It's My Blogiversary! Top 10 list & a giveaway

     I can't believe that it's been a year since I started my adventure in blogging.  It started out as something to dabble in after I got married and it's turned into something that I truly love and enjoy!  I'm still amazed by how many new recipes we've tried and books I've read.  Hezzi-D's has turned into something I'm proud of and I'm thankful for all my wonderful followers and fellow cooking bloggers.

   Taking a look back at all the recipes I've made and books I've read I came up with 10 categories and picked my favorite in each one.  So here they are in no particular order-my top 10 of my first year of blogging.

Favorite Appetizer:  Jalapeno Popper Dip

Favorite Soup:  French Onion Soup

Favorite Main Dish:   Korean Short Ribs

Favorite Pasta Dish:  Small Shells with Spinach, Bacon, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Favorite Book Club Book:  The Glass Castle

Favorite Side Dish:  Macaroni and Cheese with Ham

Favorite Vegetable Dish:  Grilled Zucchini with Spinach, Couscous, and Cheese

Favorite Cake/Cupcake:  Fresh Fraisiers with Strawberry, Blueberry, and Mango

Favorite Dessert:  Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Favorite Non-Book Club Book:  Madame Tussaud:  A Novel of the French Revolution

   To show my appreciation of my readers I'm going to be having three different Blogiversary giveaways over the course of the next week!  One today, one on Wednesday, and one on Friday so make sure you stop back and enter all three!  All three winners will be announced on Sunday.

   The first giveaway is a Sweet Celebration prize pack.  I love baking more then any other type of cooking, so I'm giveaway some wonderful items to help you bake up some of my favorite desserts!  Included in this prize package are:

-6 Wilton cookie cutters (heart, flower, 2 stars, moon, diamond)
-2 sets of cute cupcake liners (75 Wilton Watermelon liners, 50 heart liners)
-Paper cupcake tree (To display cupcakes on)
-A shaker of sprinkles
-Etch cookie cutter (butterfly shape)

    To enter the giveaway you must complete the mandatory entry.  You may also complete either of the optional entries in order to receive extra entries into the giveaway.  All entries must be in by Saturday, August 6 at midnight.  Giveaway is open to all US residents.  Winner will be announced Sunday, August 7.

    Mandatory Entry:  Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite dessert is.  Don't forget to include your contact information so I can contact you if you are the winner!
    Optional Entries:  Follow Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks on Google Friends Connect (+1)
                                   Follow HezziD on Twitter  (+1)

Don't forget to stop back on Wednesday and Friday to enter then other giveaways!

This post linked to:
Mouthwatering Mondays, Mangia Mondays
Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Made From Scratch Tuesdays

31 While 31

    I've seen a lot of these posts where people pick out so many things to do by their birthday or while they are a certain age.  At first, I wasn't sure about them, but the more I think about it, the more I like it.  I am a firm believer in lists, and I like to cross off everything on my lists, so I decided to write my 31 things to do while I am 31.

 (Yes, the above picture is from my 31st birthday party with my family.  My mouth is open as I pretend to sing to myself.  The adorable little boy next to me is my 5 year old cousin Peyton.  That's my dad sitting behind him-his birthday was this week too!)

Things to Cook:
-Lamb (I have never made lamb in my life)
-Moussaka
-Focaccia
-Pierogi
-Bagels
-Baba Ganoush
-Gnocchi
-Beer Crab Chips with Vinegar Aioli
-5 recipes I have saved on my Foodbuzz account

Things to Can:
-Bread and Butter Pickles
-Dill Pickle Spears
-Tomato Sauce
-Apple Butter

Things to Bake:
-Monkey Bread
-Pull apart Cinnamon Bread
-Beignets
-Croquebouche
-Apple donuts
-Filled Cupcakes
-2 new types of bread (I currently only bake white bread)

Crafting:
-Finish my cruise scrapbook
-Scrapbook our honeymoon (from last summer!)

Reading:
-Read at least 2 books in my work field (Education)
-Read at least 3 books out of normal reading genres

Travel:
-Take my husband to Niagara Falls
-Take my husband to 2 new restaurants in Pittsburgh
-Go to Vermont

Health and Fitness:
-Take an aqua zumba class (I've been dying to try this!)
-Get certified as a Zumba instructor
-Get at least 4 pedicures this year
-Get at least 2 full body massages

Fresh Cherry Mojitos

    As much as I hate to admit it, today is my birthday.   Today I am the big 31.  For the big day I decided I needed a signature drink.  Being that it's been hotter then blazes, I wanted something cool and refreshing.  I recently saw a fresh cherry Margarita that looked amazing, but I didn't have any tequila and I didn't want to buy a bottle.

    After searching my options, I decided on a fresh cherry mojito.  I have fresh mint growing in the garden, a bottle of rum on the shelf, and a bag of fresh sweet cherries in the refrigerator.  I put all of the ingredients in a shaker and poured them over ice.  I added a few extra mint leaves, a slice of lime, and a cherry for garish.  It was so tasty and refreshing.  It had the classic tastes of a mojito with added hints of cherry.  My husband doesn't even like rum but after tasting the cherry mojito he wanted one for himself!

Fresh Cherry Mojitos  (adapted from Annie's Eats)
10 fresh sweet cherries, pitted
10 mint leaves
2 T. rum
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. simple syrup
1 T. cherry juice
2 T. seltzer water
Lime and cherry for garnish

1.  Put the cut up and pitted cherries in a cocktail shaker.  Tear 7 mint leaves into pieces and put them in the shaker along with the rum.  Use a tool and mash the three ingredients together.

2.  Add in the lime juice, simple syrup, and cherry juice.  Cover the cocktail shaker and shake well for 30 seconds.  Pour over a glass filled with ice and top with the seltzer water and the remaining 2 mint leaves.  Give it a stir with a cocktail stirrer.  Garnish with lime and cherry.

This post linked to:

Fresh Food Friday, Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday

Seasonal Sundays

Fresh Fraisiers: Daring Bakers

     When I saw the challenge for this months Daring Bakers challenge I couldn't wait to make it.  A light, fluffy chiffon cake with a light pastry cream in the middle studded with fresh fruit sounded amazing!  Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Baker's host and she challenged us to make Fresh Fraisiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.

      Getting the fresh fruit was the easy part.  There was plenty of fruit to choose from at both the farmer's market and the local grocery store.  I wanted to stay with the classic strawberries but added in blueberries and mango as well.  I love lemon with any other type of fruit so I made the cake as a lemon chiffon cake.  The toughest part of this challenge for me was not the time it took, but the heat both outside my house and inside.  On the day I decided to make these, the outside temperature rose to 103 degrees and inside my house was 90 degrees.  That's right my friends, we do not have air conditioning in our house so baking this cake in the heat was torturous. 

      Other then the heat I didn't find this cake to be too difficult.  The cake baked up easily and smelled delicious.  I made it as two individual layers instead of making one caking and cutting it in two.  The pastry cream came together and whipped up in beautiful, fluffy mounds. Putting it all together was a little bit challenging.  I had some difficulty placing the fruit on the side where I wanted it and getting it to stay there while I piped in the pastry cream.

Fresh Fraisiers with Strawberries, Blueberries, and Mango (adapted from Tartine Cookbook)

Lemon Chiffon Cake:

1 c. + 2 T. flour

1 t. baking powder

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. butter, melted
3 large egg yolks
1/4 c. water
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1 t. vanilla
1 t. lemon zest
5 large egg whites
1/4 t. cream of tartar

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line the bottom of two 8 inch pans with parchment paper.  Do not grease the sides.

2.  In a large mixing bowl combine the flour and baking powder.  Add in all but 3 T. of sugar and all of the salt.  Mix to combine.

3.  In a medium mixing bowl combine the butter, egg yolks, water, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest.  Whisk to mix.  Pour into the flour mixture and mix for at least 1 minute or until smooth.

4.  Place the egg whites in a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until frothy.  Add in the cream of tartar and remaining sugar.  Mix on medium high speed until stiff and shiny peaks form.

5.  Use a rubber spatula and scoop 1/3 of the egg whites into the flour mixture and fold in.  Repeat with the remaining egg whites until just combined.

6.  Divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans.  Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cakes comes out clean.   Remove the cakes from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

7.  To unmold the cakes run a knife around the sides of the pan and remove from the cake pan.  Peel off the parchment paper.  Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Pastry Cream Filling:
1 c. low fat milk
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
2 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg
2 T. unsalted butter
3/4 t. gelatin
1/2 T. water
1 c. heavy cream

1.  Pour the milk, vanilla, and salt into a heavy saucepan.  Place over medium heat and scald, bringing the milk almost to a boil, stirring occasionally.

2.  Meanwhile, add the cornstarch and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix to combine.  Add the egg and mix well.

3.  When the milk is almost boiling remove it from heat.  With the stand mixer on low, slowly add the hot milk down the side of the bowl.

4.  Pour the warm egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until the custard is thick and coats the back of a spoon.  Do not boil.

5.  Remove the mixture from the heat and pass through a fine mesh sieve into a medium mixing bowl.  Let cool for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

6.  Cut the butter into four pieces and whisk into the pastry cream until it is smooth.

7.  Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap onto the surface of the pastry cream.  Refrigerate until cold or up to 5 days covered.

8.  In a small bowl measure the water and then sprinkle with gelatin.  Let sit for 5 minutes.

9.  Put a few inches of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Place a stainless steel bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. 

10.  Measure 1/4 c. of the chilled pastry cream into the pan.  Heat the cream until it is 120 degrees.  Add in the gelatin mixture and whisk until it is smooth.  Remove from heat and whisk in the rest of the chilled pastry in two additions. 

11.  In the bowl of a stand mixer whip the cream until it holds medium stiff peaks.  Immediately fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream with a rubber spatula.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Simple Syrup:

1/3 c. water
1/3 c. sugar
2 t. lemon extract

1.  In a saucepan over medium high heat combine the water and sugar.

2.  Bring to a boil stirring to dissolve the sugar.

3.  Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.  Add in the lemon extract and mix well. 

4.  Put the syrup in a small bowl with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.

Fraisier Assembly:
2 baked 8 inch lemon chiffon cakes
1 recipe pastry cream filling
1/3 c. simple syrup
1 pound strawberries
1 c. blueberries
1 c. sliced mango
powdered sugar

1.  Line the sides of an 8 inch springform pan with plastic wrap.  Do not line the bottom.  Place the pan on the plate that you wish to serve the Frasier on.

2.  Place one layer of the lemon chiffon cake inside the springform pan.  Moisten the layer evenly with the simple syrup until the cake resembles a squishy sponge.

3.  Hull and slice half of the strawberries.  Cut half of the mango into thin slices.  Arrange half the strawberries, blueberries, and mango around the sides of the pan and pipe cream in between the fruit and a thin layer on top of the cake. 

4.  Put the rest of the fruit, except for what you need to put on top of the cake, in the middle of the cake and cover with pastry cream.  Place the second cake layer on top.  Moisten the top layer with the simple syrup.

5.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.  To serve, release the sides of the springform pan, peel away the plastic wrap, and decorate the top with any remaining pastry cream and fruit.

6.  Store up to 3 days.

This post linked to:

What's Cooking Wednesdays, What's on Your Plate Wednesday

Cast Party Wednesday, Frugal Food Thursday

It's A Keeper Thursday, Sweets for a Saturday

Stuffed Pork Loin

   I have never had Jiffy cornbread.  I've seen the box in the market hundreds of times but I've never picked it up.  I like cornbread ok, but it's not something I'd just make for myself.  I usually only have it if I'm out at a restaurant.  So, when I saw a recipe for stuffed pork that used Jiffy cornbread I thought, why not?

   The recipe starts out by making the cornbread then crumbling it.  I had a little taste of it before I crumbled it.  It was actually pretty good.  I might pick up a box next time I make chili.  The combination of the cornbread, sauteed vegetables, and fresh apples made a tasty stuffing for the pork.  I had a little trouble stuffing and rolling the loin and then tying it up.  I'd suggest having help of a second person to tie the string while you hold the loin.

   The pork came out moist and delicious.  The stuffing was slightly sweet and had soaked in the pork juice.  It was a great dish and would be something I could serve to company. 

Stuffed Pork Loin (adapted from Living Insanity's Loving Food)
1 pork loin (about 2 pounds)
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3 c. light cream
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 t. rosemary
olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 apple, peeled and diced

2 stalk celery, diced

1.  Cut the loin in half and lay flat.  Put a piece of plastic wrap over top of it and pound it until it's 1/4 inch thick.  Sprinkle the loin on both sides with salt, pepper, and rosemary.

2.  Bake the Jiffy cornbread using the egg and light cream according to the directions on the box.  Crumble it and set aside.

3.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

4.  In a small saute pan saute onion, celery, and garlic in a little olive oil for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat and add in apple.  Set aside.

5.  Spread the cornbread crumbles over top of the pork loin, leaving a 1/2 inch seam on each side.  Put the vegetable mix on top of it.  Roll up the pork loin and tie with string.

6.  Place the pork loin in a baking dish and bake at 450 for 15 minutes.  Lower temperature to 350 and continue cooking for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and cut off string.

7.  Cut into 1/2 inch pieces and serve.

This post linked to:

Mouthwatering Monday, Mangia Monday

Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday

Made From Scratch Tuesdays, Real Food Wednesday

Black Bean Burgers

    When I make my husband hamburgers, I generally cook 1 or 2 bean burgers for myself.  Lately, I've been getting tired of the rising cost of the bean burgers and wanted to try making them for myself.  I found a recipe that used black beans, red pepper, cilantro, and seasonings. 

     The burgers were easy to make and came together quickly.  I cooked them in a pan and had a little trouble keeping them from breaking apart, but otherwise this was an easy recipe.  It made 6 large black bean burgers that my husband and I both enjoyed for dinner one night and for lunch the next day.  The bean burgers are filling but taste light and fresh with the perfect mix of seasonings.  The only thing I'd add is additional garlic.  They are much better than the ones I buy at the store.  Next time we're going to try them on the grill.

Black Bean Burgers (adapted from Annie's Eats)
3/4 c. Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 T. olive oil, divided
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 egg + 1 egg white
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, minced
1/4 c. onion, diced

1. In a large bowl combine the breadcrumbs with 1 T. olive oil.  Mix well with a fork.  Set aside.

2.  Place 2 1/2 c. black beans in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or a fork.  (I used a berry masher).  In a medium bowl combine the egg, egg white, olive oil, cumin, salt, peppers, and garlic.  Stir to combine. 

3.  Add the egg mixture, breadcrumb mixture, remaining black beans, bell pepper, cilantro, and onion to the bowl with the mashed black beans.  Stir together until evenly combined.

4.  Divide the mixture into 6 even black bean patties.  Pack them into burgers about 1 inch thick.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and place the burgers in the pan.  Cook until browned on both sides, about 10-12 minutes.  Serve with your favorite burger toppings.

This post linked to:

Lovely Little Linkups, Seasonal Sundays

Not Baad Sundays, Meatless Mondays

Easy Peach Turnovers

    This month the What's Baking? challenge was hosted by Lindsey of Our Share of the Harvest.   The theme for July was to bake something with local ingredients.  I just started a vegetable garden this year and have been going to the farmer's market that is right up the street from my house every week so I had a ton of ideas.  My first thought was to make some type of zucchini bread because my zucchini are just about ready to pick.  But then I thought I'd go to the farmer's market and see what the local farmer's had for sale.
 

    When I got to the farmer's market this past week the first thing I noticed was that there were peaches everywhere!  I love a good, juicy peach so  I bought a huge basket of them in hopes of canning them.  I ended up making 12 half pints of jam but still had several peaches left.  I found a recipe for a peach turnover that looked easy and tasty.

    The original recipe calls for a can of lemon lime soda but I didn't have any and didn't want to run to the store.  I ended up making a lemon-lime simple syrup that did the job and tasted great.  I was a little concerned about all the liquid that gets poured on top of these turnovers, but it ends up turning into a sweet, cinnamon, buttery, caramel sauce that thickens and sticks to the pastry.

    The dough is just a can of refrigerated crescent dough with a slice of peach wrapped up in it.  Then it's sprinkled with cinnamon, sugar, and butter.  Finally a can of soda is poured over top of it.  It sounded weird and I was afraid it would be soggy but it's not.  The dough gets firm, the peach almosts melts in the mouth, and the caramel/lemon/lime sauce is amazing on top.

Peach Turnover (adapted from A Well Seasoned Life)
1 (8 oz) can refrigerated crescent rolls (I used reduced fat)
2 large, ripe peaches (peeled and quartered)
1/2 c. sugar
3 T. butter
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. lime juice

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a shallow baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2.  In a small saucepan heat the water, sugar, lemon juice, and lime juice.  Bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Let cool.

3.  Unroll the crescent rolls and seperate into triangles.  Place 1 peach quarter at the wide end of each triangle.  Roll up until you reach the tip.  Fold the sides over gently and place point side down in the baking pan.

4.  Stir together the sugar, butter, and cinnamon.  Brush over the rolls then drizzle the remaining.  Pour the lemon-lime syrup over top of all the rolls.

5.  Put in the oven for 40-50 mintues or until golden brown and the liquid has turned into a thick caramel syrup.  Remove from oven and serve hot.

This post linked to:

Foodie Fridays, Fresh Food Fridays, Sweets for a Saturday

Sweet Tooth Friday, Fat Camp Fridays

Deep Dish Pizza

    I'll admit it.  I have never made homemade pizza dough.  Instead I usually buy the Pilsbury pizza dough that comes in a can and bake it myself to make my own pizza.  I finally decided to bite the bullet and make my own dough after seeing an incredible recipe for Deep Dish Pizza on Bite Me New England's blog.  It sounded amazing.

     I was a little nervous about making the dough.  I've made yeast bread plenty of times without trouble, but I worried about this dough.  It turns out I worried in vain.  The dough is easy to make, easy to handle, and tastes fantastic.  My husband could not stop raving about it.  It has that freshly made bread taste, was crispy on the edges but soft and fluffy inside.  I used half of the dough to make this deep dish pizza and froze the other half to use on a thin crust pizza.

    The deep dish pizza was easy to make and assemble.  I used a springform pan and formed the dough up the sides of the pan.  I didn't get fancy with the toppings we just had half pepperoni (for Frank) and half chicken (for me).  Then I topped it off with cheese, sauce, and more cheese!  I was afraid to cut it for fear everything woudl come running out of it, but it held firm!  I won't be buying refrigerated pizza dough anymore-I'm sold on this recipe!

Deep Dish Pizza (adapted from Bite Me New England, who adapted the dough from Annie's Eats)
For the dough:
3 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. sugar
1 packet instant yeast (2 1/4 t.)
1 1/4 c. warm water (around 110 degrees)
3 T. butter, melted
Cooking spray
2 T. butter, softened
1 t. oregano

Toppings:
2 c. mozzarella cheese
2 c. pizza sauce
Meat & Vegetable Toppings

1.  In a large bowl combine the yeast and the warm water.  Stir and let sit for 5 mintues to activate the yeast.

2.  After letting the yeast stand add the flour, salt, and sugar to the bowl.  Mix by hand or use a stand mixer with a dough hook and mix 1-2 minutes. 

3.  Add in the water and melted butter and continue mixing until everything is well incorporated.  Then, either mix on medium speed for 5 minutes or turn onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 5 minutes until it is smooth.

4.  Spray a seperate bowl with cooking spray.  Put the dough ball into the bowl, turning to coat with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and let sit in a warm area for 1-2 hours or until doubled.

5.  After doubling turn the dough onto a lightly floured table and roll into a 12 x 12 square.  Brush with the softened dough and sprinkle with oregano.  Begin rolling the dough into a tight cylinder.  Place the dough seam side down and push down to flatten.  Fold the dough into thirds like you are folding a letter pinching the ends to form a ball. 

6.  Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Place the dough in the refrigerator 1-2 hours on until doubled in size.

7.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide in half.  Wrap half in plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag.  Freeze for later.  Roll the remaining half into a 10 inch circle.  At this point preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

8.  Spray the sides of a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray.  Put the dough circle in the springform pan and press against the bottom and sides of the pan.  Pour the meat and veggie toppings on the bottom and cover with 1 cup of the cheese.  Heat in the oven for 15 minutes.

9.  After 15 minutes reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.  Remove the pizza from the oven and cover with the sauce, then top with remaining cheese.  Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes.  Remove from springform pan and let cool an additional 5 minutes.  Cut into slices and serve hot.

This post linked to:

Made it on Monday, What's on Your Plate Wednesday?

What's Cooking Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday

Frugal Food Thursdays, It's A Keeper Thursdays

Korean-Style Beef Stroganoff

    This is the second month that I've been able to participate in The Secret Recipe Club.    This month I was assigned to Koreafornian Cooking's blog.  I had a lot of fun searching through this blog.  I have never really cooked anything Korean and searching through this blog gave me a lot of great ideas.  There were many ingredients I had never heard of so while researching them I learned a lot about Korean food and cooking.

      In addition to recipes this blog has how to posts, reviews, and videos.  I finally decided on a recipe for Korean-style Beef Stroganoff.  It sounded like a spicy twist on beef stroganoff and is served over top of rice.  It had a great flavor to it.  It was spicy, but not so spicy it burnt my mouth.  It was perfect with the rice and a side of broccoli.  The taste is hard to describe but it was very tasty and was a flavor I never had before.  It was great and I would make it again.

Korean-Styler Beef Stroganoff  (adapted from Koreafornian Cooking )
1 lb. beef sirloin, cut thin
1 T. olive oil
1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 c. white wine
1/2 c. water
1 beef bouillon cube
1 c. plain yogurt
3 T. gochujang (Korean spicy red pepper paste)
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 c. rice

1.  Thinly slice the beef.  In a large skillet heat the olive oil.  Brown the meat in the hot oil then remove to a plate and keep warm.

2.  Add the sliced mushrooms to the skillet.  Cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender.  Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and keep warm.

3.  Add the wine, water, and beef bouillon cube to the skillet.  Bring to a boil.  Cook until the mixture is reduced to about a half cup. 

4.  In a small bowl combine the yogurt, gochujang, sugar, salt, and pepper.  Stir well.

5.  Stir the yogurt mixture into the wine mixture and stir well.  Add in the steak and mushrooms.  Cook and simmer over low heat for 5-7 minutes.  Do not boil.

6.  Serve over top of rice.

This post linked to:

Mangia Monday, Mouthwatering Monday , Made From Scratch Tuesdays
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesdays

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution

    I had heard many wonderful things about the book Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran.  I typically do not get into the historical fiction books as they are not my type of book.  However, I have always been interested in Madame Tussaud and how she came to build her famous wax museums so I decided to give the book a chance.  I am so glad I did!

    Madame Tussaud is set during the French Revolution.  It focuses on Marie Grosholtz, who later became Madame Tussaud,  as a young woman worked as a wax sculpture for her uncle's wax museum, Salon de Cire.  Together Marie and her uncle make wax figures of the important political figures of the time.

    Marie's life changes when the King and Queen of France come to visit the Salon.  The King's sister is a lover of the arts and hires Marie to teach her the art of wax sculpting.  Unfortunately, at this time tempers in France are reaching a boiling point.  The commoners in France are starting a revolution and their goal is to overthrow the King and Queen.

   Marie becomes wrapped up in the revolution as the people begin asking her to make wax figures of the men and women joining the revolution.  She is in constant conflict as she likes and appreciates the current monarch.  She has grown fond of the royal family through time well spent with the King's sister.

   Things become worse when the revolutionaries begin demanding Marie make wax heads of the traitors whom they have killed.  The Reign of Terror has officially begun and the Grosholtz family is in the middle.  The story goes through the uprising of the people, the revolution itself, the fall of the monarch, and the aftermath.  Throughout it all Marie is an integral part of the fight and stays strong through her work, the terror, and the aftermath.  After it's all over she rises up to become Madame Tussaud of the famous wax museums.

   Throughout the book Michelle Moran keeps the story going with glances at the royal family, glances at the revolution, and yet still sticks with Marie's family.  It's a strong, powerful book.  Even though it is fictional, many of the details of the French Revolution are true and gave me a much clearer picture of this time in history in France.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Key Lime Bars: Recipe Swap

    This week our recipe exchange category was desserts.  Desserts are probably my absolute favorite thing to cook or bake and I have made a lot of desserts in my time.  I was anxious to see that recipe I would be given for the exchange.  I was super excited when I received a recipe for Key Lime Bars from Cathy's Kitchen Journey, as these are a dessert I've never made before!

    One of my favorite desserts is the classic lemon bar.  The key lime bars were a variation of them using key limes instead of lemons.  We were having a few friends over for dinner and I knew this would be the perfect summer dessert for our low key dinner party.  There are very few ingredients for this dessert and it takes less then an hour which makes it easy to make for company.

    The crust is just a very basic, very buttery, sugar cookie dough.  On top of that is poured the key lime layer.  I added a bit of lime zest to the key lime layer both to give it added flavor and color.  The color of the lime layer was more yellow then green from the eggs so I added a single drop of green food coloring which gave it a light green and "limey" color.  The finished bars were rich and buttery on the bottom and the perfect combination of sweet sugar and sour lime on the top.  They were easy to make, delicious, and can easily be transported to any summer get together. 

Key Lime Bars (adapted from Cathy's Kitchen Journey)
For the crust:
3/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. applesauce
2 c. flour

For the Key Lime Layer:
4 eggs
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. key lime juice (I needed 4 key limes for this)

1 t. key lime zest

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a medium mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar.  Mix in the applesauce.  Add in the flour and mix well to combine.  Press the crust into the bottom of an ungreased  9 x 13 pan.

3.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

4.  While the crust is baking make the key lime layer by whisking the flour and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl.  Beat in the eggs and the key lime juice. Stir in the key lime zest.  If desired, add a single drop of green food coloring and mix well.

5.  Once the crust is pulled out of the oven pour the key lime batter over top and return it to the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top looks firm.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.  Cut into 24 squares and serve.

This post linked to:

Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Fat Camp Friday

Sweets for a Saturday, Party Mindie Style, So Sweet Sundays

Seasonal Sundays

Crock-Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

     I’ve been in the market for some new crock-pot soup recipes. Even when specific recipes aren’t made for the crock-pot I can generally adapt them so that they can become crock-pot recipes. I recently came across a recipe for chicken enchilada soup. I already have a recipe for taco soup, but since I love enchiladas I was willing to take a chance on this Mexican soup.

     I put most of the ingredients in the crock-pot before I went to work in the morning. Even before I left the house it began smelling like a spicy enchilada. By the time I got home in the evening I felt as though I was walking into a Mexican restaurant. The smell itself was mouth-watering. I grated some cheese, chopped up the cilantro, and served it in a bowl topped with tortilla chips.

     This is a great alternative to taco soup which uses ground beef. It is a spicier soup that has pieces of chicken, vegetables, and lots of cheese in it. The soup packs a spicy punch and was like a Mexican flavor explosion in my mouth! I like the way that part of the cheese is incorporated into the soup instead of just laying on top. It really thickens up the soup and makes it more of an enchilada consistency. The first day we had the soup with side salads and bread. The second day we had this soup I served it with cheese quesadillas which was the perfect accompaniment.

Crock-Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup (adapted from Homemade By Holman  )

4 c. chicken broth
2 t. olive oil
¾ pounds of skinless, boneless chicken tenders
1 T. ground cumin
½ t. red pepper
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes with peppers and onions
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. black beans, rinsed and drained
2 c. frozen corn
½ c. tomato paste
8 oz. pepperjack cheese, divided
1 c. cilantro, chopped
Tortilla chips (I made homemade ones)

1. Put the crock-pot on low.

2. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cut the chicken tender into 1 inch pieces. Put the chicken in the skillet and sauté until all the pink is gone on the outside (about 5 minutes) but they chicken is not browned.

3. Put the chicken into the crock-pot. Add in the chicken stock, tomatoes, jalapenos, green pepper, onion, and garlic. Stir until well combined. Then add in the black beans, corn, and tomato paste. Mix well. Add in the spices and stir until combined.

4. Shred 4 oz. of pepperjack cheese and stir into the soup. Cover and heat on low 8 hours.

5. Shred the remaining pepperjack cheese and chop the cilantro. Pour soup into a bowl and top with the cheese, cilantro, and tortilla chips.

**This soup is very spicy. If you do not like things that are really spicy please make the following modifications. Substitute a 4 oz. can of green chilies for the jalapenos. Substitute cheddar cheese for the pepperjack. This makes for a much milder soup.
This post linked to:
Frugal Food Thursdays, It's A Keeper Thursdays
Fresh Food Friday, Not Baaad Sundays