"Helping"

I took the advice of a friend and decided to include Nanners in

our daily household chores. It's been an interesting process trying to include her.

She definitely loves them much more than I do!

She helps with dishes by finding all the knives in the sink.

At least she has the sense that she's not supposed to play with them.

She just holds them and calls for me to take them.

Here she is helping Daddy make Family Home Evening treats.

Daddy makes them, Nanners eats them off the pan.

And while Mr. Pants was at the BYU v. OSU game we decided to

make some pumpkin cookies to doorbell-ditch our neighbors.

Making cookies proved most dangerous.

As the Kitchenaide was running, Nanners dropped a measuring cup right on in.

It hit the blade, hurled out of the bowl, hit me square in the forehead and then splattered on the floor.

My first reaction was to get really mad and rethink this whole "helping" plan, then I just had

to stop and realize how fantastic it would have looked if it had been filmed.

I have had to remind myself that including her in these things doesn't actually make the tasks easier, rather more fun and meaningful. I'm learning...and hopefully she is too.

She also mistaked the Crisco for the tub of lotion I let her dip her fingers in each morning.

I turned around and caught her rubbing it all over her face.

At any rate these pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting were delish!

And I felt such a rush delivering these to our neighbors--

ringing the doorbell and running home as fast as I could.

It's a good thing I've been training.

Pumpkin Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from this recipe from House of Hepworth

Combine:

1/2 c. vegetable shortening

1 1/2 c. Sugar

Add:

2 eggs

Mix in:

15 oz. can of Pumpkin filling

Add:

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 1/2 c. Flour

Add:

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Nutmeg

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Make Cream Cheese Frosting

Combine:

1 (8 oz) package Cream Cheese

1/4 c. Butter, softened to almost melted

Add:

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1 1/4 c. Powdered Sugar

Frost cooled cookies and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Refrigerate leftover frosting.

Foodies for Thought: Tastespotting & Blogtasting

I've mentioned the blog tastespotting before.

It is a literal thumbnail view of beautiful food.

With pictures so good you can practically taste each dish.

I have found myself looking at those inspiring pictures a lot recently

and getting to work in my little kitchen.

There is nothing I hate more than going to WINCO to grocery shop.

In fact, just thinking about it produces the same visceral reaction I believe the Pants experiences when I turn on The Bachelor. At least it looks the same in my mind.

But when armed with images of the delicious things I will create because of my shopping trip I am inspired to push harder past the woman screaming at her child,

wrangle my bananas out from under the ten employees stocking produce

during the most high-traffic hour of the day,

and hike the mile back to the bulk foods section because

I forgot to get gluten flour the first time I passed it.

And in case you're wondering when the most high traffic hour of the day is, it is

every hour between 8 am and 10 pm.

Recently desserts are inspiring me. Who am I kidding? Recently, Ha!

I found both of these (when on a free carbs day) The Pants asked, "What shall we have for dessert?"

And rather than go to Chevron and get a Caramelo and Peanut Butter M&M's, we looked for the best looking dessert that enticed our palate*.

Here's what we came up with:

Blackberry Mascarpone Shortcake

Recipe here.

I confess that we had this twice within a weekend. Complete Gluttony, I know.

I didn't even feel bad about it though--there are berries in it for heaven's sake.

Vanilla Bean Ricotta Tart

This was so good The Pants has requested I make this for his birthday. I will defer to the picture from whence it came--next time I will butter that tart pan more liberally to prevent the crust from sticking. And my only deviation from the recipe was to use full-fat cream cheese, making it oh-so rich. *If you are in the Portland area--the cheapest Vanilla Bean I found was at Penzey's Spices (almost half the price of anywhere else).

This week I'll try my hand at entree recipes using meat other than Chicken--because I so often get stuck in that rut. I'm using this blog as my inspiration.

Happy Tastespotting and Blogtasting!

*Post edit: I hate when I spell words incorrectly. Such as palate-originally I had it spelled palette as in a painter's palette. Me eating a wooden/plastic disk covered in paint was not the image I was trying to convey.

Foodies for Thought: Carb Load

The Pants is currently on a "cut the carbs" regime. However Saturday is binge day.
Last Saturday I made this coffee crumb cake. It was a little intense to make but it hit the spot. Especially with ice cream. It was perfectly crumbly and I love that it includes frozen berries because fresh ones are just too expensive this time of year.
Recipe here.

Note: I would only recommend serving this fresh out of the oven or soon after. It was really dry the next day. Which in our case was a good thing because we weren't tempted to eat the other 3/4 of the pan on Sunday.


And tomorrow we're heading to The Country Cat Dinnerhouse for Brunch. What's a free day without Chicken fried steak or Hazlenut french toast (with a side of cinnamon rolls) to wake you up? Dinner here has always proved scrumtrulescent so I can only imagine what wonder brunch will bring!

Happy Free day everyone!

Sunny weather means...

I get to use my grill practically every night.
We ate this last night and dare I say it was phenomenal and EASY:

Fennel-Garlic Chicken Legs
Grilled Corn with lime and chili powder
Photo and recipe via Food and Wine Magazine

and for dessert we've been loving:

Grilled Pineapple
Just sprinkle with a little brown or raw sugar and grill for a few minutes.
We've yet to try it with ice cream, but I'm excited for the prospect.
Photo via here

Tomorrow I'll try my hand at this:

Grilled Miso Shrimp
Photo and recipe via Food and Wine Magazine

Happy Grilling!

Sweet & Savory

A pie for dinner and dessert...
This is what I've been up to in the kitchen:

Raspberry Nectarine Pie

This pie was a big hit! Your friends and family will rave.
I can't give away the secret Horey family crust recipe, but here's how to make the filling:
Time: 1/2 hour prep, 45 minutes to bake
Cost: $6

You'll Need:
6 Nectarines, peeled and sliced
2 small cartons Raspberries
7/8 c. Sugar
1/4 c. Flour
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
Your favorite crust recipe x2 (it's a two crust pie)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. After making your crust, mix fruit with sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add to pie crust. Make lattice or full crust for top. (The lattice pleases the eye, but full crust pleases the belly) Bake for 35-45 minutes. Halfway through baking cover edges with strips of tin foil to prevent burning. Allow to cool for 1 hour for easier serving.
*I'm going to try this with a pre-baked crust and fresh, uncooked nectarines and raspberries with a glaze.

Chicken Pot Pie

If I'm going to seriously pursue my pie dreams I thought I should probably learn how to make a pie that could be used for a meal. Not that dessert can't replace any meal...I don't judge! I used this recipe and it turned out great. You'll feel like a gourmet chef while you put together the bouquet garni. I was a little overzealous and made my own crust, but I'm sure it would be just as good with store-bought pastry.
Time: 45 minutes prep, 40 minutes baking
Cost: $10
Get this recipe here.

As a teaser for upcoming blueberry season, I thought I'd throw in a recipe for blueberry cream muffins.
I've tried a couple recipes and this was my favorite by far.
It made a huge batch-make some for you and yours
and give away the rest of the batter to your lovely neighbors and friends.
You can add struesel topping to your liking.
Time: 10 mins prep, 2o mins baking
Cost: $5

I'm going to try and make this Lemon Curd Tart from the Barefooot Contessa and add blueberries to the top. I'll tell you how it fares for our Father's Day festivities.

Enjoy.

Gnocchi Nicoise

Yikes, I've really got to polish my food photo skills!
I love gnocchi, but I especially love this recipe's take on the dish.
It is really hearty, so one bowl each will do.
The Pants also gave it a BIG thumbs up.
This recipe was taken from Food Network Magazine with a few adjustments.

Ps...I also love when a recipe calls for wine because I am forced to run around the wine aisle like a chicken with my head cut off looking for the right kind. Plus, it always catches me off guard when the clerk asks for my I.D.-it feels like I'm in trouble for something. Oh, and then the many adventures we've had trying to uncork the bottle with no corkscrew (imagine a drywall screw and a drill!)

Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 slices bacon, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 large chorizo or Italian sausage (casing taken off)
• 2 tablespoons red wine
• 3 shallots, chopped
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 carton plum or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 1-inch strips lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 packages (about 2 pounds) vacuum-packed gnocchi

Directions

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and garlic; cook until the bacon starts to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the sausage; cook, stirring (breaking apart sausage), 3 minutes. Add the red wine, shallots, carrots, celery and tomato paste; cook until the vegetables soften, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Crush the tomatoes into the pan with your hands. Stir in the broth, bay leaf, lemon peel and capers. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat; cover and cook 20 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat and bring to a boil to thicken the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil the gnocchi until one floats to the top, about 1 minute. Drain immediately to prevent the gnocchi from becoming mushy. Remove the lemon peel and bay leaf from the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Toss the gnocchi with the sauce.

I blame Carrie...

for introducing me to the wonder of these cookies.

I ate three last night.
And I'm contemplating eating one for breakfast.
Bag o' Sugar cookie mix + Rainbow Chip Frosting = LOVE and GLUTTONY (same thing, right?)
Try it and be not ashamed.

Side note: I've tried many recipes for sugar cookies and they never turn out fluffy or flavorful enough. I will bow out of this fight and give the victory to Pilsbury and their bag of deliciousness.
Second side note: I battled long and hard for a wedding cake of funfetti and rainbow chip frosting, but The Pants was too classy for such a thing. He ate at least 3 of these cookies last night. Victory is finally mine.

Cookie Monster

These cookies are Fab-u-lous! I had to make them myself after two lovely ladies in my life made them within a week of each other. The secret is in the sea salt--totally gourmet. **The following change must be made, however: Only bake the cookies for 13 minutes to ensure soft, chewy (not crunchy) goodness.** And if you don't have cake flour you can substitute 1 3/4 cups flour (plus 2 tablespoons) and 1/4 cup cornstarch. And if you don't have bread flour you can just subsitute all-purpose flour. And the chocolate is also key, but don't search everywhere for the disks. Just get two bars of bittersweet chocolate and chop into chunks. That seemed like too many AND's. Don't fear, they're not that hard to make (I promise). They're so good that people may confuse you for Martha Stewart or the Barefoot Contessa.
ps...I want the Barefoot Contessa's life.

*Photo courtesy of Jason

Fartlek and Chocolate Cake

First off, my Dad and I have decided to take the plunge and run the Salt Lake City Half-Marathon in April. I started training today and it felt great. My friend, Lyndsey, recommended a training schedule that includes Fartlek runs. When she first uttered the word I thought it was some kind of slang, as in a "butt-kicker" or "so many hills you may fart uncontrollably" kind of run. But it's an actual term that describes a sporadic, pace-changing run.
Who knew?

Secondly, I had my first attempt at baking a from-scratch chocolate cake yesterday. It turned out really good. It made a perfect "Welcome home to the Pants" cake. I halved the recipe to make a small round cake, added chocolate chips and came up with a chocolate whipped cream frosting on the fly--you know the kind. It's the Oh Crap! It's Sunday, What do I have in my fridge? That'll work, kind. And it did. Oh, Blessings!

The moral of the story is: I am going to need some major encouragement in the coming months to do this:

(Pretend this is me--6 inches taller with an effortless stride!)
Carrie, I hope you don't find this creepy.

And even more encouragement NOT to eat this:


Oh by the way, I've decided to combine this blog with my cooking blog.
From now on I'll just post recipes here.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Whipped Cream Topping
(this recipe makes a small round cake.
x2 and it will make a 9x13 cake)
Cake Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup and 2 tablespoons white sugar
1-1/2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips

Whipped Topping Ingredients:
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbs fudge sauce (for ice cream)
2 tbs powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a round cake pan. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Add chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool. Turn pan upside down onto a large plate. Tap around bottom of pan to loosen cake. To transfer cake on to serving platter, place serving platter on top of cake (with plate underneath) and flip.

Topping:
In a mixing bowl whip whipping cream and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
Add fudge sauce and whip until combined.
Frost top and sides of cake once completely cooled.