Raspberry Limeade

I don't know about you but I am trying desperately to hang on to these last days of summer.  I am just not quite ready to talk about pumpkin anything yet!  To honor these last days of summer and fresh fruit, I decided to make something refreshing. This raspberry limeade immediately came to mind.  It is sweet, tart, and “bubbly perfect” for your Labor Day gathering! It was super easy to make, and I have some tips and tricks on this drink posted below.  I will also be turning it into an adult beverage on my next post, so stay tuned!  Enjoy!

Sweet photo bomb by Jacob!

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

6 oz. raspberries, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 liter sparkling water or club soda, chilled

Lime slices for garnish

Directions

In a small saucepan on medium heat.  Add the sugar and water.  Heat, stirring occasional, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.

To make the raspberry puree:
In a blender add the raspberries and blend until smooth.  You will still be able to see the seeds.  Set a fine mesh strainer over a pitcher to strain out the seeds.  To the pitcher add the lime juice and simple syrup and stir.  When you are ready to serve add the sparkling water or club soda to the pitcher and stir to combine.

Variation - To make a single serving of this drink: Combine the lime juice and raspberry puree in a small container with a lid.  Add 3 tablespoons of the puree mixture to a 12 oz. glass.  Then add 3 tbsp. simple syrup and stir.  Add ice to the glass.  Pour chilled sparkling water (I buy this in individual cans so I always have them on hand.) to the rim of the glass and stir!  Store any unused puree mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Store the unused simple syrup in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Adapted from:  Food Network Magazine September 2012

Steak Fajitas

We love Mexican food in our house!  I make it a point to work it into our menu at least once a week.  A few weeks ago I was able to sit down long enough to watch an episode of the Pioneer Woman -man do I love her - and she was making these fajitas for her family.  Sure I have made steak fajitas before but she made her marinade with different ingredients than what I usually use so I decided to give them a try.  I am so glad I did!  The worcestershire sauce gave the meat a richer deeper flavor and  all the lime juice gave the dish a nice balance.  Next time you are making fajitas you must give this recipe a try.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 1 1/2-2 pound Flank or Skirt Steak

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup  lime juice, about 3-4 limes

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tbsp. sugar

2 medium onions, halved and sliced

3-4 bell peppers, sliced - you can use any color combination

1 tbsp unsalted butter

8-10 flour tortillas

Directions

In a dish, mix together olive oil, Worcestershire, lime juice, garlic, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and sugar until combined. Pour half of the marinade into a separate dish. In one dish, place the flank steak, turning it over to coat. In the second dish, place all the veggies, turning to coat. Cover the dishes with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the tbsp of butter. Add the veggies and cook them for a few minutes, until they’re cooked but still slightly firm and have nice black/brown pieces. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Heat the same same skillet (or a grill pan if you have it) over high heat and drizzle some oil. Cook the meat for about 2 minutes per side until medium rare. Remove and allow to rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes.

Slice the meat right before serving.

Homemade Basics: Flour Tortillas

Happy 1 month blogaversary to me!  This little blog is doing better than I would have imagined in the one month it has been around.  I have had 1300 page views, I have had a picture posted on FoodGawker, and I have a Facebook page that currently has 50 likes!  I want to thank all my friends and supporters and especially my husband Gabe for being so patient with me during this whole process.  This journey has been great, but it has definitely come with some stress along the way.  I hope you are all enjoying the content and will continue to follow me as my hope is to inspire you all to get in the kitchen and try something new!  That being said, I definitely did just that with these homemade flour tortillas. Not only did I make these from scratch, but I also documented my steps along the way in hopes to encourage you to try these and soon!   

I have to admit, I was a little nervous to make these from scratch only because the store-bought ones are just fine, and that is what our family is used to. In my ever-growing effort to make more things homemade for my family, I decided to bite the bullet and give them a try.  A big plus for this recipe is that I already had all the ingredients on hand!  I found these really easy to make…like really easy!  Although I must admit, I do need to work on getting them shaped a little better. Being in a hurry was a main part of the reason why mine are not perfectly round. It didn't matter, because they were still delicious!  Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

5 tbsp. shortening

3/4 -1 cup of water

Directions:

In a food processor.  Add flour, baking power, salt and shortening.  

Pulse the mixture until it looks crumbly, about 5 - 8 seconds. (If you don't have a food processor you can get the same results by using a pastry cutter or by cutting the shortening into the flour mixture with 2 forks.)

With the food processor running on low speed.  Slowly add the water until the dough comes together and forms a ball.

Remove the dough from the food processor and knead for 30 seconds.  Using a kitchen scale divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll each on into a ball.  Cover the balls with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Using a kitchen scale divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll each on into a ball.  Cover the balls with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Lightly dust a pastry mat or surface with flour. Roll each ball into a 6 inch round.  Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat.  Carefully transfer the rolled tortilla to the heated skillet.

Heat the tortilla for about 8-10 seconds per side.  Being careful not to overcook.  You want them to be soft and not stiff. 

Store the tortillas in an air tight container for up to a week or freeze them for up to 2 months.

Recipe Source:  Annie's Eats

Cherry Margaritas

Cherry season is in full swing and what better way to honor this delicious fruit than making it into a refreshing drink!  There is something about summertime that makes all drinks taste so good!  Maybe because we are sweating more!  All I know is this time of year I love to experiment with different types of beverages both kid-friendly and the adult kind;)  When I first saw these cherry margaritas floating around the blog world I immediately put them on my list and boy am I glad I did they are so good!  You must try these this weekend!  Enjoy! 

cherry margaritas

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

12 fresh cherries, pitted

2 1/2 tbsp. good tequila 

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice, about 1 lime

2 tbsp. simple syrup

1 tbsp. maraschino cherry juice 

Directions

Place the pitted cherries is a cocktail shaker.  Mash/muddle cherries with a muddler or the end of a wooden spoon until cherry juice fills 1/2 of the shaker.  Add the tequila, lime juice, simple syrup and some ice.  Cover the shaker and shake well.  Strain into a glass filled with ice.  Garnish with a fresh cherry and a slice of lime.

Recipe Source: Annie's Eats

Crispy Baked Fish Sticks

If you are trying to get your kids to eat more fish then this recipe is for you!  These homemade fish sticks are super crunchy and full of flavor.  When I was planning my menu for the week I knew I wanted to add some sort of fish entree and as I thought about it for some reason fish sticks came to mind.  I really don't care for the ones that are pre-made in the freezer section so I wanted to make my own.  I have been making these crispy baked chicken fingers from Annie's Eats for well as long as she has had them posted!  This recipe inspired me to use the same technique with a few tweaks!  They turned out to be super delicious and it took no time to put them together.  Enjoy!

homemade fish sticks

Ingredients

3-4 medium sized tilapia fillets, about 2-3 pounds, sliced longways into strips

2 tbsp. canola oil

1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs

3 tbsp. water

2-3 dashes texas pete or other hot sauce

2 tsp. lemon zest

2 tsp. old bay seasoning, divided

2 tsp. garlic powder, divided

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet liberally with cooking spray and set aside.  In a medium skillet heat the canola oil on medium high heat.  When the oil is heated add the panko breadcrumbs, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. old bay seasoning and salt and pepper.  Stirring occasionally but keeping a strong eye on them toast your breadcrumbs until golden brown.

While the breadcrumbs are toasting prepare 1 pie plate and 2 large plates.  Using one of the large plates wisk together flour, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. old bay seasoning, salt and pepper.  Set aside.  In the pie plate beat the 2 eggs, 3 tbsp. of water and hot sauce until well mixed.  Set aside.  Once the breadcrumbs are toasted add them to the 3rd plate and sprinkle the lemon zest on top of the breadcrumbs.

Working in batches taking one tilapia strip at a time.  Dust with the flout, coat with the egg mixture and dredge in the panko breadcrumb mixture.  Place them on the greased baking sheet.  Lightly spray the top of the fish sticks with cooking spray.  Bake for 10-12 minutes turning the pan 1/2 way through the cooking process.

Technique from:  Annie's Eats
Recipe from: Me

Blueberry Muffins

It's official, I have a kindergartner (gulp)!  I can't believe my sweet little baby Jacob is now going to school.  It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital.  Ok enough blubbering and on to these muffins! 

As a mom one of my goals is to always make sure Jacob has a healthy breakfast and lunch.  This sounds hard for a full-time working mom of 2 right?  If you take some time to plan ahead you can make it happen!  A lot of the things I do is to make items ahead of time that can be frozen for quick on-the-go options so what better way to start than with a batch of blueberry muffins for breakfast!   

I found this recipe on one of my favorite sites King Arthur Flour.  They have so many recipes you should serious go check them out!  I really like that the recipe calls for White Whole Grain Flour and since I already have some on hand from this recipe it made my decision to make these that much easier.  I am really trying to make a conscious effort to get more whole grains in our diet and this recipe does just that! 

Do you have any tips or ideas for families with busy scheduled like ours.  If so feel free to share them in the comments section I would love to hear them! 

blueberry muffins

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 to 2 cups (about 1 pint) blueberries
1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease 12 muffin cups generously; a vegetable oil pan spray works well.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until they're light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in the milk, and vanilla and almond extracts, mixing only until smooth. Quickly stir in the berries. Note that frozen berries will probably turn your muffins blue, while fresh will keep the cake part golden.

Fill the muffin cups 3/4 to almost full, using all of the batter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Bake the muffins for 25 to 30 minutes, until they're light golden brown, remove them from the oven, and place the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge of one muffin, and try to lift it out of the pan. (These muffins are very tender, and if they don't cool long enough, they'll crumble when you try to remove them from the pan.) If the muffin lifts out of the pan without crumbling, remove all of the muffins and cool them completely on a wire rack. If the muffin sticks or the top peels off, allow them to cool an additional 10 minutes, then try again. Yield: 12 muffins.

Recipe Source: King Arthur Flour

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Last weekend Gabe asked me to make a Coffee Cake and I happily agreed!  Anytime I have a chance to bake I get super excited!  So I immediately started thinking about which recipe to use.  Then it dawned on me that I didn't really have a go to coffee cake recipe.  I have tried a few but none of them really stood out to me.  So naturally I began my search starting with some of my favorite sites.  It didn't take me long to find one that appealed to me.  I so wish I would have found this one sooner!  This cake is really moist and so delicious.  I did make some minor modifications that I feel made it just a little more special.  Enjoy!

sour cream coffee cake

Ingredients

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. all-purpose four

1/4 cup quick cooking oats

1 stick (8 tbsp) plus and additional 3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups, all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for topping

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Make the topping:  In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, flour and oats.  Cut 3 tbsp. of butter into the topping mixture with a pastry cutter or with a fork until the mixture is well combined.    

Make the cake: Butter and flour a 9 inch springform pan; set aside.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale in color. Add the eggs; one at a time and mix until smooth.  Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.  Add the flour mixture alternating with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared baking pan, and sprinkle with half of the topping.  Add the remaining batter and spread, add the remaining topping mixture.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.

Recipe Source: Martha Stewart

Skillet Lasagna

As you can probably tell by now I love a one pot meal!  It just works well for us right now with our busy schedules.  Now don’t get me wrong - I still make more involved dishes, but I usually save them for the weekend when I have more time to be in the kitchen.  I found this recipe really simple to make.  I did substitute the no-boil noodles for regular lasagna noodles and it turned out great!  Enjoy!

skillet lasagna

Ingredients

2 cans whole plum tomatoes (1 28-oz. can and 1 15-oz. can)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 large egg yolk

1 cup ricotta cheese, at room temperature

8-9 lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces

1 lb. Italian sausage, casing removed and crumbled

1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper, to taste

Read more »

Homemade Whole-Grain Pancake Mix

I try to get as many whole grains into our house as possible.  These days that mainly includes bread, crackers and cereal.  I am not well verse in baking with whole grains, but in my never ending quest to make healthy choices for my family I wanted to learn more so when I stumbled on this recipe from King Arthur flour.   I knew I had to at least try it.  If you have never been on their website I highly recommend you go their stat!   You will find so many delicious recipes and great tutorials.  I could serious spend hours there!

The pancake mix is very simple to put together.  It yields about 10 batches of pancakes and stores perfectly in the freezer.  We all agreed that they were very delicious and just different enough to put a some variety in our normal pancake routine!  Enjoy!

homemade whole-grain pancake mix

whole-grain pancake mix

Ingredients

4 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour

1 cup All-Purpose flour

3 1/2 cups old-fashion or rolled oats

3 tbsp. sugar

3 tbsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. baking soda

1 cup vegetable oil

Directions

Grind the oats in a food processor until they're chopped fine, but not a powder.  Put the flour, oats, and all other dry ingredients into a mixer with a paddle.If you do not have a stand mixer you can use a handheld.  Mix on slow speed, and drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running.  Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature, or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

to make the pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup whole-grain pancake mix

1 cup buttermilk, or a combination of plain greek yogurt and regular milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp lemon zest

Directions

In a medium mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the pancake mix, buttermilk, egg, vanilla and lemon zest.  Wisk until smooth.  Let the mix stand for 15 minute.  Meanwhile, lightly grease and heat a griddle to 350 degree or pan to medium high heat.  Ladle 1/4 cup of the mixture onto the griddle or pan.  Allow to cook until bubbles form onto of the pancakes (about 2-3 minutes).  Flip the pancake with a spatula and cook until light golden brown and cooked through.  Repeat with the remaining batter and serve warm.

Source:  King Arthur Flour

July Fun

We interrupt the food for some July memories.  I thought it would be fun to do a personal post on what is going on in my crazy life!

1.  While some friends from out of town were visiting I snapped some shots of bubble.  I thought this one was the best!
2.  My sweet Lucy loves being outside and manages to sit still (even if for a short time)!
3.  I'm calling this one pretty rainbow!
4. Silly boy!
5. Jacob graduated Preschool...sniff..sniff
6.  A snapshot from after the ceremony.
7.  Him and his bud Abbott, they have been together since they were infants.  SNIFF....SNIFF! - I need a kleenex!
8.  My friend Tammy and I went on a fabulous girls weekend trip to the lake to see a dear friend where we were treated like queens!  Her house is amazing and she is such a gracious host!
9-11.  Just beautiful!
12.  Kayaking for the first time!  It was so much fun!
13.  Being silly while at a stop light!
14.  Sibling love there is nothing like it!
15.  While at the Lake we went to this fabulous Chef Prepared restaurant called Foothills Milling Co.  There was a 4 page article on this place in Southern Living Magazine!  If you are ever in Maryville Tennessee you should check it out!
16.  We painted our den to brighten it up!  It was a dark grey I really loved how it turned out!
17.  Sweet picture of Gabe, Jacob and I after his graduation.
18.  Lucy loves to paint or eat paint you decide!
19.  I started a blog you should check it out!  Just kidding!  Thank you all for following me on this journey!
20.   I submitted a picture to be featured on Foodgawker and it was accepted!  It totally blew me away when I got the e-mail from them!
21.  This is a string art project that I did as a thank you to Carolyn for letting us stay at her beuatiful home.  I decided to end with this picture because as I look at it I realize that dreams do come true!  This blog has been a dream of mine for a long time and I am just speechless from all the support I have received from you all!  Thank you all so much!!!

Summer Stir Fry

I hope you are enjoying this blog so far!  I have so many more great recipes and tutorials to share with you so please stay tuned and don't forget to sign up for e-mail notifications!

This recipe had my name written all over it!  First, it is a one pot meal -check-.  Second, it was quick to make -check- and third, well it just looked delicious when I saw it in this cookbook -and check-!  It looked and sounded so good it went straight to number 1 on my list of recipes to try, and it was everything I wanted it to be quick and delicious!  I would highly recommend this dish!  Enjoy!

summer stir fry

Ingredients

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 red onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large zucchini, diced

2 ears of corn, kernels removed

3/4 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

10 fresh basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade

Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the shrimp and garlic, then saute until the shrimp is opaque, about 3 minutes.  Remove the shrimp to a plate.  

Increase the heat to high, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil.  Add the onions and zucchini.  Stir around for about a minute.  Then scoot the zucchini and onions to the edges of the pan.  Add the corn to the skillet and cook for a minute.  Then push the corn to the edge of the pan.  Add the grape tomatoes and cook for another minute add some salt and pepper.  Add the cooked shrimp.  Stir everything around for about another minute or until it's all combined and hot!  Pour it onto a large platter.  Sprinkle on the fresh basil then squeeze on the lemon juice.

Slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman