Happy Easter!

What a glorious day it has been. Sometimes I think Fall is my favorite season, but now that we’re enjoying Spring…it really might be my favorite. Spring is so easy to be excited about. When it’s a beautiful day you can’t help but to be in a good mood! After winter everyone is excited to enjoy the warmer weather and this Easter weekend did not disappoint! We headed to Sanford for church, then Easter lunch. I brought what I thought was a new Macaroni and Cheese by Paula Deen, but turns out I made it for Ben’s 28th Birthday party and it’s one of his favorite. Ever since Julie, Johnny and the boys sent us the most amazing Mac & Cheese all the way from Seattle, (the perfect comfort food) I’ve been on a quest to replicate the recipe. The secret ingredient is Pepper Jack cheese.

After a few modifications I made something very close to Beecher’s Mac & Cheese. It cooks in the Crockpot and we timed it perfectly to be ready after church.

Creamy Macaroni & Cheese

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-ounce box isn't quite 2 cups)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stuck) butter, cut into pieces
• 2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Easter Dinner!

Saturday evening my brothers and I all got together at my mom’s for an Easter dinner. A perfect ending to a pretty perfect day! My mom baked a ham, made a new baked macaroni and cheese recipe, green bean casserole and steamed broccoli.

I knew I wanted to bring a dessert since I have not made one in quite a while. I also knew I wanted it to include fresh berries now that they are back in season. After spending almost an hour searching for the perfect recipe…I finally stumbled across Tyler Florence’s trifle recipe. It calls for homemade lemon curd and while it does not have a lot of ingredients, whisking the curd for 10 minutes constantly almost made me change my mind. But it was worth every minute of vigorously whisking! Trifles are always pretty easy desserts that usually do not require baking…they are always beautiful in a glass bowl! This one did not disappoint and the lemon flavor with the berries was a perfect Easter flavor.

Lemon Curd Trifle with Fresh Berries

• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 lemons, zested and juiced
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in chunks
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and halved lengthwise
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1 pint fresh blackberries
• 2 cups sweetened whipped cream
• 1 prepared lemon pound cake, sliced
• 1/4 cup Lemoncello or Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)
• Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

To make the lemon curd: Bring a pot of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a metal or glass heat-resistant bowl and whisk until smooth. Set the bowl over the simmering water, without letting the bottom touch, and continue to whisk. Keep working-out that arm and whisk it vigorously for a good 10 minutes, until the curd has doubled in volume and is very thick and yellow. Don't let it boil. Remove the bowl from heat and whisk in the butter, a couple of chunks at a time, until melted. Refrigerate until the custard is cold and firm.

To build the trifle: put the berries in a mixing bowl and toss them together so they are evenly distributed. Fold the whipped cream into the chilled lemon curd to lighten it up into a mousse. Line a glass trifle bowl with pieces of pound cake to fit. Drizzle or brush the cake with the Lemoncello, spoon a layer of the lemon curd over the cake, and then a layer of mixed berries. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, the last layer looks best if it's the berries. Chill before serving. Garnish with fresh mint.

Great Weather, Great Grilling

Last weekend we had fabulous weather…highs were in the 80’s and it such a reprieve from the freezing temperatures and snow we had just 4 days earlier. Of course we got the itch to grill and I had a flank steak just waiting for us in the freezer. In the latest issue of Cooking Light was a recipe for Asian-Marinated Flank Steak. It takes a little forethought as it needs to marinate for 24 hours. After a trip to the store and no luck finding all the ingredients, I had to improvise with what I had on hand in my pantry. While Ben grilled the steak, I boiled potatoes and threw together ingredients to make horseradish-style mashed potatoes and dressed up frozen snap peas with sesame oil and ginger. It turned out to be an excellent spring dinner!

Asian-Marinated Flank Steak (Cooking Light)

• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
• Cooking spray

Combine first 9 ingredients in a small bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup hoisin mixture; spoon remaining mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak to bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove steak from bag; discard marinade.

Prepare grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with reserved 1/4 cup sauce.

Happy Birthday Ben!!!

Ben is celebrating the last year of his 20’s! Friday he turned 29 and we started off the day with cake and presents. He always requests such unique cake ideas for his birthdays and this year was no different. He wanted a strawberry cake, but not the homemade strawberry cream cheese icing that came with it. His reason was the pink colored icing is too girly. Instead he decided on chocolate! I thought it’d be a little weird, but it ended up like a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake…delicious! We enjoyed the cake for breakfast after he opened his gifts from me. I got home a 3 month subscription to a Beer of the Month Club, a quick beer chiller and new running clothes.

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake (Paula Deen)

• 1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
• 1 (3-ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin
• 1 (15-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• Strawberry cream cheese frosting, recipe follows
• Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
• 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
• 7 cups confectioners' sugar
• Freshly sliced strawberries, for garnish, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

For the frosting:

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and the vanilla extract. (The rest of the puree is leftover but can be used in smoothies or on ice cream for a delicious treat.) Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.

Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.

For the rest of the night we went to the Hurricane’s game and enjoyed hotdogs, nachos and beer. It was an exciting game with a win! The ‘canes always lose every time we’ve been to see them until last year on Ben’s birthday, so it’s sort of a Birthday tradition that we only go on Ben’s birthday…and they’ve always won since!

Snowy Baking Day

Well, it was not so much snowy, but rainy and the snow was on it’s way. After a somewhat quick and crowded trip to the grocery store Sunday morning I got the urge too cook up a few yummy things.

A cold day was begging for hot piping lasagna. I love making this and now my recipe is a combination of all our favorite lasagna recipes….lots of veggies, a little meat, cabernet marinara and a yummy cheese mixture.

After I assembled the lasagna and cleaned up, it was only 3pm. Ben brought home some ginger cookies a coworker made and they were so delicious I had to have more. For things like this, my go-to website is allrecipes.com. I usually go by ratings and reviews and this recipe did not disappoint with 1,601 reviews and rated 5 stars!

Big Soft Ginger Cookies (Allrecipes)

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Quick Shrimp…

I received the newest copy of Cooking Light last week and this quick and easy Shrimp Scampi dish caught my eye. We’ve had a bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer that’s been begging to be used up. This recipe is definitely going into the rotation. This was the first time I made Orzo it was super quick and easy. This had just the right amount of butter too since sometimes scampi means the shrimp is swimming in the fat.

The only modifications I made to the recipe were I added lemon zest in addition to the lemon zest. If you have any spinach on hand, this would be a great stir in for the green color. We served it with side salad, but grilled asparagus or steamed broccoli would also make a great side. Enjoy!

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi (Cooking Light)

• 1 cup uncooked orzo
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 7 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
• 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place orzo in a medium bowl. Stir in parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and keep warm.

While orzo cooks, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add half of shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer shrimp to a plate. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan. Add remaining shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer to plate.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp, juice, and pepper; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done.

A Mexican Fiesta

In honor of the Oscar’s tonight and my Mexican craving…we made a Mexican themed dinner complete with Margaritas! I found a simple recipe for Chicken Enchiladas with a 5 star rating and tons of reviews. I have a recipe we’ve used many times in the past that is more salsa-based and I think we enjoyed the new recipe better.

On our weekly grocery shopping trip today we picked up a rotisserie chicken to use, which saves a lot of time and the chicken has tons of flavor. This version was a little drier than I’m used to for enchiladas. Next time I think I’ll top them with extra cheese before baking…anything can be more cheesier!

Chicken Enchiladas (Southern Living)

• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
• 1 (8-ounce) bottle green taco sauce
• Toppings: diced tomato, chopped avocado, chopped green onions, sliced ripe olives, chopped cilantro

Stir together first 5 ingredients. Spoon chicken mixture evenly over each tortilla, and roll up. Arrange in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Coat tortillas with vegetable cooking spray.

Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Stir together sour cream and taco sauce. Spoon over hot enchiladas, and sprinkle with toppings.

A Little Work...A Little Play!

As usual with the New Year, I'm in an organizing mood after the dreaded thought of de-Christmasing the house. Plus, we've been in our house for 8 months and are finding out how our routine works with where things are placed. I've already sorted through my closet, so this weekend we organized the garage. Everything finally has a place and there are different zones on our built in shelves for each specific task...grilling, yard/gardening, tools and sports equipment. While everything was drug out, we swept and used the blower in every nook and cranny to get it really clean. Let's see how long this lasts!

Once the garage was complete, we pulled down all the boxes for the Christmas decor from the attic. We collected all the decorations and organized them as well. We decided not to take down our tree since it's still perfectly fresh and we are still enjoying it so much. We'll officially finish de-decorating next weekend once we take down the tree...but for now we're those people!

Of course the weekend wasn't complete without a little play, especially with some of our new things we received for Christmas. Saturday, Ben's friend Chris, who was just accepted for a Beer Master program in Chicago and Munich, came over for a little celebration of helping Ben brew his next beer. My parents gave Ben a turkey fryer to use for brewing, so it was quite interesting to see the new process. I very much enjoyed my house not smelling of wort! If you're interested in his process, check out his blog: Jamm'n Brews. His next batch is a Double Scottish Ale!!



After a much need grocery shopping trip, I spent most of Saturday engrossed in Twilight...falling in love with Edward Cullen. And today we started off the rainy morning by making pancakes on our new griddle.

I also used my Williams-Sonoma Chopper and my Dutch Oven to make a big pot of chili. It's sitting on the stove cooking now, but it smells wonderful. Since Christmas Day, when we missed a chili dinner at Ben parents, he's been craving chili. We found a 5-star recipe from Cooking Light that includes a bottle of beer. We used Ben's home brewed Cinnamon Oatmeal Stout! I hope it tastes as delicious as it smells.

Smoke's Chili (adapted from Cooking Light)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
2 pounds lean, ground beef
3 cups chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (12-ounce) bottle beer
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add half of meat. Cook 10 minutes or until browned; remove from heat, and drain. Repeat procedure with 1/2 teaspoon oil and remaining meat; set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium heat. Add bell pepper, onion, red pepper, and garlic; saute 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add meat, sugar, and next 5 ingredients (sugar through beer); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. Add beans, and simmer, uncovered, an additional 40 minutes or until meat is tender. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

Note: To freeze, cool chili, and place in an airtight freezer container or a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Freeze chili up to 3 months.

UPDATE!! The Chili was a success in our new DK Clay pasta blows from my parents! It had an interesting flavor that was very complex...lots of spice and a little sweet from the brown sugar. You couldn't really tell it was made with beer, but I guess knowing it's in there is good enough. It was very very filling and I'm going to freeze half of what we have left for dinner in a few weeks. I'm pretty sure this will become our standard chili recipe with a few modifications.

I'm off to spend the rest of the evening with Edward Cullen!

In Your Face....Banana Cake!

Ben and I are obsessed with that phrase and I'm not sure which one of us started it, but it inspired us to have a Banana Cake at our wedding and I've found a recipe that is pretty close to it! Our wedding cake had chocolate buttercream icing, you could subsitute it on this cake, but the plain cream cheese icing was delicious as is. And the best part is it's semi-homemade taking advantage of a boxed cake mix.

We made this for my Mom's Family Christmas this past Saturday. I wish I hadn't eaten so many appetizers of sausage balls, cream cheese ball and crackers, haystacks and chips with texas cavair. Then, followed by Lexington BBQ sandwiches, hushpuppies and fries. I guess I'll have to make this cake again so I can fully savor every bite without forcing the bites in! It got great reviews and I accidentally left out the oil. I'll probably omit the oil next time as well to save a few calories. I think using the banana and sour cream provided enough moisture. Oh and I used pecans instead of walnuts since my mom is allergic to them. Delicious!

Banana-Sour Cream Cake (Kraft Food & Family)

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup oil
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
1 cup walnut pieces, finely chopped

Heat oven to 350°F. Beat cake mix, eggs, bananas, sour cream and oil with mixer on low until moistened, scraping bottom of bowl often. Beat on medium 2 min. Pour into greased and floured 13x9-inch pan.

Bake 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely in pan on wire rack.

Beat cream cheese and butter with mixer on medium until blended. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition.

Remove cake from pan. Carefully cut cake crosswise in half using serrated knife. Place 1 cake half, top-side down, on plate; spread top with frosting. Top with remaining cake half, top side up. Frost top and sides. Press nuts onto sides. Refrigerate leftovers.

The 3rd Annual Stafford Cookie Swap!

The 2008 Holiday season has officially begun with our 3rd Annual Cookie Swap. Ben and I were so excited to be hosting it again this year since we've moved into our new house. Not only did we have a ton of space for everyone, but we got to decorate even more with our fireplace, the outside decor and of course or ginormous tree! It's great that we are "forced" to get the house almost entirely ready for Christmas. It's a ton of work, but we get to enjoy the next few weeks with a spotlessly clean house that's completely decorated for the season.

It was a chilly afternoon, but inside where it was warm, we enjoyed a spread of Herb Ranch Cheeseball, Veggies with Spinach Dip, Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Sugar Chips, Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies, Fig & Goat Cheese Bruschetta, Christmas Punch and Hot Apple Cider.

After snacking and chatting the swap got underway. This year Ben and I found actual Christmas baskets for the cookies.

I'm pretty sure this was the best year yet with the cookies we took home! Since this post is a little late and all of cookies are down to the last few bites, let me see if I can remember each cookie.

~Chocolate Almond Biscotti
~Chocolate Chip Cookies
~Christmas Cookies
~Sophie Kisses
~White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
~Whoppers
~Oatmeal Creme Pies
~Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles
~Gingerbread with Vanilla Icing
~Oreo Truffles
~Almond Crescents
~Snikerdoodles
~Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

I also made some Doggie cookies, Snickerpoodles since so many of us have pups at home that would enjoy a treat! They were a big hit by all the Pup parents as well as Freddie...he was my taste tester.

All in all, it was another successful swap and we're aleady looking forward to next year's party. In fact I overheard people at the swap talking about ideas for their cookie next year!

Ballet, Bowties and Brews

This has been a pretty fun weekend so far and we've been busy!! Friday after work, we braved the rain and headed to Sanford to see Laura in the Nutcracker. She was a gum drop and a clown this year...and did an awesome job as the littlest clown! Afterwards we had dinner at my parents and stayed chatting with them until 10:30!

We woke up really surprised by the weather...it was tricky on Saturday, teasing us all day long. I headed to the grocery store, while Ben did the dreaded chore of taking Freddie to get his nails cut! I told him I'd reward him with a trip to Carolina Brewing Co. in Holly Springs since they were tapping their Winter Porter. We met Chris, Sam & Shane there and I was pretty disappointed in the Winter Porter. It was slightly smokey and just bland, not at all what I'd expect from a Porter.

We walked out of the brewery after a torrential downpour with angry skies, but by the time we got home it was clearing up. I got everything ready for dinner and Tara and Rick showed up with the most awesome selection of beer and an amazing FAT-FREE mexican dip!

I made a fall salad with mixed greens, pears, pomegranate seeds and raspberry vinagrette. I've only had a pomegranate once, but I think they'll become more of a regular in our house. I love how the seeds pop in your mouth. I also made Grilled Chicken and Pesto Farfalle. Technically Ben grilled the chicken and I made everything else. It's a new recipe that got rave reviews and it turned out delicious! I'm so excited there are leftovers.




Once dinner was out of the way, we started our beer tasting. Including the few beers we shared during appetizers and dinner here is our line up:


~ Ben's Cinnamon Oatmeal Stout
~Laqunitas Cappucinno Stout
~Abita Pecan Harvest
~Smuttynose Winter Ale
~Baron's Black Wattle Seed Ale
~Ben's Smoked Vanilla Bean Porter
~Ben's Ginger Ale
~Ben's Blackberry Chocolate Stout
~Weeping Raddish Pumpkin Bock
~Terrapin Side Project III Gamma Ray
~Heavy Weight Lunacy
~Southern Tier Creme Brulee Stout
~Dogfish Head Theobrama
~Dogfish Head Raison D'Extra


Ben printed everyone score sheets based on appearance, aroma, taste, drinkability, and overall likeness. All but one or two we really good...my favorites were the Creme Brulee Stout, Terrapin Gamma Ray and Dogfish Raison D'Extra!


In between rounds we snacked on Pumpkin Scones and Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake tarts. I think we all had a great time...it's so nice to not only have new friends, but ones that enjoy our nerdiness love of beer.



This morning, I'm sipping coffee and mentally preparing for my 10k run this afternoon. I'm so happy the sun has decided to make it's appearance and stay out although it's a little chilly...we're enjoying our coffee by the gas logs!


The things I'm grateful for: (Fri and Sat)


~How close we live to family: It's so nice that we can go see our family whenever we want and I love being a part of my little sisters' lives.


~Soup: It was rainy day and I love chicken noodle soup when it's cold and rainy out


~The internet: information is always at your fingertips...you just gotta know where to look


~New friends: No surprise we love entertaining and having new friends to join us is the icing on the cake


~Beer: We're beer snobs!


~Quick & Easy dinners that look gourmet: The pasta was incredibily easy to make and delicious at the same time...perfect for enteraining.

Uneventul day...

It's Wednesday...the week is dragging, so as usual today was pretty uneventful. I'm still not used to the time change and feel exhausted by the time I get home. It didn't help I was freezing all day and just wanted to curl up on the couch with my newest fuzzy throw and the very last of the chili!

So I basically did just that tonight! Very unproductive, but oh well. I'm finally warming up with a big mug of Sleepytime Tea...it's been a pretty dreamy night. How could it not in my most comfy clothes, fuzzy socks, wrapped up in a fuzzy throw and sitting in Ben's recliner!

My gratitude list for today:

~Socks: I'm not usually a sock wearer unless I have shoes on, but when my toes are like ice I will gladly put them on. I get so many cute pairs for christmas, which make them even more fun to wear.

~Sleepytime Tea: While I'm not sure it actually aids in sleep...probably all in my head...it did warm me up finally!

~Wednesdays: You could look at this day of the week as ONLY Wed, as in, not Friday, but we're halfway through the week and just two more work days...we're especially excited about this weekend which is jammed packed with fun stuff! I love looking at the the glass half full.

I got a few requests for my lasagna recipe. This recipe was adapted from the Bride and Groom's First and Forever Cookbook. My college roommate, Meg gave this to us for an engagement gift...so perfect as this recipe has become a favorite of ours. Enjoy!

Classic Lasagna

8 oz ground beef round
8 oz italian sausage links, removed from casings
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
2 jars (26 oz each) marinara sauce
8 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
12 sheets "No Boil" lasagna noodles
1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves torn into small peices
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Combine the ground beef and sausage in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Season with salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Cook until the meat is lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a medium bowl. Add the marinara sauce to the meat and stir to combine; set aside.

Mix the ricotta cheese, cream cheese and parmesan cheese in a medium bowl. Season with the remaining pepper; set aside.

Cover the bottom of the prepared baking dish with 1 cup of the meat sauce. Arrange a single layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (3 sheets) on top of the sauce. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce evenly on top. Add half of the cheese mixture by spoonfuls evenly over the meat sauce, then scatter half of the basil leaves on top. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce, the remaining cheese mixture and a final layer of lasagna. Spread the remaining meat sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Just Another Manic Monday...

It wasn't too manic today...work was good. It's a pretty relaxed week, considering everything that happened last week and tomorrow is Veteran's Day, which is a partial-staff day. I plan on working most of the day in my jeans and I'll get an extra vacation day for later!

Tonight for dinner we enjoyed Beef Stroganoff with sauteed peppers and salads. The Beef Stroganoff recipe came from the latest Cooking Light, however I could have sworn I've made this before and felt the same way about the recipe. It was missing something...kind of bland. Next time, I'll add a can of cream of mushroom soup to everything and make it more creamy.

After dinner, I was craving something sweet and found some peanut butter cookie mix in our pantry, but I really wanted chocolate with them. I mixed in M&M's, the tiniest amount of chocolate chips and some marshmallows (those were Ben's addition). Wow...peanut-buttery, chocolately, gooey-ness!

Today I'm grateful for:

~Funny license plates: This morning going to work I saw 2 license plates that got my attention. "STFU&DRV" was on an SUV and there was a Charger weaving in and out of traffic...who is in THAT much of a hurry to get to work. His plate said "YEAH, HEMI" So funny he thought he was so cool! It started my Monday off pretty good.

~Clean clothes: I did 5 loads of laundry yesterday. I love nothing more than having all of our clothes clean and smelling so fresh.

~Sweaters: It was freezing this morning when I left for work and I loved being cozied up in one of my newest sweaters from Banana.

Yep...you guessed it....

Work, Dinner, Wine, Sleep...and Blog!

Another long day at work and home in the pitch black. But, I'm enjoying my leftovers from Sono...Pan-seared Sea Bass, rice, steamed broccoli and a big glass of wine. Maybe some pumpkin ice cream later! Delicious.

Two more crazy days of work and then the weekend. My deadline runs from the first business day of the month to the 5th. Sometimes it falls over the weekend and if need be, it gives me 2 extra days, which is nice. But, it's also nice to be DONE on Fridays! I can't wait until this Friday...we have a nice relaxing weekend ahead of us.

One of my friends, Meredith, requested the recipe for my White Bean Chicken Chili. It's delicious and we add extra spice since we enjoy it hotter. This go-round was a little soupy, but that's all the more reason to make extra corn muffins to soak up the liquid. Enjoy!

White Bean Chicken Chili

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 tbsp flour
3 cups chopped chicken breast
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans
1 can corn; drained
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Sour cream

Add everything to the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Oh...I finally hit 100 miles on my Nike + this past Sunday! In just 4 months, I've run 102 miles and earned a certificate from Nike. And I'm in 2nd place in my challenge with some friends for the most miles ran between Labor Day and Thanksgiving! Which reminds me I need to sign up for my gym membership now there is no more daylight for evening runs.

Tonight I'm grateful for:

~My financial and analytical knowledge: To the outside world what I do for a living is a foreign language. Many of you have no idea...and the fact month after month I put my skills to test and problem solve breaks in our systems and adjusts exposure (lost you there didn't I?)seems like second nature to me. But this month, I've had several issues that I've really had to put my thinking cap on and pull everything I've learned in the past several year. It's a good sense of accomplishment to solve these problems and fix the issue.

~Nike +: Ben gave me this for my birthday in June and it has inspired me to keep running every week...such a nifty little gadget. And who knew I could run 100 miles in 4 months!

~Blogging: I love sharing little tid-bits of my life and many things I've grateful for!

I'm running out of time...

I absolutely-positively hate the time change! Sunday I will admit it was nice to get an extra hour or house chores in. We didn't sleep in...at 630am I was wide awake. So we got up early, I made some delicious Pecan Pumpkin Dessert Squares. I've had some Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter from Williams Sonoma in the pantry since last year.


Pecan Pumpkin Dessert Squares

1 package yellow cake mix; set aside one cup
½ cup butter, melted
3 eggs, large
1 jar of Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350° F. Divide yellow cake mix, placing all but one cup in a mixing bowl. Stir the melted butter and one egg into the cake mix. Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9" × 13" pan. Mix the jar of Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter with two eggs and milk. Pour this result over the cake mix. Stir the reserved cup of cake mix with the flour, sugar, softened butter, and cinnamon. Mix together until crumbly. Sprinkle over top of the pumpkin layer. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Cut into "2 squares. Serves 24.

Once cleaned up in the kitchen, I got the rest of the house spic and span! At 3pm we decided to go on a 5.5 mile run. It definitely was not the best...we ended up on a very busy road without a sidewalk. Plus, I was dehydrated and left with no energy. I really needed some Carb blocks to keep up my energy.

We ended a night with dinner at Ben's parents house. Ben's mom, Susan, made an amazing mexican chicken casserole that was her sister's recipe. We also enjoyed Harrison's (our 4 year old nephew) amazing Greek dip with homemade pita chip for an appetizer. I hadn't seen the Stafford's in many months, so it was great to see most of the family then. I'm not sure where the past 3 months have gone!

Sunday's Gratitude List:

~Food: I love food and cooking and how it brings people together.

~Sidewalks and neighborhoods: We live in a wonderful area with so many neighborhoods to run in...I almost took it for granted until I had to dodge a few cars on a busy street and rolled my ankle one too many times in the ditches while running.

~Fresh air: The fall brings mild days and better quality air. I love when the summer haze is gone and it's so easy to breathe!


Now...a little catch up! The time change as gotten me all of whack. I feel like it's almost midnight. Month end started at work and I usually work late. I rushed home at a 6pm and it was pitch black outside. I'm so sad my evening runs outside are over until spring. After a whirlwind trip to the grocery store and back...I'm pleased to say we only spent $58 for a week's worth of breakfasts, lunches and dinners...all homecooked meals!

I've been slack in my cooking lately and I'm so sick of all the frozen and pre-prepared dinners we've been eating. Even though we didn't eat until 845pm...I was so much happier sitting down at a candlelight table eating fresh sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli and our favorite crunchy baked chicken. Definitely worth all that hard work!

Today I'm grateful for:

~Fresh veggies: They've been missing from my diet and my body is craving them now. The freshest veggies only need a little seasoning and are so sweet and delicious.

~Wine: I love coming home to a nice glass of wine with dinner. It makes it feel special, even if it is a week night.

~Daylight savings: I hate it being so dark...I get so depressed during winter and wish we had daylight savings time all year long!

New Recipes

I've been meaning to post these recipes...just two new ones I made last week and they were delicious!

I was in the mood for a non-traditional salad and saw Chicken and Couscous Salad featured on MyRecipes.com one day. This was perfect for a quick dinner, but even better for lunch almost everyday later in the week. It's very versatile and I added whatever veggies I had on hand. In addition to what the recipe called for, I added shredded carrots and substituted tomatoes for the radishes. We had fresh chicken breasts, so Ben grilled those. But you could easily buy the prepared chicken breast slices in the deli and they'd be grea too and even quicker! This recipe definitely goes on my quick go-to dinner and spice it up lunch menu!

Chicken Couscous Salad (Cooking Light)

Salad:
1 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (5.7-ounce) box uncooked couscous
1 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken (about 6 ounces)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup diced radishes (about 3 large)
1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Dressing:
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

To prepare salad, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Spoon couscous into a large bowl; cool slightly. Add chicken, onions, radishes, cucumber, parsley, and pine nuts; toss gently to combine.
To prepare dressing, combine vinegar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss to combine.

The second recipe is Orange-Sesame Noodles with Grilled Shrimp. It's another featured recipe on Myrecipes.com, but from back in the summer. I never got around to making it, but wish I had made it sooner. I think Ben was impressed I used peanut butter for the sauce...he's a PB freak! The orange, sesame and peanut butter made for some interesting flavors...very thai!

Orange-Sesame Noodles with Grilled Shrimp (Cooking Light)

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
10 ounce soba noodles or spaghetti
1 cup snow peas
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.
Boil noodles according to package directions. Before draining, add snow peas and carrot. Let cook 30 seconds.

Drain pasta, peas, and carrot, and toss immediately with orange juice mixture. Set aside.
Brush shrimp with sesame oil, and grill over medium-hot coals 3 to 5 minutes.

Arrange pasta on serving plates, and top with shrimp.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownies

I absolutely love chocolate and cherry combinations. In fact, I can devour an entire box of Queen Anne's Chocolate Covered Cherries in Liquor at Christmas and my concerte of choice at Goodberry's is chocolate with bing cherries. So when I saw this recipe in my newest Cooking Light I had to make these! Delish! I probably added a little more cherry preserves than the recipe called for, which I think made them even more moist.

I made these to take to my brother's for a little dinner party since my Unk was in town. We had a great time and it would have been better if this annoying cold wasn't dragging me down.


Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownies (Cooking Light)

Cooking spray
3.4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cherry preserves
1/3 cup water
5 tablespoons butter
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper; coat with cooking spray.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Combine cherry preserves, 1/3 cup water, and butter in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Add preserves mixture to flour mixture; stir well. Add egg and egg white; stir until smooth. Stir in semisweet chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pan on wire rack. Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.

Yield 16 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 155(31% from fat); FAT 5.4g (sat 3g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.2g); IRON 1mg; CHOLESTEROL 23mg; CALCIUM 10mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.8g; SODIUM 168mg; PROTEIN 2.2g; FIBER 1.1g

Pecan Crusted Tilapia

While unloading my groceries from a quick trip at the grocery store one evening, I found a pound of fresh tilapia in my bag that I did not purchase along with cocktail sauce. After double checking my receipt and realizing I was the only person in line when checking out, I figured it wouldn't be worth driving back to the store to return something I didn't purchase. And besides we love tilapia. It just wasn't on my list that day! But, it must be destiny since I searched for a new recipe to make with my free tilapia and we could not have had a better meal! This was super quick and using the pan with a small amount of oil gives it a fried taste without all the fat and calories. This goes into the dinner rotation and definitely became a favorite of ours.




Pecan Crusted Tilapia (Cooking Light)

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 (6-ounce) tilapia or snapper fillets
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
4 lemon wedges

Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow dish. Combine buttermilk and hot sauce in a medium bowl; place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge 1 fillet in flour. Dip in buttermilk mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining fillets, flour, buttermilk mixture, and breadcrumb mixture.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 fillets; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and fillets. Serve with lemon wedges.

Back From Our Vacation

...And we're a little sad it's all over. The week went by way to quick and I'm already itching to plan at least a little long weekend getaway soon since it was so nice to relax and do absolutely nothing!

We ate way too much and enjoyed everyone's cooking until we were stuffed to the gills. We also got the chance to eat out for lunch several days. Tortuga's is always our first stop for lunch before check into our house. Monday, Sara, Adam, Ben and I went to Awful Arthur's in search of Oysters...they were delicious. On Tuesday, we drove up to Corolla and Duck and ate at Fishbones and more oysters and crabcake sandwiches. My dad also took us to a cute little mexican inspired seafood place called Chili Peppers.

Other than eating, we lounged by the pool, sat on the beach, went for a couple of early morning runs and read a ton of books. It doesn't sound that exciting, but it was exactly what Ben and I needed after the past few hectic weeks. We didn't even mind the rain for almost 2 days. Sitting on the deck, even during the rain, was relaxing.

Saturday, on the way home, we stopped in Greeneville to check out the ECU campus. Ben will be starting a IT distance program in August, so we toured the campus and stocked up on our ECU paraphernalia then had a BBQ lunch before heading back home.

Jenni's Semi-Homemade Dinner

There is no Sandra Lee in our house, but she'd be proud. In an effort to use what we have and not have a ton of food go bad while we're on vacation next week, we made a quick and easy dinner Sunday after a super hard working weekend. We've been craving Mexican on and off for several days and I think at one point mentioned making fish tacos at the beach.

I remembered I had some frozen fish filets stuffed in the back of the freezer, tortillas and cheese. We didn't have any type of sauce, so I literally whipped up a homemade tartar sauce with mayonnaise, lemon juice, onions, dill weed and cilantro. These really hit the spot. A little lettuce, cheese, extra cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice made these a big hit with Ben. He was quite impressed and I was excited to add another quick and easy meal to our list when we're in a pinch.