Showing posts with label Menu Monday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Menu Monday. Show all posts

Monday, April 5, 2010

Multi-Tasking Monday

I was five the year I decided to hide my own Easter eggs. After all, I'd seen my mom and dad do it, and it didn't look that hard. Of course when you're five, you know it all and everything looks easy! I hid eggs here, there, and everywhere throughout our house. And because I was five and it was tough enough remembering to keep my shoes tied let alone recall where I'd hidden a basket full of Easter eggs, Mom and Dad joined me in the hunt. Being the good parents they are, Mom and Dad pretended not to see the eggs hidden in plain sight and slowly we collected all the eggs, or so we thought. Fast forward several weeks later. It didn't take Pinocchio to notice the smell coming from my closet. Mom tore the closet apart looking for stink's origin but found nothing. The stench was so bad, Dad even crawled into the attic to make sure that an animal hadn't gotten in the attic and died. Skip ahead several more days and the odoriferous offender was finally discovered. You don't have to be Angela Lansbury to figure out that a rotten Easter egg was the culprit. After the Easter Egg Incident of '84, Mom decided that plastic eggs were for hiding and hard boiled eggs were for eating. Thank you, Easter Bunny!



With all the hard boiled eggs in your refrigerator, this week's recipe is perfect for the day after Easter. This week's recipe is egg salad. Love it or hate it, there's really no in between. But here's hoping you'll save the ham sandwich for another day and at least give this recipe a try.

The Best-Ever Egg Salad


6 large eggs
1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt)
Salt and pepper
A tiny squeeze of lemon juice
2 stalks celery, washed and chopped
1/2 bunch chives, chopped
2 small handfuls of lettuce
8 slices of whole grain bread, toasted

Place the eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by a 1/2-inch or so. Bring to a gentle boil. Now turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for exactly seven minutes. Have a big bowl of ice water ready and when the eggs are done cooking place them in the ice bath for three minutes or so - long enough to stop the cooking. Crack and peel each egg, place in a medium mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper, now mash with a fork. Don't overdo it, you want the egg mixture to have some texture. If you need to add a bit more mayo to moisten up the mixture a bit, go for it a bit at a time.

Stir in the celery and chives. Taste, and adjust the seasoning - adding more salt and pepper if needed.

To assemble each egg salad sandwich: place a bit of lettuce on a piece of toast, top with the egg salad mixture, and finish by creating a sandwich with a second piece of toast.

Make 4 sandwiches.



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With so many things I wanted to include today, I've dubbed today Multi-Tasking Monday. Be sure to scroll down for two additional new posts.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Cake Mistake

Mom kindly corrected a bloggy faux pas I made in yesterday's Menu Monday. The cake we request so frequently for her to make is not a Martha Stewart recipe, but rather comes from Hershey's. With a name like that behind the recipe it's no wonder this cake is one of the best I've ever tasted! Enjoy!

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.



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Monday, March 29, 2010

Menu Monday and other musts...

Known jokingly as the Queen of Indecision, it's no surprise that I had difficulty deciding between several Monday topics floating around out there in the blogosphere and my own Menu Monday. Not to mention I've been struggling with my own case of the Monday blahs and just can't seem to get it together, thus this late in the day post. But in a moment of rare clarity, I decided (yes decided) to just include a little dab of everything. So let the hodgepodge begin... On this week's menu, chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. Brace yourself!

Ultimate Chocolate Cake (courtesy of Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

1 c cocoa; sifted
3/4 c coffee; boiling
1 c milk; room temperature
2 3/4 c cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
12 oz butter; room temperature
2 1/2 c sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
4 large eggs

Frosting:
12 tbsp butter; room temperature
3 1/2 c confectioner's sugar
1/2 c cocoa
1/2 c milk
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 8-inch cake pans. Butter cake pans and dust pans with 1/8 c cocoa powder, instead of flour. Mix cocoa, boiling coffee, and milk together. Cool to warm temperature. Sift together all dry ingredients. Cream butter and sugar by hand. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Add flour in batch additions mixing until smooth.
Divide batter between pans and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate pans in oven and continue baking for 15 minutes.Test as usual. Cool cakes in pans for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

Frosting:
In a small bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder. Add butter, milk, and vanilla; stir until smooth and free of lumps.

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Mom's chocolate cake is hands down my family's most requested dessert. This cake is scrumptious but being a Martha Stewart recipe, it is anything but simple. Not wanting to compete (as though I could) with Mom's cake, I wanted to find my own recipe that would satisfy my husband's sweet tooth. Plus being a busy mom, I wanted a recipe that would get me all the compliments with none of the fuss. Once again, Kraft's Food and Family Magazine came to the rescue. Viola, delicious chocolate cake in a few quick and easy steps.

Best Ever Chocolate Cake (courtesy of Kraft)
Ingredients:


1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
4 eggs
1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw.)
2 Tbsp. PLANTERS Sliced Almonds



Directions:

HEAT oven to 350°F.

CHOP 2 chocolate squares. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and water in large bowl with mixer on low speed just until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 min. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into 2 greased 9-inch round pans.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 min. Loosen cakes from sides of pans. Invert onto racks; gently remove pans. Cool cakes completely.


PLACE COOL WHIP and remaining chocolate squares in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 1 min. Let stand 15 min. to thicken. Stack cake layers on plate, filling and frosting with COOL WHIP frosting. Garnish with nuts. Keep refrigerated.

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Which recipe will you try?

Monday, March 22, 2010

Menu Monday

Most that know me well, know I love me some Paula Deen. After all, what good is exercising and watching what you eat 90% of the time if you don't allow yourself a little buttery goodness every once in a while?! And, when I'm looking to indulge in something scrumptious, I check my guilt at the door and head straight for the Queen of Butter's recipes. Down-home Southern cookin' at its finest, Paula's recipes are guaranteed to warm your heart, and if you're not careful, expand your waistline.

With my dad being a connoisseur of bread pudding, I have tried recipe after recipe over the years only to toss them out before they ever had a chance to reach a plate. Then I stumbled across this Paula Deen recipe for bread pudding and found a winner! Besides the taste, this recipe's simplicity is the best part! You'll score tons of brownie points with the family without spending hours in the kitchen.

Best Bread Pudding Recipe (courtesy of Paula Deen, 2007)
Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 24 hr 10 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 5 large beaten eggs
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cups cubed Italian bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
For the sauce:
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup brandy
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl; add vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, and pecans.

Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.

For the sauce:

Mix together the granulated sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until the sugar is melted. Add the brandy, stirring well. Pour over bread pudding. Serve warm or cold.

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My dad and husband are huge fans of cinnamon, so I tweaked this recipe just a bit to include their favorite spice. To the brown sugar mixture, I add two tablespoons of cinnamon. Of course you could add more, less, or none at all depending on your taste. Since making it the first time, I also now omit the pecans (a personal preference). The sauce is very rich and with the bread pudding being so sinfully decadent all on its own, I serve the sauce on the side.

Do you have a favorite bread pudding recipe to share?


Monday, March 15, 2010

Menu Monday

Now, I'm no June Cleaver or Bree Van de Kamp (make that Bree Hodge for any of you Desperate Housewives aficionados), so finding the time to prepare made from scratch dinners five nights a week is just a bit too ambitious for me. Between the endless diaper changes, the laundry pile so high National Geographic called wanting to schedule an expedition to its summit, and the three trips to the store to purchase that one item I forgot the first two times I was there, dinners need to be must be simple. The fewer the ingredients the better and minimal preparation is key! As all good moms can, my mom read through me faster than a teenage boy with his first Playboy and shared with me her collection of Kraft magazines. If you've never flipped through an issue of Kraft's Taste of Home or Food & Family, you need to add one to your cart the next time you're in line at the supermarket checkout. The magazines are not only full of simple to prepare meals, but ones that will satisfy even the hungriest of husbands. And, though it's been a while since my last one, recipe postings are back---only under a different title. Menu Monday will feature a tasty, and most importantly, simple recipe that will take center stage on my family's dinner table sometime during the week. So go get that mani-pedi you've been wanting, watch that tv show that's been on your DVR since early January, or spend a little more time playing with your kids; I've got dinner covered!

Easy Chinese Stir-Fry
Prep Time- 10 minutes
Total Time- 25 minutes
Makes 4 servings (1 c. each)

What you need:

1 tsp. oil
1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices
3 carrots, sliced
1/3 cup KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Make it:

HEAT oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat and carrots; cook and stir 5 min.

STIR in dressing and hoisin sauce; stir-fry 7 min. or until carrots are crisp-tender, stirring frequently.


ADD onions; cook 1 min.


SERVE with rice or noodles.


What's on your menu this week?

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