New Discovery!

I've seen so many commercials for Kashi, but never thought their products looked too irresistible to pass up in the grocery isle. I know they always said they only use the freshest ingredients, but I just always saw them as another cereal or granola bar company...until now.

While browsing the shelves for one of my favorite granola bars-fiber one chocolate. Very yummy!

I decided to see if there was something else I would like. That's when this caught my eye:

 I thought- I love chocolate with granola and I love coconut with chocolate. Why not give it a try? It was worth it! I love the creamy chocolate with the crunchy granola and the addition of the sweet coconut. I don't think this box is going to last much longer!

Camping and Relaxation

Sorry for being MIA for a couple of weeks, but I was off camping for one week and getting my relaxing the second. The week of camping was awesome! I look forward to this camping trip every year and had a fabulous time with the family we went with. Camping is one of my favorite vacations because I think there is something special about taking the time to disconnect from all electronics (although there were some electronic connections this time) and sit around a fire with close friends to relax and talk. There is something so refreshing about not having your cellphone on or surfing the net. I think I would have enjoyed the era before all of these electronics because you get to know people more closely and honestly. Ever since I was in high school and had a curfew, I loved that with camping I never had to follow a schedule and was free to do anything I wanted whenever I wanted. Now, not following a schedule isn't as amazing, but still a great vacation. I usually spend my days camping by: lounging, reading, swimming (if it isn't freeeeezing!), eating, and spending time around the fire with friends. For all of those reasons, I love camping. With camping comes planning, which means food and baking! I want to share with you two of our favorite camping treats:

First is simple: Hot Cocoa Mix.
I don't think I have mentioned Alton Brown in my blog, which is very surprising to me since he is my favorite star on Food Network. I have yet to be disappointed in any of his recipes and have learned a lot about cooking from him. This is one of the first recipes I tried from his episodes and prefer it far over store-bought hot cocoa. There isn't really anything special to it. You basically just combine ingredients and add water, so it doesn't take much more effort than the store-bought versions.

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch Processed)

2 1/2 cups powdered milk                    
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients. When we're camping, we act as though it is store-bought cocoa by putting some in a cup and mix in boiling water.



The last recipe I want to share with you today is a camping staple because of it's popularity: Muddy Buddies!
I have heard this particular treat called several different names, but in my family, Muddy Buddies seems to be the chosen name. I am always asked if I made and brought some and it is always the first to disappear. I tend to only make them when we're camping in order to keep them a special camping treat and so I don't eat them all the time.

Muddy Buddies:
9 cups Chex cereal
1 cup semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. In a large bowl, measure out cereal. Set aside.
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate, peanut butter, and butter.Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal and mix until cereal is thoroughly coated.
3. Place cereal in a ziploc bag. Add powdered sugar. Shake until coated.

Although I wish I was still camping, I am happy to be home and these are things you can make whether or not you're camping.

Vanilla-Fudge Marble Cake

Whenever I visit my friend Bri, it seems like she is using her Better Homes Cookbook. Once I got the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (ATK), I have set Better Homes aside because ATK has built-up my trust for all of the recipes within it. I decided I needed to brush the dust off of Better Homes and try something new.

I opened the cake section (seems to always have something easy and delicious) and saw the picture for this cake. I remember staring at this cake many times, but never made it because it required buttermilk, which I never had on hand. For some reason, I just so happened to have extra buttermilk that needed to be used-up in my refrigerator, so now was the time to finally try this recipe!

The only thing I think I would change is that I used chocolate syrup I had around and next time I think I would make my own to make a more deep in flavor chocolate cake batter. With that said, it was light and yummy!


Vanilla-Fudge Marble Cake

3/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 buttermilk
2/3 cup chocolate-flavored syrup

1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and lightly flour a bundt pan. In a medium soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixture on low to medium speed about 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on low to medium speed 1 minute after each addition and scraping bowl frequently. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Reserve 2 cups batter. Pour remaining batter into prepared pan.
3. In a small mixing bowl combine chocolate syrup and reserved 2 cups batter. Beat on low speed until well combined. Pour chocolate batter over vanilla batter in pan. Do not mix.
4. Bake in a 350* oven about 50 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted bear center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes on wire rack. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack. Drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Grilled Beef Kebabs and Pita Salad

I finally got my BBQ out and fired-up the charcoals! I wanted to make kebabs because it seemed easy, quick, and something that I haven't really eaten- at least not for several years. I saw this recipe in an America's Test Kitchen Magazine and it looked so amazingly good and perfect for hot summer nights, I had to make it!

It all started with the BBQ.

I got the BBQ for free from my mom since she got a gas one and didn't use or need this on anymore.

Then I sat out side for the grilling extravaganza!

Grilled Beef Kebabs and Pita Salad

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pounds stew meat, preferably chuck

salt and pepper

4 (8 inch) pita breads, split into 2 rounds

1 romaine heart, torn into bite-size pieces

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 cucumber, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Combine oil and garlic in bowl. Brush 2 Tablespoons oil mixture on both sides of pita breads. With the rest of the oil, toss beef and season with salt and pepper. Let beef marinate until ready to grill.

2. Thread 4 skewers with beef and discard marinade. Grill kebabs over hot fire, turning often, until charred and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Grill pita rounds until browned and crisp, about 1 minute per side.

3. Transfer kebabs to serving platter. Combine romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, and cheese in bowl. Break or cut pita rounds into bite-size pieces and add to bowl with lettuce. Toss with dressing (I would recommend Italian) and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with kebabs.

Pasta with Salmon, Fennel, and Asparagus

I am constantly trying to fit fish meals into my weeks, but it ends up not making the list every week because I'm not a big fan of fish. It smells up the whole house when I cook it and I'm not very good at cooking it-I tend to dry it out due to my lack of experience with it (ironic!). When I come across a fish recipe that sounds good and different from any other recipe I've tried, I get excited. I found this recipe in an America's Test Kitchen Magazine and decided to give it a try. I found it wonderfully delicious! I didn't have overcooked fish, and the pasta and sauce paired with the salmon beautifully. I would recommend it to fish and non-fish lovers alike.

Side Note: I love pretty much anything from America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Country, and Cook's Illustrated because they are almost always my favorite recipes.

Chopped leeks.

Asparagus.

Melt the butter.

Wash the leeks.

Put the two together! Sauteing the leeks.

Add the salmon. I bought this salmon from the freezer section of Costco after someone recommended it to me. I love them! They are individually wrapped and super easy to use!

Parsley.

Took out the salmon and added cream.

I was boiling the pasta and added the asparagus to the last few minutes of cooking.

Then, mixed everything together. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I should have chopped the asparagus,

but it turned out wonderfully and I even enjoyed that salmon was in it!

Pasta with Salmon, Leeks, and Asparagus

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced thin (I only used one, but would recommend 2)

2 skinless salmon fillets (I used 3 and would recommend at least 3)

1 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 pound farfelle (I couldn't find that pasta and just bought what was on sale)

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut on bias into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon

1. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in large pot. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Season fish with salt and pepper. Add wine and fish to skillet and cook, covered, until fish is just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer fish to plate and tent with foil. Add cream to skillet and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.

2. When cool enough to handle, break fish into bite-size pieces, then re-cover with foil.

3. Meanwhile, add 1 Tablespoon salt and farfelle to boiling water and cook until almost al dente, about 10 minutes. Add asparagus and continue cooking until farfelle is al dente and asparagus is tender, about 3 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and asparagus and return to pot. Stir in sauce, parsley, and lemon juice, adding reserved cooking water as needed. Gently fold in fish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

As I stated in a previous post, I am trying to go through a selection of recipes from The Bread Baker's Apprentice. The first bread I chose was Cinnamon Raisin Bread. I tend to make things such as muffins or breads for breakfast because my husband is off and running in the morning before being able to sit and have breakfast and I also run out the door early some mornings. It just makes it easier for me to have a pre-made breakfast on hand to be able to grab or pack for my husband. I saw Cinnamon Raisin Bread and thought it would be perfect to put in the toaster before running out the door and it reminded me of the store-bought cinnamon raisin bread I used to have when visiting my grandparents. Mmmmm, that toast was good! It took me a while to finally find the time to make the bread, but it was worth it!

My bread took all day because it took much longer to ferment than the book suggested. I think I even put the loaves in the oven before they rose to the suggested height, but I didn't want to wait any longer. I think it took much longer because our house is very cool, which is not the ideal temperature for bread fermentation. With that said, it turned out delicious!

Experimentation: Hamburger Helper

I know what you're thinking: Hamburger Helper?! Really?! Well, yes! I love hamburger helper and I think it has to do with my dad making a variety of the stuff on a regular basis while I was growing up. Out of all the things you could buy pre-made, I'd say it's probably one of the better things. The craving of hamburger helper came to me this week with the thought that maybe if I made it similar to the box version, I could have something that tasted like beef stroganoff without actually having to make it (my husband doesn't care for it and I have issues with buying something out of the box). I started my search online and tried to piece together some of the ideas I found. I noticed there were more recipes for something like a chili cheese thing, but I already have a recipe I really like for that. I wanted stroganoff!

After my research this is what I came up with:

1 lb ground beef, browned. 

Mix in 1 cup hot water, 2 cups milk, 1 1/2 cup egg noodles, and 1 Tablespoon cornstartch.

I actually used a small carton of whipping cream instead of milk simply because my milk went bad. I figured, I've used it in recipes similar to this before, so maybe it will make a creamier sauce.

I also used a combination of these spices: 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon allspice, and 1 teaspoon paprika. 

I ended up with something similar to hamburger helper, but void of much flavor. I'm melding over this idea and plan to do more research on stroganoff recipes, but wanted to share a recent experiment. I wouldn't say it was a failure, just not up to my standards. Any suggestions are welcome.