So Dan had surgery Memorial Day weekend to get his wisdom teeth taken out and has been on a liquid diet ever since... he has found some ways around it but can only eat a few things. Yesterday I made him a delicious casserole called Hash Brown Casserole with Bacon, Onions, and Cheese, I didn't think Dan could eat the bacon so I replaced it with polish sausage. It was so delicious, I definetly will be making it again especially since Danny loved it too! Here's the recipe.
6 slices bacon, or polish sausage like I made it
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 package hash browns
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
1. Cook bacon slices in large non-stick skillet. Remove bacon from pan and crumble, discard bacon drippings. Add 1 cup onion and garlic to pan, cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in potato, cover and cook 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
2. Combine crumbled bacon, 1/4 cup cheese, green onions, sour cream, salt, pepper, and soup in a large bowl. Add potato mixture, toss gently to combine. Spoon mixture into casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook for 3o minutes uncovered.
Delicious! I definetly would recommend making this recipe!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Visiting Nana Gigi!
We went to visit Danny's nana Gigi early last week... it's so great when we get a chance to get up to Edmonds to visit her :) Rori absolutely loves visiting her! It made it great that it was such a sunny day since she has a gorgeous view from her house of the Edmonds waterfront, so were able to enjoy dinner and nice conversation outside. Here are some pictures from when we were up there the other day!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The other day I asked Rori what she wanted for dinner after I got off work, her response was "mmm how about some soup mommy?" After trying to explain to her that soup really isn't the best for the summer time she was still insistent so I told her I would try to whip something up. So here's my recipe... I came up with it all on my own but it was delicious!
2 cans white beans
1 can black beans
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
2 grilled chicken breasts
1.5 cups roughly chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 small zucchini chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 container cherry tomatoes quartered
olive oil
salt
pepper
3 teaspoons italian seasoning
.5 teaspoon basil
So I started out grilling the chicken on the bbq just seasoned with some salt and pepper, cooked about 6 minutes on each side or until done. I put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot and added the carrots, onions, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and garlic. Let cook about 3 to 5 minutes until veggies begin to soften. Add chicken broth and all beans, rinsed and drained and slightly mashed. Bring pot to boil and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Add chicken at the very end.
Rori loved this soup so much she wanted some the next day for lunch. I served it with a simple green salad and some toasted sourdough bread!
2 cans white beans
1 can black beans
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
2 grilled chicken breasts
1.5 cups roughly chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 small zucchini chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 container cherry tomatoes quartered
olive oil
salt
pepper
3 teaspoons italian seasoning
.5 teaspoon basil
So I started out grilling the chicken on the bbq just seasoned with some salt and pepper, cooked about 6 minutes on each side or until done. I put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot and added the carrots, onions, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and garlic. Let cook about 3 to 5 minutes until veggies begin to soften. Add chicken broth and all beans, rinsed and drained and slightly mashed. Bring pot to boil and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Add chicken at the very end.
Rori loved this soup so much she wanted some the next day for lunch. I served it with a simple green salad and some toasted sourdough bread!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
So I have been busy the last few days helping my sister plan her wedding, shopping the Gymboree sale for miss Rori and taking a trip to Meeker Days in the rain! But I still have been cooking, mind you I did miss a few days meaning Tuesday and Friday due to shopping and planning but.... here are my delicious recipies!
Wednesday I made the most fantastic dessert. They were called raspberry-lemon whoopie pies, it was a recipe I got from one of my Martha Stewart catelogs. Now... if anyone knows me they know I love raspberry and lemon and also Martha Stewart so all three things aside I just had to make these. I couldn't get a good picture as the glare was too bright but here is the recipe anyways. Definetly would recommend making this recipe but only when you are going to eat them right away, they did not store so well I am thinking because of the whip cream.
Raspberry-Lemon Whoopie Pies
Makes 15 pies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar, divided
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup fresh raspberries (4 ounces)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, 1 cup brown sugar and lemon zest until light and creamy. Add vanilla and egg and beat to combine, scraping down bowl as needed. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk and ending with flour mixture (scrape bowl as needed). Beat well to combine.
2. Drop batter in 2-tablespoon mounds, about 2 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until puffed and pale golden around edges, about 17 to 19 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cakes cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
3. In a large bowl, whip cream and 3 tablespoons brown sugar to soft peaks. In a small bowl, mash raspberries with a fork, then fold into whipped cream. Divide raspberry cream evenly among bottoms of half the cakes, then sandwich with remaining cakes. Serve.
This morning my mom, sister, and I made my dad brunch for Father's day. My mom made these delicious pancakes that were called "cloud cakes"... definetly will be making those one day and will post the recipe when I do because they were so good and I normally am not even a fan of pancakes. I decided to make this recipe called Scrambled Egg Nests because they just sounded so cute and so delicious. I did change the recipe a little bit though because my mom is not a big fan of peppers and I wanted everyone to like them so I substituted mushrooms for the peppers, if you really like musrooms and peppers I'm sure you could put both in there! Here's the recipe!
Ingredients
1 (3 1/2-cup) bag frozen shredded potatoes, defrosted
1/3 cup vegetable oil or butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/3 cup finely diced bell peppers
3/4 cup diced cooked breakfast sausage Shredded Cheddar
Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Heat the oven to 400°. In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, 1/4 cup of the oil or butter, salt, and pepper. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the potato mixture into each cup of a 12-serving muffin tin. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of each cup, then bake until golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the nests from the oven and allow them to cool.
Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and milk. Heat a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining oil or butter to the pan and heat. Add the onions and peppers to the pan and saute until both are soft and the onions are slightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until heated through. Add the egg mixture and stir until the eggs have set and small curds have formed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the potato nests from the muffin tin and place them on an ovenproof platter or cookie sheet. Fill each cup with some of the egg mixture, top with a sprinkling of the cheese, and place the nests in a 375° oven until the cheese is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes. If you like, garnish each nest with a little parsley. Serve warm.
Again I did not have a picture because I forgot to take my camera to my mom and dad's house this morning. When I got home I felt a little adventurous still and wanted to try a recipe that I had been eyeballing since I wrote it down, it was called pecan crusted chicken. I definetly will not be posting that one as it was not good at all, I couldn't even finish it that's how bad it was. So if you come across a recipe called this and think it is going to be good, be leary because it just was horrible!
That's about it for now... I shall let you know as I keep cooking and definetly will try to get some more pictures up as well! I was also a slacker and forgot to take my camera to Meeker Days but Rori, my mom, my dad and I had fun anyways! And Rori caught her first fish in the trout pond!
Wednesday I made the most fantastic dessert. They were called raspberry-lemon whoopie pies, it was a recipe I got from one of my Martha Stewart catelogs. Now... if anyone knows me they know I love raspberry and lemon and also Martha Stewart so all three things aside I just had to make these. I couldn't get a good picture as the glare was too bright but here is the recipe anyways. Definetly would recommend making this recipe but only when you are going to eat them right away, they did not store so well I am thinking because of the whip cream.
Raspberry-Lemon Whoopie Pies
Makes 15 pies
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar, divided
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup fresh raspberries (4 ounces)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, 1 cup brown sugar and lemon zest until light and creamy. Add vanilla and egg and beat to combine, scraping down bowl as needed. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk and ending with flour mixture (scrape bowl as needed). Beat well to combine.
2. Drop batter in 2-tablespoon mounds, about 2 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until puffed and pale golden around edges, about 17 to 19 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cakes cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
3. In a large bowl, whip cream and 3 tablespoons brown sugar to soft peaks. In a small bowl, mash raspberries with a fork, then fold into whipped cream. Divide raspberry cream evenly among bottoms of half the cakes, then sandwich with remaining cakes. Serve.
This morning my mom, sister, and I made my dad brunch for Father's day. My mom made these delicious pancakes that were called "cloud cakes"... definetly will be making those one day and will post the recipe when I do because they were so good and I normally am not even a fan of pancakes. I decided to make this recipe called Scrambled Egg Nests because they just sounded so cute and so delicious. I did change the recipe a little bit though because my mom is not a big fan of peppers and I wanted everyone to like them so I substituted mushrooms for the peppers, if you really like musrooms and peppers I'm sure you could put both in there! Here's the recipe!
Ingredients
1 (3 1/2-cup) bag frozen shredded potatoes, defrosted
1/3 cup vegetable oil or butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/3 cup finely diced bell peppers
3/4 cup diced cooked breakfast sausage Shredded Cheddar
Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Heat the oven to 400°. In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, 1/4 cup of the oil or butter, salt, and pepper. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the potato mixture into each cup of a 12-serving muffin tin. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of each cup, then bake until golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the nests from the oven and allow them to cool.
Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and milk. Heat a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining oil or butter to the pan and heat. Add the onions and peppers to the pan and saute until both are soft and the onions are slightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until heated through. Add the egg mixture and stir until the eggs have set and small curds have formed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the potato nests from the muffin tin and place them on an ovenproof platter or cookie sheet. Fill each cup with some of the egg mixture, top with a sprinkling of the cheese, and place the nests in a 375° oven until the cheese is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes. If you like, garnish each nest with a little parsley. Serve warm.
Again I did not have a picture because I forgot to take my camera to my mom and dad's house this morning. When I got home I felt a little adventurous still and wanted to try a recipe that I had been eyeballing since I wrote it down, it was called pecan crusted chicken. I definetly will not be posting that one as it was not good at all, I couldn't even finish it that's how bad it was. So if you come across a recipe called this and think it is going to be good, be leary because it just was horrible!
That's about it for now... I shall let you know as I keep cooking and definetly will try to get some more pictures up as well! I was also a slacker and forgot to take my camera to Meeker Days but Rori, my mom, my dad and I had fun anyways! And Rori caught her first fish in the trout pond!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Day 1
I decided my first day I would make something that I love... biscuits!! I have actually never made them before believe it or not, my mom always makes them. To go with them I made teriyaki bbq wings and broccoli, that didn't go so hot because I kind of charcolled them a bit. Whoops. If there is one thing that isn't consistant for me is bbq stuff. Note to self... work on this :) Biscuits were delicious though and we had some homemade blackberry jam given to me by Lori!!
Our swimming pool is up!
We put up our swimming pool this afternoon and Rori invited her cousins Nate and Katie to come swim this afternoon! We are pretty excited since it is big enough for all of us to sit in just in case it gets as hot as it did last summer! They all ended the day suntanning on their towels... it was too cute!
Project 365
So I have heard about people who do a year project called project 365 and take a picture everyday. Since I LOVE to cook I thought I would make my own and cook something new everyday for the next year. It's quite a project to take on but since this is something that I enjoy I think it will be a great learning experience and I will get to add a lot of new dishes to my repetoire. So here's to the next year and making some new things for my family!!!
Bouncy house party!
Our nephew Nate turned 4 this weekend and he had a bouncy house party for him! We got to see all our family and hold my adorable niece Claire!!!
Zoo day!
We went to the zoo this week and after a traumatic start... Rori slamming her thumb in the car door... we set off to see the animals! She wanted to start off by seeing the sharks, her favorite animal at the zoo and ended with her other favorite the polar bears. She even said "mommy I think an ice cream cone would make my thumb feel better." She got her ice cream cone at the end of the day because she was such a brave girl during her awful experience!
Rori's first baseball game
We got awesome 3rd row tickets for a Mariner's game from a friend and decided to take Rori to her first game. She was so excited my cousin Josh could join us for the night and we all had so much fun. Rori did ask Josh what time it was at one point though and when he said 8:30 Rori... she said "8:30?!? I am never coming here again!" The things kids say, she must have known it was past her bedtime eventhough we prepared her before!
Seaside with the best
Who doesn't love a great roadtrip?!? My best friend Libby and I took her daughter Amanda to Portland for her birthday weekend and decided to head over to Seaside to see the ocean! These are my favorite pics from the day... the one with my toothbrush was a picture for work but I still like it nonetheless!
Happy Mother's Day :)
Danny and Rori planned a wonderful Mother's Day for me this year... they took me to lunch followed by a trip to the park to visit the ducks and ending the day with a family dinner at my parent's house! Here is an image of my "mini me" at lunch, right after this picture was taken she started busting a move to the music they were playing :) She makes me so thankful everyday to be her mommy, she is the most fantastic daughter a person could ever want! We hope one day we could be blessed enough to add another little munchkin to our family!
Cookie Baking with Rori
Rori and I LOVE to bake cookies when it's raining outside! Since it has been raining outside here so much it's pretty safe to say we have been baking a lot! One of her favorite things to do is take pictures and lick the spoon before we wash it. And of course eating the cookies when they come out of the oven :)
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Family fun with the camera!
One night as we were getting Rori ready for bed and brushing her teeth we decided to have some fun with our camera and take some funny pics... here's my favorite :)
So it's been awhile...
So it's been awhile since I have updated... here's what we have been up to. We went to the daffodil parade with all the cousins back in April. Rori had so much fun dancing to all the marching bands and pretending to be a cheerleader! Couldn't have picked a better day for a parade, it was beautiful out!!! :)
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