I Like Her.

I often think about how quickly time is passing with her. I tell myself our relationship will grow other branches made possible by her getting older and maturing. I hope they are as amazing and fulfilling as everything she is now and little and mine.

Chipotle Cream Chicken.

This recipes packs a punch!  Heat level can definitely be customized.  Here's what I learned:

1. I debated dicing or not dicing the chipotle peppers.  I went with the recipe and put them in whole.  Much easier and still tasted great!
2. If you don't like spicy try using one pepper instead of two.
3. I added a few spoonfuls of adobo sauce.
4. Served it in tortillas with cheddar cheese, guacamole, and a side of yellow rice and black beans.

Recipe can be found here:  Chipotle Cream Chicken

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The title says it all.  I found this recipe many years ago and it changed my cookie making world!  Here's what I learned:

1. If you use a 1/4 cup measuring cup you will have beautiful bakery sized cookies.  Pretty enough to wrap and give as gifts.  One cookie is like a meal.  These suckers will take approximately 13-17 minutes to bake (depending on your oven of course).
2. If you prefer an average sized cookie use a cookie scoop like this:  OXO Good Grips Cookie Scoop.  Works great and they bake in approximately 10 minutes.
3. Use unsalted butter and make sure to melt it.
4. When the edges just start to brown and the middle looks lighter and almost undercooked they are done!

Recipe can be found here:  The Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

MN Zoo.

We took a quick trip to the zoo this afternoon with Grandpa.  Penelope made sure to properly introduce herself to the fish..."hi fishy, I'm Penny!"

Grandpa and Penelope love to make funny faces at each other...

Champagne Cocktails.

I tried this recipe over the weekend and made exactly as written it's only okay.  But with a few easy changes it's great!  Here's what I learned...

1. Trader Joe's $5 champagne worked well.
2. Skip the lemon juice.
3. Add one extra cube of sugar.
4. Eyeball the cherry juice to fit your tastes.
5. Give it a little stir.  Not too much or it will fizz over the top.
6. Drink and be merry.

Recipe can be found here:  Champagne Cocktail

A Day at the Beach.

We went to the beach today and Penelope had such a fun time!  Her BFF "Ree Rex" the T-Rex joined us (of course).

 

Everything Bread.

This bread is delicious!!!  I used leftovers for sandwiches.  Here's what I learned:

1. I skipped the caraway seeds because I don't like them.
2. Nothing else to say!

Recipe can be found here:  Everything Bread

Ranch Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders w/My Special Burger Sauce.

I created this recipe using the same concept from my previous post Chipotle Sliders.  Here's what I learned in this recipe remix:

1. Use American cheese.  It melts so well!
2. To get my grill to a medium heat I have to set the burners to low.
3. You may want to spray the grill grate with nonstick.
4. Make the burger sauce a head of time and let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Andrea's Special Burger Sauce Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (Hellmann's, baby!)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (don't use fresh garlic, flavor will be off)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• dash of paprika
• squirt of yellow mustard

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients together.  Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Ranch Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders Recipe

 

Ingredients:

• 1 package (12 ounces) Hawaiian sweet rolls
• 1 dash salt
• 1 dash pepper
• 1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
• 1 pound ground beef
• 8 slices American cheese, folded in half twice to make a stack of four squares
• 8 slices crispy bacon, broken in half

Directions:

• Place 1 roll in a food processor; process until crumbly. Transfer to a large bowl; add the salt, pepper and Hidden Valley Ranch packet. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 8 patties.
• Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear. Top with cheese. Grill 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted.
• Split 8 rolls.  Spread burger sauce on each half.  Place burger on the bottom half of roll, top burger with one piece of bacon broken in half, and the top half of the roll.

Chocolate Cake.

I saw this recipe on the Simply Recipes website and had to have it.  It would be my first attempt at a three layer cake.  I even had a fancy frosting gadget this time around (thanks, mom)!  Here's what I learned:

1. I used regular all purpose unbleached flour.  Didn't feel like springing for cake flour.
2. The old pans I used were a little misshapen.  When it came time to frost the cakes there were pretty big gaps between layers because of the funky pans.  Made it a little tricky to get the frosting on nicely.
3. My standard cake plate with lid was too short for this big boy.  I ended up covering it with multiple layers of plastic wrap which in turn allowed it to dry out faster.
4. This cake is no joke.  You need to either be a serious chocoholic or invite many people over to help you take this down.  It's gigantic.
5. I  *gasp* ended up throwing some away.  It dried out before it could be eaten.

Even our house mascot, T-Rex (or Ree-Rex as Penelope affectionately calls him), had to help...

  Recipe can be found here:  Chocolate Cake

Guest Blogger!

When Ana from Blue Bird Kisses asked me to be a guest blogger I was so excited!  Next came the task of choosing a recipe to make.  A long time ago a friend shared one of her favorite recipes with me called Hot Bandanas.  Wow, were they fabulous!  I knew it would be the perfect choice.  Check out Ana's blog for this yummy recipe!

Hot Bandanas recipe and guest blog post:  Hot Bandanas Recipe on BBK

Pizza Take Two.

The last time I made homemade pizza I froze half the dough.  I wasn't sure how it would thaw.  Turns out Pizza Take Two was even better!  Here's what I learned the second time...

1. Only bake it 10 minutes people!  10 MINUTES!  That's all it took.  The cheese was pretty brown but the crust was oh so much better!!
2. This time my toppings were (in this order):  Sauce, little mozzarella, chopped white onion, roasted bell pepper mix, green olives, turkey pepperoni, spinach leaves, more mozzarella, and a sprinkle of seasonings.

Recipe can be found in my previous post:  Homemade Pizza

Charlotte.

Charlotte the pug is a sweet little girl recently adopted by my parents.  I guess that makes her my sister?  She had quite the journey finding her forever home.

Back in April, my parents made the heartbreaking decision to put their pug boy Snort to sleep.  In another room at the same veterinary clinic was little Charlotte.  She was suffering from a horrific injury (broken pelvis) at the hands of her previous owner after he threw her against a wall.  The doctor likened it to a dog being run over by a car.  After weeks of surgery and rehabilitation Charlotte was on the road to recovery.  The clinic wanted to find her a loving family that would nurture and care for her.  This little girl had already been through way too much!  A few phone calls and visits later and my parents knew it was meant to be.

Please meet the lovely Charlotte...

 

 
Attempted to get a picture of the three amigos but no such luck...