My attempt at returning to the blogging world...

I finally went to look and see when the last time that I blogged a recipe was. Imagine the loud *gasp* that came out of my mouth when I realized that it had been almost a year. The sad thing is that it doesn't seem like that is even a remote possibility. The last year has gone by so fast, it is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since we got engaged. This makes life even scarier since I really need to buckle down and begin actually planning a wedding...what a concept. My goal is to start blogging at least once every week or two. Maybe even just doing a few recipes at a time once or twice a month. We have been making so many good things over the past year. Thankfully, even though I have been failing at the blogging, I HAVE been keeping up with pictures of all the tasty things that we have been eating. In my attempt to seem less pathetic for "not finding time" I am going to list a few of the reasons that cause me to seem to never have the time or energy to blog...

1.) Addition to the family-#1
Gus Gus
Puggle
Born: August 1, 2010
Brought Home: Early October
Nicknames: Guster Buster Douglas, Buster Stevenson, Gus-a-Bus, Bubby-Do
2.) School and Work:
Finally my research life will be settling down just a tiny bit, not near enough for my liking
though. Just this past Friday my boss submitted our grant to the NIH. This would give us funding for the next 3-4 years, longer that I plan on being here. Therefore, it has been really been crunch-time since January. I also started the process of cumulative exams (written doctoral exams) in January. You must pass 4 out or 10. Thankfully, my hard work paid off and I was able to pass 4 for 4 and be done! One of only 2 students in my year to do this, the other being my Ohio BFF :) Now, with great sadness, I have to start working on my ORP (oral doctoral exam) where I have to write an original research proposal, bleh. There things plus the normal stress of work have left little time to do much else.


3.) Trips and Travels:
August brought an opportunity to travel to Milwaukee, WI for an EPR workshop for my area of research. It was a really good experience and a lot of good talks where there.

We met up with Mom and Grammy in St Louis back in September to spend a few days. We had a great time and got to see a lot of really neat places. We also had some AMAZING Italian food, saw the arch, Zoo, Botanical Gardens (Complete with a few Chihuly pieces), and Anheuser Busch Brewery (with complimentary beer), among other things



In November Adam and I made an emergency trip home to Nebraska to see my Great Grandfather (93) who was very sick. Thankfully he pulled through and is currently doing well. We drove there and took Mr. Gus Gus with us, he was really good on the ride and super cute!


Christmas meant another trip back to Nebraska for me, sadly this time without Adam and Gus. However, this gave us girl time to go wedding dress shopping.

March brought with it a trip to Baltimore, MD for the Annual Biophysical Society Conference. It was a really good time and a friend and I even got time off to see the aquarium and Dolphin Show!


On top of this we had visitors a few times, needless to say, it has been a very busy year for us!

4.) Addition #2 to the family:
Bella
Cairn Terrier
Born: October 28, 2010
Brought Home: beginning of February
Nicknames: Bellzer, Bella-Rella, Bells,

I am hoping that this gives everyone a little bit of insight into what we have been up to lately and also will cut me a little slack for not blogging ;) I have a busy summer planned with work and research, let along real life. In July we will be heading up to Michigan for three days with Adam's Step-Dad's family at their cabin and lake. We are looking forward to the three day reality break to say the least! I will try to post a new recipe as soon as I can! Lord knows we have lots to post!

Lemon Raspberry Bars

I decided that I had to post this recipe right away today because of how my fiance reacted to it. Yes, fiance! Adam and I got engaged June 22...it was a complete surprise to me and the event rendered me quite speechless. For those of you who know me, you know that does not happen very often.

Yesterday at work I was quickly browsing through Pioneer Woman's website and found this recipe that originally came from Two Peas and Their Pod, another of my favorite food and recipe blogs. It sounded amazing and looked to pretty and fresh. I ended up going to Kroger to get ingredients for this and also for my Thai Chicken Pizza that I make about once a month when Adam is at work. This recipe was super fast and easy to make, and oh man the lemon smell was phenomenal. Adam walked in and said "Yum, what are you making? Smells good! Lemon?"

I finished the dessert and put it in the fridge where it stayed until this morning when Adam was getting in there to get stuff for lunch (Pesto with Three Cheese Tortellini, yum!). At that time, he proceeded to take it out and try and bite. I was so shocked at his reaction which basically consisted of "Yum", "Oh my God.", and "I could eat this whole pan". I tried it and had to agree that is was pretty amazing. He later, after grabbing the pan and running for the living room and away from me, told me that "This is my favorite thing you have ever made!". Coming from Adam the picky-eating-chef of a fiance, I took that to mean that this was a WINNER! Try it, you won't regret it. This was also the first time I ever zested anything and it was fun!

Lemon Raspberry Bars

CRUST:
1-½ cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
6 Tablespoons Salted Butter, Melted
¼ cups Sugar
1 whole Lemon Zested

FILLING:
2 whole Egg Yolks
1 can Fat Free Sweetened Condensed Milk, 14 Oz.
½ cups Fresh Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
6 ounces Fresh Raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 8 by 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Stir until graham cracker crumbs are moist. Press crumbs into the prepared pan, pressing the crust mixture one inch up the side of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

Once the crust is cool, combine the egg yolks and condensed milk until well mixed. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Stir until mixture begins to slightly thicken. Gently fold in the raspberries. Fold carefully so you don’t break the raspberries.

Pour the lemon raspberry filling evenly over the graham cracker crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until just set.

Cool to room temperature, then chill for at least one hour before serving. Will keep up to days. Cut and serve.

Note: use fresh raspberries and make sure you gently fold the berries into the lemon filling, or you will have pink bars.

My Grandma's Mexican Cornbread

As I said the other day when I posted my grandma's cake recipe, it was just a Grammy's recipe day. I had called my Grandma on Friday to get her Upsidedown Cake recipe again (it ran away) and she ended up being at my mother's house. So the next day when she was home she called and we "talked shop" for a while on her recipes. This is one of them that just came to my mind and sounded great, so she gave me the recipe for it.

This dish is super easy and has always been one of Grammy and I's favorite recipes. Just like the cake, I can remember eating this for a long time. It actually originally came from my Aunt Tina. It had been so long since I had eaten this that I was like a kid in a candy store while making it and ended up forgetting the cheese because I was so excited to get it done and try a bite. However, if I would have remembered I may not have even included it. The grandparents and I usually don't put cheese on this dish or runzas, it is usually added for my mother. :)

My Grandpa, if I remember correctly, puts salsa on his so your could give that a try. I had Adam try it and he said "it's not bad, a little sweet for me" He is crazy though, anything with corn in it he ends up saying it's "too sweet". I don't get him sometimes lol, such a picky eater for being a chef...Weird!

This recipe is originally way too big for just me, or even the both of us. I am posting the larger recipe, but just know that you should cut it in half for 4 or less people if you want a little bit of left overs.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-3 Pouches of cornbread/corn muffin mix (preferably Mexican cornbread, but it's hard to find)
-3 pounds hamburger
-1 whole bell pepper (chopped) Pick your faves, I used red and green
-1 whole onion (chopped)
-2 cans whole kernel corn (drained)
-2 cans creamed corn
-1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
-3/4 cup milk
-2 eggs
-parsley and garlic
-8 oz cheese (usually cheddar, but whatever you want)


Mexican Cornbread

*Brown hamburger, onions, and peppers in pan. Add a pinch or so of parsley and garlic (mix in) right before draining. (I actually just cooked mine with a large chopped garlic clove)

*Mix remaining ingredients well (except cheese)

*Grease a 9x12 baking dish and put half of corn mixture into pan

*On top of that layer all of the hamburger mix

*Sprinkle cheese on hamburger mix (I forgot and actually prefer it without cheese)

*Add remaining half of corn mix on top

*Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes

My Grandma's Strawberry-Rhubarb Cake

Don't get me wrong, there are TONS are dessert recipes that I love and adore. However, I am not kidding in the slightest when I say that this is my FAVORITE dessert EVER. Honestly, if I could only eat one dessert for the rest of my life, this would be it. Hands down, the best. Today is just a Grammy recipe day, since my late lunch/early supper is also one of her recipes.

I have been eating this Strawberry-Rhubarb cake as far back in my life as I remember. My grandmother has made it over and over again. Since I moved away to college (granted only a little over an hour away), every time I come home to visit she asks me what I want for lunch and so on. This is even more so true now that I am away at grad school in Ohio. It never fails that I either always ask for this cake or she just makes it on her own without me asking because she knows that it is my favorite. The only dessert that I usually ever ask for besides this is caramel cake with caramel frosting, but that is only for my birthday. :)

This cake is tried and true and I honestly have never ever met anyone who did not like it. My friend and fellow blogger Tessa and I made it a few years back in Omaha (when I still lived in the state). She and her hubby Derek both really enjoyed it. Then there is the boyfriend and picky chef Adam. My grandma made this for me when we went home over spring break this year. Adam tried one bite and fell in love with the cake, maybe more with the cake than with me. Kidding :)

**I will be honest and tell you that this is NOT healthy at all, but it is soooo good**

Now for your promise to me...You must promise me that you will only make this cake if you try it my way (and my grandmother's) first. Yes, you could eat it plain. Yes, you could put whipped cream on it. No, you will not do this right away because...do us both a favor and try it this way first: *Microwave a piece so it's slightly warm and put a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream with it.*

The combo of cold and warm is perfect here. I hope that you love this as much as my grandmother, Adam, and I do. :)


Ingredients:
-5 cups chopped rhubarb
-1 dry yellow cake mix
-1 cup sugar
-1 stick butter or oleo
-1 packet (3oz) dry strawberry jello mix
-1 1/2 cups water

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cake

*Spread chopped rhubarb in the bottom of 9x12 pan.
*Sprinkle on dry jello mix, followed by sugar,
*Sprinkle on dry cake mix evenly
*Melt butter in with water in microwave until mixed thoroughly
*Poor butter/water mixture over top of rhubarb/dry mixture
*Bake for 45 minutes at 350

Remember your promise to try it our way first ;)

Chicken Shawarma

I found this recipe on my friend Tessa's cooking blog. She is the one that actually originally got me into the whole cooking blog, so thank you Tessa! Her hubby made this for the two of them a while back and it just sounded amazing. I was looking for something fairly easy to make, and quick too, and this just seemed perfect at the time. I have a few comments to make on the parts of the dish, but don't ready too heavily into my criticism and if you start you need to read the ENTIRE post to get the real outcome.

Let's start with the chicken itself. I, like Tessa and her husband, LOVED the chicken in this dish. It was to die for and could easily be eaten by itself. Next time I actually might combine the chicken with rice, hard boiled egg, and potatoes for a dish. Yes, I am sure that sounds weird, but it is actually pieces of authentic Indian dishes that my friend Debjani (from India) made for us one night. It would be a great combo. I will let you know how it works out. :) Speaking of Debjani, she was my savior for this recipe as she lives right below me in the apartment complex and I got home to realize that the recipe called for curry and I did not have any. Being from India, she has MANY kinds of curry, she gave me a simple chicken curry. Thank you Debjani!

As far as the sauce goes, I felt like it was trying to be tzatziki sauce, but fell short. I went to Kroger to find Tahini for the sauce and it took forever. Not to mention that when I found in a smaller jar was $8.00. I thought "wow" since I only needed 2 tablespoons and it was just for the sauce. The sauce was good, but it reminded me of yogurt (duh) with a hint of hummus (from the tahini). I think that it would have been just a tasty to use hummus for the sauce and would have been MUCH cheaper since the tahini would not have been necessary, but that is just me :)

I also added fresh mushrooms and onions to the mix, which was awesome. I could not find flatbreat at Kroger to save my life, so I bought wheat pita bread instead. They were small (all I could find) and while they went fine taste wise, they fell apart. In the end, the recipe was not sure whether it wanted to be Greek or Indian, lol.

Overall, I really enjoyed this recipe, it was easy, light, and the chicken was super yummy! I better get this post wrapped up as my cake in the oven is almost done. Smells soooo good! That post is soon to come along with a few more.

Chicken Shawarma

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips (I just used thin sliced breasts)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c. plain reduced-fat Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. tahini
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
4 pieces whole-wheat flatbread (I used wheat pitas)
1 c. romaine lettuce
2 tomatoes, diced
chopped onion (I added)
chopped fresh mushrooms ( I added)

In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, curry powder, olive oil, salt, cumin, and minced garlic. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. To prepare the sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, and 1 clove minced garlic. Set aside.

Spray grill grates with cooking spray and pre-heat the outdoor grill. Place chicken strips on the grill (can place on skewers if desired). Grill for 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is fully cooked. (I did mine in the oven at 350 degrees until done, about 20 minutes)

Place pitas on grill rack and grill for 1 minute on each side or until lightly toasted. Place 1 pita on each plate. Top with chicken, lettuce, tomato, and sauce and any extras you want.

Enjoy! Yum!

Fresh Basil, Roasted Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Okay, until now I could take full credit for everything that I have posted on my blog (for actually cooking it that is). However, that time has come to an end. I came home Tuesday to Adam making supper, which was great because... 1.) I didn't have to make it 2.) It was amazing and 3.) I was exhausted from a run around day in the lab.

I can take no credit for this dish whatsoever. He, being a chef, pulled this idea right out of his wazoo. The verdict...it was AMAZING!

Now don't go telling him (the whole 3 people who may read this) that I posted the "Chef's Secrets" on here, lol. This is what I got out of making the recipe since I was not actually there.

Stuffed Chicken
*Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*Bread crumbs
*Olive oil
*Goat Cheese (about the size of a roll of quarters will be enough for 3-4 chicken breasts)
*Roasted red peppers (jarred or homemade)
*Fresh Basil

-Butterfly cut the chicken (gives you a long, thin breast for rolling later)
-Line one side with a few half leaves of fresh Basil (3-4 halves)
-Finger pat goat cheese (about a tablespoon or a little less) onto basil leaves, like pressing dough out.
-Line with roasted red peppers
-Roll chicken breast up
-Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with bread crumbs
-Bake until done

These were amazing. Sorry that the picture is not so great. I took it with my phone right before dinner.

Pico de Gallo and Guacamole-Yum!

I have always loved Pico de Gallo. I get it on so many different things and at so many different restaurants from Amigos to Fudruckers...Fudruckers has amazing Pico de Gallo. Seriously, it's to die for! Which is also how I feel about Chipotle's guac, it is truly amazing and made fresh every day.

Loving them both, I have been wanting to make them forever, but for some reason just never got around to it. Well, a few weeks ago I finally did it...I made them both. I had my friends Aaron and Ian over for dinner on a Friday (Aaron and I typically cook together on Fridays and Ian is there every other week as well). Our Fridays are always filled with good fun, music, amazing food, and sometime even a night full of Texas Hold 'Em. We all three love Mexican food and decided to make it a Mexican themed night. Stay tuned for a later post for the main event which was utter BLISS! Super easy since you use the Pico to make the Guac.

I took both of these recipes from The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook, which I have talked about before. The only thing that we changed was adding quite a bit more salt that Ree used. We did it "to taste" and the Pico turned out just lovely. The Guac was also really good, although a few changes might be added next time. However, the three of us ended up literally eating it ALL...the pico and the guac.

Enjoy!

Pico de Gallo
*5 whole Plum (roma) Tomatoes
*½ whole Large (or 1 Small) Onion
*3 whole Jalapeno Peppers
*Cilantro
*Lime Juice
*Salt To Taste

Chop up tomatoes, onion and jalapenos and mix together. I did not add the jalapeno seeds because they make it hotter and I was not sure how I felt about the jalapenos in the first place. Wear gloves whem handling them.

Chop cilantro to your preferred size and add to taste...for us..LOTS. Squeeze the juice from half of a lime into the mixture and add salt to taste. Stir and enjoy!


Guacamole:
*3-4 soft, buttery avacadoes
*Pico de Gallo
*Half of lime
*Salt

Cut avocados length wise, take pit out, and scoop "meet" into a bowl. Mush with a fork until the consistency that you want...it should be chunky though. Add large scoop of Pico de Gallo (how ever much you want), squeeze juice of half a lime in, salt to taste. Mix and enjoy!


NOTE: Guac keeps less than 24 hours after made. Pico between 24 and 48. So make accordingly the day you want to eat it.