Hermits

January 8, 2019 No Comments

Don’t ask me how they got their name, because I have no idea. However, these little spiced cookies are my Dad’s favorite and my Nannie (my Dad’s Mom) used to make them every year. Now my Mom makes them, and we have all joined in at one point or another to help make multiple batches of these throughout the holiday season. Even though the holidays are over, you can still make a batch and enjoy the fact that they are slightly healthy because they have raisins.

Hermit Cookies

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp clove
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbs milk
2 large eggs
1 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and salt. Set aside.
On medium speed cream shortening for about three minutes.
Add sugar to butter and mix until light and fluffy about 3-4 minutes.
Scrape down the sides and then add in the eggs and milk. Mix until it resembles cottage cheese (so slightly lumpy, but well mixed).
Add all of the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix just a little by hand (so it doesn’t puff out when you start the mixer), and then mix on low speed only until blended, then add in raisins and mix.
Divide by scoopfulls onto parchment lined pan.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Will keep in an air tight container at room temperature for 5 -7 days. In our house they rarely last that long.

Favorite Recipes, Recipes

Chicken enchilada casserole

December 17, 2018 No Comments

I made this on a whim last week, so this is definitely something you could create easily if you have some pantry and fridge essentials on hand. It was creamy, delicious, and reheated for next day’s lunch really well!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2-3 cups cooked shredded chicken (you can use rotisserie chicken, or bake 1 lb of lightly oiled chicken breast in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1-2 packages or cans of green Chile enchilada sauce (we use Frontera brand)
About 12 white corn tortillas
2-3 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream, divided
Optional toppings: cilantro, salsa, extra sour cream, olives

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 8×8 glass pan with canola oil.
In a medium bowl, mix shredded chicken, spices, about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup sour cream
Layer about 4 corn tortillas to cover bottom of pan.
Spread half chicken mixture over tortillas.
Cover chicken mixture with a light drizzle of enchilada sauce and then 1/2-1 cup of cheese
Repeat step 3-5.
Cover with remaining 4 corn tortillas.
In the empty chicken mix bowl add remaining enchilada sauce and remaining 1/2 cup sour cream and mix well.
Spread enchilada sauce mix over corn tortillas and top with remaining sharp cheddar cheese.
Bake for thirty minutes and let it stand for about five minutes after taking it out of the oven.

Here’s a breakdown of the set-up. From pre-bake:

To post bake:

To cutting slices:

Happy eating!

Favorite Recipes, How was your weekend?, Mini Cupcakes

This and that

December 3, 2018 No Comments

This weekend we visited Santa and the boys shared what they would like for Christmas…

This is my favorite nail combination (I do polish x 2, top coat, glitter coat and let my nails dry for about ten minutes in between the polish coats, top coat, and glitter coat)….

My favorite frozen Rhodes rolls hack is to put two freezer rolls in a greased muffin tin, and then let them rise all afternoon, then bake at 350 for fifteen minutes:

I took this picture of A by my favorite tree on campus when we were walking to my class last week:

And finally two of my current favorite things, my Magnolia Journal and a Gingerbread Spiced Latte:

Favorite Recipes

Molasses Crinkle Cookies

November 26, 2018 No Comments

Molasses Crinkle Cookies

2 cups plus all purpose flour
2 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp clove
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
3/4 cup softened unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg

Directions

Cut butter into tablespoon slices and place in the bottom of the mixer. Set your egg out on the counter. Do this first then prep the rest of your ingredients
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, clove, and salt. Set aside.
Crack egg into a small cup and whisk.
On medium speed cream butter for about three minutes.
Add sugar to butter and mix until light and fluffy about 3-4 minutes.
Scrape down the sides and then add in the egg mixture. Mix until it resembles cottage cheese (so slightly lumpy, but well mixed).
Add in molasses and mix briefly
Add all of the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix just a little by hand (so it doesn’t puff out when you start the mixer), and then mix on low speed only until barely blended.
Divide by scoopfulls onto silpat lined pan.
Bake for six minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for two additional minutes. Let cool on the pan for 2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Will keep in an air tight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. In our house they rarely last that long.

Favorite Recipes

Sprinkle Candy Cookies

November 20, 2018 No Comments

We are starting on our holiday cookie baking because it’s November, and nothing is better this time of year than cookies, chai tea, and an episode of Holiday Baking Championship. First up on our list is a straightforward m&m cookie with mini m&ms and holiday sprinkles. These are our take on a kitchen sink cookie, and they usually disappear as fast as I can get them out of the oven.

Sprinkle Candy Cookies

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbs all purpose flour
3/4 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tbs pure vanilla extract
1 cup mini m&ms
1/2 cup green and red sprinkles

Directions

Cut butter into tablespoon slices and place in the bottom of the mixer. Set your egg out on the counter. Do this first then prep the rest of your ingredients
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Set aside.
Crack egg into a small cup and whisk with vanilla.
On medium speed cream butter for about three minutes.
Add sugars to butter and mix until light and fluffy about 3-4 minutes.
Scrape down the sides and then add in the egg mixture. Mix until it resembles cottage cheese (so slightly lumpy, but well mixed).
Add all of the flour mixture to the bowl. Mix just a little by hand (so it doesn’t puff out when you start the mixer), and then mix on low speed only until barely blended.
Stir in m&ms and sprinkles
Bake for seven minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for two additional minutes. Let cool on the pan for 2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Will keep in an air tight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. In our house they rarely last that long.

Favorite Recipes

Roasted pumpkin

November 6, 2018 No Comments

When we went on our annual pumpkin patch trip all the kiddos got pumpkins to carve and my sister and I picked up two sweet pumpkins to roast! Using a straightforward recipe I roasted the pumpkin slices this weekend and we ate some with dinner and then the rest I puréed in the food processor and froze for pumpkin soup. Here is a breakdown of what I did!

I started by wiping down the pumpkin:

And then I carved the top like you would a normal pumpkin, and then scooped out the seeds and cut the pumpkin in half:

And then cut it into mostly equal slices that I put on a foiled pan (a large foil pan):

And then I drizzled it with olive oil, sprinkled it with the spice mixture from the recipe, drizzled a little more olive oil, and rubbed it all into the pumpkin slices:

Then I roasted it at 400 degrees for fifteen minutes until fork tender:

After I served it with dinner, I puréed the rest with just a little bit of chicken stock:

And then put it in a container to freeze:

Favorite Recipes

Red wine marinated steak salad

September 18, 2018 No Comments

This is our quintessential it’s almost fall, but still feels like summer meal. A grilled flank steak, marinated all day, combined with roasted sweet potatoes, on top of fresh leafy greens takes us from summer to fall.

So the first thing your going to do is make your marinade. We use this recipe. I typically put the steak in the marinade in the morning before work, so it’s ready when we all get home.

The other ingredients (besides flank steak) you’ll need are:

Green leaf lettuce

Two sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1 tomato, diced

Olive oil

Balsamic glaze *optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roast sweet potatoes (drizzled with a bit of olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper) for forty minutes. Meanwhile, grill the steak for about 5-6 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the steak), until preferred doneness (we aim for about 155 in the middle). Top green leafy lettuce with tomatoes, steak, sweet potatoes, cheese, and a drizzle of balsamic. Enjoy!!

Favorite Recipes

Salmon with tomato relish

September 4, 2018 No Comments

This recipe starts with, I went to Costco this weekend and bought all the meat. Then I came home and spent a good hour with our food saver getting it all ready to go in the freezer. I bought ground beef, ground bison, rotisserie chicken, pork tenderloin, flank steak, sirloin steak, and salmon. I also bought a big package of peppers and diced or sliced them and used the food saver with them as well…

With all of this we have at least several months worth of meat. In addition, because Costco typically provides larger portions, many of these meals (tacos, roast tenderloin, chili, etc.) I will then freeze the leftovers for an additional meal (or two!). So for our first meal I made a salmon fillet (I purchased their one with butter in the cold food section and froze each fillet individually) with one freezer pepper package, and fresh cherry tomatoes (brought over by our neighbor!).

So I defrosted the salmon overnight first. Then I started by sautéing the peppers in just a little olive oil (from frozen, no need to thaw) on medium heat for about 3 minutes:

Then I added the salmon:

And put a lid on it (and cooked for about five minutes), then I took the lid off, flipped the salmon, added the cherry tomatoes and cooked it for an additional five minutes (or until done):

I also cooked up this rice:

It is not as good as the rice B makes, but it’s decent and works well in a pinch.

I made the entire dish (start to finish) in less than twenty minutes:

After the salmon was done, I took it out of the pan to rest then quickly sautéed the veggies on medium high heat just a minute more with a few dashes of balsamic vinegar. And that’s it! So simple, and tasty.

Favorite Recipes

Salmon with herbed butter

July 31, 2018 No Comments

Is this the easiest meal you’ll make all week? Yes. Unless you’re eating out all week. Then, no. Two salmon fillets, a quick herbed butter, and lemon slices, all cooked in the oven for about twenty minutes. And you’re done. Purchase frozen brown rice from Whole Foods, and have dinner on the table in under thirty minutes.

Ingredients

2 salmon fillets (mine were defrosted ones that were originally frozen from Costco)

Herbed butter (see below)

One large lemon

Directions

Place salmon on nonstick foil, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Dot with herbed butter:

Layer lemon slices on top:

Cover tightly with foil:

And bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until done.

Herbed Butter Recipe

Combine 4 tbs softened butter with three tablespoons fresh rosemary, the zest of one lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.

Favorite Recipes

Salmon cakes with tomato risotto

July 24, 2018 No Comments

One of my favorite summer meals, you can pull this together in about forty minutes! Don’t be discouraged by the prospect of making risotto. I stared making risotto for B and I about thirteen years ago, and now I have the recipe memorized, and can make it without even really thinking about it!

Ingredients for Salmon Cakes

2-3 5 oz cans of wild caught, boneless, skinless salmon

2 eggs

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

1 tbs lemon zest

1 tbs lemon juice

pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

Mix all ingredients. Form into equal size cakes (about the size of your palm), and then fry in 2 tbs of canola oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes per side (until golden brown). Transfer to paper towel lined plates to cool for a few minutes

Ingredients & Directions for Risotto

I always use this recipe for risotto and then add my own touches, this time I didn’t use prosciutto or asparagus and instead used fresh sliced grape tomatoes, Chardonnay, 1 tbs of lemon zest and 2 tbs lemon juice.

To plate

Place salmon cakes on top of risotto and drizzle with balsamic glaze (I use Trader Joe’s brand) and fresh ribbons of basil. Enjoy!