Monthly Archives: June 2012

Grown Up Grilled Cheese

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So we have talked about Cheap night on here before, how you don’t really feel like cooking but you know that you have to feed your family and you don’t have a ton of groceries in the house at the moment.  If you don’t feel like cooking you surely don’t feel like going to the store and battling out that fight! Our go to “Cheap Night” is a take on the Grilled Cheese Sandwich of some sort.  My Grilled Cheese Pie was  big hit with all of you and with my family, but I have already done that.  As as I am sure all you foodies feel the same pressure to constantly come up with something new every night.  We have to post and wow each other and somehow impress those guys up at Food Gawker to take out Photo’s! Well guess what? That ain’t happening with this Picture!!!!  Don’t let my less than stellar photo fool you, this sandwich really has some sophisticated flavors going on inside of there!

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Grown Up Grilled Cheese

Grown Up Grilled Cheese

Be sure to de seed and drain your tomatoes or you will have a soggy sandwich

Ingredients

  • really good crusty bread french bread, not a bagette style but a round loaf style
  • butter
  • olive oil
  • fresh mozzerella
  • roma tomatoes
  • bacon
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • fry and drain your bacon
  • slice your tomatoes and deseed lay out on paper towels to drain salt and pepper to taste
  • slice the mozzerella and drizzel a small amount of olive oil on top
  • butter the bread as you would a regular grilled cheese and layer the ingredents on the sandwiches and cook over medium high heat till each side is golden brown
  • enjoy your grilled cheese sandwhich with grown up flavors!
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http://www.pandpkitchen.com/2012/06/29/grown-up-grilled-cheese/

You can find me at all these great link parties this week!

Mrs. Happy HomeMaker, The Gunny Sack, Crazy For Crust, Trick or Treat Tuesdays, Crazy Sweet Tuesday’s, Cast Party Wednesday, Whip it up Wednesday’s, Watcha’ Whipped up Wednesday’s, Sweet Treat Thursday’s, Kitchen Fun with My Three Son’s, Itsy Bitsy Paper, Crumbs and Chaos, I’m Lovin it Friday’s, Weekend Pot Luck

Pina Colada Pie in a Jar

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Oh we are in the height of Summer! The heat, radiating off the pavement in shimmering sheets of pearly waves; the sounds of children playing, squealing, pool water splashing, car radios blaring as they drive by; the smells of suntan lotion, that coconut sticky sweet smell we all love, the smoke of the bbq, the fresh cut grass.

Yes, Summer is indeed here!  We don’t have the great beaches to go anymore! No more trips to Santa Cruz or Monterey for the Weekend….. No more Dinners in San Francisco…. No all my sweet foodie friends I am once again horribly LAND LOCKED!!! (insert crescendo music)  As a Trans Coastal gal (We have live on both coasts) it can be very hard this time of year to get very excited when people say “let’s go to the Lake!”  Now don’t think I am being snobby or rude, because I jump at any chance to get on any body of water and on any type of watercraft! But murky lake water and muddy lake beaches just are not the same as the beautiful coast line of either coast.  I happen to prefer the Northern California Coastline to them all!

So in one of my homesick for Cali moments I wanted a taste of Summer that reminded me of the beach. Something that was easy to make and that was quite tasty!  I  have been loving all the cute pie in a jar posts all year and just had to jump on the bandwagon!  I know you have all seen this done before, but I hope I have used this in a different way for you all. I hope you enjoy Summer in a jar!


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Pina Colada Pie in a Jar

Pina Colada Pie in a Jar

Beacuse you are using the pina colada mixer you have to put this back in the freezer it will not set up in the fridge alone.

Ingredients

  • 1 can frozen pina colda drink mixer thawed
  • 1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 2 cups cold milk
  • 5 tbs butter melted
  • 8 sheets graham crackers
  • for garnish: whipped cream, toasted coconut, cherries

Instructions

  • in a food processor chop up your crackers till they make crumbs
  • in a bowl mix crumbs and melted butter till combined
  • evenly pour crumb mixture into each jar and genty tap with your fingers to cover bottom of jar
  • in a bowl combine pina coloada mixer, pudding mix, and mix and with a blender mix on med high for 2-3 min
  • evenly pour pudding mixture in each jar
  • place jars in freezer for 30 min to set
  • take out and garnish with the whipped cream, toasted coconut, and cherries
  • Summer in a Jar!
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http://www.pandpkitchen.com/2012/06/27/pina-colada-pie-in-a-jar/

You can find me at all these great link parties this week!

Mr. Happy HomeMaker, The Gunny Sack, Crazy For Crust, Trick or Treat Tuesdays, Crazy Sweet Tuesday’s, Cast Party Wednesday, Whip it up Wednesday’s, Watcha’ Whipped up Wednesday’s, Sweet Treat Thursday’s, Kitchen Fun with My Three Son’s, Itsy Bitsy Paper, Crumbs and Chaos, I’m Lovin it Friday’s, Weekend Pot Luck

Black Forrest Parfaits with Almonds

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It is Improv challenge Time Again! I am so happy to be back participating in all my favorite challenges! The last time I was here I made I my Carrot Cake Ice Cream!  This month we were tasked with the two ingredients of Cherries and Almonds. Oh Yeah I said!! I already had this recipe planned and the addition of almonds would only add to the wonderfulness of it all!

When I was a little girl visiting my grandma in Chicago we would go to these great greek owned restaurants that had these huge desert counters right up front as you walked in the door.  They had these huge towering cakes and pies and canoli’s all sitting there all mouthwatering and tempting. Enough to make a little girl beg all the way to the table, beg all the way through the meal, beg all the way the check out counter and pout all the way home.  Now that I am the adult having to listen to all the begging and mentally calculating all the wasted calories all the fat grams all the preservatives…. I am like no way jose.

So I am making this deconstructed lighter version of one my childhood,’Pppppllllleeeeeaaaseeee Grandma!” desserts!

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Black Forrest Parfaits with Almonds

Black Forrest Parfaits with Almonds

This makes 4 small parfaits, 2 medium, or 1 large

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fat free cool whip
  • 2 oz fat free cream cheese
  • 2 tsp almond flavoring
  • cherry pie filing
  • 3 oz chocolate bar with almonds chopped
  • 1 handfull trail mix dark chocolate, dried cherries and almonds

Instructions

  • in a mixer combine cream cheese and flavoring, fold in cool whip
  • in parfait glasses layer chocolate bar, cool whip,cherries, trail mix, cool whip, cherries dollop of cool whip, garnish with fresh cherry and almond
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http://www.pandpkitchen.com/2012/06/21/black-forrest-parfaits-with-almonds/



Raspberry Chocolate Sugar Cookies

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Oh Hello Monday! How is that you show up in our lives so soon every week?  Last week I treated all my lovely little foodie friends to a delightful little cocktail.  This week I thought I would bring you some sweet treats!  I made these little lovelies for a very dear co-worker of mine that did a very sweet favor for me one day.  They were very late in the coming but I hope that she enjoyed them.  She is a “lady” in the every essence of the word.  Not only is she valiant in her successful battle against cancer, she is kind, beautiful, graceful and quite the snazzy dresser!  Her husband wants to mover her away with him when he retires later this year and I keep telling her she can not leave as long as I am still there! I think I might not win that one……

These were so good! I had a hard time fighting my husband off of them.  Not only did they taste great they were like ridiculously easy to make! I am almost embarrassed to post just how easy they are!  If you need a quick and fantastic dessert, this will become your go to recipe! It just became mine! I found it in a Weight Watcher’s Magazine.  I might have used double a little more chocolate than the recipe called for…… but it was worth it!


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Raspberry Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Raspberry Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough rounds
  • 1/2 jar of sugar free seedless raspberry jam
  • as much chocolate chips as you would like to use!

Instructions

  • pre heat oven to 350
  • heavily spray a baking sheet with cooking spray
  • lay out the cooking rounds on the sheet where they are touching each other
  • put a baggie over your hand (this gets really messy) and push the dough down to make one contunious sheet of dough. (it will not fill the pan)
  • bake for 10-13 min
  • take out and spread the jam and sprinkle the chocolate chips
  • bake for 5 min more
  • cool completely
  • cut into squares
  • yum-o!
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http://www.pandpkitchen.com/2012/06/17/raspberry-chocolate-sugar-cookies/

This week I am linked up at all these great parties! Check them out!

http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2012/06/makin-you-crave-monday_17.html

http://www.thegunnysack.com/

http://www.crazyforcrust.com/

http://www.insidebrucrewlife.com/

http://33shadesofgreen.blogspot.com/

http://mandysrecipebox.blogspot.com/

http://www.ladybehindthecurtain.com/

http://crockpotladies.com/

http://djssugarshack.com/wordpress1/

http://www.eatprayreadlove.com/

http://www.somethingswanky.com/

http://mrsfoxssweets.blogspot.com/

http://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com/

http://www.itsybitsypaperblog.com/

http://crumbsandchaos.blogspot.com/

http://tidymom.net/

http://www.thecountrycook.net/

Caprese Grilled Chicken

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I love a good caprese salad! Fresh Mozzerella, Juicy Tomatoes, Spicy Basil, Tangy Balsamic Vinegar….. Ummmmmm Mouth watering yumminess!!!  While we lived in California I think I ate my weight in this salad!  My husband who is a very picky eater and has the palate of a todler also loves this.  I rejoice anytime I can get him to eat “grownup” food.  I am trying to work in one to two vegetarian meals a week where I don’t have to hear him groan and moan.  In return for that I also have to come up with really tasty meat dishes the other 5-6 nights.  At least 4 of those will be chicken or pork.  I will admit this can be a bit of a challenge sometimes to always come up with new and exciting meals.

I like to combine fresh flavors and try things out that I know will go together but maybe have not thought to combine before.  Maybe this is a well known dish to some of you, but I was really proud of myself when I thought of making this the other night. Especially when it turned out to taste so darned good!!!


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Caprese Grilled Chicken

Caprese Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

  • 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
  • fresh Mozzerella
  • fresh basil chiffinade
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 firm roma tomatoes diced
  • olive oil (i used basil infused olive oil)
  • balsamic vinegar
  • angel hair pasta

Instructions

  • season the chicken breast and brush with olive oil and vinegar. Grill over med high heat apro 5-6 min each side.
  • meanwhile boil salted water and cook pasta, drain and keep warm
  • in a sauté pan heat 3 tbs olive oil and saute tomatoes with salt and pepper to taste till they start to give up their juices. add a little vinegar at a time until you get the flavor you want. this will be your sauce. go light as you can always add.
  • add the chicken back in and heat through.
  • add the basil the last one min of cooking
  • plate over the pasta and garnish with the mozzarella and leaves of fresh basil
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http://www.pandpkitchen.com/2012/06/16/caprese-grilled-chicken/

Black and Blue Ribeye

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I really need to take a photography class or something as I just seem to struggle with the photo’s of food that are not sweet treats.  I realize now, much too late of course that I should have made haricots vert to help snazz up the picture but, we were in the mood for corn on the cob last night.  I found this recipe in a weight watchers magazine and I altered it just a little bit.  I don’t know about you but I think that a nice juicy ribeye has way more flavor than a bland ol’ strip steak….. but that is just how I see it.

I didn’t really know what to expect when I was making this, would it taste good, would it be just a boring steak, I was pleasantly surprised on so many fronts!  Not only it did it taste good it tasted AMAZING! I never knew that beer could be reduced to such a tasty sauce.  Yes you read that right I wrote, BEER.  I used  Guinness Dark Lager.  I do not drink beer. I do not like it. It taste funny and it makes my husband obnoxious!  I do however enjoy cooking with it! And let me just say that I really want to have this meal again over and over and over!  I can not remember the last time that I put something this savory and tasty in my mouth!

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Black and Blue Ribeye

Black and Blue Ribeye

This is really Steak House quality food! I was so amazed at how good this was! I am not a big red meat eater so when I do eat it I want it to be spectacular!

Ingredients

  • 4 thin cut ribeye steaks
  • 1 12 oz bottle of black lager
  • 2 tbs brown sugar
  • crumbled blue cheese
  • salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders to taste

Instructions

  • season the steaks and pan sear over medium high heat approx 2-3 min per side
  • remove from pan and keep warm
  • in a bowl combine the brown sugar and beer
  • add to the pan and bring to a boil, cook til reduced to approx 1/4 cup
  • return steaks and cover with reduction and heat through
  • plate up and serve with the crumbled blue cheese on top of each steak
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http://www.pandpkitchen.com/2012/06/12/black-and-blue-ribeye/

 

 

 

Strawberry Bliss Cocktail

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Happy Monday My Foodie Friends!! Most of us dread this day as for most of you it means that the luscious weekend is over and you are headed back to work.  That is for you lucky ones that have weekends.  My crazy job, it is against corporate policy for Management to have two days off in a row unless we take PTO time!   If I thought it wouldn’t get me fired I would tell you who this company is so you can all write nasty friendly reminders that they should not be such Nazi’s! But such is my lot in life!  I have tried to quit 3 times from this job and each time they guilt me into staying!  This situation can lead one to drink!  Oh wait that is what this post is about! I think that this is a perfect start the week off right kind of cocktail! I mean I am not saying tip the bottle at 8am but really it is five o’clock somewhere!!!

So just because it is Monday doesn’t mean the whole day has to be drudgery! Come home from work tonight whip up a pitcher of this cocktail, invite some friends over, sit out on the patio and enjoy and relish in the bliss that is your wonderful life! No matter how dull a Monday can be, we all need to take time to stop and just be grateful for the Bliss that is in our lives!

 

Strawberry Bliss Cocktail
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Ingredients
  • 1 can limeaide thawed
  • 1 pint of strawberries hulled and sliced
  • 4 cups water
  • 1/12 cups sugar
  • 2 limes sliced
  • 1 cup vanilla vodka
  • 1 cup whipped cream vodka
  • 1/4 cup marchino cherry juice (to enhance red color)
Instructions
  1. bring 4 cups water and sugar to almost a boil just enough to melt the sugar, cool completely (this is your simple syrup)
  2. in a blender add the strawberries and vodka and blend til liquified
  3. in a pitcher add the simple syrup, the limeade and the blended strawberries float the lime slices in the pitcher
  4. stir and serve over ice
  5. use lime and strawberries for garnish
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Strawberry Nectarine Smoothie: Crazy Cooking Challenge

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Yippee!! It is Crazy Cooking Challenge time again!!! I don’t think I have had a chance to participate since my The Sexiest Chocolate Cake you have ever eaten post!  If you have not heard about the Crazy Cooking Challenge you must check it out! Tina does a FANTASTIC job for all of us happy food bloggers!
Photobucket

 

I found my smoothie recipe at a really cool and healthy blog Skinny Taste.  Please go check her out!  I did have a bit of a snafu with my smoothie.  As you see I used a nectarine and the Skinny Taste recipe calls for a Kiwi…… I promise I did not break the rules on purpose.  I went to grocery store this morning and got all the ingredients I needed for all my posts for the week.  I had a kiwi in my basket, I put the kiwi on the counter to be rung up, when I got home I had no kiwi!!! Arrrg! At least I also had some nice fresh nectarines so my smoothie was not just a plain strawberry smoothie.  This smoothie is healthy has no added sugar and is very filling! I had it for lunch and it did the trick! I have stayed away from store bought smoothies as they are not as healthy as you would think, but if make them yourself and control the ingredients then smooth away my friends!!!

Strawberry Nectarine Smoothie: Crazy Cooking Challenge
5.0 from 1 reviews
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Author: The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1 fiber one strawberry yogurt
  • 5-6 strawberries
  • 1 nectarine pit removed
  • 1 cup ice
Instructions
  1. mix all in a blender til smooth and enjoy!
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Easy Turtle Cheesecake

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This past weekend both the boys were visiting family out of town and I had these great plans to spend a nice relaxing evening on Saturday with my husband.  After I got off work on Saturday afternoon I thought since I had not felt well all week I wouldn’t cook we could just go grab a bite and maybe see a movie.  Snow White and the Huntsman is out and I am dying to see it! I love my husband I really do, but he has a way of making me want to strangle him!!!

He calls me at work on my lunch break to tell me that a few days ago he invited a few friends from his work over to taste the beer that he has been brewing….. A FEW DAYS AGO!!!  Funny how he always waits til the last second to tell me these things! Remember the football party that I had to throw together in 3 hrs? Game Day Snacks  He said and I quote,”Don’t worry about cooking anything. I have gone to the store and I got a few things and am just going to grill out a bit.”  Famous last words……..   (He only bought sausages had a friend bring buns, no side dishes whatsoever and we didn’t eat until 9pm!)

When I get home he says, “hey do you think you could make a dessert?”   Well I wasn’t planning on it but let me see what I have.  Which after being out of town was not much!  I used a no bake cheesecake.  I don’t even remember buying it.  I think when I am not looking I get things thrown in my basket when I have my “helpers” along. I was rushed so it did not set up as well as it should have.  It really needs to chill overnight no matter what the box says.  So my picture is a little droopy but the flavors were really yummy!

Easy Turtle Cheesecake
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Recipe type: Dessert
Author: The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
Ingredients
  • 1 box no bake cheesecake
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used the mini ones)
  • 1/4 cup pecans crushed plus more whole ones for garnish
  • 4-5 pecan sandies cookies crumbled
  • caramel ice cream topping sauce
Instructions
  1. follow box directions for making the cheesecake only add the crushed pecans to the crust layer and fold in the chocolate chips in to the filling mix
  2. crumble the cookies all across the top of the cheesecake
  3. drizzle the caramel sauce on top
  4. place pecans for garnish
  5. cover in cling film and chill for overnight or at least 4 hours
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Tortellini Spinach Salad

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Summer is off to a beautiful start here!  It has been very mild and sunny and just all around pleasant here.  June is one of my favorite months.  The weather is usually very good and we have the most daylight during this month.  I can sit on the patio or the covered porch and just day dream the day away.  This was one of those days.  A great Sunday where we did not have too many chores to do and we sat with neighbors and let the dogs run and play in the very green and I mean very green grass.

I did not want anything very heavy for dinner.  I had planned on cheesy toast and tortellini and red sauce.  Then I decided no…. not in the mood for that.  I made a much lighter and healthier salad instead.  I still used the tortellini because I really did have my taste buds ready to go for them.  For a salad dressing you can use my Vinegarette. This day I happened to use a store bought dressing.  It was a Spinach Salad dressing.  It is one of my favorite store bought flavors.

You can really use any combination of flavors that you would like.  This is kind of a healthy “kitchen sink” kind of salad.  This is just what I chose to use and I feel that the flavors were fantastic.  Even the carnivorous husband didn’t even notice he did not have meat for dinner.

Tortellini Spinach Salad
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Author: The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
Ingredients
  • 1 bag of spinach leaves torn
  • 1/4 of red onion diced
  • 1/2 cup of queen olives sliced in halves
  • 1 4 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts sliced
  • 6 oz mozzarella cheese in 1/2″ cubes
  • 1 package of spinach and cheese tortellini boiled drained and cooled
Instructions
  1. in a mixing bowl combine all ingredients and mix well
  2. serve with your choice of dressing
  3. olive oil based dressings will be best to enhance the olive and artichoke flavors
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