Food

Recipe: Shepherd’s Pie from Desperation Dinners

February 2, 2012 by shdesignfl Leave a Comment

We’ve all felt a little desperate at dinnertime

And Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross are there to offer support. They’ve written Desperation Dinners: Home-cooked meals for frantic families in 20 minutes flat.

I picked up a copy of this book at a used book store a year or two ago. And it sat in my cabinet. And sat. I’d flip through it and put it back down. I recently decided that I either needed to use it or pitch it. And, wow–glad I decided to keep it.

I’ve tried several things from it. I tried a rice dinner, a frozen ravioli dinner, a chicken and pasta dinner, and shepherd’s pie. The recipes are easy, fairly inexpensive, and don’t dirty up too many dishes. I also noticed they use some overlapping ingredients, which is pretty cool.

Don’t get me wrong–these recipes aren’t fancy or going to be served at your next dinner party. But, they’ve made dinner much more interesting than tacos and chicken legs. I highly recommend it for busy families with limited time for cooking dinner.

Here’s the shepherd’s pie dinner:

Shepherds Pie from Desperation Dinners

Filed Under: Books, Food Tagged With: cooking, dinner, families, food, recipes

Recipe: Lemon Chicken from The Silver Palate Cookbook

January 25, 2012 by shdesignfl Leave a Comment

Lemon Chicken recipe from the Silver Palate Cookbook

I first heard about the Silver Palate Cookbook from a friend, who had made the wonderful Chicken Marbello. Awesome recipe! Love it lots. So, I bought the cookbook.

Mostly what I make from it is the Chicken Marbello. However, I have branched out a little here and there. I recently made the Lemon Chicken. It was really yummy. I think I would decrease the liquid just a little bit because I felt like the bottom of the chicken was a little slimy. But overall, it was quite tasty and comes out very pretty. Makes a nice presentation!

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: chicken, cookbooks, cooking, food, recipes

Recipe: Dinner-Size Texas Chili Cheese Fries from Rachael Ray

December 28, 2011 by shdesignfl Leave a Comment

The Big Orange Book never lets you down

So I dove back in to Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book again. I made the Dinner-Size Texas Chili Cheese Fries. She didn’t let me down this time either. As she says, the recipe was Yummo!

There was a hiccup, though. Totally nothing to do with the recipe, but with a faulty box of beef broth. I knew I should have gone with the beer she offered as an alternative! So I actually ended up making these twice (well, the chili part anyways).

I thought the chili was a nice mix of sweet and spicy, with a nice blend of onions and jalapenos. I ended up adding in beans, since I had some on hand and I didn’t have enough beef. I think this might not make it Texas style anymore? I also added some sour cream on top. This added an extra oomph.

The potatoes didn’t disappoint either, they were a nice thick yet crispy texture. I had a little trouble with the cheese sauce, but I think it is because I didn’t add enough flour at the beginning.

So, on your next night in or for Sunday football party–give these a try. You can find the recipe on Rachael Ray’s site here. My pic is below. Enjoy!

Dinner-Size Texas Chili Cheese Fries from Rachael Ray

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: chili, cookbooks, cooking, food, Rachael Ray

Recipe: The Cake Mix Doctor is in

December 7, 2011 by shdesignfl Leave a Comment

Having more fun with boxed cake mix

Boxed cake mix makes me feel like a slacker. But making cakes from scratch can be time-consuming. Enter the Cake Mix Doctor!

I got Anne Byrn’s book, The Cake Mix Doctor, as a gift. I was skeptical at first. But I’ve seen the light over the years. Her use of extra ingredients to make cake mixes more fun and tasty is really quite life-saving at times. She usually adds milk or uses butter instead of oil or adds in some special ingredient to spice a cake mix up.

This time I tried the Sweet Potato Cake with Coconut Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting. Whoa baby, was it good! It takes a regular old spice cake mix and adds in canned sweet potatoes (with a few other add-ins). It ends up being a very moist spice cake, with a little extra taste. The icing is divine too. (I changed that up a little by sprinkling the coconut on top and placing walnuts on the top with it, and not mixing it in. I decided on walnuts over pecans because they were cheaper this week.) Overall, the cake was a success with the family. Here’s the pictures:

Sweet Potato Cake with Coconut Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting

Interior shot of Sweet Potato Cake with Coconut Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: cake, cooking, food

It’s a little like Christmas….

December 2, 2011 by shdesignfl Leave a Comment

Something new shows up in our Earthbox all the time!

Now we have more tomatoes. There’s three in total.

Three tomatoes on our Earthbox

And, perhaps more exciting, we have baby squash!!

Baby squash in the Earthbox

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: earthbox, gardening, plants, squash, tomatoes

Recipe: Chicken Potpie Pockets

November 30, 2011 by shdesignfl Leave a Comment

A chicken potpie for on-the-go families!

Last week I made hand-held chicken potpie pockets. I turned to my trusty Big Orange Book from Rachael Ray to find this one.

The kids love chicken potpie. I’ve usually buy frozen ones, but wanted to try something new and more nutritious. Bonus–I noticed that J-Dog ate all the vegetables, because they were more difficult to pick out than usual. The filling includes a creamy sauce, carrots, peas, scallions, and shredded chicken.

The recipe can be found at this link on Rachael Ray’s website.

Here’s the pics:

Filling placed on the pastry sheet

The finished hand-held chicken potpie pocket

Filed Under: Family, Food Tagged With: chicken, children, cooking, food, Rachael Ray, recipes

Our Earthbox is growing!

November 25, 2011 by shdesignfl Leave a Comment

A picturesque update of our Earthbox adventure!

These are the latest pictures of our Earthbox bounty. It’s very rewarding to see the fruits of our labor from the last 1 1/2 months.
Gardening has proven to be a great family activity–the kids enjoying watering the plants and checking on the plants.

More squash flowers in our Earthbox

Our Earthbox's first tomato

Anyone know what to do about the powdery residue on the squash plants?

Filed Under: Food, Outdoors Tagged With: earthbox, gardening, gardens, squash, tomatoes

Recipe: Don’t be intimidated by the beef short rib!

November 22, 2011 by shdesignfl Leave a Comment

I made short ribs for the first time this weekend

Often I resort to chicken legs, sloppy joes, and the like to feed the family fast. I feel good about not using frozen or canned meals. But, I’ve recently decided I want to cook more interesting things. This weekend’s choice was short ribs. I’ve only seen these at restaurants and had never even seen them in a store. My rib adventure was a success!

I chose the short rib recipe from Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book. This cookbook is great! It has lots of pictures and a nice mix of easy and challenging recipes. It also has recipes that can be used for all types of meals and times of days.

This recipe includes two sides: creamy polenta and beets. I found out the beets are $3.99 each now, so I chose to use canned beets. Since I didn’t need to roast them like the recipe suggests, I chose to add them in to the pot with the carrots and onions. I also couldn’t find polenta at the store, so I used grits. Other than these changes, I followed the recipe you can find at this link on Rachael Ray’s site.

The ribs were tender and juicy. They didn’t fall off the bone though, which was nice because they retained a nice texture. The vegetables held up well and were a nice crisp tender. Adding the beets in to the meal made them a little colorless, so I’d add them later in the process or buy the fresh ones she suggests. I will definitely be making this recipe again. Here’s to good eating.

Searing the short ribs

This recipe calls for carrots and onions

The finished short ribs

Plated short rib recipe

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: cooking, eating, food, Rachael Ray, recipes, short ribs

Our Earthbox

November 18, 2011 by shdesignfl 1 Comment

Gardening with minimal fuss is possible with an Earthbox

About a month ago, we planted an Earthbox. This has been a long time coming–I’ve wanted one of these since they were invented. Since we live so close to the inventor’s store, it seemed silly not to have one.

I’ve endured countless stories about how fruitful they are. Basil, eggplant, tomatoes, herbs, and more seem to thrive in the box. These vegetables are gorgeous! I went to the store about 3 times. I looked at the plants, the seeds, and the different boxes. I hemmed and hawed. Finally, I took the plunge and purchased. Finally!

We picked out yellow squash and orange grape tomato seedlings. The kids and I followed the store’s directions and filled in the fertilizer and dirt. We carefully put on the plastic cover and planted them opposite each other, at the ends of the box. And then I watered dutifully.

Now, one of the reasons it took me so long to buy the Earthbox is that I am terrible with plants and gardens. I have tried and failed before. I decided this had to work, if it’s working for everyone else. And low and behold…we have plants! And today, a squash flower. Below is how the Earthbox is looking, about one month after planted.

Leave me a comment and let me know what are you growing in your Earthbox.

Our Earthbox, one month into growing

Filed Under: Family, Food, Fun, Local Tagged With: earthbox, gardening, planting, plants, squash, tomatoes

Recipe: Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

November 16, 2011 by shdesignfl Leave a Comment

A lunchbox-sized sweet and tangy fruit pasta salad

I am on the quest for healthy lunches that my kids will eat. Princess likes fruit and pasta, so I came up with this recipe.

Starting the Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

Grate about 1/2 tsp of lemon peel. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Stir these together. (You can lessen these amounts to make it a little less tart.)

Starting the Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

Cut about 1/3 of an apple into small pieces. Stir the lemon mixture and the apples together well, to prevent browning. Add in 1/2 tablespoon of honey. Mix well.

Add cubed cheese and raisins to the Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

Add the contents of a mini box of raisins and some cubed cheddar cheese. Use portions that fit your child’s taste. Stir well. Add a little more honey to the mixture and stir well (again, add to your child’s taste).

Finished Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad

Add in about 1/2 a cup of mini pasta wheels. Stir the entire mixture well. Taste it and add further lemon juice or honey as desired. Be careful to not make the mixture too juicy though.

This makes enough to fill a small lunchbox-sized container. I made mine the morning I was packing the lunch. I’m not sure how well it would last overnight.

Apple and Raisin Pasta Salad packed in a bento lunch

I think other fruits would work well in this salad also. I might try adding some carrots or other vegetable next time. I thought it was pretty tasty!

**Remember not to feed honey to infants under the age of 12 months.

Filed Under: Family, Food, Fun Tagged With: bento, food, honey, lunch, lunch boxes