Jan 2, 2012 Posted by Jennifer on Jan 2, 2012 in a day in the life of me!, holiday foods, kid friendly | 6 comments

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! It’s been a great Holiday – I’ve had 10 days off in a row, so I cannot complain about that

I also slept in every day, I did run a few times (running into my friend Jacky while we were both running in our neighborhood. I had Christmas with my husbands side of the family on Christmas Day and yesterday was spent having a 2nd Christmas at my Mom’s since she was out of town visiting my brother.

I got a little more organized, I spent time reading a new book “The Kitchen Counter Cooking School” which is a great read, we got a new to me (used) car – which I am VERY Happy about. Here is my new car:

We took the kids to the eye Dr. and Mark and Paul’s prescription changed (Mark’s doubled!) and Claire was complaining she couldn’t see close – so she got new glasses too! We went to America’s Best – and if you don’t get all the “extras” it is 2 pairs for $69.95 WITH the eye exam – so it’s a great deal. We are waiting to pick those up – but they are super excited about getting new glasses

So here are some pictures from my Holiday:

So – all in all a great Holiday. And I am one of those people who makes New Year’s Resolutions – so here are mine:

Enter a cooking contest sometime this year
Learn to can – I really want to make homemade sweet and spicy pickles this year
I have an idea for a cookbook – so I’m going to start working on that
Run a half marathon – since I’m signed up I have to do it! April 28th 2012. Don’t forget to donate HERE
And I’m not putting down lose weight, my plan is to continue eating great and exercising and because of that the weight will come off, but I’m not going to count points, or calories, just focus on healthy foods and correct portions!

SO what’s your New Years Resolutions???

Dec 29, 2011 Posted by Jennifer on Dec 29, 2011 in Dinner Idea, kid friendly, pasta | 0 comments

Turkey Kielbasa shrimp noodle dish with garlic lemon sauce

Normally when I start cooking I almost always start with a recipe. That way I know at least it will turn out OK and I will adjust when necessary. I wish I was more of a home chef that just throws stuff in a skillet and it all comes out perfect.

Well, I had an idea of a recipe today that in my head sounded amazing, and I just went with my instincts. How did it turn out? Fabulous!

This recipe serves 7 servings

1 package Jennie-O Turkey Kielbasa
1 package egg noodles
1 tablespoon butter
juice of 1 lemon
5 oz. fresh shrimp
5 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
1/4 cup all purpose flour
zest of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/2 cup shredded Asiago Cheese

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook egg noodles according to directions, drain and return to the pot.

In a large skillet, add the 1 tablespoon butter, the garlic and green onions and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups of chicken stock. In a small bowl add the 1/2 cup of extra chicken stock with 1/4 cup flour and stir. This is going to help thicken the sauce. Add that to the skillet and cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until thickened. Add the shrimp, the cut up turkey kielbasa, the juice and zest of 1 lemon and add the parsley. Heat until the shrimp and turkey kielbasa is heated through.

You can sprinkle some more Asiago cheese on top before serving.

I entered the calories in www.caloriecount.com and for each serving it’s only:

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 246 g
Amount Per Serving
Calories 240Calories from Fat 77
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.5g13%
Saturated Fat 4.2g21%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 83mg28%
Sodium 674mg28%
Total Carbohydrates 22.9g8%
Dietary Fiber 1.3g5%
Sugars 2.0g
Protein 20.0g
Vitamin A 9% • Vitamin C 15%
Calcium 11% • Iron 13%

I loved the sauce the best, it was lemony, but enough sauce so the dish wasn’t dry. I will definitely make this again and for my family of 5 – no leftovers! So I always take that as a good sign

Are you more comfortable cooking with a recipe – or do you just throw things together that sound good??

And – my husband wrote a great post about our Team in Training for the marathon and half marathon we are doing the end of April – it talks about where the money we raise goes for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Check out his post HERE to learn more about that.

And if you can spare any amount – no matter how small, our Team in Training Donation Page is HERE.

Dec 27, 2011 Posted by Jennifer on Dec 27, 2011 in breakfast, dessert, holiday foods, kid friendly, recipe make over | 4 comments

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Happy Holidays everyone! My site was down for a few days but everything is back up and fine. I hope you had a wonderful holiday with family and friends!

I am off of work until January 3rd – so I am SUPER excited to have so much time off in a row. I don’t have any specific plans, but I know there will be some time spent in my kitchen!

I made these cinnamon rolls the night of Christmas Eve so that all I had to do was pop these in the oven while the kids were opening their gifts. The best part about this recipe, is it’s so easy – no yeast is required, you don’t have to wait for the dough to rise an hour before you roll it out. And the dough is super soft and pliable so it’s a great dough to work with, even if it’s your first time working with it.

This recipe is based on a Cooks Illustrated Recipe. It called for a cream cheese frosting and I just did a simple glaze. I DID figure out the calories, even though it is the Holidays, I’m trying not to go crazy and so far it’s working!

Each Cinnamon Roll without the glaze is:

247 calories
6 grams of fat
43 carbs
4 grams protein
1 gram of fiber

If you add 1/2 a tablespoon of the glaze – add 25 calories.

All in all, I didn’t think it was that bad – considering I analyzed Paula Deens recipe for Cinnamon rolls and hers were 478 calories per cinnamon roll with 22 grams of fat!

So – this recipe makes 10 cinnamon rolls (I split the prepared rolls between 2 pans)

Ingredients:

Rolls:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for the counter
2 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cinnamon Filling:

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Generously coat a 9 inch round cake pan and a wire cooling rack with vegetable oil spray.

2. Make the filling: combine together the brown sugar, 1/4 cup granulated white sugar, cinnamon, salt, and the 1 Tablespoon melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand.

3. Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour; 2 Tablespoons white granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and 2 Tablespoons of the melted butter together.

5. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until absorbed, about 30 seconds. Turn the dough out onto a generously floured counter and knead until smooth, about 1 minute.

7. Press the dough out into a 9 by 12 inch rectangle using your hands. (I used a rolling pin)

8. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Press the filling firmly into the dough.

9. Loosen the dough from the counter using a bench scraper or a metal spatula.

10. Starting at a long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log.

11. Pinch the seam to seal. Slice the dough into 10 even pieces.

12. Place the slices in the greased pan. (I used Pam Cooking Spray)

13. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

14. Use a knife to loosen the buns from the pan. Flip the buns out onto the prepared wire rack, then turn buns upright and let cool for 10 minutes before adding the icing. Prepare the icing while rolls are cooling.

For the icing, I just mixed 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk. If it’s too thick add a touch more milk to get the right consistency. (You will have leftover icing).

*I lessened the amount of butter by 4 tablespoons. The original recipe called for brushing the dough with 2 tablespoons melted butter before putting the filling in and then adding another 2 tablespoons of butter over the top before baking. I didn’t really think this was necessary – so I omitted that part.

These turned out great! So tender and gooey. After making these, I just covered the pan with saran wrap and placed in the refrigerator overnight. As the rolls cooked, they spread out covering the whole pan.

Enjoy your week if you are off! I did overindulge on Christmas, but was back on as of yesterday and I ran 3 miles yesterday with my hubby on the local high school track. We were both wearing shorts and t-shirts the day after Christmas! It was 45 degrees and sunny out – no signs of winter yet here in Chicago – but I am fine with that!

Dec 16, 2011 Posted by Jennifer on Dec 16, 2011 in cookies, dessert, holiday foods, kid friendly, party food! | 6 comments

Homemade kit kat bars

It’s that time of year when I will once again be making my homemade kit kat bars. I think this is at least the 10th year in a row I’ve made them.

The recipe actually came off of the back of Almond Bark and I just made it on a whim, and when we all tasted it, we were surprised that they tasted JUST like kit kat bars!!

The chocolate I use is called Almond Bark. Its a chocolate made for candy making. You need to use this because the chocolate dries within about a minute. If you use chocolate chips, it doesn’t set right. I’ve been lucky sometimes to find Almond Bark at Walmart for $1.00 a block, but even at stores like Jewel or Dominick’s in the Chicago area, it’s around $2.00-$2.50. It is sold by the chocolate chips.

All you need is 3 ingredients. Graham crackers, peanut butter and the almond bark chocolate.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at 20 second increments until it’s all melted.

Separate 1 sheet of graham cracker into the 4 pieces. ONE TIP – don’t use cheepo graham crackers – stick to Keebler because other brands I’ve used don’t separate right and you end up with a lot of broken sheets of graham crackers!

Take 2 graham crackers and put peanut butter in between and make a sandwich. Then dip it in the bowl of melted chocolate. Using a fork, make sure the whole thing is coated and lift up and shake off any excess chocolate. Let dry on wax paper or parchment paper, they will be dry fast!

If the bowl of chocolate starts to dry out, just re-heat it in the microwave for about 20 seconds so it’s all smooth again.

These are so good! Great to bring to a party – or just make for your family.

Do you have a special recipe you make every Christmas? I’d love to hear it!

Dec 12, 2011 Posted by Jennifer on Dec 12, 2011 in breakfast, eggs, kid friendly | 6 comments

Pancake Muffins with Chocolate chips & winner of Muir Glen tomatoes!

I have Joan from Foodalogue to thank for the inspiration for these muffins. She made some using a pumpkin pancake mix which sounded amazing, but since I didn’t have a mix already – I made a new variation of a pancake recipe which I hoped would turn into a great muffin.

This recipe makes 24 regular sized muffins. They do freeze well so you can always freeze any extras for a quick breakfast on the go. When they were cool enough to taste, my daughter Claire took the first bite. She said “these taste like pancakes!” I said “I know – that’s what I was going for!”

Ingredients

3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk*
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
2 1/2 cups bread flour (you could also use all purpose flour)
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate flavor)

In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients and mix well. In a mixer add the 3 egg whites and beat for about 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form.

Now add the wet ingredients (except egg whites) to the bowl of flour/sugar/baking soda and salt and stir gently until all the flour is incorporated. Now a little at a time fold in the egg whites. I let the batter stand for about 15 minutes and it gets all bubbly.

Since I wasn’t sure how much these would rise, I filled each muffin tin (which I coated in cooking spray first) about 3/4 full. They don’t rise too much so it wasn’t an issue.

And I figured out the calories using www.caloriecount.com

Each muffin is 115 calories 4.5 grams of fat 15 carbs which I didn’t think was that bad!

For one of the muffins, I opened up a little hole in the top and drizzled about a teaspoon of sugar free syrup in it, then plugged the hole up so when you bit into it, you had this ooze of syrup – so good!

*If you don’t have buttermilk you can use regular milk (skim, 1%, 2% or whole) and for each cup add 1 tsp. of white vinegar and let stand for 10 minutes. It will start to curdle the milk, but that’s what you want it to do.

Later I was reading an old cooking light where an article was talking about buttermilk and buttermilk tenderizes the protein in flour resulting in light and delicate pancakes (or muffins in this case).

*******
So last week, I had a Muir Glen Give a way and using Random.org the winner was #2 and that is HELEN!!. Congrats Helen! E-mail me your address at slim-shoppin@comcast.net so you can receive your prize!