Posts from the ‘Recipe’ Category

Mar 19

Easy Crock Pot Recipes – Asian Chicken with Ginger

Yesterday I made another super delicious crock pot meal for dinner. The weather was really nice and I didn’t want to miss my chance to get some garden chores done with the sun shinning. Not only was this crock pot chicken dinner super easy to make, it was delicious too!

Here is the easy peasy recipe:

Ingredients

chicken breasts
2 large carrots, chopped
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vingar
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tablespoons, candied ginger {or 1 tablespoon ground ginger}
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons dried parsley

Directions

Add all ingredients in to the crock pot, and cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours. Serve over a bed of rice. Sweet diggety, I love it when I only have to spend 5 minutes making dinner!

Are you in love with your crock pot too? Then be sure and check out more of my favorite crock pot recipes.

My favorite Crock Pot – Crock-Pot Cook’ N Carry 6-Quart Portable Slow Cooker
My favorite Slow Cooker Cookbook – Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook

Mar 18

9 Comments

Peanut Butter & Nutella Cookies

Ding Ding Ding… We have a winner! This afternoon I made the monkeys a batch of peanut butter and Nutella cookies and boy were they delicious.

Milk and cookies, does it get any better than that?

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter {I used Jif}
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-pourpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Nutella

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl combine the butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla and blend until smooth. Slowly add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix until all the ingredients all combined.

Drop spoonfuls of Nutella on top of the dough and then swirl it through the dough with the back of a spoon.

Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to get the perfect sized dough balls, then roll the ball in coarse or granulated sugar. Place on a lined baking sheet {I use silpats} and press the tops of the cookies down the a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 8- 10 minutes.

Makes 4 dozen

Looking or more cookie recipes? Check out the book Milk & Cookies it’s pretty freakin’ delicious.

Mar 18

6 Comments

Dye Eggs With Natural Ingredients

how to dye easter eggs naturally

Did you know you can dye eggs with natural ingredients?

Since my chickens lay brown & green eggs, last year I decided to splurge and buy 2 dozen white eggs at the store and give it a try. I was worried if I used the brown eggs the dye would not be as vibrant, and in the end, I’m glad I went the white eggs {even if they were not as fresh as home~~grown~~ laid eggs}.

vinegar

The process is surprisingly easy. Here are the simple directions:

Blue Eggs: Combine 2-3 cups chopped red cabbage, 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 4 cups of water and simmer for 3o minutes. Drain colored water in a large bowl and steep the desired number of hard-boiled eggs in the colored water for 3 hours {less time if you don’t want dark blue eggs}.

Yellow Eggs: Combine 2 teaspoons turmeric, 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and steep the desired number of hard-boiled eggs in the colored water for 2 hours {less time if you don’t want dark yellow eggs}.

Red Eggs: Combine 1 cup shredded beets {2-3 beets} , 3 tablespoons of vinegar and 4 cups of water and simmer for 3o minutes. Drain colored water in a large bowl and steep the desired number of hard-boiled eggs in the colored water for 3 hours {less time if you don’t want dark pink eggs}.

blue eggs

*Keep in mind that the longer you keep your eggs in the colored water, the deeper your eggs shells will turn out.

naturally dyed easter eggs

Dry your eggs on a cooling rack. Once the eggs have completely dried, use a paint brush to brush away any extra bits. See, I told you it was easy.

how to dye easter eggs naturally

Have you done this before? What did you think? Pretty easy huh?

Looking for the ceramic egg rack featured in this photo? Amazon has it HERE.

Mar 17

4 Comments

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Remember all those bananas I was able to get for free from the reclaimed food boxes Mr. Produce Guy gave me? Well a few days ago I whipped up a batch of whole wheat banana pancakes and holy cow they were good. The monkeys at my house were jumping on the bed they were so good.

To make sure everything is blended real smooth, I toss all the ingredients in to the blender and give it a whirl.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk {how to make buttermilk}
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2 ripe bananas, mashed
Cooking spray

Directions

To make things go faster, I add all the ingredients to a blender starting with the liquids and then give it a whirl until the batter is nice and smooth. Of course you can mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, but that would be to civilized for me.

Heat a nonstick griddle or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray or butter {everything is better with butter}. Spoon about 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle. Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Serve with maple syrup, butter and a few sliced bananas on top.

Dig in!

Looking for a new griddle? I’ve had my Presto Cool Touch Electric Griddle for about 7 or 8 years now and I love it!

Mar 16

St. Patrick’s Day Recipe Round Up

Looking for a good recipes for St. Patrick’s Day? Here are a few of my favorites:

Guinness Beef Stew

Irish Soda Bread

Guinness Black and Tan Brownies

How to Make Rainbow Cupcakes

Rainbow Waffles

Rainbow Jello

Do YOU make anything special for St. Patrick’s Day?

~Mavis

Mar 15

5 Comments

DIY Apple Pie Spice Mix + Apple Pie Recipe

I made an apple pie this morning with all those yummy granny smith apples I found in the reclaimed food boxes this week. I used my favorite recipe for DIY Apple Pie Spice Mix and I thought I’d share it with you. This recipe makes enough for 2 apple pies and let me tell you Bob, someone should really invent smellavision, because this combination of spices is awesome!

Here is the recipe:

DIY Apple Pie Spice Ingredients

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Directions

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until well-combined. Store in an airtight container in a cool dark place.

Here is my favorite recipe for homemade apple pie:

Ingredients for filling

6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 tablespoon apple pie spice mix
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 egg {for egg wash}

Ingredients for the Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup vegetable shorting {I used Crisco}
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold water

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees

Combine pie crust ingredients together, divide in half, roll into a ball, use the palm of your hand to flatten crust to about 1 inch. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Roll out 1 crust and line a pie plate with it.

Combine filling ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat. Pour filling into crust lined pie plate and add second {flattened} crust. Crimp edges of pie crust together and brush with egg wash.

Pace on a lined cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until juices are bubbling.

Cool. Serve with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream or whipping cream.

Looking for a cool pie plate? Amazon has these ones in stock and ready to ship.

If you haven’t tried my recipe for Apple Pie Jam, you really need to. It’s freakin’ awesome if I do say so myself.

Have a great weekend everyone!

~Mavis

Mar 14

5 Comments

Grilled Asparagus With Pine Nuts Recipe

I’m sure you’ve noticed all the deals on asparagus in the stores lately, and I’m not sure how you prepare asparagus, but my family likes their little greens trees grilled. If it’s a wee bit chilly at your place to fire up the barbie, you can also grill these bad boys in the oven.

Ingredients

1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Fire up the bbq to medium heat or the oven to 425 degrees. Place the asparagus on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, give it a shake and cook for 7-10 minutes in the oven or place the asparagus in a grill pan and cook on the bbq until tender {about 5 minutes}.

Place the asparagus on a plate and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

How to YOU like your asparagus? Steamed, grilled, raw?

~Mavis

Looking for more awesome vegetable recipes? Check out the book Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater. It rocks!

Mar 13

6 Comments

Easy Crock Pot Recipes: Orange Garlic Chicken

Tonight we had orange-garlic chicken for dinner. It took me all of 3 minutes to toss everything in to the crock pot and turn it on. Wouldn’t it be nice if every night was like that? Not only is this recipe for crock pot orange-garlic chicken yummy, there are only 5 ingredients. Wahoooo for easy dinners!

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts {mine were frozen}
3/4 cup orange juice
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

Add all ingredients in to the crock pot, stir, and cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours. Serve over a bed of rice. Yum a licious!

My favorite Crock Pot – Crock-Pot Cook’ N Carry 6-Quart Portable Slow Cooker
My favorite Slow Cooker Cookbook – Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook

Mar 12

4 Comments

Easy St. Patrick’s Day Recipe – Rainbow Waffles

Ever wonder what Leprechauns eat for breakfast when they’re not eating Lucky Charms? Why rainbow waffles of course! If you have never made rainbow waffles before, they are super easy.

Here is how to make a batch of rainbow waffles:

Step #1

Fill 6 squeeze bottles with about 1/2 cup {or more} waffle batter. Add food coloring and shake.

Step #2

Fill your waffle maker with colored batter. Remember to start from the inside and work your way out. You’ll need to work quickly. Close the waffle maker and cook according to the manufactures directions.

Step #3

Cut the rainbowlicious waffle in half. Add clouds {whipped cream}. Call the little leprechauns to the table and… PASS THE SYRUP!

After a hearty breakfast of rainbow waffles, your little leprechauns will be ready to hunt for pots of gold!

Do YOU do anything special for St. Patrick’s Day? We tend to go a little crazy around here.

~Mavis

Mar 11

18 Comments

St. Patrick’s Day Recipes – Irish Soda Bread

This is my absolute favorite Irish Soda Bread Recipe.

The first time I tried Irish Soda bread was in a Pub in Dingle, Ireland. I’d love to go back just for a slice of bread, but Dingle Town has now been over run with tourists, so I don’t think we will be going back anytime soon. But the Bread? Now there is something I can revisit again and again. No airline ticket needed.

The recipe itself is very straight forward and easy to make. However, if you have never tried Irish Soda Bread before let me warn you. It is very hearty. Like, your husband is a lumberman, wears plaid and likes food that sticks to his ribs. In my opinion the bread is best served with Guinness stew. If there was ever a “man” bread, this would be it.

The bread is so substantial, you may want to make an extra loaf to keep on hand just in case you need a lethal weapon. Perfect for lumberjacks, brick layers and leprechauns of course.

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup oatmeal {I used regular oats}
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch bits
1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk {How to Make Buttermilk}
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silpat.

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on a low speed until everything is combined.

Place the dough onto a floured cutting board and knead it a few times into a nice, fat, round loaf that is about 2 inches thick and 8 inches wide. Place the loaf on the lined sheet pan, carfeully cut an X into the top of the bread, and sprinkle a little oatmeal over the top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean or when you tap the loaf, it will has a hollow sound to it. Cool slightly, and serve with butter or honey. Yummalicious!

This recipe makes 1 loaf.

Waking Ned Devine. Have you seen it? Best movie ever, and perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!

Posts from the ‘Recipe’ Category

Easy Crock Pot Recipes – Asian Chicken with Ginger

Peanut Butter & Nutella Cookies

Dye Eggs With Natural Ingredients

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

St. Patrick’s Day Recipe Round Up

DIY Apple Pie Spice Mix + Apple Pie Recipe

Grilled Asparagus With Pine Nuts Recipe

Easy Crock Pot Recipes: Orange Garlic Chicken

Easy St. Patrick’s Day Recipe – Rainbow Waffles

St. Patrick’s Day Recipes – Irish Soda Bread

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