Happy Birthday to Me!

So today was my birthday and I have to say, it was one of the best birthdays I've ever had! However, the birthday celebration really started last night. Shane surprised me by telling me he was going to bake me a cake all by himself. Now to be clear, Shane has many talents, but baking is not near the top of the list :-) For that reason, I was very impressed that he was taking the time and making the effort to do this for me. He had purchased all the necessary supplies without any help from me, and last night set out to make the cake! It was a time consuming task for him (particularly the frosting/decoration) but ultimately, a success! It's a delicious cake and I think it looks great!! Lots of picture evidence below... Thank you for a great cake and a great birthday Shane - I love you!

Chicken Piccata

We made this chicken a few days ago to use up some white wine we had sitting around. It was good but I think our feeling was that the lemon in the sauce was too strong. We'll probably make it again and play with the recipe a bit. (The sauce is really hard to see in the pictures but it was there!)

Chicken Piccata
from Ina Garten, FoodNetwork.com



2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 extra-large egg
1/2 tablespoon water
3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons), lemon halves reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the egg and 1/2 tablespoon of water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while making the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves before serving.

Spicy Broccoli Pasta

I saw this recipe today on one of the food blogs I keep tabs on through Google Reader. It looked quick and easy and since I was looking for lunch ideas, I decided to make it. I reduced the recipe by 4 since I was the only one eating it. This turned out to be a great lunch and I'll definitely make it again sometime! In fact, I imagine it'd be good to make in advance and bring to work for lunch during the week.

Spicy Broccoli Pasta
from Annie's Eats

1 lb. broccoli
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. pasta, cooked



Cook broccoli in boiling water, 3-5 minutes until just tender. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic. Cook over medium heat until just golden, about 2 minutes. Add drained broccoli and red pepper flakes, and cook 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add hot sauce to cooked pasta. Toss and serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I always make Shane cookies to bring to work with his lunch. Though he'd love for me to make chocolate crinkle cookies every week, I get bored easily and need some variety. :-) That said, he likes his cookies basic so I can't make anything too exotic. Since the last chocolate chip cookie recipe I tried wasn't great, I decided to give another one a shot. This one yielded much better results! The cookies are crispy on the outside and chewy outside - very tasty!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Bride & Groom First and Forever, by Mary Barber and Sara Whiteford



1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare cookie sheets (i.e. silpat, parchment paper, etc)

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine butter and both sugars. Mix on medium speed until combined, about 20 seconds. Add egg and vanilla, beating for an additional 10 seconds. Switch mixer to low speed and gradually stir in dry ingredients just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes (they will seem undone). Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool completely.

Makes 24 cookies.

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

I made these biscuits for the first time last fall I think. Shane loves them but I really only try to make them as an occasional treat. Tonight was one of those nights. We were having a somewhat boring dinner (spaghetti and meatballs) so I figured these would jazz things up a bit.

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits
from Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats

2 cups Bisquick mix
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/4 cup butter - melted



Preheat oven to 450 F.

Combine first 3 ingredients until moist. Drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden.

While the biscuits are baking, mix melted butter, parsley and garlic. Pour over hot biscuits and serve.

Makes 8-10 biscuits.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Shane and I aren't very adventurous when it comes to new foods and we don't usually stray too far from our comfort zone. That said, this recipe is definitely an exception to that rule. I'd seen this recipe a while ago on one of the blogs I read regularly and had been working up the courage/motivation to try it. I had the day off for the holiday yesterday and it seemed like as good an opportunity as any to finally make this recipe.

I think Shane actually like this meal better than I did, which is saying a lot since he's far less likely to try new foods than I am. I liked it, but not enough to have it on a regular basis. I did, however, really enjoy the naan we had with our meal. Naan is a round flatbread often served with Indian cuisine. I bought the naan pre-made at the store but next time I think I'll try making it from scratch!



Chicken Tikka Masala
from Good Eats n Sweet Treats

Marinade:
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspon garam masala
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers

Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (I left this out because I don't have a high tolerance for spicy foods)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients: yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, salt and garam masala. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (a few hours or overnight is even better.)

Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt. Stir in tomato sauce, cream and diced tomatoes. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Double-Chocolate Muffins

It was so nice having muffins for breakfast last week that I decided to make up another batch for this week. I tried to find another relatively healthy recipe that was completely different from the last one. This chocolate one looked great and had good reviews so I gave it a shot. These were great and will be perfect for breakfast this week!



Double-Chocolate Muffins
from FiberOne.com

1 cup Fiber One® cereal
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 egg
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 F. Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or crush in food processor).

In medium bowl, mix cereal and buttermilk; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in oil and egg. Stir in remaining ingredients except chocolate chips. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We didn't do anything too extravagant for Valentine's Day this year but it was still a great day! We exchanged cards and small gifts this morning and when we got home from work tonight we set out to make a tasty meal that was different from anything we usually have. Neither of us has had tilapia before and it's always on sale so that's what we went with. This recipe was so simple and the fish was amazing! It was surpisingly filling as well. I suspect we'll be buying tilapia on a more regular basis now!

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

from Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter, softened

2 1/4 teaspoons mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon celery salt (we didn't have any on hand so I just added a pinch of salt)

1/2 pound tilapia fillets (2 fillets)

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion power and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.

Parmesan Pork

This is actually a recipe for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but I figured it would work just as well for pork chops. It's a pretty similar recipe to the parmesan crusted pork chops we make sometimes but I enjoyed this one even more. When we make the parmesan crusted pork chops, I feel like most of the cheese falls off when I dip the pork in the egg. That's why I liked that the parmesan was grated and mixed with the breadcrumbs here and was the last thing the pork chops were dredged in. The parmesan flavor really comes through on this one!

Parmesan Pork
adapted from Ina Garten, FoodNetwork.com



4 to 6 boneless pork chops
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Unsalted butter
Olive oil

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the pork chops on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook pork chops on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the remaining pork chops, if necessary.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

We forgot to take any meat out to defrost for dinner last night so I wound up making this macaroni and cheese I'd been eyeing for a while. It took a little longer to get on the table than I'd like but it was tasty. If we're going to do a baked pasta dish, I still prefer baked ziti, but this is a good alternative for sure.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese
from Alton Brown, FoodNetwork.com



1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Yogurt Bran Muffins

In an effort to eat a relatively healthy breakfast every morning this week, I pulled these muffins together tonight. I've actually been wanting to bake something with blueberries for a while now, but blueberries have been super expensive so I've held off. Finally they were on sale this week so I grabbed a few pints. These were fairly easy to make, though I did have some trouble getting the batter in the muffin cups without making a huge mess. I haven't had one yet so I'll have to post an update tomorrow after I've tried them!



Yogurt Bran Muffins

from EatBetterAmerica.com

1 cup Fiber One original bran cereal

2 egg whites or 1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait Original 99% Fat Free French Vanilla yogurt

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/4 baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup fresh blueberries or raspberries

Heat oven to 400F. Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular size muffin cups, or grease bottom of reach muffin cup with shortening.

Place cereal in resealable plastic bag; seal bag and crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or crush in food processor).

In medium bowl, stir together egg whites (or egg), oil and yogurt. Add cereal, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently stir in berries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan.

Valentine's Day Treats

I know it's not Valentine's Day yet, but I think these would be an excellent dessert to serve if you're having dinner at home. They're really quick and easy to make, and taste just as good as the ones you'd pay $6 or $7 for at a restaurant. We love them and the leftovers do not last long at our house!

The only change I made to the recipe below is to cook the cakes in ramekins instead of muffin tins. I sprayed the ramekins with cooking spray before baking and after the cakes came out of the oven I ran a knife along the outside edges. This allowed me to remove them without much trouble.



Molten Chocolate Cakes
from Allrecipes.com

1 cup unsalted butter or unsalted margarine
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, or bars, cut into bite-size chunks
5 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
4 teaspoons flour (or matzo meal, ground in a blender to a fine powder)
8 extra-large paper muffin cups (or use regular paper muffin cups, which will make 12 cakes)

Garnish:
1 (6 ounce) container raspberries, barely moistened and rolled in about
1/2 cup sugar right before serving



Melt butter and chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; remove from heat. Beat eggs, sugar and salt with a hand mixer in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Beat egg mixture into chocolate until smooth. Beat in flour or matzo meal until just combined. (Batter can be made a day ahead; return to room temperature an hour or so before baking.)

Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a standard-size muffin tin (1/2 cup capacity) with 8 extra-large muffin papers (papers should extend above cups to facilitate removal). Spray muffin papers with vegetable cooking spray. Divide batter among muffin cups.

Bake until batter puffs but center is not set, 8 to 10 minutes. Carefully lift cakes from tin and set on a work surface. Pull papers away from cakes and transfer cakes to dessert plates.
Top each with sugared raspberries and serve immediately.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

We have far too many chocolate chips in our house (leftovers from holiday baking) so when Shane wanted a treat for work this week, it was an easy decision to look for something that'd use some of those chocolate chips. These cookies actually call for chocolate chunks and while I used some leftover chocolate we had on hand, I used mainly chocolate chips. Shane didn't love these cookies as much as some of the others I've made. I think it may have something to do with all of the butter in them, which I'm sure changes the flavor.



Chocolate Chunk Cookies
from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook - Original Classics

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chunks or chopped bittersweet chocolate



In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg; mix on high speed to combine. Add vanilla; mix to combine.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll 1/4 cup dough into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake until just brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool, then transfer cookies to the racks to cool completely.

Alfredo Sauce

I had some leftover heavy cream in the fridge that needed to be used last night. We rarely use heavy cream (we had it on hand for a recipe we tried last week) so I wasn't sure what to use it for. I did a quick search on Allrecipes.com and found this alfredo sauce, which looked incredibly easy, so I decided to try it. The sauce was definitely good, but a little too cheesy for me. If I make it again I'll cut back on the parmesan and I think it'll be perfect!

Alfredo Sauce
from Allrecipes.com

1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley



Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley and serve.

Super Bowl

Ok, so maybe the Super Bowl didn't turn out quite the way we'd hoped, but we still had fun spending time with our friends. Ben and Lauren were back from their honeymoon so they came over. Plus, our neighbors, Pete, Torri and their adorable baby Jack, were able to come by for a while. Shane and I had a great time and really enjoyed our first Super Bowl at the new house!

We had plenty of food, but I'll just post a few things here. First and foremost, we had wings because you really can't have a Super Bowl party without wings! I also made football shaped treats in the spirit of the game. Shane's favorite snack for the Super Bowl is huge subs so he put together a fun arrangement of cold cuts.





Buffalo Wings
from Allrecipes.com

I followed the recipe exactly with only one exception. I baked the wings instead of frying so they'd be a little healthier. I baked them at 350 for 45 minutes then sprayed them with cooking spray and cooked for 5 minutes more at 375 (to get them crispy). These were great and went fast! (Sorry, I forgot to take pictures before these were gone!)

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup hot sauce
1 dash ground black pepper
1 dash garlic powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 chicken wings
oil for deep frying

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 F. The oil should be just enough to cover wings entirely, an inch or so deep. Combine the butter, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir together and heat until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and reserve for serving.

In a small bowl mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Place chicken wings in a large nonporous glass dish or bowl and sprinkle flour mixture over them until they are evenly coated. Cover dish or bowl and refrigerate for 60 to 90 minutes.

Fry coated wings in hot oil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until parts of wings begin to turn brown. Remove from heat, place wings in serving bowl, add hot sauce mixture and stir together. Serve.


Chocolate Football Crispies
from Good Things Catered

These were really easy to make and so fun for the Super Bowl! They were a little too rich for me, but others really seemed to enjoy them.



6 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
½ cup light corn syrup
1 Tbsp butter
½ tsp vanilla
4 cups Cocoa Pebbles Cereal
white decorating gel



Microwave chocolate, corn syrup and butter in large microwaveable bowl on high 2 1/2 min., stirring after 1 ½ min. Blend in vanilla. Add cereal, mix well.

Let cool 10 min and then shape into football shapes on parchment with moistened hands.

Let cool completely and use decorating gel to add lacings. Let stand until gel is firm.