April 28, 2015
by Ashley
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Chocolate Covered Strawberries

When we can find really nice looking strawberries that are big and really juicy, I will make this as a dessert and the kids go wild. Isla truly would like to eat only the chocolate, but I force the strawberry down as well.

I feel like it is something special but still something a little better for us than a regular dessert. They are quite easy to put together, and really an impressive looking dessert if you are having company over.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Large, washed strawberries
Milk & Dark Chocolate bars

4 oz of chocolate to every 1 pound of strawberries

Chop up the chocolate into pieces and microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir together. This should be enough to have melted the chocolate completely. If not, microwave in 30 second intervals so as to not burn the chocolate.

Dip washed and dried strawberries in chocolate and cool on a silpat or parchment lined plate. Put these in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

April 27, 2015
by Ashley
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Turkey, Apple & Sweet Potato Meatballs

Kids can be really picky. Vegetables and fruits sometimes get tossed by the wayside on those picky days. Sweet as my kids are, the aren’t always sweet about what I try to feed them. I just have to hide veggies and fruit in their food so they will eat it. I hid vegetables in pasta sauces and fruit smoothies. I saw a version of this recipe in a cookbook meant for children, and decided to try it. I usually don’t make any recipe according to the directions, so this is version of the original.

They actually watched me make these meatballs, and still ate them up.

This is a great recipe that should work as a finger food for your toddler as well as a dinner for your whole family. Finding a recipe for everyone can sometimes be difficult, but this one is really good. Serve with rice or pasta and a vegetable side.

Turkey, Apple & Sweet Potato Meatballs

20 oz ground turkey
1 apple, peeled and shredded
1 sweet potato, cooked and peeled
1 tbsp fresh basil
salt & pepper, to taste
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 small onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil
1 jar spaghetti sauce

Mix all ingredients together. Swirl about 2 tbsp olive oil in a dutch oven or nonstick pan. Make meatballs and place them in the hot pan. Watch to make sure they don’t burn on the bottom. Flip the meatballs and add in a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce. I ususally make my own, which I will share in the future. Put a top on the pan and let cook for 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Based off of a recipe from First Meals by Annabel Karmel

April 24, 2015
by Ashley
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Broccoli, Spinach & Zucchini Bread Balls

Feeding kids has definitely changed the way I look at recipes. I still make things that we made before having children, but I have to make kid versions of some of our favorites. I also have had to find different ways to incorporate veggies into their foods. Broccoli is a favorite of ours, but even steamed broccoli can get old. That is why I decided to try out these bread balls.

Bread balls are very popular in this house. If I make anything in the ball form, they are likely to get eaten. If you don’t have a cakeball maker, this recipe can easily be made into a mini muffin. Mini muffins would be about the same idea as these bread balls. This is another great option for a lunch for Finnegan and a lot of green vegetables added. He loves them!

Broccoli, Spinach & Zucchini Bread Balls

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup broccoli, cooked and diced
1 cup zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 cup milk
1 egg
3 tbsp olive oil

Mix all of the dry ingredients with the vegetables. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix everything together. Heat up cake ball maker and spray with cooking spray. Add in 1 tbsp of batter to each hole and let cook for 4 minutes. Check to make sure cooked through. These freeze well and can be heated up in less than a minute in the microwave.

If making muffins, bake in a 350°F oven for 15 – 20 minutes.

April 22, 2015
by Ashley
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Polish Pierogies

Our Polish friends will be so proud!

These were a creation after our Easter meal with all of the leftovers. We had a lot of cooked pork tenderloin leftover. We made fried rice out of some of the meat and tried this as well. I always try to come up with something different to make with our leftovers rather than just heating them up. I don’t like eating the same thing over and over again, so trying new things help finish leftovers without me getting sick of them.

Polish Pierogies

1 lb thinly sliced smoked pork tenderloin
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 package round egg roll wrappers
vegetable oil
water

Mix together the mashed potatoes and meat. Stuff each egg roll wrapper with about a tablespoon of filling and use the water to seal the egg roll wrappers. Once all of the wrappers have been filled. Heat a nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat and put in about 1 tsp of vegetable oil. Swirl in pan to coat. Add pierogies and brown one side evenly. Pour in 1/3 cup of water and cover for about 2 minutes or until pierogies are cooked. Transfer to a pan and keep warm in the oven.

We served this with Zurek.

April 21, 2015
by Ashley
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Steak au Poivre

We don’t eat beef much. But on occasion, we will buy some steaks and try to come up with something awesome to make. This is our most recent success.

I bought a family pack of steaks and froze two for another night. This gives us an easy dinner option for a night in the near future.

Steak au Poivre

4 steaks
Kosher salt
2 tbsp whole green peppercorns
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup Brandy, plus 1 teaspoon
1 cup heavy cream

Put the steaks on a plate and salt them with about 1/2 tsp each steak. Cover both sides. With a morter and pestal, hand grind the green peppercorns until most of them are cracked. Cover the steaks with the peppercorns on both sides. At this point you can let them rest until you are ready to start dinner.

Heat up a large frying pan with olive oil and butter. Place the steaks in the pan and cook for 4 minutes per side. Place on a plate with to rest with foil tented over the top. Turn off the heat and add the brandy. Light brandy with a lighter…make sure to stand back so you don’t get hit with flames. Fire will burn out after about a minute…be careful. Turn on the heat to medium and add the cream. Whisk for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add one teaspoon of brandy right before serving.

I served with with a some portabella mushrooms that I fried in pan after I took out the steaks and before I added the brandy. They were a great addition to the meal.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/steak-au-poivre-recipe.html

April 20, 2015
by Ashley
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Potato Skins

I love appetizers. We frequently have appetizers for dinner. I make many different recipes on those nights, and usually serve with my favorite cheese platter and baguettes.

This is a great appetizer that can be made in a small or large amount. I have taken these to many different potlucks, and they are always gone before I leave. You can bake the potatoes if you would rather, but I am usually in a hurry and I microwave them.

Potato Skins

4 russet potatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella
4 strips of bacon, cooked
2 green onions (or chives), chopped
Olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash and dry potatoes. Use a knife and poke holes with a fork or small knife all over each potato so they don’t blow up. Microwave for 5 – 10 minutes. Check after 5 to see if they are cooked by pressing down on them to see if they give.

Cut the potatoes in half and dig out a small portion of the inside, being careful not to get too close to the skins. You want them to stay intact. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt & pepper. Bake for 10 minutes. Fill each potato skin with a little cheese and bacon. Bake until cheese melts, about 3 – 5 minutes. Once finished, put on a serving dish and sprinkle with chopped green onions.

Serve with sour cream.

April 18, 2015
by Ashley
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Israeli Couscous Fiesta Salad

It has been really wonderful weather in Wisconsin this past week. Dream like really. Warm, perfect picnicing weather and no bugs. Couldn’t be nicer.

So after a wonderful picnic with two of my sister-in-laws, 5 kids and discussing what we were making for dinner…I decided to try something different. So I took out some frozen black beans, frozen corn and anything else with a fiesta feel and tossed it in a bag. When it was time to construct the salad, I made the couscous and poured everything together in moments. Great side dish with anything grilled. The kids loved the salad, which I was pleasantly surprised about.

PS This picture doesn’t do the salad justice…it was really good.

Israeli Couscous Fiesta Salad

2 cups cooked Israeli Couscous (follow directions on container)
1 cup black beans
1 1/2 cups corn
1/2 red onion, diced
2 tbsp cilantro
1 avocado, diced
4 small red & orange sweet peppers, or 1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp adobo seasoning
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 lime, juiced
2 tsp olive oil

Mix everything together and serve. Quick and easy. Can replace couscous with any other whole grain. Also, if preparing some ahead of time, wait until just before serving to add in the avocado.

April 17, 2015
by Ashley
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Grapefruit Margaritas

I have been on a grapefruit kick lately. So when I bought a bag of grapefruits, I was actually intending to eat them all. Then, time got away and the grapefruits started to look really sad. So instead of eating the very sad looking grapefruit…I juiced it and made this. It was great!

You should try this! It was a beautiful day in Wisconsin and we had some mexican inspired food to go along with these lovely drinks.

Grapefruit Margarita

4 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
4 oz tequila
2 oz triple sec
pinch chipotle pepper powder

kosher salt & more chipotle pepper powder

Mix the first four ingredients in your shaker along with 4 ice cubes. Shake! Rim two margarita glasses with salt & chipotle pepper powder. Put two cubes of ice in each glass and split margarita into the two glasses.

Enjoy!

April 15, 2015
by Ashley
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Southwestern Baked Egg Rolls

My sister-in-law gave me this recipe, and it is wonderful. A fusion of mexican ingredients with an chinese twist. Pretty cool, and very good! I did have to change a couple of things from the original recipe. Below is my version, but you can find the original recipe here.

Southwestern Baked Egg Rolls

2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 cups black beans, cooked
6 oz fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 package large egg roll wrappers (about 16 total) or small (about 24)

Mix together all ingredients except for the wrappers. I used large wrappers, and made entree sized egg rolls, but you can use smaller ones to get appetizer sizes as well.

Preheat oven to 425°F. To stuff egg rolls: Lay egg roll in front of you like a diamond. Fill the middle with about 1/4 cup+ (overfill cup) of filling per wrapper. Fold wrapper from the bottom corner into the center over the filling. Fold each side in. Wet the top edge with water and roll to the center. Place on an oiled baking sheet and continue with the rest of the egg rolls. Make sure the wrapper is filled, but not over filled. Spray with cooking spray and put into the preheated oven for 20 – 30 minutes. Flip halfway through to ensure even cooking. Serve with sour cream, salsa and/or guacamole.

April 13, 2015
by Ashley
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Easter/Birthday Party

This year, we decided to celebrate Finnegan and Ellis’s birthdays on Easter. Katie was in charge of decor and dessert…and we hosted the party and did the meal. The day worked out really well and the weather cooperated perfectly. We had around 45 people, and everyone seemed to enjoy the day. My oldest brother Brandon, thankfully, brought his bounce house which entertained the children for 5 straight hours. We had 12 kids under 6 years old, so we were in need of lots of entertainment.

As I said before, Katie did the decorations and the dessert. You can see her pictures and blog post here. She took some really nice pictures of the kids playing and of the adorable desserts she made. She spent hours decorating the cake and cookies, making the cheesecakes and stuffing easter eggs. I didn’t get any pictures of the Easter egg hunt, but the kids sure loved it!

Our major accomplishment for the party was the braided and smoked pork tenderloin that Paul spent Saturday making. We decided to work ahead of the party this time, so we made mashed potatoes, cut up carrots and other veggies and prepared the meat. Everything turned out wonderful and we were less stressed because it was basically done before the day even started. Big plus for us!