Food Update!!

Food Update!
Well lately I’ve been eating some yummy stuff. First was in my Traditions of Italian Food class. We made chicken with dill and almond. AMAZING! It was delicious and I’m definitely bringing it back to ya’ll.


Our next dish was sweet and sour eggplant. Not quite as good but still yummy. You can substitute anything for the eggplant: zucchini or squash whatever you like! The whole play on this dish is sweet and sour tones. These come from vinegar and sugar added. I really liked this dish and will bring it home to ya’ll as well!


When I was in Siena, we went into this cute pastry shop.



Beautiful creations right?! Now look at these?!!

Yep these are the yummy things I made in my dessert class, in an actual store…BUT I have made these!! So cool!! Haha

Also in Siena, was this random brown hut thing in the middle of Plazza de Campo. Turns out this place, fries little balls of tapioca, then tops them with more sugar! OMG, these are amazing! Worth the 6 euros just to get to Siena. They were incredible!


Last update: to my excitement, my piping skills are getting better!! Now please don’t judge to hard cuz they are by far not perfect but I think with alittle more practice I’ll be writing Happy Birthday on cake before you know it! Hahaha!!

Feeling Chilly?! Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup!

This recipe came from 2 different inspirations! 1- Wedensday in my cooking class we didn't cook so I was craving alittle culinary pleasure. And 2 I keep hearing about all this snow going on in Texas so i figure ya'll could use alittle warming up! So here we go, chicken noodle soup from water to soup! It's amazing and will last you days!!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken cut up into pieces (you can get this at the store. Just look for a chicken into 8 pieces)
3 stalks of celery
2 carrots
1 medium size onion
1 bay leaf
1 stalk of rosemary
3 whole peppercorns
1 chicken or veggie boulon cube
pasta of your choosing


How To:
Take a large pot, put all ingredients (except noodles) and cover with water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let cook for 2 hours. *You can totally leave this going and go to class or run some errands, just make sure the heat isn’t too high and you’re golden.
After 2 hours, strain broth into another pot and cut up all the veggies into bit size pieces and shred chicken. Remove peppercorns and bay leaf-throw away Then put all back into broth and bring back to a simmer. If you are serving this all in one night, then when the water is to a boil, add pasta and cook till the noodles are done. Then serve with fresh parsley!
**If you are only serving a few people and will have left overs, cook pasta in another pot and serve individually with the soup. This will keep your noodles from getting really soggy!
I was in the spirit of styling so here are my attempts to make soup look beautiful! First 2 are just with a bunch of parsley and the 2nd two are with finely chopped parsley.





This was really delicious and great for a cold day! Feel free to add anything else in like green beans, peas, corn, or broccoli! You can even make croutons!

Homemade Croutons

Ingredients:
1 loaf of stale bread
2 Tbs. Italian seasoning
3 Tbs. olive oil

How To:
Pre heat your oven to 400* F. Cut bread into small cubes. Toss with olive oil then toss with Italian seasoning. Spread out evenly on a cookie sheet and toast cubes till golden brown. **Keep an eye on these they could toast fast! Giving them a good shake to rotate every minute or so helps** After nicely toasted, serve on top of your yummy soup or just eat them plain like I do!
**Sorry there is no picture for these. I have made these before but did not make them for this soup..

Amy, Briana and I are thinking about chicken parmesan soon!! Get excited!!

Beginning of Italian Cooking...

Well so please don’t think ill of me for not posting any of my yummy foods yet. Lately when eating comes around its like stuff my face so good, so no pics! Ha! But I have cooked alittle bit here and there. This task is also difficult because my kitchen is alittle inadequate to cook and my fridge is about the size of an American freezer so you get the point.
How ever, this is my latest dish!

Sautéed Chicken with Fresh Green Beans in a White Wine Reduction
Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Italian seasoning
Chicken breast (one per person)
Fresh Green Beans (about a handful per person)
Salt, pepper, and a dash of red pepper flake (more if you like it hotter)
4 Tbs. White Wine (whatever you have on hand, nothing fancy)
Toasted Bread

How to:
Put about a 2Tbs. of olive oil in a pan and heat it to about a medium heat. Once heated, season your chicken with salt and pepper and alittle Italian seasoning. Cook till golden brown and no pink left in the middle. This will be about 4-5 minutes per side depending on thickness.

While that is cooking, if your green beans have stems, remove those and set aside. In another pan, heat about 2Tbs. of olive oil and a dash of red pepper flakes. Once heated, put in your green beans. Cook till done but if you like alittle crunch in your veggies then just keep testing them till they are to your liking!

After you chicken is done, remove from pan and set aside. Take your pan off the burner, and add the wine. Immediately put the pan back on the heat and bring to boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape anything that has stuck to the bottom( it’s the good stuff, trust me). Once, your wine has reduced( less than when you started) remove and pour over your finished green beans.
Serve chicken and green beans with toasted bread to soak up any sauce that might remain. Sounds fancy but totally do able!

Tomorrow I start my Italian cooking class and then Thursday I will have my Dessert Styling class!! EKKK so excited and I will post pictures and recipes, ASAP!

Peace, Love and Cooking ☺

World Traveler...El Salvador to Italy

Well to say the least, my poor blog has been neglected. After my last post, I worked 8 week of Pine Cove, went on a cruise, fall semester at Tech, turned 21, drank wine (In moderation), went to El Salvador, and now in the process of packing for Italy!!!

A picture of me in El Salvador!!

My life has been running a hundred million miles an hour but it's been amazing but now I am ready to sprint full steam ahead into cooking and baking! In 10 days my study abroad Italy orientation will be under way and my eyes will be popping out of my head in excitement!!! As I bake and eat my way through Italy, I will blog all about my culinary adventures, here at this site! I will also be blogging about various adventures, travel and whats going on in school at my other blog called www.timeofmylifeinitaly.blogspot.com! I'll post Facebook statuses when I've updated!
Ready or not Italy here I come!!


Peace, Love and Baking :)

Strawberry Lime Pie

So sorry it has been awhile since I've posted anything. ALOT has happened in the past few weeks. Spring classes, finals and school have all come and gone. I've moved back to Tyler for the summer and in 3 days I'll start my summer job at Pine Cove.
Pine Cove is a christian summer camp for camper from 2nd-12th grades. I'll be working with 2nd-5th graders for 5 weeks, encouraging their walks with the Lord, playing in the sun, and having a blast! Because of camp, this will be my last blog for a while, but I promise I'll be back after July 4th! Now on to baking!!

Strawberry Lime Pie:
This is a recipe I created while having way too much free time on my hands and after watching a Foodnetwork episode of amazing pies!

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen strawberries
2 limes zested and one juiced (can use extra zest for garnish)
1 cup sugar
1 carton of fresh strawberries, cut in half
3 tablesspoons of cornstarch
3/4 cup water
1 frozen pie shell, pre-bake according to package
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons of powdered sugar

In your cooled pre-baked crust layer your fresh strawberries in a single layer. Then in a medium saucepan, combine first 3 ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring often. While strawberries are boiling, mix the water and cornstarch together and add to the strawberry mixture. Remove from heat and stir till thick.

Pour into your pie shell, decorate top with extra fresh strawberries (if desired) and chill overnight or at least 5 hours.

If you wish to garnish your pie: in a mixer whip heavy cream till it starts to thicken, while continuing to mix add the powdered sugar and whip till stiff peaks. Serve on the side or pipe pretty like this!


This recipe was so easy and super yummy! Good pantry staple for the summer and will also keep well in the frig so make more than one! Have a wonderful May and June of summer!!

Peace, Love and Baking <3

Surprise Party!!!

This past weekend my mom turned the big 50! Unknowingly to her, my dad and I have been planning a surprise party for her since spring break. Which is so hard to do when your mom knows everything and your living 8 hrs away. But dad and I pulled it off with the help of Susan and Kristi. I flew in the day of the party and went straight to work on my appetizers and dessert. Within a few hours, food was done, decorations were up and everyone arrived. And mom got surprised!

and here is another catch... mom didn't know I was there so here is her reaction to that!


So here is what I made: Stuffed Mushrooms and Gourmet Deviled Eggs


and for dessert.. Banana Pudding ( half eaten too, HA)


Recipe for Stuffed Mushrooms:
12 whole fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems and discard.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute till golden brown, taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool.
When garlic is no longer hot, in a standing mixer or a large bowl with a hand-mixer, add cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Whip untill combined. Mixture should be very thick. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.

Recipe for Gourmet Deviled Eggs
12 eggs, hard boiled and shelled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 slices bacon
4 tablespoons finely shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoon djion mustard

Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. To cool more quickly, rinse eggs under cold running water.
Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Alternatively you can: wrap bacon in paper towels and cook in the microwave for about 1 minute per slice. Crumble and set aside.
Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise,cheese and djion mustard. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving. I like to use a large star tip to make them look really pretty. Garnish with crumbled bacon and parsely for some green.


Recipe for Banana Pudding:
1 5oz. package of instant vanilla pudding mix
2 1/2 cups of whole milk
1 can of Eagle brand milk
1 box of vanilla wafers
3-5 bananas thinly sliced.
16 oz. container of cool whip

In a large bowl combine pudding mix, both milks. After combining, fold in cool whip till no lumps and set aside. Then in a 9X13 pan, line the bottom with vanilla wafers then top the wafers with banana slices. Pour about half of your pudding mixture on of the bananas and wafers. Add another layer of wafers and bananas and pour the rest of your pudding. Top the whole thing off with the rest of your whipped topping and crushed up wafers. This is soo good and so quick its fool-proof!

Overall, the night was a success, I was exhausted and mom was surprised. I love surprise parties!

peace, love and baking :)

Easter Baking

So it's Easter break and the LBK is dead because everyone went home for the long weekend. I did not, 8 hours is too far for me. So what will I do with all my spare time? O I will stay up till 2:30 a night decorating easter goodies! Not to mention my mom sent me a easter basket via mail, which contained the movie The Blind Side, and DVD of Julia Child's cooking shows and interviews. I haven't watched any yet but it wouldn't surprise me if an all nighter was coming soon ;)
People always say don't drink alone.. I think the rule can apply to baking: Never bake alone! My dear friend and Chi O sister, Hannah was staying in town as well and is a foodie like me so we were determined to practie our baking and decorating skillz over the weekend!

First up on the menu was BBQ Chicken Pizza for dinner:
Ingredients:
- 1 Pillsbury pizza dough
-1/2 cup marinara sauce
-1/2 cup BBQ sauce (whatever you have or like)
-1TBS of fresh cilantro
-2 chicken breasts
-2 cups mozzarella cheese grated

Steps:
In a medium skillet on medium heat,cook your chicken breast with 2 TBS of BBQ sauce. After cooked, cut into bite-size pieces.


Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl combine the BBQ sauce and marinara. On a greased cookie sheet, lay out your pizza dough and spread the sauce all over. Use as much or as little as you like.


Now to your crust add your cooked chicken and cheese. Bake for about 18-20 minutes and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting into and stuffing your face, cause that's what Hannah and I did!

TA DA!!

Now onto decorating spring cupcakes! Hannah is a pro at youtubing and looking up videos on de-mything decoratng technics. Here it is the beautful spring flower!

Looks alittle scary right? Thats what I thought too but it was so easy! Here is the how-to

Ingredients:
- 12 pre-baked cupcakes, completely cooled and iced a spring green
- 1 bag of mini marshmellows
- 1 box of dot or colored candies for the middle
- a variety of sanding or fine colored sugars ( we got ours at Michaels)

Steps:
-pour your colored sugars into individual bowls with lids. Then using scissors, cut your mini marshmellows on the diagonial like this:

And keep cutting them till you have about a cup or so of each in each color. Put the lids on and shake to coat, they should then look like this:


Now with your iced cupcake pick one color and line the edge of the cake with the marshmellows. And continue doing this till you get to the top middle!


Then top it off with a colored dot or candy of your choice! And TA DA the final product!! People will think you are brillant and you can all the credit for cutting those marshmellows!



Peace, Love and Baking:)