Yikes!

Here we go again.....I am falling further and further behind with my blogs/recipes......I'll try to get back into the blogging life. It's not for lack of baking and cooking, it's for lack of baking and cooking NEW recipes!

Life is also very BUSY these days. Yesterday was our Big D's 5th birthday. Hard to believe I have been a Mommy for 5 years now. Something I heard recently is very true for myself - "Do I remember what life was like before having kids? NO - because my life began when I had them!"

Happy cooking and baking! Enjoy!

Creamy Herb & Goat Cheese Dip

Here's the other dip we had with dinner. Enjoy!

Creamy Herb & Goat Cheese Dip

• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh chives, snipped
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• fresh cracked s&p

1. Using a fork, mix together sour cream and goat cheese until smooth (a few lumps are okay). Stir in chives, parsley, and s&p. Serve with crackers and/or veggies. ENJOY!

Buffalo Wing Dip

This dip used to be a staple in our house. It is one of M's all-time favourite things to eat. Tonight we had this dip, along with another, served alongside a sliced baguette and a large platter of veggies. Yum! The kids passed on the dip, as it was too spicy for them. Choose a milder buffalo wing sauce if you don't like spicy. Enjoy!

Buffalo Wing Dip

• 3 boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup Frank's Buffalo Chicken Wing Sauce (or 3 tbsp butter mixed with Frank's Red Hot equal to 1 cup total)
• 1 cup (1 8 oz package) of cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Tortilla chips, crackers, or bread

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Boil and shred chicken. In a small saucepan, mix shredded chicken and wing sauce and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Mix in half of mozarella cheese at the last minute.
3. Spread cream cheese onto the bottom of a casserole dish. Spread chicken mixture on top of the cream cheese. Spread blue cheese on top of chicken. Top with remaining mozarella.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers or bread. ENJOY!

Sausage Melts

This was last nights dinner. I'm trying to use items from the garden as much as possible right now, before the frost comes and wipes everything else. These were thrown together off the top of my head. They worked, and I will likely make again. Enjoy!

Sausage Melts

• 1/2 tbsp EVOO
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• sprinkle of salt
• 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tomato, diced
• fresh cracked pepper
• 2 kaiser buns, sliced in half (or 2 large hamburger buns), toasted
• 4 sausages, cooked (preferably BBQ'd), and sliced into 1/2" pcs
• 1/2 cup (ish) shredded cheddar cheese

1. Turn oven on to broil.
2. In a small frypan over med-high, warm olive oil, then add onions. Sprinkle with salt. Allow to soften for 3-4 minutes before adding pepper. Cook for an additional 5 minutes (or until peppers are soft), stirring often, then toss in minced garlic. 30 seconds after adding garlic, add tomatoes and reduce heat to low. Sprinkle with some pepper, and leave on burner for another 2-3 minutes (to soften tomatoes).
3. Place toasted buns on cookie sheet, cut side up). Place sliced sausages on buns. Divide onion/pepper mixture evenly over 4 sausage buns. Top with shredded cheese and place in broiler.
4. Broil buns for about 2 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven, serve and ENJOY!

*These are great as is, and even better topped with a little homemade salsa!*

Hollandaise Sauce

Tonight we enjoyed one of the best plates of eggs benedict I have ever had. The key to success - perfect hollandaise sauce. This recipe is a winner. I think it also helped that I used poached duck eggs (and thinly shaved ham). The whole combination was amazing. I will be making this hollandaise sauce again and again. If only it didn't have so many calories!!! Enjoy!

Perfect Hollandaise Sauce

• 2/3 cup butter
• 3 egg yolks
• 4 tsp cold water
• 2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• s&p to taste
• dash of hot sauce

1. Cut 2 tbsp of butter from the 2/3 cup, and set in fridge (in 1 tbsp cubes). In a small saucepan, melt remaining butter completely. Scoop off any foam. Keep warm over low heat. (OR - you can melt this in the microwave!).
2. In a glass bowl or double boiler, whisk egg yolks with water until light. Place bowl over a pot of barely simmering water and whisk until thickened (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from pot heat (but keep bowl over water).
3. Add cold butter cubes to eggs and whisk until melted. Slowly pour in the warm butter, whisking as you pour. Finally, whisk in lemon juie, s&p, and hot sauce. Taste and season as necessary.
4. Keep sauce over the pot of warm water until ready to use. If it is too thick when ready to serve, add in a few drops of water. Serve and ENJOY!

Coffee Coffee Cake

I LOVE to bake. I especially love to bake with my boys. This morning, Little D and I whipped up a coffee cake, with the other 2 Ds slept. I wanted to make one that actually had coffee in it. Here's the recipe I used. I will definitely be making this one again. It's right up there with my sour cream coffee cake recipe. The ingredients that make up this cake might not be the healthiest...adding caramel to the top is also not healthy...BUT - baking something from scratch, with or without the help of a little one, IS healthy. It's healthy for the mind and soul. The smells, the tatses, the warm-feelings of accomplishment are good for us. So throw away your calorie counter one Sunday morning, roll up your sleeves and get baking! Enjoy!

Coffee Coffee Cake

• FILLING
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cups), soft
• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 1/3 cups AP flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 3/4 cups strong brewed coffee, COLD
• 2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generouslly butter bundt pan. In a small bowl, mix togther ingredients for the filling. Set aside.
2. Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, one at at time, and continue to mix until creamy.
3. In another bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. In a 2-cup pyrex dish, mix together buttermilk, coffee and vanilla.
4. Add half of the dry mixture and half of the wet mixture to the creamed butter. Mix until combined, then add the remaining wet and dry ingredients, until everything is thoroughly combined.
5. Spoon half of the batter into the bundt pan and try to level out. Pour filling on top, distributing evenly over pan. Add the remaining batter, and again try to smooth level.
6. Bake in preheated oven for about 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
7. Let cool slightly, then serve with some drizzled caramel and a big cup of coffee. ENJOY!

Sausage and Beef Chili

It's a cold October day - perfect for chili! Here's the recipe I made today. I threw it together and man oh man, was it good! Enjoy!

Sausage and Beef Chili

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground sausage meat (I used mild. Italian)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• dash of s&p
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 jalepenos, diced
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 can brown beans
• 1 can tomato soup
• few good splashes hot sauce
• 1/2 cup salsa

1. In a large frypan, brown beef and sausage meat over med-high heat. After meat is half cooked, sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, paprika and s&p, stir, then add onions and jalepenos to the pan. Once meat is cooked and onions are soft, add garlic.
2. 2 minutes after adding garlic to the pan, pour in beans and soup. Add hot sauce and salsa, and stir to combine. Let simmer over med-low heat for about 30 minutes. Taste and season accordingly.
3. Serve with some nachos for dipping and ENJOY!