I. Have. A. Camera.

Thanks to my own personal Santa, who does INCREDIBLE research and picks out THE best gifts (DROID?!), I now have a camera. An AMAZING camera. You can now see my food.

Sometimes my food ends up on peoples' faces. (Sorry, Dad, had to!) My Dad's eyes are gorgeous! And that's his birthday cake.



And just because my dog is the cuuuutest. Love him!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chocolate Butter Cake with Chocolate Italian Meringue Buttercream

(Finally, proof that I actually make the stuff I say I do!)

Make homemade oatmeal.

There are several things I believe are 100% worth making from scratch, especially when they are easy and simple. ESPECIALLY when they are effortless!

So this week, you should REALLY try homemade oatmeal. It's ridiculously delicious, takes zero effort (other than buying a new type of oats), and the texture is incredible - no gloppy nasty cementy mess!

Now, I have to warn you - you MUST use steel-cut oats. Do NOT use rolled oats! The texture of the steel-cut makes all the difference in the world for texture. Also, if you double the recipe, you have enough for 2 servings of breakfast, and enough leftover to make my delicious Oatmeal Bread :) (Yes, I got the recipe for my homemade oatmeal from my oatmeal bread.) If you've never seen steel-cut oats before, you will see an immediate difference when you pop open that canister. You can get it in any grocery store, usually on the top shelf. Quaker sells them in a smaller dark blue canister.


Homemade Oatmeal
3 oz. (1/2 c.) steel-cut oats (NOT ROLLED!)
12 oz. (1 1/2 c.) water
1-2 Tbsp. butter or cream
Pinch salt, or to taste
Toppings/Mix-ins (brown sugar, maple syrup, raisins, chopped apples, cinnamon sugar, sliced strawberries or peaches)

Mix oats and water. Bring to a simmer and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add butter and desired mix ins (my favorite is just brown sugar!) and enjoy.

And I do mean, enjoy. (I've made it two or three days in a row, and will make it again tomorrow!)

Holiday Fudge - Simple, Delicious.

Stolen from: http://kelseyskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/fudge.html

(I love Kelsey Nixon. She got robbed... she should be on Food Network with her own show.)

This fudge is amazing. I am going to make it plain, with peppermint extract and crushed peppermint on top, with almonds and marshmallow, maybe even a mocha version. I am also going to give it away as gifts because it's that pretty and that delicious.

Simple Chocolate Fudge

1 lb. quality chocolate, chopped
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp. salt

Line bottom of an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or wax paper. Heat all ingredients in a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Pour into baking pan and chill, uncovered, until firm, about 3-4 hours. Run a knife around edges of pan and invert fudge onto a work surface. Remove parchment and cut fudge into bite size pieces. Serve chilled.

I need a new dress.

Peppermint Stick Holiday Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

I need a new dress. Cute and free doesn't hurt...

Finals

I hate them. They're once again upon us. Yuck. I will be taking a facebook and blogging hiatus.

To make you jealous, I will mention that I now have a food processor, new hand mixer (old one was too weak), new hand blender (old one broke!), and a real blender (mom wouldn't ever let me get one cause she said 'As soon as you get married you'll get 5!' but OBVIOUSLY, no blenders are coming my way anytime soon, so I had to get one myself).

I also got a new kitchenaid bowl, a silpat, a food mill (BEST THING EVER!), a new knife, a new pair of jeans, several shirts (thanks mom!), an adorable Shade jacket, a new pair of Steve Madden boots (check out their Thanksgiving promo! 30% off, no sales tax, and free shipping!), some Foot Petals (highly recommend if you have a love/hate relationship with sexy shoes like I do! - 25% off and free shipping), and a Shabby Apple (15% off, but sadly, still $9 for shipping) dress!

Yes, I cleaned up. Be jealous.


NOTE: This is so exciting that I have to break the hiatus to share.
My Steve Madden boots. They were originally $99.95, were marked down to $69.95, and with my 30% off coupon (and free shipping and free sales tax since there's no retail store in TN), I paid $48.98 TOTAL.

Today, they were marked UP. To $129.95.

I saved EIGHTY DOLLARS on ONE PAIR OF BOOTS.

Be sure you keep checking Steve Madden's website - they've had killer deals going on.

But I think I won, where this is concerned.

Happy Birthday to ME!

For my birthday, I made this cake:


Yes, I made my own birthday cake. Don't judge. And no, this isn't my picture, but my cake actually looked EXACTLY like this - I was pretty impressed!

I'll post the recipe and details later. For now I'm off to enjoy my birthday!

XOXO,
S

On the table in less than TEN MINUTES! (Taco Salad!)

Sounds kind of like a Magic Bullet commercial, doesn't it? :) But this really is a great, quick and easy meal. I feel like I don't post enough simple ideas, so that's why this one is going up. My brother likes meals like this - no fuss, little clean up, ready in a flash. I especially love the extra *something* the corn adds. Also, the ranch instead of sour cream makes it a little more fun and adds a different flavor. This is also a great way to stretch a buck, because you only need a little meat, then you add beans and lots of lettuce and tomatoes and corn, and have a nice little meal. Yum!


Taco Salad

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning
2/3 c. water
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained
Chopped romaine lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
1 can corn, heated, or 1 c. frozen corn, cooked
Blue corn tortilla chips, crushed
Shredded cheese
Taco sauce
Ranch dressing

In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, brown ground beef; drain. Add beans, taco sauce, and water; stir well. Turn down heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, assemble salads: layer lettuce, tomatoes, corn, chips, cheese, taco sauce, and ranch dressing. Top with meat mixture.

Chicken with Apple, Onion, and Cider Sauce

Very easy, very simple, very delicious, and EASY clean-up! (That part's my favorite!) Be sure you cut the apple and onion into big pieces, or they will absorb too much of the sauce. I served this with steamed broccoli and salad. It was a very easy, quick meal - less than 30 minutes from start to table, and I hadn't even made it before! I really recommend this one. It's not a showstopper but it's a great weeknight meal, and good enough to serve to company if you want to go low-key!


Chicken with Apple, Onion, and Cider Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large red onion, cut into LARGE pieces
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into LARGE pieces
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1½ c. low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add 2 Tbsp. oil to the pan. Place the chicken in the skillet smooth-side down and cook until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking dish and bake until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the onion and apple to the skillet, along with 1 Tbsp. oil, if the pan is dry, and increase the heat to high. Cook, tossing, until the onion has wilted slightly and the apple is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the pan. Let the mixture boil until the vinegar becomes syrupy, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and return to a boil. Cook until the broth reduces by half. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and whisk in the butter.

Remove the chicken from the oven; add any collected juices to the sauce. Divide the chicken among four plates and spoon the apple, onion and pan sauce over each piece.

Today, I love TJ Maxx and Ross.

I went to TJ Maxx and Ross this weekend, and walked away with a few serious steals.

OXO Mixing Bowl (3-quart)

OXO Measuring Cup (4-cup)

Fit-N-Fresh Fruit and Veggie Bowl

Kuhn Rikon Paring Knife (in the light blue!)

Calphalon 8" Square Baking Pan

Okay, so now I'm going to link you to everything and brag about the amount of money I saved:

OXO Mixing Bowl (3-qt):

MSRP: $8.99

I paid: $5.99

Saved: $3

OXO Measuring Cup (4-cup):

MSRP: $9.99

I paid: $6.99

Saved: $3

Fit-N-Fresh Fruit & Veggie Bowl:

MSRP: $9.99

I paid: $6.99

Saved: $3

Kuhn Rikon Paring Knife:

MSRP: $9.99

I paid: $5.99

Saved: $4

And, are you ready for the best deal yet?!

Calphalon 8" Square Baking Pan:

MSRP: $16.99

I paid: $7.99

Saved: $9

And I bought two, for a savings of $18.

I also got a set of kitchen towels ($3), a "Bash N Chop" (amazing for cutting bread dough and for scooping chopped veggies into the pan... I needed a second!) for $3 at a $3 savings, and a few "StayFit" snack holders.

Total Spent: $51 (plus tax)

Total Saved: ~$35

That means I got all these (brand new, first quality, in original packaging, exact same as sold at bed bath and beyond or walmart) products for a total of 40% off.

I am pretty proud of myself.

(If you're looking to be a little more healthy in your lunch choices, I HIGHLY recommend the "Stayfit" and "Fit-N-Fresh" product lines, sold at WalMart and Bed Bath and Beyond, respectively. They make eating healthy SO much easier. And each product has its own fitted ice pack or built-in freezer gel, so you don't have to worry about the office {or law school} thief!)

Delicious AND East - Part III! Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon-Honey Butter!

Okay, guys, I'm giving you all the elements for a really easy and delicious, and stunning, dinner meal! First it was my Honey Wheat Rolls (I made them Thursday and was reminded again how delicious they are - try them!), and then it was the World's Most Delicious Pot Roast. Now I'm giving you a fantastic side dish - Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon-Honey Butter. Man, is this great! And it's pretty good for you - there are only a few Tbsp. butter throughout the whole dish, and it's sweetened with honey rather than sugar. I couldn't stop eating these! They would be great as a Thanksgiving side dish, also, as opposed to the usual Sweet Potato Bake loaded with sugar and butter, if you're trying to cut some calories in various places this holiday season. Please note - I made these for Steve (a law buddy who eats with me almost every night), who is not a big sweet potato fan, and he told me he really liked this dish, in spite of not really liking sweet potatoes! So if your hubby or boyfriend or kid isn't really into sweet potatoes, try this one on for size - s/he might be really surprised!

{Picture from Tyler Florence}

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon-Honey Butter

2-4 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter, melted, divided
2-3 Tbsp. honey
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 400° F. In a very large bowl, mix together 2 Tbsp. butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt. Add cubed sweet potatoes and toss well. Lay sweet potatoes in a single layer on a greased baking sheet (I lined mine with foil to minimize clean-up). Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes have reached desired tenderness. (If you like your potatoes to have a crispy exterior, turn on the broiler for a few minutes at the end of roasting.) Transfer potatoes to a serving platter; drizzle with additional butter if desired. Also, add more cinnamon if needed.


So here would be your time table if you wanted to make all 3 dishes together on one day. If you want to eat dinner at 6 pm:

330: Prepare roast; preheat oven to 450*
345: Put roast in oven; make roll dough
400: Lower oven temp to 275*; Allow roll dough to rise for 1 hour
500: Shape rolls and allow to rise
525: Begin preparing potatoes
535: Take roast out of oven and cover with foil; Raise oven temp to 400*; put potatoes in oven
545: Raise oven temp to 425*; put rolls in oven (The higher temp won't hurt the potatoes)
600: Take rolls and potatoes out of oven, slice roast, and enjoy!

(And while it looks like a lot of prep and time in the kitchen, it really isn't - there's only about 30 minutes of prep total for some very delicious and homemade items. It's mainly oven time, where you can be getting lots of other things done, and a lot of the things happen at one time which minimizes running back and forth to the kitchen!)

Make and Eat at Your Own Risk

If you want something chocolate-y, make this. It's easy (I promise!), super delicious, rich enough that you shouldn't need more than a few spoonfuls, and good enough to make for company. It doesn't really present well (it's not pretty at all) but it's seriously delicious! (I also love it because I don't have to leave the butter out and wait for it to come to room temperature - I'm just not always that patient!)

You can substitute any liqueur for the framboise (a raspberry liqueur) - coffee, hazelnut, amaretto, orange - anything would be good. If you're not cool with the liquor store, you can leave it out entirely. It's good either way. I LOVE this dessert though! (It had to fulfill my chocolate craving after a horrifyingly disastrous chocolate cupcake recipe failure.)

Enjoy!


Brownie Pudding
{Courtesy of Ina Garten}

1/4 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
4 extra-large eggs, room temperature
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean or 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. framboise liqueur, optional
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 325° F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9x12x2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside. When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out ¾ clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding. Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Xoxo,
S

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words, and I've Got Eight.

Law School Halloween Party - I was a Black Widow!

The Halloween Party Spread!

"Pumpkin" cake

Witches' Finger Sandwiches

Skeleton Veggie Tray

Shrunken "Heads" to float in the cider!

Crescent Mummy Dogs!


Happy Halloween!

{Thanks to Steve for all the pictures!}

Delicious AND Easy, Part II -- Pot Roast!

I've had some good feedback from the Easy AND Delicious Honey Wheat Roll Recipe. (If you haven't tried it, you should!) Now, I'm going to give you an Easy AND Delicious main dish to go with the bread. This pot roast is OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD. My brother didn't even sit down to eat - he just stood over the meat, cutting pieces off and eating them until he was full. It's easy and delicious, good enough to serve to company, doesn't require any attention, AND the meat was incredibly cheap! I had never heard of a "Cross Rib Roast" before, but I would recommend using this cut of meat. I only bought it because it was on sale -- but I would definitely pay full price for it. There is something that makes food taste better when you saved more than you spent on it, though! I am sure using a different cut of meat would also be a success - the cross rib roast just has a large ribbon of fat running through it that helps keep it tender and moist. (As you are cutting it, be aware that one small end of the roast will be really marbled, rendering it almost inedible.)

I used a 3.5 lb roast and the 2-hour at 275* variation and it was absolutely delectable. I also cut up a bunch of veggies (carrots, potatoes, parsnips, onion) and threw it in the bottom of the pan. The potatoes soaked up all the juices and were incredibly tender and delicious without being mealy - my favorite!

Cross Rib Roast

2-lb. cross rib roast
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. salt
2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried rosemary

Brush roast with vinegar. Make a paste with remaining ingredients (I used a mortar and pestle) and apply to meat. Roast meat at 450° F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and cook for 40-60 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 125° F. (Variation: Reduce heat to 275° F and roast for 75-90 minutes.) Remove from oven; cover loosely with foil and let stand 15-25 minutes.

Only I ....

Could make a Halloween costume that involves giving out food with it. And have a party just so I can make some adorable Halloween food.

Yes. Yes I did.

I'll post pictures later.

Happy Fright Night, everyone!

Greatest. Freaking. Bread. Ever.

Oatmeal Toasting Bread. Yeah, just the name sounds good. But the actual bread is SO incredible. I can't say enough about it. Slightly sweet, super moist, incredible texture. YUM! Try it. I got it from "A Year in Bread."

There are a few ingredients I bet you don't have lying around (vital wheat gluten?!) but it's SOOO worth it. If you're in the Provo/Orem area, you can purchase oat bran and nonfat dry milk in the bulk containers at Sunflower Market so you don't have to purchase large containers of it for the FIRST time you make this bread (I guarantee you'll be back for more!). You can purchase Vital Wheat Gluten and Steel-Cut Oats at Wal-Mart for a pretty reasonable price. (Do use the steel-cut oats for the fresh oatmeal, by the way - the texture produced by using two different kinds of oats is awesome.) I doubled the recipe and made one 2-lb loaf and 2 1-lb loaves (9x5 and 8x4, respectively). Also, just in case you didn't know, "instant yeast" is sold around here as "Rapid Rise" yeast. I had to do a little research and scour some food labels to figure it out. Finally, I could only knead this with my KitchenAid for about 5 minutes before it started smelling mechanically- I'd recommend kneading by hand. It's stiff so it takes some elbow grease, but I'd rather have a healthy kitchenaid than one good loaf of bread. :) Happy Baking!

Oatmeal Bread

2 oz. (4 Tbsp.) unsalted butter
2 oz. (1/4 c.) light brown sugar
5 oz. (1 1/2 c.) leftover oatmeal (see note), room temperature
1¼ tsp. salt
1 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 c. oat bran
10 oz. (2 c.) bread flour, plus more as needed
1/4 c. nonfat dry milk
2 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten
2 tsp. instant yeast (note: this is NOT a full pkg.)

Melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar and salt. Stir this into the leftover porridge. Put the rolled oats, oat bran, bread flour, dry milk, vital wheat gluten, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir the leftover oatmeal. Knead in KitchenAid for about 10 minutes. This is a very sticky dough. You may need to add more flour so that you can move from sticky towards tacky, which is desirable. Place the dough in a clean oiled bowl. Cover with a cloth, and let the dough rise for 1 hour.

Flour a work surface. Gently flour the dough and fold over about four times. Dust with flour if the dough is sticking to your hands. (If making multiple loaves, divide the dough now into equal pieces.) Fold the dough in half, pinch the seam, and gently roll into a loaf shape the length of your pan. The dough will be stiff. If needed, pinch the seam with moistened fingers. Place in greased loaf pans. (Either one 2-lb. loaf or two 1-lb. loaves.) You want the ends of the loaf to touch the short ends of your pan (so it will rise evenly.) Cover with oiled plastic wrap and a towel. Let dough rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Dust the top with oat bran, if you like. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes.

Note: To make fresh oatmeal, bring 1½ cups (12 oz.) water to a simmer. Add 1/2 cup (3 oz.) steel-cut oats. Simmer on low, covered, for about 25 minutes. Stir in butter, brown sugar, and salt. Cool your oatmeal down to below 120°F (took about 45-60 minutes), before proceeding with the recipe.


Xoxo,
S

Honey Wheat Rolls - Delicious AND Easy!

So I don't really think there's anything better in the world than freshly baked bread. I'm still not terribly good at it. My baking skills are a work in progress. After two rounds of semi-decent and borderline terrible baking experiences this weekend (it's always worse when you put a ton of effort into it and it turns out less than incredible), I needed a baking pick-me-up. I remembered back to high school when one of the ladies in my ward taught me how to make honey wheat rolls, and how good they were... and oh, yes, remembered how I never wrote down ANY recipe back then! So it's off to Google, and I found the ultimate recipe for Honey Wheat Rolls. These are super super easy, come together quickly, don't required a lot of kneading, AND you don't have to roll them out! (You can if you want, but by the time I got to shaping the dough, it was a little too sticky to roll out so I just followed the directions.) Seriously, don't be afraid. Try this recipe. You will be so proud of yourself, and amazed at how little effort they require!

Honey Wheat Rolls

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 c. warm water (100° -110° F)
2 c. all purpose flour, divided (I used more like 3 c. flour)
1 c. whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. honey (I eyeballed it)
2½ Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. salt
Cooking spray

Dissolve yeast in 1 c. warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add 1½ c. flour, whole wheat flour, honey, butter and salt to yeast mixture, stir until well blended. Add 1/4 c. flour and stir until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes). Add enough remaining flour, 1 Tbsp. at a time, to keep it from sticking to hands.

Place dough in large bowl coated with cooking spray. Cover (with plastic wrap) and let rise in warm place free from drafts 1 hour, or until doubled.

Separate into golf ball size pieces and flatten slightly. (I got about 15 rolls.) Place on greased baking sheet. Cover and place in warm area free of drafts for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 425° F. Bake rolls 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Gone Public!

I've decided to make the blog public - there's not a lot in it that needs to be private. :) So if you have me in your favorites list, be sure you update it so it doesn't show me as private anymore! Thanks!

Xoxo,
S

Baked Manicotti

This is one of my favorites. It is sooo easy, comes together in a snap, cleanup isn't bad, and it makes you feel like a pro. (I love the Kraft Food & Family magazine - there are always a few good recipes that come out of it!) I always use a little bit more spaghetti sauce than the recipe calls for... Ragu has a serving of vegetables in every 1/2 c. of sauce - how can I resist? Also, the basil pesto is SO worth it. It's expensive and goes bad fast BUT... if you store it in the freezer, it will keep (it's lasted for up to 6 months for me so far) and it thaws almost instantly when you need to use it. Don't leave that ingredient out! It makes a huge difference! One more thing - you want to slightly undercook the shells (not quite to al dente) for two reasons: 1) they will continue cooking in the oven, and who likes mushy pasta? not me! and 2) if they are super cooked they will split as you're filling them, and then it's hard to get them in the dish. Make it as easy on yourself as you can!

EDIT: You can get away with not cooking the shells at all. I did it, with perfect success. Just be sure you overdo the sauce a little bit, because the shells absorb a good bit of the moisture while cooking. Delish!

Baked Manicotti

2 c. spaghetti sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 c. ricotta cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 basil pesto sauce
12 manicotti shells, cooked, rinsed in cold water

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spread 3/4 c. of the spaghetti sauce on bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Mix egg, ricotta, 1½ c. mozzarella, parmesan, and pesto sauce until well-blended. Spoon cheese mixture into large resealable plastic bag. Using scissors, cut off one of the bottom corners of the bag. Fill manicotti shells, one at a time, squeezing cheese mixture into both sides of each shell. Place in baking dish; pour remaining 1¼ c. spaghetti sauce over manicotti. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 40 minutes or until heated through. The last 5 minutes of cooking, sprinkle more mozzarella cheese over top and remove aluminum foil to allow to melt and brown slightly.

I serve this with a simple green salad and some form of bread. This week I'm going to try my hand at homemade French baguettes. Wish me luck!

(Also on the menu this week: Straw and Hay Pasta {a prosciutto, peas and cream sauce fettucine, out of this world!}, slow cooker potato chowder, a slow cooker roast with mushroom gravy, and chicken pot pie soup. Let me know if you want the recipes, they're delish!)

Dear Mom and Dad:

My birthday is coming up soon (k like more than a month and a half, leave me alone). Just in case you're having trouble trying to figure out what to get me...

Lovebird Necklace (from Lisa Leonard)

KitchenAid Blender

Chicago Metallic Mini Cheesecake Pan

Ugg Australia Coquette Slippers

Eric Dane

Love you guys! Thanks for creating me, birthing me, funding me, loving me, and spoiling me :)

So excited!

I just bought this book:

and cannot WAIT to start baking truly incredible breads. (I got the inspiration here though I won't actually be doing the BBAC.) If you want to taste and critique (and are in Utah County), let me know. :) I can't decide which bread I want to try first! Bagels, sandwich bread, herbed focaccia?!

(PS - I got super lucky. Its MSRP is $35, Books A Million had it listed for $25 {which qualified it for free shipping!}, and since there is no BAM in the entire STATE of Utah, I had to order it off the internet... and the reason I was so intent on using BAM is because I had a $20 gift card there, bringing my grand total to just over $7! Not bad! Now, waiting for it to come...)

Thought of the Day

It's really hard to stay mad when the text message that comes through in the morning and wakes you up is from a handsome guy with a sexy accent confirming a date. ;)

Xoxo,
S

Citrus Broiled Chicken / This Week's Menu

First and foremost: I'm better, but that's not nearly as exciting as... I'm HUNGRY again!! Best news ever!

So I've really been trying hard to shop based on the weekly ads, which has made my bill cheaper and actually introduced a lot more variety into our menu. A lot of things are on sale constantly (like country style pork ribs?? 3 weeks in a row!). This week is Harmon's 5 meat packages for $20 mix and match, which is super exciting. Love it! Stock up and freeze, friends! (Find their weekly ad here.) I also find that a lot of things are on sale but not in the weekly ad, so if I splurge, I ONLY splurge on things that are also on sale.

This week's menu is:
- Classic Lasagna with salad
- Cuban Pork (Jenn Golden's recipe from my summer cookbook compilation) with potatoes fondantes and steamed broccoli
- Chicken Pot Pie
- BBQ Baked Potatoes (can't resist - ribs AND potatoes are on sale!) with steamed broccoli (broccoli is Jacob's favorite, gotta get him veggies any way I can!)
- Citrus broiled chicken with stir fried veggies (yep, including broccoli)

I'm also making some great breads and desserts: Cream Cheese Banana bread (yummmm!), Pumpkin Spice Cake, Oatmeal Raisin cookies, Apple Crisp.

I'm going to post the Citrus Broiled Chicken recipe. This is a great low-carb recipe if you don't serve it with rice, but I love the rice so I go for it. (Boil it in chicken stock rather than water - you'll be amazed at the difference in flavor.) It's seriously easy and delicious, and it's easy to adapt it to whatever veggies you have in your kitchen. The broiling creates an incredible crust and the marinade is out of this world (despite how easy it is!). Try it - I KNOW you'll love it!

Citrus Broiled Chicken

2/3 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. orange juice
2 Tbsp. lime juice
Zest of one orange
Zest of one lime
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine soy sauce, orange and lime juices, orange and lime zest, and garlic. Pour mixture over chicken in large plastic food storage bag. Press air out of bag; close top securely. Turn bag over several times to coat chicken. Marinate for one hour, turning bag over once. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Broil chicken 5 inches from heat source for 8 minutes; turn over and cook an additional 6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

A great side dish for this chicken is a vegetable mix of sliced red, yellow, and green bell peppers, red onions, carrots, snow peas, broccoli, and garlic, quickly sautéed in olive oil with extra marinade. Serve with hot cooked rice, if desired.

Nilla Wafer Apple Crisp

I'm still sick. Too sick to eat. Food doesn't even sound good (foodie's worst nightmare!!!) so I'm just going to share a recipe I love.

NILLA WAFER APPLE CRISP

4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, thinly sliced
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar, divided
2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
1/3 c. old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1/4 c. cold margarine
25 Nilla Wafers, crushed
Cool Whip or whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350° F. Toss apples with 1/4 c. of the brown sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Spoon into 8- or 9-inch baking dish. Combine oats, 1/4 c. brown sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon in medium bowl. Cut in margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add wafer crumbs; mix well. Spread evenly over apples. Bake 30-35 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve with a dollop of Cool Whip.

Sick again?! Oh and Mini Maple Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancake Muffins

Seriously? Now I'm beginning to wonder if it WAS strep last week since apparently it's come back?? You guys don't need the gory (well, not really, just boring) details, but I'm sick. And tired. And sick and tired of being sick and tired. At least I'm hungry again... yesterday I couldn't eat a thing (couldn't even watch food network!) and that's a foodie's worst nightmare!

So now that I'm hungry again (but can't really eat anything cause I'm still a sicky) I'm scoping out recipes. I find and create my best recipes when I'm hungry. Up on the menu / to-do list are the following:

• Cinnamon sugar cake doughnuts
• Veggie burgers (don't gag, I have an incredible recipe for them)
• Roasted red pepper hummus
• Oatmeal bread (thanks, Dad, for the huge bags of food storage oats)
• Oatmeal raisin cookies (for my big brother who loves them)
• Chicken with apple, onion, and cider sauce
• Vegetable Stuffed Pork Tenderloin en Croute with Creole Mustard Cream Sauce
• White Cheesy Chicken Lasagna
• Peanut Butter Pinwheels (a nod to my childhood / my grandmother)
• Pumpkin (pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin pound cake, pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling... I heart fall)
• Chicken and Peppers Pasta
• Chicken Scallopine with Warm Vegetable Salad

One of the other things I'm going to do is buy the book the Bread Baker's Apprentice. It's an incredible-looking book teaching you all about bread. I want to buy it and two of the top recipes I want to make from that book are the homemade bagels and an herbed foccacia. Mmmm. I love bread and I'm really excited that I'm learning to bake.

Look for some updates in the coming weeks on the new recipes!!

For now, enjoy Bakerella's Mini Maple Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Pancake Muffins:

(see here for pictures)

1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 egg
2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
Warmed butter and maple syrup, for serving

Preheat oven to 350° F and grease two mini muffin tins. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk. In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins. Add chocolate chips individually to each muffin (to avoid overdoing the chocolate). Bake 8-9 minutes.

Let cool slightly and remove from the pan. You may need to use a toothpick around the edges to separate the pancake muffins from the pan. Serve immediately with warmed butter and maple syrup.

(Note: I overdid the chocolate chips - and this is coming from a choco-holic. Remember that these mini muffins are TINY and any more than 4-5 chocolate chips per muffin is too much. But they are absolutely DELICIOUS. Trevor was sneaking them off a plate 4 or 5 days after I made them. Delish!)

BBQ Baked Potatoes!

If you're in the mood for a very hearty, delicious, EASY (with easy clean-up!) meal, try this man's-man fare of BBQ Baked Potatoes. Crazy good, crazy easy, and the food coma afterward? Yep, crazy.

1 pkg pork short ribs (I'm sure you can try beef but I haven't yet)
1 bottle Famous Dave's Rich & Sassy BBQ Sauce
4-6 Idaho potatoes, scrubbed clean
Salt and Pepper
Toppings: Shredded cheese (whatever your favorite is), Sour cream, Butter, Chives, BBQ sauce

In the morning, throw all the ribs and 1-1.5 cups BBQ sauce into a slow cooker (eyeball measurement). Turn to LOW and cook 7-8 hours (up to 9-10 if needed). 1 hour before you're ready to eat, sprinkle the potatoes liberally with salt and pepper (may need to wet potatoes to get S&P to stick), wrap in foil, and bake in a 500* F oven for an hour. 15 minutes before potatoes are done, pull the ribs out and shred, discarding fat. (You can skip this step if you're feeling lazy, and just let everyone shred their own.) Add another 1/4-1/2 c. BBQ sauce if needed. There are two ways to serve:

Martha Stewart way: Once potatoes are done, allow to cool. Cut tops off potatoes, scoop out flesh, mix with toppings and BBQ, stuff into potato, add more toppings on top, replace potato top, and bake at 350* for another 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

Sarah way: make a "Build Your Own" potato bar. Set everything out and let everyone go to town building their own.

You could probably serve a side with this, but my boys who ate it (Jacob, Trevor, and Steve) thought the loaded potato was more than enough. Delish!

XOXO,
S

(PS, This is the first dish I've EVER made that Jacob complimented me... twice. He really loved it. And this is the first time I've ever tried BBQ that I felt like I did a decent job. The slow cooker is the way to go for ribs, definitely! And I'm not brave enough to make my own BBQ sauce just yet.... let the pros handle it, I say!)

Pumpkin Bread

Yumm! I made Jenn Golden's Pumpkin Bread this weekend (with slight alterations since I don't really care for great quantities of nutmeg), and it was a real hit. I also made Ginny Betley's White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies and whooaoaaaaaa, were they amazing!!! I shamelessly took them to Priesthood in my Singles' Ward. (No, I didn't get any dates out of it... sigh. Maybe I'll do it again next week.... SHAMELESS!) And sorry, I can't post the recipe for the cookies, because I was sworn to secrecy. I appreciate people keeping my "Secret" recipes a secret, so I'm returning the favor to a fellow chef. But if you're near me or Ginny, ask for a batch. I know she would be happy to make them and so would I :) It was a good weekend otherwise.. I just relaxed away the rest of the strep. I don't want to talk about the BYU game. So that's it, enjoy the pumpkin bread! It's super easy. Love you guys!


Pumpkin Bread

2 c. sugar
3½ c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. cinnamon
2½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2/3 c. oil
1 c. water
4 eggs, beaten
15-oz. can pure pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350° F and grease 2 loaf pans. Mix sugar, flour, baking soda, and spices together and make a well. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Fill prepared pans half full of batter. Bake for 1 hour or until done. (At high altitude, bake 40-45 minutes.)

Variation: Mix in 1 cup nuts, chocolate chips or raisins with wet ingredients.

Strep Throat, Nesting Instincts, and Hula Hooping Champ Pictures

Hey friends. Unfortunately, paradise is fleeting, and my wonderful life as of Monday went south fast, just like I wished for (oh wait...). I am pretty sick with strep, which is the worst while in school. I missed classes Tuesday AND Wednesday, and didn't really even feel well enough to go today, but law school doesn't permit a ton of absences. Soooo... I bucked up and went today. Luckily, I'm a planner / neurotic / type A, and unluckily I get strep just about every year, so I was well-prepared and had the antibiotics on hand (thanks Dad!) and was able to start a course lickety-split... still not feeling great, though. Mom told me to take a smaller dose than what I should have taken, but actually antibiotics don't speed up recovery, according to WebMD. Strep takes 3-7 days to get over, but antibiotics help you actually HEAL rather than recover (since strep can do some nasty things in the long-term) and shortens the amount of time you are infectious. Just FYI, for the next time you get strep.

Funny thing - while I've been sick, I have gotten a lot done around the house. Laundry, dusting, dishes, de-cluttering, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, cleaning out the hamster cage, bathing the hamster (too funny), cooking (yes even while I'm sick), ... all but cleaning out the fridge, a chore I dread. I just think it's funny that I get that nesting instinct when I'm sick. Or maybe it's that I'm restless and I need mindless things to do to make myself feel better about not studying.

Being sick also means that I didn't get to go to the fair today (sad) and I have to cancel my double date for tomorrow (also sad). But I'm proud of myself for being able to recognize that I'm sick enough to make myself stay home. I guess I'm mature now.

Bedtime... it's 9:15 and I am waaay tired. :)

xoxo
S

PS - Pictures are up. To see ALL of them, go to law.byu.edu, click on the picture in the bottom left corner (of the hula hoopers), then click "View Slideshow. " So funny! (Thanks for pointing it out, Em!)

Winner!

Chicken Pot Pie

Sorry I don't have pictures, I left my camera in Tennessee. Oops. But I really had to share this recipe with you guys. Steve and Emily came over for dinner tonight, and this is probably the first meal I've made where everyone raved over it. Well, except for Jacob, who gave me a "It's pretty good," which for him, means an 8.5 or so. Steve went back for seconds and thirds... which is a great sign. Four people cleared out a 9x13 casserole - good signs!

I give this meal a 9-9.5 because it's easy, relatively cheap, I didn't have to go to the grocery store to get more ingredients (because I had everything on hand already), and it was really quick with easy cleanup.

Chicken Pot Pie (adapted from a Paula Deen recipe)

3-4 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes
Salt and pepper
Poultry seasoning
3-4 carrots, peeled, sliced
8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms (1 normal package) - I use cremini mushrooms, never white button
1 smallish onion, chopped
1 small baking potato, peeled, chopped
1 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 c. frozen green peas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. chicken stock
1½ c. Bisquick
1 c. milk
2 Tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350° F and lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking dish. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning, to taste. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, brown chicken with carrot, mushrooms, onion, and potato (and S&P to taste) until chicken is browned, onion and carrot are tender, and mushrooms have released their liquid. In the last 2 minutes, add FRESH corn. (If corn is frozen, just add it with the peas.) Remove from heat and allow to cool a few minutes. In prepared 9x13 dish, layer chicken mixture with corn and peas. In a separate bowl, whisk together soup and chicken stock, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over casserole. Whisk together Bisquick and milk, and pour over casserole. Drizzle butter over casserole. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

Note: to make this easier, you can substitute frozen for a lot of these vegetables, but I enjoyed the taste of fresh, and it didn't take a whole lot longer to prep and sauté the fresh vegetables. Also, you can substitute shredded rotisserie chicken for the raw then sautéed chicken. Just heat it in the sauté pan with the poultry seasoning. DON'T LEAVE OUT THE POULTRY SEASONING. It makes such a big difference! I use it in quite a few chicken dishes. It's a mixture of sage, thyme, marjoram, cloves, pepper, parsley, onion powder, salt, rosemary... each brand will have a different mixture, but those are the general ingredients. Oh my GOSH is it delicious in chicken dishes.

Enjoy this! I am LOVING it. Steve kept saying, "That dinner was good... you need to make this again..." Good times. Let me know when you make it!

Life is SO good!

Seriously! Life is amazing right now!

1. Apparently, I'm a pretty good negotiator. My partner Doug and I won the entire BYU Law Negotiation Competition this weekend. We'll be going on to regionals in November (in Provo, so lame! Last year's team got to go to California and every now and again it's in Hawaii!) and then if that goes well (cross your fingers!) we'll be going to Nationals in Orlando! Pictures to come.

2. I went to a CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTMENT. Seriously. No I'm really serious. Not joking at all. It was great. I loved it. Pictures:

Me with some Rebs (go Dixie!)

Me and Emily enjoying the battle

The whole group (Brad, Danielle, Union [yuck], Em, Union [yuck], Eileen, Steve, Lisa)

So that was a blast. We spent the afternoon up there enjoying This Is the Place. We also ate at Ruth's Diner (featured on Food Network), which was REALLY good - just don't try the brownie sundae!

3. The food plan is really working out! I've been clipping coupons (shock I know) and shopping based on sale items, which is really exciting. This week I'm making:

• Shepherd's Pie with Mushroom Onion Gravy (oh my goodness. and chock full of veggies! Zucchini, onion, bell pepper, carrot, potatoes, mushrooms, yummm...)

• Grilled chicken with rice and steamed broccoli (simple and pretty cheap)


• Stuffed Chile Relleno Casserole with spicy rice (mmmm... spicy rice.)


• Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs with grilled potatoes

These are all meals for 4+, and that grocery bill including food storage (frozen pictsweet veggies are on sale at harmon's right now, 1-lb. bags for $.69!), lunch stuff (I get deli meat... yum! so worth it, motivates me to bring my lunch), and peaches for peach cobbler (YUM), and the whole bill was only $100. I think $100 for 4 adults (I live with my brother and we always have guests for dinner) for 4-5 meals plus food storage, lunches, and snacks is really reasonable! (Am I wrong? Have I just been way overspending for too long?) If you want recipes, message me. I'm still working on this blog thing, especially inserting a link without just copy/pasting the link.

4. I have wonderful friends. Life without wonderful friends doesn't have to be terrible, but life with them is just amazing.

5. I made fresh 'sourdough' bread today. It was delicious. I brought it to school for kicks... two loaves gone in a few hours. Always makes a girl feel good!

6. I have a double date this weekend. I'm hooking up one of my freshman buddies with one of my law buddies. They are both super adorable and I'm hoping this will go somewhere great! (Not counting on it but it can't hurt to hope!) My date is an MBA who works with the FDIC. (I think.) I'm excited about that too!

7. I'm going to renew my temple recommend tomorrow, which is always exciting!

8. It's thunderstorming today. I love stormy weather.

Overall, things are wonderful. That's the update. Hopefully things won't go south fast.

XOXO,

S

"New Year's" Resolutions

K, so it's not technically a new year. But I don't think Jan 1 is the only reason to create resolutions. There's the new lunar year, the new fiscal year, the new school year... SO I'm using the new school year as my excuse.


FIRST, I'm going to make myself exercise. I was originally going to buy a gym membership but hellloooooo, $200 when I might go twice a week, and will be gone starting in April for 4 straight months? Yeah, I don't think so. I have recently discovered my love for hula hooping (see below post!) and I have long had the Carmen Electra Aerobic Striptease videos... now, before you go judging me, there are 5 DVDs. One of them is called "fit to strip" and it's just a workout video. And believe me, it is a GOOD workout. I can only go 10-15 minutes without getting horribly out of breath! So I'm going to buy a hula hoop and just hula hoop for 15-20 minutes and alternate that with doing the Fit to Strip. I really do recommend those videos... they're amazing! But since I have no "personal life" to "spice up," I'll stick with the exercise portion.


SECOND, I'm going to spend a lot less money on food. I HAVE to stop eating out. It's such a great temptation for a student. I just have to make cooking a priority (which is easy for me!) and make myself eat more healthy foods (which goes along with New Year's Resolution [hereinafter labeled NYR] #1). Emily and I came up with a few really good rules - eat out only on the weekends, no soda after 2 pm, and only eat something if it has some nutritional value. (This is how I justify cheese and ice cream - DAIRY.) This NYR also brings me into new and very unfamiliar territory. Coupon... clipping. I've NEVER done it before. But I did this past week, shopped at Harmon's only for sales, and came home with $80 worth of groceries, including (3) 3-pound packages of chicken breasts, a 2-pound package of pork chops, a 2-pound beef roast, tons of fruits and veggies, and even some more expensive staple items. SO exciting! But if anyone has any tips on saving money on groceries, please share! I'd LOVE to get some help!


THIRD, I'm going to answer my phone more. This is weird but if you know me, I'm horrible about answering my phone. So I'm going to answer it more. This is a big thing. Don't laugh at me.


FOURTH, I'm going to actually do my calling. Last year the bish gave me a calling that didn't really matter and I didnt' have to do it (rest hymn coordinator... so easy to do without) but this year because I'm a Gospel Doctrine teacher, I want to make sure I'm well-prepared and can engage my class. I'm excited about it.


FIFTH, I am going to live by a budget (which relates to NYR #2). It's SO hard for me to make myself regulate my spending. I made a budget sheet, which involves putting a significant amount of money into savings every week and limiting my free spending money. I'm excited about it. Hopefully I can stick to it.


SIXTH, I'm not going to do homework on Sundays. This is sooo hard when you're in law school. But I've realized that it's do-able. I just have to focus during the week and not put it off until Sunday.


FINALLY, I'm going to live by the 9-5 school schedule. School is so much easier to do if you force yourself to get on campus at a reasonable hour and stay until 5. I've been amazed at how much I get done, how much better prepared I am, and how much more focused I am. I highly recommend it.


That's about it for now. The BYU-Oklahoma party went incredibly well (hello, did you SEE the game?!). I realized I left my camera at home, so I'm going to try to get my mom to send it out. I'm also going to start posting some of the recipes I'm making. If there are any specific requests for a recipe, let me know and I'll post it!


Tonight's dinner is Slow Cooker Beef Roast with Mushroom Gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans. (2-2.5 lb boneless roast, cut into 6 equal pieces, put in slow cooker, mix together: 2 can cream of mushroom, 1 pkg lipton onion soup mix, 1/2 c. water, pour over, cook on low 7-8 hours. Thin gravy with water to reduce saltiness then thicken back up with cornstarch before serving.) The whole dinner is going to end up being around $8, if that. I bought the roast on sale, the potatoes on sale, the green beans in bulk, and the cream of mushroom in bulk. Yummm! PS, who doesn't love slow cooker meals?! They're my new favorites. I found a rare gem - a reader-submitted slow-cooker cookbook (in LOWE'S of all places!) and I'm working through the ones that look really good.

Tomorrow's dinner is Lime Baked Halibut with Almond Rice Pilaf and Sauteed Zucchini and Carrots. Soooo healthy, soooo yummy. The original recipe calls for Tilapia but the last time I made it my dad got mad and told me no more tilapia - "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY EAT?!" So I've upgraded to halibut, a similarly firm-fleshed white fish that will hopefully hold up to the lime bake-age just as well.

photos courtesy foodnetwork.com

XOXO
S

Two Words:

GO COUGS!!!!!

Hula Hooping CHAMP!

Yes, friends, that's right. I won... no, I DOMINATED the hula hooping competition. Pictures to come shortly. But rest assured, I did it in 4-inch heels and with some serious style.

So far this is the only picture I've gotten! I'll try to get more. But I'm on the far left, dominating.

Law School Olympics

As a non-introductory note, tomorrow is the SBA (Student Bar Association) Opening Social and Law School Olympics, where I will represent the 2L class in the hula hooping competition. I will kick some 1L and 3L trash, and I'll do it wearing 4-inch stilettos.

This is my life.

So I finally caved, again...

So I started to make a blog a few months ago, and just couldn't figure it out and gave up. I blame it on the first year of law school, which was a lot harder than the second year is (so far). Plus, it doesn't hurt when a lot of your good friends encourage you to make a blog... not that I feel like my life is interesting at all!

I just started my second year of law school. It looks like it's really going to be a blast. I'm taking Evidence (from the most hilarious professor on the planet), First Amendment, Administrative Law (my only really boring class), Criminal Trial Practice (which is going to be my favorite class of all), and Professional Responsibility (ethics class). I interned with the U.S. Attorney's Office this past summer, and I feel like I finally found my calling - I want to be a federal prosecutor. I'm hoping to intern with the USAO next summer again.

In addition to being a law student, I'm also a serious foodie. Part of the reason I started this blog is to share some of my fun new recipes. I've finally started to venture into the world of making my own recipes instead of just using others' creations, and I would love to document my fun food adventures!

So this is the culinary law blog. Enjoy!