Yummy Summer Treat

So Maggie and I had a craving for a sweet treat yesterday, and this is what came of it. We whipped up a lemon meringue pie. It was delish! Notice I said was. That sucker didn't last to the end of the day. I cheated a little and used canned pie filling...but the meringue is from scratch, I promise! Maggie did that part...not bad, huh?

I had some leftover pie filling from the second can, so I improvised and made a second dessert with a graham cracker/Ritz crust and toasted coconut topping. To make the crust:

2-3 crushed graham crackers

4-6 crushed Ritz crackers

1 Tbs. sugar

2 Tbs. melted butter

Combine in the bottom of a glass pie or tart pan, press firmly with bottom of glass.

Smear on the lemon pie filling, and top with toasted coconut. Voila! A totally made-up dessert! lol

PS: That one's totally gone, too. Shhhh. Don't tell anyone!

Bananas Baker

We took a little stay-cation in our backyard last night, and Paul treated us to his very own recipe of Bananas Baker. Oh, Grilled Banana, where have you been all my life? Ooey, gooey deliciousness on a stick.

Cut a banana into about 2" pieces, dunk them in brandy (we used Peach), roll them in brown sugar and stab with a skewer.



Roast slowly over hot coals (stay away from the flames!) until sugar caramelizes.

Come to Mama!

So yummy!!

The fire was so relaxing. What a fun way to spend an evening with kiddos. :)

Soup Weather

Mmm, I love this time of year! I get to pull out all my yummy, fuzzy sweaters, curl up inside with a book, sip hot chocolate and make huge pots of steamy soup. I'm just getting over a raging sinus infection. You know the kind that makes you want to chop off your own head with an axe. Sam had a tooth pulled yesterday that had a nasty abscess underneath, poor guy. So we're sipping soup together, and boy is it yummy. I know everyone probably has a southwestern soup recipe, but I'll go ahead and share my version. Be sure to pour yourself an extra shot of tequilla if it's been a particularly bad week. ;)

Mom’s Tequila Lime Chicken Soup
Recipe by Michelle Baker, 2006

2 Tbs. Olive oil
2 chicken breasts, diced small
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
6 baby carrots, sliced diagonally
2 ribs celery, sliced diagonally
2 cans chicken broth
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 can green chile enchilada sauce
1-2 shots tequila
1 tsp. lime zest
Juice of ½ lime
1 C. frozen corn
1 tsp. cumin
1 C. small pasta ( I used bow tie)
Salt and pepper
Colby Jack cheese, shredded
Sour Cream
Green onions, sliced

Saute chicken in olive oil until white. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery and sauté 3-4 minutes, until veggies soften. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, chile sauce, tequila, lime juice and zest, corn and cumin and bring to a soft boil. Add pasta and simmer according to package directions (usually about 8 minutes). Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with shredded Colby-jack cheese, sour cream and sliced green onions.

I did some sewing over the weekend! A special order apron, and a purse/tote for Maggie. I finally figured out how to use the ruffler foot on my machine, after breaking 3 needles. Yikes! But it sure makes nice ruffles. :)

My new favorite snack!

Rachel Ray made something along these lines on 30 Minute Meals this week, but the recipe isn't on the website, so I winged it. These are SO nutty and yummy!

OK, start with a can of chick peas, drained and rinsed. Dump them out onto a kitchen towel and dry off as much of the water as possible. Meanwhile, heat about a Tbs. of olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Pour the chick peas into the hot oil, and stir. After a couple minutes, I added a clove or two of minced garlic (careful not to scorch this...watch your heat). Once they get nice and toasty (they'll start to smell nutty) sprinkle a good handful of grated parmesan cheese (I like the real stuff, not the canned), lots of fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of salt. Stir it around and let the parm toast for just a minute, then remove from heat and spread onto a plate. Oh, man, are these ever yummy!! What a great snack idea. Even if you think you don't like chick peas, give this a try. :) You won't be sorry!

"Tastes Like Thanksgiving" Dinner

So I am not one to brag, but I made the YUMMIEST dinner last night. I was hungry for a taste of Thanksgiving, so I made a turkey meatloaf that was out of this world! A side of sweet potatoes and some lemony green beans was all it needed. Oh, and some super easy, yummy gravy. And for dessert, I whipped up a pumpkin pie. The whole thing came together in 40 minutes! (the pie took a little longer than that to bake, but only 5 min. to prep).

We love meatloaf in this house, and I usually make it out of whatever ground meat is in the freezer (beef, moose or caribou), but I've never used ground turkey before. It came out moist, savory and oh-so delish!

Here's how I made it:

2 lbs. ground turkey (I had turkey breast, you could also use ground dark meat)
2 ribs of celery, including tops, diced fine
1/2 med. onion, diced fine
1/2 C. bread crumbs (I like Panko, they're lighter)
1/2 tsp. - 1 tsp. dried sage (to your taste)
about 1 tsp. Tuscan Herbs Mill seasoning (it's an Italian blend of herbs, so any brand Italian seasoning will do)
1/2 C. sour cream
1 egg
salt & pepper

Smoosh together with hands, pat it into a loaf pan and bake about 35 minutes at 375°.

While that's baking, put together your sides.

Lemony Green Beans:
1 small casserole dish of frozen petite green beans (no idea on the measurement...whatever your family will eat)
3-4 pats of butter, tucked into the beans
zest some lemon directly onto the beans (I zest enough to have a nice sprinkling over the top, eyeball it)
salt & pepper
Microwave till hot. (it's not rocket science...lol)

Sweet Potatoes:
1 big can of sweet potatoes
4-5 pats of butter
palmful or two of brown sugar
Toss together, microwave till hot.

Super savory gravy
1 packet chicken gravy powder
1 tsp. Tuscan Herb Mill seasoning
Make gravy according to packet directions, adding herbs in with the powdered gravy. Super easy. So yummy!

I'm telling you, I've never seen my family enjoy a meal more! And you get all the flavors of Thanksgiving, but none of the work! We all agreed it would have been nice to have a can of jellied cranberry sauce with this meal, so next time I'll be sure to have that on hand.

So in other news...I woke up with the WORST headache this morning. What a nasty way to start the day. I new the minute my eyes opened that it was going to be a rough one. How in the world does that happen? I'm just minding my own business, getting a good night's sleep. So now I'm chugging water like there's no tomorrow, trying to get it to go away.

Well, after posting about my tasty dinner, I've made myself hungry! I think I'll go get a snack. Happy Tuesday!