Not Your Grandma's Pumpkin Pie

Hey remember that time I dropped the whole mixing bowl into the pie crust I was trying to fill? It seems like it just happened. Oh wait, thats probably because it did just happen. Just kidding! But for a split second I was afraid  it was going too!
Autumn is here. The world has begun it's annual pumpkin craze and so have Layla and I. The first  pumpkin  treat we chose to make were classic pumpkin pies. There was no scraping out pumpkin guts for these girls, though . We made them from a can. Well, two cans actually, one thirty ounce can of Libby's easy pumpkin pie mix and half a twelve ounce can of carnation evaporated milk.  Also, two eggs and a crust that you unroll from a box.
I know your grandma is probably turning over in her grave at the thought of not  baking from scratch, but its ok. These weren't her pies and I have no problems taking a shortcut sometimes. Our home still smells as wonderful as if I had started these pies from scratch and each slice taste will taste just as delicious. Especially  the piece I'm going to have for breakfast tomorrow. (Don't lie, you know you've had pie and coffee as a 'healthy' breakfast before too).
Even Layla couldn't  wait to try the pumpkin pie. I caught her with her finger it it soon after I set it out too cool.

Learning to Cook, One Cookbook at a Time.

I thought I knew how to cook, until I met my husband. Tacos and vegetarian pastas aren't enough to fill him up. Not to mention he has Crohns disease so his diet is all canned french cut green beans,  refined flour, and lean meats. Pretty much the opposite of what I eat.
Mike comes from a family of great cooks. His grandma takes pride in all the blue ribbons she has won for various recipes. Holidays with his family are thusly wonderful while my meals often turn out only ok.
I know my cooking is improving,  just not as quickly as I'd like it too. I'm not scared of spices and have creativity, but lack experience  and often end up going overboard. To solve this, I finally dug all those cookbooks I've gotten for Christmas out of the cupboard. Which book should I start with?

Easter Eggs

My mother came over Monday morning to play with Layla while I decorated Easter eggs. We love to decorate eggs each year. Somehow we always seem to run out of eggs before we run out of design ideas.
My mother makes her perfect hard boiled eggs by placing her eggs In a large pot, covering them with water and bringing them to a boil. Once the water boils, she sets a timer for six minutes. When the six minutes are up mom turns the stove off and lets the eggs rest in the hot water for an additional six minutes.  After that, she immediately rinses them with cold water. Then they are ready to decorate.
We kept our decorating pretty simple this year compared to other years. What did you do? Are you easter eggs works of art? Masterpieces worthy of the Sistine Chapel? Or did you keep things simple using farm fresh eggs and natural vegetable dyes? Either way I'd love to hear it and see your egg decorating pictures!

Chocolate Bird Nests

Chocolate Bird nests are one of my favorite springtime treats from my childhood.  I can remember making them with my mother around Easter. I would always make giant ones with peanut butter M&Ms for my dad. He is the peanut butter lover in the family. Lately, I've been craving the chocolatey crunch of birds nests. So yesterday my sister, Rachelle, stopped over to chat and help me make some.
They are pretty simple to make. The process is very similar to making rice crispy bars. We made about two dozen and used; one Large bag of Lachoy chow mein noodles, one bag of Hershey's milk chocolate chips, one bag of Hershey's special dark chocolate chips, one bag Cadbury milk chocolate mini eggs and/or one bag of M&Ms peanut butter eggs. We used half a bag of each kind of candy. If you don't like either of those options you can use any egg shaped candy instead like malted milk ball eggs or giant jelly beans.
First we emptied both bags of chocolate chips into a large pot set on low heat. I stirred until all the chips were melted together smoothly. Next Rachelle slowly poured all the chow mein noodles into the pot. I kept mixing until all of the noodles were coated evenly with chocolate.  Then I used two tablespoons to scoop small amounts of the mixture into cute little "bird nest" shapes which i set on wax paper covered cookie sheets. After that, my sister finished each nest by placing two or three of the brightly colored candy eggs into the center of each nest. The eggs have to go on before the chocolate cools otherwise they may fall off. Then we let the chocolate cool.
It was tough to wait until the bird nests were cool enough to sample but they were a hit! I took some to work with me and my coworkers all seemed to be very surprised that the nests were made of chow mein noodles. The noodles, combined with the chocolate give the nests the perfect balance of salty sweet, much like chocolate covered pretzels.
Make these spring deserts for your own family this Easter. I am sure they will love making them and eating them as much as I do!

Amazing Rueben Rolls

Another St. Patrick's Day has came and gone but there was no corned beef to be found at my house. Sure, I went out for plenty of corned beef sandwiches and Mike picked up corned beef and cabbage for our St. Patrick's day dinner, but it wasn't the same as home made. So last weekend I went grocery shopping and picked up some ingredients to make us some semi-homemade corned beef for dinner. I opted for the non-traditional route. Instead of a classic Rueben sandwich or slow cooker corned beef and cabbage,  I surprised Mike with some amazing rueben rolls. They're a classic rueben sandwich wrapped up and deep fried in an egg roll wrapper instead of bread. Rueben rolls are surprisingly simple to make and they definitely cook much faster than an all day crock pot roast. It probably only took me a half hour to fourth five minutes to make them, from start to finish. It makes about 21 wraps. They're pretty rich so two or three are plenty per person. Which means this makes 8-10 servings.
All I used was one package Nasoya egg roll wraps, one bag Kraft shredded swiss cheese, six small packages of Buddig corned beef, one can of sauerkraut,  and some Wishbone thousand island dressing for dipping.
First lay one egg roll wrap out on a plate. Then add two or three slices of the Buddig corned beef, followed by a sprinkle of the shredded swiss cheese.  After that add a pinch of Sauerkraut. Make sure to drain the can of kraut first!  Otherwise your rolls may get soggy. Finally, lightly dampen two corner edges of your egg roll wrapper. I forgot to mention you should have a small bowl of water nearby for this. Fold the two opposite corners of the wrapper that you didn't wet, in and roll it up tightly,  like a burrito. I placed two or three rueben rolls in the deep fryer, at a time while I made the next couple.
After the surface of the rolls turned turned a nice shade of crispy,  golden brown, I carefully removed them from the deep fryer and placed them all on a paper towel covered plate to rest until I finish cooking.
They weren't safe there,  however.  It wasn't long until I spied a tiny hand reaching out to steal one of the fresh Rueben rolls. Layla has just recently learned how to climb and pull herself up on things lately and seems to be using her skills mostly to snatch yummy snacks off of the tables and counters. After watching all her efforts to get a rueben roll, I gave her some thousand island dressing to dip it in and she loved it. That's it. They officially have the Layla seal of approval. They are so delicious that I'm sure your loved ones will love them just as much as mine did!

Easy, Mouthwatering Guacamole.

Last week I was on an avocado binge. I ate it on my toast for breakfast, in my salads for lunch, and of course I ate at least five helpings of good ole fasioned guacamole for dinner. Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration, but I do love guacamole. I can't get enough of this simple recipe. Let me know what you think of it!

Guacamole for one: 

1 avocado

1 tsp finely chopped cilantro

1 tsp fresh chives 

1 tsp diced tomato

1 small lime / half medium

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

A Fish Story.

Last Saturday Mike, brimming with spontaneity, snagged us two seats on a fishing charter boat in Milwaukee.  The morning started out like a complete circus. Neither one of us heard our alarms go off so when I woke up at quarter to three (am) so all  we had time to do was jump into our clothes and race to our truck. I made it to the harbor faster than seagull eats a french fry. Seriously. We barreled onto Lakeshore drive in just about a half hour. An impressive feat considering how far away I live and how much construction is going on along the Milwaukee lake front.  After arriving fifteen minutes late, we set out to catch our limit of trout and salmon.

 The day improved quickly,  especially once I saw the sun rise over lake Michigan. It was absolutely beautiful.  Mike helped the captain set up the poles and running boards while I watched the fish locator for our potential supper. We waited patiently. Switched bait. Then waited even longer. Turns out the fish just weren't biting that day. Our catch of the day was one modest Lake Trout. But the trout, combined with the relaxing lake atmosphere, was just enough to make my morning hassle worthwhile.

Mike filleted the trout for Sunday dinner. Although I thought cooking it would be complicated, it was surprisingly simple. First he placed one fillet onto a cedar plank that had been soaking in water for a few hours. Then Mike put the whole thing onto a cookie sheet for easier handling. Finally he topped the fish with a little pepper and a few fresh lemon slices. It was the first time he had ever cooked trout this way in the oven (according to him, a grill is the best place to cook with cedar planks). The fish had to bake a little longer than We had anticipated but it was so worth it in the end. 

I can't wait to go again and catch a few salmon for the freezer!

The Discovery Of Kale.

I Finally went and did it.  I bought myself some kale at the farmers market. And you know what? It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I didn't juice it or do any of the cool ways to "hide" kale that have been all over Pinterest lately. I just cooked it the good old fashioned way by sautéing it up for lunch on Monday with an egg, spinach, mushrooms and onions. Added a dash of hot sauce and yum yum.
Which makes me wonder, what other delicious healthy foods have I been missing? Do you have any suggestions for what I should try next?

Cozy Sunday Ginger Tea.

Sunday was the first day I've gotten to relax all day since the little one was born. The weather was so cold and blustery.  So I spent the whole day at home doing some spring cleaning. I even managed to squeeze in some time for yoga. Which was rudely interrupted when my boyfriend woke up from his nap on the couch and started laughing at the picture of me struggling in front of him. (I can't believe how out of shape I became when I was pregnant, but it's a work in progress right?)
Anyway, what could make a cozy day full of catnaps more complete than a warm glass of apple cider or a ginger tea latte?
Here's my version of a ginger tea latte. You will need; ginger tea, 1 cinnamon stick (ground was my second choice because I was out), 2 cardamom pods, several whole cloves, one star anise, a few whole black pepper corns, one tsp freshly ground nutmeg, and one tsp orange zest (I was all out of oranges today, too) and honey (try one of my favorite brands at www.honeyacres.com)
First heat your water and place all your loose ingredients into a tea ball. After the water has come to a boil, turn the heat down slightly and add the tea and spices. Let them steep a few minutes before removing them and stirring in your honey.
I don't like my tea to be too sweet but feel free to play with your ingredients until you find the perfect combination. That's what's so great about this recipe. It can be different every time depending on what kind of mood you're in. Just remember that a lot of the ingredients have strong flavors so a little bit of everything can go a long way!
Like my iced coffee recipe, I prefer to make my tea the night before and add a smidge of milk before I drink it in the morning. Please give it a try and let me know what you think :)

Thank God for Coffee.

 Two o'clock in the morning and I am awakened by a growing wail on the baby monitor. I get out of bed to put the pacifier back in. Then repeat the process one or two more times even though I know it won't work.

 My four month old is usually pretty good at sleeping through the night, but that certainly wasn't the case yesterday morning. Which is unfortunate for my boyfriend and coworkers because I'm terribly slow, irritable, and sometimes downright depressed when I don't get my eight hours in.
Thank God there's coffee! I've always enjoyed a good cup of coffee or tea, but motherhood has taken my caffeine consumption to a whole new level. A glass of iced coffee while I use my breast pump, or one after work, gives me just the boost I need to finish household chores. 
Fortunately for my wallet there's no coffee shop in my town, otherwise I'd be there at least four times a week. Something I certainly can't afford when my current budget doesn't even have room to buy a coffee maker. Luckily there's Instant. I know what you're thinking. Instant? Yuck! At least that was my reaction when my boyfriend made that suggestion. But trust me, you're going to be pleasantly surprised when you try it. On my days off I try to make a big pitcher to keep in the fridge for a few days, but it always seems to disappear much quicker. I've splurged and bought the Starbucks Via iced coffee packets before, but cheaper kinds can taste just as good. Try the Aldi's brand I've heard good things about it. 
Make your favorite instant coffee like the directions say. Add some sugar to taste. Then, let it cool before pouring it in a pitcher with milk. I prefer a ratio of one cup milk to one cup coffee but make it however you like it best. Next time you are feeling run down; take a break, pour yourself a glass and enjoy!