May 30, 2012 By headchef
School is almost out and summer is right around the corner. Fun smoothies is a great way for kids to ‘cook’ in the kitchen. Smoothies are quick and easy! Strawberry Lemonade has only 5 familiar ingredients; strawberries, banana, lemonade, a squeeze of fresh lemon and ice.
Little Chef C combined everything in a blender. Juicing the lemon was the hardest part. She needed help from Little Chef Dad to squeeze it hard enough to produce any juice! She also needed help pouring the lemonade because the pitcher was completely full!
This is how we do recipes in our home….all in small portions. Last summer an Uncle came to visit us and a few other cousins homes. He wondered why we all had the same little colorful cups. We do have an Ikea close by which the other relatives frequent more then we do, but alas we all apparently picked up the same cups! They are the perfect size for smoothies! This recipe was LOVED by all! Even Little Chef H drank her portion! This recipe will be made all summer long!
To make it even easier you can squeeze the lemon then put the juice in an ice cube tray to freeze. Fill a freezer safe bag with the frozen lemon juice, strawberries and banana. All you need to do is pull out the baggie, add ice and lemonade!
Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie
Five Little Chefs
2 cups lemonade1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries (about 7 medium sized)1 large frozen banana1 cup ice cubes (about 6 rectangle)
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Linking to: Lady Behind The Curtain
May 25, 2012 By headchef
Have you ever found the PERFECT chocolate chip cookie? Have you found one you like then stopped looking or trying others? We haven’t. At some point someone will say their recipe is the best and then you will feel inclined to try it. At least that happens here. I don’t think this qwest will ever end! So when we stumbled on The Chewy, we knew we had to try it. We have been watching Alton Brown lately in the Next Food Network Star and Good Eats (yes, reruns). He is great for Little Chef A especially because she is ALWAYS asking what each ingredient does for the recipe as a whole. I unfortunately do not know all the answers so I am learning a lot as well!
The first step is to melt the butter. I love that our mixing bowl is plastic which means we could melt butter without dirtying another bowl. Little Chefs C and D measured out the sugars and added it to the butter. We learned from Alton Brown the darker the sugar you use the chewier the cookie.
The Little Chefs showed us how to crack the eggs. Alton Brown says the egg white is the part that dries out the cookie. That is why he uses one egg and one egg yolk in the recipe, but does add a little more moisture with the milk.
The whisked eggs, milk and vanilla were then added to the butter mixture until incorporated.
The flour, salt and baking powder very carefully and slowly was added.
After eating a few of the chocolate chips the rest were slowly mixed into the batter. We do not eat raw cookie dough so it could safely sit in the refrigerator for one hour before baking.
Obviously something did not work out with these cookies. I’m sure they were not intended on being so flat. The only difference in ingredients is we did not have bread flour so we used AP flour. We did refrigerate the batter for one hour. Everyone loved the taste and chewiness. I would love to make these again with bread flour and see if that is the difference.
The Chewy
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Ingredients
- 8 ounces unsalted butter
- 12 ounces bread flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ounces granulated sugar
- 8 ounces light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 ounce whole milk
- 1
1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract - 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda onto a paper plate. Pour the butter into your stand mixer’s work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the whole egg, the egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract in a measuring cup. Reduce the mixer speed and slowly add the egg mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Using the paper plate as a slide, gradually integrate the dry ingredients, stopping a couple of times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Once the flour is worked in, drop the speed to “stir” and add the chocolate chips. Chill the dough for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven.
Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-ounce portions onto parchment-lined half sheet pans, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake 2 sheets at a time for 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Remove from the oven, slide the parchment with the cookies onto a cooling rack and wait at least 5 minutes before devouring.
May 23, 2012 By headchef
Have you ever heard of Flirty Aprons?! Look for a feature soon with my Little Chefs wearing some of their very cute patterns and designs! They have Women’s, Men’s, and Children’s Aprons. Wouldn’t you love to have a matching apron for your child and yourself!
Just this morning I was telling Little Chef D the apron she chose out will be coming in the mail soon. She was very confused and thought it was going to be on paper. I’m still not sure why she thought that?! I explained she will be able to wear it over her clothes when she is cooking so her clothes do not get dirty. She said, “I don’t want the pretty apron to get dirty!”
For a very limited time Flirty Aprons is giving us a 40% off coupon code good on any purchase! How exciting is that! Now is the time to get them. They have some great men’s aprons perfect for the grilling dad for fathers day. Order now and you won’t have the stress of finding something just days before! Hurry, the coupon code expires May 28, 2012.
How do I get in on this great deal?
Click here – Flirty Aprons.
Enter in coupon code May40.
Remember this deal ends on May 28, 2012.
May 23, 2012 By headchef
We LOVE a good homemade roll! I prefer to cook rolls in the morning because the smell that comes from the oven when bread cooks lingers all day. The Little Chefs come home from school excited for dinner because of the smell that hits them as they walk through the door. We thought it was time the Little Chefs tried their hand in bread/rolls. We found a French Bread Roll recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe which she describes as her no fail recipe. That is the perfect type of recipe we need when the kids are cooking.
The first thing we talked about is proofing the yeast. I showed Little Chef D how after 10 minutes the yeast mixture has an inch of foam on the top. She then poured it into our mixing bowl and added salt very carefully. You can tell she is concentrating hard!
We do not like getting a lot of bowls messy so we let the dough rise the first time in the mixing bowl.
Little Chef C was very excited about forming the balls. She wanted to help and Little Chef D graciously let her assist. They made this short cute video about how they form the balls.
These rolls took longer to bake then the recipe advised. They did not brown as much as I would have liked. They did smell wonderful! Everyone gave these a thumbs up. Rolls do not need to be shaped perfectly in order to taste delicious. These will be made again in our home.
French Bread Rolls
Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
INGREDIENTS:1 1/2 cups warm water3/4 tablespoon instant yeast (or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast)2 tablespoons granulated sugar2 tablespoons canola oil1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, give or take a few tablespoons
DIRECTIONS:In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl by hand, combine the warm water, yeast, sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups of the flour (if you are using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, let the yeast proof in the warm water and sugar for about 3-5 minutes until it is foamy and bubbly before adding the oil, salt and flour). Begin mixing and continue to add the rest of the flour gradually until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Judge the dough not by the amount of flour called for in the recipe but in how the dough feels. The dough should be soft and smooth but still slightly tacky to the touch.Knead the dough in the stand mixer or by hand until it is very smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer or 8-10 minutes by hand. Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until it has doubled (this usually takes about an hour).Lightly punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly greased countertop. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and form the dough into round balls. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or silpat-lined baking sheet about an inch or two apart. Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap taking care not to pin the plastic wrap under the baking sheet or else the rolls will flatten while rising. Let the plastic wrap gently hang over the sides of the pan to fully cover the rolls but not press them down. Let the rolls rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through.
*Freezable Option: I almost always make a double or triple batch of these rolls. Once they are baked and cooled, I place them in a zipper-lock freezer bag and put them in the freezer. I either take them out a few hours before I need them or I take them out frozen and microwave them for about 2-3 minutes on 70% power.
May 21, 2012 By headchef
Last summer we went to my Aunt’s ranch for a mini family reunion. One night we had a catered dinner where we ate some very delicious beans. My mom has tried duplicating the recipe. Paula Deen’s Southern Baked Beans does not have all the same elements as the ones we loved, but we thought it looked great to give a try.
The ingredients are very simple. Little Chef D diced the onion with our Vidalia Chop Wizard. I love how fast this tool is, but it is not very easy for her to use. I took over and she said, “Does that hurt your hand?” You have to hit it very hard to dice and it sounds like it should hurt. Canned pork and beans were combined with the onion, mustard, ketchup, maple syrup, lemon juice and brown sugar. She said, “This smells so good, I love it!”
The entire mixture was stirred together. Little Chef D said, “This will be good!” Bacon was chopped into smallish pieces and placed on top. Now it was ready to cook in the oven for about an hour.
Little Chef A said, “It is a bit too sweet for me. They are cooked properly, but I do not like the flavoring that much.” Little Chef C said, “I really like the flavoring because it is really good and it tastes like beans. I want a little more of something else so it tastes like something else as well.” Little Chef D said, “I really don’t like it.”
I really liked the sauce combination with the ketchup, mustard, maple syrup and bacon. I would love to play around with the rest and half the onion and switch out the beans with a few different types.
Southern Baked Beans
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 (16-ounce) cans pork and beans
- 3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 pound bacon strips, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a Dutch oven, mix onion, pork and beans, mustard, maple syrup, light brown sugar, ketchup, and lemon juice. Top with the bacon pieces. Bake, covered, for 45 to 60 minutes.
May 18, 2012 By headchef
Refried Beans is a staple in our home. I learned how to make them from my sisters in law, but there is something they do that makes them taste better then mine. Robert Irvine has a refried bean recipe Little Chef C wanted to try. She got the full approval of Little Chef A who ‘felt like having bean burritos tonight!’
Little Chef A was more then willing to start the beans while Little Chef C was still at her play date. The beans were rinsed then dumped in the boiling water for 15 minutes. The beans were then strained again, the pot rinsed out, then simmered for another two hours.
Little Chef C took over at this point. When I told her the first step was to saute the onions and garlic she was excited. She said, “we have to do it again where it is nice and white.” She knew what her job was even though she couldn’t articulate it correctly. When the onions were ready she added the chili powder, salt and pepper.
Little Chef C did NOT want to drain the beans herself. I assisted and poured them into the pan. She mixed the spices and beans together before getting out the potato masher.
“Its not hard to smash. I like smashing.” We looked and tasted the beans. She wanted them more creamy. At this point we changed the recipe and added 2 ounces of cream cheese. It still wasn’t sufficiently creamy so Little Chef C decided to try adding water. She said, “Wow! When we add water it is creamy and comes together.” It is funny to me she uses this terminology. I know it comes from Food Network! She tasted it again and said it was perfect!
We rolled the beans in a flour tortilla and added some extra ingredients to our tastes. The Little Chefs gave it a thumbs up.
Refried Beans: Frijoles Refritos
|
1 lb pinto beans (dried, picked over for stones and impurities) 2 tbsps grapeseed oil 1 red onion (diced) 3 cloves garlic (lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and minced) 1 tbsp chili powder (mexican) |
2 oz cream cheese black pepper 1 tbsp fresh ci |
| 1 | In a large stockpot, bring the beans to a boil in 8 cups water. Let boil for 15 minutes and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Drain beans in a colander and rinse. Wash out the pot and return the beans to the pot with 8 cups fresh water. Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook until tender, about 2 hours over low heat. |
| 2 | In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add onion and garlic and saute until the onion turns translucent. Add chili powder, salt, and pepper, and cook for a few minutes to allow flavors to integrate. Drain beans and add to pan, mashing the ingredients together. Heat through and serve with minced cilantro or minced parsley sprinkled on top. |
May 16, 2012 By headchef
Are potatoes a staple in your home? They sure are in mine including; Bacon and Pancetta Potatoes, Market Street Au Gratin Potatoes and Pommes Anna. Why? Potatoes are cheap and versatile. We are always willing to try a different potato recipe. Paula Deen has a great recipe to try, Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
Peeling potatoes is an amusing event in our home. Little Chef D picked out the potatoes. She lined them all up next to each other and said, “The baby one is so cute. I want to do the baby one. You can do all the others.” As much as she was talking about the cute little potato I’m surprised she wanted to peel and eat it! Of course as usual her potato slipped out of her hand and she had to chase it! I really don’t think they do it on purpose because I know they are slippery after you peel them.
Little Chef D is determined to do the rest of the recipe herself! Sometimes her attention span cuts her off, but for this recipe she was fully focused. She LOVES using a knife. I think because that is the next step in being grown up and she wants so much to be big like her sisters. She did very well filling the measuring cup with sour cream. The counter was mostly clean after which was surprising!
When the potatoes were soft the easy part begins…just dump the rest of the ingredients in, mash and stir. She tried mashing but said it was too difficult. She said, “You do it because you are the best.” Maybe she thought I needed a little pick me up?! The rest of the ingredients were added in including the milk which was spilt on the floor in the process. Little Chef D had to announce to the entire house, “We spilled milk on the floor, everyone come and see it!” Finally the milk was dumped into the pan but when the masher was pressed down immediately after milk squirted up and out!
My Little Chefs were able to pick out the garlic flavor- those who did not know garlic was in the recipe. They are becoming familiar with the taste of more foods. They loved this recipe so much we did not make enough! Because they don’t listen to each other very well and are mostly concerned about what they have to say I repeatedly said to each of them, “I’m sorry the potatoes are gone”, to which they replied,” ahhhh too bad!” This recipe will definitely be made again!
Linking to: Lady Behind the Curtain
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- 3 medium baking potatoes peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon (or more) whole milk, at room temperature or warmed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a medium saucepan, cook the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan.
Add the butter, sour cream and garlic. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or the back of a fork until the ingredients are blended. Add the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes are the desired consistency. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.
May 14, 2012 By headchef
With Mother’s Day just barely ending its time to start thinking about Father’s Day! What father doesn’t secretly want their own “Man Cave”? A place to call their own. A place big or small to do whatever it is they do. Enter now to win a CASH prize to help him create or fill up that space!
These wonderful hosts have organized this great Father’s Day Giveaway: voiceBoks, Good Steward Savers, Terri’s Little Haven, Cute-Ecakes, Giveaway Promote, and Linkie’s Contest Linkies
Make sure you enter today! This giveaway ends on June 8, 2012 at Midnight.
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Thank you to these wonderful sponsors!
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May 14, 2012 By headchef
Little Chef A was looking for a fun dessert or snack to make. We ran across Popcorn with Rosemary Infused Oil from one of Giada De Laurentiis’ shows and decided we need to try it. This recipe was different from other popcorn we make at home because of the infused oil. It was very simple and very quick to make. Just add a few sprigs of rosemary to a saucepan with some olive oil. Let cook for 5 minutes then let it cool to room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator for up to one month.
The rosemary infused oil was poured into a saucepan and the popcorn kernels were added.
Next Little Chef A swirled the oil around the pan to coat all the kernels. Now it was time to get Dad’s help. He is the popcorn maker in our house. Little Chef A calls him the “master of popcorn” which I’m sure makes his day each time he hears those words.
After a minute or so we began hearing a few pops. Little Chef A immediately echoed those pops she heard one after another. Dad showed her his technique for shaking the popcorn in the pan. However, her hands are not as large so Dad had to hold the lid on while she shook it so the popcorn would not burn.
When the popping stopped Little Chef A poured the popcorn into a large bowl.
Once again Dad showed his technique of drizzling. She was using the rosemary infused olive oil, he uses butter, but its the same motion. Little Chef A had a very hard time with this skill. She couldn’t figure out how to tip the spoon to drizzle just a small stream without drizzling the entire spoonful in one small place. Dad was getting a little frustrated his technique was not being followed exactly.
Little Chef A sprinkled on some fine sea salt herself. She was VERY heavy handed like her Dad…well she surpassed him. It seems to be a family trait from that side of the family to over salt everything!
The Little Chefs enjoyed such a different but familiar taste on popcorn, which is very familiar to them. They all gave it a thumbs up and a green light to make it again. Little Chef A did say “I think it has too much salt. It is quite salty.” She was correct!
It is interesting to note, we have movie night once a week, almost every week, where we enjoy Dad’s butter popcorn. My Little Chefs LOVE popcorn and always come back for more. They were done after one bowl with this popcorn. I noticed it was more greasy then Dad usually makes it. The rosemary is very strong. We like rosemary, but not as much as butter! This is fun to eat a little here and there.
Linking to: Todays Creative Blog, Lady Behind the Curtain,The Shabby Creek Cottage
target=”_blank”>Popcorn with Rosemary Infused Oil
Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients
- 1 cup popcorn kernels
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Rosemary Infused Oil, recipe follows
- Salt
Directions
Stir the popcorn kernels and 1/2 cup of the oil in a heavy large pot. Cover and cook over medium heat until the kernels have popped, shaking the pot halfway through cooking, about 3 minutes. Immediately transfer the popcorn to a large serving bowl. Toss the popcorn with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with salt, to taste, and serve.
Rosemary Infused Oil:
- 1 cup olive oil
- 5 to 6 fresh rosemary sprigs (each 5 inches long)
Combine the oil and rosemary in a heavy small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Transfer the sprigs to a 4-ounce bottle or cruet. Add the oil and seal the lid. Refrigerate for up to 1 month.
Yield: 1 cup
May 12, 2012 By headchef
Last weekend I went to Daybreak for the Breathing Space Blogger Retreat. Daybreak was beautiful. I was able to walk through many of the model homes. I stayed in one of the town homes. I saw the Community Garden and went shopping at any of the shops there!
I attended a few wonderful classes; Cupcakes with Heather Faulkner Brown who IS The Sweet Tooth Fairy, Liz Edmunds, The Food Nanny “Cooking for your Family”.
Our first night we had a Stepford Wives Dinner with an Italian Soda Bar, fun decorations (I made the table runners!) and food from the Corner Bakery and cupcakes from The Sweet Tooth Fairy. We met Dawn from Survivor who taught us to make a goal and then take that goal even further because that is how you become stronger.
We found out there will be a DIY Blogger House at Daybreak on the Parade of Homes Tour. Here is more information on that fun project! It will be fun to follow along their progress this summer.
Saturday began for me with Yoga at the Breathe Studio on SoDa Row, followed by more classes; How to Photograph a room or project with Emilie Decker Ralph or Photo by Emilie, Make-up Tips and Tricks, Deidre Smith, Style Please! Simple Ways to Fight the Frump, Becki Crosby. Food from Chick Fil-A, San Gelato Cafe and Cafe Rio.
The best thing about the Breathing Space Blogger Retreat was all the great bloggers I met!
Thank you Breathing Space, Daybreak and ALL the wonderful sponsors for making this get away possible!
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