Pea Salad

This is such a simple salad and yet it taste to wonderful. It rounds out an meal nicely. It's my moms broccoli salad recipe adapted for my non broccoli eating husband. The sweet peas and crunchy romaine were great together. This recipe doubled easily or can be cut in half just as easily. 

This salad can be made in advance. Just throw everything together except for the romaine, it' will get soggy and  limp in the dressing. Slice and store separately, just stir in right before serving.

12 oz. frozen peas, thawed

1 heart of romaine, very thinly sliced

1/4 c. real bacon bits

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 carrots, grated

3/4 c. mayo

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp. sugar

Dash black pepper

Salt to taste

Whisk together the mayo, vinegar, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. 

Stir in remaining ingredients. Chill for 30 minutes.

Homemade Oreo Cookies (Gluten Free)

3/4 c. Arrowhead mills gluten free All-purpose baking mix

1/2 c. cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. sugar

10 Tbsp. butter

1 egg

Mix all the dry stuff, beat in the butter cold and then the egg. 

Use about a tsp of dough per cookie, don't be tempted to make them any bigger, they spread quite a bit. Roll the dough into balls and flatten slightly. Place on an ungreased, tin foil lined, baking pan about 2-inched apart. 

Bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, take the tin foil off the cookies pan and let cool. 

Once the cookies are completely cool pipe frosting into the middle and top with another cookie.

A regular buttercream frosting is nice. Other flavors that are good are mint, or the ones in the picture are pumpkin spice. 

Pumpkin spice buttercream

1 stick butter

1 (3.4 oz) Pumpkin Spice Instant pudding mix

1 Tsp. vanilla extract

Powdered sugar

Beat the butter until fluffy. Beat in the pudding mix, and vanilla. 

Beat in powdered sugar, half a cup at a time until stiff. 

Caramel Cream

 I want to say, I'm not usually a fan of cool whip. I actually hate the stuff on it's own. But in this recipe I wanted the stability it has, it doesn't run or wilt like real whipped cream does but it still provides the fluffyness and the caramel covers the funny taste. If you are going to use it right away real whipped cream will probably work. If you are making it the day before, I recommend the cool whip.

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 c.corn syrup

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. butter

12 oz. cool whip

Combine the brown sugar, white, sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream, and butter in a  pan. Boil over medium heat, without stirring, until soft ball stage (235*F)

Remove from heat and let cool until cool enough to touch. Add to a mixer and beat until cool. Add the cool whip, about a cup at a time, until all mixed in. Keep beating until the cream loses some of it's gloss. 

Use the cream as frosting to fill cupcakes, crepes, or cream canoes. Or I used it in little desserts cups, I was trying to mimic Olive gardens dolcinis. 

For my dolcinis I put some crushed chocolate cookies on the bottom, a layer of chocolate silk in the middle, and then I piped the caramel cream on top and garnished with chocolate curls.

Harry Potter Party

Any true fan knows how you get to Hogwarts. Flying car is NOT advisable. 

This idea for the magical barrier looked cool and would be really fun.

So we started off with by welcoming everyone to Hogwarts. I split everyone into houses to play the games so they got a crest. Or if you don't want to print and cut them all out rings work too (Also a safety pin so they wouldn't lose it and some tape to attach it to the pin so neither showed)

I also had a caldron full of pens to take the test with but I forgot a picture of that part and had to make do with setting it up again at home. Another fun idea I had but didn't do was to pull the center out of the pen, the thin part that contains the ink and push it into a feather for quills.

Since this is me, and I like to eat, we started out with the food. 

Our Start of term feast included

Butter beer

Cauldron cakes

Pumpkin Pasties

Steak Pie

For the butter beer I used caramel Italian soda syrup, half-an-half, and either club soda or in my case water and dry ice. I reccomend the Da Vinci brand syrup, you can usually find it at Sams Club. 

After eating we all took our O.W.L. (Ordinary Wizarding Level) 

Since this was a baby shower we matched the baby from the book with it's description. We had Harry Potter, Dudley Dursley, the mandrake, Aragog, and Norbert. 

Instead of prizes for winning the game you got points in your house cup. You got 1 point if you got three or more right and 2 points if you got all five.

Then we went over to Honeydukes with shopping bags (6 in a pack at the dollar store!)

Here is my previous post on making your own candy shop.

But that trip had a catch. There is a get to know you game where you pass around a bag of candy and for however many you took you had to tell something about yourself. We did a variation of that. For however many packages you got from the candy shop you had to describe a scene from one of the books or movie. Whoever guessed which book or movie it was got a point in their house cup. 

And we had a photo booth off to the side.

We had some very informative wall decorations

And last but not least, Nagini was on the table for presents. 

Other things I did not a picture of include one very nice movie grade time turner, Beltrix Lestrange, Nymphadora Tonks, and a Death Eater complete with Dark mark.

And of course what really made the night was having fun with some great friends and fellow Harry Potter fans. So thank you to everyone who came and had a great time.


And Gryffindor won the house cup. 

Harry Potter Party Preview

Ok, so I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan. And I'm hosting a Harry Potter themes baby shower for a friend who is also a huge Harry Potter fan. 

I'll post more of the details later, but to start with we have the invitations and then 

the candy for the Honeydukes station.

 The letter in color and wording was styled to look like Harrys acceptance letter to Hogwarts.

And for the candy I got mini favor bags from the wedding section at Wal-mart and printed out my own labels. I filled the bags, folded the label over the top and stapled it shut. 

The candy is

Acid Drops - Warhead sours

Basilisk Babies - Green Apple Twizlers

Golden Snitch - Caramel Lindt Balls

 Cockroach Clusters - Crushed Pretzel Crisps and chocolate

Potion Powder - Colored sugar in apothecary bottles. They came like the in the Halloween section of Wal-mart. They were too cute to pass up

Dragons Eggs - Chocolate covered cashews set in a round candy mold

Corn and Orzo salad

8 oz. orzo (or 2 c. cooked quinoa)

2 large onions, chopped

2 lb frozen corn kernels 

1/2 stick butter

1 Tbsp. Turbinado sugar (or white sugar)

Salt to taste

4 oz. cream cheese, softened and cubed

4 chipotles in adobo, chopped

4.5 oz real bacon, bacon bits

Fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Cook the bacon bits in a large non-stick skillet until they are crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the pan you cooked the bacon in, without cleaning it out, melt the butter and add the onions. Saute over medium heat until he onions are translucent. Add the corn, sugar, and salt and continue to cook on medium until the corn is thawed. Turn the heat to medium high and cook only stirring every few minutes or when the corn and onions on the bottom of the pan start to brown. Cook until the corn and onions are caramelized

Meanwhile cook the orzo in salted water until al dent. Drain and toss with a little oil to prevent sticking.

Toss together the caramelized corn, cooked orzo, and cream cheese. Stir to combine. Add the bacon bits and the chipotle. Top with the fresh parsley for color if using and serve.

Skillet Quinoa Hoppin Johns

1 lb  kielbasa, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

3 c. chicken broth

1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 c. uncooked quinoa

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. oregano

Saute the onion and kielbasa together until the onion is almost tender. 

Add the bell pepper and cook another 2 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer on medium until the quinoa is cooked and the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. 

Kielbasa Pasta

This is my version on "Creamy Jambalaya Pasta" from Plain Chicken via pinterest.  I changed things a little to make it a one pot dinner. 

This would also be a great place to use up leftover cooked chicken or ham. Just throw it in towards the end of cooking to heat it up. 

1 lb kielbasa, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

9 oz. small pasta

4 c.water

4 beef bouillon cubes

4 oz tomato sauce

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 tsp parsely

1 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1/8 tsp. oregano

1/8 tsp. thyme

3 Tbsp flour

In a large pan saute the kielbasa, when you can start to smell the kielbasa cooking add the onion, usually about 2 - 3 minutes. When the onion is tender add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. 

Add all the remaining ingredients, except for flour and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is tender. 

Combine the flour and just enough water to make a pasta. Stir into hot simmering pasta and cook for another minute or two.

Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta

2 c. heavy cream

1 c. whole milk

1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 packets knox unflavored gelatin

1 - 2 lb fresh strawberries

1/4 c. sugar

3 Tbsp clear gel

Sprinkle the gelatin over the milk, stir, and let stand for 5 minutes. 

Heat the cream and sugar until simmering but not boiling. Stir in the milk and gelatin mixture. Cook, stirring, for 2 - 3 minutes. Just enough to melt the gelatin.

Pour into molds or pretty glass dishes and chill.

Slice strawberries, toss with sugar and let sit for 1 hour. Stir in the clear gel and wait 20 minutes before serving.

When ready to serve run the bottom of the mold under hot water and invert on a plate or serve in glass dishes.

3 Ingredient Blender silk

I want to say the simplicity of this is what makes it so good but it's not. The taste and texture are what make it perfect. The simplicity is just a bonus. My friend pours this on top of a baked cake and lets it set up there. I poured it into tiny cups as a cute individual serving of silk.
Because this doesn't have any additional sweetener be careful with the chocolate you use, go a little lighter than what you like to eat.

12 oz. chocolate, milk are dark
  1 c. milk

4 eggs

Place the chocolate chips in the blender. Scald the milk and pour over the chips. Blend on medium speed for a couple minutes. Scrape the bottom to make sure the chips are stuck there. Add the eggs and blend on high for about 10 minutes, until steam starts to form in the top. 

Pour into cups or on top of a baked cake and chill for at least 4 hours.

Chimichurri Quinoa Bowl

 

1 large bunch cilantro, leaves picked from the stems

1 sprig fresh oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c. olive oil

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

4 cloves garlic

2 shallots

1/4 c. pickled jalapeno slices

black pepper

6 oz. fresh baby spinach, chopped

 2 chicken breasts

3 c. cooked quinoa, hot

Pre-heat the oven to 400. 

Combine 2 Tbsp. olive oil, vinegar, salt, garlic cloves, shallots, jalapeno slices, and black pepper in a blender. Pulse until mostly smooth and vegetables are chopped. Add the cilantro and oregano and blend until well chopped but not smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.

Trim the chicken and cut in half lengthwise. Top each of the four chicken pieces with and eighth of the cilantro mix. Bake at 400 until the chicken is cook through and bits of the cilantro start to brown.

Remove from oven and slice.

Meanwhile, add remaining olive oil to the remaining chimichurri sauce. Add the sauce to a large frying pan along with the spinach. Cook the spinach over medium heat until dark brown, stirring constantly. 

Layer in bowls 3/4 c. cooked quinoa, a quarter of the spinach, and 1 piece of chicken.

Enjoy!

Quinoa and Greens

I love quinoa, it's tasty and nutritious. The other day for dinner, thanks to "Iowa girl Eats" via pinterest, I made a quinoa dinner we all loved. I highly recommend it. But then I started thinking of other quinoa bowl varieties that would be good.

2 1/2 c. Water
2 Chicken bouillon cubes
1 c. Quinoa

Unsalted butter or olive oil
2 large chicken breasts
Season salt

1 1/2 c. Water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Unsalted butter or olive oil
2 c. Broccoli florets, chopped into small pieces
4 c. Fresh baby spinach
2 c. Fresh or frozen green beans, cut into half inch pieces
1 c. Small pieces of zucchini, optional
1/2 onion, chopped
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
Dash salt

Bring the water to a boil, add the chicken bouillon and quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer. Cook about 20 minutes, remove the lid and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender.

Meanwhile, trim the chicken of fat and cut in half lengthwise. Sprinkle with season salt and cook in oil until browned on both sides and cooked through. Set aside and keep warm.

Immediately add 1 cup of water and bouillon cube to the pan while it's still hot. Stir to lift up the fond from the bottom of the pan. Combine the cornstarch and remaining water. Whisk into the hot liquid and stir until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Pour into a bowl.

Add more butter to the pan. Saute the onion until slightly tender. Add the broccoli, green beans, spinach, and zucchini if using. Lightly salt and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are cooked to desired doneness. Add the garlic and cook 1 - 2 minutes longer. 

Layer in bowls cooked quinoa, green veggies, sliced chicken, and drizzle with chicken glaze.

Ham and Bean Soup

Perfect for cold weather, bean soups are a great way to use up a leftover ham bone. I cooked my ham in the crock pot. Feel free to use any leftover meat in your soup. The other thing I used in my soup was all the liquid from the bottom of the crock pot. Just stir into the soup at the same time as the onion and carrots.

1 lb dry white beans

1 leftover ham bone

12 c. water

24 oz. tomato sauce

1 Knorr Homestyle vegetable stock pod
(This vegetable stock is not gluten free, make sure you substitute one that is for a gf soup)

1 large onion, chopped

4 large carrots, grated

3/4 c. half-an-half

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco (optional)

Soak the white beans overnight, changing the water at least once. 

Drain the beans again and cover with water. Simmer for 2 hours until the beans are starting to soften up. Drain the liquid. Add the 12 cups of water, ham bone, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock pod. 

Simmer for 4 hours.

Remove the ham bone. Shred any meat from the bone and return it to the pot. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the half-an-half and simmer until heated through.