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Category Archives: Recipes

Chocolate covered roasted pecans

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Sherry L

This Mother’s Day Antonio surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of roses. They were actually purple!

He also got me a “Chocolate Lovers”gift basket filled with chocolate treats. It was loaded! There was way too much for me to eat, but he knows our kids all too well, because they were more than happy to help me with it. And they did.

Two days later, the basket was holding bananas!

By far, my favorite item was the chocolate covered pecans. They were amazing! No, really, they were that good. Upon biting into the cluster your tongue is hit with the sweetness of the milk chocolate mixed with a touch of white chocolate.  Then you feel a slight crunch of the pecan that has just the right amount of salt to contrast and compliment the chocolate.  (I’ve closed my eyes twice while typing, just to think about it) :)

After the first cluster the kids were warned to stay clear! But they were gone way too soon. So instead of doing like most would do and track them down to buy more, I decided to make my own.

Chocolate Covered Roasted Pecans

  • pecans (halves)
  • butter
  • milk chocolate
  • white chocolate
  • salt
  • wax paper
  1. Heat oven at 350
  2. Melt butter, sit half aside and  coat pecans
  3. Line baking sheet with foil and roast nuts approximately 10 minutes. Stir once to prevent burning.
  4. Nuts are done once they are fragrant.
  5. Coat pecans with remaining butter. Lightly toss with salt.
  6. Melt milk chocolate and coat pecans. Drop clusters of nuts onto wax paper to cool and harden.
  7. Melt white chocolate and drizzle over clusters.
  8. Let cool and harden.

(My kitchen was a bit warm so I needed to cool them in the refrigerator)

Hope you enjoy!

4 Comments

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Easy banana pudding

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Sherry L

I think I’ve mentioned before that I love bananas. Banana bread, banana milkshakes, banana chips, banana yogurt. Ok, I’ll stop now, because I just pictured myself as Bubba from Forest Gump!

The weird thing is that Baby J hates them. You give her banana flavored anything and it’s as if you slipped a her spoonful of castor oil! (Now that’s old school) And is something that as a kid I vowed that I would never give my kids!

This is her “No! Don’t make me eat bananas” face. :)

Anyways, my Mom and Dad were coming over so we cooked dinner and wanted an easy desert. So we went for this simple treat. It’s so easy that the Little One was my helper. And she did a great job.

Banana Pudding

  • 6-7 banana
  • 2 packages of instant vanilla pudding
  • milk
  • 1 box vanilla wafers
  1. Slice bananas up, making sure the thickness of the slices is fairly uniform.
  2. In a deep dish lay one layer of wafers and top with a layer of bananas.
  3. Repeat 3 to 4 times depending on how deep your dish is.
  4. Prepare pudding according to instructions on package.
  5. Pour immediately over bananas and wafers, and shake container to help pudding settle into the entire dish.
  6. Refrigerate (for as long as you can handle) :)

Hope you enjoy.

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Roasted yellow squash

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Sherry L

Summertime brings all sorts of good treats. And last summer I discovered a new favorite. Yellow squash. My parents started a garden and grew squash among other things.  They usually cook it sautéed, but I wanted a different method that resulted in a less mushy texture.

And this is the perfect dish. It’s healthy, quick and easy. I’ve cooked this dish four times already (and we never have leftovers)! It’s delicious and we can’t get enough. I found the recipe here.

Roasted Yellow Squash

  • 2 small to medium yellow squash per person
  • 1/2 onion per person
  • salt and pepper
  1. Preheat oven 425
  2. Trim the ends of the squash. Slice each squash into lengthwise slices.
  3. Spray a baking sheet with oil.
  4. Lay the slices on the cooking sheet in a single layer.
  5. Slice onion into thin wedges. Sprinkle them over the squash.
  6. Bake for about 15 minutes, until bottoms of squash begin to brown.
  7. Sprinkle with pepper and salt, turn each slice over, and bake until bottoms of squash are browned, about 15 minutes more.

 

It’s so easy!

Sweetened by the caramelized onions and perfectly seasoned with just salt and pepper. Almost too tasty to be good for you. Hope you enjoy.

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Pinterest challenge

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Sherry L

It’s that time again! I think I’ve mentioned before how much I love Pinterest. And I think I’ve also mention just how much I LOVE doing STUFF. :) It doesn’t matter, big or small, there’s always some type of project going on around here. Hey! I can’t help it.

Anyways, last fall I participated in the Pinterest Challenge (fall edition), hosted by a few of my favorite blogs YoungHouseLove and Bower Power. Well, they’re back again! This time they brought along  The Great Indoors and Hi Sugarplum! Stop by and give them a visit and check out the cool things others have done!

In short the point is to get moving and actually create some of the amazing ideas that you’ve pinned on Pinterest. So I did. But uhhhhhhhhhhhh. Well it’s still in progress :)  But I can tell you it involved a sheet of house insulation and 30 poster boards! Yeah.  Hold your horses people it’s coming.

But if you’re new here check out my other projects. And thanks for dropping by!!!

Money's DIY paint chip artwork

Paint chip art

Easy DIY bookshelf

Easy DIY bookshelf

Eggplant parmesan

Teriyaki chicken

Homemade pot pie

Play dough

The perfect steak

Marquee Letter (Pinterest challenge Fall edition)

Play kitchen  (Pinterest challenge Fall edition)

Oh, and because I’m cool like that,  you can follow me on Pinterest  here. You’re welcome. :)

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Eggplant Parmesan

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Sherry L

UPDATED:

Last fall I participated in the Pinterest Challenge (fall edition), hosted by a few of my favorite blogs YoungHouseLove and Bower Power. Well, they’re back again! This time they brought along  The Great Indoors and Hi Sugarplum! Stop by and give them a visit and check out the cool things others have done!

Here’s what I’ve been up to.

Roaming the produce section in the grocery store this weekend my eye was caught by the pretty color of an eggplant display. I don’t know when eggplant season is, but I don’t think I usually see them. Now this is almost embarrassing to admit, but I had never eaten eggplant. So in the spirit of trying new things (plus it didn’t hurt that a good-sized one only costs 99 cents) I bought one.

When I got it home we all kind of looked at it like, “oh, that’s what they look like”. :)

Since I was clueless about how to prepare it, I decided to turn to my new “go-to” source when all else fails: Pinterest. And it did not disappoint. There were tons of eggplant recipes. There was even an eggplant burger! But after browsing for a while we decided on the Eggplant parmesan. I figured it was close to a favorite that we already enjoy, so why not try it. (I found the recipe here). We made a few slight adjustments using what we had in the fridge by using a cheddar/mozzarella blend and browning the eggplant in vegetable oil instead of olive oil.

Eggplant Parmesan

  • 1 medium to large eggplant
  • 3 cups shredded cheese
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 table spoons of milk
  • 2 table spoons of parmesan cheese
  • 1 jar of classic tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 flour
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Peel eggplant and slice into circles
  3. Put eggs, milk, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper in bowl and whisk
  4. Coat piece of eggplant with flour, egg, then flour again and set aside
  5. Turn stove on medium heat. Heat enough oil to brown eggplant
  6. Brown eggplant on both sides and drain on a paper towel
  7. Repeat until all eggplant is cooked
  8. Put sauce in large bowl and add water, about 1/3 of jar, mix
  9. Cover bottom of  baking dish with sauce then layer with eggplant
  10. Sprinkle with cheese and repeat until pan is full
  11. Cover with tin foil bake 350 for 30 minutes

The recipe was fairly easy, but the thing is that it was a vegetarian meal. However, we are a MEAT EATTING family. As in the Little One’s favorite foods are chicken and bacon! But since we’re attempting to make healthier choices we tried it. And while we were being adventurous I allowed Monkey and Turtle D to cook it. Ummmmm.It was quite an experience to watch. Like an old episode of “I love Lucy” and “That’s So Raven” mashed together!

The verdict: It was great! It was filling and tasted like there was meat in it. Despite the utter goofy-ness in the kitchen while preparing it, Turtle D and Monkey did a great job.

Proof!

14 Comments

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Teriyaki chicken

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Sherry L

UPDATED:

Last fall I participated in the Pinterest Challenge (fall edition), hosted by a few of my favorite blogs YoungHouseLove and Bower Power. Well, they’re back again! This time they brought along  The Great Indoors and Hi Sugarplum! Stop by and give them a visit and check out the cool things others have done!

Here’s what I’ve been up to.

We all love a good home cooked meal. However, it may not be easy to have one prepared every day of the week. So instead of relying to the usual burger or pizza, I’ve decided to try meals prepared in my slow cooker. Thanks to Pinterest I already have a large collection of recipes to try out. This teriyaki chicken was my first attempt (I got the recipe here). It used ingredients I already had on hand, was easy to put together, made the house smell amazing and was delicious. I’ll definitely cook it again.

extra soy sauce that saved the day

Don’t you hate it when you’re all excited about doing something and then halfway thru it you realize that you don’t have everything you need? Well, this was the case while preparing this meal. I checked beforehand to make sure that I had all the ingredients only to realized later that I did not have ENOUGH soy sauce. Of course refusing to go to the store, I did something that I’m sure no self-respecting wanna be cook would do.  I relied on my savvy resourcefulness and pulled this trick out of my pocket (not literally, they were in the kitchen drawer). :)   (Thanks Monkey for always being so heavy-handed at the Chinese restaurant!)

CROCK POT TERIYAKI CHICKEN

  • 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
  •  3/4 cup sugar
  •  3/4 cup soy sauce
  •  6 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons cold water
  1. Place chicken in a 4 qt. slow cooker.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper.  Pour over chicken.
  3. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or until chicken is tender.
  4. Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm.
  5. Skim fat from cooking liquid.  Place liquid in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
  6. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth.  Gradually stir into liquid and stir until sauce is thickened.
  7.  Serve sauce over chicken and rice.

Hope you enjoy!

2 Comments

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Guava and cheese

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Sherry L

Heaven….. must taste like this. Well, maybe not exactly, but these are delicious! I grew up in Miami and lived not far from a Cuban bakery for quite some time. And although I didn’t learn much Spanish from my Cuban neighbors, I did find out about a few tasty treats.

And my favorite is guava and cheese, which is a puff style pastry that’s filled with guava paste and cream cheese.

It’s one of the things I miss most about Miami. Actually, 3/4 of the things I miss are food. Hmmm, is that bad?

Anyways, I used to stock up whenever I visited, but in my usual “I can to that” fashion I figured I’d try to whip up a batch myself.

Guava and cheese Recipe

  • cream cheese
  • guava paste or jelly
  • puff pastry or croissant dough (in can)
  • sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Let cream cheese come to room temperature.
  3. In a small bowl, mix guava paste/jelly until the consistency is easy to spread using a spoon or butter knife.
  4. Repeat in a separate bowl with the cream cheese.
  5. Roll out puff pastry, or croissants on floured surface.
  6. Spread a layer of cream cheese, followed by a layer of guava paste.
  7. Fold or close the pastry.
  8. Sprinkle with sugar.
  9. Bake on a grease cookie sheet according to packaging. Approximately 15 minutes, or until pastries are golden brown.
  10. Let cool to room temperature, or refrigerate. (though this is personal preference, I think everything is better cold.  But they can be served warm.)
They taste like the real thing! And are so easy that Monkey now bakes them by herself. If you’ve never had guava and cheese try the recipe. I promise it won’t disappoint.

2 Comments

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I can’t stop!

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Sherry L

A few months ago I found one of the most amazing things on the internet Pinterest! I’m sure most of you already know what it is, but if not, it’s basically a virtual

bulletin board that helps you to keep track and organize all the neat things you find on the web. It’s really cool because you can add anything you see online to your “boards” and can even browse thru other people’s.

You can check it out by clicking the link above. And I’ve also added a “follow me on Pinterest” button in the sidebar on the left of the screen. (down…down….there it is)

So now that I’ve found my new best friend, I use it for meal ideas, recipe finder, craft inspiration, decor themes, fitness motivation, new blog finder, well you get the point. There’s a lot to see and do.

So check it out, but beware, it’s kind of like watching the Lifetime movie channel on a cold and dark Saturday. Hours later you’ll wonder where the time went!

3 Comments

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It actually tastes like…..

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Sherry L

UPDATED:

Last fall I participated in the Pinterest Challenge (fall edition), hosted by a few of my favorite blogs YoungHouseLove and Bower Power. Well, they’re back again! This time they brought along  The Great Indoors and Hi Sugarplum! Stop by and give them a visit and check out the cool things others have done!

Here’s what I’ve been up to.

As the new year starts, we as a family have vowed to make conscious decisions on how we                                                                                           spend, and eat more wisely. So we’re attempting to try a new recipe at least once a week. And I’ll share the recipes and experience with you.

This weekend I decided to try to make homemade pot pies. I found a recipe here that looked simple enough. So I headed out to get the ingredients.

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

  • rotisserie chicken
  • bag of frozen mixed vegetables
  • 2-3 small red potatoes
  • 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
  • unbaked pie crust
  1. Preheat oven at 400 degrees.
  2. Bring water to a boil, add potatoes. Cook until tender.
  3. Remove all meat from the rotisserie. Shred or cut meat up into small pieces.
  4. In a large bowl, combine chicken, vegetables, potatoes and soup.
  5. Line the inside of  an oven safe dish with pie crust.                                                                                                                                                  (instead of a large family pie, I made smaller individual portions)
  6. Fill dish with chicken mixture.
  7. Cover with pie crust. Poke a few holes using a fork to vent.
  8. Cook for 45 minutes.

* careful, it will be very hot!

The verdict: As I was eating it I thought, “it actually tastes like… a pot pie!” :) So yeah, we loved them! I will  make these again. It was so easy! Next time I’ll try to make them a bit prettier and will try out a different combo of  ingredients. And as icing on the cake, it was cheap.

Chicken $6

Pie Crust $4

Potatoes $1

Frozen vegatable $1

Soup $2

Total= $14 for 7 serving!

3 Comments

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Buttermilk anyone?

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Sherry L

Have you ever tasted buttermilk? If not, it kind of tastes like 0ld milk that’s been siting out on the counter……all day…. in the summer….outside…    You get the point right? So the other day  I baked some rolls (more on that later) that I saw online and now I have almost the whole container left. And because I’m so cheap I feel compelled to use it.

While I was trying to find recipes that require buttermilk, Antonio came up with a pretty entertaining idea. He challenged the kids to drink a small cup of it. And of course their response was “what do we get?!” So the prize was $10 to drink about half a cup of the buttermilk. This is how it played out:

Monkey- accepted the challenge and it played out like a low budget version of Fear Factor. And after much theatrics she completed the task and collected her cash.

Dajzha- after much thought about how bad she really needed wanted$10, decided against it.

the Little One- her response to the challenge after smelling it was “Yuck! That’s nasty!”

Now that that’s done I still pretty much have the same amount of buttermilk left. So does anyone have a recipe that uses buttermilk?

5 Comments

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