Loaded Hasselback Potatoes...Hassle of Packing

There is a wonderful saying that I have been reiterating to myself over and over and over again lately...   "God does not put anything in front of you that He thinks you cannot handle."

This has been a very interesting past week, to say the least.....

We learned two weeks ago that the owner of our house wants to take advantage of the strong housing market here and sell the house we have been living in for the past 18 months when we arrived in Colorado.

Oh, and we have 30 days to find another house and move (did I mention the insane real estate market right now - houses are selling and renting in about one hour after they hit the market)...and all of this is going down as we are trying to take our first family vacation in ten years together, this week...oh, and did I also mention that my company has decided to move our offices and accomplish a complete tenant improvement remodel in 30 days and I have to move both my house and office the same weekend.

That being said we are juggling packing for a trip, packing a house and I get to add in packing up an office as well, just to add to the fun.  Breathe in....Breathe out.

Can I just say one thing...there will be many adult beverages consumed for 9 days while I am laying (or passed out) on the beach in Hawaii.  I will also be on a zipline for the first time in my life and since I am terrified of heights, I can scream out all my tension and packing stress throughout the rain forrest.

These potatoes practically cook themselves if you find yourself trying to squeeze in preparing dinner while packing.

Loaded Hasselback Potatoes

4 russet potatoes
1/4 cup unsalted butter, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 slices bacon, diced
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a sharp knife, make crosswise cuts in each potato, about 1/8-inch apart, stopping about 1/4 inch from the bottom. Add butter slices to between the cuts; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer potatoes to a baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until the outsides are browned and crisp, about 1 hour. Top with cheese and bake until melted, an additional 5 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve potatoes immediately, topped with sour cream, bacon and chives.

**  I served these with beef fillet medallions, sauteed mushrooms and a portabella demi-glace sauce.

Happy Mother's Day Brunch with German Pancakes

Happy Mother's Day!

Today has been an amazing day.  Started with a dozen, beautiful mixed colored roses and a giant balloon.
I have never had a giant balloon before - very sweet.

My husband and the girls made me a phenomenal breakfast...better than any brunch buffet you could order up.  The very impressive menu included freshly made fruit salad, cinnamon muffins, German pancakes, bacon, hash browns and finished it off with Eggs Benedict.  Absolutely delicious at every level.  The best part was I didn't have to cook or do any of the dishes.

After breakfast we watched Frozen in our pajamas, which was fitting since it started snowing last night and hasn't stopped.  Then it was a full relaxing day of even more movies, snuggling in blankets, 2 naps and a little bit of laundry to get the week started.  All in all, a terrific Mother's Day that couldn't have been better.

On special weekends back in California we had a favorite restaurant that served German pancakes.  I was so grateful when my grandmother gave me a recipe for the exact pancake...love these treats!!!

German Pancakes
Dedicated To All The Moms, Grandmas, Aunts, Sisters and Wives

1/2 cup all purpose or unbleached flour
2 Tbl sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 Tbl margarine or butter

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off.  In medium bowl, combine all pancake ingredients, except butter.  Beat with a wire whisk or rotary beater until smooth.

Place butter in 9 inch pie pan; melt in oven just until butter sizzles, 2 to 4 minutes.  Remove pan from oven; tilt to coat bottom with melted butter.  Immediately pour batter into hot pan.  Bake at 425 degrees for 14 to 10 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Kentucky Derby Menu

I had all the best intentions to finish up this post and publish yesterday for our celebration of the Kentucky Derby menu that we did this weekend...always a day late and dollar short, as they say.  However, given that we were still in school project mode, I had to supervise Shakespeare's Globe Theater construction, get the house ready for dinner guests and that pretty much summed up the day - gone in the blink of an eye, while my husband continued with the BBQ island construction and three more trips to Home Depot.

This dinner totally hit the spot after a long, hot and very errand filled day.  I would definitely make this dinner a few times again, before next year's Derby.  The girls and I were everywhere gathering up the last minute project supplies, grocery shopping, searching for a few summer clothes pieces and the inevitable girls outing luncheon which gives us some girl talk time and gets me caught up on all the goings on with them, their friends and classmates, because I try to be an "in the know" mom like that.

Kentucky Hot Brown Panini 

Panini:

roasted turkey breast (enough for 2 large sandwiches)
4 slices thick hickory smoked bacon, cooked
4 slices Heirloom tomatoes, lightly salted and peppered and broiled in the oven
Mornay Sauce (recipe below)
4 slices thick brioche bread (pullman style, if possible)

Mornay Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup grated, good sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
Dash Worcestershire Sauce

For panini:
Preheat Panini Grill. Put the heat on a lower setting at first.

Assemble the sandwich layering the bread, turkey, tomatoes, bacon and finally topping with a little Mornay Sauce and the bread.

When the grill is ready, place sandwiches on the grill for a few minutes until sandwich is warmed throughout.

Turn up the heat for a few minutes, checking to make sure the bread is nicely browned and toasted. Remove and serve with additional Mornay Sauce, if desired.

For Mornay Sauce:
In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is pale, about 1 minute. Do not allow it to brown. Slowly whisk in the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and whisk in the grated cheeses until they have completely melted. Add salt, freshly ground white pepper and Worcestershire Sauce to taste. Serve immediately.

Bluegrass Salad
Courtesy of Southern Living Magazine

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
3/4 cup walnuts
2 heads romaine lettuce, torn
2 pears, chopped
1 cup asparagus tips*
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Whisk together first 4 ingredients. Chill at least 1 hour.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; add walnuts, and sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove walnuts with a slotted spoon.

Toss together lettuce, pears, asparagus, and toasted walnuts. Sprinkle with cheese and cranberries; drizzle with dressing.

Derby Pie Bars
Courtesy of thekitchn.com

For the shortbread crust
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed

For the filling
12 tablespoons (1 + 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey (or more to taste)
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350°.

To make the crust, combine the powdered sugar, flour, and salt In the bowl of a food processor. Add cubes of butter and pulse until it resembles coarse cornmeal. (You can also use your fingers or a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter. Whatever is easiest for you.) Firmly pat the mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake the crust for about 20 to 23 minutes until just lightly golden.


To make the filling, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, flour, salt, and bourbon and continue to mix until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour batter over partially baked crust. Bake until filling is set and the top is light golden brown, approximately 25 minutes. Allow bars to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into 2-inch squares (or desired size). 

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Margarita Cupcakes

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!  We celebrated yesterday with Heather and Matt with Beef Fajitas, Homemade Guacamole and Mexican Rice and Beans.  I was so happy to have found my authentic Mexican dishes to serve the salsa and tamales in.  My sister-in-law and I were in Mexico about 20 years ago and our group came upon this tiny restaurant on the beach with the most unbelievable food and drinks.

The little grandma let Jodi and I tour her kitchen and because we were (and still are) dish fanatics, she actually let us buy some of her dishes right out of the kitchen.  Great memories of that day and these dishes always bring me back to it.

Needless to say, we had food coma by the end of the night, but certainly made enough room for Key Lime Pie and Margarita Cupcakes.

Margarita Cupcakes
Courtesy of Brown Eyed Baker, May 2011

For the Cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
Zest and juice of 1½ limes
2 tablespoons tequila
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk

To Brush the Cupcakes:
1 to 2 tablespoons tequila (I prefer Patron Silver).  
**I believe you should only cook with something that you would actually drink.

For the Tequila-Lime Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2¾ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila
Pinch of coarse salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

3. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and tequila. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don't worry, it will all come back together, power on!)

6. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.

7. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pan at the halfway point.

8. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of tequila. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.

9. To make the frosting, whip the butter on medium-high speed of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the lime juice, tequila and salt mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes and garnish, if desired, with lime zest, an additional sprinkling of salt and a lime wedge.

*Note #1: If you would prefer to not use liquor in these cupcakes, you can absolutely omit it from both the cupcakes and the frosting with no problem. If you do omit it, I would add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract to the frosting.

White Pizza and Marky's Mark

As if we didn't have enough projects going on in our house, which is not unusual at any given day, my husband has decided to build us a custom island / eating bar for our BBQ.  This means two things:  my patio is very messy and will look like a construction zone for a few weeks and in those few weeks that also means no grilling from my husband....very unfortunate on both of those points.

Really missing our BBQ right now.

I have made it a lifelong goal to never learn how to grill, because if I learn how to grill then I too will be grilling.  I have enough going on typically inside the kitchen, let alone trying to deal with watching what's going on outside.  Besides, if I learn how to grill, then I would probably start showing up my husbands grill'n skills (we tend to get a little competitive around here).  As we know, he can get a little distracted, especially while with his brother..

His only saving grace is he invented a new summer drink for us.  We were both too tired to venture out to the store for beverages, so we did a pantry/refrigerator purge and came up with a really great new cocktail.

Marky's Mark
Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, Welch's Passion Fruit Juice and
a splash of Cranberry Juice

Since the BBQ is on hiatus, we fired up our pizza stone and recreated one of our favorite pizzas from back in the day when we first met.  On special occasions we would frequent a restaurant called Paoli's.  The most unbelievable White (Alfredo Sauce) Pizza you could possibly imagine.  Trust me, once you have had alfredo pizza you will never want red sauce again.....

Alfredo Sauce
Courtesy of Pioneer Woman

1 stick butter
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan

In a saucepan or skillet over low heat, warm the butter and cream. Season with salt and pepper.
Place half of the Parmesan into a large serving bowl. Pour the warm butter/cream mixture over the top.
Add the other half of Parmesan cheese as desired to taste.

Taco (Tortilla Bowl) Salad

Once again it is a non-stop week for all of us here.  We just finished our last competitive volleyball tournament and are starting high school open gym again, in preparation for August try-outs.

Three weeks left of school and the final projects are starting to filter in.  Luckily, the girls are giving me a little more warning than they did for "The Pit and The Pendulum".

So, on the docket this week has been Romeo and Juliet play, make backdrop scene for their play that shows a World War I tank, one had to make soldier patches and this weekend will serve up one of them making a model of Shakespeare's Globe Theater.  Needless to say I have already made 3 trips to Hobby Lobby this week.  I'm sure I'll be visiting there at least a few more times before the weekend is over.

All I can say is thank The Lord that I majored in design and can work my way through these projects and help guide the girls through discovering their creative sides.  More importantly though is that I married the right man who has all the cool tools and tricks of the trade to make the projects happen, along with my endless drafting, scrapbooking and art supplies we have collected through the years.

Due to our crazy schedules, not a lot of time this week for experimenting with new recipes and gourmet tastings. I needed quick, easy and hopefully satisfying and tasty dinners to get us through the late night art endeavors.

I am not normally one to get drawn in to buying those "As Seen On TV" items, but taco nights were getting boring (as I have been told by some family members), so I thought I would try my hand at homemade tortilla bowls and make taco salads this week.

I have to admit these great little oven ready molds are awesome for a quick tortilla bowl in just 7 minutes.  I think we'll try fajita salads for Cinco de Mayo with margaritas and key lime cupcakes next week!!

Tortilla Bowl Taco Salads

Prep and bake flour tortillas per packed directions from Perfect Tortilla Pan Set.

Layer the following, starting at the bottom:
Prepared Refried Beans
Cooked Ground Beef or Ground Turkey with Taco Seasoning
Prepared Mexican Rice
Shredded Mexican Blend Cheddar Cheese
Shredded Lettuce
Freshly Cut Diced Tomatoes
Sliced Avocados
Spoonful of Sour Cream
Top with Seasoned Tortilla Strips

Pizzette, Soup, Naked and Afraid

My husband and I have decided to go on the Naked and Afraid diet.  We have become addicted to the Discovery Channel television series and cannot stop watching it (the kids are even hooked).

I have all the respect for any woman that can just get dropped off into a remote jungle, go bare naked (with maybe not the best figure) and then spend three weeks with a complete stranger, eating termites and making her own bikini out of palm leaves, (all while being filmed on national television and on the internet) - yes, that is a very brave woman.  The best part of all, is they are losing anywhere from 25 - 40 pounds in just three weeks!!  That's the kind of results I would love to have...and they come out of the competition completely tan - it's like an instant makeover!!

Here is our question though....if the man and woman are naked, fending for their own food, shelter and making fires from dried grass and a stick...what are the camera crew, medics and producers doing at the same time?  Are they across a stream living it up in a 10-person Coleman camping adventure tent with built-in shower and a bonfire and grilling up some ribeye steaks?

Or, is the whole thing really filmed in some Burbank, California studios backlot?  Hmmm......

Well at any rate, I'm sure eating this pizza schmeared with herbed cream cheese spread will not help my diet cause, but it sure tastes amazing.

My go to kitchen staple that is always in the refrigerator.

I cannot take any credit for this creative recipe.  My friend Toni in Alaska ( A Taste of Alaska  ) taught me this trick with a simple pre-made pie crust dough and I have been hooked ever since.

I always start with one of the Alouette flavors and build it from there with different veggies, cheeses and toppings.

Served it with a figure friendly minestrone soup to keep it light.

Alouette Pizzette
Courtesy of Toni

(1) Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust (unbaked) and brought to room temperature
3 ounces (1/2 of container) of Alouette cheese spread
4 ounces of button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
3 ounces of prepared black olive tapenade
4 Tbl. finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out pie crust on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Spread Alouette cheese all over pie crust.  Fold over edges of pie crust (about 1/2" all around) to frame the crust.

Spread tapenade over cheese spread, add mushrooms and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake approximately 30-40 minutes or until pie crust edges are golden brown and cheeses have melted.

Mediterranean Meatballs and Cake Pops

The girls made it home safe and sound from their tournament travels (with one sprained ankle, again).
We are back in full force of schedules this week and in the final month of school.  They are counting down the days for summer to be here and to work on their tans.

They wanted to make a fun dessert over their spring break and since I was trying to keep them busy during that time, we all agreed on attempting cake pops....very spring-like and really sweet and delicious.

I am still on my cream cheese recipe kick and trying to use it all up.  I acquired a Kraft Foods cookbook many years ago (one of those "free with purchase") books, that I absolutely love.

I thought I would try this one out because anything I can make with either olives and/or capers, is a huge hit with my husband.  This one did not disappoint.  Truly easy, good and definitely a keeper.

Mediterranean Meatballs with Couscous
Adaptation from Kraft Foods

1 lb.  ground pork  (I used 1/2 pork and 1/2 ground beef mixture)

1 cup  dry bread crumbs (I had Panko crumbs on hand and it worked perfectly)

1/2 cup  (1/2 of 8-oz. brick) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup  finely chopped onions

1/ 4 cup  finely chopped stuffed green olives with pimentos

1 egg

2 cloves  garlic, minced

1/2 tsp.  dried oregano leaves

2 Tbsp.  olive oil

2 cups   prepared marinara sauce

2 cups  hot cooked couscous

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

Mix first 8 ingredients until well blended; shape into 24 balls, using about 2 Tbsp. for each. (I used my cookie scoop for easier portioning).

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add meatballs; cook 5 to 6 min. or until evenly browned, turning occasionally. Add sauce; simmer on medium-low heat 10 to 15 min. or until meatballs are done

Make your favorite couscous, according to packaged directions.  When couscous is done, add the thawed peas and let warm through.

Serve meatballs and sauce over prepared couscous mixed with peas.

Cheese Souffles

Last night I put my teenagers on a plane for their weekend tournament...and then I cried.  Their last words to me before boarding the plane (other than "I Love You"), "mom, please don't cry".  So, I held it together and then the tears came after they went through the doors.  I never understood why my mom always cried (and still does) at the airport...now, I completely understand.

Know this now, I am not going to make a great (or even good one, for that matter) empty nester.  I hate the quiet, empty house...no commotion or sounds at all (other than snoring dogs)...I even miss their sibling bickering when they are gone.  Theo was also depressed last night, jumping back and forth from my lap to my husband's lap, looking for love and reassurance that his best friend will be coming home.  I have no doubt that our number of labrador retrievers will double, once my daughters leave me and go off to college.

Since I had an over abundance of cream cheese from all the Easter baking this week, here is a great recipe for a quiet, empty nester, date night...served with grilled tri tip steak and caesar salad.

Easiest Souffle Ever

Courtesy of Kraft Foods

6 eggs, separated

1 tub   (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

BEAT egg whites in medium bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Beat cream cheese spread in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add egg yolks; beat until well blended. Gently stir in egg whites until well blended.

POUR into 1-1/2-qt. baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
** I actually dividided the mixture into 4 ramekin dishes for individual souffles.

BAKE 24 to 26 min. or until top is puffed and golden brown. 

Easter "Cheesecake" Baskets

It is Easter Basket time again for all the little children (and 15 year olds).  We celebrated Easter last weekend, since the girls will be away Easter weekend for volleyball.

We have a tradition at our house that started when the girls were born.  Since we are not really into the overload of candy in the baskets and Easter arrives in the spring, each year the girls get new swimsuits in their baskets to start the summer off.

There is also either a new piece of jewelry, hair accessories, nail polish and lip gloss to top them off.

This year I did bend a bit and put in some extra special candy.  I have become addicted to the television show "The Profit" and saw an episode last month on Sweet Pete's in Jacksonville, Florida.  It was such a charming and touching story of a husband and wife team and the American Dream of owning your own business.

I couldn't resist when I went to their website the next day and saw these darling little gift boxes...so of course, "Add To Cart" I did.

I also made my traditional Mini Cheesecake Easter Baskets that I have been making since forever.  I love these adorable desserts.  Perfectly proportioned and so festive for the spring season.

Mini Cheesecake Baskets
Courtesy of Kraft Foods

12  NILLA Wafers (I used lemon flavored ones this year - yummy)

2 pkg.  (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened, room temperature

1/2 cup  sugar

1/2 tsp.  vanilla

2  eggs

1-1/2 cups  BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut, tinted green

36 small  jelly beans

12 pieces  red string licorice (4 inch each)

HEAT oven to 350°F.

PLACE 1 wafer in each of 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add eggs; beat just until blended. Spoon over wafers.

BAKE 20 min. or until centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 2 hours.

TOP with coconut and jelly beans just before serving. Bend each licorice piece, then insert both ends into cheesecake to resemble the handle of a basket.

How to Tint Coconut: 

Place coconut and a few drops green food coloring in small resealable plastic bag. Seal bag. Shake bag gently until coconut is evenly tinted. (I recommend using food prep gloves, when putting the coconut on the cakes, to avoid staining your hands).