Our Growing Edge- May Roundup

Posted in breakfast, extras, main dishes, salads, side dishes, sweets, the important stuff, things we like to eat by mydaughterandiblog

I have something a little different in store for you today! Genie, the awesome blogger who runs Bunny Eats Design, contacted us a few months ago to see if we’d be interested in hosting May’s edition of Our Growing Edge! I was so honored to be asked- Genie has done a wonderful job of gathering food bloggers from all over the world into an inspiring, encouraging community.

Every month, food bloggers submit a link of one of their recent blog posts- you can make anything you’d like, the only requirement is that the recipe needs to be something new to you- a new ingredient or preparation or experience. It’s awesome to see bloggers getting out of their comfort zones- the results are spectacular!

Interested in joining in on next month’s roundup? It’s a great experience! For more information, visit Our Growing Edge.

Now that you know a little bit about what a roundup is, let’s jump right into this month’s edition!

First up! Fa’s Kitchen tackled making watermelon juice– something I’ve never heard of, but it sounds delicious!

This recipe made my mouth water! What a creative and delicious way to substitute eggplant for pasta.

This blog post and recipe blew my mind! Not only does Simona write in both English and Italian, she made homemade matcha noodles. So impressive!

This looks amazing! Spinach Stuffed Flank Steak– yum!

My favorite again- pasta! Julie made a delicious looking Carbonara dish, that we’ll have to try.

Everyday Life Mom made some delicious Almond Butter Bars that look like the perfect post-workout snack!

Our host, Genie, ended up with 42 figs in her fridge, and shared some beautiful photos of how she creatively used them up.

Yum!! The Dream Baker whipped up the most delicious looking Chocolate Banana Cake that I’m dying to try.

Kerene from The Dream Baker also submitted her recipe for Oven-roasted Char Siu (BBQ Pork)– another delicious, mouth-watering recipe.

Saffron & Honey submitted these gorgeous photos of her recipe for Ramps Raclette. This wasn’t something I was familiar with, but her post made me want to try it out!

Feijoa- a completely foreign type of fruit. Nom Nom Panda creatively used up her bountiful harvest in feijoa paste.

Becky made the yummiest looking Beet Salad– looks like a perfect summer recipe!

Chelsea recently highlighted Smorgasburg, in New York City. They stopped by and got donuts from Dough, and oh my goodness- they look amazing.

Another alternative to pasta in lasagna! Definitely worth trying!

Last but not least, these absolutely adorable Banana Banana Banana Cake‘s might be one of my favorite links for this month! Isabel from Sweet Loves killed it!

So that’s it! May’s round-up is complete!

1Jun2015

Strawberry Cream Cheese Crumb Cake

Posted in breakfast, sweets, things we like to eat by mydaughterandiblog

I love strawberries – don’t you? I love them in yogurt, in smoothies, in salads and my favorite – just all by themselves. I found this flower stand by our house and the guy there sells THE BEST strawberries. Seriously, best ever! When I told him how much I enjoy his strawberries, he got a big smile on his face and said, “yes, we have the best strawberries”. So cute! I’m so spoiled now that I only want to buy from him!

I remembered this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction that uses strawberries in a coffee cake and I knew I had to try it. It was delicious and is great for breakfast, but would be a great dessert too. It was a bit labor intensive, and I used quite a few dishes, but it was worth it.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Crumb Cake

Ingredients:

Crumb Topping:
3/4 cup (95g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50g) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 Tablespoons (90g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Cake:
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup (120ml) milk*
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

8-10 fresh strawberries, sliced*
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Glaze:
3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8-in or 9-in springform pan with non-stick spray. Springform pan is required. Set aside.

Make the crumb topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the mixture with a pastry blender or mix with hands until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set in the refrigerator until ready to use. This crumb mixture must be chilled. I used my food processor. It was really fast – worth the extra dishes!

Make the cake: In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the egg and melted butter together on medium speed until combined. Add the milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and beat on medium speed until thoroughly mixed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. With the mixer running on low, pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Pour into the prepared baking pan.

In a medium bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until smooth. Add remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/4 cup granulated sugar and beat on medium speed until combined. Spread over the crumb cake batter. Layer with sliced strawberries. Top with the crumb topping and gently press the topping into the batter.

Bake for 55 – 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out free of cake crumbs. I covered the cake with aluminum foil after 40 minutes to help avoid the top from browning too much. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before glazing. I forgot the glaze completely. But I’m sure it would be delicious.

Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla together. Remove the sides of the springform pan and drizzle the glaze over the cake. The cake will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 4 days.

Make ahead: Bake the cake as directed and freeze without the glaze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake for 20 minutes at 200 degrees to warm it up. Glaze before serving.

Cindy

27May2015

Sweet Potato Hash

Posted in breakfast, extras, main dishes, side dishes, things we like to eat by mydaughterandiblog

Jordan found this recipe on one of her favorite blogs, A Beautiful Mess and we decided to try it. We made it for dinner, because we love breakfast for dinner and it was quick and easy and very delicious!

I adjusted the recipe a bit, mostly for quantity, and we all loved it- I’ve made it several times already. The recipe says you don’t need to peel the sweet potatoes and I agree. I’ve tried it both ways and it’s just not worth the time to peel them, they soften up enough while cooking.

Sweet Potato Hash

3-4 sweet potatoes, cut into cubes

1-2 tablespoons minced garlic

6-8 pieces of bacon, cut into pieces

1 onion, chopped

Salt and pepper

Italian seasoning

The first thing you’re going to do is quarter up the bacon slices and throw them into the heated pan. Let them sizzle and cook and smell up your place real good. While the bacon is doing its thing, you can chop the sweet potato down to bite size pieces. When the bacon is cooked through (not all the way crispy yet) drain the grease if there is too much. You want to have a few tablespoons left in the pan. If you’d prefer, you can drain the bacon grease and add some other oil. Toss in the sweet potatoes and cover.

At this point, cut up the onion and garlic and add to the pan.I like the potatoes to cook till they brown, which can take about 15-20 minutes. It depends on how many potatoes you used/heat/pan. Add in the seasonings and stir. The recipe calls for fresh rosemary, which would be good too. Let this cook for a couple minutes. While you’re finishing the rest of the meal.

In a separate pan, you can get your eggs going, so everything is ready at once.

Recipe modified from A Beautiful Mess

Cindy & Jordan

29Apr2015

Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash, Goat Cheese and Bacon

Posted in main dishes, side dishes, things we like to eat by mydaughterandiblog

We love pasta around this house, but having been on an eating challenge for six weeks, we didn’t eat it for awhile. I mostly enjoyed my new way of eating, but this recipe was one that I was anxious to try once I was off my challenge. In fact, we made it the first day back from our challenge! It was delicious and creamy and very flavorful.

Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash, Goat Cheese and Bacon

Ingredients
3-4 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ¾” cubes
1 red onion, cut into ½” cubes
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 lb of pasta, we used rigatoni
8 to 10 oz. of goat cheese, crumbled
5 strips of bacon, diced and cooked to crispy
salt & pepper to taste
¾ cup of reserved pasta water

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425.
Spread out butternut squash and red onion on a baking sheet. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper. Toss to coat and spread out on baking sheet so it is in a single layer.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

In the meantime, heat a skillet to medium high heat. Add diced bacon and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally. {about 4-5 minutes}
Remove bacon from the pan and place on a plate lining with paper towel to soak up some of the grease.

Bring a large pot of water to boiling, add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente {follow directions on the back of the box, usually 8-10 minutes}

Once pasta is done, reserve ¾ cup of the cooking water and set aside. Drain the rest of the water.

Add goat cheese and pasta water to pasta pot and allow the goat cheese to melt completely. Add the pasta and toss to completely coat the pasta and then add in the butternut squash, onions, and bacon and mix gently again. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Adapted slightly from http://www.joyfulhealthyeats.com

Cindy

27Apr2015

Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies {gluten free!}

Posted in breakfast, Fitness, sweets, things we like to eat by mydaughterandiblog

Jordan made these cookies the other day and we both thought they were great. They aren’t the prettiest cookies ever, but they were tasty and super simple to make. No butter, no flour, whipped up in one bowl in about five minutes! Why wouldn’t you give them a try?

Flourless Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies {gluten free!}

Ingredients:
1 large egg

1 cup almond butter, we used crunchy, unsalted from Trader Joe’s

1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or mini semisweet chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F
Crack the egg into a medium bowl and beat it lightly. Add in the almond butter, vanilla, baking soda, and sugar and mix everything together well. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the dough onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. I use a (1 3/4 inch) scoop, but you can use a tablespoon. Space the cookies well apart, and flatten them slightly with the back of a spoon.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Don’t overbake these, the cookies will look underdone, but they will firm up as they cool.

Let them cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them carefully to a cooling rack.

Because we used a crunchy almond butter the cookies had a definite “healthy” look to them. I loved the extra texture, but if you’d prefer a little less texture, I would recommend using a smooth almond butter.

Recipe found on http://www.theviewfromgreatisland.com

Cindy & Jordan

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My Daughter and I

coffee, dessert & chickens- one mother and daughter's musings on the important stuff…

Category Archives: things we like to eat