birthday dessert ideas: January 2012

Fine Desserts

When it comes to great food one of the most overlooked aspect of the meal always seems to be, the fine desserts. There are so many wonderful sweets that can close a fantastic meal that it will be very difficult for you to actually settle on just one. The problem with this is that many of these sweets are just that, sweet. With divine cakes and decadent tarts and torts available on the back page of a fine menu, people often find themselves peeking prematurely just so they can get a sense of what is in store.

Like A Sugar Kiss

Desserts

Fine desserts are like a sugar kiss, and they are made to tease and tempt your senses and love for all things yummy. Finding the right dessert for you may be a challenge, as there are just so many different types of treat that can be served at one time. Many restaurants today will have seasonal desserts which are sold at select times of the year. These are the best of the best, and knowing that they are only around for a brief time makes them far more necessary to be sampled. Good food can be found in many places today, yet it is the fine sweets at the end of this meal that are the most difficult for you to find. Not every restaurant is lucky enough to have their own pastry chef, so for this reason the ones that do have a distinct advantage.

Never At Home

If it is fine desserts that you are after, then you will need to keep in mind that they will not be found at home. You are going to need to go out, in order to taste what the great dessert chefs are offering for the evening. This is really nothing to someone that enjoys a good night out, and is always looking for the next big taste to come along. Good sweets are difficult to come by when you are dealing with many wonderful restaurants all vying to be the top dog on the block. What many of the owners fail to understand however, is that it is suppose to be the complete meal that sets the tone and that includes a solid dessert. If you are dining and you want to enjoy a nice cup of coffee after the meal, and the restaurant informs you that they are low on quality sweets this is definitely going to put a damper on the evening.

Try It All

In order for you to determine what is considered the king of the fine desserts, you are basically going to need to try them all. Try and get out and sample as much of these wonderful fares as you possibly can, and this will help you make an educated decision on what can be considered the best of the best. This may take a while as there are so many great eateries for you to explore, but you need to remind yourself that it is for the good of the dessert for there to be only one true king of sweets.

Fine Desserts

Jeremy Harris writes food related articles for the Italian Traditional Food website at www.italiantraditionalfood.com

Forever with me

Esta senhora lembra-me a minha mãe
por mais do que uma razão
Ontem ela foi-se embora
e fica para sempre no meu coração

Virginia Woolf; photo on the right: Poppies & Posies

This lady reminds me of my mother
for more than one reason
She left us yesterday
and will be in my heart forever

Twice Baked Cauliflower and Potatoes

I had every intention of following the original recipe when I saw this. Then I found out that I didn't have as much cauliflower as I originally thought. So I added potatoes.

I think it was better adding the potatoes for the family too. This way I could tell them that it was potatoes, and be telling the truth.

I thought this was excellent. I would totally nix the potatoes and just use cauliflower. No, cauliflower doesn't taste like potatoes but it's not supposed to. This is very healthy and still makes your mouth happy.

Twice Baked Cheesy Cauliflower & Potatoes
Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

1 lb. cauliflower, cut into small pieces
1 lb. potatoes, chopped
4 oz. cream cheese, light
1/2 cup sour cream, light
2 tbsp. onions
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
8 slices of bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
2 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook potatoes and cauliflower in boiling water until until soft. I found cooking the potatoes for about 10 minutes and then adding the cauliflower until they were both soft worked well. Drain well and mash with a potato masher, leaving some chunks. Mix in cream cheese, sour cream, onion, parmesan cheese and the crumbled bacon. Spread evenly in an 8 x 8 in. pan. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

One Year Ago...

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is linked with:
Tuesday at the Table at All The Small Stuff
Hearth and Soul at 21st Century Housewife
Tasty Tidbits at Permanent Posies
Slightly Indulgent at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Let's Do Brunch at My Sweet and Savory
Works for me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
Best Recipe at This Chick Cooks
Gluten Free Wednesday at Gluten Free Homemaker
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.

Diabetes Dessert

Finding good diabetic desserts and foods that your doctor would approve of can be quite difficult. Because of the limited sugar and carbohydrates that my doctor advises me to have, it is quite difficult to find sugar free and low sugar desserts that work with my diabetes.

That is why I would like to share the possibilities that are opened with the use of Splenda. You can convert almost any dessert that you love into a Splenda dessert that won't be as high in sugar. You can do this by taking a cake recipe for example, and substituting the sugar with Splenda. This can be done with almost every dessert that you could think of. This could include brownies, cookies, and ice cream. Before trying these desserts you should consult your doctor in order to see if they are OK for you to consume. Once you get the go ahead it is also important to eat in moderation.

Desserts

In my opinion, eating in moderation is the key to controlling diabetes. My dietitian and endocrinologist always preach to me about the importance of eating in moderation. They advised me that it was ok to have almost any food that I would like as long as I ate in small portions. This goes to the whole idea of eating more, small meals a day rather than a few large meals. I hope that by contacting your doctor and getting on the right meal plan will help you to find the right meals and desserts. I know that when I found a good sugar free dessert, it really brightened up my day.

Diabetes Dessert

I hope this article on Diabetes Dessert will help you to find a good sugar free dessert.

Butternut Squash Quinoa Stuffing

Confession; I am don't like traditional stuffing. Or dressing, whatever you'd like to call it. The soggy bread thing just never rocked my boat. Must be a texture thing.

Then I found this recipe and it just changed everything. I love quinoa and as you can tell by the plethora of squash recipes on my blog; I completely am in love with squash.

The big chunks of squash paired with the pecans is wonderful. The flavor is excellent and the raisins bring out that touch of sweetness that is irresistible. Even if you don't like raisins, don't skip them. The golden raisins pretty much disappear but that sweetness stays.

No more soggy bread for me, this is a stuffing recipe that I will make again and again.

Butternut Squash Quinoa Stuffing
Adapted from Veggie Converter

1small butternut squash, about 1 lb., peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cups quinoa, rinsed
2 cups chicken or veggie broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. italian seasoning
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins (or craisins)

Cook squash in a pan with a bit of water until soft. Or roast in oven until tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Bring the broth to a boil and add the rinsed quinoa. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, until quinoa sprouts are showing and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, cook chopped onion in a bit of cooking spray in a pan until soft. Mix balsamic vinegar and italian seasoning. Add squash, onions and quinoa and mix. Mix chopped nuts and raisins. Pour into an 8 x 8 in. pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 15 - 20 minutes or until heated through. Fluff with a fork and serve.

One Year Ago...

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

This is linked with:

$5 Dinner Challenge at $5 Dinners
My Meatless Mondays at My Sweet and Savory
Your Recipe, My Kitchen at Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
Just Another Meatless Monday at Hey's What's for Dinner, Mom?
Made By You Monday at Skip To My Lou
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.
Best Recipes at This Chick Cooks

Menu Plan Monday ~ January 30 - February 5, 2012

There were a couple of things that I didn't get to last week. There was some change of plans and not as many to cook for so a couple nights I just ate yogurt and homemade granola bars for dinner. Easy meal and awesome cleanup!

This week I've planned for the "odd" days and I DO have planned to eat Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus with veggies on Monday night. I can't wait! The kids will just eat sandwiches, they'll live. :-)

Monday: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus

Tuesday: Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

Wednesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs, broccoli; leftovers for me

Thursday: Chipotle Bean Burritos

Friday: Buffalo Chicken Nachos or Tacos

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Chili

More menu ideas at I'm an Organizing Junkie and Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans

Strawberry Desserts

Strawberry Bread Pudding

Bread

Butter or margarine

Fresh strawberries

Sugar

Whipped cream

Dessert

1. Toast several pieces of bread and butter them.

2. Line a baking dish, butter side down, with the slices of bread. Toast enough bread to cover the bottom of whatever baking dish you are using.

3. Cover the slices of toast with a generous layer of fresh strawberries.

4. Place a few pieces of crumbled toast among the strawberries.

5. Sift sugar all through and over the strawberries.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. This dish is best when served cold with whipped cream on top.

Strawberry Tapioca

1/2 cup quick-cooking tapioca

1 1/2 cups crushed strawberries

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Cook tapioca according to box directions.

2. Add salt, sugar, and strawberry pulp and cook 5 minutes more.

3. Serve cold with whipped cream and additional strawberries which have been sliced and sugared.

Strawberry Fruit Beverage

1 quart strawberries, crushed

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 orange

2 cups crushed pineapple

2 cups sugar

6 cups water

1. Cook sugar with half of the water until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Add it with the remaining water and the orange and lemon juice to the fruit which has been crushed and placed in a bowl.

3. Set aside in a cool place for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

4. Strain into a pitcher or punch bowl and serve.

Add plenty of ice. Garnish, if desired, with extra halved strawberries. The pineapple may be either canned or fresh. If canned pineapple is used, substitute one cup of the juice from the can for one cup of water.

Strawberry Fruit Cocktail

1 cup diced canned or fresh pineapple

1 cup halved strawberries

2 oranges, divided into sections

2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Whole and half strawberries for garnishing

1. Combine the pineapple and the cupful of halved berries with half of the orange sections - from which the pith and membrane have been removed - the sugar, water, and lemon juice.

2. Cover and let stand in the refrigerator for several hours.

3. Arrange in small sherbet dishes, piling up the mixture in the center.

4. Decorate with the remaining sections of oranges and strawberries.

Strawberry Desserts

~Jessica Gerald~

Visit http://www.easydinnerrecipes.org for meal ideas, recipes, and cooking tips.

London calling...

Already missing London

and I arrived today

it's funny

but even its cold is cool :)

{missed you too...}

Brighton Beach

We spent Friday evening at Brighton Beach with my brother and his family, who live in Sweden.

While we Adelaideans are keen for a cool change after weeks of hot, dry weather, my brother's family relishes every moment of hot weather they get.

And coming from a freezing winter with less than four hours of daylight each day, who can blame them?

How To Make A Fruit Tray Party Dessert Pizza Recipe

This time of the year is full of all sorts of opportunities for celebrating the season. Entertaining family and friends during the holiday season does not have to be a challenging feat when you know how to make a fruit tray party dessert pizza recipe. They are so easy to make, although it may look like you spent many hours creating it. Actually, you might even want to let the kids help you make some of the dessert pizzas you make at home.

Dessert Pizza Recipes are Fun and Easy to Make

Dessert

Since dessert pizza recipes are fun and easy to make, you can have them just about any time, whether you are entertaining guests or serving your family. Another great thing about them is you can add or take away any fruits you might want to include on your fruit tray pizza. For instance, you might like to try including bananas, blueberries, cherries, peaches and so much more. Add your family favorite fruits and you will have created a masterpiece. You can even experiment by adding different flavors of toppings to this pizza if you like.

Recipe for Fruit Tray Party Dessert Pizza

What You Need

1 egg

1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups Bisquick mix

1 container whipped topping 8 ounce

1 package cream cheese 8 ounce

2/3 cup sugar

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla flavoring

1 cans mandarin oranges

1 can cut up pineapple rings

2 or 3 sliced kiwi fruit

1 pint sliced strawberries

1 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

½ cup sugar

How to Make It

Prepare pizza pan by lightly applying cooking spray and then set aside until needed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using a medium to large size mixing bowl, you will add the egg and beat, then add the melted butter while mixing. Add the sugar and Bisquick mix and combine thoroughly.

Press this mixture onto the prepared pizza pan and place in the oven to bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, but do not allow to burn. Once done, remove from oven and allow the crust to completely cool.

Using a medium mixing bowl and electric mixer, you will add the whipped topping, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and beat until well blended to prepare the pizza filling.

Spread the filling mixture over the cooled pizza crust evenly, and then cover with mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, kiwi, and strawberry slices by arranging the fruit in a decorative swirl pattern.

Using a small saucepan on a medium heat, you will add the orange juice, lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar. Mix them together well by stirring and cooking for about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and drizzle this delicious topping over the fruit tray party dessert pizza you are preparing.

You can serve this pizza as it is or you can place it in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4 or 5 hours before serving.

How To Make A Fruit Tray Party Dessert Pizza Recipe

Fresh fruit pizza is delicious as a snack or a party platter to serve to guests. If you love to try new and different pizza recipes be sure you take the time to visit us on our website to find even more great party planning or meal planning ideas.

GreatPizzaRecipes.com You Make the Pizza, We Help You Make It Great!

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

I picked up a couple of bags of cinnamon chips this season on a whim. I had no plans for them but knew they would come in handy at some point.

I saw this recipe and knew that it would be perfect. The kids ate them right up and promptly asked for more. Sadly, cinnamon chips can be hard to find most time of the year. They seem to make a special appearance close to the holidays.

If you are able to find a bag, I highly recommend picking one up. Better get two bags, you'll find a use for them. We used part of the second bag instead of chocolate chips and cinnamon in this peanut butter dip. Peanut butter, vanilla yogurt and the cinnamon chips, it was fantastic!

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies
Adapted from Making Memories...

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 (10 ounce) package Hershey's Cinnamon Chips

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Beat butter and sugars in a bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour and baking soda. Add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats and cinnamon chips.

Drop by heaping teaspoons on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool for about 1 minute and then remove from cookie sheet and let cool on wire rack.

One Year Ago...

Green Chicken Chili & Lime Soup

This is linked with:
Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies

Green and Gold Cupcakes

Green and gold cupcakes for my sister-in-law Ymke who became an Australian citizen last week. Congratulations Ymke!

And congratulations to all the other new Aussies out there!

Friday Favorites ~ Breakfast

I love breakfast. We eat breakfast for dinner often around here. My husband used to think it was odd but after 15 years, he's gotten used to it when I tell him we're having eggs for dinner. I eat lasagna leftovers for breakfast so why can't I have eggs for breakfast?!

Here is a bunch of drool worthy recipes from some of my favorite bloggers. Some are healthy, some are totally not healthy. A girls gotta dream right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Overnight Peach French Toast - Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

Source: lynnskitchenadventures.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Breakfast Casserole with Sausage, Apples and Caramelized Onions - Kitchen Parade

Source: kitchenparade.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Surprise - Holy Cannoli Recipes

Source: holycannolirecipes.blogspot.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Easy Cheesy Bacon Pull-Aparts - Picky Palate

Source: picky-palate.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Western Omelette Casserole - Eat at Home Cooks

Source: eatathomecooks.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Italian Egg Bake - Kelly's Healthified Kitchen

Source: healthifiedkitchen.blogspot.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Broccoli Slaw and Garlic Quiche - Tidy Mom

Source: tidymom.net via Debbi on Pinterest

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls - How Sweet It Is?

Source: howsweeteats.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Blueberry Sourdough Pancakes - Girlichef

Source: girlichef.com via Debbi on Pinterest

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Find more Friday Favorites at Finding Joy in my Kitchen!

3 Steps to Beating the Holiday Weight Gain Blues and Burn 10 Pounds of Fat Before New Year's Day

With the holidays fast approaching, we will all once again be faced with enough food to feed 20 families. The pressure is on for sure, but the questions I ask you are you ready to handle that pressure and be successful in your weight loss goals? To many times I have seen clients of mine and non-clients continually give up on their goals because they allowed themselves to give in to the sweet aroma of a succulent turkey, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, not to mention desserts like sweet potato pie, or peach cobbler and my particular favorite, oreo ice cream pie (I'm making you hungry, aren't I).

In any case, if you're serious about losing weight, and tons of unwanted fat, you are going to want to continue reading this article for my top 10 fat burning, metabolism boosting tips. By using this information and taking massive action this holiday season, you will surely discover a leaner, fitter body that will make you more attractive, improve your health, and provide you with a new lease on life.

Dessert

Isn't that what you want?

To be totally honest with you, fat loss is simple. However, we are constantly tempted by friends, co-workers, and even ourselves to give in to our wants and desires, even though we feel bad about in the end because we know that once we step on the scale we're going to be five pounds heavier. So how do you make fat loss simple? By adhering to my ten rules of success to lose 10 pounds of fat or more and in less time than you think. If you use the information daily and apply constantly, there is no reason why you shouldn't lose at least 10 pounds of unwanted fat and 1-2 dress sizes before New Year's Day.

So if you want don't want blow up like a hot air balloon this holiday season, apply these tips to shape a new, leaner, sexier you.

1. Don't eat so much- This tip should be very obvious, but still needs to be addressed. 69% of Americans or overweight or obese, and it's not because we all have mutated genes or because we all just have big bones or anything that people like to use to make up excuses about being overweight.

Take more time to plan what you're going to eat on Thanksgiving and Christmas day, or any day for that matter. Try not to cover every inch of your plate with all the food you have available to you. Choose either the ham or the turkey, but never both. Choose two of your most favorite sides and make one is a starch and the other a vegetable. For example, you could have 4oz piece of ham along with whole grain stuffing and green bean casserole each being a serving the size of your fist.

Follow up with just a small piece of dessert and DO NOT GO BACK FOR SECONDS!

2. Don't starve yourself all day, only to gorge later on- I see this all the time. People will kill themselves by not eating the entire day just so they can do exactly what I told not to do in step 1.

Any time you starve yourself your body goes into fat storage mode. This is bad because when this occurs your body is not only storing fat, it is also dumping lean muscle tissue; which sends your metabolism crashing down worse than jet whose engines has gone out. If you think this is fun doing this to yourself then by all means keep at it, but don't be frustrated when you step on scale later and have buy bigger jeans because of your inability to resist eating so much.

3. Follow a MRT (metabolic resistance training) program- If you're not doing any resistance training then you are really doing yourself a disservice. Those with the best bodies have gotten them from following a well balanced resistance training program. You will do even better by following a MRT program. These programs focus on boosting your metabolism, strength, and cardiovascular health all at once. As a fitness professional and expert on fat loss I have had great success with many of clients by following the same system as opposed to traditional fitness programs. Here is an example of a program I would use at home with no equipment:

Warmup-5-10min (30 seconds on all exercises)

Run in place

Drop Squats

Walk out pushups

Supine 90 degree hip Crossovers

Shoulder Scaption

Repeat warm-up one more time after resting 1 minute

Ab Superset- 5 minutes (Perform each exercise for 30 seconds)

Side Plank w/ knee lift

Cross body Mountain Climbers

Rest 1min before repeating one more time

Strength Circuit-10min (Perform each exercise for 50 seconds, 10 seconds of rest in between exercises)

Overhead Sumo Squats

Grasshopper Pushups

Step up to lift on sturdy table or step

Rows in pushup position

Cross Country Skiers

Rest 1min and repeat 1-2 more times

Cooldown- 5 minutes

Corrective Static Stretching, (Stretch only your tightest muscles for 30 seconds each)

Calves

Quadriceps

IT Bands

Low Back

This workout should take you no more than 30 minutes to complete, but it will send your metabolism through the roof for days! Science has proven the efficiency of MRT workouts time and time again. So I would suggest you following this program if fat loss is your goal.

These simple, yet effective steps will help you start the process of achieving the body you want. If you are committed to your health and ultimately yourself you'll do more to achieve yours of being leaner, more attractive, and more confident than ever before. On the flip side, you could be heavier, less attractive, and less confident. What's your choice?

3 Steps to Beating the Holiday Weight Gain Blues and Burn 10 Pounds of Fat Before New Year's Day

Ron Kusek, Certified Fitness Professional

capstoneperformance@verizon.net

Easy Healthy Dessert Recipes to Improve Health

Desserts are everyone's favorite and we all love indulging in sweets. However, you may have to skip your share of dessert in order to stay fit and healthy. This is because, desserts are usually considered to be a prime source of fat, sugar and calories. But, what if I tell you that you can concentrate on your fitness and enjoy the bite of desserts at the same time? Yes, it is very much possible. You can always try making some healthy dessert recipes at home. There are a number of healthy dessert recipes that can be deliciously sweet and healthy also. These dessert recipes are actually prepared by using natural sugars that are not fattening at all. So, we bring to you some healthy dessert recipes to improve the overall health. Following are some of the ideas that one should try:

1. Yogurt and Fruit Parfait: This is one of the best and healthiest dessert choices one could ever make. It might not taste like a cookie, but this fruity treat is equally delicious and satisfying. The combination of yogurt and fruits is always healthy and less in calories. You can add any of your favorite fruits to double the pleasure.

2. Frozen yogurt: We all like to have frozen yogurt with toppings, which is very easily found in the market. But, if you are aiming for healthy desserts, then you must learn to make frozen yogurt at home. Making frozen yogurt is probably the easiest thing one can do in the kitchen. You just need to pick some yogurt and keep it inside the freezer. This will give you a fresh, homemade and unadulterated dessert easily.

3. Frozen banana bites: Bananas are very healthy for everyone. So, one can anytime use this healthy fruit banana to create some healthy desserts. Frozen banana bites are extremely popular all across the world for its delicious flavor. You just need to cut the banana into bite size pieces and cover them using regular peanut butter. After that, roll each piece of banana in crushed nuts and put them into the freezer.

4. Baked apples: Baked apple is again a very healthy dessert choice. It is healthy, it is delicious and it is extremely simple to make. Simply core and slice an apple in to two slices. After that, sprinkle some cinnamon, natural sugar and granola on the top of the apple. Then, bake it for about 10-15 minutes. And your healthy baked apple is ready to be served.

Desserts

Easy Healthy Dessert Recipes to Improve Health

Get a few more Healthy Dessert Recipes.

Banana Brulee Oatmeal

Melted banana. That is the trick here.

Microwave it and it gets all melty, gooey and caramely and somehow just...changes.

This is one of those recipe that I didn't measure much, I just threw it in and it tasted GOOD.

Banana Brulee Oatmeal

1/3 cup regular oats

2/3 cup water

1 banana
Cinnamon

Brown Sugar

Mix oats and water and cook as directions state. Stir in desired cinnamon and brown sugar. Melt 1/2 of the banana until caramelized and gooey in the microwave and stir into the oatmeal. Garnish with the other half of the banana.

Two Years Ago...

Monte Cristo Sandwich

This is linked with:
Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Recipe and Project Linky at It's a Keeper
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
Gallery of Favorites at 21st Century Housewife
Friday Favorites at Simple Sweet Home
I'm Lovin' It at Tidy Mom
Friday Potluck at EKat's Kitchen
Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom

Dig for Victory

I found this old World War Two 'Dig for Victory' film on YouTube and thought it fascinating. I even learnt a gardening tip or two.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu is probably one of my favorite meals. Chicken with ham and melty cheese all rolled up with a decadent, delicious cream sauce. What's there not to like?

I however, do NOT like to stuff chicken. Pounding chicken is incredibly annoying. I end up with chicken bits flying all over my kitchen and a row of children asking each other, "What's wrong with Mommy?", "What did the chicken do to HER!?"

Then when all rolled up, rarely does it resemble the beautiful stuffed chicken that I adore so much. It comes out uneven with goo just oozing out of it. Not so pretty.

So forget pounding, squishing, rolling and scaring the children. Simplify, people, simplify. There is nothing wrong with a beautifully cooked chicken with a sliced of ham, a melted cheese slice and a scrumptious, rich, creamy sauce; sitting right on TOP of the chicken. It might not be a gorgeous rolled up meal but it will save you a ton of time so you have more time to enjoy the meal.

This was an excellent meal. We ate it with a French Onion Risotto that paired wonderfully with the chicken.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Recipe

6 skinless boneless chicken breasts
6 slices Provolone cheese (or Swiss)
6 slices ham
1/4 cup flour (I used gluten free)
1 tsp. paprika
6 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl and coat the chicken pieces. Heat the butter in a pan and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove chicken briefly, blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, add to the pan with the butter and wine and stir to combine. Return chicken to pan, place a piece of ham on top of each chicken breast and then a piece of cheese. Cover and heat on low until heated through. Serve with sauce on top.

One Year Ago...

Apple Pie Pork Chops

This is linked with:
Let's Do Brunch at My Sweet and Savory
Works for me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Best Recipe at This Chick Cooks
Gluten Free Wednesday at Gluten Free Homemaker
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.
Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Calories calculated from calorieking.com. Some numbers are approximate and rounded.

Chili & Lime Sweet Potatoes

I love sweet potatoes. I can just eat them plain with salt and pepper and I'm perfectly fine. However, with the simple addition of chili powder and lime, it brought this to another level! It was so good. I admit, I ate more than intended!

Chili and Lime Sweet Potatoes
Adapted from As Good as Gluten

4 medium sweet potatoes
2 tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp. lime juice
1 tsp. chili powder

Peel and cut sweet potatoes into chunks. Boil until tender, drain. Add the rest of the ingredients and mash. I left a few chunks. Taste and season as necessary.

Two Years Ago...

Fiesta Stuffed Peppers

This is linked with:

Tuesday at the Table at All The Small Stuff
Hearth and Soul at 21st Century Housewife
Tasty Tidbits at Permanent Posies
Slightly Indulgent at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Let's Do Brunch at My Sweet and Savory
Works for me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Best Recipe at This Chick Cooks
Gluten Free Wednesday at Gluten Free Homemaker
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.
Foodie Friday at Designs By Gollum

Calories calculated from calorieking.com. Some numbers are approximate and rounded.

Dining Room Tour

The last time I posted pictures of our dining room we were using it as a study. It's still a study, but we use it for other purposes as well.

As you can see, the sideboard that used to be in the lounge room is now in the dining room. We moved the sideboard to make way for our new couches.

The blue arm chair has also been moved from the lounge room. That sunny corner is a lovely place to read.

All the furniture that you can see in this picture came to us from my husband's grandparents. The sideboard, china cabinet and dining setting were made by Rosenstengel in the 1930s. (You can see a similar dining table to ours in this picture, from the State Library of Queensland archives.)

Moving slightly to the left, you can see the fireplace, which is on the other side of the fireplace in yesterday's post. The row of books on the mantel is a set of the Modern World Encyclopaedia from 1935. I bought the set in an op. shop.

Turning around you will notice that we have put a desk behind the door - a great way to keep the inevitable office clutter out of sight of the hall.

Finally, a closer look at the china cabinet. I love that picture of my youngest at 8 months crawling towards the camera with his tongue gleefully poking out.

Southwest Wild Rice

I don't use wild rice too often. I don't know why, it tastes awesome and it's so pretty.

We ate this with a bit of chicken but it would stand alone by itself as a meal. I had to make chicken for hubs though. :-)

The best part for me was the leftovers. I made it into an omelet for the next couple of mornings with some asiago cheese. Delicious!

Southwest Wild Rice Recipe
Adapted from $5 Dinners

1/4 cup lime juice
2/3 cup brown rice
2/3 cup wild rice
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups of water, plus the lime juice to a boil. Add the brown rice, wild rice and chopped onion. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and let cook for 45 - 50 minutes, or until brown and wild rices are tender.

Once the rice is cooked, add the green pepper, diced jalapeno, corn, diced tomatoes, black beans, cumin and chili powder. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Total calories = 1550 calories
6 servings = 258 calories per serving

Two Years Ago...

Crustless Turkey Pot Pie with Quinoa

Calories calculated from calorieking.com. Some numbers are approximate and rounded.