Birds Nests

I saw these on a FB post from Ezra Pound Cake, which is a super cute blog I follow.  I thought they were just adorable!  And EASY.  No baking involved!  Well, you have to melt the chocolate, but even that can be done in the microwave.  Now the recipe called for Lo Mein noodles and I don't usually buy them so I really had no idea what they would taste like.  It suggested you could use pretzel sticks too, but I used what the author used.  Next time I would use pretzels for sure....I LOVE pretzels.

All you do is melt the chocolate with the butter, and then stir in the noodles (or whatever you use).

Arrange your "nests' on parchment or wax paper, and add your "eggs."

Let them try completely.

Store in an airtight container until ready to eat!

For the complete recipe visit Ezra Pound Cake by clicking :  Chocolate Easter Nests.

This is a great one for the kids!  Enjoy!

Easter Cookies

Well, I am a huge fan of decorated sugar cookies.  I love eating them, and I love making them.  I love finding new occasions to make them for.  :)  For some reason I find it relaxing and loved how these turned out!  I tried a few techniques that I have seen on some of my favorite blogs, but I have come to love the sugar cookie recipe from Annie's Eats and I use it EVERY TIME.

I made eggs.

And butterflies!

And chicks!

Have fun decorating!

Homemade Peeps

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I had an idea about making peeps ever since I made homemade marshmallows this winter.  I was thinking I would use a metal cookie cutter to cut out the marshmallows, but found a recipe that lets me pipe the marshmallow and make them another way.  I gave it a try, but you have to be quick or the marshmallow starts to get hard.  

I found the recipe at www.marthastewart.com and gave it a try.  

Get all of the ingredients out and ready.  You won't have time to do it once things get going.  The first batch I left the remaining marshmallow in the bowl and it hardened before I could finish.  The second time I filled three piping bags and it lasted a little longer.

 

Here is what it looks like piped in the sugar.  I used a spoon to complete cover it with the rest of the sugar.

I set them on parchment paper and waited for them to set up a little before adding the eyes and nose.  The recipe called for piping black royal icing, but I could only get it gray.  So I decided to use the black circles from Halloween sprinkles.  

I used a toothpick to poke where I wanted the eyes and nose and then put on the sprinkle.  Poking them made the toothpick sticky too, so that is what I used to get pick them up and put them on the faces.

Then I made yellow ones and attempted a peep chick....obviously unsuccessful.  lol

These are just so cute, I can't help but take a ton of pictures.  Can't wait to gobble them up with the kiddos.  Hope you enjoy your peeps!  You can buy them or make them, but it's just not Easter without them! 

Okay, last peep picture!  I promise!  To make your own go to:  www.marthastewart.com Easter Peeps.

Spinach Saute with Crispy Prosciutto Poached Eggs

I purchased Curtis Stone's latest cookbook from the Borders going out of business sale, which sounded like a good deal at the time.  The recipes inside looked like food my family would eat and it had a few pics of the chef throughout the book...bonus.  What was NOT a bonus, was that I purchased this book MINUS THE COVER.  You know, that paper cover that has all the hot poses on it...ya, that one...I don't have it.  So we get home and  my husband looks the book up on amazon.  I could have gotten a better deal...WITH the cover of course.  DARN.  I am actually tempted to sell the one I have and order another one just to have the outside smiles looking at me each time I decide to cook from that book.  Do I sound crazy?  Yes, but have you seen him?  Come on!

Nothing sounds tastier than breakfast with Curtis Stone.  Unfortunately I woke from that dream and decided the closest thing to it would be cooking something from his cookbook.  On the weekends I like to try something new and make something special for my boys (tall one included).  Luckily they are all great taste testers, so it works out for all of us.  This recipe is really simple if you have all of the ingredients on hand...which I usually do.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a muffin pan with prosciutto and bake as many cups as you need in the oven for about 18 minutes.  Simmer water in a large skillet and poach as many eggs as you need.  Before placing the eggs into the water, it is a good idea to add 1/4 cup of white wine vinegar.  It helps the eggs stay in one piece.  Saute spinach in a pan (I used a wok) with a little olive oil or butter.  THAT IS IT!  And it is very tasty.  

My husband likes the eggs more cooked so I left it in a little longer so they wouldn't be gooey.  But I like mine gooey, so I took them out sooner.  When you take them out, just set them on a paper towel to get off the excess water.  Tasty!  I think you could sprinkle with your favorite cheese to add something to it!

Curtis has his recipe listed on his website.  You can find it at Toasted Bagel with Crispy Prosciutto Poached Eggs

Homemade Corn Tortillas

I know what you are thinking...tortilla shells are cheap, why should I make them?  Well let me tell you why, BECAUSE THEY ARE AWESOME.  I am not usually a fan of a corn tortilla.  I usually go for the whole wheat ones.  I have a hard time finding them too because most tortillas have LARD in them and that totally grosses me out.  Take a look at the package next time...try finding one without lard.  There is a limited selection.

After hearing how easy it is to make my own, I gave it a try.  I bought some Maseca to make my own.  It was in the Mexican food isle.  I found it at Meijer, but I am sure most of the stores around here carry it.

Meijer also carries tortilla presses.  But the ones they carry are aluminum and everything I read said that if you want the press to last you should get a cast iron press.  So I searched and found one on amazon for a good price and couldn't wait for it to come to me so I could make my own tortillas.

So here is my press.  Ready to make some delicious tortillas!  Wait till you see how easy this is!

You combine the Maseca, water and salt in a bowl and divide it into portions.  The recipe is right on the bag.  This is the weird way I did it, but I'm sure any way you divide it will be fine.  lol

Make sure while you are working with each portion you cover the rest with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel.  

Cut three of the sides of a ziplock bag and open it to cover the press.  This keeps it from becoming a giant mess!

Fold over the plastic and then close the press and push the bar down to flatten it out.

It is the perfect tortilla!  Now it just has to be removed from the plastic and placed in a skillet to cook.

Cook on both side for about 50 seconds each.

Place in tortilla keeper to keep them nice and warm.

I also cut some of them up and sprayed them with canola oil and sprinkled with salt.  They were VERY crunchy.

The boys loved these.

This tortilla was delicious!  Soft and warm and perfect!  Give it a try.  I made turkey tacos, but you can make whatever your family's favorite is.  These would also be great for fajitas, breakfast burritos, I could go on...they are just so good!

Vegetable Lasagna

In a quest to try something different, I found this vegetable lasagna recipe.  It was in the latest Everyday Food cookbook, "Everyday Food:  Fresh Flavor Fast:  250 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Any Time of Day."  The family loved it, so I decided to share it with you.

Mix cheese, spinach, egg, salt and pepper for the filling.

The recipe said to use store bought marinara, but those who know me know I NEVER buy marinara.  I have a favorite recipe I like to use, but I used the Basic Tomato Sauce recipe in the back of the cookbook and it was perfect.  VERY SIMPLE too.  Here is the sauce recipe:

Basic Tomato Sauce
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Course salt and freshly ground pepper

In a saucepan, heat oil over medium.  Cook onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until translucent, 2-4 minutes.  Add tomatoes with their juice and the oregano.  Simmer, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes with the spoon, until thickened, 20-30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sauce can be refrigerated up to 4 days or frozen up to 3 months; let cool completely before storing in airtight containers.  

Makes 6 cups.

Add a thin layer of the sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish.  Arrange 4 of the noodles on top.  Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles.  Then add 1/3 of the tomato sauce and 1/3 of the fontina cheese.  Continue layering.

Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes.  Remove foil and cook another 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

• 4 cups (32 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
• 6 cups store-bought or homemade tomato sauce (Basic Tomato Sauce listed above)
• 12 no-boil lasagna noodles (8 ounces)
• 1 pound fontina cheese (4 cups), shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add spinach, and stir well to combine.
   
   
2. Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or dishes. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Before baking, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
   
   
3. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.
   
   
   

Potato-Leek Soup

I love potato-leek soup.  I will almost always order it if it's on a menu.  But this is my first time trying it out for myself.  This was an extremely easy recipe!  I got it out of my Great Food Fast Cookbook from Everyday Food.  There are a lot of healthy, simple recipes in this book.  I use it a lot.  For me this isn't the "best" recipe, but it is really good.  And with some tweeks it will be fantastic!   I will definitely add another potato next time to thicken it a little bit.

For those of you confused on what a leek is...

...these are leeks.  Leeks have a mild onion flavor and are in the same category as onions and garlic.  They are good in everything.  I think they add a certain yum that nobody can quite put their finger on when tasting.  I've had a cold lingering for weeks and soups just make me feel better.  This soup did not disappoint.

For this recipe, we are only using the white part of the onion.  Just chop the tops off and remove the roots from the bottom.

Cut these in half and then slice them thin.  

Put them in a bowl of water so that the dirt and sand can fall out.  Bring leeks, water, broth, and salt to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes. 

Puree the soup in batches, then add the cream and fresh snipped chives.

Enjoy!  Add an extra potato!

Here is the recipe I used:

POTATO-LEEK SOUP
Serves 4

6 medium leeks, whites only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise, cleaned
2 cans (14.5 oz each) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 baking potato (8 oz), peeled and diced
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup snipped fresh chives

1.  In a large saucepan, combine the leeks, broth, potato, 2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, 20-25 minutes.


2.  Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, transferring to a clean bowl as you work.  Stir the cream into the pureed soup and season with salt.  Garnish with chives.  Serve immediately.

3.  If desired, chill the soup:  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.  If necessary, thin with water and season with salt.  Serve the soup in chilled glasses, garnish with chives.