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Sugar and Spice

Sugar and Spice
Everyday food from an everyday kinda gal, with that little extra

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Polenta & Meatballs
2007-07-18 00:51:00
Nope, not spaghetti and meatballs! I had never tackled polenta, but my grandma makes it often and Nick really likes it so I thought tonight I would give it a shot. My grandma serves hers a million different ways - with sauce, with bacon and sausage, cut and fried, etc. I decided for my first attempt I would go the easy route and just make it mushy with meatballs and sauce. It turned out great! I think next time I am going to try baking it with some sort of meat and vegetables... stay tuned!To make the polenta, I followed the directions on the back of the Quaker Corn Meal canister:4 cups water1 cup corn meal1 tsp. saltBoil 3 cups of the water (I added chicken bouillon here to create a chicken broth). In a separate bowl mix 1 cup of water, corn meal and salt. Slowly add corn meal mixture to the boiling water, stirring constantly. Once the mixture begins to thicken, turn the heat to low, cover and let cook for 5 minutes.Nick's Grade: A!~Below are recipes for my meatballs and s...
More About: Ball , Meatballs , Lent

I'm about due for something healthy...
2007-07-17 22:55:00
My good friend Kayte (of Kayte's Kitchen) told me about these muffins awhile ago and I thought they sounded really good, but then I forgot about them! She gave me the recipe again yesterday and I was able to make them today. For me, they definitely taste "healthy" (maybe because the only other muffins I make include about 2 cups of sugar and a cup of oil?) but they are so moist and really good! I added the optional raisins and am glad that I did - they give the muffins a little more depth and flavor. Nick really liked these as well and sprinkled a packet of Splenda over his and said that gave it just enough extra sweetness.Also, I took Kayte's advice and mixed these with a wooden spoon instead of using a mixer. I definitely see the potential for them to be over mixed and come out tough!Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins (from SparkRecipes)1 cup rolled oats (not instant)1 cup reduced-fat milk1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce2 egg whites1 cup whole wheat flour1/2 cup brown sugar1 tsp. bak...
More About: Healthy , Some , Heal

Calzone Wanna-Be
2007-07-17 00:52:00
On the nights that Nick goes to the gym he usually just wants a protein shake and some type of carb (couscous, pasta, etc.) when he gets home, so I never plan on making meals on those evenings. Well, tonight I decided that these nights are perfect for trying things that I like that I know Nick won't eat. And so tonight...The poser calzone ;-)I have never made a calzone before and I figured before I went experimenting with precious pizza dough I would try my hand at it with some crescent rolls first. These were really good and I can't wait to try them out with even more fillings and I think I just might progress to pizza dough ;-) This filling was inspired by a sandwich I always used to get at Quaker Steak & Lube that has grilled chicken, mushrooms, onions and mozzarella cheese. Yum! Oh Pittsburgh, how I miss thee!!Chicken, Mushroom & Onion Calzone2 chicken breast halves, boiled and shreddedMushrooms, sliced - about a handfulOnion, sliced - about 4 or 5 half-onion slicesMozza...

6 Years and Tiramisu
2007-07-15 17:06:00
Yesterday marked the 6-year anniversary of Nick's and my first date. For anyone who cares, our first date consisted of going to play miniature golf at Wildwood, dinner at The Clubhouse, and then back to my house to watch Gone in 60 Seconds. Last night we celebrated the occasion by having dinner at Outback Steakhouse and coming back home for dessert and to watch The Prestige.The happy couple, now married... 6 years later...And now, for the REAL reason you are actually reading this blog... you were hoping there was something about tiramisu in here! I had never attempted it before but have been wanting to for a long time, and thought that it would be a perfect dessert to top off our celebratory dinner. Nick really liked it, but I was very disappointed with how it turned out.I judged my tiramisu by the standard that I love - the desserts served at The Olive Garden and Bravo! restaurants. Each of their tiramisu desserts absolutely melts in my mouth and I was hoping to achieve that...
More About: Years , Year , Ears

Girls Love their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!
2007-07-14 17:44:00
What girl doesn't have a memory of licking the beaters or eating finger-scoops full of chocolate chip cookie batter while their mom was baking cookies? It just felt right. Then, "they" started saying we were going to die from doing that because of raw eggs. Well, that just ruined all the fun. Then last year a friend of mine introduced me to a dip that tastes EXACTLY like cookie dough. All the sinful fun without the raw eggs!Each month the women in my neighborhood get together for a "girls night" and enjoy some non-husband, non-children fun. We rotate host houses and everyone brings a snack to share and their beverage of choice and we sit around and gab. I thought this cookie dough dip would be perfect for such an occasion. And it was - almost every single girl at the get together asked me for the recipe- it was a huge hit!Be forewarned - this is super sweet and incredibly addicting!Chocolate Chip Cookie Doug h Dip (adapted from Recipezaar)1/2 cup (1 stick) butter1/3 cup brown...
More About: Girls , Love

Girls Love their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!
2007-07-14 17:44:00
What girl doesn't have a memory of licking the beaters or eating finger-scoops full of chocolate chip cookie batter while their mom was baking cookies? It just felt right. Then, "they" started saying we were going to die from doing that because of raw eggs. Well, that just ruined all the fun. Then last year a friend of mine introduced me to a dip that tastes EXACTLY like cookie dough. All the sinful fun without the raw eggs!Each month the women in my neighborhood get together for a "girls night" and enjoy some non-husband, non-children fun. We rotate host houses and everyone brings a snack to share and their beverage of choice and we sit around and gab. I thought this cookie dough dip would be perfect for such an occasion. And it was - almost every single girl at the get together asked me for the recipe- it was a huge hit!Be forewarned - this is super sweet and incredibly addicting!Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip (adapted from Recipezaar)1/2 cup (1 stick) butter1/3 cup brown...
More About: Girls , Love

A Warm Snack
2007-07-13 03:08:00
This isn't much of a recipe, but something that Nick likes to throw together when he wants something warm and maybe doesn't feel all that great. Super easy! Sort of like an apple pie with no crust ;-)Nick's Baked Apple1 apple, cored, peeled and sliced into wedges1 packet SplendaSprinkles of cinnamonPlaces the apple wedges in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds. Add the Splenda and as much cinnamon as you want.Voila! Baked apples!
More About: Snack

Bump, Bump, Bump
2007-07-13 01:20:00
That was an R&B song awhile back, wasn't it? Oiy, I feel old!Anywho... I was put on a mission this morning by my travel-weary husband, Nick. He has been traveling a lot lately and as a result eating a lot of crappy airport and hotel food. He got in late last night and this morning when I asked him what he would like for dinner tonight he said, "Something chicken-y that's healthy and tastes good". Easy enough, right? Well, we have been bored with the same old stuff so I set out to make something a little different.I came across this Cooking Light recipe and it sounded good, but I was admittedly a little nervous about baking chicken without any liquid except for the mushroom juices. I was pleasantly surprised when I cut into a piece and found it to be completely juicy!Below is the recipe, as well as Nick's "grade" and our comments. I am stealing this format from someone else (I'm sorry, I can't remember who!) because since Nick and I have been married I have asked him to g...
More About: Bump

Breakfast in a Scone
2007-07-13 01:00:00
I saved this recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride's blog awhile ago and have been dying to try it! My mom came to visit a couple of days ago and she doesn't really like traditional "breakfast" foods so I thought that she might enjoy these. And enjoy she did! She took a few back with her and my sister reports that they are awesome. And Nick's grade: A! Everyone loved them.I followed this recipe to a "T" and used buttermilk for the entire amount of liquid called for. Nick said these taste more like a biscuit than my traditional Dark Chocolate Chip scones, which I think might be because of the buttermilk vs. using heavy cream in the chocolate scones. I did roll the dough into an 8" circle, however I thought this made the scones mighty large (in comparison to the picture in Foodie Bride's blog) but everyone loved them and they turned out tasting great! I will definitely be saving this recipe and making it often!Bacon, Cheddar and Green Onion Scones3 cups all-purpose flo...
More About: Breakfast , Brea

Baked Fruity Goodness
2007-06-29 04:42:00
I had a pint of blueberries in the fridge that were going nowhere fast thanks to Nick traveling this week. I didn't want to waste them so I figured I'd whip up some type of blueberry crisp or cobbler for dessert when Nick got back into town. I looked through a lot of recipes and didn't quite find what I was looking for so I created my own. I absolutely loved it and Nick went back for seconds (a true sign that something is a hit). I'm sure this would be fabulous with any fruit!!Blueberry Crisp1 pint (~2 cups) fresh blueberries2 Tablespoons white sugar1 cup all-purpose flour1 cup rolled oats3/4 cup packed brown sugar3/4 cup butter1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.2. In a large bowl, gently toss together blueberries and white sugar; set aside.3. In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oats and brown sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture in bottom of 8x8 baking dish. Cover with berries. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over berries.4. Bake in the pre...
More About: Baked , Goodness , Fruity

South of the Border
2007-05-23 04:22:00
I saved a Cooking Light recipe ages ago and finally got around to trying it tonight. Nick and I both really enjoy Mexican food and we usually make fajitas, but this recipe for taco salad sounded insanely good and I couldn't wait to make it! The only things I changed were ommitting the chili powder and cumin per Nick's request, and ommitting the chopped tomato because I hate tomatoes. This turned out fabulous and Nick said, "This is a keeper, honny... definitely an 'A' meal". Cha ching! We'll be saving this recipe :)I made tortilla bowls using fajita wraps that we had in the house. They were super easy to make - I inverted two ramekin cups on a baking pan, coated them with cooking spray and laid the tortillas on top. I brushed them with some olive oil and baked them at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, until browned and crispy.Taco Rice SaladCooking spray1 lb. ground beef1 garlic clove, minced3 cups cooked yellow rice (I used brown rice)1 tsp. ground cumin1 tsp. chili pow...
More About: South

Mangia on Pizza!
2007-05-19 03:33:00
My good friend Kayte gave me a recipe for homemade pizza dough and I finally got around to making it last night. Thursday nights always feel like the cusp of the weekend and I love eating casual, yummy foods on those nights.This recipe was amazingly simple and really easy to put together! I did roll the dough but it came out too thin in the center and too thick on the outside. Kayte said that when she worked the dough with her fists she got better results, so I will definitely do that next time. Other than that, this tasted like real, authentic pizza dough! Oh, and I did pre-bake the crust (7-10 minutes) before adding the toppings and it made it nice and cripsy!I got two large-size crusts out of this recipe.I have also included my recipe for pizza sauce below!(I apologize for the string of crappy pictures - I don't know why they have been sub par lately!)Homemade Pizza Dough2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)1/2 teaspoon brown sugar1-1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F ...

Chicken Salad
2007-05-16 00:27:00
This is a delayed Mother's Day weekend post :) When I had my mom and sister over on Saturday for lunch, I made my mom's favorite lunch - chicken salad. I didn't follow a recipe but just threw together what I thought sounded good. My mom loved it, and Nick actually asked for another big batch so he could eat it throughout the week! I served these on croissants - you could do any type of roll, or even lettuce cups.**Note - I didn't put any nuts in this salad because I'm allergic, but I think cashews or walnuts would be great!Chelley's Chicken Salad 2.5 - 3 lbs chicken, boiled and shredded1 Gala apple, peeled, cored and diced2 stalks celery, chopped2 handfuls of raisinsMayonnaiseYellow mustard (very small amount)Combine the chicken, apple, celery and raisins in a large bowl. Add mayonnaise to desired consistency (some people like it drier or creamier than others) and a very small amount of yellow mustard, for flavor.

One.Big.Eclair
2007-05-14 03:05:00
Seriously - if you love eclairs or Boston cream pie, this cake is for you! The creamy middle is delicious and the chocolate icing hardens just like that of an eclair. Mmmmm. Definitely try this if you need a dessert idea - it's so good! My father-in-law made me save him an extra piece for later!**Word of caution - do NOT be tempted to use both layers of this cake. I did this because Nick LOVES yellow cake mix and wanted tons of cake, but in my opinion it really was too much. Stick to the recipe, which is ONE 9-inch layer sliced horizontally!Boston Cream Pie1 round yellow cake layer (9-inch)1 cup cold milk1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Instant Pudding & Pie Filling1-1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip whipped topping1 square Baker's unsweetened baking chocolate1 Tablespoon butter3/4 cup powdered sugar2 Tablespoons powdered sugar1. Cut cake horizontally into two even layers with serrated knife; set aside.2. Pour 1 cup cold milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with...
More About: Lair

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