recipe week : carrot & brown sugar souffle

Source: allrecipes.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

This recipe is serendipitous. I have no idea how I even found it, but I did, and it is now my favorite autumn dish. No kidding. And I'm not the kind of person to go crazy over veggie dishes typical at Thanksgiving. But this one? This is what I'm bringing to our Thanksgiving table this year. And the next.

The recipe as given below is what our family adjusted and prepared from the original allrecipes.com recipe. 

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lb whole carrots
optional: substitute 1/2 lb carrot with sweet potato, peeled & chopped
1/2 cup butter, softened over an hour
3 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda


METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).

Bring a stockpot of salted water to a boil. Cook carrots until tender, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and drain well.

Place all the ingredients in a food processor* and pulse to puree. Outcome should be smooth with no chunks.

Pour carrot mixture into a 1 quart, round baking dish. Place the dish inside a larger dish with 1 inch of water to prevent burning the bottom of the souffle.

Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 1 hour** or until firm.

Sprinkle brown sugar over the top and serve immediately.

NOTES
*You can also mash up the cooked carrots with a potato masher and then mix the ingredients in a large bowl using a mixer, as I did (we don't have a food processor)

**I set my timer for 50 minutes to ensure I don't burn the dish. If it jiggles a bit or looks wet in the center, I put it in for the final 10 minutes.


Seriously, folks, I almost didn't share this one because I want to be associated with it whenever I need to bring food, but since I didn't create it in the first place, I thought that level of selfishness best reserved for a future recipe. Ha!


THUS, I'm not offering three additional recipes of interest today because I think this one must stand alone.

Yes. It is that good. Are you making it yet???


icj,
~j


P.S. Alright now, SO MANY PEOPLE stopped me, called me, emailed me to tell me they are loving this recipe week and they especially want to try the One-Dish. Friends, comment. Let others be encouraged by your brilliance:) Let's get this community gabbing!

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recipe week : rhubarb sauce over vanilla ice cream

photo source

You may perish happily after eating this dish. I recently served it to the priest who presided at our wedding and the couple who led us through engagement when they recently came over for drinks and desserts. At first they weren't sure about the combination but upon the first bite, they were won over by the delightful differences in texture, the richness of the ice cream, and the caramel hint in the sauce.

But hurry, rhubarb season is coming to a close if it isn't already in your area. If you run to the store today, you can serve this up tonight and wow your friends or family!

Important: This recipe calls for brown sugar. Most call for white. I find the brown adds the right bend.

RHUBARB SAUCE OVER VANILLA ICE CREAM 
INGREDIENTS

2 rhubarb stalks
2-4 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
vanilla ice cream
optional: 2 drops red food coloring

METHOD:

Clean rhubarb stalks and slice once lengthwise. Chop into very thin slices. The thinner the better.

Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. As soon as the butter is melted, add the rhubarb. Cook one minute, stirring constantly. Add brown sugar. It will take a few minutes for the rhubarb juice to release and add its liquid to the sauce. Wait for it, stirring constantly so the sugar doesn't burn. If after 5 minutes it still feels seems too thick, add 1/2 tbsp butter slices at a time as you see fit. Optional, add red food coloring. I added one drop just to make it pop a bit on the ice cream.

Stir constantly for 10-15 minutes. When the rhubarb slices can be easily mashed, remove from heat and transfer to a glass bowl. Mash slightly if desired.

Scoop ice cream into bowls. Drop sauce over each mound. Serve immediately.

THREE RECIPES TO TRY:
Rhubarb & Berry Sauce
Roasted Rhubarb Salad
Rhubarb Pie


Have a lovely Tuesday, friends!

icj,
j

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recipe week : sweet & sausage one-dish dinner

Source: peanutblossom.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

This week is all about real recipes. We're keeping it approachable and in season, so everything I highlight this week might be just the ticket right now in your own home.

We have a one-dish dinner, a sweet dessert sauce, a surprising souffle, the perfect fall cookies, and vegetable chips, not to mention three links per day of food we haven't yet tried!

Our first recipe is the one-dish dinner:

The recipe as given below is what our family adjusted and prepared from the original peanutblossom recipe. 


SWEET & SAUSAGE ONE-DISH DINNER 
INGREDIENTS

4 sweet Italian sausages
1-2 lb. small red and gold potatoes
1 sweet potato
1-2 honeycrisp apple
Olive oil, course kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tsp dried thyme (recommend crushing it)

METHOD:

Set your oven to 425.

Peel the sweet potato. Chop into large chunks. Quarter the red and gold potatoes (don't peel). Chop the onion into larger strips/chunks.

Place potatoes into your baking dish (ours is 9 x 13 metal) and coat with olive oil, salt, & pepper. Add onions on top. Repeat salt & pepper. Lay sausages directly on top of the bed of potatoes and onions. Place in the oven for 40 minutes.

Chop apple(s).

At the buzzer, turn the sausages over to brown on the other side & give the potatoes & onions a little movement to prohibit sticking & burning. Sprinkle apples on the very top. Add olive oil, salt, & pepper as desired. Bake 10 minutes.

Serve warm. Reheats well.

The original recipe calls for spicy mustard as a dip. We didn't do this but will try it next time.


We LOVED this dish. The perfect blend of flavors. I normally don't like one-dish dinners, but this will be a repeat for sure this season!


THREE ADDITIONAL RECIPES:
Roasted Chicken with Green Beans
Chicken, Snow Pea & Cashew Fried Rice
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans

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diy : family cookbook

Source: memoriesoncloverlane.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

What a brilliant and totally attainable endeavor! Here's what I love about the idea, and then keep reading to see how we're going to organize and thus gather our own family memories recipes!

1. The pictures are personal, attractive, and relate to the recipes.
2. The style in which the recipe is written is my favorite style: simple, minimalistic, and easy to cook from.
3. Affordable, lifelong, collectible book.
4. The possibilities are endless!!!

I'm starting to compile our recipes today.

1. By Season first and in this order: Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer
2. Within the Season, in this order: Vegetable, Meat, Grains & Pastas, Baked Goods, Cocktails
3. A List section for specific holidays: Harvest,* Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Epiphany, Valentine's, St. Patrick's, Easter, July Fourth, and Birthdays General.
4. A Meal List: I love how Mireille Guiliano and Jamie Oliver present their recipes within a greater meal plan.
5. Each Recipe will include: Source, Prep & Cook times, Age-appropriateness (as in, this was made when the kids were such and such ages), and the Meal in which it was enjoyed.
6. As often as possible, a photo to accompany the dish. Preferably as freaking amazing as Clover Lane's!

NEXT WEEK is ALL ABOUT FOOD. I'm finally reviewing the French Kids Eat Everything brilliance, discussing how we plan our meals each month, and more!

icj,

~j

p.s. Sorry for the late post. Last night was the first in which I got more than 4 hours of sleep the whole night, and we had our music class this morning. I've had a headache for 2 full weeks, but I'll be darned if today isn't looking up!

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ten day challenge : three recipes

Everybody needs a few good recipes in their arsenal. I've chosen the following three to try in the next 10 days because they look like they taste delicious and I've never had them before.

I dare you. Double-dog dare you to try at least one and get back to us.

Recipe #1: Portobella Mushroom Burger

Source: nutritionistinthekitch.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Recipe #2: Zucchini & Mozzarella Chips

Source: nutritionistinthekitch.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Recipe #3: Romano, Herb & Oil Mashed Cauli

Source: savearecipe.blogspot.ca via Jennifer on Pinterest

I'm so excited! I get excited about food lately. Anyone tried one of these before?

icj,
`j

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raspberry almond cake : another roost masterpiece

Source: roostblog.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Recently Hawk and I had the pleasure of attending the Sigmon wedding at which they served 10 cakes from local bakeries. I tasted two, the only two I wanted to taste (why ruin a good dessert with too much variety?): the raspberry almond and vanilla almond cakes.

When I discovered that my favorite food blogger, Roost, has embarked on the adventure of writing her first cookbook (I CANNOT WAIT), I popped over there and found this recipe to share with you. I hope to make it very soon, though I admit, our food budget is in a rough spot. I've drastically altered the way I shop after reading French Kids Eat Everything, so I have less expendable finances for even more delectible goodies.

Someday. Someday I will wear JCrew and Madewell on a regular basis, my hair will look appropriate to my age, and I will be an amazing cook with a budget for food that brings non-family people to our table daily and sends us all to sleep with happy, full bellies. In the meantime, enjoy!

 icj, ~j

from ROOST BLOG:  Raspberry Almond Cake (makes 1-9inch bundt cake)

***NOTE: If you use Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour your cake may be more moist and stick to the pan. I encourage you to use Honeyville Brand.

• 6 cups almond flour ( I used Honeyville)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 6 eggs
• 1 cups ghee, or oil of our choice
• 3/4 cups honey
• 2 tsp pure almond extract
• 1 pint fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9inch non stick bundt pan.

Combine dry ingredients into a bowl. Whisk wet ingredients in a separate bowl then add to dry ingredients until a smooth batter has formed.

Gently fold in raspberries into batter and pour into greased pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle. After 30 minutes of baking place a sheet of tin foil over pan to prevent the cake from getting to brown (almond flour browns very easily).

Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for at least 45 minutes. Flip cake onto a cake stand or plate and drizzle with glaze.

Coconut Butter Glaze

• 1 cup coconut butter
• 1 TBS honey 

Combine honey and coconut butter into a bowl. Place into the warm oven until the coconut butter soften significantly. Once it has softened to a pourable consistency drizzle over cooled cake and serve. 

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food : recipes by season (!!!)

Source: roostblog.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Oh goodness, friends, I went back to my favorite food blog, Roost, and found that she's organized her recipes according to seasons.

Okay, let me say what is always on the tip of my tongue these days: I read Bringing Up Bebe, then French Women Don't Get Fat, and finally, the most influential, French Kids Eat Everything, by Karen Le Billon--and it (they) changed my entire perspective of food. No need for hyperbole. That is the simple truth.

Now, I cook according to season (and so much more). So though I really want to make a warm lentil soup, anything warm with nutmeg and more, I'm waiting because those are autumn recipes and should be savored, both in flavor and aroma, in autumn.

Oh friends, I do hope you will take advantage of her listings. I'm very excited to finally sort through them as I'm living. Whatever I make, I'll list here!

In the meantime, I'm making this bruschetta & proscuitto bread, and beet, almond, & cheese for lunch tomorrow!

Have a lovely weekend, friends. Remember to comment for the August photo edit win...

icj,
~j

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recipe :: fish for non-fish-lovers

mustard-roasted snapper :: from ina garten

Ever since I knelt on the class goldfish in kindergarten I've hated eating fish. I could catch it, kill it with a lead pipe (it was Alaska), clean it, prepare it, and serve it -- but I hated to eat it. I've managed orange roughy, the 3-hour-old salmon I'd just caught, and really good Wisconsin fish fries if they're accompanied by a lot of beer.

But because of the book French Kids Eat Everything, by Karen le Billon, I am now preparing a variety of foods in a variety of combinations and cooking methods. This book seriously changed my life. Our lives. But more on that in the coming weeks.

So I planned on this mustard-roasted fish recipe, picked up red snapper at Sendik's ($13 bucks for a large filet!), some creme fraische (because I forgot to make it) and a side dish of fennel. We froze the fish until last night when Hot Uncle Dave came over to help me hang a few curtain rods. We never made it to the hanging, but we enjoyed this delicious dish with some Infamous Goose 2011 Sauvignon Blanc.

mustard-roasted snapper :: from ina garten, back to basics, p136-7

16 oz fish fillets such as red snapper (original calls for four 8-oz fillets)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (original calls for Kosher salt)

8 oz creme fraiche

3 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp whole-grain mustard

2 tbsp minced shallots

2 teaspoons drained capers

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the fish fillets skin side down on sheet pan.

Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Combine all remaining ingredients plus 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a smal bowl.

Spoon sauce evenly over fillets, completely covering fillets.

Bake for 10-15 minutes (we did 12 in a gas oven) until it's barely done. Don't over cook it. The fish should flake easily at its thickest part.

Serve hot or at room temperature with sauce spooned from the pan over the top.

We served it with, but not over, brown rice, spooning the sauce over both separately. This allowed us to really taste the fish (another great lesson from French Kids Eat Everything). I also made a side of Fennel Braised with Ginger from French Women for All Seasons. I'll try to include that recipe soon.

I really loved this recipe. Our 19-month-old ate 4 bites easily and I devoured the whole thing. Perfect recipe for first-time fish cooking, and the perfect recipe for people like me who dislike fish in general but want to cook something great and worth eating.

Please let us know if you try it!!!

icj,

~j

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the bakery : honey & lavender cake

At first I wasn't sure about the combination of honey and lavender in a cake, but you've just got to try this! I'm making mine tomorrow. Found at DesignSponge, by Alia & Scout.

Source: m.designsponge.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

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for sick days // homemade easy chicken noodle soup

You know how great Campbell's condensed chicken noodle soup is (admit it, you still make it for yourself), but how it doesn't always cut it now that you're an adult? Sometimes you want more substance, but you don't want to leave the house to get it? Or, like me, you don't want to drag a poor little guy to the store on yet another jaunt?

This weekend when we got sick yet again and Hawk was in Nashville, I couldn't bear the thought of heading outside. So I looked through my cupboards knowing I at least had chicken broth and noodles. Throwing in a few more items allowed me to come up with a yummy yummy quick-and-easy soup that just goes to show that if I can cook, anyone can.

thishawksnest easy chicken noodle soup

ingredients:

24-36 oz. chicken broth : I used Swanson's 30% lower sodium

2 cups noodles : I used whole wheat rotini

1/2 cup raw carrots, chopped : I used baby cut

1/4 cup white onions, chopped

celery salt (this one is key!)

salt to taste: I use kosher coarse

pepper to taste: freshly ground if you have it

I didn't include any meat because, again, I was thinking EASY and cooking even one chicken breast didn't meet that requirement.

I threw the onions and spices into the half the broth and brought them to a boil. I added the noodles, spices, carrots and the rest of the broth and cooked until the noodles were ready.

This morning, Ace and I are making another batch because I'm just not getting better, and I swear, after eating this the first time, I felt instantly better.

Hope you don't need it this week but if you do, I hope it helps to warm you up!

icj,

~j

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easy recipe : spicy potato beef soup

Hawk loves his beef. I've tried to sneak in turkey, veggies, and tofu, but he always finds the culprit and after a few bites, makes mac and cheese or a pizza. And with all our recent traveling (almost a month's worth shooting from here to there), our grocery budget is tight. I knew I wanted fresh fruit, veggies, and potatoes, so I spent the majority of our remaining $50 on those goodies. 


So my challenge for last night's meal: create a beef-centered main dish with all the ingredients I already have. Allrecipes.com to the rescue (again)!


It was delicious. I had to substitute garlic for the onions (only 2 cloves for one whole onion), twice the amount of sriarcha for tabasco, and I added whole barley and a little paprika for fun.

ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (we use 93% lean)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 4 cups cubed potatoes
• 3 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce (we used a 29 oz can)
• 2 teaspoons salt (we used 3)
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions

1. Brown beef and onion, drain.
2. Add water, pepper, potatoes, tomato sauce, salt, and Tabasco sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer one hour or until potatoes are tender and soup is thick.

I'll include a photo later today when I reheat it for lunch!

icj,

~j

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kids crafts and such

I am always appreciative and in search of great kids activities even though my little guy isn't quite old enough for most of them. I'm hoping to get ahead instead of facing some crazy Thursday morning with freezing weather (or torrential rain) and nothing fun for us to do together.

So here are my recent favorites from my pinterest board, my kids play. Enjoy!

paint and playdough recipes

Source: sixtysecondparent.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

water balloon paint the driveway

Source: playathomemom3.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

dragon tails

Source: grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

how to paint with kids

Source: tphblog.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Happy Tuesday, friends! Please link up or include another in your comments!

icj,

~j

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the bakery : iced pumpkin cookies

Welcome back to the bakery, friends, where I try to fill our Friday home with the aroma of something warm and delicious and share the triumphs and terribles with you. 


Today: Iced Pumpkin Cookies

One of my former roommates used to make these fabulous pumpkin cake/scone/cookies. I wanted the recipe, but she indicated it was a family secret. Good news for you: I found the exact recipe online. I want to hoard it for myself, but that rather defeats the purpose of someone else generously posting it in the first place. Don't want to be the kindness killer, now do I?


And if you think pumpkin is not for you, think again. These muffin/cookie/cupcake thingies will have you at hel-loh.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar (or you can substitue 1/2 cup of the white with brown)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Original Recipe

Bit of advice:

1. Don't overbake.

2. Don't store in an airtight container; the pumpkin adds so much moisture, you'll have squishy stuff instead of delectable.

3. Make sure the frosting is on the thicker side or it will slip down onto your plate and leave your cookie topless. E-gads.

4. If you run out of nutmeg or cloves (as I did) you can substitute allspice at the same ratio, but you'll still need to add the regular amount of cinnamon.

Other than that, enjoy! And if I know you personally and we're going to the same party anytime between September 1 and January 10, I will spit on your iced pumpkin cookies if you bring them. 

I'm half joking.

icj,

~j

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