Archives for October 2012

SRC:Brown Sugar Granola

October 29, 2012 by Lynsey 13 Comments

For this month’s secret recipe club swap, I was assigned Finding Joy in My Kitchen. “SnoWhite” is a doctor by day and cook by night. She started cooking as a hobby during graduate school mainly as a way to maintain her food allergy and since then it’s turned into so much more. Her love of cooking started way before school; her mom and grandmothers all enjoyed cooking and were very good at what they did. They have played a roll in her joy of cooking and are an inspiration to her while in the kitchen.

After browsing through a multitude of recipes, I finally decided on this recipe for brown sugar granola. We’ve been on a granola kick lately and this seemed like it would be perfect for fall! Another reason I decided on granola, is because my little man ALWAYS wants a snack after school and I’ve been looking for more healthy alternatives to give him for the ride home. What’s better than granola? Plus, he loves it. It’s a win win; it’s healthy, tastes good and he enjoys it!

This granola is packed full of flavor and the brown sugar and cinnamon flavors truly do remind me of all the goodness of fall. Granola is perfect as a snack, but it’s also great in cereal, on yogurt, applesauce, pearsauce, ice cream and so on. There are so many things that you can do with granola, the options are endless, the only limit is your imagination! I love homemade granola because you get to control the ingredients and customize it to your tastes; the options and add-ins are endless!

Brown Sugar Granola

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 + 2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp water
1/2 Tsp roasted Siagon cinnamon
2 Cups oats
3 Tbsp flax seeds
1 Cup pecans, roughly chopped
1 Cup raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Place butter, brown sugar, and water in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar, once sugar has dissolved allow mixture to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Once the mixture has simmered remove from heat.

Meanwhile, place oats, flax seeds, and pecans in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the cinnamon and stir. Once the brown sugar and butter have simmered, pour over the oats and stir to coat completely.

Transfer granola to prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Place in preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, stir and return to oven for 5 more minutes. Turn oven off, remove granola and stir and return to oven. Allow granola to sit in cooling oven for an additional 20-30 minutes and stir every 5-8 minutes, ensuring it doesn’t get too brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Add raisins, stir and transfer to airtight containers.

Recipe source: adapted from Finding Joy inMy Kitchen

DB: Mille-Feuille

October 29, 2012 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Our October 2012 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Suz of Serenely Full. Suz challenged us to not only tackle buttery and flaky puff pastry, but then take it step further and create a sinfully delicious Mille Feuille dessert with it!

Puff pastry is one of my all-time-favorite pastries. The light, fluffy, flakiness is amazing and there’s simply nothing like it. Since I enjoy this pastry so much, this challenge was right up my alley. It seems only fitting that I should make this at home since I enjoy it so much. Puff pastry is delicious on it’s own, but it can be filled with a variety of fillings, sweet or savory, and that enhances the flavor that much more.

In this challenge we not only made puff pastry, we also filled it with delicious pastry cream and topped it frosting and chocolate. I mean, it doesn’t get any better than this! This dessert is amazing; sweet but not overwhelming sweet. It’s the perfect way to end any meal and it doesn’t leave you feeling weighed down.

Daring Bakers Mille-Feuille

Ingredients:

Puff Pastry-
1 3/4 Cup all-purpose flour
Scant 1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp cold water
14 Tbsp butter, room temperature
3 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Pastry Cream-
2 Cups whole milk
1/4 Cup cornstarch
3/4 Cup + 3 Tbsp sugar
4 Large egg yolks
2 Large eggs
1/4 Cup unsalted butter, cubed
2 Tsp vanilla

For the frosting-
2 3/4 Cups confectioner’s sugar
2 Tsp lemon juice
2 Large egg whites

For topping-
1/2 Cup dark chocolate

Directions:

Puff Pastry-
Place 1 3/4 cups of flour in a large bowl and cut in 1/4 cup cubed butter. Lightly rub the flour and butter between your fingertips until it forms a mealy crumb texture. Slowly add the cold water, and using a fork work the water into the flour mixture until the ingredients begin to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. As the dough begins to come together, use your hands to knead the dough and to pull in the remaining, unmixed bits. If the dough seems a bit dry, add more water 1/2 teaspoon at a time.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 3 minutes, until smooth. Wrap kneaded dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Allow dough to chill for at least 30 minutes.

While the dough is chilling combine 14 tablespoons of butter, room temperature, with 3 1/2 tablespoons flour. Mix to form a paste. Place the paste between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, using a rolling pin, roll into a 4 1/2 inch square. Place paste in the refrigerator and chill 10-15 minutes, until slightly firm but still pliable.

Once the dough has chilled, turn out onto a floured surface and roll to form a 6 inch square. Place the paste in the center of the square, with each corner touching the center of the outer edge of the dough. Fold each corner of the dough over the butter paste, so that all the corners meet in the center. Using fingers, seal the seams together.

Keep work surface well floured. Turn the dough over and roll into a rectangle that is 1/4 of an inch in thickness. Take the shorter part of the rectangle, and fold 1/3 over to the inside of the rectangle, ensure it’s covering the middle portion of the rectangle. Fold the outer flap of the rectangle to cover the middle of the rectangle, leaving you with a 3-layers pieces of dough. Repeat process once more, wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove dough from refrigerator, repeat process twice more, wrap and chill for another 30 minutes. Repeat process two more times, wrap and refrigerate until needed. (the dough will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator)

Pastry Cream-

Combine the cornstarch and milk in a medium bowl, and stir to combined, until cornstarch is dissolved.

Place remaining 1 1/2 cups milk in a saucepan, along with the sugar and stir to dissolve. Once the sugar has dissolved bring the milk to a boil then remove from heat.

Add the 2 whole eggs to the cornstarch mixture, and whisk to combine. Add the egg yolks, whisk again. Stirring constantly, add 1/3 cup of hot liquied to the egg mixture. Bring the remaining milk back to a boil and add the egg-cornstarch mixture to the boiling milk, stirring constantly. Continue whisking, and heat mixture until it begins to thicken. Remove saucepan from heat and vigorously whisk the pastry cream until smooth. Add the butter and vanilla and whisk until completely incorporated.

Transfer pastry cream into a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, ensuring the the plastic wrap is touching the top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Place in the refrigerator and chill overnight.

To assemble-

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Lightly dust workspace with flour, and remove dough from the refrigerator. Roll into a rectangle that is 12×18. Cut into 3 equal pieces and place on prepared baking sheet. Using a fork, poke holes into the pastry sheets, this prevents the pastry from puffing up too much. Place another piece of parchment paper over the top of the pastry, then place a heavy baking sheet over the top of the puff pastries. ( If you don’t have a heavy baking sheet, simply place a baking sheet over the puff pastry, then place a glass (oven safe) dish on the baking sheet)

Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and transfer to wire cooling racks and allow to cool completely.

Place one layer of cooled puff pastry onto a large, flat platter or baking sheet. Top with half of the pastry cream. Place a second sheet of puff pastry on the pastry cream and top with remaining pastry cream, top with the remaining piece of puff pastry, and gently press. Place in the refrigerator.

While the puff pastry is chilling make the frosting and melt the chocolate.

For the frosting-
Combine egg whites and lemon juice and whisk on high until slightly frothy. Gradually add the sugar and whisk on medium-low until combined and frosting is smooth. It should be thick but still drizzle-able. If it’s too thick add a touch of water, if it’s too thin add more sugar.

For the chocolate-
Place in a microwave safe dish and melt, in 30 second increments, stirring between each interval. Once it’s completely melted, carefully transfer to a piping bag and set aside.

Pour the frosting over the top of the chilled pastry. Working quickly, carefully pipe thin lines of chocolate across the length of the pastry. Using a knife or wooden pick, drag the tip from the top of the pastry to the bottom, dragging the lines of chocolate. Return to the refrigerator and allow to chill for 2 hours. When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator, using a sharp knife cut pieces and serve.

Funfetti Sandwich Cookies

October 26, 2012 by Lynsey 1 Comment

Before I start, let me clarify, I have never met a sweet I didn’t like but I do have a few favorites. I believe one of my all-time favorites when I was a child was funfetti; it could be cake or cupcakes, it didn’t matter. Just as long as it was funfetti! To this day, I still love funfetti. I’m not sure if it’s the actual cake that I love or if it’s the memories from my childhood that I get flooded with from the very first bite. Either way, it’s still a favorite of mine.

Plus, what’s not to love about funfetti? It’s fun, colorful and will bring a smile to anyone’s face. I’ve been yearning for funfetti for quite some time now. One of my friends even made me a funfetti cake for my birthday just to quench my craving. How sweet was that?!? After she made my cake for me, I had the urge to make something funfetti myself. Then I saw these cookies on Josie’s blog and I knew they would be the perfect thing to quench that urge to bake…and to eat some more funfetti, of course. Plus the timing of all this couldn’t have been more perfect. Tucker was getting ready to promote from one class to another at daycare, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bake something sweet for his class for their “end of the year” party. I know, these were perfect, right?

The cookies were amazing. Not only did Spencer and I enjoy a few, I mean they did have to go through quality control first, but Tucker enjoyed one right after I finished making them too. We all agreed, we were in love! They were also a hit with his class and with everyone at the daycare that tried them. They are soft, slightly chewy, full of ~~sprinkles~~ funfetti and oh. so. good. The cookies themselves are delicious, but that frosting, it makes it. It’s light, fluffy, and the perfect amount of sweetness and bursting with fun colors for more funfetti. I promise, this is enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face. It is funfetti after all!

Funfetti Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients:

For the cookies-
1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 Tsp vanilla extract
1 Egg
1 Egg yolk
2 Cups cake flour
2/3 Cup all-purpose flour
3/4 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Cup colored sprinkles

For the frosting-
10 Tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 Cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 Tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1/3 Cup colored sprinkles

Directions:

For the cookies-
In a medium bowl sift together the cake flour, all-purpouse flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

Place softened butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat on high until creamed, about 3-5 minutes. Once the butter and sugar are creamed; add the vanilla extract, melted butter, egg, and egg yolk and mix thoroughly until combined. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low until all the flour is added, and ingredients are fulling incorporated. Add the sprinkles, using a spatula fold sprinkles into the cookie dough.

Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and place if the refrigerator. Refrigerate dough at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. Using a cookie scoop (mine was about 1 1/2 tablespoons), scoop the dough and place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Place in preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan half way through. The cookies should be just beginning to brown on the bottom and slighly firm on the tops. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to cooling racks to allow to cool completely. Repeat this process with remaining cookie dough.

For the frosting-
Place butter in a large bowl and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce mixing speed to low and gradually add the confectioner’s sugar and mix until just combined, increase mixing speed to medium and mix about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and cream and mix on medium-high for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Gently fold in the sprinkles.

Transfer frosting to a large piping bag, set aside.

To assemble-
First, pair up cookies by size and shape. Carefully pipe frosting onto one cookie, gently and firmly place the other cookie onto the frosting. Gently press to spread the frosting to the edges. Repeat process until all the sandwiches are made.

Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Recipe source: Pink-Parsley, cookies adapted from Yammies Noshery, frosting adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

WC: Roasted Tomato, Mozzerella, and Spinach Sandwiches

October 19, 2012 by Lynsey 8 Comments

Caprese salad is one of my all time favorites. It’s such a simple salad with simple ingredients; spinach (or basil), tomatoes, mozzerella and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, but it’s so delicious, flavorful and refreshing. So needless to say, when summer rolls around and we have tons of ripe, red tomatoes on the vine I am one happy girl! Although it’s not summer anymore we still have tons of tomatoes in our garden. Not sure if we have magic dirt or if it’s just a benefit of living in Arkansas and having ever changing weather; from day to day! Either way, I will take it because it’s that much longer I can enjoy my beloved caprese salad.

While caprese salad is amazing on it’s own, over the past few months I’ve seen these simple ingredients incorporated into recipes and they all look amazing. This sandwich is one of those recipes I’ve been eyeing and wanting to try for quite some time. And now I’m finally getting to! For this round of the What’s Cooking recipes swap it was blogger’s choice. What that means is we get to choose the recipe we make from our assigned blog. It didn’t take me long to figure out what I was going to make from Kate’s blog, that’s right this roasted tomato, mozzerella and spinach sandwich!

Boy, did this sandwich ever live upto my expectations. It was incredible! My only issue is why I waited so long to make this. I loved every single thing about this sandwich, even better is it’s a sinch to throw together. The roasted tomatoes added so much flavor. You could give me a fork and pan of roasted tomatoes and I would gladly eat them. All. Don’t worry, I didn’t, I saved them for the sandwiches. Okay, back to the sandwich. The roasted tomatoes are stacked on top of the fresh mozzerella, and the heat from tomatoes slighlty melts the mozzerella and that makes the sandwich that much better. A drizzle of that candy-like balsamic, a little spinach and another piece of toasted bread. Oh my gosh, it’s so good and it doesn’t get much better than this sandwich! I served this on whole clove garlic bread from a local bakery, and it just added that much more flavor to the meal. Serve this sandwich with your favorite soup and you’ve got a light, tasty and flavorful meal in no time!

Roasted Tomato, Mozzerella, and Spinach Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 Large tomato
1/2 Cup baby spinach
5 Oz fresh mozzerella, sliced slighlty thin
Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
4 Thick slices crusty bread

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Thickly slice the tomato, slices should be about 1/4 inch thick. Place tomatoes on prepared baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a large skillet over low-medium heat and allow to preheat. Once skillet is warm, drizzle one side of each piece of bread with olive oil and place oiled side down in the preheated pan. Allow to toast until golden, about 2-3 minutes. Drizzle the tops with olive oil and flip each piece, allow to toast an additional 2-3 minutes, until golden. Remove from heat.

To assemble-
Place equal amounts of mozzerella on 2 pieces of toasted bread. Top the mozzerella with tomoatoes. Place the spinach on the empty pieces of bread. Drizzle the tomatoes, to taste, with balsamic vinegar. Place the spinach and bread on top of the tomatoe and mozzerella topped bread. Serve.

Recipe source: adapted from Kate’s Recipe Box, originally from BBC Good Food

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

October 17, 2012 by Lynsey 1 Comment

Are you ever faced with that terribly hard decision of making a choice between cinnamon rolls or pancakes for breakfast? I know I’m faced with this difficult decision quite often. Terrible, right? I know! Well, for all of you that face that battle of having to choose between light and fluffy pancakes or gooey, creamy and sweet cinnamon rolls your days of struggle are over. Yes, that’s right. I have the perfect solution for your delima; cinnamon roll pancakes! You heard right; cinnamon. roll. pancakes!

Folks, these are just as good and dreamy as they sound. It’s the perfect mix of fluffy pancakes, with just he right amount of cinnamon and brown sugar swirled in and then topped of with a drizzle of rich, gooey and sweet cream cheese glaze. While these don’t, and won’t, be making a regular appearance on our breakfast table, these are the perfect thing to serve your family for a fun twist on a normal breakfast. These are also a great way to dress up a normal pancake. Not that there is anything wrong with an incredibly delicious, plain pancake but it is fun to change it up from time to time!

I had a blast making these and I think Spencer and Tucker has just as much fun devouring them. Yes, my boys literally devoured them! I honestly couldn’t get them out of the pan and on the plate fast enough. Although these were fairly quick to whip up, if you’re in a time pinch or just want to cut some corners it’s perfectly fine to use a storebought pancake mix for the base. Simply mix as directed and add the brown sugar cinnamon swirl and cream cheese frosting as directed. The next time you want to serve up a fun and delicious breakfast for your family or guests, give these cinnamon roll pancakes a try. They won’t disappoint, I promise!

***Also, don’t forget the auctions going on this week for the benefit of Julee and Preslee Turner.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

Ingredients:

For the filling-
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

For the cream cheese glaze-
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 Oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 Cup powdered sugar
1/2 Tsp vanilla extract

For the pancake batter-
1 Cup all-purpose flour
2 Tsp baking powder
1/2 Tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 Large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

For the cinnamon filling-
Place butter in a medium, microwave safe bowl and melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to the melted butter and stir. Place the mixture in a plastic bag and set aside.

For the cream cheese glaze-
Place butter in a small pan and put over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, turn heat off. Add cream cheese to the melted butter and whisk until smooth. Sift the powdered sugar over the mixture and add vanilla and stir to combine. Set aside.

For the pancakes-
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Add the egg, oil, and milk and whisk to combined.

Place a large, non-stick skillet over low-medium heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray, and pour 1/3 cup of pancake batter in the heated pan. *Give the bag of filling a couple of squeezes to re-incorporate the ingredients. Push the filling into one corner of the bag, snip the corner of the baggie. Once the batter starts to bubble, squeeze the filling onto the pancake in a swirl motion; starting from the inside working your way out. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, until bubbles begin to pop, then gently slide a thin spatula under the pancake and flip. Allow the pancake to cook an additional 3-4 minutes, until pancake is golden-brown and the filling has “melted” into the batter, and created an almost crater-like indention in the pancake. Transfer the pancake onto a plate. Wipe pan with a paper towel and repeat with remaining batter.

Reheat the glaze, if necassary and drizzle over the warm, cooked pancakes. Serve immediately.

Recipe source: Recipe Girl

Auction for a Scentsy Silhouette Warmer: Sending Love to the Turners

October 16, 2012 by Lynsey 14 Comments

I am auctioning off one of the newest additions to the Scentsy warmer line, the Silhouette warmer, along with your choice of 3 Scentsy bars. The winner of the auction will receive 1 Silhouette warmer with their choice of sleeve; everyday, Halloween or Christmas, along with 3 bars of their choice. All proceeds will go to Julee and Preslee Turner, who lost their husband and dad in an accident a couple of weeks ago.

To Bid:
*Place your bid in the comment section of this post.
*Be sure to leave your name, email address and bid.
*All bids must be in $1 increments. For example; if the last bid was $12.00 the next bid must be at least $13.00.

The fine print:
All bidding will close Friday night at 10:00 PM (EST)
The highest bidder will be the winner!

Payment will be accepted via PayPal. The winner will be emailed a PayPal invoice and once a PayPal payment has been made the donor will be contacted.

PLEASE NOTE: Auction open to US residents only. All payments must be received by October 31, 2012. These payments are not considered tax deductible.

To see the other items up for auction please visit any of the following blogs:
The Getts Times
Life in the Green House
Life Sweet Life
Knee Deep in Munchkin Land
SheShe Made

Also, a memorial fund has been set up in the name of Preslee:

Preslee Turner College Fund

Summit Bank

PO Box 965

Arkadelphia, AR 71923

Baked Chicken Milanese with Arugula and Tomatoes

October 15, 2012 by Lynsey 1 Comment

Lately we have been on a big salad kick. Typically, when we have salads I offer to make chicken or some other protien to ensure Spencer gets enough. While I could fill up on salad alone, he sometimes needs a little bit more substinance to fill him up. So when I came across this recipe on Skinny Taste I had no doubt that this would be a winner; it has a salad which we’ve been enjoying a lot of lately and it has chicken so I knew it would be filling enough for Spencer.

Unlike most salads with meat in them, the chicken is actually the base of this dish. The chicken is cut in half, then lighty pounded to create an even thinner palate, and then it’s breaded. The breading of this chicken is different than others; instead of milk or eggs, a combination of olive oil and lemon juice is used to dip the chicken in. Once the chicken is dipped in the lemon juice mixture, it’s coated in breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and then baked. While the chicken is baking a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar (I LOVE this stuff), tomatoes, basil and onions is put together and allowed to marinate to allow all the flavors to combine. Once the chicken is baked it’s removed from the oven, topped with fresh, peppery arugula and then finished with the balsamic marinated tomatoes and onions.

The end result is nothing less than amazing. The chicken is full of flavor; slighlty crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. The arugula salad it’s incredible; peppery, earthy, slighty tart with a little tang and sweet. All of these elements combined make for a very satisfying meal; that’s not only a pleasure to eat but a pleasure to look at, as well. This meal is perfect for a quick, weeknight meal and impressive enough to serve for guests. This was definitely a pleasing meal for our entire house; even Tucker thoroughly enjoyed it!

Baked Chicken Milanese with Arugula and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

For the salad-
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 Medium tomatoes, diced
1/4 Small red onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Salt and fresh gound pepper, to taste
6 Cups baby arugula

For the chicken-
24 Oz (about 3) boneless, skinless chicken breast
3/4 Cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/3 Cup grated parmesan cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for drizzling

Directions:

For the salad-
In a medium bowl combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar, whisk to combine. Add the diced tomatoes, red onion, basil and salt and pepper. Toss, or stir, to coat. Set aside and allow to marinate for about 10 minutes.

For the chicken-
Preheat oven to 450. Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Carefully slice the chicken breast in half, lengthwise. Place 1 piece of chicken at at time between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and gently pound the cutlets to about an 1/8 of an inch in thickness. Repeat process with remaining cutlets. Gently pat the chicken with a paper towel to get rid of any excess moisture, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a shallow bowl, or dish, combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and stir to combine. In a separate shallow bowl, or dish, combine lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Place one chicken cutlet in the lemon-olive oil mixture, and coat each side with the mixture. Then transfer to the breadcrumb mixture, pressing firmly to ensure the breadcrumbs adhere, lift and gently shake to remove any excess crumbs and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken cutlets. Once all the chicken is coated, drizzle with olive oil and place in oven. Bake for 15 minutes, turning once half way through. Bake until chicken is cooked thoroughly and golden-brown, being sure not to overcook the chicken.

Remove the cooked chicken from the baking pan, and place on dinner plates. Top each piece of chicken, evenly, with arugula and the marinated tomatoes and onions. Serve immediately.

Recipe source: Skinny Taste

Thoughts and Prayers for the Turner Family…and a silent auction for the family

October 11, 2012 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

As I sit down to write this, I’m not really sure where to start. My heart is so heavy and hurts so much right now, and it’s for a family I don’t personally know. This past weekend Matt Turner, a local news anchor, was in a single car accident and lost his life. The accident happened Saturday evening, read more about it here.

Photo from Today’s THV

Matt was born and raised in Arkansas and loved his home state through and through. He was passionate about life and thankful for each and everyday. He cared so much for others, and put others and their needs before his own. Family was his life, the light of his life was his wife Julee and their 10 month old daughter Preslee Bell. Matt had just recently moved back to central Arkansas to be closer to his family and to persue a career with a local new station, Today’s THV. In the short time he was on the air here he touched so many lives and made an impression on so many people.

It’s amazing to me how we the audience, feel like we actually “know” people who bring the news to us on a daily basis. I guess in a way, we feel a close bond to them since they are bringing us information about the day to day happenings in our town. They don’t just bring the news to us, they also let us into their personal lives; marriage, having children and even the sad times and loss of loved ones. It’s no surprise that we feel like we actually know these people and their families; we see them on a daily basis and we can relate to them and the goings on in their lives. So when someone in a position like this losses their life; we not only feel like we’ve lost someone we also feel heavy hearted for their family during this time.

My heart breaks for Julee, baby Preslee, and their entire family. My thoughts and prayers have been with them since I heard the news. I can’t begin to imagine what they are all going through; but they do have a huge support system and the biggest and best support ever from our Heavenly Father. I write all this today to ask all of you to take a a moment and say a prayer for Julee; for God to give her the strength to make it through such a tragic loss but to also give her the strength both the mommy and daddy that little Preslee needs right now. Hug your loved ones and make every single day special.

A group of Julee’s friends (The Getts Times, Life in the Green House, Life, Sweet Life, Knee-Deep in Munchkin Land, and SheShe Made ) are putting together a fundraiser for her and baby Preslee. It’s a silent auction that will hit the blogasphere on Monday, October 15th, through Friday, October 19th. All of the proceeds will go to Julee and Preslee.

To Donate an item:

Create a post detailing the item up for auction. Include a description and/or picture.

On Monday, October 15th visit any of the above blogs and list your item. Make sure to use the direct link to that specific post.

To place a bid, leave a comment on that blog’s post leaving your email address and your bid.

Once the auction ends on Friday, October 19th, we’ll have you email us with the winner’s name, email address, and the amount of the winning bid. We’ll invoice the winner

If you do not have a blog but would still like to donate an item:
Please contact anyone at the blogs listed above. They will be more than happy to assist you and to list your item.

To bid:

On Monday, October 15th, visit any of the above blogs to view the list of donated items.

If an item interests you, click on the link to read more information.

To place a bid, leave a comment on that blog’s post leaving your email address and your bid.

Be sure to check the list often as new items will be added throughout the week.

Thanks for all of your help and support for the Turner family during this incredibly sad time. It’s definitely amazing to see a community (both local and bloggers) pull together to support one of their own during such a terrible time. Please keep Julee, Preslee, and the entire family in your thoughts and prayers.

To read more about the amazing man Matt was and to see pictures and footage click here.

WC Recipe Swap:Caramel Almond Oatmeal Banana Bread

October 5, 2012 by Lynsey 4 Comments

For this installment of the What’s Cooking recipe swap we were asked to submit a breakfast dish for a fellow blogger to make. I was assigned Jey’s blog and she submitted a recipe for banana bread, but not just any banana bread, Caramel almond oatmeal banana bread to be exact. Yes, it’s a mouthful but it is so worth it!

I am a huge fan of banana bread or banana cake. Give it to me plain, with a little butter or even topped with cream cheese frosting; I’m not picky! It’s perfect for breakfast, dessert or even a snack and a great way to use up those overly ripe bananas! But this, my friends, is no ordinary banana bread. It’s a bread that’s packed full of flavor and add-ins; caramel, check. Almonds, check. Oatmeal, check! Not only does this bread have awesome banana flavor, but a nice creamy, melty addition of caramel. A hearty helping of oats, for a little bit more filling bread. And, of course, almonds for an added flavor, texture and crunch! I’m telling you, it doesn’t get much better than this!

We have been enjoying this bread since I pulled it out of the oven. Spencer and Tucker could hardly let it cool enough, before they were asking for a piece. It didn’t take them long to devour that first piece, and then quickly go back for another. We’ve enjoyed it for breakfast a few days, and even dessert after supper on a few occasions. Regardless of when enjoy this delicious and flavorful bread, just make it and enjoy it! You won’t be disappointed.

Caramel Almond Oatmeal Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp baking powder
1/2 Tsp cinnamon
1 Cup oatmeal, uncooked
1/2 Cup chopped caramel candy
1/3 Cup almonds, roughly chopped plus 1/4 cup for topping
4 Ripe bananas
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Egg
2 Egg whites

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and oatmeal and stir to combine. Place egg whites in a bowl of a stand mixer, turn mixer on high and beat until stiff peaks form.

Meanwhile, in separate bowl mash bananas with a fork. Once the bananas are mashed, add the egg and oil and stir to combine. Once ingredients are combined, pour into flour mixture and stir to completely incorporate. Add one-third of the whipped egg whites, and gently fold ingredients together. Continue adding egg whites until all are incorporated into the batter.

Transfer batter to the prepared pan. Evenly top with the remaining 1/4 cup almonds. Place in oven and bake for 45-55 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes, remove from pan and place on cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe source: adapted from Joy the Baker via The Jey of Cooking

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Baked Spaghetti Squash

October 5, 2012 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

Fall is officially upon us! Can you believe it’s already October? Where has the year gone? Like so many of you, I’m so incredibly excited that fall is here! It’s time for football, chilis and stews, pumpkin, and so much more.

If you’re anything like me, you can tell what season is nearing by looking around at the fruits and vegetables in your local market. When I start seeing all of the fall and winter squash and gords I can’t help but get excited! That actually happened a few weeks ago for me! I went to the store and right when I walked through the door there it was, glowing in aww. A huge display of butternut squash, spaghetti squash and pumpkins. What a site that was. After I composed myself I quickly darted to the display and just stared at it in all it’s beauty and then quickly snatched up a delicious spaghetti squash.

If you’ve never had spaghetti squash you are definitely missing out. It’s all the buttery goodness of your normal spaghetti noodles but without any added butter and it’s better for you! That’s a win win, right? I could honestly get a fork and take a baked spaghetti squash, sit down and devour it. Yes, it’s that good. This squash, while delicious on it’s own is so versatile and can be substituded for spaghetti in pretty much any dish. While this recipe is basic, it’s definitely delicious and one that everyone should try!

Baked Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti squash
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Cut spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. Using a large spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds and fibers. Place the squash on a baking sheet, cut side up, and season with salt and pepper. Place in preheated oven and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the baked squash and allow to cool about 15 minutes. Once the squash has cooled, and can be handled, use a fork and gently scrape the flesh a little at a time. It will separate into spaghetti-like strands. Place in a serving dish and serve hot.*

*For a fun presentation, place all of the spaghetti squash strands in one half of the squash shell.

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