The Birthday Boy

I really have a hard time keeping surprises from people, especially when they are big ones. And even more so when I am keeping them from all the readers on my blog for quite sometime now. Yes, there is not one, but two surprises that will be revealed sometime within the next week…so hang in there! =)

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"Almost Any Man Can Be A Father
It Takes Someone Extremely Special
To Be A Dad"

This past weekend was my wonderful dad’s birthday! So in true daughter/hostess fashion, I invited him down to my house for the weekend! My dad comes to visit every so often, but is pretty busy due to the fact that he is an over-the-road truck driver. For him to take a few days to come stay at my place was a definite treat! I wanted to make his birthday weekend extra special. Judging by his reactions, I would say I succeeded!

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First up, we visited my city’s local Science Museum which I have never been to in the three years that I’ve lived here surprisingly. I think it’s always fun to play tourist in your town once and awhile—that way you can always discover new things.

We had fun taking pictures in the fun house mirrors.

Were amazed by some of the science and physics experiments.

I held my first snake—Bo the boa constrictor. Scary, yes.

But of course the food was the highlight of the day, like usual when you’re at my place!!  While I was waiting for my dad to arrive early Saturday afternoon, I got going in the kitchen. I usually bake my bread from scratch in the bread machine, however when I was shopping, I saw this mix and it was on sale, so I figured I’d give it a try!

Hawaiian Royal Sweet Bread Machine Mix

The box included your bread mix and yeast packet—all you do is add water and you have yourself a nice loaf!

I would classify this bread as a cross between a sweet bread and a more traditional bread. However, it served as the perfect balance with a savory meal!

Next I got started on the side dish—homemade garlic red mashed potatoes. My dad loves this recipe and he’s a mashed potatoaholic.

Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

8 medium red potatoes, quartered

3 cloves garlic, peeled—equivalent of minced garlic works too

2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine—I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter 

1/2 cup fat-free milk, warmed

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender. Drain well.

• Add the butter, milk and salt; mash, or put on low in a stand mixer like I do.

And lastly, I made a run to our local meat market and got my 2nd favorite (flank being first) cut of meat, T-bone steak! And then I saw some juicy shrimp, and thought hey, why not steak and shrimp?

But what’s a girl to do when left with two steaks and no grill? Follow this fail-proof indoor cooking method for just-off-the-grill flavor! I love it!

 

Pan-Seared T-Bone Steak

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds bone-in T-bone steak

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon canola oil

• 2 skewers of shrimp, uncooked (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. A half-hour before cooking, remove steak from refrigerator.
• Heat a large skillet over high heat. Pat steak dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Add oil to hot skillet and when it begins to smoke add steak. Reduce heat slightly and cook steak until browned, about 4 minutes on each side.
• Add one skewer of shrimp on top of each steak.
• Transfer skillet to the oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted sideways into the steak registers 120 degrees F for medium-rare, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes.

 

All together now…

 

Let’s just say my dad didn’t have words to describe this meal, but the fact that either of us could barely move from being so stuffed was all the reassurance I needed!!

Oh but wait, don’t go…

I almost forgot to share the dessert I made!

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes—words can’t describe!

 

What’s the best birthday meal you’ve ever had?

Santa Still Came

Sunday we had Christmas due to the weather delaying things on Christmas day—it’s nice to have a white Christmas, but not when it keeps families from gathering. At least we could still do it, and only two days later. So I will let words do the talking today since I am finishing packing/planning for Orlando this Friday! I miss blogging, catching up with everyone, etc. but when I don’t have such a schedule it’s hard to sit on the computer at designated times! Tomorrow I will have the Christmas menu up with all the recipes for you :-)

What was your favorite present this year??

• Started off Saturday night by making this beauty so it would be set to go Sunday afternoon.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cranberry Glaze

 

• First time ever making a stuffed pork tenderloin. Melded a bunch of recipes together and it came out quite well—very easy too which was a unexpected plus!

Italian Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

• The smell of fresh baked Italian loaf bread lured everyone in.

• Loaded up my plate for a big feast which I needed because I made it all within a few hours excluding the cheesecake.

• Of course I still had energy to open presents though. I was actually more excited to give everyone else theirs first!

Mom with her new fleece jacket and vest.

Dad excited about new books.

Grandma loves cards more I think haha.

Grandpa opening his new Express 101 cooking appliance.

Mom loves taking action shots obviously!

Here’s my highlight presents for 2009:

• Toshiba Net Book for traveling!

• Set of Rachael Ray Pans

• Bamboo Cutting Boards

• New Crock Pot

I also got a candy thermometer, meat thermometer, and lots of other little fun things.

Christmas was definitely worth waiting two days extra for!

Apple, Spice, and Everything Nice

Just wanted to pop in and say “Hello” and “Happy Saturday!” Many bloggers are over in the beautiful San Francisco and enjoying the Food Buzz festival—I hope that one day I will be able to attend something so relevant to me and of course meet all the wonderful bloggers! Have you ever attended a big foodie bash like Food Buzz??

So if tomorrow by any chance you are planning on a lazy Sunday, I would highly suggest planning on making these. I had this idea brewing in my head for a few weeks and I finally got it down on paper and got to work. What did I dream up this time?

Amazing Apple Pie Rolls…and yes, they are as good as they look. The recipe make 17 huge rolls—almost as big as Cinnabon ones! But that’s the only similarity to Cinnabon, because these babies only have approximately 165 calories per roll—can you say well worth the indulgence?!

I made these in part due to the fact that I haven’t featured an apple recipe yet during the fall, but I have featured plenty of pumpkin ones, so I figured this would be a nice tasty little way to switch things up.

Amazing Apple Pie Rolls

 

Ingredients

• 1/4 c warm water
• 1/4 c I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter FF
• 1/2 (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 C warm milk, I used Almond Breeze
• 1 egg
• 1/2 Tbsp white sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 C bread flour
• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 C I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter FF
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 4 oz FF block cream cheese
• 1/4 c I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter FF
• 1 C confectioners sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp milk, I used Almond Breeze
• 1 large can of SF apple pie filling

Directions

I used my bread machine for the dough, if you choose not to, you’ll have to make it following a method like this.

• In the pan of your bread machine, combine water, melted butter, vanilla pudding, warm milk, egg, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, bread flour and yeast. Set machine to Dough cycle; press Start.
• When Dough cycle has finished, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 17x10 inch rectangle. Spread with 1/4 c butter spread. In another small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread evenly over dough.
• Next evenly spread the whole can of SF apple pie filling over rolled out dough.
• Roll up dough, beginning with long side. Slice into 16 one inch slices and place in 9x13 buttered pan. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

• Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. While rolls bake, stir together cream cheese, softened butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk. Remove rolls from oven and top with frosting. Sprinkle a dusting of cinnamon on the top if you want!!

Have a wonderful November weekend!

Semi-Fine Dining

Well, Sunday is here and that means Monday tomorrow, but hopefully you all had a super weekend! We had Friday off of school for homecoming and such, so I was not complaining of a 3 day weekend =) So what did I do with 3 days? Homework, cleaned, shopped, and cooked a meal for my dad and I! He hasn’t seen my apartment since it was all boxes because he’s a over-the-road trucker, so our schedules usually conflict. This weekend my mom was gone, so it was perfect!

Not seeing my dad for 3 months was extremely crazy—he makes me laugh, and I needed a dose of dad humor and of course a big hug! I already knew what was on the menu for us—he and I are huge seafood fans (my mom doesn’t like it), so here’s our menu! It turned out fabulous!

Dad & Daughter Menu

• Crab Stuffed Chicken (recipe here)
• Homemade Roasted Garlic Wheat Bread (recipe below)
• Sliced Garden Tomatoes
• Brown Sugar Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, and Fennel (recipe below)

My dad was so excited—check out when I delivered his plate to him! (don’t mind the hat hair ha ha)

Love him!

With a look at this, could you blame him for his excitement?

Brown Sugar Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, and Fennel

(This was so flavorful, and perfect as a side dish for any fall meal!)

Serves:4

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 3 large carrots
• 2 fennel bulbs
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp olive or canola oil
• Salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 F.
• Peel sweet potatoes and carrots in to your desired size/shape.
• Slice fennel bulb and cut into four sections.
• Toss all veggies with oil and brown sugar. Add salt and pepper.
• Take a casserole dish or roasting pan and spread veggies in a single layer.
• Cover pan with tinfoil and roast for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 15-20 mins. Roast until sweet potatoes and carrots are tender and fennel starts to brown.

Roasted Garlic Wheat Bread (bread machine)

Makes 2 pound loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 c water
• 1/2 sour cream
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 c bread flour
• 2 c whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp wheat germ
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Directions:

• Place ingredients in bread machine in above order.
• Choose wheat bread cycle if available, otherwise just the standard.

If you do not have a bread machine, you could easily make this my prepping yeast, mixing, and letting rise, then baking. I would suggest following another similar oven-baked bread recipe for a basic time guideline.

Healthy,Homemade,and Home baked

• 93% of Americans eat AT LEAST one of this per month.
• Each year, this food produces a $30 billion industry.
• Children ages 3-11 prefer this over all other foods for lunch and dinner, according to a recent Gallup Poll.
• Everyone in the United States eats about 23 lbs. of this every year.
• Americans eat approximately 100 acres of this EACH DAY.

What is it? Any guesses?

If you guessed pizza, you are right!

October is National Pizza Month, so I figured I’d give you a heads up beforehand!

Where else can you get all the food groups in one? Crust(grains),veggies,fruits(pineapple for me!), and fat(oil) in the crust.

Virtually all towns have either a mom&pop pizza shop or a chain pizza restaurant, so it’s one of those foods you never have to search too hard to find. Not surprising, since pizzerias represent 17% of all restaurants. (Source: Food Industry News) Check out the blogger on the quest to find the perfect slice here.

As far as topping go, I love veggies with pineapple, and if I do go with meat, I will choose ham or chicken. What is your favorite pizza topping? A few popular pizzas toppings are: Mushrooms, Extra cheese, Sausage, Green Pepper, and Onion. In the list of most popular pizza toppings in America, the last one is anchovies. Also new gourmet pizza toppings have rapidly became popular. Some of those toppings include: Chicken, Oysters, Crayfish, Dandelions, Sprouts, Eggplant, Cajun Shrimp, Artichoke Hearts, Venison, Duck, Canadian-Style Bacon and Tuna.

As far as eating out for pizza, I really like Pizza Hut’s Natural Pizza(check out my previous review here).

But who wants to order pizza out all the time? Not only can it get expensive, but it can get boring, and for me frozen pizzas aren’t an option—I don’t like em’ too much. So how about making your own from scratch? The dough, the sauce, and all the veggies hand chopped by you? Sounds too hard you say? Anyone can do this as long as you know how to assemble a pizza!

Fresh Veggie Pizza on Honey Whole Wheat Crust

[[Makes 1-12” pizza]]

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 1/8 tsp dry yeast
• 1/8 tsp sugar
• 3/4 c warm water (110)
• 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c whole wheat flour
• 1/2  Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1 1/4 tsp salt (I used kosher, but table salt is fine)

Sauce:

Makes 1 1/3 c

• 1/4 c fine chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 c vegetable broth or white wine, your choice
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 (14.5oz) can of crushed tomatoes, un-drained
• 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Toppings:

• Basically whatever you want to use! I used zucchini, onions, green peppers, olives, spinach, fresh basil, mushrooms, tomatoes and 3/4 c of cheddar cheese blend.

Directions:

Crust:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, oil, and salt to yeast mixture, stirring until well-blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).
• Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide dough in half; roll each half into a 12-inch circle(or a square like me) on a floured surface. Top and bake according to recipe directions.

Sauce:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in wine; cook 30 seconds. Add tomato paste, oregano, pepper, and tomatoes. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; stir in basil and vinegar. Cool.

Assembly & Baking

• Preheat oven to 400 F. Once preheated, prick crust with a fork, then bake for about 8 minutes.

• Meanwhile, chop all your desired toppings and measure out your cheese.
• Take crust out and top with sauce. Then spread on toppings and cheese.

 

• Now just pop it in the oven for about 12 minutes, but just keep checking and take out when your desired pizza is reached!

Bon appétit!

Summer Jam Session

  I’m back! Can you believe tomorrow is a start to a new week once again? At least my week ended with a bang—my little trip home and my day with dad turned out to be super fun! Seinfeld is even funnier in real life and had the whole place laughing for 2 hours straight—I woke up the next morning with sore facial muscles from smiling and laughing the whole time—sometimes that’s just what you need! Besides that my dad and I spent the day eating good food (buffets anyone? or ice cream?), and then went to shop the little stores down by Lake Superior—we found a huge antique shop and spend over an hour having fun looking around. Did you do anything fun this weekend or just relax? Unfortunately no cameras were aloud in Seinfeld, so I didn’t even bring mine.

On a different note, I experimented with a new bread recipe recently and it turned out to be a great one! Don’t be turned off by the pumpkin because it is very subtle in the final product and adds a really nice texture. This bread is extremely good toasted or not with some spread like jam on it. (Easy homemade jam recipe below!)

Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread

Makes: 1 1/2 lb loaf

Ingredients:

• 3/4 C milk (I used Almond Breeze)
• 1/4 C canned pumpkin
• 1 egg or 2 egg whites
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/8 C applesauce
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1 1/2 C old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 C bread flour
• 1 1/2 Tbsp wheat gluten
• 1 1/2 Tsp rapid or quick yeast

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients according to bread machine manufacturer instructions.
• Select basic for cycle.

No bread machine? No big deal! Try this recipe which is somewhat similar, just add in a bit of applesauce.

So now you have the bread—why not continue on your culinary kick and make so homemade jam. This method is so easy, I promise!

Work Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 20 Minutes + Standing
Yield: 4 Half-Pints

1. Whisk together 1 1/2 c sugar and 1 package (1.59 oz) "no-cook freezer jam fruit pectin in a bowl. Be sure to buy the right type!

2. Mash 1 c raspberries, 1 c blackberries, and 2 c strawberries (hulled and quartered) in another bowl until fruit is a chunky puree.

3. Pour sugar and pectin into the bowl with the fruit and stir until very well combined. This will take 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Ladle jam into four 8 oz freezer jam jars (either glass or plastic), let stand until set, about 30 minutes, and freeze.

*Courtesy of Prevention Magazine*