Raw Spice Bar

Raise your hand if you love to cook, but find yourself just finishing up your 8,987th meal and you are fresh out of ideas. Just me?  I have 4 children (yes, that is why I have been absent from the blog) and I love for them to try new things. We are not a chicken nugget and hot dog family. I am no fancy chef, but I love new flavors, and new dishes every night. This desire to not make the same ol' thing every night leads to my current frustration of "what should I cook?!" This is where Raw Spice Bar saved the day.

With Raw Spice it is all about the spice (duh), but seriously where else should you go for great taste? They take quality ingredients, fresh flavors, and then they toast them up and grind them up creating deep, delicious flavors. I was given the opportunity to try their September flavor kit. Each month they focus on a different origin of flavor, for September it was the Argentine. Each kit comes with 3 different spices and a clever recipe to try with each.

I tried the Chipotle Smoked Salt on some roasted veggies. The recipe that coordinated with this particular spice called for squash and zest of lemon on the grill. I had cauliflower, carrots, and zuchinni on hand and wanted to roast them up instead of grill. I can't even tell you how good it was. I am going to be craving this flavor for the rest of my life. After the first bite my husband and daughter perked up and said "what is on these vegetables?! They then proceeded to have 3 servings. To be honest, it was a problem. I was looking forward to these particular leftovers, and there wasn't a crumb of a veggie left.

The coolest part is you can subscribe to this awesome kit every month for just $8 dollars. This would make for a fantastic birthday or Christmas gift for the foodie in your family. I want more! Check them out here.

I am so grateful for this company getting me out of my "slump". I now look forward to cooking again. This is a big deal people! Get you some.

Kneader's Raspberry Bread Pudding

My mother-in-law was in town for the week to help with the new baby and older hoodlums I seem to be raising. She isn't your typical MOL (mother-in-law). She is exceptional in every way. Leaving beautiful Utah to stay for 9 days with crazy me in 115 degree weather is quite the sacrifice. Along with being super easy going and beyond helpful she introduced us to this recipe. The cream sauce is amazing and bread pudding will never be the same without raspberries.


This recipe is adapted from the Sister Cafe

Kneaders Raspberry Bread Pudding 

Note: If you can prepare the sauce ahead of time to cool, that is best. Otherwise prepare sauce as soon as pudding is in the oven and then place in the fridge to cool it down rapidly. The bread pudding is great served hot and I felt it needed the cream sauce to be cold to cool down the dessert enough to taste all the favors.

 

Cream Mix

1 1/2 loaves aged, white bread (I used french)The more dried out the better.

1 quart heavy cream(4 cups)

3 cups sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla In large bowl combine cream, sugar, egg and vanilla. Cut bread into 1 1/2″ cubes and add to cream mixture, coating bread well. Let stand 30 minutes stirring every 5 minutes to allow cream to absorb completely.

Fruit Filling
5 cups frozen raspberries

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup apple juice Combine raspberries, sugar and apple juice, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Layer a 9×13 dark baking dish 3/4 full with bread mixture, pour fruit filling over bread mixture, spreading evenly, top with remaining bread. Bake 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve warm. Top with vanilla sauce.

Vanilla Sauce
1 1/3 cup butter

5 tablespoons flour

3 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup sugar Over medium heat melt butter, and add flour stir 10 minutes until it has a nutty aroma, do not brown. Add cream and sugar and boil till mixture is thick, remove from heat adding vanilla. Serve this wonderful sauce cold.

Serve and Enjoy!

Coconut, Toffee, Chocolate Bars

I'm back! I still have horrible pictures, old blog layout, but I do have a wonderful new addition in my life - our third child! I just gave birth to a darling baby boy. From morning sickness in the first and second trimester, to surviving my large worthless self in the third trimester, I seem to lose the ability to bake and cook. But I am back! I started a post baby body diet this week, but here is a delicious dessert that I made TWICE before I realized this wasn't going to drop the pounds.

I first discovered this recipe when I made them for my mother's birthday. She loved them! These are adapted from Mom On Timeout . They have a little bit of everything with a bit of a gooey center. They melt in your mouth, but almost seem healthy with the oatmeal and coconut crunch. On second thought, maybe blogging about these delicious treats are proving to be detrimental to my diet....

Ingredients

CRUST:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 cups flaked coconut
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg, lightly beaten
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips ( I used dark chocolate in one batch and half semi-sweet and dark in another)

FILLING:
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Karo® Light Corn Syrup
4 oz of cream cheese
1 1/4 cup toffee bits

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
CRUST:
Combine flour, oats, coconut, and brown sugar in a large bowl of electric mixer and mix at low speed.
Add butter and continue mixing until a crumbly dough forms. Add egg and continue mixing well. Stir in chocolate chips.
Reserve 1-1/2 cups of dough for topping. Press remaining dough into bottom of a lightly sprayed 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
Bake 10 minutes.
FILLING:
Combine sweetened condensed milk and corn syrup in a small bowl and mix until combined. Mix in softened cream cheese until all are well blended.
Pour evenly over hot crust.
Sprinkle with toffee bits.
Top evenly with reserved crust mixture.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Cool and cut into bars. Try not to eat the whole pan in one hour, but it will be tough not to.

Mazola Oil Winner

Congrats to Deborah B. for winning the bottle of oil. It is great stuff and on its way to your house! Thanks to all for playing!

Mazola Corn Oil

Let's do a little review thanks to Mazola Corn Oil. Mazola sent me a nice size bottle of corn oil to try out and one to give away to you perhaps! I am really glad they did because, up until now I have used coconut oil and olive oil primarily as I thought they were the only healthy oils out there to cook with.

Mazola Corn Oil is really a beneficial oil to cook with. I learned from their site that corn oil is made from "plant sterols, also known as phytosterols, are plant-based micro-nutrients naturally present in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals, legumes and vegetable oils.1 Clinical studies indicate that, when consumed as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, plant sterols can help reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the gut, which, in turn, can lower LDL blood cholesterol.2" It has 4 times more the cholesterol blocking sterols than olive oil. Who knew!?

Besides the reassurance that it was a healthy oil, it is really a great oil to cook with. Below is a recipe for pesto stuffed chicken Parmesan that crisped up nicely thanks to this oil.

Be sure to like their facebook page and leave a little comment in the end to be entered into the giveaway of your own bottle of Mazola Corn Oil!

Pesto Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

Mine is not as pretty as the traditional Chicken Parmesan covered in cheese, but this turned out great and a little healthier. Too bad I have such a pathetic camera that the picture does not capture it's true deliciousness.

Sauce:
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 cup grated carrots
2 cloves of garlic minced (I like my garlic)
1 large can of plum tomatoes ( I used two cans of diced tomatoes that I had a lot of )
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbs. Mazola Corn oil

Directions.
Pour oil and onions in a cold saute pan. The onions will get perfectly tender just as the pan heats up. When they start to sizzle add garlic and cook a minute more careful not to burn. While this is cooking place tomatoes in processor and blend until they are a thin consistency. Add to onions along with remaining ingredients. Slowly simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.

Chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
4 Tbs of pesto
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
1 cup  Italian Bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs beaten in separate bowl
1/2 to 3/4 cup Mazola Corn oil depending on how big your frying pan is. I like just enough to cover half of the chicken when cooking.
1 box of favorite pasta boiled while preparing chicken

Directions:
Pound out chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap until it is nice and flat. Spread one tablespoon of pesto in each breast and sprinkle with a bit of Parmesan cheese. Fold up or roll up depending on how thick it is. You want the pesto spread tucked in while keeping the chicken as thin as possible to ensure thorough cooking.  Prepare bread crumb mixture by mixing remaining cheese, garlic powder into the bread crumbs. Once the chicken is rolled up, cover with beaten egg mixture and then toss in the bread crumb mixture. Heat oil on medium to medium high and place each chicken breast in oil. Depending on your stove, you may need to turn it on low. Cook chicken slowly and thoroughly so that the chicken cooks all the way through the layers. I like mine dark and crispy and this oil worked perfectly. Drain pasta, cover with sauce and serve with chicken. Serve and enjoy!

Don't forget to like their facebook page and leave a comment to be entered into a giveway for your own bottle of Mazola Corn oil!

Baby in the belly and Chicken, Pesto Stuffed Shells

This blog was not that cool to begin with, but it gets extra lame when there are no posts for several months. I apologize. I don't do much in general besides being a mom, but lately I have been growing a baby and that seemed to take over a little bit as I get some super fun morning sickness.

We are well on our way to a Bakers Dozen (JUST KIDDING) by adding #3 this June. Now that the sickness has subsided and I am just working on getting pretty darn fat I thought I would share this tasty recipe.

I made this the other day for a friend who just had her 6th child. I know, I am way behind. This is easy to make ahead and heat up when needed and really puts the other stuffed shells to shame.


Chicken and Pesto Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
4 Chicken breasts cooked and shredded (I actually put mine in the food processor)
3 heaping tablespoons of Pesto
1 8 oz cream cheese softened
1 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese (I used an Italian blend with Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano)
1 Box of shells (surprisingly Walmart was the only place I could find that carried them)
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions ( I cook mine a little less than directed and the oven does the rest). While it is cooking, assemble the "stuffing". Combine chicken, pesto, 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, and cream cheese in a large bowl. When shells are cooked, drain and mix with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. Place a tablespoon or more in each shell and place on a large casserole dish.  Pour marinara sauce on each shell and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese over the top. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. You can also just sprinkle with cheese, bake, and then pour the sauce on after. Serve, deliver, or devour like I did.

I delivered this dish in a disposable aluminum tin with garlic bread, salad, and dessert. Enjoy!

Salmon Cakes

Even if you don't love crab cakes, or seafood for that matter, I am convinced you will still love these.  This a great way to use up leftover salmon from the night before and throw everything in the fridge in them. You can make it your own with veggies you have on hand or keep it simple. Here is how I made them.

Salmon Cakes:
1 pound of sauteed salmon shredded from skin and bone.
1 cup corn (I used fresh boiled corn)
1/2 cup diced zucchini
1/2 onion
1/2 green pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup to 11/2 cups bread crumbs
1 Tbs salt
1 Tbs Cajun seasoning
1 tsp pepper
1/3 cup coconut oil

Directions:
Start by sauteing corn, zucchini, onion, and pepper in olive oil just slightly. Add vegetables to salmon in large bowl. Add egg, mayo, bread crumbs, and seasonings. Mix well together and form patties. Cook until brown and crispy on each side in coconut oil or olive oil. 
Ta da!
 Super easy, very tasty, and my kids loved them. I am sure you can hide any veggies in these. Not only is the salmon and veggies good for you, but I am reading great things about cooking with coconut oil. Let me know if you try them!