Oh yes--they tasted as good as they looked!
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Friday, May 21, 2010
Playing With Fire
We let our boys play with fire tonight--it was just way too nice of an evening not to have homemade smores!
Oh yes--they tasted as good as they looked!
Oh yes--they tasted as good as they looked! 
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Our Disappearing Act
Wondering where we've been? Part of the answer is that Bryan & I discovered a new food that we just can't get enough of (OK, the credit goes to my in-laws, who had it at their house first.) We sit at night on the couch and eat it, night after night. It is the nectar of the gods!
I wouldn't have really even tried it at my in-laws house except that I tried a similar home-made recipe a few weeks ago at my neighbor's Pampered Chef party. Many of you know I am no cook and I am a super-picky eater. But I never could have imagined matching fruit with tomatoes and peppers could be SO GOOD! Here is the recipe for the Quesadilla Cups from the party--so easy that this mac-n-cheese mom can't even mess it up!
Quesadilla Cups with Nectarine Salsa
Ingredients:
4 oz monterey jack cheese (in a hurry?--use already cubed cheese)
3 6-in flour tortillas
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 medium firm ripe nectarine (can't find one?--use a peach)
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, drained & patted dry
1 serrano pepper, seeded (these can be hot--use sparingly if you aren't from Texas)
2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1 lime
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp honey (use to taste--original recipe does not call for this)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut cheese into cubes. Brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into 8 wedges each for a total of 24 wedges. Press tortillas into the cups of a mini-muffin tin and place 1 cheese cube into each. Bake 5-7 minutes or until the edges begin to brown and the cheese is melted.
For salsa, dice nectarine and red pepper. Juice in lime and mix into nectarine, peppers, onion, cilantro and salt. Add honey to taste if desired. Divide salsa into tortilla cups evenly. Serve immediately.
I'll show you what we've really been up to in a few days, or weeks (depending on the weather)--that's enough of a hint.
I wouldn't have really even tried it at my in-laws house except that I tried a similar home-made recipe a few weeks ago at my neighbor's Pampered Chef party. Many of you know I am no cook and I am a super-picky eater. But I never could have imagined matching fruit with tomatoes and peppers could be SO GOOD! Here is the recipe for the Quesadilla Cups from the party--so easy that this mac-n-cheese mom can't even mess it up!
Quesadilla Cups with Nectarine Salsa
Ingredients:
4 oz monterey jack cheese (in a hurry?--use already cubed cheese)
3 6-in flour tortillas
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 medium firm ripe nectarine (can't find one?--use a peach)
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, drained & patted dry
1 serrano pepper, seeded (these can be hot--use sparingly if you aren't from Texas)
2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1 lime
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp honey (use to taste--original recipe does not call for this)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut cheese into cubes. Brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into 8 wedges each for a total of 24 wedges. Press tortillas into the cups of a mini-muffin tin and place 1 cheese cube into each. Bake 5-7 minutes or until the edges begin to brown and the cheese is melted.
For salsa, dice nectarine and red pepper. Juice in lime and mix into nectarine, peppers, onion, cilantro and salt. Add honey to taste if desired. Divide salsa into tortilla cups evenly. Serve immediately.
I'll show you what we've really been up to in a few days, or weeks (depending on the weather)--that's enough of a hint.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
My Man Can COOK!
There is nothing sexier than a man who can cook. And my man can COOK! Our Christmas Eve dinner was one of the best dinners I've ever had--at home or at a restaurant! I was a little wary of the lobster tails he got "at a great price"--there's got to be a reason why they were so "on sale". He had a backup plan, though. Bone-in prime rib. Again, I underestimated him when he said he didn't have to start cooking it in the oven until early afternoon. I was under the impression that prime rib took all day at a very low temperature. Then again, I am a merely a master of macaroni & cheese and Spaghetti-Os.
So we feasted on the best prime rib, the best lobster tails, the best green beans I've ever made from scratch (yes, they were fresh green beans), and some of Bryan's signature seasoned potatoes. Do I have a picture?--no. Why?--because it smelled SO GOOD that I wasn't about to waste a few seconds grabbing the camera and snapping a few pics. Bryan got a few of the lobster tails before he cooked them--but it just doesn't do the meal justice. I've even DREAMED about how good it was, and I can't wait for him to make it all again! BRING BACK CHRISTMAS--I WANNA DO IT AGAIN!
So we feasted on the best prime rib, the best lobster tails, the best green beans I've ever made from scratch (yes, they were fresh green beans), and some of Bryan's signature seasoned potatoes. Do I have a picture?--no. Why?--because it smelled SO GOOD that I wasn't about to waste a few seconds grabbing the camera and snapping a few pics. Bryan got a few of the lobster tails before he cooked them--but it just doesn't do the meal justice. I've even DREAMED about how good it was, and I can't wait for him to make it all again! BRING BACK CHRISTMAS--I WANNA DO IT AGAIN!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Things People Do for Homemade Cookies
I've had cookies on the brain--don't know if it's because of the holiday season, or a womanly craving, (TMI?) but I am in the process of making my third batch in two days. It's funny all the attention I get from friends when I'm making cookies. I just updated my Facebook status to read "Jennifer is making more cookies today...this is what it takes to get people to visit! LOL!" And then I received a funny e-mail from our friend Scott:
A very old man lay dying in his bed. In death's doorway, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookie wafting up the stairs.
He gathered his remaining strength and lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands.
With labored breath, he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven.
There, spread out on newspapers on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip cookies.
Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?
Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table. The aged and withered hand, shaking, made its way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when he was suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife.
"Stay out of those," she said. "They're for the funeral."
A very old man lay dying in his bed. In death's doorway, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookie wafting up the stairs.
He gathered his remaining strength and lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands.
With labored breath, he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven.
There, spread out on newspapers on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip cookies.
Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?
Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table. The aged and withered hand, shaking, made its way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when he was suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife.
"Stay out of those," she said. "They're for the funeral."
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Secret Family Recipe
It is no secret that I love chocolate chip cookies. I can’t cook worth a crap, but I can make some great chocolate chip cookies. I got the recipe from my Mom. I fondly remember her making chocolate chip cookies for me when I was a kid, while I watched my favorite movie, Pete’s Dragon. I always make them for work functions & parties, and I always hear how good they are. Here’s a little tip on the secret recipe (turn the music off at the bottom of my blog first):
Monday, June 1, 2009
Graduation Re-Cap #3--Mid-Week
Re-Cap #2 ended with "I felt like royalty." So what did Ms. Hoffman and I do for the next evening? We wandered the streets until we found this restaurant--Georgia Brown's. Ms. Hoffman loves to ask her waiters to recommend the best dishes, so when she heard that Beyonce herself ordered the 'Louisiana "Devil" Shrimp', she just HAD TO HAVE IT!! Yes, Ms. Hoffman has a thing for all things Beyonce. Turns out this little joint was quite a hot spot for the stars who turned out for Obama's inauguration--our waitress rattled off a list of names and who-ordered-whats. The prices were reasonable for DC, and the food was excellent--so I see why they flocked there.
Meanwhile, life carried on at the Wrenn house. Brandon took a school field trip to the Living Museum, where the highlight of the day was a bird of prey pooping all over the floor during a demonstration. I snicker just typing that sentence. My sister drank all my beer, Tyler carried on with preschool and practicing his own graduation ceremony and Nick, well...Nick was Nick. Refuses to acknowledge that he needs to potty, so the boy will never be potty-trained. But Granny knew better--she made it a game and he couldn't resist. So she had him going every time, but it is such a chore to play this game every 30 minutes just to catch him in the act. Soooo, now that Granny is gone, he is back to where he was. Because we are lazy parents.
Return to DC, Wednesday(?) night. A bunch of us got together and ate at Fogo de Chao. O.M.G. I'm glad Bryan wasn't there because he probably would never have left. That place is Man-Heaven. Waiters running around with big sticks of various meats, carving it on the spot onto your plate until you say stop. All you can eat. And it was sooooo goooooood... (as I salivate all over my keyboard.) I'm fairly certain that we all ate our body weight that night.
Meanwhile, life carried on at the Wrenn house. Brandon took a school field trip to the Living Museum, where the highlight of the day was a bird of prey pooping all over the floor during a demonstration. I snicker just typing that sentence. My sister drank all my beer, Tyler carried on with preschool and practicing his own graduation ceremony and Nick, well...Nick was Nick. Refuses to acknowledge that he needs to potty, so the boy will never be potty-trained. But Granny knew better--she made it a game and he couldn't resist. So she had him going every time, but it is such a chore to play this game every 30 minutes just to catch him in the act. Soooo, now that Granny is gone, he is back to where he was. Because we are lazy parents.
Return to DC, Wednesday(?) night. A bunch of us got together and ate at Fogo de Chao. O.M.G. I'm glad Bryan wasn't there because he probably would never have left. That place is Man-Heaven. Waiters running around with big sticks of various meats, carving it on the spot onto your plate until you say stop. All you can eat. And it was sooooo goooooood... (as I salivate all over my keyboard.) I'm fairly certain that we all ate our body weight that night.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Stuffed French Toast
OK, here's that delicious recipe for the stuffed french toast my in-laws made for breakfast the other day--they used raisin swirl bread and no nuts, but I think we prefer cinnamon swirl bread and toasted pecans:
Cinnamon Bread (will use most of 2 loaves)
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
12 eggs
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups whole milk or evaporated milk
Extra cinnamon & nutmegPecans, if desired
Cut crusts from edges of bread slices. Place bread in 9” x 13” casserole dish, lining bottom of pan. Place cubes or thin slices of cream cheese on bread slices. Place second layer of bread on top of cream cheese. Add pecans, if desired. Beat eggs, milk, and maple syrup (all of it). Add extra cinnamon and nutmeg, if desired. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Serve with heated maple syrup.
Enjoy!
Cinnamon Bread (will use most of 2 loaves)
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
12 eggs
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups whole milk or evaporated milk
Extra cinnamon & nutmegPecans, if desired
Cut crusts from edges of bread slices. Place bread in 9” x 13” casserole dish, lining bottom of pan. Place cubes or thin slices of cream cheese on bread slices. Place second layer of bread on top of cream cheese. Add pecans, if desired. Beat eggs, milk, and maple syrup (all of it). Add extra cinnamon and nutmeg, if desired. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Serve with heated maple syrup.
Enjoy!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes
In my attempt to be more domesticated, I made these yummy pancakes from scratch this morning:
3 Tbs melted butter
4 Tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans (I actually used more than this)
Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl, except pecans; mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine the two mixtures together until just blended, then add the pecans. Spoon 1/4 cup of batter per pancake into a medium-hot skillet, and cook about 2 minutes on each side (enough to be golden brown). I kept the pancakes warm in a 200-degree oven until everyone was ready to eat. Serve them with butter & syrup--top with more pecans. I'm getting hungry just thinking about this...might try a waffle version later. Enjoy!
3 Tbs melted butter
4 Tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans (I actually used more than this)
Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl, except pecans; mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine the two mixtures together until just blended, then add the pecans. Spoon 1/4 cup of batter per pancake into a medium-hot skillet, and cook about 2 minutes on each side (enough to be golden brown). I kept the pancakes warm in a 200-degree oven until everyone was ready to eat. Serve them with butter & syrup--top with more pecans. I'm getting hungry just thinking about this...might try a waffle version later. Enjoy!
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