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Blueberry Gems

Muffins, muffins, muffins - I could eat them all day long. I like little light bite size muffins and dense muffins as big as my head. I mean, they are pretty much little cakes moonlighting as breakfast, and I love anything that allows me to work more cake into my diet and not have it count as dessert. This is my favorite blueberry muffin recipe - super simple and easy to pull together- I always have frozen blueberries in the freezer and self-rising flour in the pantry. There's no softening of butter or pulling out the mixer, which allows me to be a bit spontaneous (which as a Mom, I rarely get to be) and whip them up when inspiration grabs hold.


Paula Deen's Blueberry Gems

2 cups self-rising flour
1.5 cups sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 375. Line 18 muffin tin cups with liners or spray with cooking spray (or 12 muffin cups if you're making jumbo muffins).

Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla, oil and milk. Whisk together until well combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Pour in the liquid. Mix with a spoon until the flour is moistened. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling two-thirds full. Bake for 23-25 minutes until nicely browned and puffed.

BBQ Chicken PIzza

Okay, I have vowed to only post my favorite recipes here - nothing that's just average, nothing that I would consider "good enough." And since BBQ chicken pizza is one of my favorites, here you go:

-1 bag Trader Joe's pizza dough (or any other brand)
-1 or 2 TBL olive oil
-1 cup bbq sauce
-Cooked chicken breast meat, approximately 1 c. chopped (I buy TJ's "Just Chicken")
-thin sliced sliced red onion (or chopped green onions)
-shredded cheese (mozarella, monterey jack, smoked gouda, or any combo of these)
-chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray pizza pan with cooking spray. Roll dough on board with cornmeal (my favorite) or flour. Spread dough on pan, brush with olive oil. Bake for 6 minutes. While baking, chop chicken and toss with half of the bbq sauce. Remove from oven- if dough has puffed, poke raised spots with knife to deflate. Spread remaining bbq sauce on crust. Top with half of the cheese. Top with chicken and onions, and then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 14-16 minutes more until brown and crisp. Allow to rest at room temp for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Smoky and Spicy Quiche

Quiche is a great go-to when the fridge is on empty. The key to a successful quiche (thanks, Laurel!) is to bake it at least a few hours in advance, and let it rest for a few hours before serving. You can then serve it at room temperature or reheat in the oven at 200 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. This recipe can be adapted, adjusted, and made to be your own...don't be afraid to substitute whatever veggies, cheese, or meat you have in your fridge. Even my kids devoured this, despite the spicy kick from the tomatoes- they pretty much love anything in a pie shell. For my 5-year old who thinks he doesn't like eggs, I call it "cheese pie," you can call it whatever you want, just try it!

Smoky and Spicy Quiche

• 1 ready made piecrust (Trader Joe's is my favorite, but you can use any brand)
• 5 eggs
• 1- 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup sourcream
• 1 can diced, fireroasted tomatoes with green chiles (well drained, juices pressed through sieve)
• 1 package Trader Joe's chopped pancetta (or 3-4 slices bacon, chopped)
• 2 cups shredded smoked Gouda (approx. 5 ounces)

Brown pancetta, set aside to drain on paper towel lined plate. Place pie crust in deep dish pie plate, prebake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. While it bakes, whisk together eggs, milk and sourcream. Stir in tomatoes. Once piecrust is finished pre-baking, drop oven temperature down to 375. Layer 2/3 of the cheese in the bottom of the crust and top with pancetta. Pour in egg mixture and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 50-70 minutes, until top is set and golden brown. Do not overbrown it, as the gouda will continue to brown after you've removed it from the oven. Allow quiche to rest for a few hours before serving.

Favorite random kitchen tips

As I've said, I'm no professional chef, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. These little, simple pointers- garnered from watching others cook, cooking with friends, reading cookbooks, and my own trial and error- have become crucial in my cooking and make me look like I really know what I'm doing! Hope you'll find them helpful as well:

-Don't be afraid to really salt your food. Do you see how much salt the professional chefs on Food Network use? They will often grab a mini handful from a dish and sling it right in there! Salt will really help bring out the flavor of you food, don't be afraid of it.

-When you make pizza (whether homemade or frozen), allow it to sit out and rest for at least five, even 10 minutes. I used to cut into my pizza straight out of the oven, and the juices would run everywhere, taking with it a lot of the flavor and wonderful oils. Letting it rest allows the cheese to firm up a bit, keeping all the yummy flavor in.

-When making scrambled eggs, add in 1-2 TBL of sour cream instead of using milk. Your eggs won't be runny, but more fluffy and with an added zing.

-Ice cream tastes better when it is soft. Let it sit out and soften for at least five, even 10 minutes before you scoop it. If you don't believe me -test it out yourself. Try the ice cream rock hard out of the freezer and taste it again after its really softened up. The flavors are better and the ice cream feels better in your mouth when its really softened up.

Tried and True Crispy Pizza

In our house, if you're a grown-up, Friday is pizza and movie night. It used to be frozen pizza, but since my love affair with Trader Joe's began, I've been using their pizza dough and play with different fun toppings each week. Sometimes its pepperoni deep dish, sometimes its pesto and veggie,and other times it chicken, gorgonzola, caramelized onions, and walnuts (you haven't lived until you've had crunchy walnuts on a crisp pizza). Anyway, no matter the toppings, I really like my crust thin and crispy...and the key is to prebake the crust before topping it. Here's the scoop:

-Roll out pizza dough (Pillsbury, TJ's, your own homemade dough)
-Brush with olive oil (can also sprinkle with chopped garlic or some italian seasong for umph)
-Bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes.
-Remove from oven, top with your sauce, cheese, and toppings, return to oven for about 15 minutes.
-Once brown and crispy, let pizza sit for 5-10 minutes to firm up and become even more perfect.

Praise the Lord!

The shortribs were amazing, and worth every ounce of sweat, every minute checking them in the oven, and even the carpel tunnel I feel in my stirring hand. The sauce was amazing....a thick reduced sauce of tomato, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, bay, and lots of good red wine. The meat was moist, tender, and just fell off the bone. After cleaning my plate, I felt that warm fuzzy full and relaxed Thanksgiving day feeling sweep over me. Gotta take a few days off from serious cooking to recover (and to eat the leftovers).

First attempt at shortribs

Today is a big day- I'm making braised shortribs ( a recipe from Anne Burrell on the Food Network) for the first time. For me, they're pretty involved: processing veggies into a paste, browning the short ribs, adding tomato paste and wine, cooking some more, covering with water, and baking (with some occasional turning and attention) for 3 hours. Given my schedule with the kids, this is going to take some serious logistical planning, some serious prep in the morning, and staying home all afternoon to tend to the cauldron of meat (oh, and also keeping the kids from breaking things or hurting one another while I do this). How can it be that a cooking endeavor like this one takes so much time, stamina, planning? This better be good...

These are a few of my favorite things....

Okay, as many of you may know, I absolutely love Paula Deen. I have yet to meet a recipe of hers that I didn't love, and making her food helps me feel connected to my southern roots; my love of butter, sugar, and sour cream; and my belief that its not worth baking unless its a bit indulgent. Anyway, a while back I mixed up some of her "Lady and Sons House Seasoning" and it has become one of my favorite go-to's. Its perfect when you want to spice something up. I've used it on sweet potato fries, frozen green beans, and even sprinkled it on buttered naan the other night when we were eating Indian food. If you're feeling commitment-phobic, you can always mix up a half batch.

The Lady and Sons The Lady's House Seasoning

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix well and store in a shaker or jar.

New favorites

Okay, I have a few new favorite Trader Joe's items that I wanted to share. First I tried the low-fat cilantro salad dressing (found in the refrigerated produce section) last night - absolutely phenomenal! We just had it on a green salad with romaine, tomatoes, corn, and TJ's croutons....I couldn't get enough of it and couldn't believe it was low fat. It really tasted homemade and the cilantro flavor is perfectly intense. Anyway, I've already started dreaming of ways to use it....so more recipes and ideas to come on that one!

Also, here are two simple recipes using some of my other new favorites:

Best Grilled bread

• 1 baguette
• 1 jar TJ's grilled vegetable bruschetta
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
  

Slice baguette in half lengthwise and brush with a little olive oil. Grill over medium heat until toasted. Cut into smaller pieces, sprinkle with a little sea salt, and serve with bruschetta.

Easy Pasta

• 1 jar TJ's regular tomato bruschetta (mostly tomatoes, in a tall square jar)
• 1 package spinach chive fettucini
• 1 tub TJ's perlini (tiny mozzarella balls)

Drain perlini and mix with bruschetta in a small bowl. Marinate for atleast 30 minutes. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and allow to cool for a few minutes so pasta isn't too hot (I didn't want the mozzarella balls to melt). Toss with bruschetta/cheese mixture and serve. Yummy!

Salsa Chicken

Salsa Chicken

• 4-6 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 package low sodium taco seasoning (or create your own spice blend with chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper)
• 1 jar salsa
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Optional: sliced black olives, chopped green chiles, corn

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup salsa in baking dish. Pour taco seasoning or spice mixture in shallow dish. Dredge each chicken piece in seasoning and place in pan on top of salsa. Cover with 1 cup of salsa. Cover pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover pan, sprinkle dish with olives, chiles, corn and definitely lots of cheese. Bake for another 15 minutes until cheese melted and browned. Serve with rice or cousous.

Chimichurri Tomatoes

Well, I've been slacking for the past few weeks, haven't been posting at all, but I'm back in the game. I've been going through one of those phases where I haven't felt inspired to cook - so we've been eating lots of pasta and a variety of Trader Joe's frozen foods....mixed with an occasional "breakfast for dinner" and an occasional pizza or Burger King run (please don't tell anyone!). Anyway, I finally made a nice dinner last night: Salsa Chicken (recipe to follow), couscous, and my Chimichurri tomatoes and it tasted so good. Here are the recipes:

Chimichurri Roasted Tomatoes
- 1 big container TJ's mini pearl tomatoes
- 2-3 TBL TJ's Chimichurri sauce

Heat oven-proof saute pan over medium high heat, add Chimichurri sauce. Once slightly warmed, add tomatoes and stir until coated with oil. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Put in 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or 375 degree oven for 15-20 until tomatoes are roasted through. (Note: when I made these, the sauce that wasn't stuck to the tomatoes cooked and got crispy on the bottom of the pan - yummy! So, when I served them I mixed the tomatoes with this additional crispy sauce from the bottom of the pan).

Paula Deen's Creamy Mac and Cheese

Okay, so the mac n' cheese was a huge hit. The kids liked it (I think in their minds, though, it paled in comparison to the gigantic chocolate birthday cake) and we loved it (even got to eat it for dinner the next night). So, here's the recipe for those of you who appreciate the joys of butter and cheese and are ballsy enough to not count fat or calories (at least for this meal). Its worth it.

Creamy macaroni and cheese (from "Paula Deen Celebrates")
-2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
-2.5 cups (about 10 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
-3 eggs, beaten
-1/2 cup sour cream
-One 10.75 ounce can cheddar cheese soup
-4 TBL butter, cut into pieces
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup whole milk
-1/2 tsp dry mustard
-1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Boil the macaroni in 2-quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. Return the drained macaroni to the saucepan and add 2 cups of the cheese. Stir until the cheese melts while the macaroni is still hot. Add the eggs, sour cream, soup, butter, salt, milk, mustard, and pepper and stir well. Pour into prepared dish. Smooth top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top. Bake for 40 minutes, until browned and bubbly. Serves 12.

The walking wounded

Given that I just experienced my first cooking wound of the week (stuck my hand in a soup can in the process of washing it, sliced my thumb, now its bandaged and needs a break) I've now got a little bit of time to talk about what I've been up to lately.

Lets see, I've just finished a wonderful book (so wonderful that I'm now feeling a bit lost without it).... "Julie and Julia." Its a wonderful, entertaining, and pretty hilarious book about a young woman who for some crazy reason decides to cook every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in one year, and the adventure that ensues. She blogs about her experience (check it out)....giving the reader insight into not only her pretty hilarious life, but also into Julia Child's life and love of cooking. Not that I think my blog will ever be as cool as hers or that I'll get a book deal, but she definitely inspired me to see what this blogging thing is all about.

Now, back to my injury. The soup (the infamous soup that led to the can that led to the wound that led to the bandaid that led to my taking a break from the kitchen) was one of the ingredients in the Macaroni and Cheese that I was making this morning for my little guy's birthday dinner tomorrow. He's turning one, so I'm making macaroni for our family birthday dinner. Its a new recipe, one I've never tried, but its one of Paula Deen's recipes and honestly every single recipe of hers that I've ever made always turns out amazing. You know how sometimes you don't want to risk trying a new recipe when having people over or making a casserole for someone who's just had a baby...well, I don't ever worry about that with Paula Deen.

Anyway, I'll let you know how it turns out....and if its good, I'll post the recipe. Crap, the dog just heard one of those imaginary sounds, barked really loud, and woke the baby! Until next time...

Beef Pot Pie

My favorite, easiest comfort food: Beef Pot Pie

1 package of two pre-rolled, ready to use TJ’s piecrusts

1 TJ’s potroast

1 bag TJ’s frozen vegetables in butter sauce (carrots, peas, cauliflower)

Warm potroast according to package instructions, and shred or chop. Cook vegetables according to directions. Mix all ingredients together, season with salt and pepper. Pour into piecrust, top with remaining pie crust. Seal and crimp edges, cut 2-4 slits in top of pie. Bake at 375 for 40-60 minutes until crust is nice and brown.

Trader Joe's Favorites

Well, its Thursday morning and I actually have a moment to myself. My oldest is at preschool and my youngest is napping - I feel almost human, freshly showered, sipping my coffee, without any small people trying to climb my chair or demanding a snack 15 minutes after breakfast has ended.

Anyway, if you haven't figured it out already, I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's. When we moved out here to Cali last year and before I had any friends, my weekly grocery shopping trip at TJ's was probably the highlight of the week. Now I have friends and a routine and a second child, and shopping there usually involves taking the baby in the backpack, the toddler in the cart, and an arsenal of snacks. Nevertheless, I still enjoy shopping there, trying new products, dreaming up ways to cook with their products, and of course, eating their food.

Here is my list of Trader Joe's favorites by section:

-Produce section: Goddess Dressing. When we have this salad dressing in the fridge, I pretty much find any and every excuse to have a salad. I've also mixed a little bit into pasta sauce (per TJ's suggestion) and its amazing. Also good on sandwiches or as a dip.

-Sauce section: Red Curry sauce, Punjab sauce (both are great with a bag of their frozen veggies served over brown rice)

-Prepared Foods/Deli/Cheese section: Potroast, Pork Carnitas, Any of their pizza doughs, Chimichurri Sauce

-Frozen foods: Mandarin Chicken (chicken pieces with yummy chinese orange sauce), Balsamic Vegetables

-Bread section: Flat bread, whole wheat tortillas, focaccia buns

Anyway, I'll post some of my recipes soon!

here i am

Hi, I'm a stay at home mom. I love food and cooking. I love to eat and cook and shop at Trader Joe's and dream up yummy dinners that don't take a lot of work or time. Today, though, on this special day of my first blog posting, I reached an all time low of scary lunches. Started with pita and hummus (so far so good), then some spagghettio-s (leftovers, needed to be eaten or thrown out, and somebody had to do it), a diet coke, and 3 handfuls of m&m's. Aaaah, yes, I am soo gourmet! More riveting tales of great meals to follow...