Photography Challenge

I found this photography challenge on Pinterest and I thought it would be a great way to take more pictures outside of food.  Every day there's something new I need to be photographing. Take a look, I'm pretty excited!

I won't be posting every day, but am going to try and do one or two a week and post about it.

As you can see day 1 is a self portrait.  A lot harder than I thought.  I didn't want to cheat and just crop someone else out so I had a little photo shoot with just me, myself and I.  I also decided I would be real, so I showered, put some PJ's on and went to work.  This is how I look when I'm most comfortable, so I thought that's what I should show.

Have a great weekend!

My Summer Vacation Part V (last but not least)

On the last night of our vacation in Door County we took the whole gang out to eat at Fred and Fuzzy's.  It's a little place right on the lake, known for its great food, beautiful sunsets, and the outdoor seating.  Say cheese!

My Mom and Dad digging in!

After dinner we stuck around and watched the sun set.  Above are the guys relaxing and enjoying the view.

Perfect time to go picture crazy.. which is exactly what we did.

The "kids" ha, I wish.

My Mom admiring my Dad's tan.  He hails from Florida, all he's missing is his Fort Myers visor and a cigarette :)

So beautiful!!  I can't think of any other word to describe it. 

These are the last of my vacation pictures, sad it's all over.  I had such a great time, and loved spending time with everyone.  Until next summer... :)

Blackened Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

C likes pasta just as much as me, if not more.  He also likes fettuccine sauce, which is the worst sauce for you, health wise.  You can imagine the dilemma.  I try to expand his pallet a little, but every once and a while I have to give in to what I know he likes.  This recipe is a quick weeknight dinner; or in my case a Sunday, I'm lazy and don't feel like cooking, dinner.  Either way, you're going to like it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Pound the chicken until pretty thin, around 1/4" thick.  I used one chicken breast, and it was enough for two people with one serving of leftovers.

Mix together all of the spices: paprika, Cayenne pepper, cumin, thyme, salt, pepper and onion powder.  Coat both sides of the chicken with the spices.

Spray a skillet with non-stick spray and heat over medium heat.  Place the chicken in the pan and brown on both sides, approximately one minute on each side. 

Place the chicken in the prepared baking pan and bake in the oven for around 10 minutes, until cooked through.  Remove and cut into strips.

While the chicken is cooking, cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and return pasta to a warm pot.

Pour in the Alfredo sauce and mix thoroughly with the pasta.  I used the light creamy Alfredo, and it was delicious.  You could also make your own Alfredo sauce and use that.

Serve pasta with the sliced chicken on top.  This was quick and delicious.  The chicken is spicy and adds a lot to the pasta.  You're welcome C ;)

Blackened Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Serves 4

Adapted from This Week for Dinner Blog

9 oz of pasta, I used angel hair, but you could use fettuccine

1 jar Alfredo pasta sauce

2 boneless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking oil, set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pound the chicken breast until thin.

Mix all of the spices together.

Coat both sides of the chicken breasts with the spices.

Coat a skillet with non-stick spray and heat over medium heat.

Place chicken breasts in the pan and brown on both sides.

Place chicken in the prepared pan and bake in the oven for around 10 minutes.

Remove and slice into strips.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Drain and return pasta to a warm pot.

Pour the Alfredo sauce and mix thoroughly.

Serve with sliced chicken on top of pasta.

French Toast w/ old friends

One of the great things about living across the country from all the family and friends I grew up with is having them all visit.  Last minute a friend of mine from college got a cheap flight in from Chicago and spent the weekend here in Dallas.  We had a really fun weekend; a drunk weekend, but that's pretty normal :)  I decided to make a nice breakfast Saturday morning for us.  French toast was my choice, of course.

Mix together brown sugar and one teaspoon of cinnamon and set aside.

Whisk together the heavy whipping cream, eggs, vanilla extract and one teaspoon of cinnamon.  Once it's whisked together thoroughly, pour into a measuring cup.  This will make pouring easier.

Cut thick slices of whatever type of break you choose to use.  I used Challah, because its the best French toast!  Liberally coat a baking dish with non-stick spray.

Place one layer of the bread on the bottom of the pan.  Put 1/3 of the butter slices on top of the bread.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the sugar and cinnamon mixture on top.  Layer the bread on top until you've used all the bread.  You'll need to smash it down so everything fits in the pan. 

Lift the bottom layer of the bread slices and pour in some of the batter slowly.  Continue until the bottom of the whole pan is coated.  Do this slowly so it really soaks into the bread.  Pour the rest of the batter on top of the bread and let it soak a couple minutes.  Cover the pan with foil and let it chill in the fridge overnight.  The next day, bake at 350 degrees F, for one hour with the foil on the pan.  Remove and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Let it cool for 10 minutes.  Slice out pieces and enjoy!  It was delicious, and I loved cooking for a guest.  Hint hint everyone, if you come visit I'll cook some goodies for ya :)

French Toast

Serves 4-6

12 pieces of a thick type of bread

9 oz light brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 oz unsalted butter, thinly sliced

Batter:

10 oz heavy whipping cream

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix together the brown sugar and one teaspoon cinnamon, set aside.

Whisk together the heavy whipping cream, eggs, vanilla extract and one tablespoon of cinnamon.

Once whisked together, pour in a measuring cup to make pouring easier.

Liberally coat a baking pan with non-stick spray.

Place three slices of bread on the bottom of the pan.

Put 1/3 of the butter slices on top of the bread.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture on top.

Continue the process until you've used all of the bread, smash it down into the pan if necessary.

Lift of the bottom layer of the bread slices and pour the batter in slowly.

Allow the batter to soak into the bread, with the entire bottom of the pan covered.

Pour the remaining batter on top of the bread, and let soak for a couple minutes.

Cover the foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour, with the foil still on.

Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

Let cool for around 10 minutes and serve.

Enjoy!



My Summer Vacation Part IV

Beautiful lake Michigan.  I didn't mind waking up to this every morning!

The mums putting in some beach time :)

The flies were a little bad one day on the beach.  This was my Dad's solution -- pile up four of the beach chairs, haul them out to the sandbar with your book and fly swatter and relax.  Whatever works!

We went on a bike ride up the coast of the lake and walked around a nearby park.  The views were beautiful.  Nothing beats being around one of the great lakes in the summer.

While some of the ladies were making dinner my Dad and Virgina played bags.  She was a rock star!! 

The lake a night, so peaceful.  The moon looked amazing!!!  Wish I could go back :)

Have a great Monday everyone!

Caramel Stuffed Snicker Doodles

One of my favorite food blogs is Picky Palate. She has a great knack for creating desserts within desserts.  Who can resist that?!  Recently she posted this recipe, and although I'm not normally a snicker doodle cookie fan I thought I would give it a try.  I would recommend you do the same!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and set aside.  With an electric mixer combine the butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cup of sugar.  Beat on medium until light and fluffy. 

Add eggs and continue beat. 

Then add dry ingredients until combined well.

I used a bag of Werther's soft caramels, and had a few leftover that I might have snuck as a quick snack.

Use an ice cream scoop to form balls of the dough.  Break the ball into two and place a caramel in the middle. 

Combine 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon.  Roll the dough ball in the cinnamon sugar. 

Place about two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.  Bake until the cookies are set in the center and begin to crack, around 14 minutes. 

Transfer to a wire rack to cool before removing the cookies from the sheet. 

Have a great weekend everyone :)  Hope you get to enjoy some fall weather!

Caramel Stuffed Snicker Doodles

Serving size 4 dozen

Adapted from Picky Palate

2 3/4 cup of flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 large eggs

48 soft caramel candies

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Stir together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and set aside.

With an electric mixer combine butter, shortening, and 1 1/2 cup sugar. 

Beat until light and fluffy. 

Add eggs and beat to combine.

Then add dry ingredients, and continue beating.

In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and cinnamon. 

Use an ice cream scoop to form balls of dough.

Break the ball in half and place the caramel in the middle. 

Form one big ball and roll in the cinnamon sugar.

Place about 2 inches apartment on the baking sheet.

Bake until the cookies are set and start to crack, around 14 minutes.

Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let cool for a few minutes until removing cookies.

My Summer Vacation Part III

In Wisconsin and in Upper Michigan Friday night fish fry is tradition.  We all know the best places to go, and every Friday our families would meet up.  The parents would drink, the kids would play video games, and when the food came we would chow down.  I would say it's probably one of the things I miss the most about living there!  In Door County, instead of fish fry, they have fish boils.  Although it wasn't a Friday, we made sure to add it to our agenda while on vacation.  Since we're all grownups now we didn't play video games, we just drank :)

For fish boils they put a show on before you eat.  They cook everything right in front of you, which is pretty cool.  Here's our big bucket of fish.

This is how they know it's ready!

LOVE this picture :)  Baby Sienna is the cutest thing ever.

Oh how I miss eating this on a weekly basis.

The whole gang ready to eat. We took up the majority of the restaurant, but that's how we do :)

More to come!

Stuffed Peppers

I'm a really big fan of stuffed peppers.  The thing I like most about them is they're creative, you can add many different ingredients, and they always seem to end up tasting great.

I used green peppers, you could use red or any kind of bell peppers for this recipe.  Wash the peppers and cut around the stem to remove.  Remove the stems and cut the peppers length-wise.  Remove the seeds and ribs inside the peppers.

Line a baking sheet with foil, and coat with non-stick spray.  Set the peppers on the pan.

Meanwhile cook the ground turkey in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Stir and break up the turkey while it's cooking. 

When the turkey is almost finished cooking add the sauce and seasonings to the pan.  Continue to stir and cook until the meat is no longer pink.

Add the spinach and Parmesan and stir until everything is well combined.

Scoop 1/2 cup of the turkey mixture into each pepper.  Sprinkle one tablespoon of Parmesan over each pepper, or any other low fat shredded cheese.  Bake for 25 minutes at 450 degrees F, until the cheese has melted and is lightly golden brown.

 

These were incredibly delicious and full of flavor, all while being healthy and low fat.  I usually like ground beef in these kind of dishes, but turkey again proved to taste just as good, if not better.  I was full after one full pepper and completely satisfied.  Enjoy the meal!

Stuffed Peppers

Serving size 3-4

1lb lean ground turkey

3 bell peppers

2 cups spaghetti sauce

1 teaspoons basil/oregano seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper

1/2 cup chopped spinach

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Wash the peppers, cut around the stem to remove.

Remove the stems, and cut peppers in half length-wise, removing seeds and ribs.

Set peppers on a baking sheet that's been lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick.

Cook ground turkey in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Stir and break up the turkey while it's cooking.

When turkey is almost finished cooking add the sauce and seasonings to the pan.

Stir and continue to cook.

Add the spinach and Parmesan and stir until every thing's well combined.

Scoop 1/2 cup of the turkey mixture into each pepper.

Sprinkle one tablespoons Parmesan over each pepper.

Bake for 35 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly golden brown.

Remove from the oven and enjoy.