cool completely before removing from pans.

We do store the second loaf in the fridge for the few days it takes us to eat through the first loaf just because I'm worried the glaze would make it susceptible to getting moldy more quickly if left at room temperature for an extended period of time, but it should be fine at room temperature for at least four or five days (covered, of course).