My Favorite Pablano Recipes: Pablano Vinaigrette

Just in case you haven't caught on, I'm in love with pablano peppers. Tried my Chile Relleno Casserole, yet? Or the yummy side, Green Pablano Rice? Here's something surprisingly different: Pablano Vinaigrette. Get some major green in your diet with this vinaigrette thanks to the pureed pablanos and leafy green spinach, and drizzle on your favorite salad or even carne asada. It would be extra fantastic atop steak or chicken fajitas. I was in the mood for steak taco salad. So I used this amazing carne asada recipe found here, and put on top of some mixed greens, cheese, tortilla chips, pico de gallo, sour cream and avocado. Note: this dressing is on the sweet side. If you want more tang, replace some of the oil for more vinegar, and add a bit of sriracha. I tailored some of the dressing in that way to suit Brian's taste buds. I liked the honey sweet dressing just as it was. Thank you to pablanorecipes.blogspot.com for supplying this awesome dressing recipe!

Roasted Pablano Vinaigrette

2 pablano peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded
1/4 medium red onion, chopped
2 T. fresh lime juice
3/4 C. olive oil
1/2 C. spinach
2 tsp. honey
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a blender, combine the pablanos, onion, and lime juice and blend until smooth. While the blender is running, add the oil slowly until emulsified. Add the spinach and blend until smooth. Add the honey and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Bring to room temperature before serving. Makes 1-1/2 cups.

Cookie Pizza

This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe at the moment. It's my favorite because it's a busy season right now and I honestly can think of better things to do than bake 5 dozen cookies, one sheet at a time. I love making cookies, but time with little ones is so precious, and I really need to find a quicker way to be more efficient these days!

Do you remember the mouth-watering pudding cake I made using this fabulous cookbook? Well, this book also contains a number of other irresistible confections including Three-In-One Chocolate Chip Cookies. The recipe is basic, with differing directions for either a) Giant Cookie b) Medium-Size Refrigerator Cookies or c) miniature cookies.

I love the idea of a giant cookie. Because it's dense. Like me. :o) And it's quick, and easy, and fun. My pampered chef round baking stone does the trick, and it turns out perfect each time. I either cut into wedges or squares.

Cookie Pizza

6 T. butter, softened
1/2 C. packed light brown sugar
1/4 C. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 C. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Cups Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips (we only use about 1/2 C. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips...we prefer less chips in our cookies! Oh, but there is just something special about using mini chips!)

There are a number of different ways you can personalize this recipe. It would be fun to spread the cooled cookie with frosting and sprinkles and serve in place of a birthday cake. I've added crunched candy bars, butterscotch chips, walnuts, even oatmeal (just blend old fashioned oats in your blender or food processor until super fine, then use in place of some of your flour). Thanks to my sweet friend Rachael, I tried whole wheat pastry flour in place of the white flour and now love it that way best. I have used whole wheat bread flour in recipes before, but never before the pastry flour. Even finer, this flour creates a wholesome and smooth taste to the cookie pizza. Rachael and I were born with the same taste buds, so when she said it was good, I believed her. I now stock the kitchen pantry with whole wheat pastry flour. I love collaborating with friends! Thanks Rachael! :o)

Directions: Prepare dough. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12X5/8-inch round pizza pan with foil. (I lightly spray with cooking spray.) Pat dough evenly into prepared pan to within 3/4 inch of edge. Bake 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned.



Cool completely; cut into wedges or squares. Decorate as desired. Makes about 8 servings, if you are a total cookie hog. Otherwise, we get at least 12-16 slices out of this.

My Favorite Pablano Recipes: Green Pablano Rice

Last week, I shared my most beloved recipe of all time: Chile Relleno Casserole. Here is another recipe, from here, worthy of your consideration: Green Pablano Rice. Mild pablano flavor mingles with the robust zip of fresh cilantro to bring nourishment as a compliment to your main dish. But add diced chicken or beef or salmon, and this understated side-kick suddenly gains much deserved attention as the hero of your dinner table.

I loved it!

Green Poblano Rice

1 2/3 cups chicken broth or water

2 fresh poblano chiles, stems and seeds removed, and roughly chopped

12 sprigs cilantro, plus extra for garnish

Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon if using salted broth, 1 teaspoon if using unsalted or water

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

1 cup rice, preferably medium grain

1 small white onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

The flavoring: In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the broth and chiles, bring to a boil, then partially cover and simmer gently over medium to medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the chiles are very soft. Pour the chile mixture into a food processor, add the cilantro (stems and all), and process to a smooth puree. Press through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl and stir in the salt.

The rice: Wipe the pan clean, add the oil and heat over medium. Add the rice and onion, and cook, stirring regularly, until the rice is chalky looking and the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook a minute longer.

Add the warm (or reheated) chile liquid to the hot rice pan, stir once, scrape down any rice kernels clinging to the side of the pan, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Uncover and check a grain of rice: It should be nearly cooked through. If the rice is just about ready, turn off the heat, re-cover and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes longer to complete the cooking. If the rice seems far from done, continue cooking for 5 minutes or so, retest, then turn off the heat and let stand a few minutes longer. Fluff with a fork, scoop into a warm serving dish, decorate with cilantro sprigs and it's ready to serve.

Chile Relleno Casserole

My food crush with pablano peppers began the Spring of 1996. Brian and I were dating, and he took a business class at Boise State University. The assignment? Immerse yourself in a local business, critique, and draw up a suggested business plan designed to boost productivity. Lucky for me, Brian and his comrades were assigned a business and did a mighty fine job. So fine, that a local Mexican restaurant hosted a thank-you dinner. And because I was the girlfriend of one of the students, I apparently deserved to be a part of the fine dining experience.

It was an amusement park on a plate....all you can eat tacos, fajitas, and the delectable dish that will be by my side my entire life: Chile Relleno Casserole. It's incredibly loyal-- always a hit, easy and quick, and I get consistently great results. Plus, it's versatile. Not many dishes can masquerade as a breakfast, lunch, AND/OR dinner. For an elementary school parent volunteer thank-you lunch, I served it as a breakfast dish. For a baby shower lunch, I served it alongside a green taco salad. And for dinner with my fam? Alongside black beans, chicken breast or tilapia. I've even added olives, shredded chicken, and sour cream on top, and have dreamt of adding cooked fajita steak in between some of the layers.

But back to the BSU Business Thank-You Dinner: Somehow, I ended up with the recipe at the end of the night. No, there weren't any weapons involved. I did not wear a black cat suit or use infrared imaging. I simply asked for it. And SHE GAVE IT TO ME! Now, I try to remind myself that she was just giving it to me because she always gives her recipes away. But in the back of my head, I know the truth. There is no way a restaurant owner would willingly give away her number-one hit recipe without a fight. See, when Brian and I were dating in college, I looked 13 years young at best. She no doubt thought I was the kid sister and would take the scrawled scrap of paper she gave me with THE recipe, and use it to rid myself of my extra large wad of grape bubblelicious bubble gum that I was no doubt smacking too loud. And she must have thought I would never, ever own my own blog (plus, what was a blog?...remember, this is 1996 we're talking about...the word blog wasn't even coined until December 1997, folks!) Or--gasp--share it over the world wide web. I must not have looked like the culinary type, or even the domestic type. And I'm sure she didn't think I would be over-analyzing it after all these years either. :o)

What brings about this shred of honesty over my beloved Chile Relleno recipe? Our wonderful friends, The Hilty-Jones' own an organic farm and deliver boxes of beautiful, healthy, chemical-free, in-season veggies to your door for a minimal price each month. It really is a fantastic deal, and my--what a sweet and giving family. My heart skipped a beat as I gazed upon a recent crop of vegetables they had harvested: a huge box of the handsomest pablano peppers you ever did lay your eyes on, sitting in the back of our church a couple of Sundays ago and glancing at me oh-so-coyly, and I couldn't resist grabbing a bunch.

So without further adieu, I will be sharing my favorite pablano pepper recipes for you to consider in the next few weeks, starting with the one that began the obsession:

Local Mexican Restaurant (which shall remain nameless) Chile Relleno Casserole:

Ingredients:

4-4oz cans of whole Ortega Chiles, seeds and tough veins removed (I instead purchase the 27oz. Los Palmas can of chiles from Winco. But if you were blessed like us to receive fresh pablanos, simply roast and peel and use as you do canned chiles).

2 Cups Monterey Jack Cheese

2 Cups Medium Cheddar Cheese

2 eggs

2 T. flour

12 oz. can evaporated milk

15. oz. can tomato sauce

Directions: In a 9X13 pan, layer 2 cans of the chiles, covering the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle half of the cheddar and half of the Monterey Jack cheese on top. Layer the rest of the chiles on top. Add the rest of the cheddar cheese.



In a small bowl, mix the eggs, flour, and evaporated milk together. Pour over the chile and cheese mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.



Finally, pour tomato sauce and sprinkle Monterey Jack cheese on top and bake 25-30 minutes more. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting. Ole'!

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! Oh and please do link to me and share your favorite pablano recipes! I say, I can never have enough.

Rainy Day Beef Stew And Yummy Dipping Rolls

Overcast, rainy weather says beef stew like nothing else.

Liv received a beautiful kid's cookbook by Paula Dean from a sweet friend of ours. Hands down, this has been our favorite kid's cookbook. It now contains about 16 different dog-eared pages....a bad habit she evidently inherited from her mother. :o) She has been slowly working her way through it. Magic rice, chocolate dipped bananas, campfire stew, and egg in toast are just a few of the recipes she has tried. She still wants to try Fried Egg Sandwiches, Homemade Pretzels, and Stone Soup. What you won't find dog-eared, are the Cheese on a Log or Ants on a Log. Do I need to mention that Liv is anti-celery? You also won't find the Sloppy Joes or the Tuna Melt dog-eared...this makes the 9-year-old Me gasp in shock. But one of her favorites from this cookbook, is the beef stew. I concur....it's awesome, and super fun for kids. This turbulent Spring weather has been bringing on the beef stew cravings.

It's not the most gourmet of recipes... (it calls for onion soup mix instead of real onion, but when your 4-year-old's favorite part of the recipe is to sprinkle the onion soup mix into the crock pot, you make changes to your normal routine. :o)...but it's perfectly kid-friendly! I like to double the recipe.

I think the girls' would say they that the rolls are the best part of beef stew. You can also serve this stew over rice as the recipe suggests, since it's nice and thick. But I have a delicious roll recipe that the girls like to help me with. Since they freeze well, I take a few out in the morning and, by lunch time, they are nice and thawed.

Paula Dean's Meat Stew with Veggies:

Ingredients:

1/3 C. all-purpose flour

2-1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 lb. lean stew beef, fat cut off

2 T. oil (We use Olive oil)

1 package dry onion soup mix

3 carrots, washed

1 large baking potato (Liv likes to use Yukon Gold potatoes)

2 stalks of celery, washed

2-1/4 C. water

1 T. cornstarch

Cooked white rice (or rolls, recipe below)

First, combine the flour, salt and pepper and place in ziplock bag. Set it aside. Cut up the steak, trimming the fat. Place cut steak into a ziplock bag with the flour mixture. Shake vigorously until well-coated. Holding a colander over the garbage can, shake the excess flour off the stew meat. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot, place the flour-coated steak in the skillet in a single layer, turning until brown on all sides. Turn off the heat and use tongs to place meat in the slow cooker.

Meanwhile, Holland likes to rinse the veggies. We like to add mushrooms to our stew.

She then passes the clean veggies to Liv as she cuts them into large pieces. ( This particular time, Liv got a little carried away and cut the veggies smaller than directed in the recipe. Wait--what? Liv got carried away? Shocking, I realize. :o) The recipe says to cut each carrot into 5-6 pieces and the potato into large chunks. Since the bread-winner of our family can't have celery, we usually stick the whole stalk in the stew, cook with it, then discard at the end. If you aren't a fan of celery because of the texture, I recommend you do this, as it flavors the stew so well and it's easy to take out at the end.)

While the girls are still preparing the veggies, I have browned the meat and placed it in a single layer in the crockpot. The onion soup mix is next. Just sprinkle mix over the meat. Holland takes this step very seriously.

Then Holland takes the veggies Liv has cut and pours them over the meat and soup mix.

Add 2 Cups of water and turn to high for 4 hours.

Then reduce heat to low for another 3 hours.

About 15 minutes before serving the stew, measure 1/4 C. water. Stir in the cornstarch until there aren't any lumps. Add this to the stew and stir. Let the stew thicken for 15 minutes. (I've actually never done this step because I usually forget and don't miss the extra thickness. Ladle rice into bowls, pour stew over top. OR, make the divine roll recipe below while the crockpot is slaving over your stew!

I found this roll recipe online a couple of years back. It's so quick and easy, especially because I use our breadmaker to prepare the dough. Tender on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside, these rolls are perfectly suited for dipping into a yummy bowl of beef stew. I did make a few slight changes, so below you will find the revised recipe. If you prefer to not use a breadmaker, this recipe works well using your mixer's dough hook.

Bread Machine Dinner Rolls
Ingredients:

1/2 C. warm water
1/2 C. warm milk
1 egg
1/2 C. butter, softened
1/3 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1-3/4 C. whole wheat bread flour
2 C. white bread flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 stick of butter

Method:

Place water, milk, egg, 1/2 C. butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in pan of the bread maching in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough/knead. Press start. When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto lightly floured surface.



Divide dough into 12 portions and roll into a ball gently but tightly. (Holland is using a lettuce cutter to do this step. It's a perfect utensil for kids learning how to cut!





Place point side down on a greased cookie sheet.



Next, dot each roll with butter. Cover the rolls with a clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place; let rise at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until golden.



Number of servings: 10-12

Crockpot Roast Chicken

472 people cannot be wrong. That was my first thought when I took a gander at this recipe for my crockpot. 472 people gave this recipe raving reviews. It's described by the poster as "tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken". That's exactly what I need, I remember thinking to myself. Chicken that will listen and be tender and fall off the bone. For me. I have a problem cooking meat. I routinely overcook it. I have no one to blame but myself and the fact that someone, somewhere is out to get me.

But this. This seemed foolproof. Even for me.

So yesterday morning I gathered the girls around and showed them how to clean and prepare a chicken. We got it ready and placed it in the cooker. I began checking with my meat thermometer around 4.5 hours later. It took about 5.5 hours for this to cook on low.

Then I took it out and put it under the broiler for about 2 minutes to sear the outside a bit. I sliced it up and served it alongside the carmelized onions, black beans and rhubarb oatmeal bars.

The girls were enamored with the chicken. So much so, that Liv woke up at 11pm, tip-toed downstairs, and requested more chicken. This doesn't happen when I bring home grocery store rotisserie. Holland said, "Mom! You made the chicken taste good!" Liv said, "This chicken is amazing! You can make this for your whole life!" Notice the astonishment at moist chicken in the Wieber home. That's okay, I was astonished, too.

Try this recipe tonight, and you'll be hard pressed not to sign up for square dance lessons--what with all the extra time on your hands.

Whole Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

Ingredients:

4 tsp salt

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 T. minced onion

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 large roasting chicken

1 C. sweet onion, chopped (I sliced mine)

1/2 of an onion to stuff in the cavity

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the spices.

2. Remove any giblets from chicken and clean chicken. Pat dry.

3. Rub spice mixture onto the chicken. If time allows, place in resealable plastic bag the night before.

4. When ready to cook, put sliced onion in bottom of crockpot.

Add chicken. No liquid is needed, the chicken will make it's own juices. (After cooking, save the juices and use or freeze as chicken broth!)

5. Cook on low 4-8 hours. (If you have a pop-up timer, that would be helpful. Otherwise, I just lifted the lid and tested using my meat thermometer around the 5 hour mark. It took my cooker 5.5 hours to cook the chicken.

Notes: If you want to make up a whole batch of this rub (and if you plan on making this often, I recommend it) then triple or quadruple or octople, the spice recipe. Place in a jar, shake or stir well, and use 2-3/4 Tablespoons of spice mixture each time you roast a chicken. I almost skipped the onions on the bottom--but I am so so glad I didn't! They were the most amazing onions I have ever tasted...flavorful and carmelized. Next time I will add more and serve atop a side dish of rice or potatoes. Also, I really loved the spice blend. Holland, who fears anything even remotely spicy, commented that it was spicy, and then promptly asked for more. I was afraid it would be too spicy for her and it wasn't. It had the right combination of flavor and spice. I followed this recipe exactly as instructed except for the onion powder. Since I did not have any, I used a couple tablespoons of minced onion instead. I also did not apply the spice rub the night before but decided to wait until the next day because when you're a mom, some things must wait. The recipe above reflects my adaptations.

Oh My Dickens, It's Butter Chicken

After Brian went to Shanghai several years ago for work, he fell in love with Indian food. Yeah, I was surprised, too. I expected a new love for egg rolls, maybe--but Tandoori Chicken?

We got to work after he returned, learning how to make certain dishes. I got a cookbook, and we tested a few recipes. It was daunting, as the recipes listed were multi-step with many ingredients...some I had never heard of. However, we had a great time cooking together and we developed a new appreciation for Indian Fare.

One day, I stumbled upon this Food Network recipe and it's gooooood. And amazingly easy. Have you tasted Chicken Tikka Masala? This is very similar.

One of the key characters in Indian cooking is a spice blend called Garam Masala. You can buy the ingredients, grind them up, and mix them into your own spice jar. Or, you can visit your local India store and find a very affordable package of it. I suggest the latter, as it is a treat for the senses to browse through the aisles surrounded by thick, swirling tones of cumin, coriander, and cardamom. Beautiful, resonating chimes fill your drums. The vast array of produce is a party for the eyes. It's really something to see the beauty of foods from other cultures.

This recipe was submitted by Carla Fitzgerald Williams, and she recommends using rotisserie chicken, as it "stands in quite well for the original tandoori chicken in this version of the simple north Indian dish...meltingly tender". I couldn't agree more. She suggests pairing this dish with spinach, quickly cooked in oil and garlic, however, we usually can't resist a jaunt to our nearby Indian restaurant for a couple of orders of garlic and lamb naan.

If you've never had the privilege of trying Indian fare, this is the perfect dish to get you started.

Butter Chicken

Spice Blend:

1 Tablespoon garam masala seasoning

1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cayenne

Sauce:

3 Tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (14-1/2 oz) can diced tomatos in juice

1 skinless rotisserie chicken, boned out and pulled into chunks

1-10 oz box of frozen peas, placed in a colander and run under hot water to thaw

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

hot basmati rice for serving

pita bread, warmed (though I suggest going for that naan bread instead!)

To make the spice blend: Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the pieces just begin to turn gold--about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and spice blend, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. The spices will be fragrant. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir well. Add the chicken pieces, spoon the sauce over the top and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce is flavorful, about 10 minutes.

Stir frequently. Shake any excess water from the peas. Add the peas and cream to the sauce in the pan. Stir well and heat through. Do not boil. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve over rice.

Note: I generally use only a small portion of the chicken, saving the rest for other meals or soups. The Wieber's like lots of sauce and we don't like sharing it with the chicken! :o)

Note on feeding the kids: While this dish, like many Indian dishes, is too spicy for our girls, the ingredients are such that they provide a well-balanced meal. Simply reserve portions of it before mixing together in the skillet. Save out some of the chicken, then serve it alongside the plain basmati rice, peas, and naan bread.

Warning: your home will smell WONDERFUL while cooking this dish. Remember when I mentioned the fragrant delights in an Indian market? This is a small piece of that heaven.

Enjoy! And please share some of your Indian dishes with us!

Pudding Cake, Take Me Away!

Remember that 1980's Calgon commercial, Where the woman, evidently tired and run-down by the events of the day (though you'd never know it by looking at the perfect looking model, not a hair out of place, nor a hangnail to be had), leaves her daily troubles awash in the bubbles of her tub?

Well, move over Calgon, because there's a new escape in town: Hot Fudge Pudding Cake.

Pudding Cake--please, please take me away!

We at the Wieber home don't have a whole lot of restraint--definitely not enough to write home about. In fact, our pantry is missing the ready-to-eat boxes of oreos and potato chips. Purposely. We just can't handle having those things in the house. We end up eating them just to get rid of the temptation. Our lack of restraint is also the reason I've been known to cut a recipe down by eighths and make about 6 cookies at a time. Or keep the extras in our freezer (out of sight, out of mind). I suppose not having it in the house is a type of restraint. But I dare say the weakest type of restraint. There are times, however, when we feel remorse for our lack of ready-to-eats and we lose our cool and cave in at 8pm--and decide to whip up something that soothes our sweet palate.

This happened to us last night. Thankfully, I dog-eared this super easy recipe not long ago. This was the perfect last-minute dessert, as it had simple ingredients, simple instructions, and enough indulgence to tide us over for a few days at least. (Yes, mom, I do still dog-ear my books....:o).

This cake is super moist--no frosting is needed--as it makes it's own delicious fudgy topping while it bakes. But you absolutely do need to offset this delight with a dallop of fresh whipped cream. Yes, that is an arm-twist you are feeling. As if whipped cream needs an excuse to exist!

Oh my sweet tooth, this is tasty!

But really--could any recipe from this cookbook, NOT be tasty? It has "Hershey's" in the title for goodness sakes!

Are you ready to whip up some of this simple, one-pan indulgence for somebody special tonight? It's fast, easy, and ready to scarf down in under 45 minutes.

I think I'm slipping into a chocolate coma, just thinking about it.

So let's get started.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

Ingredients:

1-1/2 C. granulated sugar, divided

1 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 C. Hershey's cocoa, divided

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 C. milk

1/3 C. butter, melted

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 C. packed light brown sugar

1-1/4 C. hot water

Whipped topping

First, heat oven to 350 degrees.

Next, stir together 3/4 C. granulated sugar, flour, 1/4 C. cocoa, baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla; beat until smooth. Pour batter into ungreased 9-inch square baking pan. Stir together remaining 1/2 C. granulated sugar, brown sugar and remaining 1/4 C. cocoa; sprinkle mixture evenly over batter. Pour hot water over top. Do not stir.

Finally, Bake 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Let stand 15 minutes;

spoon into dessert dishes, spooning sauce from bottom of pan over top. Garnish with whipped topping. And since we're being honest here, let me just say that no dessert is truly decadent without chocolate shavings.

Makes about 8 servings, unless you're a Wieber, in which case it makes 4 servings.

Tofu Carrot Spice Cake

First, I'm not about to tell you that this recipe is a health food. But it is a HUGE amount healthier than the recipe listed on the back of the cake mix box.

Not long ago, I was reading a recipe involving brownie mix, tofu, and water. It was designed to sneak protein into a dessert.

I kept thinking....what about Spice Cake mix, tofu, and carrot juice in place of the water? I was sure the carrot juice would mask the mild, but still present, taste of tofu. I couldn't stop thinking of this recipe and decided to experiment. I was not disappointed! This recipe is AMAZING, and I'm not talking, "yummy-for-tofu amazing", but really, truly amazing and I would bet money you couldn't tell there was tofu in this cake. The original recipe instructed the baker to mix brownie mix with 12 ounces of tofu and a fourth cup of water. I decided to increase the liquid to 1/3 of a cup since carrot juice is slightly more dense than water. Instead of frosting, I mixed powdered sugar with a little bit of milk and spread it over the cake to make a glaze. I didn't want to ruin the healthy benefits of this recipe with high-fat frosting. My recipe is below:

Spice cake mix, any brand
1-12oz. package of soft tofu (generally used for smoothies and sauces, etc.)
1/3 C. carrot juice

Follow the directions on the back of the cake mix box. Add your own ingredients if you would like. (for instance, I thought a cup of grated carrots would make this taste more like a traditional carrot cake!)

Enjoy! Let me know your ideas!

Magic Rice

Liv's first signature dish was magic rice, found in Paula Dean's My First Cookbook. Liv and I tweaked a few things to make it suitable for what we usually have on hand in our pantry. Afterwards, we made it just as the recipe detailed, however she liked it best the way we made it the first time:

MAGIC RICE

Ingredients:
1-1/3 C. beef broth using beef bouillon cubes
10.5 oz. onion soup, prepared using Lipton Onion Soup dry mix envelope
1/2 C. of finely chopped mushrooms
2 T. butter
1 C. white rice
1/2 tsp. black pepper

(The original recipe calls for a 10-1/2 oz. can of beef broth instead of the bouillon cubes, a 10 oz can of French Onion Soup instead of Lipton's Onion soup, and a 3 oz. can of sliced mushrooms instead of fresh mushrooms.)  

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the beef broth, onion soup, mushrooms, and butter into casserole dish. Add the rice and pepper and stir with a fork. Put the foil on the baking dish. Have an adult put the dish in the oven and let the rice cook for 1 hour. Remove from oven and toss with a fork.

This is one of Liv's favorite side dishes and is 100% responsible for her newfound love of mushrooms.  Plus, it's so easy and quick to prepare.  

Enjoy!

First Strawberries

One of my favorite strawberry recipes can be found here on the Martha Stewart Website. It's easy and so very scrumptious! I also look forward to making homemade jam, and don't even get me started on strawberry shortcake. Brian and I do disagree, however, on the perfect shortcake. But because I love him, I make "his" version most often--with angel food cake.

I remember picking strawberries with my mom as a little gal. So it's extra sweet for me to see my gals picking strawberries with me. Holland was very proud of herself as she decided she would try eating the strawberry without having to have mom cut the "green thing" off. This is a big thing for her. So are these first strawberries. Oh how I love this Season!

Cooking With Little Ones and Corn Pudding

One of my goals with the girls is to introduce them to the world of cooking. I want them to experience the satisfaction of completing a task, to feel the joy of making something special for loved ones, and to understand the scientific intricacies of baking and cooking. By the time they have their own kitchens, I hope they have had many adventures....flops and triumphs...and no fear in tackling a recipe.

I love these pictures of Holland. She helped me bake bread one day and enjoyed herself immensely. Check it out:

My charming little chef--



And here I am trying to teach Holland that kneading is not necessarily slapping the bread. But the little doll was having so much fun kneading/slapping the bread anyway.



She liked the kneading part--A LOT.



And this picture was taken because...well, I just love little hands. And especially 3-year old little hands.


Our sweet friend Elicia used to work at Young Chef's Academy. She gave us passes to attend one of their cooking classes. Since Brian and I like to cook, we wanted to try the preschool class where parents are welcome to join in the fun. The theme for May was Fairy Tales and we tried the Red Riding Hood class. We started out by making zucchini muffins. The kids got to help level and measure and mix and crack eggs, etc. Then, while the muffins were cooking, they listened to the story Red Riding Hood and then played a fun game called "What Time is it Mr. Wolf?". Afterwards, the kids helped prepare Granny's Get Well Chicken Soup. Finally, we got to sample it all. It was all very well organized and fun! The girls had a blast. They offer classes for all ages, including adults, and even offer birthday party services. We definitely hope to try it again soon!

Here we are at Young Chef's Academy:


Holland picks a piece of thyme to put in the soup:


The girls have always been my helpers in the kitchen, but now that they are older, I want to make cooking a more personal thing for them. My intentions are not entirely pure, however. Selfishly, I look forward to a night or two off of dinner duty in the future. :o)

I wanted to teach them in a way that encouraged, rather than discouraged or overwhelmed them. I decided to start simple by teaching Liv just one recipe she wanted to make from her own cookbook. She got this amazing Paula Dean kids cookbook from her "Aunt" Stumpy and goes right to it when she wants to try something new. After she becomes fluent in the recipe, she gets to move on to another. So I have coined these mastered recipes as her "Signature Dishes".

Her Signature Dishes include:

Monkey Bread
Pigs in a Blanket
Bull's Eye (which is a scrumptious slice of toast with a circle cut from the middle, grilled in a frying pan with an over-medium egg cooked in the middle)
Magic Rice
Waffles

Magic Rice is her favorite and is the sole reason for her recent love of mushrooms. I'll post that recipe later next week.

Currently, she is being versed in creating sushi rolls with Daddy.



Because of this experience, Liv has also gained an appreciation for foods she normally wouldn't try and now she is our healthy eater, willing to give any meal a go.

Holland, on the other hand, is our pickiest eater ever. She would live on the solace of comfort foods every day if she could, and would be happiest if veggies never showed their faces on her plate. To try to combat her dislike for corn, I introduced Holland to a new recipe, which was to become her first signature dish. It's called Corn Pudding. Okay, so it's not the healthiest thing out there, but it IS amazingly delicious, and because of her love of comfort foods, I figured it was worth trying. Holland loved it, and even though she tried to eat around the corn, she finally gave up and also ate the corn. She still claims that she and corn are at odds with each other, but I am suspecting that the pudding might change her mind yet!

Here is Holland, preparing her recipe.



Corn pudding is an excellent first dish to teach your toddler to make. It involves very little ingredients, no chopping, and the main activity is stirring.

The idea of giving the girls ownership over their own unique recipes has been so much fun, and has given the girls such confidence in the kitchen. They each want to make their signature dishes for company or gatherings we attend. Holland tells everyone that she is the only one who knows how to make corn pudding. Eventually, I hope she gets excited to eat corn without all that pudding. :o)


Holland's Signature Dish:

Jiffy Corn Pudding Recipe

1 can creamed corn
1 can kernel corn (drained)
1 stick butter (melted)

1/2 C. sour cream
2 beaten eggs
1 pkg. Jiffy corn mix

Mix both cans corn, 1 package corn mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Add beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly using wooden spoon. Grease bottom of 8 x 8 pan. Pour in pan or glass dish (Pyrex). Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when placed in center of pudding.

Happy Cooking!

A New Beginning

Easter: What a beloved day of rememberance! Not only did God take my sins by His torturous death upon that cross, but He did so without any kind of payment from me. Little me.

May we never forget the sacrifice that was made, and may we give all of ourselves to Him in order that it not be in vain. Because, after all, He did die for each one of us. There is not one that He wants perished.

I pondered this week, what Robert Flatt said about the resurrection:

The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. ~Robert Flatt

A clean slate! What an impossible thing, yet it is not! Thank you God.

********************************

And just for fun: an Easter picture of me with my little chics.




Speaking of Easter, my mom has a knack for special touches. She bent over backwards to make holidays special for us all when we were kids. I have great memories, built upon family traditions. Now that our girls are older, I enjoy passing along these traditions, combining them with traditions Brian wants to preserve from his childhood, and creating our own custom traditions. Because holidays can be a sort of food spectacle, I have adopted a new breakfast tradition, an oatmeal bar, to be served Christmas Eve (because our mighty waffle chefs are busy on Christmas Day!), Thanksgiving Day, and Easter. It makes breakfast a snap on the busy days, and gives the whole family a wholesome and semi-indulgent start to all the festivities. I make oatmeal using old fashioned oats over the stove, and set out on a pretty platter, a wide array of toppings: blueberries, raisins, banana slices, brown sugar, toasted pecans, coconut, marshmallows, sugared ginger slices, and fresh cream, etc. and each breakfast indulger is allowed to indulge to their liking. It has become a favorite breakfast of ours! I also love to make an oatmeal bar when guests are staying at our home.

Some of our favorite fixins':

If You Love Chile Rellenos, Raise Your Hand!

Both of my hands are raised. I really do love Chile Rellenos. If we ever find ourselves at a Mexican diner, I don't even have to look at the menu. I always order a Chile Relleno off the ala carte menu because even 1 chile relleno is really filling. And let's face it, they aren't low fat. One of my goals has always been to try to make my own, authentic-from-scratch chile rellenos. I really didn't want to go through the effort, though, unless I could find a lighter, non-fried version. I found this great recipe for Spicy Baked Chile Rellenos. It actually isn't all that spicy; too spicy for children perhaps, but not for the average Joe. I adapted it a bit to my liking, and to accommodate the offerings of my pantry. I really packed my chiles full, so I needed to double the filling. I substituted pinto beans for black beans, and diced tomatoes for the corn since Brian can't eat corn. I didn't have McCormick Mexican Seasoning so I opened up an envelope of taco seasoning and used that instead. After I baked the chiles, I decided to douse the tops of each chile with some tomato sauce and shredded cheese. This is the first time I've used fresh chiles instead of canned. It took a bit extra to roast and peel, but it was so yummy! It was worth the effort! These are amazing.

JW's version of Spicy Baked Chile Rellenos

Ingredients:

8-10 Large Poblano Chile Peppers, peeled and seeded (leave stems on). See below for directions on how to do this!

3 C. Mexican blend cheese, shredded (I combined sharp cheddar and Mont. Jack Cheese)

1 C. pinto beans

1 C. diced tomatoes

6 T. chopped fresh cilantro

2 clove garlic, minced

1 C. cornmeal

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp taco seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

For topping:

small can tomato sauce

1 C. shredded Mexican blend cheese
Garnish: salsa, sour cream, guacamole as desired.

Directions for roasting peppers:

Set oven to broil. Rinse each pepper and set on a baking sheet.

Place under broil until you hear popping sounds. Chiles should be spotted black. Using a pot holder, turn the chile over and return to broiler.


When you hear the popping sound again, take out of oven and wrap each pepper in a moist paper towel. Keep covered and allow to steam. After 5-10 minutes or so, unwrap one at a time and peel skin off. If it doesn't come off easily, simply return to broiler again and repeat process. You are now done roasting and peeling peppers! Now that wasn't so bad, was it?

Directions for Baked Chile Rellenos:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray, or cover with foil. Set aside. Cut a slit down one side of each chile. Remove seeds. Leave stems on.
In a medium bowl, mix together cheese, pinto beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Spoon mixture into chiles. In a shallow bowl, mix together cornmeal , cumin, taco seasoning, and salt. Set aside to use for the coating later. Beat 2 eggs in another shallow bowl. Set that aside as well.


Carefully stuff each pepper with the cheese and bean mixture.


Dip each chile into eggs (I used a baster to do this) , then carefully coat with cornmeal mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until very crisp.


Remove from oven and top with tomato sauce and 1 C. cheese. Place under broiler for 2-5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Serve with salsa (see below), sour cream, and guacamole.

Ooops! No salsa! That could potentially be a big problem in our house. Thankfully, I learned how to make a real quick, homemade-tasting salsa from a gal with whom I used to teach.

Ever since, I make sure that my pantry ALWAYS has a can of rotel (a diced tomato and green chile mixture found in the canned tomato section of the grocery store), and we eat cilantro and green onions so often and grow them in the summer, that I can almost always count on having some around. Simply open a can of rotel and pour into a bowl. Chop up a few green onions and cilantro and viola! You have one amazing salsa! If I have a lime, I'll add a few squeezes to give it extra flavor.

So, enjoy this lighter version of fried chile rellenos and follow Miss Piggy's advice: Never eat more than you can lift.

Happy dinner to you!