Bread bowls

For the longest time I've been wanting to learn to make bread bowls. I've had a little bit of extra time lately so I finally decided to try them. They really turned out great. I have a bread machine that I used to mix and knead the dough, but I can't say I really followed a particular recipe - it was basically just trial and error. I filled them with a recipe called:

Fiesta Beef Bowls

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds boneless beef top round steak
1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups hot cooked rice
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons sliced ripe olives
6 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
6 tablespoons guacamole

Directions:
Place round steak in a 3-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic and seasonings; pour over steak. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat is tender.
Remove meat from slow cooker. Add beans to tomato mixture. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until beans are heated through. When cool enough to handle, slice meat. In individual bowls, layer the rice, meat and bean mixture. Top with cheese, olives, onions and guacamole. Yield: 6 servings.

Here's the final product:
Needless to say it was hearty meal :)

Whatcha' got Cookin'....

It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to blog about my new creations in the kitchen! Don’t worry – I’ve been hard at work and cooking up a storm! The last few weeks I’ve had the chance to try some new recipes as well as re-try some that didn’t turn out so great the first time. Practice makes perfect - or close enough.

A few Sundays ago we had the chance to have some new friends, Jason and Alicia, over for dinner, which meant I got to cook! However, I was presented with a little bit of a challenge. When I was deciding what to prepare, I asked Alicia if there was anything they didn’t like or couldn’t eat. Alicia told me she couldn’t eat anything with gluten in it. So what did I do? I got on the internet and started researching. It ended up great - I was able to create an entire gluten-free meal. For dessert I made some very simple, tasty peanut butter cookies.

Last week we had an in office luncheon and we had the YWCA kitchen cater for us. Now I have to tell you that I have never in my life liked chicken salad. I don’t know what it was about this chicken salad but I loved it, so I got the recipe from the cook. Come to find out Josh doesn’t like it either but I think this recipe made him a lover of it too!

Lindsey, one of my friends, had told me about a scone recipe that she had found on a website called Tasty Kitchen, where her and I social network about recipes. I’d been telling my friends for weeks I was going to make these scones and I just never had a chance, but I finally did. The recipe was surprisingly very easy and they turned out excellent. The recipe ended up making quite a bit so Josh took them to work and let his employees enjoy! I plan on making them for my co-workers this week.

You might remember that a few weeks ago I blogged about the Chocolate Celebration Cake that took every ounce of my energy to make. Well…I made it again. We have recently become friends with a young couple that lives just a few houses down from us. Sunday was her birthday and so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make this cake again. It was much more successful than the first time, however I still had quite a bit of trouble with the garnishes. I’m blogging on this cake again for two reasons: 1. I wanted to take the time to tell how much easier it was the second time. Baking is hard and I’m learning that it’s definitely precise. 2. I wanted to show just how much better this one looked than the last. And I wanted to post the picture from the Taste Of Home magazine that I was attempting to recreate so you could see the comparison. The photo of cake on the magazine cover is perfect –but Josh and I think it’s a fake. :)



My last little creation is a treat for kids called Squiggly Wigglies. I made it for our BFG (Bible fellowship group) that Josh and I host in our home on Tuesday nights. They are little wraps with cream cheese and strawberry preserves that can be substituted with white or wheat tortillas. They are easy and fairly healthy!


- A

Whatcha got Cookin'.....

This past week and weekend was very eventful! Josh spent the week in California on a business trip and I worked hard on organizing the closet of disaster! It was a success. We have this office area in our room and it ended up being a place where would throw all our important papers. Even though they were important that never stopped us from just throwing them in there. Eventually the papers were piled high and we weren’t able to find anything when we needed it. But now after buying some office organizing folders and putting some hours into it - everything is organized, filed with labels and put in its own place. I love it.
I was also able to start guitar lessons, which I am really excited about. I have no former musical experience and I wasn’t born with natural musical talent so it’s quite interesting and entertaining when I try to play the only two cords that I know. :)
Well there was no wasting of time, as soon as Josh got in on Friday night we went straight to Lowe’s to pick out paint and we started painting first thing Saturday morning. By the way we love it.


After we got done painting I was free to get in the kitchen. I’ve had my eye on this gorgeous cake that I was determined to replicate. I was pretty fearless going into it but the further along I got the more obstacles that began to pop up. We ended up having to go to the store 4 times because it took me three tries to make the frosting from scratch and by the time I went to try it again I was out of the first ingredient. It was hilarious/frustrating, but Josh was so patient and so willing to help me out! I have to tell you I learned so much in the process of making this. After realizing that I had no idea how to make the garnishes that the cake called for I started to do some research on the internet. By doing this I was able to learn how to make chocolate piping garnishing. I also learned that confectioner’s sugar is just powdered sugar. I wish I would have known that before I wasted 4 cups of regular sugar and a whole batch of frosting, thinking that it served the same purpose. Needless to say that making this cake taught me a lot of little things about cooking. It was a great learning experience. So five hours later I accomplished my mission and made the Chocolate-strawberry Celebration Cake and this is a picture of it!

I also made some very quick and easy rice krispy treats. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
40 marshmellows
1 stick of butter (1/2 a cup)
1 box of rice krispy treats cereal
Directions:
Melt the butter in a non-stick pot. Add the 40 marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat once melted. Then you just eye ball this part where you pour in the rice krispies. I pour a little less than half the box. Press into a greased 9 x 13 pan. Make sure to wet your hands in sink so it won’t stick to you. Let cool, cut and enjoy!


-A

Whatcha' got Cookin'....

I tried a new recipe last week, but it’s not what you think! It wasn’t a recipe with food, it was a recipe with soap!
Amy Thompson, our pastors’ wife, is definitely a woman of many abilities. A few weeks ago I heard her talking about how she makes her own laundry detergent. I was immediately intrigued when she said that 1. It saves a lot of money (it comes out to about 2 cents a load) and 2. The recipe makes a ton so you don’t have to do it often.
So this week, with the help of my husband, we made homemade laundry detergent! Don’t knock it ‘til you try it because it works just as well as major detergent brands and she was right, it makes a ton! It cost about $10 to buy all the supplies - listed below - and the best part is that I still have a ton of the ingredients leftover to make many more batches.


Ingredients:
2 cups washing soda
2 cups Borax
1 bar of soap
Water
5 Gallon bucket with lid

Directions:
Grate bar of soap with cheese grater. In medium saucepan boil 4 cups of water. Gradually add the soap flakes and stir until completely dissolved. Pour into 5 gallon bucket. Add washing soda and Borax. Stir well. Add 3-4 gallons of water and stir well. Let sit overnight. Stir the next day and your ready to go. It might be watery or gel. It doesn't matter it will wash just the same. Use 1 cup with each load.

Enjoy :)

-A