Kicked Up Corn Muffins!!!


Ingredients:

2 Sausage Links – sweet or hot – crumbled
½ red bell pepper – diced
2 roasted jalapeños – shopped with seeds
2 tablespoons butter - softened
1 bunch scallions – chopped
6 sun dried tomatoes – shopped
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups corn-meal
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar)
Zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon white sugar
Dashes of ground cumin
Dashes of paprika
Dashes of sea salt
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Olive oil for drizzling
Romano cheese for grating

Preheat Oven 350 degrees:

Heat a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and add the bell pepper, jalapeños, scallions, crumbled cooked sausage and sun dried tomatoes to sauté for 3 or 4 minutes. Turn heat off and set aside to prepare the batter for the muffins.

In a small bowl combine the sour milk, eggs and butter and mix.

In a larger bowl combine the flour, corn-meal, lime zest, baking powder, baking soda, spices, sugars and mix. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine well.

Bring bowl to the stove and spoon in the sausage and vegetable mixture, turning over as added to combine well.

Butter cupcake tins and spoon the batter into the greased cupcake tin. Top each muffin with a little butter, grated cheese and a little drizzle of olive oil.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick test comes out clean.

These muffins compliment a dinner beautifully.

With Love,

Catherine
xo

Holiday Apple Pie

Holiday Apple Pie
(Adapted from Bon Appetite Magazine November 2011)

Serves 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours – overnight
Cook Time: 2 hours

For crust you will need:
3 cups AP flour plus more for surface
1 Tbsp. sugar
1½ tsp. kosher salt
½ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
½ cup vegetable shortening
1/3 cup ice water (or more if need)

For apple filling you will need:
3 lbs tart, crisp apples, peeled, quartered, cored, thinly sliced.
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. AP flour
2-3 tbsp. unsalted butter

CRUST
Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and shortening; pulse until coarse meal forms. Add 1/3 cup ice water; pulse until dough forms clumps, adding more ice water by teaspoons if necessary. Gather dough into a ball; divide in half. Flatten into disks, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. NOTE: dough may keep for up to 2 days refrigerated.

Roll out 1 dough disk on a lightly floured surface and transfer to a prepared pie dish. Press gently onto bottom and up sides leaving no overhang. Freeze until firm, about ten minutes. Add scraps to remaining dough and roll out on parchment paper. Slide paper onto a rimless baking sheet and return to refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line dough in pie dish with parchment paper or tin foil, and fill with pie weights. Bake until edges are just beginning to turn golden, 25 minutes. Remove foil and weights, and return to oven. Let bake for about 20 minutes longer, until crust is dark golden all over. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

APPLE FILLING
Mix apples, sugars, flour, spices, and butter in a large saucepan. Stir to coat. Cook over medium heat-low heat, stirring often, until juices have thickened, about 30 minutes. Let mixture cool to room temp.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer fruit to crust. Remove remaining dough from refrigerator. Using a decorative cutter, make a pattern in the center of dough; reserve cutouts. Invert dough over pie. Trim dough along edge of crust, leaving no overhang. Arrange reserved dough cutouts decoratively over top crust. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and juices bubble, approximately 45 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before serving. Try it & Love it.

xoxo,
Tammy♥ & Catherine

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Fresh Garden Sauce Pizza with Sausage!!!


Ingredients:

Fresh Pizza dough – (2)
16 oz. shredded mozzarella
16 oz - Ricotta cheese
Romano cheese for grating
4 Sweet Sausages – grilled and shredded
Cornmeal for dusting
Olive oil

For the Sauce:

2 quarts of fresh cherry tomatoes – halved
5 cloves of garlic – chopped
1 red onion - sliced
Handful of fresh basil – chopped
Handful of fresh sage – chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Dashes of sea salt
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Dashes of red pepper flakes
Dashes of dried oregano
Olive oil

Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the garlic, onions and lemon zest. Sauté until the onion is soft. Add the tomatoes and seasonings. Cook down for about 10 minutes on a low simmer.

Turn off heat and set aside.

Prepare the Dough:

Preheat Oven 350 degrees:

Work the dough with your fists. Do not roll the dough out. Work the dough to fit the pizza pans. Do no make the dough too thin, or the sauce will seep through.

Dust the pizza pans with cornmeal. Place the dough on the prepared pan.

Spoon the ricotta on the dough first.

Next, with a slotted spoon, place the tomato sauce on the ricotta. Top the sauce with the shredded with the sausage. Place the shredded mozzarella and grated Romano on top of the sausage and finish off with a drizzle of olive oil.

Place in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the crust is golden.

This is a delicious and hearty pizza!

With Love,
Catherine
xo

Rice Balls with Spinach & Red Sauce with Fennel!!!


Ingredients:

1 ¼ lb. ground beef
2 cups cooked rice
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach
½ cup grated Romano cheese
1 cup fresh or Italian style bread crumbs
1 cup shredded mozzarella
½ cup grated Romano cheese
4 eggs – beaten
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Dashes of sea salt
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Dashes of red pepper flakes
Vegetable oil – for frying

Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the frozen spinach and ground beef. Sauté until the ground beef is cooked and the spinach is thawed and incorporated with the ground beef.

Place in colander to drain completely. Set aside to cool.

Beat three of the four eggs and add to the spinach and ground beef. Add the cooked rice, grated Romano cheese, shredded mozzarella and all of the seasonings and mix well.

In a separate shallow dish beat one egg. In another shallow dish place the bread crumbs. Form the mixture into balls and dip in the egg wash and then roll in the bread crumbs.

Heat a large frying pan with about 1 inch of vegetable oil for frying the rice balls.

Carefully place the rice balls in the hot oil. Fry about 4 minutes on each side, until a beautiful golden color is achieved.

For the Sauce:

1 – 29 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic – chopped
3 tablespoons – raisins
2 stalks celery – chopped
¼ head of fresh fennel – chopped
¼ lemon – plus the juice squeezed
½ cup sliced marinated sweet peppers – plus 3 tablespoons marinade
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Dashes of sea salt
Dashes of red pepper flakes
Pinch of sugar
Olive oil – for drizzling
Fresh grated Romano cheese

Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the celery, fennel, garlic, marinated peppers and raisins, squeeze the lemon juice and then add the piece of lemon. Let this all sauté until the celery is tender.

Add crushed tomatoes and all of the seasonings. Let this simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes.

Plate the rice balls and top with the sauce, grated Romano cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

These are a delicious treat as an appetizer or light dinner with a beautiful side salad.

With Love,
Catherine
xo

Cottage Cheese Pie


Adapted from: James Beard’s ~ American Cookery

Ingredients:

2 cups (1 pound) cottage cheese
2 tablespoons melted or softened butter
1 cup thin cream or milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tsp grated lemon rind, or 1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
3 egg yolks

Preheat Oven 350 degrees:

Sieve the cottage cheese or whirl in a blender until the curds are broken up. Add the butter, cream or milk, flavoring, sugar, flour and egg yolks. Beat or stir well to blend.

Crumb Crust for Pie:

1 ½ cups fine crumbs (such as graham cracker)
1/3 cup (about 6 tablespoons) butter
3 tablespoons white or brown sugar
Spices, cocoa, or unsweetened or semisweet chocolate

Place graham crackers into a food processor. Melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat, add the crumbs and sugar and blend well. If using spices or cocoa in the crust, add with the sugar. If using chocolate, add 1 ounce after it is melted. Stir over very low heat until the chocolate is liquid, then add the crumbs and sugar and blend.

Turn the crumb mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie pan, spread rather evenly and firmly, over the bottom and up the sides. Bake pie crust 7–10 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the crust. This will firm the crust. Cool the crust for a few minutes then add the cottage cheese pie mixture.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until the toothpick test comes out clean from the center.

This pie is light, fluffy and very delicious, perfect ending to a good meal.

With Love,
Catherine
xo

Boneless Chicken Thighs with Sage & Wine Sauce!!!!


Ingredients:

10 boneless chicken thighs – skinless
Vegetable oil for frying

Coating for Chicken Thighs:

3 cups flour
½ cup corn meal
1 tsp. brown sugar
Dashes of ground ginger
Dashes of turmeric
Dashes of sea salt
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
3 eggs plus a splash of milk - beaten

Sage & Wine Sauce:

1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup of wine
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
Handful of fresh sage
3 lemon slices
4 cloves of garlic - chopped
Dashes of red pepper flakes
Olive oil

Prepare three separate bowls: one with 1 ½ cups flour plus dashes of salt and pepper, one with the eggs plus a splash of milk beaten and finally one with 1 ½ cups flour plus ½ cup cornmeal plus the brown sugar, turmeric and ground ginger.

Dip the thighs first in the flour, then the egg wash and finally the flour and cornmeal with the seasonings.

Heat a large frying pan with enough vegetable oil to just about cover the thighs. Carefully place the prepared thighs in the hot oil. Let the thighs get a nice golden color on one side before turning. Turn the thighs only once, so that you do not damage the coating. About 4-5 minutes on each side.

Place on paper towels to drain the excess oil.

For the Sage & Wine Sauce:

Heat a medium size frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and butter. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and the tablespoon of flour. Wisk the flour with the butter and olive oil until nice and smooth, then add lemon slices, fresh sage, wine and chicken broth. Simmer until the sauce is smooth, about 4-5 minutes.

Plate the chicken thighs and spoon the sauce over the thighs.

This dish is very delicious! You will think you are a gourmet restaurant without the price!!!

With Love,


Catherine
xo

Fresh Salmon Steaks with Warm Mango Salsa!!!


Ingredients:
4 salmon steaks
1 tsp. butter
Olive oil for drizzling

Rub for Salmon Steaks:
Dashes of paprika
Dashes of chili powder
Dashes of ground cumin
Dashes of dried oregano
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Dashes of sea salt
1 tsp. of lime juice
Drizzle of olive oil

In a small bowl combine the ingredients for the salmon steak rub and mix. Rub each salmon steak with the mixture and let sit for about 5 minutes before sautéing.

Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and a teaspoon of butter. When the pan is hot add the salmon steaks. Sauté each steak for about 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the steaks.

Warm Mango Salsa:
2 mangos – cubed
3 cloves of garlic – chopped
Healthy handful of fresh cilantro – chopped
1 bunch of scallions – chopped
1 Jalapeño – chopped
1 tablespoon of lime juice
Dashes of ground cumin
Dashes of paprika
Dashes of ground curry
Dashes of dried oregano
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Dashes of sea salt
Dashes of chili powder
1 tsp. of brown sugar
Olive oil

Heat a medium sized frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and add the mangos, garlic, cilantro, scallions and jalapeño. Sauté for a minute or two, then place in a serving dish. Combine the lime juice, brown sugar and all of the spices in a small bowl; stir and add to the salsa. Toss and serve.

The salmon steaks with the salsa are a delicious meal that will transport you to a tropical island!

With Love,
Catherine
xo

Banana Bread with Raisins & Chocolate Chips!!!

Ingredients:

Banana Bread:

2 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons butter - softened
3 ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup raisins
1 tsp. baking soda
3 egg yolks
6 oz. plain Greek yogurt

Crumb Topping:

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons flour

Preheat Oven 350 degrees:

In a large bowl or mixer combine the ripe bananas, egg yolks, sugar, butter, yogurt, raisins and chocolate chips. Blend well. Add the flour and baking soda and once again blend well.

Butter a loaf pan and pour the batter in the prepared pan.

In a small sauce pan place the butter, brown sugar and flour. Heat this mixture on low until the butter is melted and it thickens.

Spoon this mixture on top of the batter.

Bake 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick test inserted in the middle comes clean.
This bread is a delicious way to start your day!

With Love,

Catherine
xo

Baked Quartered Chicken with Dried Apricots!!! & Delicious Rice!!!


Ingredients:

1 chicken quartered
½ cup dried apricots – sliced
½ onion – sliced
Healthy handful of fresh basil
Healthy handful of fresh Italian parsley
1 cup chicken broth

Marinade:

¼ cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
4 tablespoons of honey
Dashes of ground curry
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Dashes of sea salt

Preheat Oven 350 degrees:

Place the chicken in a baking dish and top with the fresh parsley, fresh basil, sliced onion and dried apricots.

Combine in a small bowl all of the ingredients for the marinade and pour over the chicken. Fill the bottom of the pan with the cup of chicken broth. Add a little extra broth as the broth evaporates.

Bake 45-50 minutes, until a beautiful golden color or until the juices run clear on the thigh.

This is very delicious and slightly exotic!

For the Delicious Rice!!!

Ingredients:

2 cup uncooked rice – prepared with dashes of curry & turmeric in the water
1 bunch of scallions – chopped
Healthy handful of fresh cilantro
4 cloves of garlic – chopped
1 Jalapeño - chopped
½ cup of raisins
Olive oil for drizzling

Dressing:

1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons of honey
Dashes of powdered curry
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Dashes of sea salt

Prepare rice as directed.

Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the scallions, garlic, raisins and jalapeño. Sauté for a minute or two. Add the cooked rice, cilantro and toss.

In a small bowl prepare the dressing, pour over the rice and plate.

This is easy and very delicious and goes perfect with the chicken.

With Love,

Catherine
xo

Dark Chocolate Heart Cake!!!


Ingredients for Dark Chocolate Heart Cake:

1 cup sifted flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 TB vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips,
specifically, Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9-inch diameter cake pan.
Line bottom with parchment paper.
Butter and cocoa parchment and pan.


Whisk first 5 ingredients.
Beat butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in sugars, then vanilla.
Add in eggs, one at a time,
beating well after each addition.
Beat in dry ingredients alternatively
with buttermilk in 2 additions each.

Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour batter in prepared pan
and bake 45-50 minutes,
or until a tester comes out clean.

For the process:

When I'm baking a chocolate cake, instead of buttering and flouring the pans,
I butter and cocoa my pans. Mix the sifted flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Softened butter into the mixer. Beat butter until light and fluffy, then gradually add in sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs.

Alternatively, add in dry ingredients and buttermilk, in two additions each beating well after each addition. Fold in dark chocolate chips. Pour into buttered and cocoa'd pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes. Let cool. Invert on rack and peel off parchment.
Let cool completely before slicing horizontally in half and spreading on the dark chocolate filling.



For Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup semisweet


chocolate
2 tablespoons light cream
¼ cup milk

In a double boiler, melt chocolate with cream and milk until thick smooth. Drizzle over cake and let cool.
~
I was thrilled to come home the other day to this beautiful surprise made by my daughter, Tammy! Thank you, Bella!

This is a recipe I have been admiring for quite some time made by Rosie of Kitchens Are Monkey Business. It is one of the most delicious chocolate cakes I have ever indulged in! Please visit Rosie's wonderful site!

With Love,
Catherine
xo

Hidden Clutter

I've been cleaning out my storage areas recently in hopes that by cleaning them out I will be able to realize my dreams of turning the storage room into a 3rd bedroom/office so Jonathan can stop working in our bedroom!


We have quite a few obstacles before that can happen:
  1. Our furnace is enormous and juts right into the space we'd like to use. We recently had an HVAC guy come in for an estimate on replacing it, and he started taking pictures of our furnace to show his HVAC friends. Yes, it's that old (circa 1954). So first thing, we'd have to remove and replace that beast.
  2. While we're at it, we might as well add central air, right? Everyone says they will offer a discount for doing both.
  3. To do that, we would need to update our electrical panel, also circa 1954.
  4. As you can imagine, everything is so freaking expensive!
So, it's probably not going to happen. But a girl can dream and cleaning out the storage area is probably a good idea anyway.

I tackled our old electronic equipment first. We've had 2 very old flip phones with the batteries removed as toys for awhile, but everything else just sat in a box gathering dust. A friend let me know that the mobile rep at Target will give you a store credit as payment for turning in a working cell phone, so a couple things went there. Everything else is waiting for a trip to the library electronic recycling area.

Sitting in a box gathering dust is bad enough, but I discovered worse things: empty boxes gathering dust. Boxes for a DVD player, an ipod dock, our wedding china, etc. I had the electronic boxes saved for warranties (30 days have long passed); the china boxes were because my mom told me that things like that aren't worth any money without the box. After 4 years, I'm not planning to sell them so out they go.

These are the dangers of living in the suburbs with lots of storage space. Never again, I hope!

Quick & Easy Stay-at-Home “Take Out”!!!


Ingredients:

1 cup of uncooked rice
1 head of Bok-Choy – chopped
1 large onion - sliced
5 cloves of garlic – chopped
3 stakes of celery – chopped
½ cup of baby carrots – quartered
20 oz. can of Cannellini beans – rinsed & drained
Healthy handful of cilantro - chopped
Olive oil for drizzling

Asian Style Sauce:

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil
4 tablespoons Soy Sauce
4 tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce
1 tablespoon Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 tsp. Sugar
2 tablespoons Vinegar

Prepare the rice as directed and set aside.

Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the vegetables and sauté until the onion is soft. Add the cannellini beans and toss.

In a small bowl combine the ingredients for the Asian Style Sauce and pour over the veggies.

This is just an easy and delicious “Friday” night meal.

With Love,

Catherine
xo

Quick & Easy ~ Delicious Tomato Sauce with Meat!!!


Ingredients:

35 oz. can of Crushed Tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic – chopped
Large bunch of fresh basil – chopped
1 red onion – sliced
½ lb. ground beef
¼ cup of red wine
Dashes of sea salt
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Dashes of red pepper flakes
Dashes of Cajun spices
Olive Oil
Fresh Grated Romano Cheese
Box of your favorite macaroni or spaghetti

Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the garlic, onion and fresh basil.
Sauté until the onion is clear. Add the ground beef and continue to sauté until the beef is cooked. Add the crushed tomatoes, wine and seasonings. Simmer on low while preparing the macaroni.

Drain the macaroni and plate with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh grating cheese.

This is delicious, easy and so very comforting.

With Love,

Catherine
xo

Easy Black Beans and Rice!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup rice – uncooked
Dash of turmeric

For the Black Beans:

29 oz. can of black beans – drained and rinsed
2 jalapeño’s – sliced
4 cloves garlic – chopped
½ cup red wine – plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 medium onion – sliced
Healthy handful of cilantro – chopped
Dashes of ground cumin
Dashes of red pepper flakes
Dashes of salt
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper


Prepare as directed with a dash of turmeric in the water.

Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and add the garlic, jalapeño and onions. Sauté until the onion is slightly soft; add the black beans and the wine and toss. Add all of the spices and the fresh cilantro and toss.

This is a great side dish.

With Love,

Catherine
xo

Baked Lemon~Lime Chicken Wings!!

Ingredients:

3 lbs. chicken wings

Marinade:

Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime plus the zest
3 cloves of garlic – sliced
4 tablespoons of honey
½ cup of sugar
½ cup of red wine
1 cup of chicken broth
¼ cup vegetable oil
Handful of fresh Italian parsley
Handful of fresh cilantro
Dashes of salt
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade. Add the chicken wings and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to a few hours.

Preheat Oven 350 degrees:

Place the chicken wings in a baking pan and spoon the marinade over the wings.

Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes until a beautiful golden color.

These wings are a perfect appetizer or a light dinner with a side salad.

With Love,

Catherine
xo

Fried Coconut Shrimp!!!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. fresh large cleaned shrimp - raw

Marinade:

1 ½ cups milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar
Zest & juice of l lime
Dashes of red pepper flakes
Dashes of curry powder
Dashes of paprika
Dashes of chili powder
Dashes of dried oregano
Dashes of dried cumin

Shrimp Coating:

2 cups of all-purpose flour plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 ½ cups of shredded coconut
1 ½ cups instant potatoes
2 cloves garlic
Vegetable oil for frying

Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade and add the cleaned raw shrimp. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour or more.

In a medium sized shallow dish place the flour with the baking soda. In a separate shallow dish place the coconut with the instant potatoes.

Remove the shrimp from the marinade and place in a separate dish, DO NOT!! Throw the marinade out.

Dip the shrimp first in the flour and baking soda, then in the marinade and finally in the coconut and instant potato bowl.

Heat a large frying pan with about an inch of vegetable oil; add the garlic to the oil. Carefully, place the battered shrimp in the hot oil, turning only once. Fry until a beautiful golden color. Place on paper towels to drain after frying and before plating.

This is a real treat!!

With Love,

Catherine

Red Velvet Cake


Red Velvet Cake
Adapted from James Beard’s American Cookery

For red velvet cake you will need:
½ cup unsalted butter
1½ cups sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon red coloring
2 tablespoons water
2½ cups sifted cake flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 tablespoon vinegar combined with 1 cup sweet milk)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar

For cream cheese frosting you will need:
1 8oz. package of cream cheese
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream the butter, and cream in the sugar until very light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the cinnamon and vanilla. Mix the cocoa, red coloring, and water, and add to the creamed mixture.

Sift the flour with the baking powder and add alternately with the milk. Blend well. If using an electric mixer, turn to lowest speed when adding flour and buttermilk.

Dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar and fold into the cake batter very carefully. Turn into two prepared cake pans.

Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. Let cakes cool on a rack for several minutes. In the meantime, combine all ingredients for cream cheese frosting, and frost cakes.

Serve & Enjoy!


With much love,
Catherine & Tammy♥

Sausage & Onion Sub!!!


Ingredients:

Sweet and Hot Sausage links
Red onion sliced
Fresh garlic - chopped
Fresh basil - chopped
Fresh vine ripe tomato - chopped
Dashes of paprika
Dashes of Chili powder
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Olive oil
Fresh Italian bread

Heat a griddle and place the sausage on the griddle to grill.

Place all of the veggies on the griddle and drizzle a little olive oil over the veggies. Grill until the onion is soft. Add the spices on the veggies.

Fill the Italian bread with the veggies and sausage.

This is a great lunch or dinner!!

With Love,

Catherine
xo

Meatball Soup with a Kick!!!

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs. chop meat
¼ cup Romano cheese
1 quart button mushrooms - sliced
3 stalks celery – chopped
1 Jalapeño – sliced – with seeds
4 cloves garlic – chopped
Handful of basil – chopped
3 egg yolks – beaten
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tomatoes – chopped
2 bunches scallions – chopped
1 onion – chopped
5 cups chicken broth
Olive oil

Heat a soup pot with a drizzle of olive oil and add the veggies, except the basil. Allow the veggies to sauté until the onion is clear. Add the broth a simmer on low.

Combine the chop meat with the basil and grated cheese. Form into small meat balls and gently drop into the soup.

Combine the egg yolks with the corn starch and lemon juice and beat. Get the soup real hot and stir gently while drizzling the egg into the soup.

Serve with grated cheese.

This soup is hearty and delish for a nice fall night.

With Love,

Catherine
xo

Baked Sweet & Spicy Red Pepper Sauce with Crushed Tomatoes!!



Ingredients:

5 long Italian peppers
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 Jalapeño peppers
8 cloves of garlic – chopped
2 tablespoons of raisins
¼ cup honey
¼ cup vinegar
Handful of fresh basil – chopped
Dashes of red pepper flakes
Dashes of fresh ground black pepper
Dashes of sea salt
Dashes of dried oregano
Olive oil

Heat a griddle and grill the peppers whole until they are slightly charred. Let the peppers cool and then slice them. Slice the Jalapeño’s with the seeds.

Preheat the oven 350 degrees:

Place the sliced peppers, garlic, crushed tomatoes, raisins, basil, honey mixed with the vinegar and all of the spices. Drizzle olive oil over the sauce and place in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

Place this sauce over rice or your favorite spaghetti or macaroni. It will definitely be something you will want to make again!!!

With Love,

Catherine
xo

Daily Attack

I'm committing to something new - 15 minutes of cleaning my home's major trouble areas. I'll still have to do more cleaning throughout the day, but the plan is for these 15 minutes to keep clutter contained around the house.


In those 15 minutes I want to:
  • wipe down bathroom surfaces
  • clear off the top of our entertainment center and dishwasher (the "kids-can't-reach-it-so-we-put-everything-here" places)
  • collect stray dishes and put them in the dishwasher
  • put runaway shoes back in their place
  • deal with any paperwork found when cleaning up
Today I was so motivated that my 15 minutes lasted an hour! I did get a lot more done in that time than I had planned, so it's setting the stage for the real day 1 tomorrow.

In case anyone is fervently expecting updates on the sun porch progress, simmer down. It's very much stalled for now, but hopefully I'll find some time to work on it soon.

Three Cheese Stuffed Peppers with Spinach!!!

Ingredients:

5 long sweet Italian red or green peppers

Stuffing:

2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
7 cloves of garlic – chopped
1 cup of Feta cheese – crumbled
10 oz. of chopped frozen spinach
1 handful of fresh basil - chopped
Shredded mozzarella
¼ cup grated Romano cheese
Olive oil

Heat a griddle and place the peppers whole on the griddle to grill. When the peppers are slightly charred remove from the griddle to cool.

Heat a medium sized frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and place the frozen spinach to sauté.

While the spinach is sautéing, heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and place the garlic in the pan to sauté. Add the bread crumbs and a little more olive oil and toss. Add the sautéed spinach and grated Romano cheese and toss. If a little more olive oil is needed add it. Add the crumbled feta cheese and toss. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven 350 degrees:

Carefully slice the peppers lengthwise and place in a baking pan. Top the peppers with the stuffing. Sprinkle grated mozzarella on top and grate a little more Romano cheese on top. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the peppers.

Bake: 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is slightly golden.

These peppers will be a hit!!

With Love,

Catherine
xo