Yummy Balsamic Vinaigrette...

This is my go to dressing recipe. It is a basic vinaigrette with a few extras added.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/3 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1) In a bowl or mini food processor, combine all ingredients except oil making sure to whisk or blend well. 2) Add the oil a little at time while whisking or blending to allow dressing to emulsify.
3) Use right away or chill. Let come to room temperature before serving.

Vietnamese Avocado Shake (sinh tố bơ or Butterfruit Shake)

This is a thick rich shake! In Vietnamese, it is called sinh tố bơ or butterfruit shake.

When Fireman first made this I thought...hmm...avocado and sweetened condensed milk...interesting combination! But after trying it I really like it! And so does our son! Give it a try I think you will be surprised!

First, you need to get yourself a blender. Fireman likes to use his Single-Serve Blender. He got his from GNC.

Then, you need to peel and cut your avocado. This is a very nice instructional video on how to do that. How-To-Cut-an-Avocado

Add crushed ice to the blender and then the avocado.

Add the sweetened condensed milk and whole or reduced fat milk. Blend until smooth. Enjoy your thick rich shake!

Vietnamese Avocado Shake/sinh tố bơ
Printable Recipe

2 ripe avocados (Hass) , preferably chilled overnight
1 1/2 cups crushed ice
1/4 - 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
2-4 tbsp whole or reduced fat milk (to desired thickness)

1) Cut and peel chilled avocado.
2) Add crushed ice, sweetened condensed milk and milk to blender.
2) Add avocado to blender
3) Blend until smooth.
4) Add a little more milk to desired thickness.

Enjoy!

Under the Weather...

So no posts in awhile...I'm so sorry!!

I have been a little under the weather with the stomach flu!

I have some pictures uploading now of some yummy stuff though.

We had 3 birthdays in our family (mine!!!) and a good friend, Gina, this month so of course we had to have cupcakes!!!!!

We had red velet with cream cheese frosting, margarita cupcakes with buttercream, carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and last but not least my favorite...high hat cupcakes which are chocolate cupcakes with swiss meringue buttercream dipped in milk chocolate...sooooooo delicious!

Coming soon!!

Turkey Meatloaf with Roasted Potatoes

Sunday dinner was Turkey Meatloaf with Roasted Potatoes! Fireman and twins loved it! I don't eat beef or pork so I have to get creative to come up with dinners.

Turkey Meatloaf  

2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped or minced
3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper, according to taste
3/4 tsp kosher salt, according to taste
1 tsp italian seasoning, dry
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup ketchup
1 3/4 lbs of ground turkey
3/4 cups italian bread crumbs
2 eggs (1 whole egg & 1egg white), lightly beaten
cooking spray
foil
**optional: shredded carrots ~1/3 cup
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In medium saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions until lightly translucent, approx 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook another minute.

2) Add salt and pepper to taste, italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth and 2 tbsp of ketchup to onion mixture in pan. Mix well and allow to cool.

2) In large bowl, combine with clean hands ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture. Mix well.

3) Line a 13x9 baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray. Shape meat mixture into a loaf in center of baking dish. Spread 2 tbsp of ketchup over the top of the loaf.

4) Bake in center of oven for 1 hour. Place a small baking dish with hot water on bottom rack of oven. This helps keep meatloaf moist during cooking process. Internal temperature should be between 165-170 degrees F. Serve warm or cold.

Roasted Potatoes with Fresh Herbs

4 tbsp Olive oil
cooking spray
foil
2-3 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tbsp garlic, minced
~1 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 lbs of red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into fourths (do not remove skin)

1) Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. ***Can be cooked at 375 degrees F with meat loaf. Adjust cooking time to ~40-50 minutes, checking for doneness with a fork.

2) In a large bowl, combine oil, rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper and potatoes. Toss to coat potatoes.

3) Spread potatoes in baking dish in a single layer.

4) Bake 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway. Potatoes should be tender when stabbed with a fork and slightly golden.

The Twins Make Pancakes (Organic)

The twins LOVE pancakes. At our house, we eat them a couple days a week.

The recipe I normally follow is more less a take from Alton Brown's recipe. You can keep it for up to 3 months in an airtight container. There is no artificial stuff in there and you can use organic ingredients like us if you choose. SEE bottom of post for our recipe. **They are very tasty so we don't normally put more butter on them after cooking but it looked good for the picture.

*** See bottom of post for a few helpful tips!!

Printable Recipe & Tips

INSTANT PANCAKES RECIPE:

Mix Ingredients:

6 cups unbleached unbromated flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (check expiration date first)

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

1) Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix.

2) Use the mix within 3 months.


"INSTANT" PANCAKES:

2 natural or organic eggs, separated

2 cups organic buttermilk (we use fat free) ***(No buttermilk...that's ok...See tips below)

4 tablespoons melted organic butter

2 cups "Instant" Pancake Mix, recipe above

organic butter or oil, for greasing the pan

Optional mixins:
-2 cups organic fruit such as blueberries or strawberries
-chocolate chips (mini works great)
-bananas sliced thin/walnuts- or- granola
-extra fiber

Serve with "REAL" organic maple syrup

1) Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350-375 degrees F. Optional: Heat oven to 200 degrees F for holding pancakes.

2) Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.

3) Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. Don't try to work all the lumps out.

4) Check to see that the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water onto to the griddle. The griddle is ready if the water dances across the surface.

5) Lightly grease the griddle with oil or butter. Wipe off thoroughly with a paper towel. (No butter should be visible.)

6) Gently ladle 1/4 cup of the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle on fruit or chocolate chips, if desired. When bubbles begin to appear, edges set around the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.

Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel. Can hold in a warm oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Yield: 12 pancakes

TIPS:

*** Sometimes if I know we will be busy during the week I make several batches. Then, place the pancakes individually on baking sheets in freezer. When they are lightly frozen, put them together in a container in freezer. This way they do not stick together and you can grab them to pop in toaster oven or microwave in a hurry! You have healthly organic pancakes at your fingertips!

***No Buttermilk...that's ok! Just substitute 1 cup buttermilk for 1 cup yogurt OR 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup.



***I also use buttermilk for baking and cooking but not ALL the time so I freeze it in individual portions like 1-2 cups. Pop it in fridge the night before to thaw and I'm good to go. I would not suggest this if you are a buttermilk "drinker" however! Can be frozen for up to 3 months.

So that McLinky Thingy....Flavor of the Month...Chocolate

I happened upon this cute blog Bakeat350. And decided to participate in the McLinky Thingy...Flavor of the Month...Chocolate!

I linked our Chocolate Dipped Valentine Hearts!

And yet another cool McLinky...Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays from Blessedwithgrace...Eat more chicken!

I linked Delicious Garlicky-Chicken-and-Dutch Potatoes!

Martha Monday: Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

The twins made Peanut Butter-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes from Page 118 of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes Book (Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat).

Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over double boiler  .

Combine chocolate mixture with sugar.

Add eggs and combine until smooth. Then add vanilla.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt.

Add flour mixture and stir.

Now for peanut butter filling. Melt butter and combine with confectioner's sugar.

Add peanut butter, salt, and vanilla. Stir to combine.

Add 2 tablespoons of chocolate mix to cupcake liner. Followed by 1 tablespoon of peanut butter filling. Top with 1 tablespoon of chocolate mix and 1 teaspoon of peanut butter filling. Use a chopstick or skewer to gently swirl "TOP" only. Bake at 325 degrees for approx 30 minutes.

Frosting:

We changed it up a little though and filled them even further with Martha's Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting from page 310 (Recipe). We then topped them by piping Martha's Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting and Hershey's Especially Dark Frosting (Recipe) swirled together.

We used half the recipe for Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting. Combine cream cheese and confectioner's sugar until fluffy. Add salt, peanut butter and vanilla. Beat to combine.

Fold whipped cream into peanut butter mixture until smooth.

Hershey's Especially Dark Frosting:

Combine melted butter and dark cocoa powder.

Alternate by adding confectioner's sugar and milk and blending. Add vanilla. Add more milk if necessary.

We used the creamy peanut butter frosting to fill cupcakes with a # 10 tip after they cooled as well as swirled it with Hershey's Especially Dark Frosting and piped a swirl on top.

I have to say they turned out pretty yummy but they are more like brownies than a traditional cupcake! Good concept but I will probably follow a different chocolate cupcake recipe next time and add the peanut butter swirl from this recipe to make it more cake-like.