cooking party

Well it all started with these super cute invitations the mr. made.  Problem was the guests never saw them because the printer broke.  And this pregnant chick is too lazy to go to a copy store, so I resorted to Facebook invitations.  Lame, I know.

I've always wanted to host a Pampered Chef party and with baby boy roundy on the way I knew I needed to do it sooner than later!  We had a brunch theme going on.  I made a very yummy poppy seed coffee cake, pre made jumbo cinnamon rolls from Trader Joes, assorted seasonal fruit and a breakfast casserole demo'd on stoneware (my personal fav).

{janice's poppy seed cake}

ingredients
1 yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
1/4 cup poppy seeds

topping ingredients 
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

steps
1. Combine ingredients (follow cake box directions for mixing time)
2. Combine topping ingredients and divide into thirds
3. Grease bundt pan (coat well) then sprinkle a third of the sugar & cinnamon mixture on bottom and sides of pan
4. Pour 1/2 batter in pan then sprinkle with a third of the sugar & cinnamon mixture.
5. Pour other 1/2 of batter and finish with remaining sugar & cinnamon mixture.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Leave in pan to cool for 20 minutes. Turn out of pan.

These fruit waters were also a hug hit!  I've seen them all over Pinterest and thought I would give them a try.  Had to put the upside down cupcake liners on top to keep the bugs out.  Although its not pictured here I suggest securing them down with the ring part of the mason jar lid.

{watermelon rosemary}

steps
1. Add a sprig of rosemary to jar and muddle gently (rosemary releases a strong flavor without much muddling). 
2. Add watermelon cubes; twist and press gently to release juices.
3. Fill jar with ice cubes, add water to the top, stir, cover and refrigerate.

{raspberry lime}

steps
1. Quarter 2 limes; with your hands, squeeze the juice into the jar, then throw in the squeezed lime quarters. 
2. Add raspberries. Press and twist with a muddler to release some of the juices (don't pulverize the fruit). 
3. Fill the jar with ice, then add water to the top. Stir, cover, and refrigerate.
recipes courtesy of the yummy life

{ham and cheese brunch squares}

And of course we made some delicious Pampered Chef recipes.  The brunch squares were so easy to assemble and we used my favorite product in the whole Pampered Chef line - stoneware!  Honestly don't mess around with any other brand of stoneware, go straight to the source and invest in what will become your favorite piece of kitchen equipment.

tip

We omitted the ham for the vegetarians (me) and it was still delicious!

{mango confetti salsa}

This salsa recipe used a new-to-me tool called the mango wedger.  Holly smokes it was so cool!  I can't even tell you how frustrated I get with peeling a mango. So much so that I will pass on buying mangos cause its too labor intensive to peel them.  Well sure enough Pampered Chef makes a tool that will have you chopping mangos in seconds, check it out!

tip
Try it on top of the brunch square, oh ya!

mmm... this is sooo good!

Yup, baby boy roundy is a hungry little guy.  The mr. laughs because if I like something I make it known typically by saying "mmm... this is sooo good".  That's pretty much everything I eat by the way!

{tortellini with eggplant and peppers}

First let me start by saying I don't like eggplant, but for some reason I love this recipe.  As my luck goes, our CSA box has been filled with eggplant the last couple of times.  This recipe is about the only way I can get the purple veggie down, its that good!  Original recipe from my all time favorite, fall back recipe source real simple magazine.

{yogurt fruit smoothie}

Don't think I'm crazy for putting spinach in my smoothie.  Just do it, promise you won't even notice.  Unless you go overboard like me and put too much in, then it tastes like grass.  Follow this recipe for your first go around and modify there after.  Last time I used blueberries in place of strawberries,  yeah it was sooo good. Recipe from fit pregnancy.

{homemade pesto}

A lot of the recipes we make are based on what we receive in our CSA box.  At first that was somewhat stressful but now we have the hang of it and quite enjoy the variation to our weekly menu.  With that said, our dear friend shared her pesto recipe.  OH MY GOSH, it was SOOO good!  We tossed it into sautéed seasonal veggies and tortellinis.

ingredients

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup pine nuts

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups olive oil

1 cup freshly grated parmesean

steps

1. Place walnuts, pine nuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.  

2. Process for 15 seconds then add the basil, salt and pepper.  

3. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed.  

4. Add the parmesan and puree for a minute.

5. Use right away or store the pesto in the fridge or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

tips

Air is the enemy of pesto.  For freezing, put in a zip lock bag, squeeze air out and freeze flat. Once frozen you can cut into little cubes and store in the freezer to use at any time.

what we've been eating

{mounds bar} This one was a little labor intensive... but SO WORTH the effort.  Original recipe via pinterest can be found here.

the nourishing gourmet

{tofu banh mi}  Banh Mi's have simply taken over our neighborhood in San Diego.  It seems every amazing restaurant in our small suburb called North Park has a variation of this sandwich on the menu.  Due to our new outlook on meat, we have yet to try the original version calling for pork.  Using tofu in this recipe peaked my attention, and when I saw the Sriricha sauce on the ingredients list I knew this sandwich would be delicious.  And goodness it is!  Thank you eat, live, run for yet another amazing recipe.

eat, live, run

{buttermilk-blueberry breakfast cake} Sometimes you just need something to get you through the morning, especially at work.  This breakfast cake worked for mr. roundy.  Recipe found on alexandra's kitchen.

alexandra's kitchen

{berry mascarpone pancakes} Well hopefully you realize we didn't make these recipes all in one week.  We made these pancakes for dinner one night, the sauce is particularly yummy!  Thank you picky cook for the recipe.

picky cook

{black bean tacos with feta and cabbage slaw} Due to an accidental purchase of a head of cabbage at the farmers market (meant to get cauliflower, not sure what I was thinking) I had to find a simple recipe that would eat up that all that cabbage.  Thank you once again, picky cook, this recipe will be a new staple in our home.  

picky cook

{maple glazed salmon with roasted brussel sprouts} Yes I sure did save the best recipe for last!  This is simply amazing, make it tonight. period. Recipe found here. 

real simple

p.s. we get our whole grain mustard at trader joes.

sweet potato burger

This is not my recipe. but I made them. and they are good! There are a lot of really beneficial ingredients in this recipe and although there may be a ton of steps I promise it's worth it.  Another added benefit is they freeze well, so enjoy all that hard work over and over again.

the edible perspective

{sweet potato black bean burger}

ingredients
15oz black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cup cubed sweet tater, cooked and skin on
1/2 cup corn
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
6 tablespoons rolled oats, partially ground
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne 
1 tablespoon olive oil


steps
1. preheat oven to 375 once you finish cooking the quinoa and potato
2. mash half of the beans in a bowl until paste-like
3. add in the rest of the beans and give a very light stir/mash to combine
4. in a large bowl, mash the sweet tater.  Each cube should be mashed, but you don’t want it creamy
5. stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, coriander, chili powder, cayenne and olive oil, until combined
6. mix in the onion, garlic, corn, black beans, quinoa, sunflower seeds, and ground oats, until just combined
7. form into balls, between your hands and flatten into 1/2”-3/4” thick patties.  This should make 8 patties
8. Place on a pan lined with parchment paper [or lightly greased pan] and bake on each side for 15min, flipping once, half-way through


tips
To make the ground oats – Pulse your blender on and off, until you have the consistency about half way to flour. Instead of ground oats, feel free to sub – millet flour, oat flour, quinoa flour, whole wheat flour, etc.

inside brucrew life

I've stumbled across something amazing...the Inside BruCrew Life blog.  I think you will understand once you take a look at these photos.

inside brucrew life

inside brucrew life

inside brucrew life

inside brucrew life

inside brucrew life

inside brucrew life

There goes the progress I've been making in the gym!

carrot cake {cupcakes}

These cupcakes (and the party hats) were a huge hit at mr. roundy's recent birthday party.

I found the recipe over at sugar and charm. I swear I am such a sucker if someone says "this is the best _____ you will ever have".  In this case she was right!  I typically dislike carrot cake but fully enjoyed this recipe.

And yes I know, they are way cuter than mine.  I have a long way to go with my cupcakes.  As you can tell I put too much batter in the cup and I can't seem to get that frosting technique down.  Oh well they still tasted great!

sugar and charm

{carrot cake cupcakes}

ingredients

2 cups flour

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup corn oil

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ⅓ cup pureed carrots

1 cup shredded coconut

¾ cup canned crushed pineapple, drained

steps

1. Preheat oven to 350˚

2. Puree 1 ⅓ cup carrots (first chop, then boil, then puree) and set aside.

3. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

4. Add in the oil, eggs, vanilla and beat well.

5. Fold in the pureed carrots, shredded coconut and drained pineapple.

6. Pour batter into either a cake pan or cupcake pan.

7. Bake until the edges have pulled away or until a toothpick comes out semi-clean. I baked the 

    cupcakes for about 16 minutes... every oven is different so keep an eye on them.

8. Cool for awhile, then frost.

{cream cheese frosting}

ingredients

1 8oz package cream cheese

1 stick butter

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 cups confectioners sugar

steps

1. Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth.

2. Add in the sugar and beat until combined.

Note: I made 12 full sized cupcakes and used the rest of the batter to make mini cupcakes.  The minis were a huge hit and I totally recommend that option when baking cupcakes.  Plus they're so cute!

cheesecake cookie cups

I met a fellow blogger {crafty welder chick} at a birthday party last weekend.  She delighted everyone with these yummy cupcakes and I felt it was essential to share.  I haven't made these yet, but I've tasted them and they are GOOD!  I think I will make some for the mr. on valentines day.

{cheesecake cookie cups}

ingredients

12 pieces chocolate chip cookie dough

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling

steps

1.  Preheat oven to 325 ˚.  Line 12 muffin cups.

2.  Place one piece of cookie dough in each muffin cup.

3.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookie has spread to edge of cup.

4.  Beat cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla extract in medium bowl until smooth. Pour about 3 tablespoons cream cheese mixture over each cookie in cup.

5.  Bake for additional 15 to 18 minutes or until set.  Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Top with filling. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

note

{crafty welder chick} made several variations of the recipe.  Don't limit your self to the chocolate chip cookie, try peanut butter or maybe sugar cookies with a complimentary topping!

white sangria

I thought you all might like to have the recipe I used for the white sangria at the baby shower.  I have a feeling this could be a real hit at summer parties.  It's also easily doubled to fill up those larger sized containers.  And as the case is with any sangria, the longer it sits the better it is.

{peachy white sangria}

ingredients

1 bottle white wine {I used pinot grigio}

1/2 cup peach Schnapps

1/4 cup sugar

2 sliced peaches {I used one bag of frozen}

1 sliced orange

1/2 mango peeled and sliced

1/2 liter ginger ale

steps

1.  Pour wine and Schnapps in the pitcher and add peach, orange and mango.

2.  Add sugar and still gently.

3.  Chill mixture for at least one hour.

4.  Add ginger ale just before serving.

cupcake in a jar

At the time I made these cupcakes it was late to bed and early to rise for a whole week.  I'm surprised they even turned out, they were quite the chore.  But when my husband came home and said they were really cute all the hard work paid off.  Here's the inspiration...

my cakies

my cakies

Although the Paula Dean recipe for red velvet cupcakes as you see above sounds delicious, the mommy we threw the baby shower for loves funfetti cupcakes so I opted for them.  I used leftover mason jars from my wedding {more on that later}.  And I was too frugal to buy bakers twine so I found a similar yarn option at Michaels.  And this is what I came up with...

The process...

Using a circle Marvy clever lever mega craft punch {2.5"} I punched out the message I printed on card stock paper.  In this case my message simply said {thank you}.

The next step was to add the message card to the lid of the jar.  I decided to hot glue the pieces together, so when the recipient opened their jar the lid would be one piece.  I don't know it seemed like a good idea at the time...maybe it was an unnecessary extra step?

Next up is placing your cupcake in the jar.  For my test run I followed the directions on my cakies blog.  Unfortunately during the taste test phase I found the funfetti cake and vanilla frosting were just too sweet to layer.  So I decided to place one cupcake in the jar with an appropriate amount of frosting on top. Be sure to fill the cupcake pan no more that 2/3 full, any bigger and you will have a hard time pushing them through the opening of the jar.  With that said, use a smaller jar!  I was determined to recycle the jars from my wedding but there is no need to use the pint size for this project.

After the cupcake was in the jar, I used my Ateco reusable pastry bag without a decorating tip {just the coupling} to apply the frosting. This was relatively easy. I finished off the cupcakes with blue sugar sprinkles.

The final step was to add a spoon and attach a bow using the bakers twine look-a-like yarn.  Again the frugalista in me didn't want to spend the money on the disposable bamboo spoons so I opted for a compostable corn spoon {don't worry, I didn't order a thousand of them}.

turkey and trails

The mr. and I were very thankful for the invitation to share thanksgiving with friends, so we made this hostess gift.

I used my embossing gun to make the "thanks" tag.  I love embossing!

And that is my first cheese ball (thank you Cece)!  Here's the recipe in case you want to give it a try.

{olive cheese ball}

ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese

4 to 5 ounces crumbled blue cheese

1/2 stick of butter (I may omit this next time)

can chopped black olives

2 tablespoons chopped chives

1/4 cup chopped walnut

crackers

steps

1.  Take cream cheese, blue cheese and butter out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for awhile.  

2.  Cream the first three ingredients in a bowl until they are mixed well (I used my kitchen aid mixer).  Add the well drained chopped olives and chives and mix well.  

3.  Put the bowl in the refrigerator and chill for an hour or until firm.  

4.  Place chopped nuts on a plate. Form a ball with the chilled cheese using a spatula or your hand.  

5.  Roll the ball in the chopped nuts and place the ball back in the refrigerator to chill for a few more hours. 

6.  Serve with crackers.

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

The following day we skipped black friday shopping and hit the trail.  This particular trip was rather cold so we were able to test out some gear for Nepal (12 days!).

holy hot cocoa

Next time you are at your local trader joes {if you are so lucky to have one} pick up the peppermint hot chocolate.  They improved the recipe to include mint chocolate shavings and they are amazing!

I made ours extra special with the use of my handy cuisinart smart stick hand blender and some heavy whipping cream.  Pretty sure the mr. had no idea that was how whipped cream was made.  If you choose to make homemade whipped cream, skip the sugar, I think you will find the cocoa mix is sweet enough.

This may just become my go-to-gift for the holidays.  Maybe coupled with some cute mugs and homemade marshmallows?!

white enchiladas

I stole this one from Kevin & Amanda's blog after I saw a dear friend raving about it on Facebook.  Give it a try; you won't be disappointed.  Warning! They are sinfully bad for you as you can see by the ingredients list.  Let me know how it goes for you…

kevin & amanda


{creamy chicken enchiladas}

ingredients

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, drained

1 8 oz package cream cheese, cut up and soften

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breasts

8 8inch flour tortillas

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

1 pint whipping cream (yikes!)

steps

1.  Preheat oven to 350˚

2.  Spray 9x13 baking dish with Pam.  Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add rotel and saute 1 minute.

3.  Stir in cream cheese and chicken and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts.

4.  Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. 

5.  Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.

6.  Sprinkle with monterey jack cheese, and drizzle with whipping cream.

7.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

8.  Take off foil and cook for another 15 minutes or until top is golden brown.

soba noodles

mr. roundy made this the other night and I absolutely loved it!  We did substitute the red currant jelly for an apricot jelly we had on hand.  I felt the swap worked well and don't know if we will even try it with red currant.  Let me know if you try it.… and enjoy!

real simple

{sweet and spicy chicken with soba noodles}

ingredients

6 ounces soba noodles

4 heads baby bok choy, sliced crosswise into strips

1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Sriracha or other Asian chili sauce

kosher salt

1/2 cup red currant jelly

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger {don't skip this ingredient, its amazing}

4 6-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts

steps

1. Cook the noodles according to the package directions, adding the bok choy during the last minute of cooking. Drain and run under cold water to cool.

2. Transfer the noodles and bok choy to a large bowl. Add the bell pepper, oil, vinegar, Sriracha, 1/4 teaspoon salt and toss to combine.

3.  Meanwhile, heat broiler. In a small bowl, combine the jelly, ketchup and ginger.

4.  Place the chicken on a broiler proof baking sheet lined with foil. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

5.  Broil the chicken until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side, brushing with the jelly mixture twice during the last 3 minutes. Serve with noodles.