Bolognese AKA Ragu AKA meat sauce AKA the best thing that’s ever happened to my taste buds. This girl LOVES her some Italian food and many of you may (or may not) know it is my favorite cuisi…
Autumn is a great time of year. First of all, I can wear my jeans and sweaters or yoga pants and sweatshirts. Secondly, we get to experience the turning of leaves to the rusts, yellows, oranges, and browns, and we can witness the "amber waves of grain." I love seeing the milo (sorghum) turn it's deep rust, the corn turn golden, and the maple leaves turning a glorious red. But probably my favorite reason for autumn...soup, chili, ham and beans, potato, homemade chicken noodle. Yummm!!! After church today, I put on a big pot of hamburger vegetable soup. The smell is permeating the house, and I can even smell it simmering while being in the garage. Of course, after simmering for a couple hours, I've had to get a bowl of it to enjoy. It is full of veggies, potatoes, hamburger, and lots of goodness. One thing great about soup, is it warms you from the inside out. Today isn't by any means a cold autumn day, but this soup I'm enjoying today will be put into the freezer for future COLD Kansas days, and also for quick and easy lunches to carry to work. This pot of soup isn't giving me "leftovers" but "planned overs" for many future meals!! As I mentioned in my previous posting, I was raised in a family of great cooks. Many of our family Christmas's consisted of soups and sandwiches, and Mom, Grandma, and my aunts would provide a variety of soups. As I look in my cookbooks, I can find many soup recipes that Mom had submitted, and the following recipe is one that I've developed after "tweaking" her recipe. I will share them both for you...then you can decide which one you like better. I hope that you enjoy these recipes, and that you allow yourself to enjoy the beauty of this Autumn season. "Tweaked Recipe:" Merri's Vegetable Soup Recipe 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, browned and drained 1/2 onion, diced 30 oz. V-8 juice 1 zucchini, diced 1 large can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes 1 can (14.5 oz.) green beans 1 (16 oz.) package frozen mixed vegetables 2 potatoes, peeled and diced 1/8 tsp. ground oregano 1/8 tsp. black pepper 1/2 cup diced celery 5 beef bouillon cubes 4 cups water 1/8 cup Dorothy Lynch salad dressing After cooking ground beef, drain and place in large stock pot. Add remaining ingredients, and simmer for a couple hours until vegetables are tender and flavors have come together. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. "Original Recipe:" Easy Crockpot Hamburger Vegetable Stew (Taken from the Grandma Max's Cookbook from the Bosselman Family Truck Stops) 2 pounds hamburger, browned and drained 1 48 oz. can V-8 juice 1 (12 oz.) package frozen hash browns 1 (12 oz.) package frozen mixed vegetables 1 onion, chopped 1/2 cup Dorothy Lynch salad dressing 2 cans cream of celery soup, undiluted Mix all together and put in crockpot. Cook for several hours until vegetables are done.
These Chilli Oil Spinach Feta Pastries are one of my go-to snacks to make for when I have friends over.
Muhammara Chickpea Skillet takes everything you love about the classic Middle Eastern dip in a 20-minute skillet meal. Serve with crusty bread or warm pita for a crowd-pleasing, vegetarian entree or appetizer.
Here's how to make my Homemade Kewpie Mayo, aka, Japanese mayonnaise.
This week's tried & true recipe is not an original, but it's the first time I've made this treat...bark! I love sweet and salty. LOVE. I'm thrilled to finally add this to my recipe box. So
Delicious! My husband absolutely loves this recipe! Fish is simply seasoned with lime juice, then served with a cilantro lime garlic sauce. Serve over a bed of greens with a nice loaf of bread for a complete meal.
Part of my breakfast this morning was Ezekiel toast w/pb+banana+dark choc+cinnamon. Aka perfection.
Full of the toasted sesame aroma and umami flavor, this Japchae, aka Korean Veggie Stir Fry Noodles, is light yet flavorful. It's a super great dish in summer or anytime you feel like.
These Chickpea Fritters are light, crispy and delicious!!! These are so easy to make and are a perfect snack or appetizer!
If a gingerbread man knocked up a snickerdoodle... this is what you'd get. Not to be bawdy or anything, but that's pretty much the best way to describe these softly spiced cookies. Holiday is perhaps my favorite time of year, only because I have a legitimate reason to make batch after batch of holiday cookies.
A simple delicious recipe for Strawberry Turnovers (aka "Hand Pies") with tasty strawberry filling and the most flakey buttery crust, sweetened with maple syrup!
A ridiculously simple sticky chicken recipe, made with cupboard staples.
If you ask someone why they wear blue jeans and they reply "because they’re comfortable," they are lying.
Serves 4 For as long as I live, I will be developing pasta salad recipes. They are just absolutely one of my favorite things to make. This recipe was inspired by my love of two things: 1. Alexis Bledel’s character Lena in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants going to Greece and falling in love […]
I have a slight obsession with the hazelnut cappuccino. At this point, I'm pretty sure my blood type is O-Hazelnut. I love them so much that I was fantasizing about how yummy a hazelnut cappuccino cupcake would be. The next day at the grocery store, I found two bottles of this in the clearance section: {That's a sign, people. And, yes, I check the clearance section of the grocery store. I only wish the tags were prettier.} Anyhoo...if you LOVE hazelnut like I do, I hope you'll love these cupcakes. The cakes themselves are a light, coffee-flavored cupcake, topped with a hazelnut syrup. For the frosting, I wanted something that was like the foamy milk on a cappuccino, not buttery, not tangy, just fluffy. I decided to use 7-minute frosting (my first time ever). The frosting is glorious, fluffy, shiny, and beautiful....infused with hazelnut syrup and a little drizzle on top. {Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Cupcakes.} IF you DON'T like hazelnut syrup...I'm looking at you, Mr. E...make the recipe, omitting the syrup, and call them Cafe au Lait Cupcakes, or Latte Cupcakes, or plain ol' cappuccino cupcakes. Hazelnut Cappuccino Cupcakes For the cupcakes: 1 cup plus 2 TBSP milk 1 & 1/2 tsp espresso powder 2 tsp vanilla 1 and 3/4 sticks unsalted butter 5 large egg whites 3 and 1/4 cup sifted cake flour (sift first, then measure) 1 and 1/2 TBSP baking powder 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1 and 3/4 cups sugar 1 TBSP hazelnut syrup Combine the milk with the espresso powder and vanilla. (Look for instant espresso powder near the Sanka.) Leave on the counter to come to room temperature. Set out the butter and egg whites to come to room temperature as well. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside. Lightly whisk the sifted cake flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Once the butter has come to room temperature, beat until smooth. Gradually add the sugar, beating until light and fluffy. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture, ending with the flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions. In a different bowl, use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in a bit of the beaten egg whites into the mixture until incorporated, then add the remainder, gently folding until combined. Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Place on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Lightly brush with 1 tablespoon hazelnut syrup. After 10 minutes, remove the cupcakes from the pans and cool completely on the racks. 7-Minute {Hazelnut} Frosting 1 and 1/2 cups, plus 2 TBSP, sugar (divided) 2/3 cup water 2 TBSP light corn syrup 6 egg whites, room temperature 1 TBSP hazelnut syrup, plus more for drizzling Place 1 and 1/2 cups sugar, water and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Clip on a candy thermometer so that it is not touching the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Once the mixture reaches a boil, stop stirring and cook until it reaches 230 degrees. Meanwhile, once the syrup starts boiling, place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high, using the whisk attachment, until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 2 TBSP sugar, beat to combine. Once the syrup reaches 230 degrees, immediately remove from heat. While the mixer is running on medium low, slowly pour the syrup down the side of the bowl into the beaten egg whites. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form and the frosting is cool. This should take about 7 minutes. :) Stir in the tablespoon of hazelnut syrup. {Have you seen Despicable Me? I just wanted to yell, "It's so FLUFFY!!!" Transfer to a large piping bag fitted with a large tip. (I used a closed star tip.) Pipe the frosting on the cupcakes. Drizzle on a bit more of the hazelnut syrup on top of the piped frosting. See? What did I tell you? Fluffy, shiny, GLORIOUS!!! I'm officially in love with 7-minute frosting. If you were here, I would share.
Our roasted napa cabbage gets its flavor from Chinese ingredients including Sichuan peppercorns. It's a quick and fun side dish that packs punch.
