Mother’s Day

#Sunday Supper: Recipes Using Fresh Tomatoes

~ lk529 ~ 20 Comments

Happy April, everyone!

April is National Florida Tomato Month, so the Sunday Supper crew, headquartered in South Florida, asked us to come up with recipes using fresh tomatoes to celebrate. Fittingly, Rini from Healing Tomato is our host today. Be sure to scroll past my simple recipe to see over 40 ways to use that bright red fruit!

I did something insanely simple that can create that wow factor at your next party – tomato tulips. I got the idea from Pinterest but when I clicked on the pin it did not lead me anywhere useful. So I did my own thing!

Tomatoes are stuffed with flavored goat cheese and then arranged with some scallion stems. They’d be beautiful on a cheese plate! Or arrange a veggie platter with other favorite veggies to create stunning garden scene perfect for springtime festivities – I’m looking at you Easter and Mother’s Day.

Kids might be more inclined to try a tomato if it looks like a flower. My 2 year old was anxious to try one as I was making them, but then he reached for a not-yet-stuffed tomato and managed to touch some of the seeds. It was game over after that point. He did have a spoonful of the goat cheese though. Ha!

I couldn’t decide what flavor goat cheese to go with when I was checking out the options at the grocery store. To go sweet or savory? I ultimately went with a savory garlic and herb variety, black pepper was my second choice, but honey could be fun!

Now it’s got me thinking… if you had large enough green grapes, stuffing them with honey goat cheese could be a great “bouquet” too!

Tomato Tulips

Ingredients:

  • grape or cherry tomatoes
  • garlic and herb goat cheese
  • scallions

Steps:

  1. Cut an X in the end of the tomatoes, not cutting all the way though.
  2. Using a small spoon fill the cut tomatoes with the goat cheese.
  3. Arrange on platter with scallion stems.

Tomato Tulips for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Chicken Recipes

Main Courses

Pizza, Pies, and Pastas

Side Dishes

Snacks

Soups and Salads

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement

#FoodieExtravaganza: Croissants

~ lk529 ~ 22 Comments

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January 30th is National Croissant day and that’s what the #FoodieExtravaganza crew is celebrating today! This month’s host is Kathleen from Fearlessly Creative Mammas.

I wasn’t going to participate this month due to holiday travels but then there was a sign from the cooking gods that I was indeed intended to party with the foodie crew.

For Christmas my brother gave my husband Bobby Flay’s newest cookbook, Brunch at Bobby’s. We have already made three recipes from this book, if you love breakfast as much as we do I couldn’t recommend adding this one to your collection enough!

Last week as I was getting ready to prepare a jalapeno pesto, my husband flipped open the book to Almond Croissant French Toast. He ogled at the photos and I decided that I (well, actually, my husband ended up being the chef while I kept a hungry 2 month old content) could easily whip up that brunch on Sunday giving me plenty of time to type up this blog post and edit the photos. All I had to do was buy 4 large croissants. An errand that acted as a win-win. I took the boys out of the house and traveled to a market with a wonderful bakery 30 minutes from the house, allowing my husband some peace and quite to work on his thesis.

Funny story, too! I spent more time in the parking lot than I did inside the market. Both boys had fallen asleep on the drive and because I was trying to keep them out of the house I decided to fuel my Candy Crush addiction while I waited for Firecracker to wake up. (Treat would remain in his car seat so that wasn’t a limiting factor.) Upon returning to the car with our purchases Treat was hungry. When I need to nurse while out and about I allow Firecracker to “drive.” He just LOVES being in the front seat turning the steering wheel and pushing all of the buttons. He was climbing up into the driver’s seat as I was climbing into the back to retrieve Treat from the car seat while an older gentleman was walking by. He gave some funny looks and I got a laugh out of it. When he returned to his vehicle I was up in the passenger seat nursing Treat and Firecracker was happily standing in the driver’s seat doing his thing. The confusion on the gentleman’s face amused me greatly. (He probably thought I was another kid left in a vehicle; he probably couldn’t see the 2 month old.) He sat in his car a while on his phone and I honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if the cops arrived having received a report of unattended children in a vehicle.

This French Toast makes for a decadent brunch! One croissant and some fresh fruit is plenty to satisfy. We actually made the Almond Syrup a couple of days earlier for some pancakes and discovered that the almond extract was really strong so we omitted it* from the custard. If you want to serve your French toast with plain syrup do not omit the almond extract; I’ve declared it as “optional” in the ingredient list. Another component of this dish is using clarified butter – a task my husband ambitiously took on. It’s a step I would not skip either. I think if these croissants were fried in regular butter the butter flavor would be too strong; there’s butter in the syrup and croissants are buttery, too!

Almond Croissant French Toast

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 1/4 C heavy cream
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional* – see comment above)
  • 4 fresh large croissants
  • 1 stick butter

Steps:

  1. Make clarified butter: Over low heat, melt butter until a foam forms on the top of the butter. Remove from heat and skim off the foam – discard. Pour the butter into a dish, being sure to leave behind any butter solids -discard those, too.
  2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In a wide bowl whisk the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until smooth. Whisk in the cream, extracts, and a pinch of salt.
  4. Cut the croissants in half lengthwise. If it’ll fit in your skillet, leave the croissants butterflied instead of fully cut.
  5. Heat 2 tbsp clarified butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Soak one croissant in the custard from Step 3 for 10 seconds on each side. Add to the skillet and cook 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Place on the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
  6. Repeat Step 5 until all 4 croissants are cooked. Serve with Almond Butter Syrup (recipe below).

Almond Butter Syrup

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1 C pure grade B maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 C almonds, coarsely chopped

Steps:

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until warmed through.
  2. Leftover syrup can be stored in the fridge, the butter will separate so heat again before using.

*These recipes are adapted from Brunch at Bobby’s*

Almond Croissant French Toast for #FoodieExtravaganza from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to check out more ways to celebrate National Croissant Day on January 30th:

Beefy Green Chile Braid by Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Pain Au Jambon by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Pain Au Chocolat by Making Miracles

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Croissant with Maple Dijon Sauce by Tara’s Multicultural Table

Cinnamon and Apple Croissant Bread Pudding by The Freshman Cook

Chocolate Croissants by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Croque Monsieur Croissants by Caroline’s Cooking

Bacon Fig Dippers for Melty Cheese by Cooking with Carlee

Triple Meat Croissants Breakfast Casserole by Cookin’ and Craftin’

Coronation Chicken Horns by Food Lust People Love

Breakfast Croissant Ring by Our Good Life

Baked Cinnamon Raisin Croissant French Toast from From Gate to Plate

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

#SundaySupper: Mother’s Day

~ lk529 ~ 40 Comments

It’s only fitting that today’s #SundaySupper is celebrating Mother’s Day. A big thank you to Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla for “working” on this holiday to make sure the rest of us have our act together. Looking at the list of offerings today, most of us think of sweets when it comes to celebrating Mom. Be sure to scroll past my recipe to check them all out!

IMG_2338Today is my first Mother’s Day! I’ve always known I wanted to be a mom and so far it’s been everything I could have dreamed of and more! Everyday I am thankful to have the opportunity to stay home with my little man and watch him grow and learn.

When I tried to decide on what to make for today my mom told me to simply make something I like. Well that wasn’t very helpful – pizza, pasta, breakfast, Mexican? I decided on breakfast (I could eat breakfast any and every meal of the day) because when I think Mother’s Day, I think brunch.

When I think brunch, I think mimosas. I won’t be partaking in that alcoholic breakfast drink this year though because I am thrilled to finally announce that next year I’ll be celebrating today as a mother of two! That’s right, my little man will become a big brother in early November!

To celebrate the occasion I decided to turn the classic mimosa into a waffle!

Mimosa Waffles

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 C flour
  • 1 C white whole wheat flour
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 C vegetable oil
  • 3/4 C prosecco
  • 1 3/4 C milk
  • 1 1/4 tsp orange extract

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients.
  2. In a separate bowl whisk together the wet ingredients.
  3. Combine wet and dry ingredients and pour into a hot waffle iron and cook until golden. Serve with whipped cream and fresh orange slices, if desired.

*This recipe is modified from my gingerbread man waffles*

mimosa waffles | sew you think you can cook

Celebratory Sips

Starters and Salads

Hearty Mains

Treats and Sweets

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Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Citrus Roast Chicken

~ lk529 ~ 6 Comments

I hope it feels like spring where you are. Here? Not so much.

Last week my in-laws were here to spend my sister-in-law’s spring break. Ohio isn’t quite the spring break destination that Florida used to be. On Sunday we drove down to Louisville to meet up with the entire family (my brother-in-law and his girlfriend, who live in Nashville, drove up). The weather was a little chilly, but the sun was shining. My mother-in-law and I enjoyed a long walk in a park with my son while the rest of the gang did the Mega Zips zip line tour in the Mega Cavern. They all had a blast.

But then it was back to Ohio, where the snow decided to come back down, the sun stayed behind clouds, and the weather never reached 40. Add coughs and colds all around and it was a fairly gloomy week. But, we were all together and there was a lot of good bonding time with my little man. Stuart and I don’t get to watch very many movies so we enjoyed our lazy couch time catching up on the latest favorites. (FYSA: The Imitation Game was worth all the hype.)

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If there’s one food that can make me forget about the dreary grey outside, it’s citrus. Slicing citrus into rings looks like sunshine in a bowl! And because my parents have lime trees in the backyard, any citrus really makes me think of Florida.

Break away from that candied ham and brighten up your Easter table this Sunday with this citrus roast chicken! Or if you can’t tear yourself from that ham might I suggest it for Mother’s Day?

Citrus Roast Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 cara cara orange
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tangerine
  • 1 grapefruit
  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  •  1 tsp ground allspice
  • thyme, for garnish

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Thinly slice all of the citrus 1/8″ thick using a mandolin. Remove seeds. (I only used a couple slices of grapefruit, and half of the remaining fruits.)
  3. Place some citrus slices on the prepared baking sheet. Top with chicken, do not crowd the pan – use two baking sheets if necessary.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, pomegranate molasses, allspice, and S+P. Brush sauce onto the chicken.
  5. Bake 30-35 minutes, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Baste with additional sauce halfway through cook time.

*This recipe is adapted from Sue at http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2015/01/roasted-chicken-with-allspice-and-citrus.html*

citrus roast chicken | sew you think you can cook

CIC: Beets & Eggs

~ lk529 ~ 10 Comments

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I got really excited when I saw that beets and eggs was one of the combination options for this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge. I actually made my dish before the winner was announced. And it only won by one vote! (The close runner up was garden peas and cheese.) I don’t think eggs are a particularly challenging ingredient – they’re easy to hide. So, I decided to think in the Chopped mentality and make it a star. Now, I am not a fan of eggs – I’ve finally determined that it’s the yolks that I don’t like. That means scrambled eggs are out; quiches and frittatas a no-go. What I decided on doing challenged me in the kitchen – Eggs Benedict. I’ve had a couple at nice brunch restaurants, and the runny egg yolk doesn’t bother me when it’s mixed with the rest of the ingredients on the plate.

My Roasted Beet Eggs Benedict required me to tackle my fear of poaching eggs. In fact, it tackled everyone’s fear! My brother and his fiance were in town meeting Wesley for the first time. I’ve watched countless Food Network stars poaching eggs, so I knew the general idea. I am proud to say, that even though it took four of us, every egg poached was a perfect success!

To poach an egg, bring a wide mouthed pot of water to an almost boil. With a spoon create an eddy in the water. Break the egg into a small bowl and drop it slowly into the vortex of the eddy. Cook the egg for about four minutes – until the whites are set and the yolk still runny – and remove with a slotted spoon.

I also got to attempt making a Hollandaise Sauce. I followed Alton Brown’s recipe. I have to say, I thought it was going great! I enjoyed watching the sauce transform after each addition of butter. But adding lemon juice the second time caused my sauce to separate. If I whisked enough it came back together, and it tasted right too. Unfortunately, I made this sauce way too early. The rest of the Eggs Benedict elements were not ready. (And I had a very hungry infant requiring my attention.) When we came back to the sauce, there wasn’t any saving it. Happily though, no one missed the Hollandaise Sauce on their Eggs Benedicts!

There was yet a third new experience to try. Beets! I’ve had beets before (a caprese salad w/ roasted golden beets), but I’d never worked with them myself. I followed this tutorial to roast them. (The left over beets were used in smoothies! If you decide to put roasted beets in a smoothie, note that a little bit goes a long way, the flavor tends to over power the other fruits/vegetables.)

Roasted Beet Eggs Benedict

Ingredients:

  • 1 English muffin, halved and toasted
  • 2 slices Canadian bacon
  • 2 slices roasted beets (instructions linked above)
  • spinach leaves
  • 2 eggs, poached (instructions posted above)
  • salt and pepper

Steps:

  1. Assemble Eggs Benedict by placing a slice of Canadian bacon on each half of the English muffin. Top with the roasted beet and spinach leaves. Place the poached eggs on the top of the open faced sandwiches. Season with S+P.

Roasted Beet Eggs Benedict

To see other blogs that participated this month click on the link below. And if you’re a blogger and interested in joining us, contact Dawn at spatulasonparade@gmail.com. You don’t have to participate every month, but if you’re up for the challenge, we’d love to have you!

#BundtBakers: Breakfast

~ lk529 ~ 26 Comments
BundtBakers

I had fun with this month’s #bundtbaker’s recipe. #BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. This month’s theme is breakfast and our lovely host is Kelly from Passion Kneaded.

Even though our post comes the week after Mother’s Day, I used Mother’s Day brunch as my inspiration. I thought it would be fun to do a take on the classic brunch cocktail – the mimosa. I may have been a little liberal with the assignment as I wouldn’t actually eat this cake at breakfast.

IMG_8767My plan was to do an orange upside down cake with champagne cake batter and an orange glaze. I had visions in my head of how beautiful my cake would be when I pulled it out of the pan. Turns out a bundt pan isn’t the best vessel for an upside down orange cake – the cake batter puddled underneath the orange slices so I didn’t have the beautiful caramelized oranges on top. And even more curious, the oranges floated to the top of the batter – aka the bottom of the bundt. But hey, I tried!

Mimosa Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

  • 1 orange, peeled and sliced in half moons
  • 2 C + 1 tbsp sugar, divided
  • 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 6 egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 C cake flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 C champagne, at room temperature
  • 3 tbsp orange juice
  • 1/2 C powdered sugar

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bundt pan.
  2. Layer half of the tbsp sugar in bottom of bundt pan, place orange slices on top of sugar, and top with remaining tbsp sugar.
  3. In a large bowl, sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. In a stand mixer, cream together remaining 2 C sugar with butter.
  5. Slowly incorporate the egg whites into the creamed butter. Add the vanilla.
  6. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the champagne, ending with the dry ingredients.
  7. Pour batter over orange slices and bake 40-50 minutes, or until a knife come out clean. Let cool ten minutes before removing from bundt pan.
  8. Make the glaze: whisk together the orange juice and powdered sugar. Add more powdered sugar if needed to reach desired consistency.

*This cake recipe is adapted from Joanne at http://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2013/01/recipe-pink-champagne-cake.html*

Stuart took the cake to work and returned home with an empty tray!

Mimosa Bundt Cake

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. All recipes and photographs can be found on our individual blogs, on our Pinterest board, and the #bundtbakers homepage.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month:

Banana Breakfast Bundt Cake by Varada at Varada’s Kitchen

Blackberry Chocolate Coffee Cake by Lauren at From Gate to Plate

Breakfast Bundt by Jane at Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Callaloo & Saltfish Mini Bundt by Kelly at Passion Kneaded

Cheesy Bacon Sausage Brioche Bundt by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands

Cheesy Breakfast Sausage Bundt by Stacy at Food Lust People Love

Feta Cheese and Sundried Tomato Breakfast Bundt by Maria at Box of Stolen Socks

French Toast Bundt Cake with Maple-Bacon Glaze by Felice at All That’s Left Are The Crumbs

Granola Cake by Renee at Magnolia Days

Individual Breakfast Banana & Ginger Oatmeal Nutella Glazed Bundt Cakes by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas

Maple Bacon Bundt Cake with Bacon Pecan Streusel Swirl by Tux at Brooklyn Homemaker

Orange Blueberry Bundt Cake by Kathya at Basic N Delicious

Sausage and Potato Bundt by Margaret at Tea and Scones

Whole Grain Mini Blueberry Breakfast Bundts by Laura at The Spiced Life

Raspberry Coffee Cake

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Last month I made a Nutella Coffee Cake using Food Network Magazine’s Mix & Match recipe. I had mentioned that I was questioning my Nutella decision in lieu of raspberries so this month I went with raspberry!

I followed the same recipe, actually using sour cream this time, and put lemon zest and oats in the topping.

I didn’t notice a difference in the finished cake using sour cream vs yogurt, but the cake batter was much thicker with the sour cream. And the 8×8″ baking dish was actually perfect for it. I started out using a 9×9″ pan but the thick batter didn’t as easily spread so I relocated it to 8×8″. This cake didn’t puff as much as the yogurt version either.

I did halve the topping recipe, and that provided with the perfect amount!

The combination of raspberries and lemon is a great way to say hello to spring. And would be great for a Mother’s Day brunch!

With up to 21 possibilities, I might just make a coffee cake each month. It provides us with a 4 days’ worth of breakfast, and it always makes for a fun change from cereal in the morning.

Raspberry Coffee Cake

Ingredients for topping:

  • 3/8 C flour
  • 1/3 C brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 1/2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 C rolled oats

Ingredients for cake:

  • 2 C flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 stick butter, at room temperature
  • 1 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 C sour cream
  • 1 C thawed frozen raspberries

Steps:

  1. Make the topping: whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using your fingers, break the butter into small pieces and combine with the topping. After combined add the lemon zest and oats. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8″ square cake pan with foil and grease.
  3. Make the cake: In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. In a the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add in the vanilla.
  5. Incorporate a third of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Once combined add 1/2 C of sour cream. Add another third of the dry ingredients. Once combined add the last 1/2 C of sour cream. Add in the final third of the dry ingredients.
  6. Assemble the cake: Place half of the cake batter in the prepared cake pan. Evenly distribute the raspberries and top with remaining batter. Top the cake with the topping from step 1.
  7. Bake for 65 minutes, or until a knife comes out cleanly.
  8. Allow cake to cool for 5 minutes and remove the cake from the pan by the foil. Serve your cake with  a cup of coffee!

Raspberry Coffee Cake

Strawberry Pork Roast

~ lk529 ~ 4 Comments

I had planned to make this beautiful pork roulade for Easter supper, but it just never happened. After getting back to the house from church it was almost 1pm and I knew there wasn’t any wiggle room in making my SRC pizza! So by 3:30 we were full and without any company we were content to have waffles for dinner around 8.

The only pork loin Publix had left was a 5lb bone-in so the thought of having to debone this beast wasn’t exactly calling my name either. But I did pull out the meat cleaver (first time I’ve used that monster!), halved it, and placed one half in the freezer for another day and the other in the fridge to figure out something more simple to do with during the week.

While perusing recipes I decided on this Marmalade Pork Loin, but I didn’t have orange marmalade or rosemary (that reminds me to add it to my grocery list!). I followed Linda’s cooking method and used strawberry jam and parsley. The result was a perfect spring dish – might I even suggest it for Mother’s Day? I served it with mashed potatoes and fresh corn on the cob.

Strawberry Pork Roast

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 lb pork roast
  • 1 tsp parsley
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 C strawberry jam
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tbsp corn starch

Steps:

  1. Rub pork with salt, pepper, and parsley.
  2. In a dutch oven, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Sear pork for 2-3 minutes on all sides.
  3. Add 1 C water to the pot with the strawberry jam. Bring to a boil, add the cinnamon stick. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 55 minutes.
  4. Turn pork over and cook another 45-50 minutes, or until pork is cooked through.
  5. Remove pork from dutch oven and wrap in foil. Discard cinnamon stick.
  6. Whisk together cornstarch with 2 tbsp water. Pour into the dutch oven to create a gravy. Bring to a boil and allow to cook until you’re desired thickness is reached.

*This recipe is modified from Linda at http://www.rotinrice.com/2013/08/marmalade-pork-loin/*

Strawberry Pork Roast