Pages, Pucks and Pantry

We Turn Five

Imagine my surprise when the holiday weekend was over and I suddenly realized that my blog had turned five. Imagine my being even more surprised when I went to look up what I said last year on this blogs fourth anniversary and realized I'd completely forgotten and hadn't even mentioned it. Life does seem to get in the way at times doesn't it?

But, I still enjoy blogging. I still greatly enjoy all things food whether it's looking through all my cookbooks, checking out my favorite food blogs, reading all my food magazines (there are so many but I still miss Gourmet), cooking with my Mom or trying out new restaurants in the area. Oh and cooking...yeah, still enjoy that too (grin).

I still haven't changed this blog much in the design department since I first started. I keep saying "next year" and well, after five years maybe it actually is next year? If I can just find someone who knows about Typepad blogs to help (I'll even pay a nominal fee!) maybe that will happen. And I have two new cameras that I'm hoping to have time to learn and experiment with...alas, the light or lack of natural light, hasn't changed much in my kitchen which continues to be a problem. Not to mention two cats who just don't seem to understand why they can't be involved with food photos!

Thanks to all of you that have commented and those that have just read my posts and gone away. Thank you to those that have tried recipes I've posted, bought cookbooks I've highlighted or tasted recipes I've cooked. Thank you to those that have helped with Typepad/Facebook/Twitter/iPhone problems, have mentored me on food blogging, given me recipes to try or sent articles for me to feature. Thank you for being a part of my blog life. Thank you for just making this adventure I'm on a ton of fun.

Baked Brie Bites

One of the reasons I love this little recipe is the fact that I can make as many as I want. If I'm craving a little snack, I can make just a couple of these at a time. If I have company coming over and want to make a quick appetizer, I can whip up a whole batch of these in no time to keep guests busy until dinner. The ease of making these is also why they can be dangerous. You might find yourself making two or three of these bites before dinner, every day for a week. Not that I would do any such thing....

Though I came across this recipe on Pinterest here, this recipe and many variations can be found...adding jams or fruit preserves, varying the types of nuts or cheese used...around the Internet (links to some follow).

I not only liked the flavor of these but I loved the texture...the crunch of the shell and nuts, the creaminess of the cheese and honey. Great little snack that also looked pretty good presentation wise.

Except for the mini phyllo shells I usually have all the ingredients for the Baked Brie Bites on hand which makes this a quick appetizer or snack to put together.  And since these can be so addicting, I may just start keeping those phyllo shells in the freezer for quick ideas like this.

 

BAKED BRIE BITES

Mini Phyllo Tarts
Brie
Dark Brown Sugar
Chopped Pecans
Honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Directions are for one brie bite:

Put a cube of brie (or a good melting cheese of your choice) in the middle of each phyllo tart. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar over the cheese in the tart. Top with the pecans. Drizzle some honey over the top of everything. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Note: I used Athens Mini Fillo Shells (there were 15 shells in the box), Small Bees Pure Raw Unfiltered Wildflower Honey US grade B (local from Los Gatos).

Note: The cheese kind of melts down a bit so you can see in my photos that the bites weren't as filled as most you'll see. I've tried to put in more cheese but then there wasn't room for the nuts and such. And I liked lots of nuts and sugar and honey in mine.

Really like this recipe and looking forward to trying all it's little variations.

More Baked Brie Bites Recipes:

Baked Brie Bites from Plain Chicken

Raspberry Brie Bites from Food.com

Mini Brie Bites from She Wears Many Hats

Brie and Honeyed Pear Tarts  from Athens Foods and Weight Watchers

Hot Brie Kisses from Recipe Girl

 

Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Like everyone else I get cravings. The other day I was craving a grilled cheese sandwich. Like, really craving, can't think of anything else, must have a grilled cheese sandwich. The thing was I was also craving pizza.  Like, if I don't have pizza now I'm going to go running in the streets screaming for the pizza man. But I thought making a grilled cheese sammie and getting a large pepperoni pizza probably wouldn't make my arteries very happy. And running through the streets screaming for the pizza guy (visions of me chasing after the Round Table delivery guy comes to mind) would probably get me committed. It was then that I remembered seeing this on Pinterest. A Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Still...my arteries kinda cringed in horror at the thought of all the calories and fat in a sandwich like that. And I could hear the disapproving voice of the Wii lady going "ohhhh" when I stepped on the scale (she's such an annoying beeotch isn't she?). So I compromised. Along with a regular package of pepperoni, I picked up a package of turkey pepperoni at the grocery store (I know, there are those of you who swear that this is just wrong on so many levels but sometimes you gotta fake it to make it). I also used some sourdough bread I had on hand to make the sandwich and instead of real butter, I used Land O Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil (half the calories!).

And you know what? The sandwich didn't turn out half bad. I still got some of the pepperoni flavor in my grilled cheese and I didn't notice the lower caloric butter at all (sorry but I just refuse to use margarine or that fake butter stuff). Mr. L loved his Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich...which I made with regular pepperoni (he didn't seem to notice the low cal canola butter).

So for my friends out there that are trying to watch calories and such, try making this with whole wheat bread, turkey pepperoni and some low cal cheese and butter. The rest of you can use all the fattening foods you want...just be ready to be addicted. This is one tasty sandwich!

PIZZA GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Four slices of bread (whatever kind you prefer)
Butter
4 slices of mozzarella cheese
pepperoni (regular or turkey)
Italian Seasoning
PIzza Sauce for dipping

Make a grilled cheese sandwich (at this point I could give you directions on how to do this but I'm pretty sure you can figure that out for yourself). Add a dash of the italian seasoning to the inside of the sandwich before cooking. Serve with some pizza sauce for dipping.

NOTE: I made two sandwiches, one with regular pepperoni and one with turkey pepperoni.

NOTE: I used Francisco Sourdough Bread, Contadina Canned Tomato Sauce, Hormel Pepperoni (both regular and turkey), Precious Mozzarella, Land O Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil

NOTE: I didn't have pizza sauce so I just used a can of tomato sauce and doctored it up with some more Italian Seasoning to make my pizza sauce.

Though I've run across this recipe many times over the years, it was the pin of Forkfull of Comfort that brought it back on my radar. You can see her post here.

Obviously this can be changed up in many ways. Adding different cheeses, using different breads, changing the pizza sauce up by adding more garlic etc. If you look up Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich you can find recipes for many variations on the interwebs.

Thankfully my cravings were satisfied, the Wii lady didn't complain to much and the pizza man was saved from the crazy stalker.

 

Apple Pie Baked In Apples

This is one of the first recipes I saw on Pinterest and thought "awesome idea"!  So it ended up being one of the first dishes I made during my "must create stuff from Pinterest" phase I went through last month (and, ahem, am still going through).

I did cheat a bit though. This also fulfilled my Operation Pantry Project as my Mom's niece had sent us some wonderful jarred homemade apple pie filling. To say it went perfectly in this dish was an understatement. The filling was so flavorful and it made putting this creation together quick and easy.

I did have a bit of trouble with the pie dough staying at the top of the apple while cooking (you can see how some of it slide down the side to the bottom). I think next time I need to make the dough strips smaller?

This was a fun dish to make and also made quite a nice impression for dessert. And I'd suggest showing folks your "before" cooking apple as that really does look impressive!

Not sure where the original idea came from as there seem to be pins from many different sources.

APPLE PIE BAKED IN APPLES

4 Baking Apples
Apple Pie Filling (your own or premade)
Pie Crust (Homemade or Pre-Made)

Pre-heat over to 375 degrees.

Cut off the top of the apples and discard. Cut slivers off the bottom of the apple (be careful not to cut too much) so that the apple sits squarely. Carefully remove the inside of each of the four apples with a spoon or melon baller so that you don't puncture the peel (you want to make a bowl for the filling to reside in).

Spoon your apple pie filling into the apple bowls.

Roll out pie crust and cut into strips. Cover top of the apple in a lattice pattern with the pie crust strips.

Place apples in an 8x8 pan. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.

Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the apples are soft. Serves 4

Note: I used granny smith apples. I set them on the counter at the grocery store to make sure that they were almost flat. People gave me looks. They were just a "bit" tough, so I may experiment with other types of apples or longer cooking times.

Note: Some of the recipes talk about using the innards from the apples you've scooped out and cutting up additional apples to make your own pie filling. Since I already had pie filling, I didn't use the inards of the apples. I threw that away. I know, wasteful. You are a better person than I if you can use it.

Note: I actually had a bit of leftover pie filling after filling the two apples so I took the leftover dough, pieced it together and made a free form tart. I'm thinking you could do the reverse...make these if you find you've made too much pie filling for your apple pie.

Note: I used pre-made pie dough. I bought a "natural" brand instead of my regular Pillsbury brand. It was dry and immediately cracked when I unrolled it. Next time I'll  either make my own dough or use Pillsbury.

Note: I made the lattice a bit thick and the ones on the end actually slide down the side of the apple. On one of the apples, I had used a bit of the sticky apple pie filling, smeared it around the top of the apple thinking this would hold the pie dough in place but no deal. Not sure what I can do to keep the dough from sliding down?

Note: Though I saw longer cooking times for the recipe, my pie crust was done way before these longer times. I think the apple would have benefited from a longer cooking time but I also didn't want the apple to be mush.

We really enjoy these and I suspect a good deal of that was the awesome apple pie filling from my Mom's niece. I need to make these again. Which mean someone needs to send me some more pie filling (hint hint :)

 

 

Free Ice Cream

Blueberry Cheese Rolls

This Blueberry Cheese Roll was a very quick, flavorful way to get breakfast on the table. Though there were far too many calories in this for me to make on a regular basis this was a great way to use up some leftover fresh blueberries and put a warm breakfast on the table.

I originally pinned this on Pinterest (where the link no longer seems to work)  but it can be found on the Kraft Foods site here. It's simply crescent rolls, cream cheese, sugar and blueberries, but together they made something a little decadent.

I did not "form" these the way they showed on Pinterest or the Kraft site. Those took all four edges of the dough and brought them together. As I was rushing to get this in the oven so that I wasn't the woman who took an hour to get ready in the morning and made everyone late, I just brought two edges together. I think I saved 2.4 seconds of cooking time by doing this. I don't think it made a difference in anything but how quick we made it out the door that day.

I have made some exchanges to the original recipe they posted here.

BLUEBERRY CHEESE ROLLS
(Kraft Foods)

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Pillsbury Original Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
4 oz (1/2 of 8-oz pkg.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup (or more) blueberries, divided

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Unroll dough into four rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal.

Combine cream cheese and brown sugar; spread onto dough rectangles to within 1/2 inch of edges. Top evenly with blueberries. Bring opposite corners of rectangles together; press together to seal. Place on un-greased baking sheet.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown.

Serves 4

Note: Their original recipe used Neufchatel Cheese, I used full fat cream cheese. Original recipe used regular sugar and I substituted brown sugar.

Note: I would spread the cream cheese closer to the edge of the dough next time and maybe put a few more blueberries closer to the points. This might not have been an issue if I had brought all four ends of the dough together.

Note: Calories listed for just one of these puppies was 350 with 19 grams of fat and 34 grams of carbs. Since I used full fat cream cheese, the calorie count will be more.

Note: Original recipe states you can substitute 1/2 cup chopped red or green apples and 2 Tbsp. raisins for the blueberries.

Note: You can sprinkle 1 tsp sifted powdered sugar just before serving to make this over the top.

Note: I probably overcooked these a bit. I blame the cat Tiggher who was screaming to be fed before I was.

Nice sweet little breakfast that is also easy to transport if one is running late and has to carry it out the door while trying to get a jacket on and grabbing keys from purse.

My Pinterest Boards - Part 2

Please check out the I PIN THEREFORE I AM post here and the MY PINTEREST BOARDS PART 1 post here as this is the third in a series about me and Pinterest.

I warned you that I had way to many boards on Pinterest. The remainder of my boards are explained here:

JUST A GEEK AT HEART: I am a geek at heart, one who never learned to play video or role-playing games but one who watches sci-fi and can play Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock. This should really be divided out with separate boards for Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, and Dr. Who. And maybe one for Wil Wheaton because I have such a fan crush on him. I could probably spend all day pinning photos of him in his Wesley Crusher uniform, or those photos of him he posted when he went on a recent cruise, oh wait, there are all those photos of Wil he and his wife Anne sent to all us Twitter followers just last week when they were in Australia and...wait...did I just write all that? Ignore any stalking talk on any geek board, really, it's not what it seems, hahaha. No separate board for Wil, I'll just ahem, keep that one private. So yeah, this board has all the nerdy geeky comic book sci-fi kinda stuff in it.

JUST BECAUSE: Just because I refuse to put a board that's titled "miscellaneous". Where else would I pin Money Folding Techniques or a photo of the Statue of Liberty doing an Angelina Jolie Legbomb? Yes, some of these pins might work better in other boards but the whole point of Just Because is just because.

LAMB LIES DOWN: You'll only get the title if you are a Genesis fan. This has nothing to do with music or cute little cuddly animals but does have to do with all things regarding eating wonderful lamb dishes which there seems to be not many recipes floating around on blogs for. Thus a lack of pinning in this board. But not for lack of lamb recipe looking.

LAYOUT ENVY: A place where I pin all the scrapbooking layouts I want to scraplift or take inspiration from. If I actually scrapped. If I actually used the gazillion supplies I have in the entire room I have dedicated to scrapping that I rarely step foot in. Men have cars and electronics...I have scrap supplies. But with my Layout Envy board I now also have layouts that I can use for inspiration. Just ignore the pile of scrapbooking magazines in that corner that I also keep for inspiration. Or that box of scrap ideas I've pulled from scrap magazines that I plan to scraplift. I'll promise to create a layout. Tomorrow. Once I find space in my scraproom that looks nothing like any in the Creating Spaces board. Vicious circle I tell yah.

LET IT BEE: This board is strictly for my heart. It reminds me of my Grandfather who was an apiarist (beekeeper) at UCDavis. I do not collect bee things, I do not make bee things, but this board warms my heart with it's beeness.

LET ME ENTERTAIN THEM: Because in my soul I am the hostess with the mostest and if I had time, talent, money and a giant house, I would be entertaining my friends and family on a weekly basis. This board is full of ideas for when I finally invite folks over for dinner and drinks.

LET THEM EAT CAKE: Cakes I can actually make like simple bundt cakes or layer cakes and photos of cakes I wish people would have at weddings and parties I go to.

LET THEM EAT CUPCAKES: See above, just in smaller form.

MY BEDROOM: Ideas on how to decorate my bedroom. Which if I used all the ideas in one room would mean I probably couldn't find the bed and Mr. L would probably not set foot in. Which means I need at least a twenty bedroom house to decorate twenty different bedrooms.

MY DINING ROOM: See above but with dining room tables instead of beds.

NEED ON MY NIGHTSTAND: Though you would think this would be full of books that I'd like to read, it would be impossible to import the twenty-two page Amazon wish list I currently have or enter in the hundreds of books I have in stacks at home waiting to be read. This board has a few books I've pinned here and there but is mostly filled with beautiful libraries or book places I wish were available to me.

NEVER ENOUGH SHOES: Because one never has enough shoes. And because someday there will be a miracle and my foot will no longer be wide and will fit in cute little designer shoes that will miraculously cost only about $20.

NEW YEARS EVE and NEW YEARS: Not sure why I have two boards...I can see having a New Years Eve board because there are parties and decorations and drinks that could be pinned. I'm afraid the only thing to pin to the New Years Day board will be recipes for hangover cures and vomit buckets. Don't be surprised if that second board goes away.

OUTSIDE LIVING: All things that have to do with a back yard that is much much bigger than the postage stamp sized one I currently have. Pools. Backyard dining rooms. Backyard kitchens. Cute little areas to curl up and read a book amid the lush greenery. Waterfalls. Anything that gives me that "Calgon take me away" moment in my own back yard.

PAGES PUCKS AND PANTRY: Where I am slowly entering some of the old recipes I've made. Yes, I pin stuff that I've posted on my blog. I love when others do that (and I love those that have named theirs something like "shameless personal promotion"). Pinterest is almost like my RSS feed these days...helps me know when those I follow have posted something new to their blog by them pinning it, so please, feel free to pin your posts and toot your own horn. There are those of us out there that get it and like it.

PAPERCRAFTING ENVY: Paper crafts that don't fit in Card Envy or Layout Envy.

PASTA MY HEART: All things pasta.

PEARLS SPARKLE BLING: Jewelry both affordable and that I can't even afford to look at along with things that don't necessarily sparkle and bling. This board is an equal opportunity board so things like rubies and emeralds can be found here, not just pearls. Watches too.

PIE, PIE, PIE AND TARTS: All things pies, hand pies, tarts etc. I'm slowly migrating pies and tarts from the dessert boards here.

PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD: All cute little ideas transforming food into shapes and things that would make kids eat them. I need to borrow your kids so I can make some of these things, though I think Mr. L would get a kick out of me making his pancakes in the shapes of animals and not blobs.

PORKAPALOOZA: About five years ago I planned on having a food blog event where everyone would send me links to their blog posts about the most important food group, pork, and it was going to be a yearly Porkapalooza event. The name has stuck to mean pretty much any drool worthy dish that is made from pork. We have Porkapalooza events quite regularly in my house even if it's just Mr. L and I. See also BACON-EVERYTHINGS BETTER WITH.

POULTRY: All things chicken, turkey, partridge, dove, pheasant or pretty much anything that flys and can be eaten. Don't freak, I have no dove recipes pinned. Though I have eaten dove and quite liked it so now you can freak out.

PRODUCTS I LOVE: Items I wish I owned or currently own and can't live without. This is where row upon row of bacon items would be pinned if bacon didn't have it's own board.

PROJECT LIFE SCRAPBOOK: Because I've started Project Life at least three times and have never finished. I'm hoping this board gets me going and gives me ideas.

PURSES...I DIE: Feel free to use this as my Christmas/Anniversary/Birthday/Just Because You Love Me wish list.

RED WHITE AND BLUE: All things patriotic and that have to do with Independence Day aka The 4th of July.

ROMANTICALLY SHABBY: Because someday I will figure out how to make things look shabby and romantic and cool and not look like they are old and used and broken and like they should be in the dump and not decorating my home.

SECRET GARDEN: At some point I do hope I live somewhere that has Gods Green Earth for me to plant and kill some plants. I do not have a green thumb. Not even close. Nor do I currently have any earth to plant anything. All I have is a brick patio. Where I tend to plants that die. I want a nice garden so that when I find snails I can fling them over the fence into someone elses yard. And a spot where I can dump all the plants I've killed and make them into mulch.

SOUPS SANDWICHES AND PIZZAS: Another board that needs to be divided. Who knew I would find so many recipes for pizza's to pin, a food I have never actually made myself?

ST. PATRICK'S DAY: There are a whole lotta foods that shouldn't be green that are made green for this holiday and I must pin them all.

STEAMPUNK: In my mind I live in a Steampunk world and I dress Steampunk. And I look hot. In the real world I just pin Steampunk stuff. Because it's hot. And it's an obsession. Though if truth be told I own not one item of clothing or piece of jewelry or artifact that would be considered Steampunk. At least nothing I would admit to anyway.

TABLESCAPES: For all those dinner parties I don't have.

THANKSGIVING AND FALL: Lots of turkey stuff in here. Lots of brown too.

THE KITCHEN IS THE HEART: Which is under 'T' because that's the way Pinterest rolls. Word to those assigning board names...leave out "the". Anyway this is where I put photos of all those gourmet kitchens I wish I had to cook in along with some great ideas for storage, aprons and anything kitcheny.

THE LADIES ROOM: Bathroom. John. Commode. Water closet. Head. The Loo. Restroom. The Can. Lavatory. Crapper. Washroom. What they are commonly called. But I don't pin those types....I pin LADIES ROOMS. There is a difference. Trust me.

VALENTINES DAY: Anything to do with the holiday, foods in the shape of hearts, pink or red foods and ideas to make Mr. L smile since he always treats me well on Valentines Day and I need to give some of that love back.

WHAT WAS SHE THINKING: Because we all have a bit of a "Joan Ranger" in us and there are celebrities out there that really just don't look at themselves in a mirror before they walk out the door. Or they have the worst stylists ever. And yes, posting these photos makes me feel better about my fat pant days. Because wearing a pair of black fat pants is heads and tails better than these outfits!

WORTH A 1000 WORDS: Photos that I find interesting along with some camera and photography information.

WRAPPING AND PACKAGING IDEAS: Because some day I'm actually going to get birthday and Christmas packages wrapped before the actual day and time they need to be opened. So I'll have time to wrap things in all these pretty packaging ideas instead of stuffing them in gift bags with a piece of tissue paper. And because I truly wish to channel Martha Stewart at times.

Herein ends my Pinterest Board list. Which will change within weeks as I add more boards. Because Pinterest is an addiction. And I just shared mine so feel free to share yours. And because years from now I'll probably not remember why I started these boards so I'll need something to reference. Be calm and Pin on....

 

 

 

 

Sautéed Shrimp with Chardonnay-Dijon Cream Sauce

This Sauteed Shrimp with Chardonnay-Dijon Cream Sauce is one of the first dishes that I pinned that I actually made. I needed something quick last summer to make while we were on vacation, something that was tasty but wouldn't require too much effort (I mean really, after sleeping in, sitting on the deck all day reading, and watching movies I was just too tired to want to cook LOL).

I have no idea how I came across this recipe but I found it on a blog (that no longer seems active) called Cook By Your Wits. The recipe though, comes from Wolfgang Puck and has been written up in newspapers and such since 2006 (to coincide with the 78th Annual Oscars back then).

Mr. L and I really liked the sauce in this dish. Quick to put together, this makes a great weeknight meal and is a good way to use up any leftover Chardonnay you might have. Though the sauce is awesome, there really wasn't enough for us, especially since we had this as a main dish. We ended up with too much pasta (I used angel hair). Next time I would double the sauce.

 

SAUTEED SHRIMP WITH CHARDONNAY-DIJON CREAM SAUCE
(Wolfgang Puck)

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and White Pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup Chardonnay
1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Italian parsley, chopped
Pasta or rice, cooked

Pat shrimp dry and sprinkle with salt and white pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add oil. Add shrimp to pan in single layer. Let cook for about 2 minutes on one side. Turn over and cook about 2 minutes more. Do not overcook. Remove from pan and set aside, covered with foil to keep warm.

Raise heat under pan to high. Add wine and let reduce by half. Reduce heat and add cream. Reduce slightly and add mustard. Simmer about 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning.

Add the shrimp and parsley to the sauce and simmer briefly to heat up the shrimp. Serve with rice or pasta as entree, or by itself as a starter.

Serves 4.

Note: I of course used Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard.

Note: I didn't add the parsley to the sauce. It didn't state how much parsley so I didn't want to use too much and then completely forgot to put some in.

Note: We served this over angel hair pasta.

Note: To cut down calories in this dish, make the shrimp and sauce and then serve it over a bed of wilted spinach.

Again, loved the taste of the dish, but wished there had been more sauce. We plan on making this often. We tend not to be big white wine drinkers so there is usually some leftover Chardonnay when we open a bottle which will gladly be put to use in this dish.

This recipe came from my I SEAFOOD I EAT IT Pinterest Board.

 

Guess Where We Were

Guess Where We Were?

Ah. Maze. Ing.