Happy Halloween

Ally is "celebrating" her first Halloween at only 11 days old. She is going to be a bee tonight and will help Mommy, Daddy, Nana, and Pawpaw pass out candy to the neighborhood kids.

new addition to the family....

and hopefully Mommy's helper in the kitchen (when she's a little bigger). The newest family member is taking up a lot of time :)...and I've not been cooking and don't anticipate cooking for a while, which means the blog probably won't be updated for some time (with new recipes anyway). However, even if this post stays at the top for a while....at least you'll have an adorable picture to look at :)!

Ally

Born: October 20th

Weight: 7lbs 6oz

Length: 20.5

Peru Com Bacon

My husband and I recently went to a Brazilian BBQ restaurant in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Although we felt it was a bit pricey for what you got, the experience of servers coming to your table with meat on a stick and carving it off on to your plate is something we won't forget. One of our favorite meats of the night was bacon wrapped turkey bites. We've done something similar with chicken in the past, but we decided to give it a try with a different recipe using turkey. Anything wrapped in bacon is typically good!

Bacon Wrapped Turkey Bites
20 oz skinless boneless turkey breast
½ cup real maple syrup
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 lb package bacon (20 slices)

Cut up the turkey breast into big bite-size pieces about 1 oz each and toss them in a mixture of the maple syrup, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and cayenne. Wrap each piece in a slice of bacon, place on skewer, and grill them for about 15 minutes until cooked all the way through and the bacon is crispy on the edges. Serve immediately. (Can also be served as an appetizer by securing them with a toothpick and broiling them for 15 minutes or until cooked through.)

Brown Sugar White Chip Cookies

I came across a variation of this recipe here. With it looking more like Christmas time around my city (we had a foot of snow this past weekend!!) versus Halloween, I've been in the baking mood. Plus when I looked at the recipe, I realized I had all the ingredients on hand and it would come together fairly quickly (minus the refrigeration time). I used white chocolate chips which were good, but made the cookies VERY sweet. I think I'll use a dark chocolate next time.

Brown Sugar Chip Cookies - adapted from a recipe by Nick Malgieri
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

10 tbs. unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

12 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (or your favorite chip)

Sift together the flour and baking soda. Beat together the butter and brown sugar just until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla, beating until blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated, then add the chocolate chips. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and chill for an hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake cookies until just set in the center, 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Makes 2 dozen.

Stew-pendous Beef Stew

I had been wanting to make beef stew for quite some time. It just reminds me of good comfort food, and since we've been hit with our first major snow fall here in Wyoming this past weekend, I figured it was a good time to make a hearty soup. The recipe doesn't say anything about making this a day ahead and warming it up the next, but that is what I chose to do. I made the stew the evening before I had intended to serve it and put it in the refrigerator to let the flavors really blend together. It was wonderful re-warmed and the leftovers continued to get better. The only thing I would do differently next time, would be to let the potatoes and carrots cook a little longer. They were still a little "crisp" for my taste. Beef Stew

2 lbs stewing beef (cut into 1 to 1 1/2-in cubes)

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

2 Tbls olive oil

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions

1 cup chopped celery

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp herbes de Provence (mixture of basil, marjoram, rosemary, sage, thyme, savory)

2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth

2 Tbls tomato paste

2 Tbls balsamic vinegar

2 bay leaves

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large thin-skinned potatoes (such as Yukon gold), unpeeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 large carrot, chopped

2 Tbls cornstarch

3/4 cup frozen green peas

2 Tbls chopped fresh parsley

Pat beef dry with paper towels. Sprinkle beef lightly all over with seasoned salt. Heat 1 Tbls olive oil in a large pot (preferably non-stick) over medium-high heat. Add half the beef cubes and cook, turning occasionally, until all sides are lightly browned. Remove from pot and keep warm. Repeat with remaining 1 Tbls olive oil and beef cubes. Set browned beef aside. Add onions, celery, and garlic to same pot (you may add a bit more olive oil or 1/4 cup beef broth to pot to prevent sticking). Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Return beef cubes to pot and stir in herbes de Provence. Add beef broth, tomato paste, vinegar, bay leaves, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes. (Make sure it's a low simmer and that mixture is not boiling or it will burn.) Stir in potatoes and carrot. Cover and simmer for 45-50 more minutes. Mix cornstarch with 2 Tbls water until smooth. Add to stew. Mix well and continue to cook until stew is bubbly and has thickened. Stir in peas and parsley and cook just until peas are heated through, about 2 minutes. Serves 6.

Molten Lava Cake

I'm celebrating a "big" birthday today...no I'm not telling which one it is :). Last night my husband made me a fabulous meal....really, it was better than a restaurant could have done. I'm so fortunate he enjoys cooking and doesn't mind spending hours in the kitchen! As a follow-up to my birthday meal, I threw together Molten Lava Cakes for dessert. Yes, they really can be thrown together as they are extremely quick to put together (especially if you melt the chocolate using the microwave). I didn't have enough semi-sweet chocolate but I did have half a bag of peanut butter chips, so I used those instead. The flavor was more mellow than if I would have used the semi-sweet chips, but it was still good!

Paula Deen's Molten Lava Cakes

6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange liqueur (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups. Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.

Orange-Chicken Rice Bowl

The only thing I can really say about this recipe is that the chicken really needed to be marinated in the sauce versus just being cooked in it like the directions indicate. Not a stir-fry I will be making again....

Orange-Chicken Rice Bowl
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 cup Asian toasted sesame dressing
1/4 cup orange juice
3 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables
3 cups hot cooked rice
1/4 cup chopped cocktail peanuts

Heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken, stir-fry 5 to 7 minutes or until done. Stir in dressing and juice. Bring to a boil. Add vegetables, cook 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with nuts. Serves 4.