(Mom’s) Strawberries
We all have things that remind us of our moms. Sometimes, it’s because we do/say/act just like her. Sometimes, we wish that were the case. And, sometimes, it’s because of her cooking.
My mom is the relationship-nurturer. She has more close friends & connections than anyone I know and she manages to make them meaningful. She cares for everyone, especially her family, and it shows. She will do anything for you (may not be early to it but we have adjusted to that) & not think twice about it. My mom holds our family together & I am thankful she’s my mom…and my kids’ grandma.
I did not get my love for garlic or spicy food from my mom, but I did learn to appreciate a homemade meal from her. Growing up, we really mostly ate at home together as a family (that’s how I remember it, at least). We had a great pantry because mom always would try any new product that hit the shelf (& maybe that’s why my career path has led me to new products in food). Her recipes may not have been super advanced, but I only remember them as delicious, made with love.
Eating strawberries this way, macerated – diced with just a little bit of sugar, has my mom written all over it. You can’t visit her house during the strawberry season without tasting some of these. Although today I served them over a little plain Greek yogurt, usually they taste perfect all by themselves. It’s simple & never disappoints, just like mom.
Ingredients
1 lb of strawberries, rinsed, hulled & quartered or sliced
2 tbsp of sugar
Directions
- Stir together strawberries & sugar in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 30 min or more until juices are released. Enjoy or refrigerate for a day or 2.
Five is feeling like my lucky number nowadays. It is May, the 5th month, and there seems to be a lot to celebrate. With cookies, of course.
We sold our house this month; the house we lived in for 5 years. (It will be a long time before we sell a house again, this I know.) Anyone who has sold a home knows how stressful that can be, and we were lucky that it took us only a couple weeks (for sale by owner, too!). The house has its quirks, sure, but it was a wonderful home. Our 1st home.
Now, packing, reminiscing, moving.
My husband & I also celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary this month. Five years! I know I’ll only continue to say this, but my that went by fast! ”I’m lucky I’m in love with my best friend; Lucky to have been where I have been.”
Of course I have to give a little shout out to this wonderful man I am so lucky to call my husband. Let’s just call it the top 5 reasons for why I love my husband.
5. Laugh, as in, we laugh together. At, with & for each other. A key to happiness.
4. He wears his wedding ring to bed, every night, & kisses me goodbye, every morning, before he leaves for work.
3. He has a huge, welcoming heart.
2. Best father, or “da-da,” a wife & mother could ask for.
1. He loves, appreciates & encourages my cooking. Especially these chocolate chip cookies. Or anything really. He’s my biggest fan. And, I, his.
Last, but not least, we are sharing our news that our family is growing…to a family of 5. Yes, 3 to 5, means we are adding 2 (TWINS!) to our family this fall. Yikes! We are so excited/nervous/happy/tired we can’t hardly stand it. And, most of all, we are lucky.
Now, let’s celebrate with these delicious chocolate chip cookies.
My sister & I have been searching for “the best” chocolate chip cookie recipe, and we think we have finally found that recipe. You can trust me on that one, or find out for yourself.
These are definitely best medium-sized. I tried the 2-bite size, but that didn’t seem to really bring out the chewy center. Also, watch these closely to learn the right cook time for your oven. If you judge by color, you may overcook these. Watch the center to see when it’s just no longer gooey.
And, you don’t have to be lucky to eat these. Just get baking.
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs, room temp
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp hot water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, mix mini & regular chips
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream together butter & sugars until smooth, about 3 min. Beat in eggs & stir in vanilla.
- Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, then chocolate chips & nuts until just combined.
- Make large spoonfuls (about 2 tbsp) & place on parchment paper on cookie sheet. Bake 11-13min or until no longer gooey.
We love these warm with a glass of milk!
Adapted from Allrecipes.com
Caramelized Banana Topping
What are you thankful for today? Maybe that it’s Wednesday & May. For Lent, I had a gratitude journal, which helped me focus on the good’s instead of getting caught up in irrelavant’s. It was nice; gratitude brings perspective.
If everyday you think about all that you’re thankful for you move past the big 5 (health, job, family, friends & whatever else). You notice that you’re thankful for quite a lot. Like having a few minutes to watch your favorite show, affording a nice dinner out with friends, dedication to making exercise a part of your daily/weekly routine, having 10 min to enjoy your morning coffee or being able to have dinner with family you don’t see that often.
After developing a super old roll of film I found during some deep cleaning last week, I give thanks that Facebook wasn’t around when I was in college. Just sayin.
I’m thankful for the stress-free weekday mornings my home office brings. I actually have time to make breakfast, if I choose. And, I usually choose.
This caramelized banana topping is deceiving-ly easy to make. Saute sliced bananas in butter, brown sugar & Grand Marnier / nuts (optional)…sprinkle with some cinnamon & serve. Yum.
I have omitted the liquor & the nuts, still delicious. I have also added in some peeled & diced ripe pears, also worth a try.
Serving this over French toast, pancakes & waffles (& ice cream!) seems natural. And, like here, sprinkled over oatmeal.
Be thankful.
Ingredients
2 small bananas, sliced 1/4 – 1/2″ thick
2-3 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped
1 tsp Grand Marnier
pinch of cinnamon
Directions
- Melt butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Once almost melted, add brown sugar, nuts & Grand Marnier, stir until combined, about 1 min. Add bananas & sauté for a minute or two.
- Serve over waffles, pancakes, French Toast or oatmeal.
Serves 2-3. You can increase the butter/brown sugar to make it more of a syrup topping, too!
Pizza Pancakes
Sometimes I get really nerdy excited about a food concept. And, although my daughter might be a little too young to get this pancake pizza concept, I think it will be a really fun weekend breakfast…some day. (For now, she has a lot of fun tossing her sippy cup when I’m not looking…I guess we define fun differently at different ages.)
It’s like a sundae buffet but healthier. And for mornings.
The toppings can be endless, really. Any chopped up fruit, nuts, candies, sprinkles. Peanut butter seems like the obvious “sauce” to me, but Nutella, honey, butter, jam or syrup would work, too. Just slice it up & share (or not).
I mean, food is meant to be fun! Think about how much time you spend eating.
Exactly.
How do you make food fun?
Slice it up & enjoy (all ages welcome).
Ingredients / Directions
- Using your favorite pancake recipe, make large pancakes (bigger the better – although you may need some extra hands to help you flip).
- Pick your sauce & spread on top of pancakes. We recommend peanut butter or Nutella.
- Sprinkle toppings of choice. Chocolate chips, nuts, sliced bananas is my favorite combo.
Mixed Berry Cobbler-Cake
I’m not exactly sure what to call this: cobbler, cake, dessert? It’s good, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.
Am I the only person who needs to eat dessert every day, like after/with all meals? I know my husband is with me, at least.
You know that I usually go for the chocolate dessert, says the woman who is eating Dove chocolates as she writes. However, I love fruit, it just usually gets eaten alone (& occasionally with chocolate, too).
I love that you can use frozen fruit in this recipe. I’m a little annoyed that berries are not yet in season & priced reasonably. It feels like it should be time, right? Negative. Enter this recipe.
I have made 2 versions: the first is what I call the “Guest-Version” Cobbler-Cake because, well, it’s not cutting any corners. It uses the full stick of butter, whole milk & more sugar. More straight-forward & you can’t go wrong with it. I wanted to experiment with a lighter version, you know, the “Weeknight” acceptable version. It makes some short-cuts. Husband could not tell the difference between the 2, so that’s a good sign.
Use your favorite berry; I really like the mixed combo (& I’ve used a couple different combos of such) but any berry would work. Right before adding the berries to the recipe, I merely quickly rinsed them & then tossed them in <1 tbsp flour. Sprinkle them on top of the batter frozen (do not thaw).
I can’t wait to try these with fresh berries, hopefully, soon!
Guest-Version Mixed Berry Cobbler-Cake Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup white sugar + 1/4 cup, divided use
1 cup flour
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
zest of 1 lemon
16oz frozen mixed fruit tossed in 1 tbsp flour
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 10″ round circle pan (like this).
- In a medium bowl whisk or sift 1 cup of sugar, flour, baking powder & salt. Mix in milk & melted butter. Stir in lemon zest.
- Pour batter into buttered pan. Drop fruit evenly over top of batter. Sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 50min to 1 hour. Serve with
whipped cream orice cream.
Weeknight Mixed Berry Cobbler-Cake Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup white sugar + 2 tbsp Splenda
1 cup flour (sub 1/2 cup with whole grain flour)
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup skim milk
5 tbsp of butter, melted
zest of 1 lemon
16oz frozen mixed fruit tossed in 1 tbsp flour (or more fruit if it fits!)
1/4 cup Turbinado sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 10″ circle pan.
- In a medium bowl whisk or sift sugar, Splenda, flour, baking powder & salt. Mix in milk & melted butter. Stir in lemon zest.
- Pour batter into buttered pan. Drop fruit evenly over top of batter. Sprinkle with Turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 50min to 1 hour. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Adapted from the Pioneer Woman’s Blackberry Cobbler
Baked Sweet Pork Tenderloin
Hi there. It’s April, goodness! I think I’m excited about that, but it means all that pending change is right in front of my husband & I. Oh, man, like, right there. Jobs ending/changing, selling/renting houses, saying goodbye/hello to cities and more. It’s crazy. Good crazy.
Sometimes craziness prevents you from taking pictures of the final dish. Oops. But, I made this same pork tenderloin recipe when I made this Cauliflower Puree, so I’ll just borrow that picture. Disaster averted.
I sometimes buy those marinated pork tenderloins (I’m my mother’s daughter), but sometimes I’ll buy the pork unseasoned so I can doctor it myself. I usually end up making this recipe, which is a little sweet, simple yet always tasty.
I think the little bit of olive oil adds a nice touch, so I spread that on first (use your hands or a grilling brush). Mix the brown sugar & mustard (we like the Jack Daniel No. 7 but choose any kind of Dijon that you like) & spread half of that on the pork (using your hands or the brush). Season with salt & pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 15 min. Spread rest of sauce on the pork & return to oven for another 15 min or until cooked through. That’s it!
I’d like to make 1 suggestion of something I learned the hard way. Please line your pan with foil or parchment (I used the Reynolds foil/parchment combo). If you don’t & the sauce runs off the pork, well, you may end up with a 2-3 day “soaker,” as my husband refers to them. Consider yourself warned.
Ingredients
1 to 1-1/4 lbs pork tenderloin
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pork in a shallow roasting pan that has been lined with foil or parchment paper. Spread olive oil over pork.
- Mix brown sugar & mustard. Spread half the mixture over pork; season to taste.
- Bake (uncovered) for 15 min. Spread remaining mixture over pork & continue baking 15-20 min or until cooked through & no longer pink.
Buffalo Chicken Soup
You know, I did my reflection of Winter a couple of weeks ago because Winter is supposed to be over. Gone. Bye-bye & see you later, alligator. Just a sweet memory.
Clearly not.
Fine, I’ll do what I know I should do & let go of things outside of my control, watch basketball (love March Madness) & make some soup. Just enjoying the needs of winter: something warm (& spicy!). We’ve discussed my love for Buffalo Chicken when I shared my Buffalo Chicken Nacho recipe not too long ago. This takes the same ingredients/flavors to make a Buffalo Chicken inspired soup, yum!
When I actually measured this to share it, I only had 8oz of chicken breast, which made me make a (generous) 2-serving soup. You can double or adjust slightly to make more servings. A lot of it is to taste anyway.
Enjoy the soup because Spring is surely right around the corner…
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots, small dice
1 celery stick, small dice
1/2 onion, small dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth + 2 cups water
8oz of cooked chicken breast, shredded
1/3 cup Frank’s Buffalo Wing sauce
Salt & black pepper, to taste
Blue Cheese, Shredded Mozzarella (or Smoked Cheddar!) cheese, chips, chopped, fresh Parsley or Cilantro for serving
Directions
- Heat olive oil over medium in a medium pot. Add chopped vegetables & sauté until tender, about 5-7 min. Add garlic & cook 1 min more.
- Add broth & water; bring to a boil. Mix hot sauce into shredded chicken & then add chicken to soup. Season to taste & simmer 5 – 10 min.
- Ladle soup into individual serving bowls. Top soup with cheeses, chips & herbs, as desired.
