Simply Elegant

Hello Sweets,

How has your Thursday been?  Mine has been super quiet, and frankly I think that was what I needed after a long day with the neurologist yesterday.  My body is really tired, my one knee is extremely sore, and I really don't know why.  I am doing cardio like my doctors have asked (no running just walking), so today I took the day off and listened to my body!  Do you ever have days like that? Where you know if you do anything physical it probably won't go too well lol, that was my day today.

So in Tuesday's post I talked about simplicity, and how I wanted to do something simply delicious (see what I did there lol).  I decided to make something I haven't had in over a year, but it is something you can enjoy with girlfriends over wine, or even an appetizer for a romantic dinner for two.  So are you salivating just imagining what I'm taking about?  Well let us get to it then shall we :)

Simple Oil and Vinegar Bread Dip

Ingredients

1 1/2Tbs Balsamic vinegar

4Tbs Extra virgin olive oil

Parisian bread loaf

Yup that's all you need

Directions:

1)  Preheat your oven to 250F, and warm bread until outside is slightly crisp.

2)  Place oil on a plate, then add the vinegar on top (you can drag the handle side of a butter knife through it)

simply elegant ;)

3)  Cut the bread up into bite size pieces, serve and enjoy!

Tadah! There's even a heart there, I miss my man :(

So there it is, simple and savory, a nice little grown up treat :)  Sometimes things don't need to be complicated to taste great!  Now I am going back to the research table because I promised Nathan I would back him a delicious and moist chocolate cake to celebrate his birthday when I am down to visit him for the holidays (and I never break a baking promise!).  With that I am going to say sometimes blog post don't have to be long to be fabulous ;)  Until next time..........

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

A Treat to see Tereza Smile :)

Hello Sweets,

Happy Thanksgiving to all my USA readers!!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thursday full of turkey and family :) , mine was fairly quiet.  We had to postpone the second half of my pastizzi adventure until tomorrow, but don't worry, I will have the rest of the savory information :)  Today I was honestly going to take off a day from the kitchen and blog about "passion" and what it means to me, however my roommate had gotten some disheartening news, so I decided to make her my yummy peanut butter chocolate chip banana bread (she loves it)!

I don't know how this recipe has not made it in to a blog yet, it is really yummy and fairly easy to prepare.  I have a recipe my grandmother gave me for her banana bread.  It's so moist and delicious, but I wanted something more.  Then it was like a giant light went off in my head, why have I not incorporated my love of peanut butter?!?  So I decided to marry the flavors together, and why not throw a little chocolate in there too.  Who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter right?  So with my grandmothers recipe, I started researching on the Internet to see if there was another recipe out there, and All Recipes has a great one, so I combined the two to make mine own :) Now that the delicious smell is wafting through our house, let's get to the jewel of this post :)

Canuckette's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (inspired by All Recipes

Ingredients

1/2C butter, softened

1C white sugar

2 eggs

3/4C peanut butter

2 bananas, mashed

2C all-purpose flour

1 Tsp baking soda

1C chocolate chips

Directions:

1)  Preheat your oven to 325F.  Lightly grease a 5"x9" loaf pan, set aside.

2)  In a large bowl, cream together the butter and eggs.

3)  Add eggs and beat until fully incorporated.

4)  Stir in bananas, peanut butter, flour, and baking soda until fully blended.

my bananas were frozen, they're not bruised lol

5)  Fold in chocolate chips, pour into greased pan.

looks like yummy cookie dough 

all set and ready to go!

6)  Bake at 325F for 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (I use a butter knife because I would loose the toothpick in the loaf lol).  Remove to a wire rack to cool, and enjoy!

Yummy!!

I'm actually really glad I made this because it's just so darn good!  This is a great bread for a snack. The flavors are subtle, but so delicious together, you could probably get away with enjoying a warm piece for breakfast.  I really enjoy a warm slice with a little butter and a hot cup of tea :)  This is also a great bread for children too, because the chocolate chips are quite enticing.  I really hope this helps Tereza to just have a moment to herself and get lost in the flavors of this yummy bread.  She's my bestie, and I only want to see that beautiful smile of hers.

Do you have a go to pick me up snack, either for you, or someone you love?  Tonight is one of the reasons I love to bake.  If I can make someone smile for even just a moment, because of what I've made, then everything is all worth while :)  Also I wanted to remind you guys to check out Dave's blog over at Impact's Views, my logo is coming along famously and I cannot wait to show you guys :)  Until next time...........

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

Leftovers, but not left out

Hello Sweets!

I hope you all are enjoying the fact that it's the middle of the week.  I am having a very bad health day, but have decided to at least write a small post about the "misfits" of the refrigerator; the leftovers.

I am the kind of person that doesn't like to waste food, and since being taken off of work for health reasons, it is all the more important that I don't waste food. Yesterday being my first day back to Canadia, meant I had a doctors appointment, and that I'd being seeing my grandfather and going to the pharmacy in my local grocery store. When I took my prescriptions in, I was told it would be about forty five minutes (yikes just a bit of a wait lol), and having just gotten multiple shots, there was no way I'd be going home and walking back. I am fortunate enough to be a granddaughter to my loving wonderful grandparents, who would do anything for me and when it comes to my health, they don't skimp even when I say it's okay. Since my grandparents had just gotten back from a cruise, we sat down in the waiting area and chatted about both of our trips. While sitting there, the delicious smell of slow roasted chicken was wafting over our way and making my stomach growl, lol in typical Jennifer fashion I hadn't located my bank card yet, which meant I had not gone grocery shopping. My grandfather saw I was hungry from being at the doctors, and the near hour that had passed, so he asked me if I wanted a chicken (it was also on special that day).  That was an offer my stomach was not going to pass up! Needless to say, being one girl I obviously could not finish the chicken at all lol.

too much chicken for one little girl!

So earlier this afternoon I started thinking to myself; how was I going to eat the rest of the chicken?  As is? Shredded on a sandwich or salad?  I could even make it into a whole new dish :).  I love to have turkey sandwiches during Thanksgiving or Christmas, so I decided I would shred the rest of the chicken and have it on hand to create anything my heart desired with the scraps.

looks like I'll be eating chicken for a while

After breaking the chicken down and disposing of the bones, I had worked up quite the appetite, so I decided to have a simple yet delicious chicken sandwich. All I needed was some bread, whipped dressing, salt, pepper, and some sharp cheese to accompany the already delectable seasoned chicken.

nothing fancy, just simply flavor

Now there are plenty of ways to make chicken salad, but I chose to make more of a traditional sandwich.  Normally, I would add all sorts of different veggies, but since I still haven't made it to the grocery store I settled with what I had on hand. Now not everyone likes a warm or toasted sandwich, but when it comes to left over chicken or turkey, I do! So I start by toasting the bread, not very dark at all, and add a thin layer of whipped dressing.

boring lol

After warming the chicken up, I place a hearty layer of chicken and sprinkle a small amount of salt, and some pepper, then topped with some of the sharp cheddar cheese (maybe 2Tbs).

I'm starting to get hungry

I then place a very, very small amount of whipped dressing on the top slice of bread (just to help hold it in place), then close the sandwich, cut, and enjoy with veggies, chips, or salad.

yum!!

Now you can do this with any type of left over, maybe not a sandwich, but wraps, salads, soups, and so much more. Don't let generic options limit you(although mine sort of is lol), think outside the box and get creative, experiment with your pallet and enjoy what you eat. Try not to waste anything, but don't do the boring, have fun with your food (even if your mom told you not too ;)). I promise to have a longer post tomorrow, until next time........

Stay sweet,


Jennifer xoxoxo

A successful event deserves brownies!

Hello Sweets,

I hope you all are having a spook-tacular Halloween!  I love this time of year.  The smell of the seasons changing, seeing all the little ghosts and goblins dressed up, and nothing says fall more than a fresh loaf of baked bread :)  Yup that's right, I finally succeeded with the whole wheat honey bread!!!  I either had a bad batch of yeast, or it didn't activate.  Either way, we now have two fresh loaves of bread, and the house smells absolutely divine.

Aren't they purdy :D

After last nights fail, I was feeling a little defeated, and somewhat frustrated.  So of course, I started looking at some of my favorite foodie websites, and came across a recipe for homemade brownies.  Now I don't know about you guys, but brownies always make me feel better lol, and I decided to bake them alongside the bread, just in case I had another mishap.  Now they didn't fall out of the pan easily, so they're not pretty, but they are pretty tasty lol.  Ok, on to the recipe, because that's why you came here after all!

Cocoa Brownies (via The Food Network)

Ingredients

soft butter, for greasing the pan

flour, for dusting the buttered pan

4 large eggs

1C sugar, sifted

1C brown sugar, sifted

8 ounces of butter, melted

1 1/4C powdered cocoa, sifted

2Tsp vanilla extract

1/2C flour, sifted

1/2Tsp salt

Directions:

1)  Preheat oven to 300F.  Butter and flour an 8" square pan.

2)  With an electric mixer, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow.

3)  Add both sugars and mix well, add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.

4)  Pour batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes.  Use the tried and true toothpick method to see if the brownies are done.  Check in the middle as that is the last part to bake.

5)  When it's done, remove to a rack to cool.  Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool.

yummy!!

Now believe it or not, this was my first time baking brownies from scratch.  How sad is that? lol  They are so much better this way than store bought or boxed brownies, and it is very simple and quick too!  What is your favorite sweet to bake?  My favorite recipes are the ones that are passed down through families.  With my family, it was chocolate chip cookies, lemon meringue pie, zucchini bread, and banana bread.  My grandmothers banana bread is so moist, and the crust has this nice thin layer of crunchy goodness to it.  When she finally gave me the secret recipe, the first thing I did was make some "jen-ifcations" lol, which means I added chocolate chips and eventually even peanut butter!  I always bring my baked goodies to my grandparents, and she has always liked the changes I've made :)

Now I know this is somewhat of a short post, but tomorrow will be longer as I will be making not one, not two, but three different recipes tomorrow (yikes I'll be one busy little girl).  This is in preparation of the Texas AAA 500 race.  Nathan's family has season tickets, so we will be spending the weekend down at the track!  This also means my posts might be a little spaced out more so than usual starting on Friday.  I am thinking I might do a couple of race themed posts about what we did, and what we ate.  This will sound silly to most of my American readers, but I had never been tailgating before last April when we went to my first NASCAR race EVER, and they bring all sorts of yummy food to cook out in the parking lot before and after the race (when you're waiting for all the cars to vacate the parking lot).  Needless to say, and to Nathan's surprise (but he loves it), I love tailgating and even the races too!  Just another thing the love of my life and I can do together, plus we are the cutest racing couple ever lol, just kidding, but no really we are ;) .

See, wasn't I right :p

Now have a haunting good evening, and enjoy all the little kids that come to your door tonight.  Until next time........

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo

With baking there is no fail, only lessons to be learned

Hello Sweets,

 Today's post is about the lessons that can be taught to you in your kitchen, and to show that all of us, both experienced and not, can make mistakes, and not let them discourage us from doing what we love!  I chose to venture down the road of homemade bread today.  This wasn't my first attempt, but it was sadly my first fail. :(  But I will not let this discourage me.  I will attempt this recipe in the next few days, but until the success, I have decided to still post about my fail in hopes that it will perhaps not only help others, but also encourage all of you to keep trying.

So what did I try to make you ask?  Whole Wheat Honey bread, similar to what they serve at The Cheesecake Factory.  Nathan took me there on our anniversary back in August.  I had never been there before, and he thought that was crazy considering my love of cheesecake (hmmm definitely another post topic lol), and needless to say, their food was delicious!  Our entrees were savory.  Nathan had the Southeast Asian Caramel Chicken, and I had the Chicken Fettuccine mmmm good!

This part is going to sound silly, but next to their AMAZING cheesecake, was the whole wheat honey bread they bring you when you sit down.  Usually I am more partial to the white bread served in restaurants, only because a lot of restaurant's brown bread is sort of dry, but at The Cheesecake Factory, their brown bread is to die for.  Of course being the ever loving girlfriend, I have been scouring the Internet for a recipe that comes close, and I think I finally got one worthy lol, and go figure, the first time trying was a disaster.  This will not be the last time you'll see this recipe (or one close to it), as I am determined to make this delicious bread!  Now onward to my silly little catastrophe :p 

Honey Whole Wheat Bread (via Raegun Wear)

Ingredients

3/4C warm water

1/4C molasses

1 1/8C all-purpose flour

3/8C wheat flour

1/2Tbs cocoa

1/2Tbs sugar

1Tsp instant coffee

1/2Tsp salt

1/2 packet of yeast (1 1/8Tsp)

1/2Tbs oil

1 egg white (optional)

oats (optional)

Directions:

1)  Dissolve the coffee in the water.  Add yeast and let bubble.

I think this is where I went wrong, I waited but never got bubbles :(

2)  Add sugar, cocoa, salt, and oil.

3)  Add 1/2 the flour and the molasses and knead.  Continue adding flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Doesn't exactly look appealing lol

Note:  You want sticky but manageable dough.  The stickier the dough the softer the bread will be.

Definitely sticky :)

4)  Allow the dough to rise until it doubles in size.

I was hoping it would rise, but alas it did not

5)  Shape into rolls or loaf.  Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with oats.  Allow to rise again.

my sad little brick lol

6)  Bake at 350F for 20-35 minutes (time depends on size of roll or loaf).  To tell if it's done, pick it up and thump the underside, it will sound hollow when finished.

FAIL!!

Well alas, sadly my bread did not end up rising and stayed a small little brick of ingredients lol at least I can laugh at my own mistake! Although it didn't rise as expected, it did however, turn out to be just as delicious as the bread I used as a template, if not more. 

I hope this "fail" blog shows everyone to never give up when you don't succeed, and don't ever let that be the 'end all be all' for your kitchen excursions.  And when you really feel frustrated, pull up this blog post and laugh at my silly blunder, and give yourself the credit you deserve and try again!  Until next time.....

Stay sweet,

Jennifer xoxoxo