Easter Success

A new week already!

Hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend. In my opinion it was too short, but aren’t weekends always that way? Anyways, this week will be a short one for me. I am currently in Minneapolis for a few days to do some spring shopping, so that should be a fun little getaway.

Easter here was a busy Sunday. I was in the kitchen from 12-5 preparing the meal, but got outside a bit to enjoy the high 60’s temps and sunny blue skies. I was a little nervous on how I could cook everything to get done at the same time, but I did it! I’ve learned when cooking for a crowd it helps to not panic, but instead sit down a few days before and write down a plan of action. (Groceries to buy, dishes that can be prepped the night ahead, how the oven is going to be occupied, etc.)

Here’s how I planned:

• 2 days before: Get groceries(try grouping things in the fridge/freezer to make it easier come cooking time), get all recipes together in one spot(envelopes are handy),and write down all cooking times and temps on one sheet of paper. Thawed turkey out.
• 1 day before: Make sure you have all cooking utensils and equipment necessary beforehand. I made the green bean corn casserole(not adding cracker topping yet) and the wild rice stuffing that night.
• The day of the get-together: With the plan to eat at 5 o’clock, I baked the angel food cake at 10 am. I also cleaned, chopped, and soaked the strawberries in sugar. Let it cool till 11, sliced it and put in the fridge. At 11:30, sliced up onions and apples for the turkey, injected it, and had it in the oven by noon. Next I prepped the Bob’s Red Mill Potato Bread, which I eventually made into rolls. They take about a good 3 hrs from start to finish. At around 4 I popped the buns into the oven to finish cooking. Then I mixed the cream cheese filling for the cake and layered that and the strawberries on. I finished by frosting it in whipped cream and garnishing with more strawberries and almonds. 4:30 came and I popped in the 2 casseroles and took the buns out. Prepped the instant mashed potato and made the gravy on the stove. Turkey came out at a little before 5, and we all sat down to eat shortly after.
• Bon appétit!

Apple&Onion Cajun Turkey

Ingredients:

• 1-15 lb turkey
• 2 apples
• 2 red onions
• 14 sprigs of sage
• 10 injections of Creole Butter (see photo below)

• 1/2 stick of butter, melted

Directions:

Prepare turkey by cleaning it out.

Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Add a quarter inch of water into the bottom of the pan. Inject turkey with Creole Butter and. Brush the top of the turkey with butter.

Cut up apples and onions into wedges and scatter throughout the pan along with the sage.

Bake at 375 F for 4 1/2 to 5 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 180°, basting occasionally with pan drippings. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.)  Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Notes: This turkey was by far the most moist turkey I have had—even the turkey legs were moist and usually they are on the dry side. The apples, onions, and sage really helped add flavor and were good to eat afterwards too.

Green Bean & Corn Casserole

Ingredients:

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted

1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 package (16 ounces) frozen French-style green beans, thawed

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1/4 cup crushed reduced-fat cheese crackers

Refrigerated butter-flavored spray

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, cheese and onion. Stir in the beans and corn. Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes.

Uncover; sprinkle cracker crumbs around the edges. Spritz several times with butter-flavored spray. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through and edges are lightly browned. Yield: 7 servings.

Notes: This recipe was actually voted the best of all—it’s light and healthy, yet you wouldn’t guess it by a long shot!

Mom’s Stunning Sausage Stuffing

Recipe here.

Notes: This is really the only way I will eat rice—it’s been around at our family holidays ever since I can remember—and it makes a lot, so it’s perfect!

Bob’s Red Mill Potato Rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of Bob’s Red Mill's Potato Bread
• 2 tsp oil
• Water
• Butter spray

Directions:

• Follow mixing directions on package, and follow all steps exactly up until forming into a loaf.
• Instead roll into 12 balls and place in a lightly greased 8 x 8 baking dish. Bake a directed.
• Top with butter spray while still warm, and serve.

Notes: The company sent me these awhile back to review and I wanted to save them for a special occasion. They are very dense rolls being they are potato bread, but they browned and baked well.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

• 4  cups  sliced strawberries
• 3/4  cup  sugar, divided
• 2  tablespoons  evaporated skim milk
• 1  (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 angel food cake baked in 2- 9 x 12 loaf pans
• 3  tablespoons  triple sec (orange-flavored liqueur) or orange juice, divided
• 1  (8-ounce) tub frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
• 2  tablespoons  sliced almonds

Directions:

• Combine strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl; cover and let stand 1 hour. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, milk, and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until smooth.
• Cut cake horizontally into 2 layers using a serrated knife; place bottom layer, cut side up, on a serving plate. Brush with 1 tablespoon liqueur, and spread half of cream cheese mixture over cake. Spoon one-third of strawberries over cream cheese mixture using a slotted spoon. Repeat layers, ending with cake and liqueur. Spread whipped topping over top and sides of cake. Cover; chill 30 minutes. Arrange remaining strawberries on top of cake before serving; sprinkle with almonds.

Notes: This was easy to prepare, although I am still trying to find a fool-proof and clean method for slicing a cake in half horizontally. Very appealing in color and presentation—and I loved the combo of cream cheese and angel food cake. This was a keeper for sure!

25 Days Of Christmas

Thanksgiving is over + back to school= not cool

Ok, I have no choice, and I love college..it’s just that after 9 days off, can you expect me to hop out of bed and be on my way? I swear, if I didn’t always have a yummy breakfast calling my name, I would probably oversleep on a regular basis. Are you back to the regular work/school week?

So if you didn’t know, I love the holiday spirit! So in lieu of my obsession admiration for all things red and green, the blog is celebrating 25 days of Christmas.  How you ask? Christmas recipes, a contest with a fun gift, holiday tips and prep plans, cookie round up, homemade gifts, etc.

First up..

Contest time!

What you win: A package filled with all sorts of goodies—and yes, most of it is food, but surprises are always better, don’t ya think?

How to enter: Between December 1st-December 10th, email me (apinchandadash@live.com) a picture of your Christmas tree this year, or if you for some reason don’t have one, send a picture of your favorite thing this time of year, winter related or holiday. All pictures must be original ones that you take. And please link back to this if you wouldn’t mind, because Christmas is all about spreading good cheer!!

Now time to share my Christmas display! I was so excited to finally decorate my own place. Last year decorating the dorms was fun, but I wanted a Christmas tree and all the works! I feel like I am in some sort of Christmas fairy land now—I swear it makes doing my homework easier :-P

By the way, everything is candy-cane due to the fact that I love the real candy-cane story. Read it here!

-Wreath on my door-

-C’mon in!-

-I like to call it Christmas corner-

-Here’s to hoping Santa will fill at least one stocking!-

-“O Christmas Treeeeee”-

-Close-up of all the candy cane fun!-

-My favorite ornament this year-

-Light up candy canes are much more fun-

-Build-a-Bear holiday style!-

And now switching gears to reverse, if you still have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving—which by the way you should only use four days after the holiday for safety reasons according to this—so I used up the last chunk for this Tex Mex inspired recipe!

Tex Mex Turkey Wraps

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1  large wrap
• 1/2 c shredded turkey meat
• 1/4 c golden corn
• 1/4 c black beans, rinsed
• 1/4 c FF shredded cheddar cheese
• handful of spinach
• Hot sauce and/or salsa and sour cream

Directions:

• Place wrap on plate and layer with spinach, turkey, corn, and beans.
• Sprinkle cheese evenly across the top and top cheese with desired condiments.
• To roll fold in two sides until they meet in the center. Fold the bottom of the tortilla to the center over the filling, and continue rolling.
• Heat in microwave or toaster oven until warm.

“Goodbye turkey, and helloooo Christmas cookies!”

I Am Still Stuffed

First off, one of my favorite blogs to read and one of the sweetest gals ever, Kelly from the Pink Apron passed this award to me.

I need to list several things about me, and pass it onto seven other beautiful bloggers. You are all beautiful inside and out:

• Kim from Stirring the Pot
• Shannon at Tropical Eats
• Erica at Itzy’s Kitchen
• Krista at Krista’s Kravings
• Taylor from Joy of Food
• Lesley at Lesley Lifting Life
• Michelle at Lucky Tastebuds

So here’s my seven things:

I have a tattoo of a pink bow on the back of my neck that I got when I was fifteen. It represents me being a gift from God to my mom and dad.

I have a half brother who is twenty-five. He lives out in Worcester, Massachusetts where I was born.

I was Freshman homecoming princess in high school.

I love to bead in my spare time (which is sparse nowadays), and I sell it when I get enough made.

I drive a black Mercury Cougar that my grandparents got me on my 16th birthday—it was my dream car.

I am blessed to have a four generation family. (Left to right: Grandma, Mom, Me. Bottom: My Great-Grandma)

Ever since I was knee-high, my mom and grandma have instilled a giving spirit into me. Every Christmas, we would bake cookies for three days straight and on Christmas eve, go and deliver huge platters (above) to less fortunate families and homeless shelters. I plan on continuing this tradition once I have children as well. Even though I am at college now, I managed to whip up batches of cookies and leave them in my trunk because it was so cold last year—worked great!

Soo..how are all those turkey day leftovers treatin’ you?! Over here, I have yet to enter TOS(turkey overdose syndrome), but I have entered the stage where I am sick of just plain turkey. So I decided to incorporate two things we had at our Thanksgiving spread into a totally different meal—it was superb! I may even be making this from scratch when I don’t have leftovers :-)

Stuffing Stuffed Squash

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized acorn squash (1 1/2 lb)
• 1 C prepared stuffing ( I used my mom’s recipe)
• 1/2 c shredded turkey breast
• 2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Cut squash in half, seed, and place face down on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 8 min, or until fork tender.
• Let cool, meanwhile mix shredded turkey and stuffed together.
• Take a spoon and take all the squash pulp out leaving the skin intact. Mix the pulp with the stuffing mixture.
• Carefully stuff stuffing/squash mix back into squash halves evenly.
• Sprinkle with cheese and reheat if needed—enjoy!

By the way, I ate this with ketchup on top!

Beyond fabulous giveaway heeeere.

Thanksgiving Day Replay

How did your Thanksgiving turn out?!

Mine was amazing—the best holiday in a long time for no specific reason, I just really needed some family time! And I put together the whole turkey day meal which was a first. It was a lot of work, but obviously I loved it, or I wouldn’t have volunteered :-) I really feel like the route I want to go career wise is to be a personal chef. I can’t see myself working in a giant restaurant establishment, but I can see myself cooking away 24/7 in someone’s kitchen for their family.  Anyone have any information on becoming/training for a personal chef?

We held Thanksgiving out at my grandparents house with our family. I am so thankful that I have a family even though it’s small. Do you have a big family that get together for holidays?

Like I promised, here’s the pictures and recipes from my Thanksgiving day. I have plenty of leftovers—so stay tuned for a leftover recipe makeover tomorrow!

Wednesday was the day of prep!

 

Like I said before, I decided on this turkey recipe to make. The cranberry relish had to be made and slathered on the turkey a night in advance to marinate. This turkey turned out divine—moist, tender, slightly sweet with a hearty aftertaste. I would make it again in a heartbeat. I also added a lot of rosemary to pump it up as well.

(Grandpa carving the turkey) 

My mom made her stuffing in advance as well. This is her “famous” recipe, so I had to pry a bit to get her to share—thanks mom! Please try it, you’ll love it =)

Mom’s Stunning Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1 lb wild rice
• 1 lb maple flavored sausage
• 5 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large granny smith, chopped
• 1 c apple juice
• 1/2 c orange juice
• 1 8 oz can mushrooms
• 8 oz applesauce
• 14.5 oz can of chicken broth
• 2 tsp garlic

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 F.
• Cook wild rice according to package instructions.
• Meanwhile in another deep skillet add sausage to a pan—crumble and cook until browned. Add all chopped ingredients, garlic, juices, and applesauce to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Get a large roasting pan and pour both pans into one, stirring until thoroughly combined.
• Put in preheated oven for 1 hour covered with foil.

Come Thanksgiving morning, I whipped together these Cheesy Good Cornbread Muffins—wowza were they great! Very moist, flavorful, and overall a definite keeper. Making them in muffin cups was a lot easier for cleanup as well.

Of course some kind of squash needs to appear at any shindig I am hosting. I chose to make this I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sweet Potato Pie, which I ended up added an extra cup of sweet potato puree instead of just the butternut squash. I also added a dusting of brown sugar to the top to give it a finishing crust.

Amazing & barely any leftovers in sight!

My grandpa also made a bread-based stuffing which was amazing, and we had mashed potatoes, garlic bread and tossed salads as well. This was only my first plate ha ha:

And where’s the pie you ask? Member I told you I decided to make this stunning cake instead—well it stole the show and the pie was not missed!

I hope you all enjoyed your day and  had fun looking at mine. From my family to yours—happy holidays!

Getaway and Homebound

Hey all! No I didn’t fall of the edge of the earth—just on a mini-vacation! I decided to take vacation 2 days early for Thanksgiving, which I desperately needed. Nothing a little fun in the cities and finally coming home can’t help! =) It was one of those things where Thanksgiving was planned to be at my new apartment, but I just was feeling so overwhelmed with college and life in general that I really wanted to trek home to be with the family for a week. I have a lot of catching up to do with blogs and such, so I will be commenting soon!

I started off my vacation this past Friday by making a pit stop in Minneapolis to see the Macy’s Christmas display which I always see on the news around the holidays, and so this was the perfect opportunity to get there. If you are ever in the area from November 21-December 30th, head downtown to check it out—it’s free and of course there’s Mrs. Claus baked goodies—can you say the cutest gingerbread men ever??

Then I headed up north and spent a whole day with my grandpa and grandma which I haven't done in a long time. If you’re ever in the Hibbing area, definitely put Zimmy’s on your list of restaurants to try out. It’s dedicated to Bob Dylan since that is his old stomping grounds—great food and such a fun musical atmosphere. I ordered a California veggie burger with a side of tomato basil soup. I usually eat soy burgers, so a veggie burger was a nice change—not dry, but instead surprisingly flavorful and juicy! I had a hard time choosing between the veggie or the black bean burger, but I was satisfied with my final decision.

And two of my favorite people in the whole world:

Then I came home to this:

One happy bulldog!

Since I am driving back home this Friday, I won’t be able to hit up the Black Friday sales—so instead I decided to do a pre-Black Friday! I got so many new clothes, boots, and Christmas decorations, I don’t even need Black Friday now! Do you head out early like crazy?!

And since I shopped like crazy, I needed to fuel up at the good ol’ Old Country Buffett. The highlight was my favorite grilled walleye, grilled veggies, mashed potatoes, and tomato basil soup—yum!

And now I am sitting down after a long day of Thanksgiving prep! Wowee—I will sure be ready to eat tomorrow! Here’s the dinner agenda:

• Roasted Turkey Breast with Spiced Cranberry Glaze
• I Can’t Believe It’s Not Sweet Potato Pie
• Cheesy Good Cornbread Muffins
• My Mom’s Famous Stuffing (recipe soon!)
• The best mashed potatoes
• Pumpkin Angel Food Cake w/Cinnamon-Cream Filling (voted over pumpkin cheesecake!!)

Plus more sides and such—all pictures and recipes will be up soon! Can’t wait to see how all of you enjoy your day.

 I hope you all are having a beyond wonderful start to the holiday season & remember all things you are thankful for in your life. Oh and of course…don’t eat too much turkey!! =)