Coming Soon….

Wow!!!    It has been awhile since I blogged and so much has changed!!  I’m excited that the dust has begun to settle and I can get back to photography- with my newest model- trying new home cooked meals and exploring Alaska with my family 🙂  YAY!!!  Stay tuned, life is pretty damn good 🙂

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Halloween Cake Inspiration

It is almost time for October’s cake.  I do not have a solid idea of what I want to do yet.  I know that this cake should be a carrot cake, mainly because I have a bunch of fresh carrots that need to be eaten ASAP.  I can use a cream cheese frosting and some food coloring to make it orange.  I am thinking that the decorations should be either witches, cats, or pumpkins.  Here are some ideas….

 

I think these carrot broom sticks would be very cute on a cake, and easy to do!

  I love this idea for a witch’s hat!

If only i could make this chocolate cat!!

 

  This cookie cutter would help a lot.

So…..I am decided!!  This Sunday I will make a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.  I will tint the cream cheese frosting to a nice orange color with food coloring.  I will make a witch’s hat from a Hershey kiss and cookie.  I will also have a pretzel and carrot broomstick on the cake.  I will have to go to the local bakery shop and try to find a cat cookie cutter as well.  I can fill the cutter with melted chocolate and then freeze it.   Then all I have to do is place everything very neatly on the cake.  I am getting excited!!

Mini Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Puff Pastry Shells
• 1 chicken breast
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• Pinch Parsley
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 onion chopped (this time i used 4 pearl onions)
• 1 can chicken broth
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour

Directions:

1. Prepare Puff Pastry according to directions.
2. Melt butter on bottom of a small baking pan.  Sprinkle in thyme and rosemary.  Coat each side of chicken breast in butter and then bake in oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes or until cooked.
3. Meanwhile on the stove saute veggies.  Set aside
4. Pour chicken broth into a large pot.  When chicken is done shred chicken up and add to chicken brother, pour in butter and seasonings as well for extra flavor.
5. Bring to a boil
6. Add veggies and bring to a boil again.  Reduce heat and add 1 tbsp at a time, until nice and thick.
7. Remove tops of pastry shells and spoon in filling.  Replace tops and serve! 

“healthy” home fries

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes, cubed into 1″ squares
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tsp lawyres seasoning salt

Directions:

1. Let potatoes soak in a bowl of water for 5-10 minutes
2. Pour oil into bottom of a baking sheet.
3. drain potatoes and dry on a towel.  It is VERY important to get the potatoes as dry as possible
4. Spread potatoes out flat in bottom of pan and sprinkle with seasoning salt
5. Bake in oven at 400F for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Enjoy!!  Eat alone or add to a breakfast skillet 😀

Delicious Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 2 cups instant white rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 stalks fresh celery, sliced thinly
• 2 carrots, sliced thinly
• 1 onion, sliced and diced to 1/4″ pieces
• 1 pepper, sliced and diced
• 1 stalk broccoli, chopped
• 2 stalks fresh chives, chopped
• ham, sliced and diced
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1 tsp lemon pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. In a small pot bring water to a boil.  Add rice, cover, and remove from heat.
2. In a large sauce pan combine all the fresh veggies, except for chives, with oil.  Saute.  Add the ham.
3. In a small sauce pan combine soy sauce and sugar.  Bring to a light simmer.
4. Add soy sauce to veggies.
5. Add seasonings to rice, mix thoroughly.
6. Slowly add rice to veggie mix.  Top rice off with fresh veggies.  Serve warm.

Easy Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups instant minute rice (white)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 can rotilla diced tomatoes
• 1/4 can enchilada sauce
• 1/2 onion, sliced and diced
• 2 small peppers- sliced and diced
• Cumin – to taste

Directions:

1. Saute dry rice in butter
2. Add onion and peppers
3. Season with Cumin to taste (1-2 tsp)
4. Add can of tomatoes and enchilada sauce, bring to a simmer for 5 minutes
5. Serve warm with Enchiladas.

 

Rhubarb Pie

I love a good rhubarb pie.  When I was growing up we had a ton of rhubarb to use, so I was always making a rhubarb pie.  This recipe is not the recipe that I used to use, but it is the closest one that I have been able to find.  It was delicious, and I am looking forward to making more pies and trying a few experiments with this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh rhubarb
• 1 1/3 cups white sugar
• 6 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 puff pastry pie shells (any pie crust will work but these are extra flakey, you can find them in the frozen section of the grocery store next to the pies)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 F
2. Unwrap the pie crusts and let them thaw at room temperature, when thawed place one pie crust in pie pan.
3. Mix sugar and flour together in a bowl.
4. Sprinkle 1/4 of the mixture onto the bottom of the pie crust.  This will help give it a nice crisp texture as the sugars carmalize while the pie bakes
5. Fill pie with rhubarb
6. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar mixture over pie.
7. Cut the other pie crust into thin strips
8. Weave the strips on the top of the pie to make a nice pattern and dot or brush with butter.  This will give the pie crust a nice golden color and help keep it from drying out.
9. Serve hot with some vanilla ice cream!