Cajun Shrimp Soup

I've been getting things ready for Thanksgiving, so I needed something easy to throw in the crockpot for Sunday dinner. Turned out to be a breeze to make and delicious for fall evening!

Cajun Shrimp Soup

3 new potatoes - I picked the larger ones, washed and cubed into bite size pieces

1 can of corn, drained

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

4 cups chicken broth

8-12 oz raw shrimp - I also cut these up into bit size pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream

Put potatoes and corn in the crockpot.  Sprinkle with the flour and seasoning.  Mix well and then pour in the chicken broth.  Normally I would use vegetable stock, but thought I would change it up a bit.  Cook on low for 4-5 hrs.  Turn heat to high and add the shrimp.  Cook for about 30 min. and then add the cream for another 15 min.

I served this with my famous cornbread muffin.  I mix up a box of Jiffy cornbread mix and put a hunk of pepper jack cheese in the middle.  Cheese gets all melty in the middle - Mmmm!

Spinach & Cheese Tarts

Need a quick & fancy dinner?  This recipe calls for few ingredients, quick to make, and oh so impressive results.

Spinach & Cheese Tarts
One pkg. of frozen puff pastry - box has two pkgs., but you just need one
1-2 tsp olive oil
1/4 - 1/3 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 cups spinach
1/4 - 1/3 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
salt
pepper
egg, beaten with a little water

So the frozen pastry should be unfrozen, but that didn't happen.  No worries!  I open the pkg. and unfolded the 3 sections so it could start thawing quickly.

Moving on... heat oil in a med. skillet.  Add onions and garlic, and cook until tender.  Put the spinach in mixing until it wilts and is combined.  Remove from heat, and then add both cheese and salt & pepper.  Feel free to add other seasonings as well.  Next time I will probably add some kind of Greek blend.  While this is cooling, it's time to roll out the pastry.  This going to make 3 tarts, so take each section and, using a roller, flatten and extend.  Divide the spinach mixture into 3 parts, and place each on the prepared pastry sheet - I put it on the bottom half in the middle and then folded over the other half - now it's shaped like a poptart.  then take a fork and press the seams together.  Brush with the egg mixture.  I sprinkled mine with some sesame seeds.  Bake in the oven for about 15-18 min.

While mine were baking, I created a side salad with more spinach, red onions, red grapes, and almonds.  We used Panera's Balsamic dressing.  Turned out to be the perfect compliment for the tarts.

This dinner was so easy & so good!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Fall is in the air, so I decide to make some yummy muffins... pumpkin, of course!  This recipe is super easy, and the muffins turn out wonderful.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
1 3/4 cups flour
1 Tbsp pumpkin spice mix
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
15 oz can pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla

First mix up the dry ingredients.  I measured the flour, spice mix, baking soda, and salt in my fine mesh strainer.  I lightly tap into a mixing bowl - I'm convinced this helps make baking light and airy.  Then in another mixing bowl, I mixed the pumpkin and both sugars.  I measured the oil and vanilla, and then whisked in the 2 eggs.  I added this to the pumpkin mix, and slowly added the dry ingredients.  I set the oven to 375* and got my two muffin pans ready with paper liners.  I used the middle stainless scoop - 2 scoops of the pumpkin mixture into each liner - roughly 3/4 full.  Next up is the cream cheese mix.  I used the dry ingredients mixing bowl - why dirty up more dishes - and used the beater to mix bream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla.  Using the small scoop, I added a heaping scoop to each muffin cup.  Next, use a toothpick to swirl the cream cheese and pumpkin mixtures - makes the muffins look pretty!  Bake for about 18-20 min.

Kricket got a bonus treat with the leftover egg white!  I call that a fun way to celebrate the first weekend of fall!

Pinterest Challenge

Kelsie was getting ready to go back to school, and Karen texted me wanting to get together one more time before she left.  We thought of game night, which we've definitely done in the past.  I decided to add a twist and came up with the Pinterest Challenge.

Each person must select a snack and a dessert to make you've never made before AND is on your Pinterest boards.  We all have them... pins of things we want to make, but just never have the time to do it.  Challenge accepted!  Kelsie and I decided we would make 3 appetizers and 2 desserts.

First, I made a roasted red pepper, spinach dip.  Turned out okay - nothing to write up.  I've definitely had better dips.

The other dip choice was one similar to the one Karen and I had at a restaurant we both loved.  She actually sent me the pin.

Guacamole with a Twist!
3 avocados
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
1/2 tsp garlic powder
sea salt & pepper to taste

Mix all together and serve with tortilla chips.  Delicious!

Kelsie made a cucumber feta roll up, but these were also not worth the time to make.

For our dessert picks, we went for 2 popsicles.  Both were pretty great!

Nutella Cool Whips
1 cup milk
1 cup Cool Whip
1/4 cup Nutella

Mix these 3 ingredients together and pour into molds.  Super easy!

Chai Tea Latte Pops
These take a little more time, but worth it.
12 oz can evaporated milk
4 chai tea bags
1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup heavy cream

Open the tea bags and seep in a pot with evaporated milk.  Allow to simmer and then turn off heat, allow to cool for about 30 min.  Use a fine mesh strainer and pour the tea into a mixing bowl with sweetened condensed milk and cream.  Mix and pour into molds.

Karen showed up with other tasty treats.  We ate way too much - but such fun!  We'll definitely be doing the Pinterest again!

Banana Pudding

What's a girl to do when she has some bananas getting very ripe and some milk about to expire... make her family some banana pudding!

Banana Pudding

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups milk\

4 large egg yolks

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 tsp vanilla

3 bananas

some shortbread cookie crumbles - I used Trader Joe's Vanilla Wafers

whipped cream

In a med. saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Very gradually add milk, whisking constantly to dissolve cornstarch.  Next whisk in the eggs.  Cook mixture over medium heat until the first large bubble forms.  Reduce heat to low and continue whisking for about another minute.  Remove from heat and quickly pour through a fine-mesh sieve and into a bowl.  Add the butter and vanilla into the hot pudding. You're going to let the pudding cool, which gives you time to slice up the bananas.  I used 8 glasses and layered pudding, bananas, cookies, pudding, rest of bananas and cookies, and then topped it all of with some whipped cream.  Truly a great way to use up food before it goes bad!

Mexican Rice as a Meal

Time for a yummy Mexican inspired dinner tonight!  I made some steak for Ken and Kelsie to go with this, but the rice is easily a meal in itself.

Mexican Rice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1 can diced green chilies - 4 oz
1 cup corn - I used frozen
1 can kidney beans - 15 oz
1 - 1 1/2  cups of salsa - I used my homemade version (recipe will follow)
1 1/2 cup cooked rice
1 cup of Colby-Jack cheese, shredded

First, make sure your rice is cooked.  Heat the oil in a large pan.  Add the onion and pepper, and cook until tender.  Next add the seasonings - to get them nice and toasty.  Stir in the chilies, corn, beans, and salsa.  Finally add the rice and cheese.

We filled flour tortillas with the rice mixture, along with some more cheese, avocado, and diced tomatoes.  Serve with tortilla chips and more salsa.  It's fiesta time!

Quick Blender Salsa
1 can Rotel
1 can chopped tomatoes - sometime I use fire roasted
3 green onions
cilantro

Put everything in a blender, and TaDa! - you've got a delicious treat with chips!

Spicy Blues Jelly

Blueberry picking time again!  This time Ken & Kailyn went with Kelsie and me, so we picked a ton of berries!  We even picked some bonus blackberries too.

Staying with our delicious and unusual canning recipes, I came across one called Kentucky Bar Fight, which not only had jalapenos, but also bourbon.  Sounds unique to me!  Here's my version, and a name change -

Spicy Blues Jelly
13 cups blueberries
48 oz blackberries, weighed
5 - 6 cups jalapenos
3 cups apple cider vinegar
3 cups bourbon
2 bottles of pectin, each 4.7 oz
26 cups sugar

Wash berries and jalapenos.  Seed and loosely chop jalapenos, and process in a food processor.  You want to finely chop, but not turn it into mush.  I added the blackberries to the last batch.  Put the processed jalapenos and berries into a large pot - an extra large pot.  This recipe makes a very large batch of jelly!  Add the pectin and bring to a boil.  Add the sugar and bring to a rolling boil.  Once it reaches this stage, set the timer for one minute.  Then pour into sterilized canning jars and process in a 15 min. water bath.  This jelly has just the right amount of kick - yummy with cheese.  We tried it with smoked cheddar and cream cheese tonight.

Blueberry Basil Jam

Berry Picking Time!
I heard about a cool place to visit in Broken Arrow - Thunderbird Ranch.  Kailyn was already scheduled to take the ACT, but Kelsie was up for some blueberry picking.

It was pretty crowded with families when we first got there, but the blueberries were plentiful.  We quickly got into a blueberry picking ninja zone and filled up 2 buckets! Now Thunderbird Ranch has this awesome deal - you share 2 and get one free.  At first I thought we would just buy our haul, but they were quite impressed when we walked to have our buckets weighed.  When I asked the owner how much he thought we had, he told me he bet about 15 lbs.  That's a ton of blueberries!  Kelsie and I decided to share, which means we got 5 lbs. of blueberries for FREE!

Quickly searching Pinterest... we decided to try to the blueberry and basil jam recipe... with a little tweaking, of course!

Blueberry Basil Jam
4 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 box of No Sugar Added Pectin
10 cups of blueberries
big bunch of basil leaves - we probably used a little more than one cup
zest and juice of one lemon
1/2 cup of water

Mix the pectin and 1/4 cup of sugar and set aside.  Use a food processor and pulse the blueberries in 2 batches - chop, but don't turn it into mush.  Transfer each batch into a large heavy pot, but on the last batch save about 1/4 cup of the blueberries in the food processor.  Then add the basil leaves, zest and juice of the lemon, and the water - totally process this batch.  Add this and the pectin mix to the chopped blueberries in the pot and bring to a boil.  Add the remaining sugar and return to a boil.  now you need to get it to the rolling boil stage, and when it reaches this point - set the timer for 1 minute.

Make sure your water bath and canning jars are ready to go.

Put jam into jars, leaving about 1/4" head on top.  Put lids on and it's water bath time.  Once the water returns to boil, set the timer for 10 minutes.  Put the jars on a towel to cool and then listen for the joyous popping sound.

Ken's comment - this jam is mind blowing delicious!

Stir Fry with Honey & Soy Sauce

I found this original recipe on Pinterest, but I tweaked it a little (like I Love to do!).

Stir Fry with Honey & Soy Sauce
First make your sauce.
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp sesame oil
1 cup of broth - I used vegetable
1 Tbsp of flour

Whisk the first five ingredients together.  Mix the broth and flour together, and then add to the rest.

Next is the stir fry.
I used these vegetables, but feel free to be creative.
1 chopped onion
2-3 cups of mushrooms
3 cups of broccoli
1 lb shrimp

Heat your stir-fry pan.  Cook your shrimp in a little vegetable oil and remove from pan.  Next add the veggies and a little more vegetable oil.  Cook until crisp tender.  Re-whisk sauce and pour into pan with veggies.  Cook until sauce thickens.  When it's almost ready, add the shrimp.  I added some rice and a little more freshly grated ginger.  Loved the flavors!

Cheese & Veggie Baked Rice

Since I'm on the topic of versatile side dishes... this one is also easy and can be changed up to compliment the main entree or theme of dinner.

Cheese & Veggie Baked Rice
2 - 3 cups of veggie mix - I used spinach, 1/2 red pepper & 1/2 onion, chopped
3 cups of cooked rice
8 oz. of Velveeta
3 eggs, beaten
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and spread into a lightly greased 10 x 6 baking pan.  I sprinkled a little shredded cheese on top to make it look even more delicious.  Bake at 350* for about 30 min.  Let rest for about 5 min. before cutting into squares.

Once you've tried this, you'll see all the possibilities for changing this recipe up.  I think mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes.... Oh, I could go on and on.  Delicious!

Easy & Delicious Baked Tomatoes

Need a quick & yummy side dish?  This recipe is perfect.  I made it tonight with baked Parmesan fish and couscous.

Baked Tomatoes
tomatoes - I used 3
olive oil
salt
pepper
shredded cheese - I used Asiago
sprinkle of spice mix - I used an Italian blend

Heat oven to 400-425*.  Cut tomatoes in half and place on baking sheet with a lip (help save your oven from juice).  Drizzle with a little olive oil, then salt and pepper to taste.  Place a small mound of cheese on top and sprinkle with seasoning mix.  Bake for about 20-25 min.  Let rest for about 3-5 min.  Those tomatoes will be hot!

This recipe can be totally versatile - tonight I made an Italian version, but simple switches could make it a great side dish for Mexican, Greek, etc.

Birthday Surprise for Ken!

The girls and I planned the perfect birthday surprise for Ken - you only celebrate your 50th birthday once, right?!?  How about an extended weekend trip to New Orleans?!?

I love to play "If You Would Rather" game when trying to figure out just the right gift for someone.  Earlier I asked Ken if he would rather have a party or an experience for his big 50.  With his answer... I started working on my plan.  I thought about going somewhere different, maybe with a beach.  But with Ken's schedule, I was worried about plane schedules.  We had just taken a road trip to San Antonio during Spring Break, so I started looking for someplace great within a 10 hour radius.  Turns out New Orleans is really about 10 1/2 hours, but it held so much promise.  When I asked the girls, they were totally on board.

I created a Google doc and planning began!  I picked a funky cool, hip hotel - Old No. 77, which was an old cannery restored to a hotel.  It's not on the French Quarter, but close.  Turns out it was in a perfect location, and we were able to walk everywhere.  I talked to Ken's receptionist to see if she could keep Tuesday open because we would be driving back and Ken wouldn't be in the office.  She worked her magic and he had no idea!  When he came home Friday after work I asked him how his day was and he said busy. I told him then he deserve a break and the girls and I are kidnapping him for his 50th Birthday Celebration Weekend!

Here's how it went down:

Friday - Ken's at work, while the girls and I pack.  We also drop off Kricket at my sister's.  Ken comes home & SURPRISE!  We drive to Little Rock.  I was going to try to make him think this is where the weekend trip was going to be, but he knew better and figured it out.

Saturday - headed towards NOLA, with a side stop in Vicksburg, where we went through the National Park.  By the time we finally got to New Orleans, we were hungry.  PoBoys from Mother's!

The next morning was an early one - we had tickets for a swamp tour with Cajun Encounters.  Great experience - tour guide was one of the best, weather was perfect, and we got to see gators and wild boars.  It's about an hour drive there, so when we got back it was definitely lunch time.  This time it was muffalettas at Johnny's.  We went back to hotel for a quick nap because we had another tour lined up for the evening - ghost tour.  Kailyn did an awesome job arranging this one!  We met James at 7:30 in front of the St.Louis Cathedral for our ghost tour.  After the tour we grabbed a sweet treat at Cafe du Monde, because you can't go to New Orleans without eating beignets.

Monday was our last full day, so we let Ken make all the decisions.  He chose to visit the National WWII Museum.  Highly recommend this museum!  We each got a dog tag, which connected to a real WWII veteran.  You go through the exhibit and check in to follow your soldier's story.  The only downfall was we went on Memorial Day, so it was super crowded.  We went back to the hotel to get all dressed up for our fancy dinner.  Ken chose Emeril's New Orleans.  Seemed a little cliche, but if you're going to eat at an Emeril's restaurant, why not pick the place that started his culinary career.  Everything was delicious!

Next day... before we headed back home... we had to have beignets just one more time.  We decided to try Cafe Beignet because Alton Brown claims these are truly the best.  It was a cute little cafe and the wait time was longer.  It was a mixed bag on our official beignet critique - 2 of us enjoyed Cafe Du Monde, while the other 2 agreed with Alton.  On the road again!  We enjoyed pizzas at Wildwood Pizza in Alexandria.  We got home a little later than expected - terrible storms in Texas.  Good thing we didn't have to worry about plane - Dallas airport was closed because of flooding.

It was a fantastic little extended family vacation time & celebrating sweet Ken's 50th birthday - a win/win in my book!

Making Some Treats!

Most people know I love to cook.  You should see my Pinterest boards!  I started with just a recipe board, but it's quickly grown, and now I have one for desserts/treats, breakfasts, and soups.  I'm getting pretty close to adding another one for salads.  Anyway, what's the point of having all these recipes/ideas if you never try them, so...

Sunday I made pistachio shortbread cookies - delightful!  I actually made the dough Saturday after we got back from the grocery store and we had some time before we needed to pick up Kailyn from ACT test - hope she did well!  Then Sunday all I had to do was slice and bake. Super easy!

Pistachio Shortbread
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup shelled pistachios

Cream together softened butter, sugar, and vanilla.  Then add the flour and cornstarch.  Finally add the pistachios, but do so gently - you want the nuts to stay whole.  Turn the dough onto a sheet of saran wrap and roll into a log and put in refrigerator.  When you're ready to bake - preheat oven to 350*.  Then slice the log into cookies - about 1/4" thick.  Cookies need to bake about 12 min.

These turned out so well.  I had to carefully pack some up for Kelsie's Valentine's box, which I mailed today.  Hopefully they make it safe & sound - shortbread cookies are so delicate - makes them special.

Exchange Students

This weekend we played host to three wonderful girls through Ken's Rotary.  Each year Tulsa hosts a conference for the regional exchange students.  They come in on Friday, stay with host families Friday night, spend Saturday with them, and then head back to hotel for their meetings and a big dance.  We had participated two years ago, and had a great time with 3 girls - from Italy, Brazil, and Chile.  Last year both Kailyn and I had something already planned.  This year Kailyn did have a speech & debate tournament, but we decided to go for it anyway.  We welcomed in this year's group from Italy, France, and Argentina.

I was a little worried about what I should cook.  Finally Kailyn talked me into making some delicious Italian food, because who doesn't like Italian?!?  I went with Penne with a Vodka sauce, a spinach tart, and for dessert a delicious bar cookie.  The food was a hit - even with Guilia from Sardinia.  We brought down games to play, but ended up just talking as the girls added their new pins to their jackets.  They love collecting pins from each other, but with so many, those jackets looked heavy!  Some pins were pretty creative.  They reminded me of the Girl Scout trading pins.  I had made a list of possible activities for Saturday - Woolaroc, shopping, Jenks Aquarium, or driving along route 66 to take pictures.  The weather was not the greatest, with temps in the 30s.  Eva, from Strasbourg, loved the idea of route 66; and Fiama, from Escuel, pulled up a song on her phone.  It was a famous Argentina singer singing, Get Your Kicks On Rt. 66.  So it was officially decided that we would be taking a drive!  We also had a few pit stops for last minute shopping.

We also had a few surprises up our sleeves.  I asked the girls what they missed most, and they all agreed it's the food.  I asked them what's the first thing they wanted to eat when they get home.  Fiama wanted empanadas, abd Guilia was looking forward to caprese salad.  Ken and I decided to take the girls to lunch at South American restaurant with great reviews for their empanadas.  I had everything to make the salad, but fresh basil.  While we were at Target, Ken went to get some basil.  When we got home, I quickly made the salad while the girls packed up their stuff.  I called Guilia down for her surprise.  She was so happy!  Made my day!  She ate the whole thing!  Then Ken and I split up.  He took the girls to the restaurant, and I went to go get Kailyn.  Another great experience with Fiama so happy to eat her empanadas, and the rest of us excited to try something new.  Then we had to say our sad goodbyes.

If you ever get the opportunity to host exchange students, I say go for it!  We've always had such a great experience opening our home and learning about others.  Kailyn has already asked if we can host again next year.

Penne with Vodka Sauce
1 - 2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
small onion
3 cloves of garlic
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup Vodka
large can of tomato sauce
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp Italian spices - your choice!
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook the oil, butter, onion, garlic, and red pepper until transparent.  Add Vodka and cook for about 3 min.  Add the tomatoes and cook for another 3 min.  Add some garlic salt, pepper, and Italian spices.  Cook until pasta is ready, then add cream and cheese.

Mascarpone Chocolate Toffee Bars
tube of sugar cookie dough
2 toffee candy bars (broken up into small pieces) - I used Heath Bars, but you could also use Skor
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup toasted almonds (sliced or silvered)

Preheat oven to 350*.  Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit a 7 x 10 baking pan.  Lightly grease the paper.  Mix the cookie dough, one candy bar, and vanilla.  Pat into the bottom of the baking pan.  Prick the dough with a fork and then cook for about 14-16 min.  Let cool.  Meanwhile in a small pot, slowly melt chocolate chips and oil.  Let cool for about 10 min.  Mix in the mascarpone cheese and then spread evenly on top of cookie layer.  Sprinkle the other toffee bar and almonds on top.  Put back into frig.  Cut into bars when ready to serve.  So GOOD!

Kailyn's Speech Success

Great news!  Kailyn has officially qualified for both her poetry and original oratory in Speech & Debate this year, which means she's headed to regionals in March.  She scored 2nd place at the Jenks tournament for poetry, and scored a beautiful silver platter (what were they thinking?!?), and this past Saturday placed 3rd at the Bixby Green Corn tournament.  McCracken told her next year she'll need to make it for 3 events - last year was one and now this year it's two.  Woo Hoo - Go Kailyn!

We also went over to the Mantles on Saturday - Kevin had the BIG birthday!  Lisa did a fantastic job with the Mexican spread.  He was truly surprised!  I kept trying to figure out a cute, unique gift - I would ask Ken, what would you want for your 50th birthday (which is going to happen soon!).  Finally, I discovered the candy idea.  Below is a picture of what Ken and I came up with.  We thought it turned out pretty clever.  Kevin seemed to like it too.

Sicilian Cauliflower Pasta

It was a long week - first one back after being out for Winter Break for 2 fun, but fast weeks, Kelsie headed back to CSM on Wednesday, and Kailyn's driving test drama (that's an entire story on it's own!).  We were exhausted - physically and mentally.

I decided to try something totally different for dinner.  My Pinterest board offered a fantastic idea - Sicilian Cauliflower Pasta.  Turned out delicious, and we went to bed with happy bellies and spirits.

Here's how I tweaked the recipe -
Pick your favorite pasta - Kailyn chose the spirals
start a pot of water to cook about 8 - 10 oz.
Meanwhile...
olive oil
head of cauliflower - grated
2 cloves of garlic
pinch of red pepper
1 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp dill
1 tsp oregano
salt & pepper
1/2 lemon, fresh squeezed
1/4 - 1/2 cup of pasta water
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet heat olive oil and cook cauliflower and garlic until it starts to brown.  Add the red pepper, parsley, dill, oregano, salt and pepper.  Continue to cook until everything looks toasted.  Add cooked pasta and water.  Stir until blended.  Turn off stove and add the lemon juice and cheese.  Just what we needed!

Kailyn's Birthday Dinner Picks

Headed back to school today and then came home to whip up a delicious Birthday dinner for a very special 17 yr. old - Happy Birthday, sweet Kailyn!

Kailyn selected two side entrees as her choice - typical for her vegetarian ways.  First on her list was a rice pilaf, which is a true keeper - easy, healthy & delicious!

Pecan Rice Pilaf
1 cup pecans
3 Tbsp butter, divided
small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic *this wasn't in the recipe, but going to add in the future
2 cups long grain rice - I needed to use up wheat, so it was about 1 1/2 wheat & 1/2 white
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1 Tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup shredded carrots

Use a large saucepan and cook pecans in 1 Tbsp of butter.  Remove from pan and melt remaining butter.  Add the onions and garlic.  Cook until tender and then add rice - I also added the seasonings.  You want to toast the rice before adding the broth.  Bring to a boil for about 12-14 min.  Add the carrots and cook for another 2-3 min.  Finally add back the pecans.

Next up was a great Parisian treat.  I was amazed how fancy this easy dish was!

Creamy Mushroom Tart
Puff pastry sheet
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove of garlic
2 cups of mushrooms *I added some fancy with regular ones
1 tsp herbs de Provence
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp white wine
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 425* and set out pastry sheet to start to thaw.  In a frying pan, melt butter and cook onion and garlic.  Next add the mushrooms and herbs.  Add the wine and let it cook down before adding the cream cheese and about half of mozzarella.  Use a piece of parchment paper and unfold the pastry sheet.  Spoon filling down the middle, leaving about an inch border.  Top with the remaining cheese add fold over the edges.  I used a knife to press in the edges and create a pretty pattern.  Cook for about 18 min.  Comes out looking pretty sophisticated for a Monday night!

Both dishes received great reviews, and I think the Birthday girl is pretty content with her special dinner selection.  Now it's time to eat some more of her cake!

Souper Sunday - Thai Shrimp Soup

Every Sunday I either make a salad or a soup.  It's the perfect dinner for a day typically used to gear up for the upcoming week.

This Sunday is our last one with Kelsie before she heads back to CSM for spring semester, so I wanted to make an extra special soup.  Plus, Kailyn is not too thrilled to be going back on her birthday- yay, what a way to celebrate!

I decided to try one from my Pinterest board, and it's a keeper!

Easy Thai Shrimp Soup
2 cups cooked rice - I used my mix of white and whole wheat
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 lb uncooked shrimp - cut into bite size pieces
salt
pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp red curry paste
2 cans unsweetened coconut milk
4 cups vegetable broth
fresh cilantro
juice from lime

Melt butter in soup pan and saute shrimp until pink.  Remove from pan.  Add vegetables and cook until tender.  Add the ginger and cook for about a minute.  Add the red curry paste and do the same.  Next add the coconut milk and broth.  Bring to a boil for about 15 - 20 min.  Add rice and shrimp, and cook for another 5 - 10 min.  When ready to serve, add the fresh cilantro.

We served this with mini spring rolls we found in the freezer section at grocery store.  Yummy!  Our bellies were very content!

Birthday Time for Kailyn!

While it's a real drag to have to go back to school after a 2 week break on your birthday, I've tried to make it a little easier by helping her celebrate early.  What;s better than have cake on Sunday, the day before your actual birthday?

Kailyn decided on a fabulous looking cake on Pinterest - Cookie Dough Brownie Cake.  I had to make some slight modifications, which I'm notorious for!  First adjustment was the actual brownie cake.  The original called for 3 cake layers, but I only have 2 round cake pans.  I discovered a recipe on the back of the Ghirardelli Premium Baking Cocoa, and you can't go wrong with that!

Grand Fudge Cake
2 cups of flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of softened unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup of heavy cream
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease 2 round cake pans.  In a med. bowl mix the dry ingredients and set aside.  Using the stand mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time.  Next add the dry mix, cream, and milk.  Mix until smooth.  Divide into 2 cake pans and bake for about 30 min., and then turn off oven and set timer for 5 min. to help the middle set up.

The middle layer is the cookie dough one, and I mixed this up while the cake was baking.  Since I was only go to use 2 layers, and this cake is pretty decadent, I decided to half this part.  This is the recipe I used -

Cookie Dough Filling
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
2/3 packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup of mini chocolate chips

Beat the butter and brown sugar together.  Next add the powdered sugar, and finally the flour and salt.  It's going to be thick.  Add the cream and vanilla.  I added some milk to lightened it up a bit more.  You want it spreadable.  I added the mini chocolate chips next.  The original recipe had you add chocolate chips with the ganache, but with it being the cookie dough layer, I thought it made more sense to put them in the middle layer.

The topping I actually used the exact recipe.

Ganache 
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate bar, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla

In a small saucepan, warm up the cream, but do not boil.  Add the chocolate and slowly melt.  Turn heat off and add syrup and vanilla.

Use a pretty pedestal cake plate for this masterpiece.  Put one layer down, spread the cookie dough layer evenly, add the top cake, and coat the entire cake with the ganache.  Delicious!

Here's to a fantastic 17th birthday for Kailyn - and a happy 1st day back to school for second semester!