A Sweet Treat: Crepes

Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• dash of vanilla
• fillings of your choice! I picked 1 small bowl of fresh sliced strawberries and Nutella for a couple of crepes. I also made s’mores crepes filling them with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. Measurements here aren’t too exact, use your best judgement to spread over half of the crepe (fold the other half on top) and not fill it too full so it all spills out.

 

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and eggs. Gradually add the milk and water as you continue to stir together for a smooth batter. Add the salt and butter and dash of vanilla. Stir well.

Heat the pan or griddle (my preference because I can cook two/three crepes at a time) on medium heat. Pour the batter onto the hot griddle/pan and spread evenly and thinly. Tip: I used a ladle to measure and pour the batter and then used the bottom to spread it evenly and thinly. Cook for approximately 2 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown. Flip over using a spatula and then add desired toppings to half of the crepe. Fold the other half over and serve warm.

THE ALL IMPORTANT AND FUN TOPPINGS: There are so many varieties of tasty crepes from sweet to savory. This recipe is ideal for sweet because of the splash of vanilla. You can fill them with so many wonderful toppings! For my crepes I did half Nutella strawberry crepes and half s’mores crepes. For the Nutella strawberry, I warmed my Nutella a bit to make it easier to spread and then spread it on half of the crepe, added freshly sliced strawberries, folded the other half on top. For the s’mores crepes I sprinkled mini marshmallows and chocolate chips on half of the crepe, folded the other half on top. Enjoy!

Yields approximately 8 crepes

Memories

I love crepes! I associate crepes with Europe, naturally, with Georgetown (my alma mater and the neighborhood), and with my friend Marissa. I remember my first trip to Italy with my mom and brother and eating crepes from a street vendor. I also remember eating crepes in London when visiting friends, including Marissa, who were studying abroad there on my spring break my Junior year. I have a vivid image of getting a Nutella and banana crepe from a crepe cart near Westminster Bridge, looking at Big Ben, absorbing the wonderful flavors of the city and crepe. As I said, crepes remind me of Europe and fun times traveling.

I also definitely associate crepes with Georgetown! I remember eating crepes in a somewhat whole-in-the wall restaurant, Snap, with my mom on an accepted students weekend. I think it was raining, so we were glad for the reprieve inside and a sweet treat. As we ate the crepe we talked about Georgetown and envisioned what it would be like for me to attend. In a funny coincidence, turns out our waiter was a Georgetown grad who said lots of great things about the university.

I decided that Georgetown was the perfect fit and enrolled. The memories with crepes during my time at Georgetown abound. There used to be a great crepe place on M Street. I remember meeting friends there occasionally and I clearly remember celebrating the end of my junior year with my Bible study small group girls at this crepe place and then walking around the Georgetown waterfront. However, my friend Marissa holds the distinct honor of being one of, if not the first person I’ve seen make crepes from scratch. I remember our sophomore year when using a magic bullet, she would easily whip up a big batch of crepes to feed us and group of us girls and several guys who I knew though my college ministry, athletes with big appetites. She made it look so easy. She would then add Nutella and strawberries or bananas. I never thought of crepes as something I could actually (and easily) make until Marissa. Now I periodically make these sweet treats and thoroughly enjoy the many filling options, though I generally stick with Nutella and strawberries or bananas.

Pesto Chicken

Thank you to my dear friend, Mary, for this tasty recipe!

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 5-6 chicken breasts
• 5 Yukon Gold potatoes (or other potatoes, as preferred/on hand) cut in cubes
• basil pesto
• Monterey Jack, Brie, or another cheese
• dashes of salt, pepper, and olive oil
• handful of cherry tomatoes (optional)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350.

Wash and cut the potatoes in little cubes. Put a dash of olive oil in your baking dish to keep your pesto chicken from sticking. Then place chicken breasts in pan and spread basil pesto on top of the chicken. Then place cubed potatoes around the chicken in your pan. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.

Optionally, slice cherry tomatoes in half and also place these around the chicken with the cubed potatoes. (I didn’t do this because I didn’t have cherry tomatoes on hand when making this. However, when my friend made this first she had the cherry tomatoes and they were very good.)

Place the pan in the oven until chicken looks mostly cooked. I use frozen chicken so generally it’s about 30-40 minutes. If you’re using not frozen chicken, it will probably be faster. Once chicken looks mostly done, pull your pan out of the oven. Remember the Monterey Jack (or Brie) mentioned in the ingredients? This is where it comes in. Cover your chicken breasts with the cheese of your choice. Place your dish back in the oven and crank up the heat! Either put your broiler on or crank the heat to about 450 and look for the cheese to brown (about 10 minutes).

Serves 4-6.

just before going into the oven (before adding the cheese)

Memories

My friend Mary and I are currently reading through and discussing The Measure of Success: Uncovering the Biblical Perspective on Women, Work, and the Home. I’m loving discussing this book and our ambitions, strengths, family, and pretty much everything with Mary. She always asks such great questions that really spark good, enjoyable and deep conversation.  Discussing this book, she’s no different and opens my eyes to different passages and asks questions that really get me thinking versus just reading and not necessarily stopping to digest the content as much. It’s also pretty fun that we, like the authors, can approach the book from different perspectives-married and single. For our first book discussion Mary had me over to her apartment for dinner. She made this excellent pesto chicken and chocolate chocolate chip cookies for dessert. It was a wonderful meal! She was also kind enough to share the recipe and how easy it was with me so I could make it on my own and write about it on this blog! My husband loved this pesto chicken when I made it recently. Pesto chicken is great-I love the flavors, that it takes one pan, is so easy to make and reminds me of Mary and our great conversations!

Easy Croque Monsieurs

Yum! note: slightly browner than desired but still tasty!

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 12 slices of bread (French bread would probably be ideal but I used plain ‘ole wheat bread cause that’s what I had)
• 18 thin slices of deli ham (3 per sandwich)
• Monterey Jack cheese (cheaper substitute for Gruyere cheese) and ideally shredded

For the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• dash of salt

Makes 6 sandwiches

Directions:

Turn your oven broiler on.

In a small saucepan add the butter to melt. Then add the 1 tablespoon of flour, whisking quickly to make a good mix. Then add the cup of milk and bring to a boil, whisking to mix well. After it comes to a boil, add the teaspoon of black pepper and dash of salt.

While you wait for the sauce to boil, start laying the sandwiches on a cookie sheet. (I think it’s ideal if you toast the bread first) Place the bottom slices of bread with 3 pieces of ham on top of each piece. (or use as much ham as desired) Once your sauce is ready, add spoonfuls to each sandwich, on top of the ham (as pictured). Then add your second slice of bread on top of each sandwich and generously add Monterey Jack cheese on top of this second piece of bread.

Place the cookie sheet in the broiler for 15 minutes or until the cheese is browned but still semi-white.

Memories

Honestly, I don’t remember the first time I tried a croque monsieur. However, I do remember having this French delicacy one evening in high school at a French club event where we were watching Bourne Identity because much of it is set in Paris. Fast forward several years to my college graduation when a family friend gave me an awesome cookbook, Jeffrey Saad’s Global Kitchen: Recipes Without Borders, as a graduation gift. This was so wonderful because I love food and international affairs (my major) and this cookbook with flavors from around the world somewhat combines the two. Anyway, this cookbook had a recipe for croque monsieurs in it, which reminded me how much I like them. So, I adapted the recipe using the ingredients I had on hand. I have since made my version of the recipe (the one above) several times and received praises from my husband, parents, and even a coworker who tried a bite when I took a croque monsieur in for lunch one day.

Cranberry and Brie Puff Pastry Appetizers

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 box frozen puff pastry (I generally only use one of the sheets if dough per recipe)
• 1 can of cranberry sauce
• 1 block of brie cheese

Yields approximately 24 little puff pastries if you use the full sheet of puff pastry dough

Directions:
Spay a mini (or regular size) muffin tin with nonstick cooking oil and set aside. Preheat oven to 350. Let the puff pasty defrost a little bit. While you’re waiting for that, cut the brie into little slices or cubes. Then open the trifolded dough and slice into little triangles (I cut the dough along the folds and then cut into triangles). Place the triangles of puff pastry dough in the muffin tin. Then place the brie and a spoonful of cranberry sauce on the middle part of the puff pastry triangle in the muffin tin. Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the puff pastry puffs up and is golden. Remove, let it cool a little and serve.

Memories

This is a great appetizer! It looks and tastes wonderful, is sophisticated, and is incredibly easy to make!

I first had this cranberry and brie puff pastry when my awesome college Bible study leader made it for me and a couple of the girls who were in the same group throughout college. I will always think of her and those wonderful ladies when I make this appetizer. She had such an impact on my life and I realize it more and more now than I did at the time. Thank you so much for your service, care, and friendship!

I recently made this appetizer at the end of January (I know, I’m a bit behind on my blog posts…cooking is my first love and I’m still learning to love the blogging part) when I had a couple of ladies over for a girls night of wine, appetizers, and Valentine’s day card making. We had such a nice time and enjoyed the food, company, conversation, and card making! I hope to make the Valentine’s Day card making girls night an annual tradition!

not the prettiest of pictures but it gives a decent idea (I’m a cook, not a photographer)

Patatas Bravas with Pimentón Sauce

Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Patatas Bravas (potatoes)

• 2 lbs potatoes, cut into bite-sized cubes
• oil for frying

For the Pimentón Sauce

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cloves of chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons of paprika
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop your potatoes into bite-sized cubes. (if desired, peel potatoes first) Then begin working on the Pimentón Sauce. In a saucepan, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add onion and garlic, stirring often until clear. [TIP: At this point, begin frying your potatoes.] Then add the 2 tablespoons of paprika, 1 tablespoon of flour, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and continue stirring. Reduce to low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. For a smooth sauce, puree in a blender or food processor.

In a deep pot, add oil and allow it to heat. Then fry the potatoes. Add a layer of chopped potatoes and ensure they are completely covered by the oil. Once the potatoes are crispy, use a slatted spoon to remove the potatoes and place on a paper towel. Repeat until all potatoes are fried. Add a little salt on top.

Pour the Pimentón Sauce over the Patatas Bravas or put it on the side and serve.

Serves 6-8

Memories

I love Spanish tapas. I love the memories of vacationing in Spain with my parents and the great taste. I loved the trip to Spain with my parents about 5 years ago and have so many fond memories of Madrid, Cordoba, and Barcelona. Cordoba’s La Mezquita is probably one of my favorite places ever. I remember learning about it in high school and then seeing it in person was awesome!

La Mezquita

I have a very pleasant memory of sitting outside on Madrid’s Plaza Mayor enjoying tapas  (including Patatas Bravas) one summer night with my parents. Patatas Bravas is probably one of my favorite tapas but what makes it even better is the orangeish-red sauce. I recently bought a bag of potatoes and decided I would do a little searching on the internet and found a recipe of the sauce! In my typical fashion, I glanced at the ingredients and thought “oh surely I have all of that in my pantry! I’m going to try it!” …but I didn’t have all of the ingredients, so I adapted it to the recipe above and it worked just fine!

Patatas Bravas with Pimentón Sauce is a great side or for a tapas night! Try them with my Green Beans with Almonds, another one of my favorite Spanish tapas.

Chili for a Chilly Day (Frito Pie)

Recipe 

Ingredients:

5 Ingredient Chili

•  1 lb ground beef
• 1/3 cup of taco seasoning (or 1 packet of taco or chili seasoning)
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 small/medium onion chopped

plus Fritos and grated cheese to top it off!

• grated cheese
• 1 bag of Fritos

Directions:

Throw the ground beef in a large skillet or pot. Brown it over medium-high heat. Drain any excess grease. Add the taco seasoning, kidney beans, tomato sauce, and chopped onion. Cook for another 10 minutes or so.

Put Fritos in a bowl, then add your chili and top with grated cheese. Stir together a little and enjoy!

6-8 servings

Memories

What is better than chili on a chilly day?? With the crazy snowstorm hitting the East coast, it was a perfect time to make the good Texas classic, Frito pie. I have so many fond memories of eating Frito pie at baseball parks watching my brother play. I love this Texas classic! It’s so easy and tasty!

My husband hadn’t heard of Frito pie until last winter, when I made it for him. I don’t think he was initially sold on the idea but loved it after trying it! Since then it’s become a family favorite to warm up with on cold days.

Honey Curry Chicken

in the slow cooker

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 2 tablespoons yellow curry
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4-6 chicken breasts
• frozen peas and carrots (optional but add a nice flavor)

4-6 servings

honey curry chicken with rice

Directions:

There are 2 ways to make this tasty dish.

1) in the oven:

mix the honey, butter, curry, and salt together and pour over chicken breasts and peas and carrots

put in the over 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes, might take  a bit longer if using frozen chicken

2) in the slow cooker:

same deal, mix the sauce together and pour over the chicken and peas and carrots

cook on high for 3-4 hours, low for 6-8 hours

Memories

Sorry for the delay in posting. I’ve been cooking up a storm but fallen behind n posting. This recipe is coming by popular demand. It’s an easy, crowd-pleaser! Serve with some rice and broccoli or other veggies.

I first had this delicious meal when my husband, fiancé at the time, and I had a very nice dinner with another engaged couple. My husband LOVED it-he loves honey in general so makes sense he would love honey curry chicken. Fortunately my friend was kind enough to share this great recipe with me, as another friend had shared with her. Thank you!

After loving the recipe so much I shared it with my mom who adapted it some by adding the frozen peas and carrots. I followed suit the next time I made it and agreed that was a great addition so I give it to you as part of the recipe now.

I’ve made this meal a couple of times since we’ve been married but only for the two of us, each time making it in the oven. However, when we invited family and friends over for a meal after my baptism I decided to try making this in the slow cooker so it could be ready when we got back from church. It worked wonderfully! I cut the chicken breasts into little pieces and served with rice and everyone had a second serving!

I associated many sweet memories with the sweet taste of honey curry chicken!

I Love Fried Rice! (easy chicken fried rice)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe

Adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fried-rice-restaurant-style/

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of rice
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 cups mixed frozen peas and carrots
• 1.5-2 cups of frozen broccoli florets
• 4 pieces frozen chicken tenderloin (cooked in the oven, cut into pieces and add)
• 3 eggs
• soy sauce to taste

6-8 servings

Directions: 

If using frozen chicken, put it in the oven at 350 and bake for 30 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. While the chicken is in the oven, make the rice. For best results, make sure the rice isn’t watery by cooking it on high. In a separate large pot (ideally a wok), add the oil, minced garlic, and frozen vegetables and cover. Stir occasionally. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and add to the pot with the vegetables. In the wok, crack in eggs, stirring quickly to scramble eggs with the vegetables. Little by little add the cooked rice to the wok. Then add soy sauce to taste and mix together.

Memories

My husband and I love the viral song Chinese Food by Alison Gold! The name for this blog entry “I Love Fried Rice” actually comes from the lyrics of the song. Yes, this is the same guy who produced Rebecca Black’s Friday. If you haven’t had the pleasure to watch it yet-you definitely should right now! It’s a fun song and helped inspire making this chicken fried rice. I’ve also made this recipe using shrimp instead of chicken and that turns out great too!

photo courtesy of Heat in the Heartland “Huy Fong Foods’ Sambal Oelek (and Chili Garlic Sauce)”

 

 

 

Oh, and for some extra flavor and spice try adding Sambal Oelek or chili garlic sauce!

New Year’s Posole (hominy & pork)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe

(note takes a long time to make, approx. 2-3 hours)

Ingredients:

• 1 can hominy (1 lb 13 oz can)
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons red chile sauce [plus add more to your bowl, as desired]
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 pounds pork roast or chops

8-10 servings

Tips from my kitchen: use a food processor to chop the onions finely (and quickly!); 1 teaspoon minced garlic equals 1 garlic clove

Directions:

Saute the onions and garlic in the oil in a pot for 6 to 8 minutes (or until onions are tender). Rinse the hominy. Add the hominy, 8 cups of chicken stock, red chile sauce, and oregano to the pot and put on low heat. Cut the pork into 1/2 once or smaller pieces. Add to the pot. Simmer, covered for 2-3 hours.

Memories

Posole is a New Year’s tradition in my family. You have to have posole for good luck for the new year in New Mexico; it’s like many people feel about blackeyed peas. My parents both grew up in New Mexico, where posole is common, which helps explain how it became part of our New Year’s celebrations. My mom makes it every New Year’s Eve and it’s delicious! I remember eating posole and tortillas pretty much every New Years Eve and then the following couple of days growing up and loving it!

Well I thought it would be a nice way to ring in 2014 as a newly married couple, bringing some of my family traditions to our new little family. So, I made posole for the first time this year. Now normally he’s not a huge fan of soups or things that are too spicy, so I thought I’d get an average reaction – but he loved it and was impressed! It wasn’t too spicy and had great flavor! I tend to like my food a little on the spicy side so I added spoonfuls of the red chile sauce to my bowl of posole, which was great. Talk about starting the new year right!

When we were visiting my family recently my parents were reminiscing, and apparently my grandfather used to make great red chile sauce to go with posole. Maybe next year I might even try my hand at that! Either way, I look forward to making posole one of our family traditions as we ring in the new year.

 

What are some of your favorite New Year’s recipes and traditions? Please comment and share! 

Christmas Cookies Galore (recipes for: sugar, peppermint, & gingerbread cookies plus easy icing)

Recipes

sugar cookies

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 ¾ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Green food coloring*

*We used the festive twist of adding green food coloring (as many drops as needed to achieve desired green) and used a Christmas tree cookie cutter.

Directions

Mix all ingredients together. Put dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Roll out cookies, use cookie cutters and place a little bit apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden/hard. Let sit on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes then remove and let cool.

peppermint flavored sugar cookies

Peppermint Flavored Sugar Cookies

Adapt the basic sugar cookie recipe above by adding 1 teaspoon of Peppermint Extract. Also, to make the cookies even more festive, add red food coloring (as many drops as need to achieve desired color) and use a candy cane cookie cutter.

Icing (homemade is so much better than store bought stuff-cheaper and you know all of the ingredients!)

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons milk

Adjust as desired-add more or less milk for desired thickness and food coloring

gingerbread cookies

Gingerbread Cookies

credit to Taste of Home’s December 2013 magazine for the recipe

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel (I just used lemon juice and worked great)
• 3 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix in flour, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion to ¼ inch thick or so and cut into gingerbread men shapes using cookie cutter. Place a little apart on a cookie sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove, cool and decorate as desired.

Memories

My husband and I decided we wanted to host a Christmas party and share this wonderful season with our friends. So after brainstorming a bit, we decided to have a casual Christmas party with a photo booth (all sorts of great Christmas props in front of wrapping paper on the wall!) and Christmas cookie decorating! I thoroughly enjoyed the party and baking all of the cookies with my dear friend two weekends prior to the party. It was so nice to enjoy the conversation and time with her-especially since this was her last month in the city. We made cutout cookies out of different types of cookies and even had a batch of spritz cookies we burnt to a crisp (oops!) and enjoyed the time together. Because my husband and I were out of town the weekend before our party for my brother’s college graduation (yay! Congrats!) I froze the dozens of cookies and pulled them out the morning of our Christmas party. I learned the freezer trick from my grandmother who makes AMAZING Christmas cookies and even has a whole freezer dedicated to them, so that she can make them months in advance and they’ll still be fresh once pulled out of the freezer.

I really enjoyed setting up some of our pretty serving trays and dessert stands filled with the homemade cookies and decorating our house for our Christmas party! I also made two types of punch and had hot chocolate with marshmallows. The party was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with friends we rarely see and meet some of my husband’s friends from work. I also enjoyed seeing our friends from different circles meet each other. I felt so thankful for all of the wonderful people God has put in our lives. We hope to make our party an annual tradition!

We had a cookie-decorating contest and the winners got a small prize. It was so fun to see everyone’s creativity. Below are some of the decorated cookies!

cookie decorating and my hubby!