A brownie cookie to bow to.

Do you read Smitten Kitchen? It's a very fun cooking blog with good recipes...great banter and some really nice photography of food which is something I'm really into lately. Which is why I'm pitching my husband on a kitchen renovation...you know...for the blog...so that the pictures come out better because our kitchen will be from this decade...as opposed to 1973. The things I do for blog readers, really, I should get a sticker or something.

Anyway, I digress, today on Smitten Kitchen they have this brownie roll-out cookie thing that looks so fantastic that I had to share over here - just in case you weren't in the loop. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have 1 day and 8 hours before my May purchase freeze goes into effect and I have to buy at least 4 new cookie cutters so that I can make these brownie cookie wonders.

Pesto Tuna Salad

This recipe comes courtesy of Caley over at Sublime Bedlam:


I am all for meals that I can get a good run out of. Leftovers are like, my BFF. That's one of the reasons I love making this Pesto Tuna Salad so much- that, and it's easy, AND my toddler will eat it. The first night we eat it in sandwich form, usually on croissants (oh HEALTHY, I know!) (but just as good on a nice fresh sandwich roll), and the second night we mix the leftovers into a big bowl of pasta, usually the bow tie kind.

And I'll be honest- the first time I tried to imagine pesto (which I ADORE) paired with tuna fish (another one of my favorite things... really, there isn't too much that I DON'T like...), well, I turned my nose up, too. But it is surprisingly yummy and I'm so glad I gave it a shot!

Pesto Tuna Salad
1 (6oz) can tuna
1/4 C prepared pesto (I like the Buitoni kind) (Also, I am verrrry generous when I measure this out)
1 tomato, diced
-or-
about 5-7 sundried tomatoes, diced (I prefer them fresh, but I've made both and both are good)
2-3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 C chopped celery
1 small onion, chopped

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and allow to chill in the fridge for a bit. Serve on big, flaky croissants, with crisp Romaine.

Also tastes great topped on Wheat Thins or some such cracker, as a snack.

For the leftovers on the second night, I usually mix in a little more pesto (did I mention I'm in love with pesto?) and then stir it into a bowl of cooked pasta, while the pasta is still warm.

This is a project - Triple Threat Whole Wheat Bread

As a kid of a working mom (which I love by the way, both that she's my mom and that she showed me that working moms can rock) I spent a lot of time with my grandmothers, who were for the most part stay-at-home moms (equally fantastic and awesome). My one Gram can't cook - Gram, if you're reading this, I love you very much and you give the best hugs but you can not cook...I think we all know this. My other Grandma (who won't be reading this because she doesn't understand what going online means) was an amazing baker and a pretty darn good all around cook. My Grandma Teresa made bread ALL the time and we loved it because nothing beats the smell of fresh bread. On Friday's she would make her Triple Threat Bread - she made hers with White Flour - and I've made mine so it's Whole Wheat.

I will say upfront that this is a project - you will not whip this up one night after work (well I guess you technically could if you stayed up late, which I am not capable of doing). Having said that, I have to say it's worth it if you have a 2.5 hour window where you want to be in the kitchen getting your hands good and dirty and you want the most amazing Triple Threat Bread EVER. Why is it called Triple Threat Bread? Because it makes 1 loaf of Whole Wheat Bread, 1 pan of Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls and one pan of Pecan Sweet Whole Wheat Rolls. I've made the White version a bunch of times when I take Friday off because nothing beats a sandwich on fresh bread and then Pecan Sweet Rolls for breakfast and fresh rolls for Saturday night dinner. The whole wheat twist was new to me this time but I have to say it rocks and adds a whole load of healthful reasons to make it. So lets get started:

Triple Threat Whole Wheat Bread


What you need:

Group ONE:
4 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (this is VERY important that it's Pastry Flour because regular whole wheat bread would be to mealy)
2 cups Regular Old White Flour
4 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Packets of Active Dry Yeast
3 and a half Teaspoons Salt

Group TWO:
3 Cups Hot Water (up to 130 degrees but not boiling)
4 Tablespoons Butter Melted

Group Three: For the Sweet Roll part you need:
4 Tablespoons Butter
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup of chopped Pecans (I like a lot so I use the whole cup, if you're not that into it, use less)
1/3 cup White Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon (more if you like it a lot like I do)

What you do:

1. Put all the stuff from Group One in a big bowl and mix it up so you can't see what's what. Make a little well in the middle of your bowl so you'll have a place to pour all the stuff from Group Two
   
   
2. Pour Group Two into Group One and stir (or use your hand mixer or use your stand mixer) until it forms a ball - this will take about 5 or so minutes
3. Use White Flour to dust off a clean workspace - have an extra cup of white flour at the ready - your hands will be messy and you won't want to dig for another measuring cup of flour.
4. Dump the bread onto your clean flour surface and knead for about 4-5 mintues - you'll need to sprinkle the dough with flour frequently because you don't want it to be sticky. Don't know how to do that? See here.
   
5. Oil a bowl (I always use a coffee filter for this job because that's how my Grandma did it but I'm sure paper towel would work too) be a little generous because you're going to put your kneaded dough in this bowl and spin it around so it's got oil on all sides. Put Saran Wrap over the bowl.
   
   
6. Put the bowl in a warm place (about 80 degrees) for 30-40 minutes or until it doubles in size. Now I don't have a place that warm in my house but I do have one of those warming spots on my stove so I turn that to low and it works PERFECTLY. I also cover with a warm damp dish cloth because that's how my Grandma did it.
7. While this is doing its job I do NOT clean up because it's only going to get messy again, I oil the bread loaf pan, the dinner roll pan (I use a cake pan) and I get my Pecan sweet roll stuff together. I also chop vegetables for dinners, read People magazine and read blogs.
   
8. Put the Brown Sugar and the butter in a pan over medium heat and stir like crazy until you can no longer hear the granules of brown sugar (it will be bubbly hot). Pour that into the bottom of your Sweet Roll pan and then sprinkle your pecans. I stir together my white sugar and my cinnamon mixture now too.
   
   
9. Cut your bread into thirds with a sharp knife. Put 1/3 into your loaf pan and shape it like a loaf of bread, cover it with saran wrap and put it in the warm place again.
   
   
10. The next 1/3 will need some more flour to work into your rolls. I do the dinner rolls next and I use an extra large cookie scoop so that they all work out to be about the same size. Scoop, roll around in your floured hands and then put into your pan. Cover it with saran wrap and put it in the warm place again.
11. Now you've got 1/3 left. Dump this on to your floured surface again and roll it out into a rectangle. Sprinkle your cinnamon sugar mixture over the entire thing and roll it up. Now I am really bad about making them the same size so first I cut it in half and then in quarters and then so on. Be careful and put them roll side up into your pan (the pecan stuff will be on the bottom). Cover it with saran wrap and put it in the warm place again.
    
12. While you're waiting this second thirty minutes, first turn your stove on to preheat at 450 degrees. Then you can do the big clean up because you won't be getting anything messy again. Times up - put all your stuff in the oven
    
    
13. Bake at 450 for just 10 minutes. Then turn your oven down to 375 and back the rolls and the sweet rolls for another 10 minutes or until they are golden looking. Take them out and leave your bread in for another 5-8 minutes (tap the bottom, if it sounds like it's hollow it's done.).
    
14. Now my Grandma would flip the sweet rolls over onto a platter because she liked all the good stuff to drip all over the inverted sweet rolls- and I recommend this - I just don't happen to be coordinated enough to do this little move without landing them on the floor...and they taste so good you'll be seeing me eat them off the floor which, if we're being honest, isn't something anyone needs to see.
    
    
    
    
    

Now, don't you feel accomplished? You made Triple Threat Whole Wheat Bread.

Gut-Bustin Banana Muffins

In the last year, I have discovered this:

My first thought was that it would suck and never replace butter, but I've gone through many many jars since then. I use it in all my muffin/bread recipes in lieu of oil/butter and it is so good - moist and yummy without the fat. You can find it in the oil section (usually on the top shelf) in your grocery store. Click on the pic for more info.

I use this in my super healthy banana muffin recipe I concocted to get my picky toddler to get some good stuff down her gullet.

Ingredients

3/4 c. Splenda for Baking Blend (or 1 c. regular sugar)
2 heaping Tbsp Sunsweet Lighter Bake
3 egg whites
2 1/2 overripe bananas (smushed)
3/4 c. FF Stonyfield Farms French Vanilla yogurt
2 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg (optional)
3/4 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Oven to 350.
Mix the Splenda (or sugar) and the Lighter Bake until blended.
Add egg whites, yogurt, vanilla, and bananas. Mix until smooth.
Stir in flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda.
Add in nutmeg and nuts if wanted.

Makes approximately 12 muffins. Bake for 25-35 mins or until tops are no longer "gooey."

I did the WW points on this back in the day and they're only 2 pts each and VERY filling.
If you want to add more nutrition, add 1-2 Tbsp of flax seed for added Omegas.

How Kristin makes the pancakes

So Kristin over at Kristins Four Kids was kind enough to share how it is she makes her fantastic pancakes. Maybe I'm the only one that can't seem to make a decent pancake - they are never right, not cooked, over cooked, burned on one side. So I begged her for her help and she was kind enough to share. I have plans for big breakfast tomorrow morning. Do you have tips and tricks to add to pancakes? Favorite toppings? Are you a REAL maple syrup person or a real-enough maple tasting syrup person? On to the good stuff:

This is NOT my (Kristin's) recipe (many thanks to Better Homes and Gardens NEW Cook Book~the red and white checked one). I will however, add some notes at the end.

PANCAKES

What you need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons cooking oil

What you do:
a) In a medium mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; set aside.
b) In another medium mixing bowl combine the egg, milk and cooking oil. Add the egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir JUST till moistened (batter SHOULD BE lumpy)
c) Heat a griddle or heavy skillet and lightly grease (I use either butter or Pam, then wipe it off. Otherwise the first batch takes FOREVER to cook)
d) Cook over medium heat (don’t do high or they’ll burn) until bubbly, then flip. Serve and enjoy.

NOTES: This recipe doubles easily. For fluffier pancakes, try the following~replace the milk with WHOLE milk (with 15 month old twins in the house, we have it). Then, when you’ve mixed the wet and dry ingredients together, let the mixture sit a few minutes before you start cooking. I also use my gravy ladle to ladle out the pancake batter; gives me a good size without too much mess. In the alternative, I use my ¼ cup measuring cup. All 4 of my kids love the pancakes. I love being a hero on a Sunday morning!

Taking the Mac Magic out of the Box

If you read my blog you know my love for Macaroni and Cheese is pure and deep. I admit to eating boxes of Velveeta Shells n Cheese. Having said this I thought a good Sunday evening dinner would be Macaroni and Cheese only to discover that I was out of the Magic Boxed wonder. What's a girl to do? Well I decided that with no less then 9 kinds of cheese in our house I would be able to whip up some Mac and Cheese...now I loved Baked mac but I just wasn't in that kind of patient mood. So I decided stove top was the only way to go.

Mac Magic out of the box Stove Top Mac n' Cheese
This is enough for 4 side servings

What you need:
1 Egg
Milk (I use skim)
Dab of Dijon Mustard (you don't want to use too much because it can really overwhelm the flavour)
Paprika
Salt & Pepper
Dash of Hot Sauce (or to taste if you like things nice and spicy)
3 Tablespoons Butter Melted (I used Light I Can't Believe it's Not Butter)
1 slice of Cheddar (really you could use any cheese)
1 slice of Munster
1/2 cup of Colby or Jack
1/2 box of Pasta - I love Elbow Mac's


What you do:

1. Start your Mac cooking
2. Mix the egg and all the seasonings and melted butter in a pyrex container - add milk so that it's 1 cup of liquid.
   
3. Drain your Mac and put back on heat with your liquid mixture over Medium low heat. Stir like crazy until it starts to bubble.
   
4. Add in your cheese. You'll think it won't thicken up and then 20 seconds later it's thick and delicious. Now I did get a little Jessica Seinfeld on mine and threw in 1/2 cup of butternut squash puree for some added nutrients but I did that AFTER I tasted it as is and it was just as tasty.
   

Marinated Flank Steak in a Bag

This recipe is brought to you by Multi-Tasking Mommy.

One of my comfort foods, in the summer time, is a good bbq'd, marinated flank steak. My Mom used to make this quite a bit when I was younger, and actually continues to do so now! It's an easy and yummy meal for a warm cottage night.

My Mom often serves it with Twice Baked Potatoes (recipe to come soon) and Creamy Cucumber Salad (I'll post this soon too, if people are interested).

My story about this steak though, isn't about how yummy it is OR that it is a great comfort food OR that it is SUPER easy to make.

My story has to do with the last time we made this (only a week ago) and the hubby slipped up a bit!

You see, instead of taking the steak out of the bag in the house and putting it onto a plate, he did the manly thing easy way out and did it right over the bbq. Yes, this would make sense, really--one less dish to wash, right? WRONG! While trying to put the bbq tongs into the bag, the bag accidentally slipped out of his hands and dropped onto the hot grill for a second, searing some nice holes in the bottom of the bag.

Hmmm....

Bag full of marinade + holes + hot bbq = HUGE.SMOKEY.MESS

Yes, we prayed for a brief moment that the whole bbq wasn't going to go up in flames. It was pretty close with a few arm high ones, but luckily, it didn't. We just had a big clean up afterwards and have learned our lesson, right dear ;)

For the record, my hubby is an amazing bbqer!

Marinated Flank Steak in a Bag
1 large zip lock bag (if you're wanting to be environmentally friendly, you could use a 9x13 baking pan, but technically we could zip the bag and put it in the freezer, then dispose of the food portion into our green bin)
1 flank/skirt steak (in Canada, we call it flank, but I believe down south, you guys call it skirt...right?)
a few cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed (you know, with a knife the way the chefs on the food network do it)
equal portions of:

soy sauce

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

freshly ground pepper
a few squirts of worchestire sauce (to your liking)

Marinate for at least 24 hours and bbq on medium for approximately 30 minutes, or done until your liking.

Do you know of the Hand Testing Technique for testing when steaks are finished to your liking, right?!