busygirl

try this: spinach lasagna

My favorite future sister-in-law is a vegetarian and since cooking meat can be time consuming, I've been trying more vegetarian dishes lately.  This one is actually an oldie but a goodie that is a hit on a cold winter night.  Not to mention the next day when everyone's grabbing leftovers out of the fridge.

Ingredients

3 cups shredded mozzarella

1 (15oz) container of ricotta cheese

1/4 cup of fresh parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

5 cups of your favorite sauce (I usually use Prego Mushroom flavored for this recipe)

1 package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained

No-boil lasagna noodles

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam. 

In a small bowl combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, oregano, basil, black pepper and red pepper flakes.  Stir in spinach.

Spread 3/4 cup of sauce along the bottom of the pan.  Layer with three pieces of noodle, then a layer of sauce, topped with a layer of cheese/spinach mixture.  Keep repeating.

Cover with foil and bake for 50-60 minutes.  Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes until cheese on top is golden.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving so lasagna can set.

try this: 'nanner bites

Affectionately named by Adam, these little banana muffins are the perfect solution for when I forget that we bought bananas until I open the fruit drawer and notice them...all black and unedible.  You could make larger muffins out of this recipe as well, but there's something about the mini-size that makes me feel less guilty when eating them.

Ingredients

3-4 over-riped bananas mashed

1/3 cup butter, melted

3/4 cups sugar

2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease or spray Pam on a mini-muffin pan.

Mix together mashed bananas, melted butter, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Add in egg.  Add remaining dry ingredients.

Bake for 12-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let muffins sit for a minute or two before removing them from the pan.

try this: chocolate drunken berry sundae

I made this once and have been dying for strawberries to come back in season so I can make it again!  There's something about fruit, chocolate, ice cream and alcohol all in one bowl that just equals HEAVEN.  You won't be disappointed!

Ingredients

1 pint strawberries or raspberries, stems removed

A few splashes of orange liquor (I usually use Triple Sec or Grand Marnier)

1 cup dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate

1/4 cup cream

Vanilla ice cream

Directions

Soak berries in liquor for 15-20 minutes.  Melt chocolate and cream either on the stove or in the microwave.

Scoop vanilla ice cream into serving bowls.  Top with berries (use a slotted spoon to drain alcohol) and then with melted chocolate.

Enjoy!

try this: sloppy joes

We don't have this all that often even though it's a cheap, quick and easy meal.  But some nights homemade sloppy joes just hit the spot.  Like during the snowstorm last Friday night - Adam was practically eating out of the frying pan.

Ingredients

1 to 2 lbs of ground beef (depending on how much you want to make)

2 packets of McCormick Sloppy Joe Seasoning (or make your own - recipe here)

1 1/4 cup of water

1 (6oz) can of tomato paste

1 green pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

Hamburger/sandwich buns

Directions

Brown ground beef in a frying pan.  Drain grease.

Place peppers and onions in a bowl and microwave for 20 seconds.  Add to frying pan along with water and tomato paste.  Mix together then add in seasoning.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes until warm.

Serve on top of hamburger bun halves or as a sandwich!

try this: valentine's day icebox cookies.

Since the wedding is only five months away, we've decided that we're going to make valentine's day a bit more low-key this year.  Last year I made a few of these for a Valentine's exchange at work and they were a hit.  Easy to make and inexpensive!  Not to mention delicious!

Valentine's Icebox Cookie Log

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

Red sugar sprinkles

Combine butter and sugar in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.  Add milk, vanilla extract and egg.  Mix until combined.  Add remaining dry ingredients.

Flour a counter surface and place dough in center.  Using your hands roll dough into a 12 inch log.  Roll log in red sprinkles to coat.  Wrap tightly in parchment paper and freeze.

Baking Instructions: Let log soften for an hour.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice into 1/4 inch thick rounds, place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 11-12 minutes.

Icebox Cookie Log can be kept frozen up to one month.  When ready to give as a gift, wrap ends with red ribbon and place a tag with baking instructions.

martha martha martha!!!

Alrighty then, time to get busy and give you all the down-low on my visit with my bestie Martha Stewart! 

After discovering that Grace and I were indeed on the list, we immediately started planning our trip...including tacking on an extra two days in NYC because why fly all that way and not get to shop?  Which is exactly what we did on Tuesday/Wednesday until Girlymama rode in on the train from Philly to join us!  The three of us quickly got settled into our hotel and headed uptown...downtown...midtown... I'm not quite sure - I'm obviously not from NYC.  We stumbled upon this hole-in-the-wall Belgium restaurant that had the most FABULOUS food.

We then scurried over to the Roger Smith hotelto meet up with some other blogger friends (and lots of Philly moms!) at a tweetup thrown by Katja and Erika.  A few drinks and then early to bed because we needed to rest up for the big day!

We headed out early to get in line outside the studio.  After being let in and signing our life away on the release forms we were ushered into the 'holding cell' until further instructions were given.

Here's a snapshot of the Philly Moms, I LOVED getting to meet all of them finally:

Finally we were ushered to our seats, set up our laptops and we're good to go!  The set was AMAZING!  A gorgeous kitchen with shelves lined with white dishware, a craftroom with rolls and rolls of ribbon and a greenhouse with flourishing plants. 

The best of the entire set though was the full-kitchen to the side of the set full of bustling interns running around trying to get everything ready for Martha.

Here's Grace, Girlymama and I anxiously waiting...

 

And finally she walked out...in FIVE INCH HEELS!!!  Apparently my bestie Martha and I share the same insecurities about our height, regardless of the fact that she is a whole foot taller than me.  To be honest between tweeting, clapping and staring at those insane shoes, I really didn't get to see too much of the show.  I mean really, look at these:

(Did you know she was a yoga instructor in a former life? She just THREW her leg up there to show those off...WOW)

The guests were amazing, especially Jennifer Hutt - I am OBSESSED with her hair...and she was a total doll.  We also got a copy of Chez Pim's 'The Foodie Handbook' which I cannot wait to dive into.

It was a fabulous experience being a part of a live audience and the best part was that my blog was featured on tv!  EEP!  I know Martha LOVED having me there...and is looking forward to catering my wedding on July 2, 2010 (seriously Martha, that orange-almond cake looked to-die-for).

bon appetit!

I came home from work tonight and wasn't quite sure what to do.  The house was empty, cold and way too quiet.  It's Tuesday but Adam's not here tonight and Amy went to dinner with a friend.

So the pup and I curled up with a bowl of salad (helloooo sticking to my no-fat-arms-in-my-wedding-photos resolution) and watched Julie & Julia which I received as a Christmas present.  I hadn't seen it before but I'm pretty certain that I will be needing that cookbook, a few days off work and a $1000 gift card to Whole Foods so I can tackle this beef bouguignon of hers.

Although I did not state it as an official 'resolution', I did promise myself that I would try making some new recipes this year.  I have my own makeshift cookbook that really is nothing more than an old binder salvaged from my college years with some page protectors stuffed with recipes printed off the internet or torn out of magazines.  I've made a few of them, kept the ones I liked, toss those than were deemed inedible or that were made of approximately 84% butter (again, not good for the NFAIMWP diet).  I really need to work my way through my binder though because I'm running out of room to put recipes (which is not good considering I just got my new issue of Cooking Light in the mail today!  Only $5 for a year's subscription at Amazon).  So maybe you'll see some recipe attempts on here, maybe not.  Just don't expect me to be all Julie Powell and try something crazy difficult.  I was thinking of more along the lines of creating an adult-version of grilled cheese ;)

Oh man, all this talk of food is making my stomach grumble...I guess salad isn't cutting it tonight.

for those who need some distraction...

Some linky love for you:

Grace Hester Designs

Her 2010 Personalized Calendar has been nominated for this week's Etsy Voter!  I'm in love with the stuff she creates, simple silhouette and typography prints with calming colors and intriguing designs.  Check it out and vote for her calendar!

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Vanderbilt Wife

Has a GREAT holiday menu if you're looking for ideas...and it features yours truly along with many other bloggity brains who are clearly much better at cooking than me.

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Need fashion inspiration? 

I'm obsessed with Jessica Schroeder's daily journal of her outfits - without a doubt my favorite fashion blog.  Here's some of my favorite outfits: Fringe Effect, Channeling Chanel, Hazy Sunday, Mama's Boy, Meh, Something Outta Nothingand my absolute favorite look - Loving Life.  And she's getting married (to an Adam as well!) so I love following her on her wedding planning adventures!

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And just for fun...

Kristen Stewart goes a whole 45 seconds without biting her lip - for some reason I found this impossible but here's the proof.

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Happy 3-days-till-Christmas!

try this: cake balls.

Today is our annual cookie conference.  Each year my friend Megan and I lock ourselves in our kitchens slaving away for hours to make cookies for the whole office.  And I mean the whole office.  As in we each bake about 8 different cookies, drag ourselves into work early and prepare giant cookie platters to deliver to each department.

I decided to try a new recipe this year...and according to the masses (and the large number of these that disappeared in Adam's mouth last night) they are a MUST MAKE!

Ingredients:

Any kind of cake mix (I used classic yellow but am dying to try these with red velvet)

1 (8 oz) pkg of cream cheese or cream cheese frosting (I used cream cheese in an effort to get rid of stuff in my refrigerator)

8 squares of semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 tablespoon of shortening

Directions:

Prepare the cake as indicated.  After the cake is baked and cooled, crumble it into a bowl and then mix in the cream cheese REALLY WELL using your hands.  Refrigerate the mixture for about an hour.

Melt the chocolate squares in a microwavable bowl, 30 seconds at a time, mixing in between.  When completely melted, mix in shortening (this helps the chocolate dry smoothly).  Roll the cake mixture into 1 inch balls and dip into chocolate.  Set on a wax paper covered cookie sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Bakerella.

try this: chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds

Sounds a bit odd, huh?  That's what I thought too.  But seeing as these weren't TOO difficult to make AND I already had pomegranates laying around, I decided to give it a go. 

WOW.

That's all I have to say.

You won't be sorry, I promise.  THESE ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!  The combination of chocolate and pomegranate explodes in your mouth (quoting someone from work, it's like a gusher).  The batch that I took to work in order to get  a 'yay' or 'nay' on them was gone in 30 min.  Woosh.

Give it a go, it's an easy recipe that would make a great chocolate-addition to any holiday cookie plate.  I know it's going to become a standard on mine.

Ingredients:

2 pomegranates (when you buy them, try to get heavier ones = more juice!)

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

You have to remove the seeds from the pomegranate first - this takes the majority of the time to make this recipe.  Score the outside of the pomegranate with a knife then submerge it in a bowl filled with water.  Break apart the fruit, brushing the seeds out.  The seeds will fall to the bottom of the bowl and the other 'stuff' (I have no idea what the white part of the fruit is called) will float to the top.  Once you're done, strain the water out from the bowl.

Lay the pomegranate seeds out on a paper towel and let them dry - this is very important as the chocolate will not stick if they are wet.

Melt the chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between intervals.

Slowly fold in the pomegranate seeds then drop on a wax covered cookies sheet using a spoon.  I like to make mine bite-sized so that the person enjoying them doesn't accidentally squirt juice by biting off a piece.

Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator and cool for about an hour.

Enjoy!  They will last 2-3 days, but believe me, they WON'T last that long :)