bacon minestrone

this was dinner last night and it was easy and good. 

super duper healthy, and the kids ate it.

winner in my book!

i got it from this blog, with a few adjustments. 

6 slices of bacon

1 small onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 cups of chopped kale

handful of baby carrots, sliced

squeeze of tomato paste

1 cup of pumpkin puree

1 TB fresh thyme

2 TB fresh oregano

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup of small pasta (I used elbow)

1 can of white beans 

handful of grated parmesan cheese

 + a small piece--about an inch--of Parmesan cheese rind (optional)

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups of water

(it may seem like a lot of liquid, but the pasta absorbs some)

salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in your soup pot until crispy, remove from pan.

Add onions, kale, and carrots to the bacon drippings and sauté until they begin to soften.

Add garlic and sauté for a few minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in fresh herbs, bay leaf, tomato paste, and pumpkin puree.

Add chicken broth, water, beans, parm rind and pasta. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. 

Reduce heat and simmer until you're ready to serve, or turn it off and then heat it up again when you're ready.

Remove the Parmesan rind.

Ladle into bowls, and top with crumbled bacon and sprinkle with cheese.  

Serve with toasted sourdough.

enjoy :)  

mini pumpkin muffins

i usually use cindy's recipe for pumpkin bread, 

but i wanted to make a small batch today 

and my mom brain couldn't half the recipe. 

i saw this one  (basically the same thing) that just makes 1 loaf. 

i made a few adjustments -no sour cream please- and they were sooo yum. 

too bad ivy brings everything we make to the neighbors!

the powdered sugar put them over the top.

ivy loved doing that part :)

do y'all have any good pumpkin/fall recipes!? 

please share!! 

1 cup pumpkin puree 
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup vegetable oil 
1 2/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup  mini chocolate chips
powdered sugar, for dusting

preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

spray mini muffin tin, or loaf pan. 
in a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth.

in a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. pour in the wet pumpkin mixture. stir together with wooden spoon  until smooth, but don't over-mix. fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

fill your muffin tin to the top and bake for about 15-20 minutes. 

dust (drown) with powdered sugar and enjoy! 

chocolate caramel cookies

ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 sticks of butter, room temp

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

rolo candies, unwrapped

sanding sugar, for dipping

directions

preheat oven to 375.

mix together butter and sugars.

add in eggs and vanilla and mix.

combine dry ingredients in a bowl, then mix with wet ingredients.

form some dough around a rolo and make into a little ball, about golfball size, making sure the candy is covered. 

press one side into the sugar, and place on baking sheet.

bake about 8-10 minutes.

you could also leave out the rolos and put something else inside, or just dip in sprinkles like ivy prefers. 

yum!

enjoy!

(i made these for a neighbor whose car i may or may not have hit in my own driveway. darn the luck!)

broccoli pesto pasta + croutons

i kinda followed a recipe from martha stewart's everyday food magazine,

but i blended it all up, instead of having it in the pasta separately.

let's be honest, my kids aren't gonna eat chunks of broccoli.

in fact, ivy only eats plain pasta.

no sauce of any kind.

but tonight i asked her (again) to try some.

so she did and instead of spitting it out, her eyes got big

and she smiled and said "i love it!"

"you do??"

she took another bite and said 

"mom i love it!"

i was so happy i almost cried. (i was tired).

she was so proud. 

eli ate some too and my night was made.

thanks kids.

ingredients:

1 box short pasta (i like cellentani)

2 cups broccoli florets

handful of baby spinach leaves
handful of fresh basil

a couple cloves of garlic, peeled 

lemon zest of one lemon

handful of toasted pine nuts

freshly grated parmesan (handful)

s&p

olive oil

------------------

2 slices of sandwich bread

shredded chicken

boil broccoli & pasta:

bring a big pot of water up to a boil.

put in broccoli and boil for 3-4 minutes.

remove broccoli with a strainer or slotted spoon into your food processor. 

now put the pasta in the boiling water and cook to al dente.

make your pesto:

while your pasta cooks, finish up your pesto. 

just add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and blend it up, 

adding olive oil as you need it to make it pesto-consistency.

drain your pasta, saving a little of the water. 

toss the pasta with the pesto, adding some water to thin it out a little and make a sauce.

make some croutons:

cut the crust off your bread, and cut into squares (like 1 inch)

heat up some butter in a skillet and toss the bread in there.

toss it around til its nice and golden.

to serve:

add some shredded chicken to your pasta, top with croutons and 

sprinkle on some more grated parmesan.

mini frittata

{image from www.snackinginthekitchen.com}

ingredients:

1 lb jimmy dean sausage

1 cup broccoli florets, chopped

8 large eggs

1/4 cup of milk

1/2 T vegetable oil

1/2 tsp baking powder

s&p

fresh parmesan, grated

directions:

preheat oven to 375.

spray your muffin tin well.

in a large saute pan, brown the sausage (about 5 minutes), 

then add the broccoli and sauté a few minutes. 

in a large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and baking powder.

season with s&p. 

spoon the sausage mixture in the bottom of the muffin cups.

pour the egg mixture over, 

and sprinkle with grated cheese.

bake for about 15 minutes. 

loosen the frittata with a knife, and pop out onto your plate.

 eat warm with some fruit and a big slice of sourdough toast :)

i halved the recipe and just made 6, since these probably don't keep very well. 

they were really good though!

enjoy!!! 

zucchini + carrot muffins

I saw these on pinterest so I thought I'd give them a try. Ivy loves to sprinkle them with sanding sugar, and I throw in some flaxseed to balance it out :)  Her and Eli love these so that makes me happy. They are good, and of course freeze well. Sorry about the weird fonts -- I was too lazy to re-type it :)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
• 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot

Preparation:

Grease and flour 12 muffin cups. Heat oven to 375°.

In a mixing bowl, beat the oil with eggs, sugars, and vanilla extract.

Combine the flour, soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; add to the wet ingredients; stirring until blended. Fold in the shredded zucchini and carrots.

Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or granulated sugar, if desired. Bake for 20 minutes.

blackberry-oat bran muffins

recipe from everyday food mag
(thanks to kathryn)

1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup oat bran
2 t baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
6 T butter, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups chopped blackberries

preheat oven to 375 and line muffin tin with paper liners.
whisk together flour, oat bran, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

in a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. beat in the eggs and vanilla. with the mixer on low, add flour in 2 additions, alternating with the buttermilk. fold in the berries.

divide batter among muffin cups and sprinkle with sugar.
bake 20-25 minutes.

we ate ours warm, then froze the rest for breakfast  last week.

ivy picked around the blackberries, but eli devoured the whole thing. such a mess afterwards, but i guess he's worth it :)

(note: made these again without berries, more sugar on top, baked for 20 minutes, and added flax.)

sugar cookies

YUM. 

it is me and kevin's turn to host bible study tonight 

and the host provides dinner & dessert.

so ivy helped me make these after her nap, naturally.

i just picked this because i thought ivy would have fun making them

but they are actually the best cookies i've ever eaten. 

and i'm not even a huge sugar cookie fan.

we ate them warm from the oven and goodness, they were perfect.

(am i just really hungry??)

we were sitting at her little table, and ivy said

"mama, we need something to drink. maybe milk."

(haha)

so i got us some and she said 

"cheers"

and i said 

"cheers"

and it was heaven.

recipe from Baker's Illustrated

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

assorted sprinkles

Preheat to 375.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray. 

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla; beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.

 Chill the dough for 30 minutes or so.

Roll into medium sized balls and roll around in sugar or sprinkles if you want (and you do want).

Place on baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until barely golden brown.

Eat warm or let cool. 

enjoy! 

pear + granola muffins

• mom sent us pears.
  so sweet!
  we made muffins
  for miss annie
  and ivy's friends
  and ourselves.
  these are kinda on the healthy side
  (kevin passed)
  but i liked them.
  Recipe from Martha Stewart

  For Muffins

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (i used pastry flour)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 pears, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 3/4 cup plain granola

• For Granola Crisp Topping

  • 1/2 cup granola
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, yogurt, and butter. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add egg mixture to well, and mix in flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the granola and pears.
3. Make Granola Crisp Topping: In a bowl, toss together 1/2 cup granola, 1/4 cup each all-purpose flour and packed light-brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut 3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter into pieces; add to granola mixture, and rub in with fingertips until clumps form.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Sprinkle with granola topping. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from tin. Serve warm or at room temperature.

thanks mom!

enjoy! 

espresso brownies

another recipe from giada...i am on a kick! made these this afternoon partly because kevin is out of town (he can't tolerate anything coffee), but mostly for a friend who just had a baby. thought these seemed fitting for a sleep-deprived new mama, no? anyway, they're kinda fancy (but they're from a box) and if you like coffee, i think you'd like 'em!


giada's espresso brownies 
1/3 cup plus 2 T water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 T + 2 t espresso powder (instant espresso)
1 box brownie mix (such as duncan hines)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 T butter, room temp

preheat oven to 350 and grease 9x9.
whisk together 1/3 cup of the water, the oil, eggs and 2 T of the espresso powder in large bowl. add the brownie mix and stir until well blended. stir in the chocolate chips. pour into pan and bake 30-35 minutes. let brownies cool completely in pan.

when they've cooled, dissolve the remaining 2 t of espresso powder in the remaining 2 T of water in a medium bowl. whisk in vanilla, then add powdered sugar and butter and whisk until smooth. with the brownies still in the pan, pour the glaze over the brownies and refrigerate until set (about 2 hours). cut into bite-size pieces, arrange them on a platter and serve.

enjoy :)

raspberry-almond tart

for some reason, ivy thinks baking follows nap time. 

like every day.

she always walks straight to the kitchen and pulls up a stool. 

usually i'm happy to oblige.... 

not sure this is good for anyone though!

well today i found this recipe during her nap

and miraculously had all the ingredients. 

it turned out to be really kid-friendly too. 

she brushed the egg on the pastry, 

poked holes with a fork, 

poured the cream and sugar into the mixer, 

spread the almonds on a baking sheet, 

and plopped the raspberries on the final product. 

she was very proud, and

it turned out to be the prettiest little tart! 

i love it.

she strategically only ate the whipped cream,

but i don't blame her. 

this was my first time making it homemade, and it was soo good.

i'm kinda inspired to only make this kind of dessert all spring. 

fruit + whipped cream. 

so pretty and so delicious! 

giada's raspberry-almond tart

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

flour, for dusting

1 egg

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 T amaretto liqueur (i used 1 tsp almond extract)

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds, coarsely crumbled

2 (6 ounce) baskets of fresh raspberries

unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting (i skipped this)

preheat oven to 400.

roll out the pastry sheet on a lightly floured cutting board to a 10 inch square.

cut off about an inch-wide strip off each side, set aside.

brush the edges of the square with the egg.

place the 4 pastry strips on top of the edges of the square, overlapping on the corners, and forming a raised border.

brush these borders with egg too.

poke the inside square a LOT all over with a fork.

bake until golden, about 20 minutes. 

let cool.

beat the cream, sugar and almond extract on med-high until firm peaks form. 

fold in the nuts. 

spoon the cream mixture onto the cooled pastry crust. 

arrange the berries over the cream.

dust with cocoa powder or powdered sugar if you like!

also- this would work well with basically any kind of fruit. 

i think a banana one sounds good... 

enjoy! 

oh boy! (and cheese grits)

  {MENU}

blueberry spritzers

chicken + apricot puffs

white cheese grits

fruit cups

parmesan cheese straws

tomato bruschetta

chocolate + vanilla cupcakes

chocolate truffles

5 of my friends are pregnant right now, and all having boys! crazy.  some girls and i threw a little baby shower for one of them, our friend lisa, a few weeks ago and it was a great time. annie & lauren did most of the work (including the hand-stiched name and homemade chocolate truffles!) and it turned out so cute. but the star of the show, besides lisa's belly, were the cheese grits!!! everyone loved them. so here's the recipe.
annie's cheese grits 
1 qt. milk
1 c. quick grits
2 sticks real butter
1 ½ c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
Melt 1 stick of butter in saucepan then add 1 qt. milk.  Bring almost to a boil then add grits.  Cook until thick.

Add salt and pepper.  Mix in mixer for 5 minutes.  Mix in 1 stick of melted butter and Monterey cheese.  Mix 5 minutes more.  Pour into greased casserole.  Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes.

enjoy! 

pot roast, polenta + cheese biscuits

this roast is sooo good. 

i've made it 3 or 4 times and it gets better and better.

a new favorite. 

it makes the house smell crazy good and the gravy is fool-proof. 

i know it's more of a winter meal, but it's been around 40 lately...

so it suits us!

last sunday i made rosemary polenta with it, and we loved it. 

it is so much easier than mashed potatoes. 

it tastes kinda like grits, and needs to be eaten right away

or it will clump up (like grits). 

leftovers in a panini with sweet potato fries may be even better.

just meat and bread.

pot roast (adapted from giada)

about a 3-lb boneless beef chuck roast 

2 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

10 baby carrots, sliced

3/4 cup button mushrooms, sliced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 cup red wine

1 1/2 cups beef broth

preheat oven to 275.

pat the beef dry and season with salt and pepper. 

in a heavy pot, heat the olive oil over med-high heat.

add the beef and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.

remove the beef and set aside.

reduce heat to medium. 

add the veggies and garlic and cook about 5 minutes. 

add the wine and scrape down the bottom of the pot.

stir in the broth and add the roast back to the pot. 

bring it up to a boil, cover the pot and place in oven.

let cook for 4-5 hours, turning the beef over once.

transfer the beef to a cutting board, tent with foil. 

pour everything else in the blender to make your gravy.

pour your gravy back into the pot, and add a rosemary sprig if you want.

bring it to a simmer for about 5 minutes. season with salt and pepper. 

if it's too thick, add some broth. 

shred your roast with two forks, pour some gravy on top and serve with polenta, mashed potatoes, or cheese biscuits (also highly recommended - just didn't have a pic). so gooood! 

original recipe: HERE. 

cheese biscuits: HERE

ina garten's polenta: HERE

enjoy!

by the way, does anyone have a good shredded pork recipe? :)