Recipe #111: Beef Udon Salad

for lack of a better name...

You need:
Beef Strips
Potatoes, cut in chunks
apple, sliced
two bundles of Udon noodles
edamame

for sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin
1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 Tbsp sesame seed
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

• mix sauce in crock pot
• add apples, potatoes, and beef
• cook on high for about 3 hours
• last 10 minutes boil udon 
• boil edamame
• mix it up or leave it separate! 

Recipe #110: Grilled White Pizza

Tonight I think I had the best pizza we have ever made! White pizza doesn't use tomato based sauces...and I am totally not a sauce person, so white pizza is perfect for me and with the hint of garlic, it was WONDERFUL! Plus something about white pizza with chicken and garlic just screams fall...I don't know why, but if the weather would like to oblige I would be most grateful!

You need:

Pizza Dough (I used our bread dough)

olive oil

cooked, shredded chicken

mozzarella

2 cloves garlic, crushed

pepper

• heat up grill
• roll out pizza dough
• drizzle some olive oil around the top of the pizza.
• spread the chicken and garlic top
• top with cheese
• add a titch more olive oil and some pepper
• grill for about 15 minutes or until it looks done.
• be prepared for absolute deliciousness!

Recipe #109: Pumpkin Pancakes

I had some of of the pumpkin puree left so thought that making pancakes would be a marvelous idea! And it was! I got this recipe a while ago from a friend and finally got around to making it!

You need:
1 egg
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup pumpkin
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 cup flour (1/2 whole wheat 1/2 white)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
sprinkles of nutmeg and cinnamon
2-5 Tbsp milk

• beat egg, yogurt, pumpkin, and butter
• add rest of ingredients
• add milk if too dry (mine was, so I added a little bit of milk and then a little more!)

Tastes great with maple syrup or cinnamon butter! 

Recipe #108: Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread

Fall is upon us, I was pretty excited to make this all week...but then I wasn't sure if  I loved the taste, not pumpkiny enough...
Another great recipe from the Artisan Bread is five minutes a day book!

You need:
1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin puree
2 cups lukewarm water
11/2 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
5 Tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup old fashion oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rye flour (I did have any so used all whole wheat instead)
4 cups white flour

• Mix together water, yeast, salt, and butter
• add in oatmeal, pumpkin, and flours
• cover and allow to rest for about 2 hours
• refrigerate if not using right away
• When ready to bank... cut off a cantaloupe size piece
• shape into a ball 
• place in a greased loaf pan
• allow to rise for 40 minutes if using right away or 2 hours if dough has been refridgerated
• preheat oven to 350
• place loaf in oven, pour 1 cup hot water in the broiler tray
• bake for 45-50 minutes or until firm.

so here is what the first loaf looked like...

Tastes great with Cinnamon Butter!

The second loaf I rolled it out and sprinkled on some cinnamon and sugar and then about a 1/4 cup of dried cranberries! I am going to take it to school tomorrow to share with my team during our planning. Hopefully it will taste good! :)

Recipe #107: Cinnamon Butter

I made this to go with some pumpkin bread I made today! (Recipe coming tomorrow) It was super easy and tastes amazing.
I found the recipe here and doubled it...

You need:
1 stick of butter, softened (8 Tbsp)
4 Tbsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp powdered sugar

• mix together, put in fridge to firm up again

next time I think I will use a little less cinnamon.
Picture coming tomorrow!

Recipe #106: Yakiniku

I had some beef in the freezer. I am the worst when it comes knowing how to work with beef, but i was in the mood for asian, so I sliced it thinly and made an easy japanese dish...its easier in Japan because we buy premade sauces but I had found a recipe online that tastes pretty similar...now i just need to figure out how to get the right kind of meat like we used in japan!

You need:
Thinly sliced beef
Yakiniku tare:
3/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp grated apple
2 scallions, thinly sliced (i actually left this out)
2-3 cloves garlic, grated
4 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp black pepper

• Mix the yakiniku tare together. 
• Allow the beef to marinate for at least 10 minutes
• Cook for about 10 minutes or until meat is cooked through

I had let it simmer for a while, to let the rice finish cooking. The sauce thickened up a lot so next time i might add in a little water so its not so thick, and so that it is more like how my mom made it, but Will seemed to like it that way!

baguettes

People, if you haven't started making your own bread yet, I want to know what is holding you back! It is SO easy! I still mix up the dough, but on several occasions I have come home to find that will made a loaf for his lunch that day! We haven't bough any bread in the last month for sure! :)

So today with our chicken parmesan I decided to make a baguette, which is just a variation of the original boule bread so make that first.

this was my first time trying a baguette so it didn't look great but is really easy.

• make the dough and allow to rise as normal. 
• before baking, take out the portion of dough, form it into a ball
• then use your hands to stretch it to elongate it, until it is about 2 inches in diameter
• sit it on a pizza peel covered in whole wheat flour.
• rest for 20 minutes
• preheat oven and stone for 20 minutes
• before baking, sprinkle water on top and slash diagonally with a knife.
• add 1 cup water to the boil pan inside the oven
• bake for 20-30 minutes or until it is crusty brown.

I could have let it go longer but needed to put the chicken in! :)

After eating this bread, I realized how much more delicious white bread is than wheat...why does it have ot be like that? :)

Recipe #105: Easy Chicken Parmesan

When I was thinking about what to make tonight, I checked back several times to make sure I hadn't already made this. It has been one of my staples, I was sure I had already made it! But I didn't so I get to share the recipe tonight!
This is about as easy and delicious as it can get!

You need:
About 4 chicken breasts, cut up into smaller pieces
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I used a spinach and cheese one that added a nice flavor)
6 Tbsp Parmesan (I actually didn't have any, but normally put it in)
1 1/2 cups mozzarella

• pour sauce into a 9x13 baking dish (I was used a 8x8 dish because I didn't use as much chicken
• add 4 Tbsp of parmesan
• add chicken and mix to coat with sauce
• bake at 375 for about 30 minutes
• top with remaining parmesan and mozzarella for about 5 more minutes.
• enjoy with your choice or noodles or rice!

hot out of the oven! 

delicious with homemade bread!

Recipe #104: Peppermint Hot Chocolate

so everyone has those leftover candy canes from last christmas that you didn't get around to eating. not all of you may have a husband that actually eats those like be, but they are the perfect addition to a cup of coffee or hot chocolate!

you need:
pack of hot chocolate
one or two mini candy canes
whipped cream

• add crushed up pieces of candy canes to bottom of mug
• add hot chocolate mix.
• add water and stir thoroughly
• top with whipped cream and another couple of pieces of candy cane!

it is a wonderful peppermint taste! 

Recipe #103: Banana-Blueberry Cake

This has become a regular for my mom, I was a little nervous trying it myself! it is from a recipe found here, but my mom added the blueberries!

you need:
1/3 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup blueberries
powdered sugar

• cream shortening and sugar
• add eggs, one at a time. beat well then add vanilla
• mix in bananas
• combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt in a little bowl
• alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream to banana mixture, stir until just combined
• add walnuts
• pour into a greased and floured fluted tube pan. add blueberries to the top (they should sink to the bottom but mine didn't...)
• bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until done (mine took about 40 min)
• cool for 10 minutes in pan and then remove to cool completely
• dust with powdered sugar before serving

Recipe #102: Sauteed Garlic Green Beans

A quick side to our tortilla.

you need:
green beans
olive oil
minced garlic

Heat oil in pan
add green beans and garlic
heat until cooked through

Recipe #101: Spanish Tortilla

This recipe brings me back to my wonderful time in Spain one summer during college! Will doesn't like onions so I took out the onion and added bacon instead!

You need:
8 small potatoes
1 onion (or 5 pieces of bacon, cut up in small pieces)
5-6 eggs
lots of oil

• heat oil, cut up potatoes and onions
• first fry up bacon, take out save for later
• heat potatoes and onions until soft
• mix up eggs
• pour out oil
• add eggs to potatoes. Allow the bottom to set
• once it seems to be firm on the bottom, take a plate to help you turn the torilla over.
• cook until seems done all the way through

it was more potatoy then i remembered it supposed to be...i am wondering if i mixed up the number of eggs and potatoes! :) i wouldn't be surprised!

Recipe #100: The almost subway sweet teriyaki sub sandwich!

Recipe 100 was a leftover recipe! I used the chicken and onions from a recipe here to make a tasty sandwich.

you need:
Half of a sub roll
Left over Adobe chicken and onions
cheese
lettuce

Heat up the chicken and onions a bit
toast the bread with cheese on it.
Add chicken and onions to bread
add a little bit of broth and lettuce!

oh my...

i am still trying new recipes, there are just not enough hours in the day to get done everything i need to, so writing the recipes in the blog usually falls at the end of this list--so the part that doesn't get done! and then normally i try to catch up on weekends, but we were out of town this weekend, so i will have more to catch up on this week! don't worry, they will come soon enough!

Recipe #99: Chocolate Covered Preztels

There are so many ways to do this, but this was just a quick and easy one so that we could have a sweet snack tonight while we catch up on White Collar! Of course, Alex isn't cooperating by going to bed, so I am not really sure when this will happen!

You need:
pretzels, any kind or size
cup full of chocolate to melt
sprinkles or coconut to top!

• melt chocolate in microwave
• dip pretzels into chocolate and try to coat evenly, use a knife to help you pull them out
• sprinkle on toppings
• let it sit in fridge to cool down 
• enjoy!

Recipe #98: Chicken Adobo

I think this is the more Filipino flavoring of adobo, and I love it so wanted to try this recipe from my Real Simple magazine, or you can find it here. I made a few changes, just because of what I had on hand.

you need:
1 onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 bay leaf
black pepper
1 whole chicken
2 tsp paprika

• put onion, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, pepper and bay leaf in crock pot.
• rub salt, pepper, and paprika over chicken
• add to to top of the sauce
• cook on high for 4 hours
• while cooking, if you around to do it, occasionally baste and turn chicken, just so it gets even covering (i think it would have been better to have chicken thighs as the recipe said because it would have been more evenly soaking in marinade
• enjoy on top of some romaine lettuce leaves.

 was moist and delicious, but i think i would have liked it a little more "soaked" in the adobo flavor!

Recipe #97: 100% Whole Wheat Bread

This is another recipe from Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day!

I am not sure if it raised up as much as it should, but it still tastes good! Maybe I need to use more dough in the loaf pan next time!

You need:
1.5 cups lukewarm water
1.5 cups lukewarm milk
1.5 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp and 1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup honey
5 Tbsp oil
6 2/3 cups whole wheat flour

• mix yeast, salt, honey and oil with milk and water.
• add in flour and stir with dough attachment on mixer
• cover (not airtight) and allow to rise for about 2-3 hours
• refrigerate dough (it is easier to work with when it is cold)
• grease a loaf pan
• take out dough and shape into a ball by stretching dough underneath
• place in the pan, book says it should be a little more than half full and mine definitely wasn't, so that is probably why it wasn't very thick...
• let it sit for an hour and 40 minutes. 
• preheat oven to 350. you don't need a stone if using a loaf pan.
• slash top with a knife and place in oven
• pour 1 cup water into the broiler tray
• bake for 50-60 minutes or until top is brown and firm

tastes great with honey on top! 

Recipe #96: Whole wheat waffles

I really wanted to make pumpkin pancakes, but had no pumpkin, so decided on waffles instead! These are very nice and tasty!
This recipe is from my aunt, who gave us our fun waffle maker!

you need:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1-2 cups milk
2 Tbsp brown sugar
5 Tbsp oil (my aunt usually uses just 2 and that is how much i used too)

mix dry ingredients together in one bowl
mix wet in another
mix them all together
make in your waffle iron!

 my topping was syrup

Will's topping was grape jam and powdered sugar!

Recipe #95: frozen chocolate banana sticks...

This takes me back to matsuri times in Japan...Chocolate covered bananas with little sprinkes. This is a great snack, especially when you are in the mood for an ice cream treat!

You need:
3 bananas, halved
1-2 cups chocolate
sprinkles

• put a popsicle stick through the banana halves.
• freeze bananas on wax paper. (i put mine in the freezer before going to school and then got them in the afternoon, so I am not sure how long it takes to freeze)
• melt chocolate in a mug
• Dip each banana in the chocolate until evenly coated.
• Sprinkle on the sprinkle, 
• Freeze for another 15 minutes.

Recipe #94: Peanut Butter and Banana Wraps

This is a great snack or even breakfast! Got the idea from pinterest but originially a betty crocker recipe I think!

You need:
one whole wheat wrap
2 Tbsp peanut butter
half of a banana
some chocolate chips

• Heat the wrap up for about 15 seconds
• Spread PB over wrap
• Cut up banana and add on top
• top with chocolate chips 
• wrap it up

Enjoy!

Recipe #93: Baked Potatoes

Well, there are not enough hours in the work week for me to actually write down the recipes I try...so i guess that is what weekends are for, though I am not sure if there are enough during the weekend either...

I had six little red potatoes ready to be finished up so i decided to make baked potatoes...or microwaved potatoes I guess...never making them in the oven again!

You need:
potatoes
bacon, cooked and torn into little pieces
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
any other toppings you want for your potato

• wash potatoes and stab in several places wiht a fork
• put in the microwave for about 8-10 minutes depending on the size.
• let them cool a bit, 
• open up, add toppings and enjoy!

Recipe #92: Chocolate Parfait

This evening I needed a sweet treat, but didn't have ice cream. This was a yummy and hopefully slightly healthier alternative.

You need:

Vanilla yogurt

granola

chocolate chips

coconut

Pour some yogurt in a bowl

top with granola, chocolate chips, and coconut

enjoy!

Recipe #90: Grilled Teriyaki Pork and #91 Sliced Sweet Potato

So I had some random leftover pork in the freezer and after thawing it out to determine what type of meat it was, we decided to celebrate labor day by grilling!

You need:
some pork chops
teriyaki marinade. I used premade or you can make your own found here.
small handful of sesame seeds

• put pork in small ziploc,
• pour teriyaki and sesame over pork and allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes.
• grill for about 15 minutes over high heat.

Sliced Sweet Potato:
I got the idea from pinterest (see all my pins!), and the original post is found here.
but it used sweet potatoes instead

You need:
3 sweet potatoes
butter
pepper, cinnamon
little olive oil

• I first poked and microwaved the sweet potatoes for about 3 minutes so they wouldn't take so long to cook on the grill.
• Then slice the potato almost all the way through (my slices were a little bit thicker then the original too, but oh well)
• Spread some butter over top
• Sprinkle some pepper. i added some cinnamon to mine
• Grill for about 15 minutes

Alex got a potato too! He loved it! It was even better cold because the potato stayed together better...

Recipe #89: Tropical Fruit Bread!

Oh my goodness. This bread is amazing.
It all started when I had a bunch of bananas in the freezer and most of a can of crushed pineapple from the calzone we made last week. So I looked online for a recipe that would at least use the pineapple and found this recipe but I added some things, even the batter smelled so good. I couldn't wait to eat it!

You need:
3 cups flour (I used half white and half whole wheat)
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 1/4 vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
(the tropical part)
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups mashed banana
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup coconut flakes

• in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon
• in another bowl mix together eggs, oil and vanilla. Then stir in pineapple and banana
• Mix together with dry ingredients until just moistened
• stir in chocolate chips and coconut flakes
• i was super nice to Will and made some muffins with no coconut because he is not a fan. after I separated those out I added the coconut.
• pour into a greased loaf pan
• bake at350 degrees muffins for 30 minutes and loaves for about 45 or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Be prepared for delicious goodness!
• Recipe made 12 muffins and 2 loaves of bread...I am going to have to give the one loaf away so i don't eat it all up! :) 

I had to go cut another piece because writing down this recipe made me want to eat more! :) So i think you will want to eat some too!!

Recipe #88: Grilled Pizza

Well, I have made pizza before, but it was such a mess in the house, I decided we would tried grilled next. And Grilled Pizza was good. Easy, and fast too!

You need:
grapefruit sized ball of dough
spaghetti sauce
ham, cut up
mozzarella cheese

• Take out dough and let it rest for about 40 minutes
• With ten minutes to go, put pizza stone in grill and heat up
• roll out dough into a thin circle
• top with sauce, ham and cheese
• put on grill for about 15 minutes

A delicious Sunday night dinner!

Recipe #87: Ham and Bacon Wrap

When we get home from church we are usually pretty hungry so we don't so something fancy but fast!

You need:
a wrap or tortilla
cold cut ham or turkey
bacon
lettuce
cucumber
ranch dressing

• heat the wrap for 15 seconds
• fry up the bacon
• add ingredients
• roll up and enjoy!

Recipe #86: Breakfast Casserole

I know there are millions of egg casserole recipes out there but this is one that a friend had made in college. I wrote it in my recipe book and never made it again...until this morning! Will and I were super tired, so it seemed like a good way to make sure we had enough energy to make it through church!
I actually halved the recipe and did it in an 8X8 dish, but I will put the recipe for a whole one down.

You need:
1 dozen eggs, whipped
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp dry mustard powder
salt and pepper (oops I didn't add this, Will adds his own to everything anyways because I am not a big salt/pepper person)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used mozzarella)
some bread
other add ins: bacon, sausage, hamburger, green pepper, onion, or tomatoes....
I added in bacon, turkey sausage and a little onion (still too much for Will's liking of course!)
I also added 1/8 tsp of paprika, so probably add 1/4 for a whole pan

• whip eggs
• add milk, mustard and paprika
• grease pan
• layer bottom of dish with bread
• add egg mixture and your other add ins
• cook at 350 for about 40 minutes or until top looks like it is browning
• take out and set for 10 minutes before cutting

perfect with coffee of course!

Recipe #85: Quick Quesadilla

So you might notice a couple of wrap recipes coming up...they needed to get used up....
The first one was a quick quesadilla I made for lunch yesterday. I was hungry and this was a nice alternative to a sandwich...

You need:
One wrap or tortilla
handful of shredded mozarella cheese
2-3 slices of ham, cut up
2 spoonfuls of salsa
some salsa and sour cream for top

Heat a little oil in a fry pan.
On one half of wrap mix together ham, cheese and salsa
Fold over and put in pan.
Heat for 10 or so minutes flip over so both sides are a little brown.
Take off heat and top with salsa and sour cream

Side Dish #6: Hanging Storage

I live in a small house so have to overcome my lack of space by using my wall space.

Thanks to Ikea I have been able to turn a pretty messy study room into a more efficient workspace for me...

not that it is any cleaner, but maybe more organized... I still need to put some cork boards I have in that empty wall space, but I love it! I love not having to put away my sewing machine because I need to set the table for dinner, and everything I need to sew, craft etc is right around me!

So, Last weekend, I decided that Will needed to get his coaching papers off of my dining room table and into a spot is still convenient for him. So I had just enough left over material from another wall pocket thing I had made to make him a little...your-paper-catch-all spot...

I cut out two rectangles, and then one little one for a pocket. I sewed the pocket on the front piece, then sewed the two main pieces together. I also sewed down the middle to make two main pockets, one for the notebook and one for other stuff... sew on some little loops to hang and you are done!

Easy afternoon project!

Yesterday I worked on the kitchen laundry bag I wanted to make for a while. It hangs perfectly behind the door, out of sight, but also makes those wet kitchen towels and such out of sight too! I had to do a little bit of adjustments to this one...I got the idea from my One Yard Wonders book, but theirs was really big so I wanted to shrink it a bit. Unfortunately the salad plate I used (instead of a dinner plate) made the hole a little too big...which of course I didn't realize until I had cut it out...

so I sewed a little addition to the bottom, sewed the sides together, added some hanging straps and finally, a way to get my kitchen laundry off of the kitchen counter! :)

Plus isn't this fabric so cheerful! I normally don't love yellow, but this was just to cute to pass up...plus I had a 50% off coupon...

Well, the last project for me for a while will be a sewing machine cover...oh and a bag. Then it is on to start on my list of Christmas presents! :) 

side note: There is a new One Yard Wonders book coming out in December! Check it out on Amazon here...just in time for Christmas! :)

Recipe #84: Cold Vegetable Udon

I really don't know what to call this, but it was good. You can find dry udon in most grocery stores in the asian section.

You need:
One bundle of udon
1/4 of an onion
edamame
handful of string beans

Make the udon according to package directions.
Saute onion and beans. Add steamed edamame.
Drain noodles and run cold water through them to cool them down.
Mix veggies with udon and add the suyu sauce (or soy sauce)

This was a great late night, my husband is at a football game kind of meal! :)

Recipe #83: Omelette

So no picture this time, I made this in a hurry the other night. I wanted some protein with the least amount of work possible!

You need:
3 Eggs
1/4 of an onion
Mozzarella cheese
1 precooked turkey sausage patty

I was in a hurry so I mixed everything together. Dumped it in a preheated pan and let it cover the bottom. After the bottom had set, I pulled it up in half. Then I let it cook for a bit more on both sides to make sure the middle was cooked through...
It was great!

Recipe #82: Carbonara

I must say, mine never seem's to turn out as good as Will's mom, but it still is good!
I used different noodles to make it more interesting!

you need:
one box of spaghetti noodles, or a bag of Farfalle (bowtie) noodles
start that boiling

in a fry pan, fry up at least half a package of bacon (I used turkey bacon) do not drain all the grease. Use that to saute 1/2 of an onion. Put onion and bacon to the side.

In a small bowl mix about 3 eggs and parmesan in a bowl.

Once noodles are done, drain. add onion and bacon mix and egg mixture. Mix together over a very low heat just to make sure the egg cooks!
Enjoy!