Monday, May 28, 2012
My little man, Elliott!! Born May 21st, 2012.
{Elliott, 1 day old}
As I mentioned in my baby shower post, we opted to not find out if we were having a boy or a girl. As it turns out, we got a son! While we honestly did not know the sex, we both had a “feeling” from the beginning it was a boy. I really wanted that delivery room surprise moment, where Nathan told me “It’s a ___!” but… as it turned out, I actually saw before he did, and immediately said to him “It’s a boy!” LOL! I told him later, I wasn’t so much telling him, but I was more so confirming with him. It’s just one of those things that happens in the heat of the moment I guess!
Elliott surprised us in more ways than one, because he came 8 days early! And I swore up and down from the beginning I thought I’d end up with a June baby, seeing as I was due May 29th. You know how they say a sign of labor is nesting, where you get this surge of energy to clean? Yeah, that didn’t happen with me. But I got a surge of energy to cook & bake! I made 2 batches of cookie dough, strawberry scones, homemade pizza, and more between Friday when I got off work and Sunday night. I guess that’s my form of nesting!
I don’t know how frequent my posts will be, as I’m not spending time in the kitchen myself these days. Taking care of Elliott is taking up most of my time, but I actually have a handful of things I’ve made & photographed stockpiled, so maybe I’ll find time to at least share those with you! PLUS, I’m participating in a FUN blog event coming up celebrate my friend’s new cookbook (can you say COOKIE DOUGH?!), and I really want to share with you a meal my mom made for us when we got home from the hospital. It was really delicious and totally my style, so therefore I know the readers of my blog would probably like it too!
Until then, here’s a little bit more Elliott cuteness. :)
{Elliott, 6 days old, getting his first “bath” at home. No water involved, using this stuff.}
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
These days I’ve been feeling pretty lazy when it comes to preparing meals. Gone is the enthusiasm to seek out recipes. I’m constantly WAY behind on my Google Reader, and forget even looking at Foodgawker or Pinterest. We’ve been eating some pretty lame, boring, repetitive meals. I literally stand in the grocery and ask myself “What the hell are we going to eat tonight?” I cannot WAIT for my CSA to start (this weekend!) because it gives me inspiration. Until then, any dish that relies heavily on pantry staples is a lifesaver in my book, and that’s just what this one does.
I’ve also been a bit lazy when it comes to blogging, but I knew when I first tasted this that I needed to be sure and snap a picture so I could blog it. I can’t guarantee how often I’ll be blogging new recipes after the baby comes, but I know I will continue to turn to my blog when I want to make recipes I know & love. Not to sound selfish, but the number one thing I like about having my blog is for me to have fast & easy access to recipes I can trust. Most often, it’s the “best of the best” when it comes to recipes I enjoy. I’m so beyond even caring if Tastespotting/Foodgawker/whoever likes my photo. I post a recipe with a fugly photo if I want, unashamed!
I must say though, this one doesn’t fall under the fugly category. I find it to be every bit as good to look at as it was to eat! This recipe is perfect for a summer get together as it can be eaten chilled or room temperature. Or it would be great to whip up and eat for lunch! I loved the balance of flavors between the beans, fire roasted red peppers, and the dijon mustard vinaigrette.
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White Bean Roasted Red Pepper Salad
Yield: Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 for lunch on top of a bed of salad greens
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 small clove garlic, grated on a microplane
1 (16 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Directions:
Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, pepper, and garlic in a medium bowl. Stir in all remaining ingredients; refrigerate until serving.
And, for all you Nashville locals, I just wanted to help spread the word that one of Nashville’s great neighborhood farmers markets is back open for business! Beginning yesterday, the 12th South market located in Sevier Park off Clayton Ave & 12th Ave S will operate on Tuesdays, from 3:30 – 6:30pm. So head out, listen to some music, and shop the produce, meats, cheese, & more! Plus, it’s another chance to grab some food truck food, as the Grilled Cheeserie will be there each week. For more info, including a full list of vendors, go to www.12southfarmersmarket.com.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
I can’t believe the time has almost come for our baby to arrive! Though I can feel our squirmy little one many MANY times a day, it still seems surreal that I.WILL.HAVE.A.BABY. We opted not to find out whether or not we’re having a boy or girl, and I think that has really added a lot of fun and excitement to this process. To each their own, and I know not everyone would want to do it this way, but I must say I wouldn’t have it any other way for us! Luckily, I actually love the color yellow, which tends to be the gender neutral “go-to” color.
We were so fortunate to have three baby showers thrown for us! One was a surprise shower at work given by my awesome & amazing coworkers. It had a bumble-bee theme and was TOO cute! They included cupcakes from my favorite neighborhood cupcake shop, Cupcake Collection, and really hooked us up as far as gifts! Things really began to feel real after this shower.
I was so overwhelmed I didn’t get a chance to take sufficient pictures of this adorable shower! It was fun & cute!
Next up was the baby shower at my hometown church up in Kentucky, attended by church members & family. Some of the people attending this shower have known me since I was a baby! I sure was blessed to grow up in such an awesome & amazing community. Baby racked up tons of great gifts, and we couldn’t be more thankful.
(Top: I “hinted” that a sheet cake was a waste of money, and not nearly as delicious as homemade, so my mom, Aunt Brenda, and my Mammy (grandmother) made a variety of delicious cakes! Middle: Opening gifts! Bottom: Nathan being silly with one of the books.)
And finally, rounding out the showers was a smaller shower thrown by my amazing aunt who I refer to as “The Queen of Showers” and my awesome cousin, a new mom herself, who helped choose the adorable theme. They both worked hard and we had a really lovely day! That shower was a “family shower” attended my aunts & grandmothers, and we were so blessed that some of Nathan’s aunts & Granny were able to come as well!
Just SOME of the spread!
No diaper cake, my aunt made this Diaper Big Wheel! LOL, it was so cute!
And now… I’m so blessed to be showered with love from fellow food bloggers! I was honored when Jessica asked me if I wanted to have a virtual food blog baby shower, so of course I said yes! If you’re unfamiliar with this concept, basically you make a dish in honor of a fellow food blogger, and post it to your blog. I love this concept, and can’t wait to see what the ladies have done for me! Head over to The Novice Chef to see the roundup!
And since my posts are few & far between these days, I couldn’t not post a recipe myself to share. Don’t go thinking I went and made something myself for my shower. Nope! This is a recipe my mom made as a contribution to my family shower. She knows I love these mints. They’re creamy & a bit refreshing, and melt in your mouth. She’s made them for many wedding & baby showers in the past. She’s says they’re really easy to make, and I know they’re delicious. I’ve never personally made them, but now that I’ve got the recipe, who knows, I might have to make them myself!
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Cream Cheese Candies
Yield: 6 dozen candies
Ingredients:
1 3oz package cream cheese softened
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
3 cups confectioners' sugar
food coloring (optional)
granulated or colored sugar
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese with peppermint extract. Beat in half the confectioners' sugar. Knead in remaining confectioners' sugar until smooth. Divide dough according to the number of colors you want, and add food coloring as desired. Shape dough into 1/2 inch balls and roll into granulated or colored sugar. Place on baking sheets, flatten with a fork, and allow to stand 1 hour to harden. Store in airtight containers in refrigerator.
SOURCE: My mother, who forgot what magazine she cut the recipe out of. ;)
Monday, April 30, 2012
My mom has always been known for bringing deviled eggs to potlucks. Family gatherings, church gatherings, you name it, people expected her to bring deviled eggs. I’m pretty sure there would be an uproar if she came sans this appetizer. Perhaps it’s because I was always around them, but I never really liked deviled eggs that much. I would take one bite, then scoop out the filling, and eat just the white.
So when Beth mentioned she was bringing deviled eggs to our Nashville Food Bloggers Christmas gathering, I was definitely intrigued. I knew if she was making them, they’d have some kind of “twist”. Sure enough, they were a delicious take on this longtime appetizer! She made two versions, both stellar. Since my mom has always been known for deviled eggs, I thought I’d try out both recipes Beth shared, and maybe pass the recipes along to my mom, as I know she gets bored of making them, yet continues to do it because people love them.
First I’ll share the Pimento Cheese version. If you’re unfamiliar with this southern staple, two of it’s primary ingredients are cheddar cheese & mayonnaise, and of course, pimentos. I’ve most often seen it served sandwiched on white bread, and occasionally alongside crackers. Not intrigued? Yeah, oddly, I’m not big on pimento cheese sandwiches. But I have become addicted to Noble Springs Pimento Goat Cheese, which I think has opened my palate up to more upscale pimento cheese options. The deviled egg version is basically a mashup between your basic deviled eggs, and pimento cheese. I shared this recipe for deviled eggs with my mom, and she loved it! She said it got rave reviews. When I made them to share with friends they were also well received. These might just be a new staple!
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Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs
Yield: 24 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 1 hr 20 min
Tips I've found that work best for me for peeling hard boiled eggs:
Older eggs tend to peel better than fresh, so buy your eggs a week early or so.
Eggs from white shells tend to peel easier than ones from brown shells.
Ingredients:
12 large eggs
2 tsp white vinegar
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 oz (6 Tbsp) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp diced pimientos
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
Directions:
In a large pot over high heat, bring eggs, vinegar, and enough cold water to cover by 1 inch to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high to maintain a medium boil and cook eggs for 8 minutes. Drain and run eggs under cool water.
Fill a bowl with cold water, add eggs, and let sit for 20 minutes to cool at room temperature.
Peel eggs and halve lengthwise. Remove yolks and transfer to a medium bowl. Set aside whites on a serving plate. With a fork, break up yolks until fluffy.
To yolks, add cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, diced pimientos, dry mustard, salt, and freshly ground pepper; mix. Fill egg whites. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until ready to serve.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Oh, hello! Long time no post again! As we approach the final weeks before baby comes, it seems every free moment is spent preparing for his or her arrival. We’re constantly working on getting the house in order, taking classes at the hospital, not to mention I’m reading multiple books about babies, birth, and beyond. Oh, and 4 weekends in a row have been/will be spent with a trip to KY of some sort! I promise I am still cooking and baking, I just haven’t been as good about blogging.
These scones were my contribution to a Nashville Food Blogger get together. Combining three of my favorite things: coffee, breakfast foods, & the word “potluck”, we were invited to get schooled on all things coffee by the lovely owners of Roast, Inc. On a Sunday morning a while back, a bunch of us local bloggers met up to experience coffee at it’s finest. I couldn’t begin to tell you how much we learned about different brewing methods, roasting, and more. It was really great to meet people who have such an enthusiasm for what they do.
Second row latte art was done by me! If this whole video editing thing ever fails me, I might just have to become a barista. ;)
Now, onto the FOOD! There were tons of delicious options including sausage biscuits, quiche, maple bacon cupcakes, donuts, muffins and more. Needless to say, it was a good day to have an excuse to eat for two! I remember being so worried that someone else would bring scones, and no one would eat mine. Yeah… that didn’t happen. These were nearly all gobbled up, I think we took only one back home!
I adore baking with fresh cranberries, and of course love the flavor of ginger. When baked into these scones, the cranberries loose some of their tartness, and taste sweeter. Of course the candied ginger gives an awesome kick of flavor as well. These were so good, I baked another batch not long after. I delivered a couple from that batch to our neighbor one morning when he had company over. Apparently his company thought the scones were so good he wanted to go buy more from the bakery they came from! Quite a compliment! These scones were awesome, and I’m already craving them again.
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Cranberry Cream Scones with Candied Ginger
Yield: 6 scones
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 heaping cup coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped candied ginger
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, cold
cream and sugar for topping (I skipped topping mine)
Directions:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the cold butter and quickly work the butter into the flour mixture. Break up the butter until well incorporated into the flour. Some butter bits will be the size of peas, others will be as small as oat flakes. Toss in the cranberries and ginger and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together egg, vanilla extract, and heavy cream. Add the cream mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir quickly to ensure that all of the flour mixture is moistened by the cream mixture. Dump the shaggy dough mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface and work together, kneading lightly, into a 1 1/2-inch thick disk.
Cut the disk into 6 wedges. (Because I knew I was feeding a crowd in a potluck/brunch situation, I made 2 disks, and cut those into 6 wedges, so I actually yielded 12 smaller scones.)
Place 2-inches apart on baking sheet and brush with cream and sprinkle generously with sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes until just cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Scones are best served the day they are made, but these scones will last well wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze unbaked scones, and bake whenever you want a homemade treat with zero effort! Just add about 5-10 minutes or so to baking time.
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