Sauteed Apples with Crushed Pecans

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Andrea

Sometimes I want a topping for Sunday Morning Pancakes that brings a little more umph than syrup. I want something in addition to syrup.

Since we always have a fruit with breakfast (and lunch!), I decided to make that part of the dish instead of just a side.

Sauteed bites of apple with the sweetness of crushed pecans is a great topping for pancakes.

Andrea’s Sauteed Apples with Crushed Pecans

2 Small – Medium Red Apples, chopped

1/2C Crushed Pecans

2TBSP Butter

1tsp Olive Oil

1/2tsp Cinnamon

In a medium sized skillet, heat butter and oil over medium heat. When the butter starts sizzling, add in the apples and cinnamon. Sautee for about 3 minutes and then add in the crushed pecans. Sautee for another 3 minutes, remove from heat and serve!

Makes enough topping for 3 servings.

Perfect for pancakes! The apples are warm but stil crisp since they are not cooked for very long. Plus you’re starting you day off with a serving of fruit!

Crab Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Andrea

There’s been a lot of experimenting going on with crab here at the HQ. Both Scott and I adore crab and while crab cakes are tasty, sometimes you need a little more out of life.

I’ve been hesitant in the past to mess around with crab because it is a pricey protein option and the idea of messing something up didn’t sit well with me.

However I reached a point where I realized that if we don’t experiment in the kitchen we won’t grow as cooks. And that doesn’t do anyone any good. So in the name of Embracing Cooking, I decided to start experimenting more with crab.

And that lead to twice baked potatoes!

Andrea’s Crab Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes

2 Large Russet Baking Potatoes, scrubbed

8oz Crab Claw Meat, drained, rinsed, and checked for shell

1/2 Red Pepper, finely chopped

1/2 Green Pepper, finely chopped

1/4 Red Onion, finely chopped

4 Slices of crispy bacon, chopped

Keep It Simple: Sauteed Chard with Rice

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Andrea

The other day I was craving something warm for lunch. I enjoy having big salads and fresh fruit at lunch but sometimes I want something warm. Especially in the colder months! It’s hard to cozy up to a nice big salad when it’s 17 degrees outside.

We had some leftover rice from the previous night’s dinner and I had some chard that needed used up. Combine the two and you’ve got a great lunch!

It was super quick to put together. I sauteed up:

1/4 Onion, sliced
1/4 Green Pepper, sliced
Once large bunch of chard, chopped
Shredded carrots
A few broccoli florets

Sauteed in some olive oil with a pinch of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, chili powder, and garlic powder.

Added in the leftover rice at the end and cooked just long enough for it to heat through.

Spooned in bowls, topped with a bit of shredded cheddar and a few dashes of hot sauce.

Country Ribs with Sauerkraut

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Andrea

Where I come from, pork and sauerkraut is what you eat on New Year’s Day to welcome in the New Year and hope that it brings you some luck.

Homes all over will smell like kraut that day and grocery stores have sales on the stuff starting a few weeks before New Year’s.

It’s just not New Year’s if you don’t have pork and kraut. Scott embraced this tradition with open arms. Not really surprising since his previous tradition was boiled cabbage and ketchup.

Um.

I would wager a guess and say that this dish is probably a little tastier than that.

It’s also made with beer, onions, and peppers. Plus being tossed in a crockpot. Winner!

Andrea’s Country Ribs With Sauerkraut

4-6, Country Style Pork Ribs

1 32oz Jar of Sauerkraut, drained (but not rinsed!)

1 Onion, sliced thin

1 Green pepper, sliced thin

1TBSP Brown Sugar

1C Dark Lager Style Beer (I used Great Lakes Eliot Ness)

Big Pinch Red Pepper Flakes

Beer and Mustard Dip

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Andrea

While on our most recent break, Scott and I had “snackies” one night for our evening meal. Since we were on vacation, I wanted to make snackie night a little bit more special by adding in a few dips to the mix.

On a recent episode of Triple D (because I love it so), I saw mention of a beer and cheese dip. This got me thinking about creating a beer dip that you could have with snacks and that doesn’t need to be kept warm.

By eliminating the need to keep this dip warm, it becomes perfect for having out for parties and get togethers.

I wanted the beer flavor to come through while also having a little bit of a kick to it. What goes great with beer? Mustard!

Once I knew mustard was going into the mix, the rest of the recipe fell into place.

Andrea’s Beer and Mustard Dip

1C Dark Lager Style Beer (I used Great Lakes Eliot Ness)

Roasted Veggie Dip

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Andrea

Dip was something that my family had at every party and every kind of gathering. We are a dip loving folk and when I started dating Scott, he discovered he is a dip loving person as well.

Then dips kind of got pushed aside for a while here at the HQ, and now I’m looking to bring them back. I’ve been recreating a lot of my favorite flavors of dip and using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

So far I’ve been successful! The first dip I made was a roasted veggie dip that’s creamy, full of dill punch, and roasted veggie goodness.

Andrea’s Roasted Veggie Dip

1/4 Small or Medium Red Onion, chunked

1/2 Red or Green Pepper, chunked

1 Small or Medium Size Carrot, peeled and chunked

2 Cloves of Garlic

1 1/2C Greek Yogurt

1 1/2TBSP Dried Dill

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

Salt and Ground Black Pepper

1/4tsp Garlic Powder

1/4tsp Onion Powder

Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Andrea

The other day I was surfing around looking at different recipes for stuff when I stumbled up on a chocolate chip cookie cooked in a cast iron skillet.

Whoa! Back that train up!

They completely had my attention because that sounds darn good! I looked at the recipe and immediately started figuring out how I could make my own.

Everyone’s heard of those BIG chocolate chip cookies sometimes people use in place of birthday cakes. But this? This is a completely different concept.

It really is just a basic chocolate chip cookie cooked in a cast iron skillet which results in a thicker cookie with a gooey middle.

I wasted no time in making my own version.

Andrea’s Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie

1C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1C White Whole Wheat Flour

1/3C Unsweetened Coconut Milk (Found in the dairy aisle, not the canned kind)

2 1/2TBSP Unsalted Butter, room temp + 1/2TBSP

1 Egg, room temp

Banana Nut Pancakes

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Andrea

Me: What kind of pancakes do you want this week?

Him: Something with nuts!

Me: What kind of nuts, pecans or walnuts?

Him: What did we just have with the coffee cake?

Me: Pecans.

Him: Then we should have walnuts.

Me: Done

And this is how Banana Nut or what I lovingly call, my favorite pancakes ever, were born.

Andrea’s Banana Nut Pancakes

1C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

1C Buckwheat Flour

1tsp Baking Soda

1tsp Cinnamon

2TBSP Sugar

1C Walnuts, crushed

1 Large banana

1C Unsweetened Coconut Milk (the kind in the dairy section, not from a can)

1C Water

2tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Preheat grilled over medium heat. In a large mixing bowl combine the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, and walnuts and whisk together. In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the water, coconut milk, vinegar, extract, and banana. Mash the banana in the liquids as much as possible.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and stir until everything is combined. Grease your griddle with a little oil and drop batter by spoonfuls. The size is up to you! Cook for about three minutes on the first side or until you start seeing several bubbles pop up in the center. Flip and cook for another minute to two minutes. Remove from heat and continue until all the batter has been used.

2011 International Blogger Cookie Exchange Roundup

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Andrea

Whew that’s quite the title! The day has arrived where we get a chance to look at all the lovely cookie recipes that were passed around for this year’s cookie exchange!

Please take a look at these links and have fun checking out all the cookies that everyone made!

Diana made Whiskey Molasses cookies, recipe by yours truly.

Rachel made pecan brittle bars.

Alyse made gingerbread cookies.

Jess made oatmeal cookies.

I made Italian Chocolate Meatball Cookies.

Also swing over to Lori’s site to see the rest of the roundup! She’s got a big list of recipes to share!

Thanks to everyone who participated this year! What fun to see all these cookies!

Italian Chocolate Meatball Cookies

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Andrea

For the Holiday Cookie Exchange, I was paired up with Jess! She sent along her recipe for Italian Chocolate Meatball Cookies.

I made a few changes to accomodate what I had on hand along with adjusting to suit our tastes.

Below is the original recipe from Jess:

Italian Chocolate Meatball Cookies

from Dianna Petrella’s recipe (a family friend)

Ingredients

1 cup shortening (yes, you have to use shortening or something like Earth Balance – unfortunately butter just doesn’t work right)

1.5 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 cup warm milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour

5 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup cocoa powder (Hershey’s, Ghirardelli, or Scharffen Berger are good)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cloves

1 cup walnuts (finely chopped)

1 cup raisins

1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl (ideally you would do this in a stand mixer if you have one; I wouldn’t recommend a hand mixer unless you’ve got an industrial strength one). Roll into balls. Bake at 350º for 10-15 minutes. Cool and dip tops into confectionary sugar frosting and sprinkle tops with confetti. Freeze for up to three months. Yields 4-5 dozen.

For frosting, mix 3 cups confectionary sugar, 2 Tbsp milk, and 1 tsp vanilla extract.

My adapations are as follows: