Happy & Merry

Check out the amazing photographer who took our photos! Weston Neuschafer Photography- www.whoisweston.com!

Christmas Breakfast

One of my gifts to Stephen was to make a special Christmas breakfast. This year, we drove home late at night from his family Christmas so that we could be home Christmas morning. It was one of the best Christmas' I have had in a long time! I made mini egg cups this year, they were DELICIOUS! I also made toast to go with it- but it wasn't just any bread, it was the Hawaiian loaf bread, yum! The recipe below, surprisingly, made exactly 12 cups (I have no idea how I worked that out).

9 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 pound bacon, cut up then cooked until crispy

3 cups chopped spinach

3 garlic cloves

1 cup Mexican cheese blend

1/4 cup chives

Directions:

1. Start frying up bacon, cut it up into small pieces and fry until crispy. Then put on a paper towel to drain. 
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Chop spinach and garlic and saute until the spinach is just wilted (about 3-5 minutes)
4. Add the eggs, milk, seasonings, 1/4 cup cheese, and chives to a big bowl and mix. Then add the cooked bacon (reserving 1/4 cup) and spinach and stir. 
5. Spoon the egg mix into greased muffin tins and then sprinkle a little more cheese and bacon on the top of each muffin cup.
6. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes until the cups have puffed up and are starting to brown. The cups will also be pretty firm to the touch. 
7. Remove from the oven and take out of the muffin tins.
8. Garnish with some more cut chives.
9. Devour! 

Italian Wedding Soup- Meghan Style!

This is my version of one of my top favorite soups, Italian Wedding Soup, crock pot style! My amazing husband got me a huge 7 quart crock pot for Christmas (I was operating on a tiny little one before) so I had to try it out the day after Christmas. We wanted something lighter and delicious so I came up with a version of Italian Wedding Soup that could be made in the crock pot! This recipe does differ from the original Italian wedding soup because I added tomato sauce.

Meatballs:

1 pound turkey  meat

1 egg

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

3 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

  

Soup:

6 cups chicken stock

1 cup boneless cooked chicken breast (I just quickly boiled)

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup carrot, finely chopped

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

2 cups spinach, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt
1 can of tomato sauce

1/2 cup small noodles (I used mini pinwheels)

Directions:

1. Meatballs: Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix all the meatball ingredients together and form into very small balls (see below) and place onto a nonstick cookie sheet. Bake them for about 15 minutes and stir them around after about 7 minutes until they are slightly browned but still soft.
3. Remove from oven and drain off any grease if necessary. Turkey meat won't be very oily at all, but if you choose to use a ground beef it will be more oily.
4. Soup: Place all of the ingredients, except the pasta and spinach into the crock pot with the meatballs.
5. Cook on low for 8 hours (add the pasta and spinach during the last hour of cooking time). When the soup was ready I did a quick taste test and saw that I needed a little more garlic powder and I added "natures seasoning" 
6. Top each serving with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
7. ENJOY!

Hope you love this recipe as much as I do :)

Roll into tiny balls, I can get about
90 meatballs from 1 pound of meat

Cooking away my new crock pot!

Mini Spinach Dip Bowls

These are likely the BEST appetizer I have ever had.  Thank you Pinterest for supplying me with this recipe (I added a little extra of things here and there and I think it made it perfect) :) I made these for our friends Christmas party (3 batches) and they were gobbled up almost immediately. Doesn't get much better than this!! Also, I had some left over filling and it was awesome just as a dip for crackers.

13.3 oz roll of refrigerated french bread loaf, I used simply natural by Pillsbury

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups baby spinach, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or salt

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 10 muffin cups with non stick cooking spray. Unroll package of french bread loaf and slice into 10 equal size slices (you actually might be able to get 12 cuts, I was). Press each slice into about a 3 inch round. Press into the bottom and up sides of the muffin cup. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir spinach until wilted, about 3 minutes and then add garlic, cook and stir for another minute then turn off heat.
3. Place cream cheese, sour cream, cooked spinach and garlic, Parmesan cheese, chili powder, garlic salt, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix until combined. With a medium scoop, scoop dip into each of the centers of the bread bowls. Top evenly with shredded cheese and bake for 15-17 minutes until edges turn brown.
4. Remove and devour! 

Check out this website where I got the recipe. They have the BEST step by step photos!

 

Kyle's Graduation Cookies

Congrats to my little brother! He is a college graduate!

Rain

I love the smell after it rains, and LOVE the gorgeous clouds. I am pretty lucky to have a beautiful view outside my office!

Cranberry Horseradish Sauce

Just wanted to try something new and different for the turkey! This sauce is light and tangy and definitely a change of pace from gravy!

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 small onion

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup sour cream

Mix the cranberries and onion in a food processor. Once it is in small pieces add the rest of the ingredients until well incorporated!



Fancy Crescent Rolls

So the other night I wanted to make crescent rolls and my husband said "eh that doesn't sound very good" so I added "what if I add cheese to them?" well he can never resist cheese so of course he said yes! All I did was take the crescent rolls in the tube, opened them up and added a little sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheese and green onion. Rolled them up and they were awesome!!  Try this to fancy up your crescent rolls :)

Put the cheese and onions at
 the end of the dough

Roll the dough up

Pinch the ends together so the
cheese doesn't come out

Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes
and enjoy!

Mac n Cheese 4 a Crowd

Made this for the first time this Thanksgiving. I got the recipe from Pioneer Woman's website (if you don't know of her, you need to she has AMAZING recipes and ideas!). It was delicious. Of course, baking for a crowd required me to double the recipe. I also used 3 cheeses- Gruyere, Sharp Cheddar and Mozzarella! Because the website I got the recipe from has the best step by step pictures, I will send you to that website and just show you a pic of my final product. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Macaroni and Cheese

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

This has become a Thanksgiving staple for Stephen and I. I have made it every year for the past 5 years! This recipe is great when you first make it, but it is one of the few desserts that just gets better as it sits in the fridge. Love it the day after with leftovers :)  Happy Thanksgiving!

1 box Gingerbread cake mix

1 box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 can pure pumpkin

2 containers cool whip

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:

• Make the Gingerbread cake according to the box. Set aside and let cool completely
• Make the vanilla pudding as directed and put in fridge to cool for 5-10 minutes.
• Mix 3/4 can of pumkin, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together
• Cut the cake into small chunks and add to the bottom of a big trifle bowl.
• Then layer the pudding mix on the gingerbread
• Then layer the cool whip... repeat all layers 1 more time
• Refrigerate overnight
• Serve :)

49er Faithful!

Loved spending an entire Sunday with Stephen, enjoying time together and of course FOOTBALL!! Go 49ers!

Tailgating in the pouring rain!

We had AWESOME seats.
40 yd line only 21 rows up!

49er spearing a Cardinal :)

49ERS!!!

After the game down on the field!

Banana Oatmeal Smoothie

I found this recipe on the Chiquita Banana website and I did some slight little tweaks to the recipe. It was pretty good, definitely a SUPER filling breakfast that was very quick and easy to make.

2 bananas (best if light brown flecks on peel) 

2 cups ice

3/4 cups oatmeal

1/4 cup mixed nuts (It was all I had so there were almonds, pecans, cashews and hazelnuts)

2 tablespoons honey

2 containers of Dannon's Oikos Greek yogurt, vanilla flavored

Directions: 

• Put it all in a blender and mix! Enjoy right away. 

Snickerdoodle Bread

I had the best time making this with my friend Kristyn. Her and her husband were in town for the weekend and we thought this would be the perfect goody to make for our guys, it was!! They went crazy over it. This is definitely a MUST try recipe.

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup sour cream

2 cups cinnamon chips (1 bag)

2 tablespoons flour 

Topping:

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

• Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter, 2 cups sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix to combine.
• Add the flour mix until just combined. Coat the cinnamon chips in 2 tablespoons flour and stir into batter. 
• Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. Combine the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the top of the batter in the pan. This just helps the chips from all sinking to the very bottom.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes until toothpick comes out clean and there is a crack in the center of the loaf. 
• I try not to over bake this bread, it is delicious being a little extra moist and does set up more as it sits. 

Original recipe found here. 

Crock Pot Stroganoff

My mom told me about this recipe (moms always know best!), it is awesome and easy!

2 pounds of beef stew meat

2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

4 cups sliced mushrooms

1 packet of Liptons Onion Soup mix

egg noodles or rice (whatever you prefer)

Directions:

• Just throw it all in the crock pot, stir and put on low for about 7 hours.
• Cook the noodles and serve under the Stroganoff.  That is IT! 

Spicy Thai Noodles

Thin whole wheat spaghetti

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (more if you want it extra spicy)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sesame oil

6 tablespoons honey

6 tablespoons soy sauce

green onions

shredded carrots

cilantro

bean sprouts

peanuts (optional)

Directions:

• Put the two oils and pepper flakes in a pan and warm. Let the flakes cook in the oil about 5-8 minutes. Then drain the flakes from the oil and return the oil to the pan. 
• In the meantime, be cooking your thin pasta (I used whole wheat thin spaghetti)
• Return the pan with oils to the stove and add the honey and soy sauce. Whisk and let cook about 5 minutes.
• When your noodles are done, add them to the oil, honey and soy sauce mix and stir to incorporate. 
• Then put the noodle mix in a bowl and add all the fresh ingredients. Stir and serve!!

rocky road Brownies

Another easy recipe- only 4 ingredients :)  Made these for a 49er party, hence the "Touchdown" plate.

1 box of fudge brownie mix

2 cups mini marshmallows (in my case I didn't have minis so I just cut large ones into small pieces)

1 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Make the brownies according to the box and add 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips
• Bake according to the box and when they are done, pull them out and immediately put the marshmallows on top.
• Follow by adding the chocolate chips and walnuts
• The marshmallows will melt slightly onto the brownies.
• It is best to leave them at least 2 hours before cutting to allow the marshmallows to harden.
• Yummy!!

Cake Batter Cookies

Light and fluffy, these cookies are SUPER easy... only 5 ingredients! I bet these cookies would be great with chocolate cake mix and white chocolate chips too.. yummoooo

1 box of cake mix (I used yellow)

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cup milk chocolate chips (can use cranberries, or anything you like!)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix cake mix and baking powder together, then add the eggs and oil
• Once incorporated, add the chocolate chips or your favorite addition and place rounded spoon fulls on a baking sheet
• Bake for approximately 12 minutes
• Let cool a few minutes before moving to a plate to cool completely

My Pasta Pomodoro

This might be one of my favorite recipes I make- it is fresh, delicious and so easy!

Cut up a ton of tomatoes,
garlic and basil

Sautee the garlic in about 1/2 cup of
olive oil for about 5 minutes- careful
not to let the garlic burn

Add the tomatoes and let cook about
5 minutes, then add the basil and
on very low heat cook for about 15
minutes. Then add 1/4 cup of
white wine!

Cook your noodles- thin
spaghetti or angel hair
is the best. When the noodles
are done, add them to the
tomatoes

Christmas Crack

Tastes a lot like a salty toffee...

1 sleeve of Saltine Crackers + a couple more to fill in spaces

1 cup butter (must use butter not margarine)

1 cup brown sugar

1 package of milk chocolate chips

1 cup of almonds, chopped

Directions:

• Lay Saltine crackers in a single layer on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet
• In a small saucepan, mix brown sugar and butter until melted. Once the mix comes to a roiling boil, set timer and let cook for 3 minutes exactly
• Pour carefully over saltine crackers
• Put crackers into preheated 400 degree oven for 5 minutes
• Pull out of oven and sprinkle choc chips right away. As soon as they start to melt, carefully spread across the crackers to make sure it is fully covered in chocolate
• Sprinkle almonds evenly over the chocolate.
• Let the Christmas Crack sit for a few minutes and put into the fridge to set up. After it is nice and cool you can cut the dessert!

Strawberry Salad

I recently had this delicious Strawberry Salad at a birthday party (Thank you Mona Purkey!) Of course, I had to recreate it. This recipe deviates a little from the original, mainly because I used a couple ingredients I already had.

1 package of feta cheese

2 pints strawberries, sliced

1 cup caramel walnuts (original used candied pecans)

1 cup Craisins

1-2 packages of mixed lettuce

Strawberry dressing (I used a strawberry poppy seed I found in the chilled dressing section)

Mix it all together!

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Ok really- these are AMAZING!! You must try them. I even think they would be a really great cookie without being rolled in the oreo.

Dough in the mixer!

Ready to head into the oven

Final product!

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup Oreo cookies, crunched up

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and well-combined.

3. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix until the ingredients are well-combined. Add the flour and mix on low until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the mini chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.
4. Place the Oreo cookie crumbs in a small bowl. Scoop the cookies into about 1 1/2 to 2 inch balls. (the dough will be soft, don't worry if it doesn't scoop into a well-formed ball, the crumbs will help hold it together) and then roll in the cookie crumbs. Place the cookie balls on the baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

5. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Website I got the recipe from, click here. 

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Seagram's Vodka, Bourbon Vanilla
Beans and 8 oz syrup bottles.

2 beans, split in 1/2 in each bottle.

Fill with 8 oz vodka

After sitting one day. 





Cauliflower Crust Pizza

So when I saw this I was really excited about trying a pizza with no bread. After showing Stephen what I would be making, I must admit he was extremely skeptical, but believe me, this pizza was SO good! Naturally gluten free and full of deliciousness :)

Ingredients for the crust:

1 cup riced cauliflower

1 cup mozzarella cheese

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

To "Rice" the Cauliflower

• Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.
• One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To Make the Pizza Crust:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Just the crust about to go into the oven.

The final creation!

Webite I got the recipe from can be seen here!

My 1st Baking Contest

This weekend is the Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival! I am going to be submitting my amazing Zucchini bread recipe in the contest, wish me luck!

Here is a picture of my latest test run... I invented a yummy glaze to go on top, hopefully its a winner!

                                                   

My favorite season is football season!

Football season is here! I love the cool, crisp evenings, bundling up to go to the games and cheering on my teams and coach hubby! Tonight is the first AG football game of the season and I will definitely be there. Of course, no football game is complete without hot chocolate and some goodies. I made SMORE CUPS for tonight... yum yum, you have to try this SUPER easy and beyond delicious recipe.

7  whole graham crackers (1 cup finely crushed)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

4 bars (1.55 oz each) milk chocolate candy, divided

12 large marshmallows

Directions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place graham crackers into a large resealable plastic bag. Finely crush into crumbs. Combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and butter in a small bowl.
  Place 1 tablespoon of crumb mixture in each cup of a mini muffin pan. Press crumbs to form shallow cups. Bake 4-5 minutes or until edges are bubbling. Meanwhile, break two of the candy bars into rectangles. Remove pan from oven; place one rectangle into each cup.
• Cut marshmallows in half crosswise using shears dipped in cold water. Place one marshmallow half, cut-side down, into each cup. Return to oven 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows are slightly softened. Remove pans from oven to cooling rack; cool 15 minutes. Carefully remove cups from pan. Cool completely.
• Break remaining candy bars and place in small microwavable bowl. Microwave on high 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds. Dip the top of each marshmallow in melted chocolate. Turn top-side up and let stand 40 to 60 minutes or until set. Makes 24 cups.

Check out the website I found these yummy things:  http://texascottage.blogspot.com/2011/08/smore-cups.html

My amazing tomatillo sauce!

After learning a couple of different versions, I have made my own - it is pretty amazing and the perfect compliment to enchiladas and especially tacos!  So good!

15-20 tomatillos, peeled and washed

1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped big

1 jalapeno, de stemmed and washed

1/2 bunch of cilantro

salt and pepper

1 avocado

4 cloves of garlic

Directions:

• After peeling and washing the tomatillos, put them in a pan wih the jalapeno and cover with water. Boil until the tomatillos skin starts to crack and they turn a light green color
• In a blender, add the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and cilantro and blend. Do a quick taste test to make sure it is seasoned ok.
• Then add the whole peeled and de-pitted avocado and blend!
• Enjoy as a sauce on your tacos or add to tortillas with jack cheese to make salsa verde enchiladas- no baking required.

Rainbow Sprinkle Thumbprint Cookies

I LOVE thumbprint cookies and really can't resist sprinkles so I had to try these :)

2/3 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 and 1/4 cup flour

rainbow sprinkles

chocolate kisses

Directions:

• Beat butter until fluffy. Then add sugar, cocoa, soda, salt, eggs and vanilla.
• Slowly mix in flour
• Roll dough into 1 inch balls then coat in sprinkles
• Bake at 375 degrees for 6-7 minutes then remove and immediately place kisses in the middle

DIY Magnetic Chalkboard

I really wanted to make a chalkboard in my guest room so that I could leave cute little welcome notes for our guests. I found a tutorial for making the exact chalkboard I wanted and here is how I did it!

I first started with an empty frame that I had already painted, tin snips, sheet metal, nails, chalkboard paint, metal primer and an ultra smooth foam roller

Then, I primed the metal and painted with the chalkboard paint. As I was waiting for it to dry I wanted to make my own magnets. I found these little clock pendants in the scrapbooking section at Michaels. I bought some adhesive magnets and attached them to the clocks.

All Done!! I just nailed the sheet metal to the back of the frame and added my magnets!

Hung it in my guest room!