Back to Basics

I've found during the hustle and bustle of life in general that menu planning is tremendously helpful. Not only does it alleviate the daily stress of feeding the crazies family, it saves $$ too. Combine that with occasionally making a couple of recipes at the same time, especially when they use the duplicate core ingredients, and the fridge is stocked whether I'm home or away working my fingers to the bone doing what I love.  Here are a couple of kid-friendly favorites - just in case you are among the five people in America who don't already know how to make chili and shepherd's pie (ha!). 

Both recipes begin with:

2 pounds of ground meat

1 onion and 4 cloves garlic

For Shephard's Pie add 2 carrots and 1 stalk celery (chopped)

Brown the beef, drain...

Return to pan and add 2/3 cup flour, stir to combine.

Add to cans of beef broth, 1 tsp. of ground thyme and cook over medium-high heat until thick and bubbly.

Spread the meat mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan

I'm always looking for a way to sneak more veggies in for my two toddlers and while traditional shepherds pie does not include green beans, I sneak a cup of frozen veggies in at this point. Sometimes we use peas or even corn.

You will need six cups of cooked mashed potatoes. I boil them with the skins on, drain, return to the pan with 1/2 cup butter, 2 tsp garlic salt, pepper to taste and one cup cheddar cheese. Mash well. 

Spread potato mixture onto the top of the meat filling...

And bake at 375 until hot and bubbly. I usually place under the broiler for about five minutes at the end just to brown the top a little. 

For the chili - begin with the same three core ingredients: ground meat, onion chopped and four cloves of garlic….

Brown the meat, drain, and add to it: 2 cans chili beans, 2 cans chili-ready tomatoes, 2 cans tomato sauce (do you see a pattern here?) and 1 can dark red kidney beans. Stir together and add 2 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. pepper and 1 tsp. salt. Cook and simmer for 20 minutes to allow flavors to combine. 

Happy cooking!!

xox,
A

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays. Admittedly, we've grown a bit selfish with our day - my husband and I choose to spend it with just ourselves and our four bambino's. Our schedules are incredibly full and often we meet each other coming and going while doing the baseball-ballet-shuffle. I wouldn't have it any other way. When Thanksgiving Day rolls around we look forward to taking an entire day to veg-out. Eat, Pray, Love - literally. We enjoy the day with our kiddo's, good food, a good long nap, and lots of fireside snuggles with our favorite movies. It's so very restful and rejuvenating. 

Of course, any Thanksgiving table would be remiss without a pumpkin dish in some form. We're changing things up this year by adding pumpkin bread pudding to the dessert menu. 

First take 1 cup of raisins and soak them for about 20 minutes in 2/3 cup of bourbon. If bourbon is not your thing, you can easily substitute 2/3 cup hot water. 

While your raisins are soaking, butter and 8x8 pan and sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of brown sugar. I'll admit, I took this photo and then realized I didn't butter the pan first. I'm not perfect…

Cube a loaf of a very dense italian bread, about 12 oz -  most loaves are 16-24 oz, so you won't need the entire loaf. It works best if you leave the bread overnight to dry out. A good dry bread will hold the batter well.

Mix together: 15oz. of pumpkin puree, 4 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cups half and half, 2 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. allspice.

Stir the bread cubes into the pumpkin mixture…

Drain the raisins and add to the batter, then pour into your prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes until the top is golden brown and the custard is set.

Dish up for your loved ones and give thanks!! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

6 Tbs. brown sugar
1 cup rasisins
2/3 cup bourbon or hot water
1 15oz can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cup half and half
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
12 oz. dry dense italian bread or challah, cubed

Butter an 8x8 pan and sprinkle with brown sugar. Set aside. Pour bourbon over raisins; set aside. Combine pumpkin, sugar, eggs, spices and vanilla - mis well. Stir in cubed bread and mix to combine. Drain raisins and fold into pumpkin mixture. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degree for 45-60 minutes until custard is set and the top is browned. Enjoy!

Stop the Clock!!!

I cannot believe that it has already been TWELVE years since we first met this lovely young lady. Her kind heart and conscientious spirit melt us daily and we are in love with the woman she is already becoming. It is such a blessing to be her mother. Here are a few of her 12 year pictures....

Preview!

Last December I took a good long look at my business and evaluated where I was and where I wanted to be. Many of you may remember that my initial business involved not only cakes, but catering as well. Somewhere in the middle of assembling hors d'oeuvres for 250 people while caring for a six week old baby I realized that as much as I love to cook, the art of cuisine loses its luster when stuffing 600 mushrooms and prepping the same number of crab cakes in between a baby's nursing schedule. It was a sleepless summer. I still love to cook, entertain, and share my recipes on this blog, but my true passion is art and my mediums of choice are cake, sugar, fondant - you get the picture.  My business model got a facelift for 2013 and I haven't looked back - I love my job! I know it is a huge blessing to find work pleasurable and I don't take it for granted. 

Thanks to a sweet family member who recently married and agreed to don her wedding gown once more for a photo shoot, I now have these beautiful photo's that I can't stop looking at! You can check out our model, Lael, on her blog: High Heels and High Notes and find the fabulous white leather sofa over at Mood Party Rentals.

Here's a peek at a few photo's from our shoot....

Photo Friday #45 - Red Dirt Dawber

Banana Be Mine

Finally getting a recipe on the blog! I cannot believe how long it has been since I've shared some kitchen goodness - maybe this is a sign that I am finally getting settled into a routine over here where the wind comes sweeping down the plain. It's been more than a little crazy trying to get settled into our new home (which, by the way, I unpacked in such a hurried frenzy that I now can't remember what items I put into which cabinets, closets, etc. and find myself ransacking my own home to find my things) and setting up my very modest cake studio has proved more time consuming than I anticipated - largely due to our determination to stay on a shoe-string budget and accomplish a majority of the work ourselves. It's been exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time and my rough cuticles are showing it.

Anyway, I actually made these scrumptious little ole muffins several weeks ago and well before finding that perfect spot for food photography - you know, the sweet spot where the natural light is just right. This photo was taken in my home, but I'm so thrilled to begin shooting at my studio soon. The huge windows and natural light will make for some beautiful photos (I hope). 

Banana Nut Muffins

1/2 cup (1stick) butter at room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, and beat to incorporate. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean about 18-20 minutes, but ovens vary so watch your first batch and time accordingly. Cool ten minutes and turn out of pans to finish cooling.