Day 5 - Recipes 6, 7, & 8

Today was a busy day. Anya had swimming lessons this morning and a toddler fitness class this evening. So, it was easy meals for us today! We started out the day with Blueberry-Pomegranate Smooties, made a Munchie Mix mid-day, and Sausage with Broccoli and Rice for dinner.

I love the color!

I had some leftover blueberries from dinner last night and I had blueberry-pomegranate juice in the fridge and I decided to throw them together for a smoothie. The smoothie was delicious, but next time I make it I will probably use frozen berries. I just prefer using frozen fruit instead of ice in a smoothie. I like how the frozen fruit not only thickens the smoothie, but it adds flavor at the same time.

Anya's Munchie Mix

So proud of her creation!

Anya really enjoyed making the Munchie Mix. After making it, I divided it into snack sized Ziploc bags and added them to Anya's snack basket. You could do a million things with this mix. Just add what you like!

With having to rush out of the house at 5:15 to head to the post office and Anya's toddler class, dinner needed to be quick and easy. I had some kielbasa that needed to be used, so I threw this together. It was good and definately fit the requirement of being easy. It was a one pot meal, which meant I got the dishes done before we left, too! It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was a healthy at home meal instead of fast food!

As always... the recipes.....

Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie

1 cup blueberries, frozen
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup milk

Blend together. Serve chilled.

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Munchie Mix

1 cup multi-grain Cheerios
1 cup granola
1/2 cup mixed nuts
1/2 cup peanut M&Ms
1/2 cup regular M&Ms
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup craisins

Mix all ingredients together. ENJOY!

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Sausage with Broccoli and Rice

1 large onion, chopped

2 large celery ribs, chopped

4 cups cooked rice

1 lb polska kielbasa, chopped

4 cups broccoli florets

Soy sauce, to taste

Heat olive oil in skillet and add onion. Saute about 1 minute. Add celery and cook for another minute. Add sausage and cook until it begins to brown. Add rice and add more olive oil. Let cook, turning occasionally until rice browns. Add broccoli and soy sauce. Cover and let cook until broccoli is tender.

Day 4 - Recipe 5 (and a bonus!)

Tonight's dinner was absolutely delicious! My friends Britteny and Erica joined me for Pork Tenderloin with Blueberry Balsamic Reduction, Salad (thanks Erica!), Mashed Potatoes, and Honey Wheat Bushman Bread. The pork tenderloin was probably the best tenderloin I have ever had. It was THAT good! I found the recipe on another food blog and I knew I had to try it. Seriously... make this recipe ASAP! You won't be sorry!

Pork Tenderloin with Blueberry Balsamic Reduction

Pork Loin:

1 lb pork loin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
Pam
2 tsp. canola oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring pork to room temperature and season. Heat a medium/large skillet over medium heat and add pam and oil. Sear pork on both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side, or until it has a nice deep brown color. Transfer pork to oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until a thermometer read 145. Take out of oven, transfer to a plate and cover with foil. Let rest about 10 minutes.

Blueberry Balsamic Reduction:

1/4 cup onions finely chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 cup blueberries
2 tsp. water
1 1/2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 cup low sodium, fat free chicken broth
1 Tbs. red wine
1 Tbs. fresh chopped basil
1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter

Using the same skillet as the pork, add onions and cook about 2 minutes. While onions are cooking add blueberries and water to a microwave safe dish. Cook about a minute and a half. Smash a bit with a spoon. Add garlic to pan and cook a minute more. Add chicken broth and scrape up bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and reduce by 1/2.
Slice pork and spoon sauce over the top.
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Britteny brought over Cranberry Oatmeal cookies and although I did not make them, I have to share the recipe. I ate two and had to hide the rest. Thanks for a great recipe, Britteny!

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups oats

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 6-ounce package craisins

White chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs; mix well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in sweetened dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

*Britteny's Notes: She used 1 stick of butter and used shortening for the rest. Also, she made 12 large cookies instead of 24 small. Big is better! :)

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And about the bread.... I will post the recipe another time. I believe it is a copycat recipe from Outback Steakhouse. I have made it many times before and it is a good dinner bread. But... the recipe is long, the kids are sleeping, and I am EXHAUSTED! Off to bed I go!

Day 3 - Recipe 4

Apparantly today is dessert day! I was invited to Britteny's for dinner (THANK YOU!) and said that I would bring dessert. I had promised her Butter Pecan Ice Cream weeks ago, so I finally made it. I have made it multiple times before, though, so it couldn't count as my new recipe for the day.

So, I brought 2 desserts! Nothing wrong with that! :) I made a Vanilla Chiffon Cake from a Good Housekeeping Dessert cookbook. The recipe is supposed to bake in a tube pan but I don't have one (need to get one!). I baked it in a bundt pan and it turned out okay, but I think a tube pan would've worked much better and created a prettier final product! Although the "pretty" factor could've been altered due to the fact that I didn't let it cool in the pan long enough. Sometimes I get too antsy!

The recipe suggests dusting the cake with powdered sugar, but I had fresh strawberries in the fridge, so I made a simple strawberry sauce to top the cake with.

The cake was good, but extremely similar to angel food cake. It calls for less eggs though, so if you want to save your eggs, make this cake instead!

Now on to the recipes. I will post the ice cream recipe, too. That one I HIGHLY recommend.

Vanilla Chiffon Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 TBSP baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup cold water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

5 large eggs, seperated

2 additional egg whites

1 TBSP vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center; add cold water, oil, 5 egg yolks, and vanilla. With wire whisk, stir until smooth.

In a seperate bowl beat the 7 egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 2 TBSP at a time, beating until sugar has dissolved and egg whites stand in stiff, glossy peaks when beaters are lifted. With a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into yolk mixture, then fold in remaining egg whites until blended.

Scrape batter into ungreased 9 to 10 inch tube pan; spread evenly. Bake until cake springs back when lightly pressed, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Invert cake in pan onto large metal funnel or bottle; cool completely in pan. Run thin knife around edges to loosen cake from side and center tube of pan. Remove from pan and place on serving plate.

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Ben & Jerry's Butter Pecan Ice Cream

1/2 cup butter
1 cup pecan halves

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over low heat. Add the pecans and salt and saute, stirring occasionally, until the pecans start to turn brown. Drain the butter into a small bowl and transfer the pecans to another bowl and let cool.

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk the sugar, a little bit at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend. Add the melted butter and blend.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.

After the ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is done), add the pecans, then continue freezing until the ice cream is ready.

Makes generous 1 quart.

Day 2 - Recipes 2 & 3

Tonight was a really good night! I had planned on doing dinner and a movie with Anya. The
meal: Ratatouille. The movie: Ratatouille. What fun! Then I got a call from my friend Britteny and invited her and her 7 month old over for dinner. The more the merrier! We really had so much fun with this meal. I put on the movie while cooking (it takes about and hour and fifteen minutes) and Britteny and I chatted away in the kitchen.

I must admit that I was a little nervous about the meal, but as soon as it started cooking the aroma took over the house. It smelled SOOOOO good! And the best part is that it tasted great! Britteny even went back for more (sorry to call you out, Britteny!). Definately receives two thumbs up from me and I will be making it again. Oh, and if you like the arrangement of the bread, that is all Britteny! Way to make it pretty!

Since we had such a healthy dinner, I decided to splurge a little for dessert. I made Peanut Butter S'Mores. All I can say is "OH..... MY..... GOOODNESS"! It was heaven on a plate. These will be made time and time again. I'm glad I only made enough for dessert tonight or else I'd be sitting here chowing down on another one! This one you must definately try!!!

Anyway, here are the recipes. The Ratatouille recipe came from the "Cook's Bible" and the Peanut Butter S'More recipe from a "Taste of Home" magazine. I am including the recipe for my Big Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies that were the base for the S'Mores.

ENJOY!

Ratatouille

1 eggplant
4 TBSP olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, cut into bite size chunks
1 can diced tomatoes
2 zucchini, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 tsp sugar
2 TBSP chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Trim the eggplant and cut into bite-size chunks, then place in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and let stand for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, until softened slightly. Rinse the eggplant and drain well, then add it to the pan with the red bell peppers. Reduce the heat and cook gently, stirring frequently, for an additional 10 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, zucchini, celery, sugar, and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover the pan and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and transfer to serving plates. Garnish with fresh thyme.

*NOTE: Next time I make this I will substitute one yellow squash for one of the zucchinis. YUM!

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Peanut Butter S'Mores

2 chocolate chip cookies
Hot fudge
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
Marshmallows

Spread hot fudge on each cookie. Top bottom cookie with toasted marshmallow and peanut butter cup. Place other cookie on top. Drizzle with additional hot fudge, if desired.
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Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Cream butter and sugars; beat in vanilla and eggs. Mix in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by 1/4 cups on greased cookie sheet at least 3" apart. Bake 15-17 minutes or until edges are lightly toasted.

*NOTE: I like to refrigerate the dough for 15-20 minutes so that it can firm up a bit. It helps to prevent spreading.

Day 1 - Recipe 1

For future reference: If you plan on giving yourself a cooking challenge, you should make sure you are heading to the grocery store before you start!!! I will not be heading to the commissary until tomorrow, so I had to work with what I had in the house. So, I decided on a banana muffin recipe. I made it for breakfast this morning and they were absolutely delicious! What a great alternative to basic banana bread. They were very moist and I will definately be making them again. Anya said they were "tasty and delicious" and that they had "good sugar on top"!

I found the recipe on AllRecipes, but I changed a few things. The original recipe called for butter in the batter, but since I am trying to avoid dairy I used vegetable oil instead. If you wanted a healthier version, you could also sub applesauce in place of the oil. I also added some vanilla to the batter (what baked good doesn't benefit from vanilla?). If you are a fan of nuts with your banana bread, throw some of those in there, too!

I made 6 large muffins and 12 mini-muffins with this recipe.

Enough rambling... here is the recipe. Oh, and keep in mind that I am not a photographer, so this blog will not have those awesome food pics that other blogs do. But, I try!

Also, if you happen to try out any of the recipes, please post a comment for me letting me know you made it, how you liked it, and any changes you made. I would love to hear from you!

Banana Crumb Muffins

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 bananas, mashed

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 TBSP AP flour

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 TBSP butter

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease muffin tins or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, oil, and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture just until combined. Spoon batter into muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.