I can remember the times my mom made them during my childhood and it was all I could do not to GAG my way out of the dining room. Serious drama.
Somehow, much to my surprise and dismay, this disastrous vegetable seems to have made a comeback over the past few years. I hear friends and family stating how they "looove" them and cook them "sooooo" many different ways and how they are their "faaaaavorite" {obvious exaggeration I say}. I still kind of turn up my nose to it all but admit I am intrigued.
So as I usually do in these situations: I use my husband as a guinea pig. And as we both love kale, and kale salad, when I saw this recipe on Pinterest I knew it was how we must try this infamous tiny cabbage.
D E L I C I O U S
There are no other words. I think the brussels and I have taken the first tiny baby step toward reconciliation and I sense the possibility of a long and happy future together. I would love to try some sort of roasting technique with them next, as that is hands down my favorite way to prepare vegetables. But for now I am sold on this salad and will be adding it to our regular rotation and I encourage you to as well! Amazing.
Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 T lemon juice
- 1 T dijon mustard
- 1 t minced shallot or onion
- 1 minced garlic clove
- pinch of kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 c thinly sliced kale leaves
- 1 lb brussels sprouts, finely shredded
- 3-4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
- 1/4 c roasted almonds, chopped
- 1/2 c parmesan cheese
Directions:
Combine first seven ingredients, through evoo, in a small bowl and whisk to combine. In a larger bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Toss with dressing and serve. {Serves 3-4}
This would be perfect for entertaining. It's relatively simple but the flavors are complex = party in your mouth.
I served it with a stuffed pork tenderloin that I will also be sharing the recipe for soon!
I made my first batch of these earlier this summer and while, on first bite, they tasted "good"...after we continued through the batch they just got a little...nasty - I figured out it was the raspberries mixed in with the strawberries and the gelatin didn't smoothly dissolve as much as desired. I knew there was potential here and the idea inspired me so I wanted to wait until the recipe was spot on before I shared it.
So here you go!
First, you need to order gelatin:
Here is where I purchased it.
These kinds of "health" foods don't freak me out like I know they do to some people, so if you would like to read up about it before purchasing here is some good information HERE.
And here is my amended recipe:
2 1/2 - 3 cups strawberries {I used frozen, could definitely use fresh}
1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 c orange juice
2 T honey
1/2 c gelatin
Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and orange juice in a saucepan with high sides. Simmer until fruit is soft. Add 2 T honey.
Remove from heat.
Using immersion blender, blend mixture until smooth.
Let mixture cool for around 5 minutes.
Slowly, very slowly, add gelatin a little at a time, whisking to completely incorporate.
** This is a very important step: the powder must be added slowly, in small batches, and whisked the entire time to make sure it is smooth **
Once all the gelatin is incorporated pour into 9x13 dish {or fun little molds} and let chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Cut into little squares and enjoy!
You can store at room temperature but we prefer them chilled :)
Notes: Next time I will try blueberries or blueberries + strawberries. I do NOT recommend blackberries or raspberries, as the bitterness and seeds don't give very good results. Also, I have tried it with just OJ and prefer it with the lemon juice and OJ mixture. It doesn't have to be exact on the ratios. Just make sure there is 1/2 cup of the juice, however you want to mix it. You can also pour mixture into a blender to combine vs using an immersion blender. If you use the hand held kind just make sure the saucepan has high enough sides that you don't spray hot red dots all over your kitchen {been there done that}.
I would apologize for giving you two food posts in a row, but I'm not.
I will, however, say "you're welcome"!! :)
Browned Butter Nutella Bite Blondies
1 cup {or so} Nutella
10 T butter {1 stick + 2 T}
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed {I used 16oz bag}
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 t vanilla
2 large eggs {or 3 backyard chicken eggs}
2 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 cup Nutella
1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and make a little room in your freezer. Make 12 small lumps of Nutella on the baking sheet, each about 2-3 teaspoons. Place in freezer while preparing the rest of the batter.
2. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8x11x2 {2 quart} baking dish well.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally until foam of butter starts to turn golden and smell nutty. Remove from heat and pour immediately into a mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer.
4. Stir in brown sugar and cream cheese. Beat for about 2 minutes.
5. Add vanilla and eggs, beat well.
6. Add 1/4 cup of Nutella and swirl it with a spatula - enough to give the batter a swirled streaky look. Pour into prepared dish.
7. Remove Nutella from freezer and drop each dollop into the dough, distributing them evenly. Press them down enough to smooth some batter on top.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes, depending on your oven. Top should be golden brown and the edges should be very set. If the center seems gooey and the edges seem brown take it out and let it sit.
9. Let the bars COOL COMPLETELY. Cut into bars and serve. With milk.
{Strongly consider serving in a bowl with ice cream. We did not and, even though these little slices of heaven do completely hold up on their own, to this day* I feel the pangs of regret. Thankfully there will be a next time.}
This is a tried and true family summer favorite. I would gladly eat it year round, and do randomly have cravings mid-winter, but it was a staple growing up in the summer at our house. Friends would come over late night after "driving around" in high school {remember? "going out"?? ha}, knowing my mom always had this in the fridge. Even those a little squeamish of "seafood" still loved this pasta salad. And it is so easy to make!
Crabmeat Pasta Salad
1 package of bowtie pasta, cooked according to package directions and drained
1 lb imitation crab meat, in chunks, cut into bite sized pieces if desired
REAL mayonaise {I do NOT like mayo, this is one of my few exceptions...this and chicken salad and on scrambled egg sandwiches :)}
dried or fresh dill
chopped green onions {white and green parts}
s&p
combine all ingredients, amounts to your liking. Add mayo, stir to combine, and see if you need more. I do not like a ton of mayo but members of my family would strongly disagree and keep adding more! :)
This will be the first of a new "regular" series of posts I plan on doing this year - basically my weekly menu but with links or recipes listed and reviews of them. I am a serious foodie and love cooking almost as much as eating. It has been a chore the past couple years to get back into my "pre baby" groove of cooking every night, and I think I'm finally back, but the recipes definitely reflect this season of life. Almost everything is make-ahead or 30-minute type meal.
We have also made it a priority of eating together as a family at night, where everyone eats what momma cooked; OR kids may eat earlier but they eat what we had the night before. Macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, pizza, and Spaghetti-o's are reserved for babysitter nights and vacations. I cannot tell you how glad I am we are at this place. The kids might eat only one or two bites on any given night, but they are learning. I grew up having family dinner every night and it is a great priority in our family as well. A lot can happen at the dinner table - the world's problems might just be solved. Of course general "how was your day" conversation is accepted as well. ;)
I decided that, instead of sharing what I plan on cooking the week coming up, I would share what I actually cooked the week prior. This way I can leave feedback as to if something was worth the time or too spicy or just plain terrible. Most of the recipes I cook these days are found on Pinterest, but originate on a blog or cooking website. I have had great luck with some amazing meals, and been inspired by others to create my own. I hope this helps someone's meal plannings in some way, or at least just gives me a place to turn back to when my recipe files are running low!
Enjoy
Friday:
Venison Tacos
of the good ole El Paso Stand 'N Stuff variety
Saturday:
out with friends {babysitter night, pizza for the kids :)}
Crock Pot Carne Asada Nachos
very good! and pretty. I used Dorito's scoops, two different kinds of cheese I had in the refrigerator, and topped it with guacamole, lettuce, cilantro, corn and tomatoes.
Recipe found here
Tuesday:
Tomato Basil Chicken
so simple and SO good. All three kids ate it up! This will definitely be on rotation at our house.
recipe found here
Wednesday:
Spicy Thai Noodles with Shrimp and Vegetables
kids ate leftovers as this meal is a spicy one.
based off a recipe found on Pinterest, that I cannot find original link to :/, so here is what I did:
1 package angel hair pasta
3/4 cup oil : equal parts sesame seed and vegetable
1T red pepper flakes {more if you like very spicy, less if you don't - we enjoy spicy and this was just enough for us}
6T honey
6T soy sauce
1 lb raw peeled and deveined shrimp
bagged shredded carrots
bagged broccoli slaw
chopped cilantro
chopped green onions
lightly salted cashew halves and pieces
While you are waiting for water to boil for pasta, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oils in small saucepan until warmed. Drop red pepper flakes in oil and heat for about 5 minutes, but do not let them burn {mine did…didn't effect pasta but sure did make my house stink}. Strain out and discard the red pepper flakes but save the oil. Whisk in honey and soy sauce and set aside.
Place shrimp on foil lined baking sheet seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place noodles in boiling water and shrimp in preheated oven. Both should take only about 6-7 minutes.
While noodles are boiling and shrimp is cooking chop cilantro, green onions, and cashews if you wish {I just poured mine out of the can}.
Drain cooked noodles and combine with oils to coat. Add carrots, broccoli slaw, cilantro, green onions, cashews, and shrimp.
Serve at room temperature or chill for at least an hour and serve. Tastes even better out of the refrigerator the next day!
Despite our more seasonable temperatures the past couple days, we have had some shockingly cold weather in our neck of the woods recently. High's of twenty something and lows in the teens might be normal to some, but not these Gulf-coast-ers. When the weather outside is unwelcoming, what is there to do but make something that warms you from the inside out?
Being lovers of one-dish meals regardless of the weather, Stephen and I usually have at least one soup type meal a week. This is a quick, easy, have-most-of-the-ingredients-on-hand type of meal.
The first step, as it always is while cooking with young {awake} children, is to make sure kids are well entertained
Then, in a large dutch oven, drop 4 whole garlic cloves with their peels still on. Toast the cloves a few minutes on each side until browned and fragrant. Remove and set aside.
If you find your garlic looking like this:
skip this step and grab your bottle of {boring} minced garlic.
Chop onion, carrots and celery. Saute onion, carrots and celery in olive oil in the dutch oven until tender and browning.
Add broth {can be vegetable, beef, chicken, whatever you wish - I used a quart of beef broth and a quart of veggie because that is what I had on hand}. Add a bay leaf and sprigs of thyme.
Simmer until lentils are tender, approximately 30 minutes.
Add kale {rinsed well and ribs removed} or spinach. Cook until wilted.
Remove bay leaf and sprigs and season with salt and pepper.
Serve with a side of crusty french bread.
Enjoy!
Lentil Stew 4 cloves of garlic 1 yellow onion 4 carrots 4 stalks of celery olive oil 2 cups of lentils 1 tsp cumin 2 qt vegetable broth 1 bay leaf 2 whole springs thyme kale or spinach salt and pepper to taste
Thought I would check in and share some recipes we have tried {and loved} recently. Plus a delicious coca-cola cake recipe by my Great-Great Aunt Gladiola at the end. It was a favorite among my sisters and I when we were little and now it is requested by my husband and own children.
First up, RECIPES {click on the picture to be redirected to recipe site}
Baked Brie and Sundried Tomato Dip
Sausage Stuffed Zuchinni Boats
{all three of my kids ate these!}
I Got The Power Salad
Grilled Pesto Chicken and Tomato Kebabs
{my kids all loved these as well, I cooked them inside on a grill pan}
Corn and Cotija Guacamole
{ah.mazing. I used feta instead of cotija}
Tomato Mozzarella Basil Tart
{I could eat this whole thing in one sitting. And so easy to make.}
About once or twice a year as a child, while we were visiting family in Jackson, Mississippi, my mom, sisters and I would take a day, turn back the hands of time, and make the drive up to Duck Hill. Duck Hill was a place, in my mind, that only existed in a world of farmers, local grocers, and the Cleavers. We visited my Great Aunt Vivian and Great Uncle L.L. {the L's didn't stand for anything. Just the letter} and ate amazing food cooked by my Aunt Vivian with the help of the family's life-long housekeeper Beulah {she was the real-life Mammy in my mind}. Creamed corn, fried chicken, fried okra, black eyed peas, butter beans, roast and gravy, homemade rolls, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs... all followed by Lemon Ice Box Pie and/or Cracker Pie. DIE
After lunch we hopped in my great uncle's pick up truck and took a rather adventurous drive around the family's ranch land...literally driving through horse and cow pastures, dodging livestock, circling hay bales, crossing five million railroad tracks and too many small creeks {I knew the truck would sink and we would drown}. Then my sisters and I would pretend we had on boots and use my uncle's shoe horn to remove our Saltwater sandals, eat a slice of whichever pie we hadn't tasted earlier, and run off to the sea-foam-green-carpeted formal living room {which wasn't ever used, of course} and played century old board games and thumbed through pop up books.
My Great Uncle L.L. {who was my mom's mother's brother} had three aunts himself {making them my Great-Great aunts}. There were actually a total of four sisters and two brothers but the only ones I remember were Aunt Mamie Lee, Aunt Gladiola {we called her Aunt Glad} and Aunt Augusta {Aunt Gusta}. Mamie Lee had bright white hair and was blind and nearly deaf and a frail old thing; I thought she looked like a porcelain doll. Aunt Gusta was the youngest, funny, and had a tiny but pristine house with tiny old furniture and a garden and a car. Aunt Glad was healthy, friendly, a fabulous artist, and a SERIOUS cook. Of the "Country Cooking" kind. She gifted me her cookbook on one trip and this is where the following is found:
Aunt Gladiola's Coca Cola Cake
Cake Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 sticks oleo {that's butter for all you city folk ;) }
3 TBS cocoa
1 cup Coca Cola
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
Cake Directions:
Combine flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Heat coca, oleo and Coca Cola on cooktop to boiling. Pour mixture over flour and sugar and mix well. Beat eggs in a separate bowl, then add buttermilk, baking soda, vanilla and marshmallows. Mix well, then add this mixture to the first mixture. Beat well. This will be a thin batter with marshmallows floating on top. Bake in a long shallow pan at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. While cake is cooking, make icing:
Icing Ingredients:
1 stick oleo
9 TBS Coca Cola {basically the rest of a 12oz can of Coke}
3 TBS coca
1 box powdered sugar
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted while oven is preheating for cake {I have never added the nuts}
Icing Directions:
Combine oleo, cocoa and Coca Cola and heat until boiling. Pour over powdered sugar in a bowl and mix well. Beat, then add toasted pecans {if using}. Spread over cooked cake while cake is still hot.
I love the smell of fresh ingredients {especially from a garden or local produce stand/shop}, the sound of a knife on a chopping board, the feel of cold marble countertops {had to throw that in there}, and the taste of wine whilst I do it all {duh}.
I love planning a weekly menu when I can {which is maybe every other week if I have to be honest}, and planning out a grocery store run {coupons in tow and weekly specials researched, by myself preferably}. While most of the meals I cook aren't really kid-in-the-kitchen-friendly, I try my best to include them in all the "measure and pour into a mixer" type endeavors. They are still young, and there is only so much you can sanely do with kids their age in the kitchen, but I hope to gradually instill in them a love of good food and the process it takes to create it, as well as the skills to actually gather ingredients and create a meal themselves one day.
Bennett has been my helper for years, and I'm more than thrilled to have recently added this eager, sassy chef into the mix.
sometimes its just the way i post
it works for me...
this baby is coming soon...so soon and bennett is counting down the days, telling everyone the countdown as we go.
we have been celebrating christmas so hard every day i actually feel like i might enjoy it this year :) i mean i always love christmas, but santas been busy since june so he/shes feeling pretty well caught up at this point. so with the hectic buying-up-the-town part out of the way, the christmas spirit at our house is running quite strong. fires, lights, dancing, and nativity talks. baby jesus and the dang elf and the advent calendar and our christmas cd's are the most popular things running at this point. celebrities, all four of them.
is this a daily occurance in your house?
half naked children jamming out to manheim steamroller?
presenting the true meaning of christmas in all their innocent goodness.
why do all baby dolls these days either cry, suck pretend bottles, poop, play peek a boo, or dress like miley cyrus? baby sally cloud {god rest her soul} was a recent victim of the tummy virus so this attractive gal will be her replacement come december 25th:
im calling fashion police on her 90's washed blue jeans and rainbow tunic.
seriously people, what happened to the good ole sweet baby doll dressed like a BABY?
santa has some last minute wardrobe adjustments to make before sally jr makes her debut
and three months of searching and seventy dollars later we are the proud owners of this $20 train.
one of the only things bennetts asked for for christmas. that happened to be discontinued years ago.
thank you ebay rapists.
these pretties are being installed on a job on monday.
all concrete.
i was pretty ocd and type A on the finish of these. i had a really hard time handing all my pictures and thoughts and explicit graining and toning information over to the concrete "artiste" and leaving it up to him to "see" what was in my head. i like to personally choose every slab of stone that goes in a project, and THEN figure out which way the graining runs/where they are placed on said job. this was a stretch.
but from what i can see via email and picture message they look fantastic.
{whew}
look what my big 14th month old can do
thats right, eat like a 6 month old, finally.
ladies and gentlemen she is eating minimally solid foods off spoons right now, without gagging.
oatmeal, yogurt and the like.
and trying to feed herself {sorta}.
and this one thinks this is the appropriate sized spoon for eating yogurt
and why shouldnt it be?
kangaroos are at the exploreum downtown right now
{apparently bennett applied too much base this morning and looks a little ghostly}
i almost stole one of these little joeys AND their pouch, but thought three kids and a baby kangaroo might be a little much to handle inside city limits.
maybe one day when i get my dream farm i can add baby kangaroos to the wishlist, joining year round vegetable garden with a sprinkler system, butterfly garden, chickens, sunrises and sunsets, and open green fields where the kids {or...more realistically by the time this ever could happen...GRAND kids} can run free till i call them in for dinner.
this juice is really good but im having a hard time finding it consistently
anything to help me get my vegetables and fruits in right now, since neither ever sound good
{i love you carbs}
this is what happens when its cold outside and mommy is 52 weeks pregnant
bored children live in their jammies and impulsively do things like empty every single container-resembling thing in their playroom onto the floor or rake every single piece of clothing off the rod and then apparently roll around in them.
i might have had to turn my back to stifle the laughter at my hardly-ever-impulsive-almost-four-year-old before "sternly" telling him to clean it all up.
and that he was {snort} very {giggle} naughty.
it was a good lesson on properly hanging clothes.
and what is really happening when kids are quiet for too long...
i love getting christmas cards. i think i may email one out this year if picture even gets taken.?. if not, be expecting a new years, valentines, or perhaps memorial day card from the roe family...depends on this whole "third baby" thing
i sure cant wait to meet this little i mean big chubby fat man
;)
have a great weekend everyone!
i am vowing to myself that i will have some hot chocolate at some point.
or, if i get so inspired/leave the house, THIS
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