Mid-Week Mishmash

Lately, my days have been running into one another, and things are all over the place. Whoever said summers in the “real world” are relaxing, obviously has not worked a full-time job. Speaking of jobs though, here’s some of the meals we’ve been serving lately…

Loved the mango relish—so many compliments on it. The recipe simply contained equal amount of cubed cucumbers, cubed mangoes, and cubed pineapple—olive oil and lemon juice to taste. Glorious!

Meat loaf, summer squash salad, tossed green salads, and white rice.

Honey olive oil cakes with honey-drenched berries.

Chicken and rice soup, rye sourdough bread, crackers, and very veggie salads.

Spicy black bean soup (recipe here), sour cream cornbread with honey butter, and tossed salads with poppy seed dressing. You must make this dressing—it’s fabulous and it was very easy for me to make in large amounts. (recipe here)

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So needless to say, I’ve been keeping myself quite busy which means I've been eating out a bit more than I usually do just because it’s more convenient to grab-and-go. My current new favorite place is the Pita Pit.

I don’t know how many times I’ve driven past this gem in the three years I’ve been living here, but I am overly happy that I finally decided to stop! I scanned the menu, finally deciding that their “breakfast served all day” caught my attention. So I decided to order the Chicken Classic.

“Scrambled eggs, chicken breast, hash- browns, grilled green peppers, mushrooms & onions and your choice of cheese and sauces.”

I got it without cheese, salsa as the sauce---this was one of those meals that I am going to be craving all the time now. Too bad they are like $6 something a pop. I will have to start making my own!

I really like how the Pita Pit website allows you to “Build-Your-Own-Pita” and get nutritional info on it before you go. Try it out here!

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How is the weather in your neck of the woods? It has been one of the hottest Minnesota summers that I can remember. I am not complaining one bit, mostly because I’ve had the chance to try some great cool-me-down treats!

Great Value Double Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Parfait

At just 160 calories for the whole cup, it’s a great way to fit in a cold and creamy craving! It has a generous layer of strawberries on top, and I like to add some blueberries too!

So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk

Dairy Free / Lactose Free

Soy Free

Gluten Free

Rich in Medium Chain Fatty Acids

Excellent Source of Vitamin B12 (vegetarian friendly)

Formulated for Maximum Calcium Absorption

Cholesterol Free

No Trans Fats

Certified Vegan

I would still label myself as a soymilk girl. The coconut milk was definitely different than anything I’ve tried before, and I don’t think I could drink it straight on a daily basis. However, in smoothies it was a hit!

Northern Lite Vanilla Blended Coffee from Caribou Coffee

These are SO great, but I almost wish I wouldn’t have liked it due to the fact that they are five dollars. Yes, five dollars. That’s one expensive habit…so I am trying to formulate something similar in my own kitchen.

What’s your favorite keep-you-cool treat in the summer??

Meet My New Man, George

I don’t often invite men into my kitchen much..number one, it’s my space, number two, they always seem to want eat everything before it’s actually ready, and number three, they are times when it’s just better off for them to be on the couch or manning the grill! But I had to make an exception with George, because not only did he help me out, but he became the new star of my kitchen. Confused? Let me explain…

This is George.

This is what George delivered.

“This” as in the Lean Mean Spin Frying Machine (aka Deep Fryer).

Take a short minute to watch the commercial on this gem..

Pretty cool, huh? So you better believe I’ve been rounding up some great deep-fried recipe to try. It took me awhile to actually decide to buy this due to some of the bad reviews I read online, but I like to give everything at least one chance. Some of the biggest complaints were:

• Too many parts to clean, I found that, yes, it does take more time to clean. but not anything outrageously difficult.
• The spin cycle warps your food, I found that spinning for 2 minutes on low doesn’t cause any damage to the shape of your food.
• The magnetic plug can be bumped easily and unplug mid-frying, I put the fryer up on my counter and kept the cord out of the way. It’s basically common sense not to put it where you’ll hit it.

So overall, I would give my new kitchen appliance 9 out of 10.

• It still gives you the great flavor and texture of deep fried foods.
• No more greasy fingers or draining on paper towels…by the way, I put some fried foods on the paper towel, and just like the commercial shows, there isn’t a trace of leftover grease.
• It does a good job of keeping the “fried” smell from overpowering your house with the vent and cover.

So George and I would like to present to you….

Mini Donuts

Ingredients:

1 cup milk, I used buttermilk
¼ cup water (110F/45C)
3.5g / ½ package dried yeast
½ cup sugar     2 tsp cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4½ to 5 cups of plain, all purpose flour
¼ cup / ½ stick of butter, melted
Glaze:
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

• Warm the milk in a saucepan until bubbles appear around the edge.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool to 110F/45C.
• In the meantime, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes.   Stir in the milk, sugar, salt, beaten eggs, and 1 cup of the flour.  Beat the mixture until smooth.  Add 2 more cups of flour and continue to beat.  Continue until the dough is glossy.
• Add the melted butter and stir well.  Add a further 1 ½ cups of flour and continue to beat well.  Stir in the remaining ½ cup of flour bit by bit until the dough is stiff – you may not need to add it all. 
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, cover and let rest for 15 minutes.  Then knead the dough lightly until it is smooth and glossy.  Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, lightly spraying the top of the dough with oil to prevent drying.  Allow to double in size, about 1½ to 2 hours.
• Punch down, and let rise again until almost doubled, about 1 hour.

• 1/2 batch of above dough recipe will yield approximately 25 doughnut holes.

• After the second rise, divide the dough into 25 equal portions.

• Allow-to proof for 20 minutes.
• Heat up a small saucepan of neutral flavored oil (vegetable, canola) to 370F / 190C.  Or preheat a deep fryer to 375 F. I used canola oil as well.

• Cook 4-6 doughnut holes at a time for 1-2 minutes, turning as you cook to ensure they are evenly browned.

• Allow to drain on absorbent paper.  Once slightly cooled, toss in cinnamon sugar.

*Tasted just like the ones you would get at the fair!! And when using the Lean Frying Machine…so much healthier!**

 

Do you deep fry foods often? If, so what?

Have you heard of the George Foreman Deep Fryer?

Holiday Weekend Wrap Up

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend, and maybe it’s still the weekend if you have Monday off!

I ended up getting the 4th of July off—my boss had a minor discrepancy as to when the new group of students would be arriving—so that was a good surprise! The weather held out pretty much all weekend as well, which is usually unheard of in MN.

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I started of  the holiday weekend by spending Thursday getting a new tattoo! (Side note: Foot tattoos are the most painful thing ever!)

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Friday it was nice to spend it with my grandparents. They came down to enjoy the lakefront carnival that our town has every year. We played bingo (grandpa won), and just enjoyed the day.

 

It’s been one of the hottest weekends so far this summer, so needless to say, I didn’t feel like eating greasy carnival food in the blazing sun. We decided to go cool off at Applebee’s instead. It was actually my choice to go there because I’ve been dying to try their new Sizzling Entrees. I ordered the Sizzling Steak and Cheese, minus the cheese. And instead of mashed potatoes, I got my standard baked potato.

“ Applebee's classic 9 oz. sirloin with sautéed onions, mushrooms, and red & green peppers, topped with rich Italian cheeses. Served with garlic mashed potatoes.”

Looooved it! When they brought it out, you could hear it sizzling, which definitely means your meal is hot, hot, hot! The steak was pure goodness, and I got the biggest potato I’ve seen yet. It runs at $13.99 a meal, but I actually got two meals out of it, so not too shabby!

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Saturday, mom and dad came down to celebrate with me! We headed back down to the carnival and watched the water ski shows, played more bingo, and just took in all the fun stuff going on.

Mom and I.

Dad and I.

Our town is actually the “birth place” of Paul Bunyan and Babe—this statue of them is a historic landmark, and everyone always has to get a picture by it ha ha!

And I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to try the new restaurant that just opened this past week. It’s called the Blue Ox Bar & Grill and it’s kind of cool because it’s in the old train depot, so it’s definitely not your typical dining atmosphere, which makes it fun!

I ordered a sirloin steak again (hey, girl needs her iron!) with sweet potatoes fries and a house salad.

Normally I don’t order fries at restaurants because the grease doesn’t agree with me, but I am really glad I ordered them here, not a tinge of grease any where. The steak was cooked to perfection & I am in love with their house dressing. The amount of food was outrageous, and the price was super low—needless to say, it’s our new go-to spot.

And of course, it’s always necessary to cool off on a hot summer night with some soft-serve vanilla ice cream—yes please!

This week is supposed to be gorgeous—high 80’s and sunny skies. Maybe between work and life in general I will get a chance to hit up the beach—if not I always have these Beach Bash cookies I created to tide me over!

 

Beach Bash Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter
• 1/2 c peanut butter, I used PB & co White Chocolate Wonderful
• 1/4 c + 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 c + 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 c Bisquick baking mix
• 1/2 c +1/4 c tropical granola, I used Enjoy Life Beach Bash granola
• 1/2 c white chocolate chips
• 1/2 c peanuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Cream butter, sugars, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla.
• Stir in remaining ingredients.
• Place in 1 Tbsp portions on cookie sheet.
• Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges start to brown.

What’s your favorite summertime sweets?!

Happy Birthday America!

Hope everyone has a great Fourth of July, and if you don’t celebrate, then just a good weekend!

I celebrated yesterday because I have to work today. We are starting to serve about 50 people vs.  10 this past week..so keep me in your prayers, ha-ha!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a full re-cap of my weekend, but in the meantime, maybe you are looking for a last minute holiday treat? Check out my 4th of July cake pops. Red white and a blue inside—perfect!

Have a safe, fun, and festive fourth!

It’s Ok to go Bananas!

“Why did the banana go out with the prune? Because he couldn’t find a date.”

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Do the days sometimes fly by so fast that it seems like you’re going bananas? I don’t think the summer has ever flown by so fast for me..guess it must be the full-time job haha! But sometimes going bananas is the way to go—in this case, today’s recipe actually requires it. But hang on to your hat’s for a little longer..first up is a work week wrap-up.

Half of our lovely kitchen staff—so much fun!

Tomato soup (recipe here), stromboli (recipe here), gateau breton, and fresh watermelon.

Minnesota State Fair night—corn dogs, corn on the cob, fresh French fries with gravy, homemade cheese curds (recipe here), and a tossed salad.

Cheese curds are a huge seller at Minnesota fairs and carnivals during the summer—I was in charge of making them. It was my first time, but boy did they turn out tasty!!

Ok..so now I give you permission to go bananas—but don’t over-do it..tomorrow is Friday!

Peanut Butter & Banana Bread

**This bread is now my go-to banana bread recipe..perfect texture and taste!**

10-12 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. butter (soft)
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 bananas (mashed)
• 1/2 c. peanut butter, I used PB & Co Cinnamon Raisin PB
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts, I used almonds
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar, I used Splenda
• I also added 1/4 c unsweetened applesauce to soften the batter up a bit.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. In larger bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, peanut butter & eggs.

4. Stir bananas into creamed mixture. Stir well. Add flour mixture, and nuts. Mix well.
5.Pour batter into greased 9"x5" loaf pan.
6.Bake for 55-60minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool 15 minutes, then remove from pan to finish cooling on baking rack.

And one last treat that I am going bananas over lately..

Dairy Queen’s banana sundae!

What is your favorite way to have bananas?

Sweet Shop Sunday

This work week definitely caught up with me and I am so thankful for Sunday’s off! I need to catch up on housework, other things, etc. but instead I am going to go meet my parents for the afternoon—so everything else can wait. :-)

But what can’t wait is this..

• My first time making homemade granola bars—love them!
• And, a new video tutorial on how to make my beloved Fiber One Pie Crust..I get quite a few questions on it, so this video is well overdue.

With the pie crust you can make all of these recipes:

• Rhubarb Banana Cream Delight
• Creamy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
• Cherry Ricotta Cheesecake
• Springtime Strawberry Cheesecake
• Cookie Dough Truffles
• Black Forest Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cranberry Glaze
• Coconut Cream Pie
• Peanut Butter Cup Pie
• Whipped Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Pie

So sit back and enjoy the (short) show!

Video Notes

• 1 1/2 c Fiber One original cereal goes into a Magic Bullet or food processor.
• Once ground up, add in 1 Tbsp of Fat Free I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spread.
• Stir, then add in 1 cup of warm water and mix until there are no loose crumbs left.
• With a spatula, press into 9 inch pie pan and continue with desired pie recipe—you can pre-bake this as well, or just fill with pie filling and eat.

Now onto the granola bar recipe many of you are waiting for!

By the way, if you can make Rice Krispie bars, you can make these!

No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 cups plain granola

1 cup rice cereal (Rice Krispies, etc.)

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup any other kind of chips (peanut butter, white chocolate, toffee, etc)

Directions:

1. Combine honey and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar after butter starts to melt.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

3. Add the granola and rice cereal into the saucepan and fold them into the sauce until evenly coated.

4. Spread the mixture into a 9×13 inch ungreased baking pan and press firmly with a spatula to evenly fill. Sprinkle the chocolate and peanut butter chips onto the top of the granola and gently press them down.

5. Put the pan in the refrigerator until cooled and firm, about 15 minutes, then cut into bars.

18 servings

These are SO good and very open to customization. What flavor combos are you thinking of trying?!