Summer dress

I haven't really been making any amazing food lately (That doesn't mean the food I have been making isn't, I just haven't made anything new), BUT I did make Heather B. a summer dress from an old button down shirt. She's been going through a dress phase lately, so I thought I'd give it a go. Here's the end product. I can't really give credit to anyone. I looked at several blogs, got lots of ideas and sort of made it up as I went along. It's not perfect, but as my grandma says: "It'll never be noticed on a galloping horse." :) Heather loves it, and it makes it special because it was made out of Daddy's old shirt. I also made the leggings out of one of my old T-shirts. I feel so domestic. :D

The dress can do anything a little girl can. It's good for: 

Dressing up

Counting

Twirling

And Climbing

Yup! It's Heather (and mommy) approved. The best part is: it was free!

PS. For the story of her black eye check out our family blog. http://bookofstandage.blogspot.com

Mmm. I love her so much.

Pizza Margherita

This was delicious! Traditionally, the green in the pizza is supposed to be fresh basil, but I didn't have any so I used spinach instead. It worked perfectly. Here is what I did:

1Tbs. Olive oil
2 large tomatoes, chopped
+/- 1/2 c. spinach, julienned
1 large clove garlic
2 (ish) Tbs. onion
Dried basil, to taste
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Cheese of your choice(I used mozzerella and cheddar because that's what we had, and we didn't have much of either so I had to use both)
Parmesan cheese
Your favorite pizza dough enough for one pizza (I used my favorite universal bread dough recipe)

Prepare your pizza dough. Combine all ingredients except cheese and in a bowl. Put cheese (not Parmesan) on the pizza dough, then add the tomato mixture. Top with Parmesan. Bake according to pizza dough recipe instructions. Usually 450°F for about 15 mins.

I was worried that the pizza would be a little dry because there was no sauce, but it was perfect! It was like a fresh, savory salad on a pizza...I can't say enough good about it. You better try it! We will be making this one often. :)

Mint Cookies n' cream ice cream

I know the dish in the picture is SUPER Ghetto, but I don't have any ice cream dishes. My husband and I either 1) eat ice cream in regular sized bowls (which means we eat twice as much as we should...), or 2) we eat our ice cream in kids bowls. I can't wait to go garage sale-ing this spring/summer. I have several things on my list, and some good ice cream bowls is one of them. :)

Ok, now that that's off my chest, I'll get on with the recipe. I have wanted mint cookies n' cream ice cream for a while, but we have to be very strict on our budget, and I wouldn't break down and buy oreos. BUT! I had an epiphany yesterday: we had girl scout thin mint cookies sitting in the cupboard (we bought them to be nice...I normally would not have spent that much on a box of cookies...but, somebodies gotta support the girl scouts!). So I threw this recipe together.

I just used a plain vanilla recipe to begin with:

1 c. milk (whole or 2% is best)
3/4 c. sugar
2 c. heavy cream
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine milk and sugar in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Add cream, salt, and vanilla. Stir. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight. Freeze according to manufacturers directions.

Ok. so what I did differently, was I added about a tsp. of mint flavoring and blue food coloring (the blue was my husbands request...I would have left it white) to the mix along with the vanilla. You may want to add more or less flavoring depending on the strength of the flavoring and also on personal preference.

At about the last 5 mins of the freezing process, I added about 1 1/2 c. chopped thin mints (regular oreos would be good too). Serve immediately, and freeze some for later! YUMMY!

Cafe Rio Chicken Salad

If you are not familiar with Cafe Rio, you are missing out! My husband and I recently moved to an area where there is no Cafe Rio, and let me tell you I miss their chicken or pork salads immensely! Although copycat recipes are never quite the same, this one is pretty good. And the best part is, it satisfied my craving, and I froze the leftover chicken for the next time the craving hits!

Cafe Rio Chicken


5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thawed (I used two bone in breasts and removed the bones and shredded the chicken about 1/2 way through)
1 16oz bottle Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
3 cloves minced garlic

Mix all ingredients except the chicken in a bowl. Place chicken on bottom of a greased crockpot.
Pour mixture in bowl over the top of chicken. Cook on high 5-7 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and reserve juice to pour over chicken when serving.

To make it the best salad ever, layer (from bottom to top), a tortilla (try making these ones), lime rice, black or pinto beans, chicken, lettuce, tomatillo dressing, pico de gallo, and guacamole. It's delicious!

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream

I have been wanting to try this recipe that I found on my sister-in-law's blog for FOREVER! We tried it recently, and it was dreamy. I am really loving my new ice cream maker, and cant wait for summer when I have more of an excuse to make it. ;)

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream
 
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 cup coconut milk
3 cup heavy cream
1/2-1 cup flaked coconut

Stir together the cocoa powder and sugars. Add the milk and whisk until the cocoa and sugars dissolve, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream, coconut milk and flaked coconut and whisk until incorporated. If not freezing immediately, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pour into ice cream maker and mix until the ice cream has a soft creamy texture. Top with additional coconut flakes and chopped almonds, if desired.

Crockpot Beef Barley Stew

 I have been wanting to try cooking with different grains lately. I was able to find some barley (for a relatively good price) and thought I would try something easy but yummy out. This seemed to fit. Sorry I don't have a picture, but it was awesome!

Crockpot Beef Barley Stew Recipe

3 pounds beef chuck roast, cubed (I actually used ground beef...I know I'm cheap)

1 onion 

1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables

4 cups water

6 cubes beef bouillon cube

1 tablespoon white sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon (or a pinch) dried thyme ( I put more than that in)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (I used more like a 1 tsp.)

1/2 teaspoon dried basil (same as above.)

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1 cup whole barley (or pearled)

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

In a slow cooker or crockpot combine all the soup ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours.

 

Cranberry Orange Pancakes

Tonight was a breakfast for dinner night. We like to have those every once in a while, and with our oven broken, we thought tonight would be a great night for pancakes. We tried the Cranberry Orange Pancakes from Baking Serendipity. They were delicious, and we even froze some leftovers for breakfast later on.

Cranberry Orange Pancakes

1 cup all purpose flour (I used whole white wheat flour)
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 tbsp sugar, divided
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
6 tbsp canola oil
3 cups milk
1 tbsp orange juice
zest of two medium sized oranges
1/2 cup fresh cranberries (I used craisins, and still cooked them to soften them up as suggested below)

Zest two oranges into a small bowl and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, dissolve one tablespoon sugar into one tablespoon orange juice. Add cranberries and stir gently until cranberries pop and soften. (This should take two-three minutes.) Remove from heat and set aside. In a larger bowl, combine flours, remaining three tablespoons sugar, baking powder and baking soda. In one more separate bowl (sorry about the dishes) beat eggs, oil and milk. Add gradually to the dry ingredients, mixing well. Fold in orange zest and cranberries. Spoon batter onto a hot, greased griddle or large skillet. Flip when the edges begin to dry, cooking evenly on both sides. Serve with maple syrup.

Note: I would have enjoyed a little bit more of an orange flavor. Maybe adding 2 more Tbs. would do it. I also added about 1/2 c. flour.