Paradise and Bakerella Cupcake Pops

The last 5 days have been full of excitement. Friday my oldest graduated preschool. I made Bakerella Cake Pops for the graduation! They were a huge hit!! You can find them here.

My mother flew down for the graduation . The night after the ceremony we left and spent the days on the beach. It was an amazing time. We ate fantastic meals at little beach side restaurants and laid on the beach for four whole days. It was paradise. This is a misty picture of the fantastic Flagler Beach. A small beach town full of wonderful small eateries and shops. The beach was a warm ,vacant, with red sand and crabs that roamed around the gorgeous beach.
My mom in the water with my two daughters and my best friends daughter.

My mom in the waves with my oldest. They were laughing so hard. I had to capture this ever lasting memory.
My youngest fell asleep at the beach everyday for her nap. She was at peace hearing the waves hitting the shore.

My girls and I. My youngest is not too happy. She is ready for a nap after all the swimming and fun.

Now, I dropped my mother off at the airport and on her way back to Ohio. We had the best time...It is back to reality.....

I have many new recipes and reviews I will be sharing this month. Stay tuned.

Gingered Rhubarb and Three Berry Jam

I love making homemade jam! It screams summer. My girls swimming for hours in the HOT Florida sun, playing outside and filling their tiny bellies with PB&J and Kool-Aid!!! Oh Joy. Because of this, I keep my cabinets stocked with homemade Strawberry, Peach and other Jams.

I am just a sucker for these two and I love seeing their smiles. My homemade jam does the job well :)

I had a bunch of berries and rhubarb leftover from the Bumbleberry Pie which worked excellent in this jam with a touch of ginger and lemon. YUM! It is one of my new favorites . It is rated up there with the Peach Cinnamon Jam (I could devour the entire contents of the jar.)


GINGERED RHUBARB AND THREE BERRY JAM

2 TB of Minced Ginger
1/2 Lemon Juiced
3 cps. Rhubarb, sliced thin
1 1/2 cp. Blackberries
1 1/2 cp. Blueberries
1 1/2 cp. Strawberries, sliced thin
4 cps. Sugar
1 box of Sure-Jell

1. Bring the Ginger, Juice, Rhubarb, Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries and Sugar to a boil.
2. While boiling add the Sure-Jell and let boil one minute. Remove and add to the sanitized jars

If you do not know how to sanitize jars and add the jam to the jars use this
http://fortheloveofkidsandfood.blogspot.com/2009/07/peach-cinnamon-jam.html

ENJOY

BUMBLEBERRY PIE!!!!

I must admit..I have never heard of Bumbelberry Pie, but I wanted to make a berry pie. I came across this recipe at Allrecipes.com. WOW. That is the only thing I can say. If I could eat the entire pie without gaining a pound I would!

What could be better then a pie filled with: Blueberries, Strawberries, Blackberries, Rhubarb and Apples!? DELISH!!!



First, let me start by the perfect pie crust.
PIE CRUST

4 cps. flour
1/3 cp. sugar
BIG pinch cinnamon
1 3/4 cp. shortening
2 pinches of salt

1/2 cp. water
1 egg

1. In a food processor pulse the first four ingredients.
2. Add the Wet ingredients and form into a ball.

Cool in the fridge.



BUMBLEBERRY PIE
altered from Allrecipes.com

3 cps. apples (sliced then with the skin removed)
1 1/2 cps. Blueberries
1 1/2 cps. Blackberries
1 1/2 cps. Rhubarb, sliced thin
1 1/2 cps. Strawberries, sliced thin
1 lime, juice
1 cp. sugar
1/2 cp. flour
Heaping Tablespoon of Tapioca




TOSS EVERYTHING IN A BOWL TOGETHER IN A BIG BOWL AND MIX WELL!!

1. Add the ingredients into the pie shell. Top with another. I used a lattice top crust. Brush on some egg wash and top with a few tablespoons of sugar.

2. Bake on 350 for 1 hour.

It turns out like THIS!!!! HOLY COW!!! THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PIE I HAVE EVER MADE! :)
This is worth the time and effort. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out. You will not be let down. It is one of the most mouthwatering heaven-in-my-mouth pie that I have ever in my life encountered. TRUST ME! :)

Tastemaker: Buitoni Riserva

I am a member of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program. A few weeks ago we had a chance to try the Buitoni Riserva Spicy Beef and Sausage Ravioli. I could not let the chance slip by. I was thrilled. (SHIP IT ASAP! !)
In my opinion, it was by far one of the best ravioli I have ever eaten. It was so flavorful, bold and not too spicy. My two and four year old loved them. I also picked up a package of the Cheese Buitoni Riserva and they were extremely tasty too. I was not disappointed.

I fried the Ravioli and served with a homemade pizza sauce. I fried them two ways. One with a planko breading and the other bare. Both were mouthwatering!! :)



My Fried Ravioli

1 package of Buitoni Riserva Spicy Beef and Sausage Ravioli

1 cp. flour
1 cp. planko
1/2 tsp. salt,and pepper
1 tsp. oregano, basil, and garlic

2 whisked eggs with a splash of water

Canola Oil

1. Mix the flour, planko and seasoning together in a shallow bowl.
2. Whisk the eggs and water in a separate shallow bowl.
3. Heat oil to 375
4. Dip each Ravioli into the egg mixture and then the breading until coated. Add to the hot oil.


The dipping Marinara:

1 Can Crushed Tomato
1 tsp oregano, basil and garlic
1/2 tsp salt and crushed red pepper
splash of olive oil

Mix together in a small saucepan until warm.


PLEASE ENJOY AND PICK UP A PACKAGE OF BUITONI RISERVA TODAY!!!!!

Chicken Cordon Bleu...My Way

I have big news..My husband and I found out we will be having our third baby!! I have been floating by the last few weeks. I will be posting more and I will keep all my friends updated. We are very excited. My first ultrasound is tomorrow! YEAH!

My husbands favorite all time dish is Chicken Cordon Bleu. This is my take on the wonderful classic.

4 Chicken Breast (Pounded thin)
Capicola Ham
Jarlsberge Cheese

1/2 Flour
1 cp Italian Planko Crumbs
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Seasoned Salt (Lawrys)
1/2 tsp. black pepper


2 Eggs
Splash Milk
salt and pepper

5 Shallots, sliced thin
1 cp. Chicken broth

1. Take the thinly sliced chicken and add a few slices of ham and one or two slices of Jarlsberg Cheese.
2. Dip in the egg mixture (the eggs and milk whisked together with salt and pepper) and then into the bread crumb mixtures (the seasonings, Planko and flour mixed together). You can add a second coating if you would like.
3. Brown in a skillet with 2 TB of Olive Oil to seal the seam. Make sure you put it seam side down. (3 to 4 min. each side)
4. Add into a greased baking dish. Top with shallots and chicken broth. Bake on 350 for 45 minutes.

Kumquat Marmalade

I have to admit, I have never heard of Kumquats. My girlfriend had a Kumquat tree and gave me an overabundance amount of fruit. WOW! They are so sweet and taste so amazing. I had to make something with them and QUICK!

My husband loves Orange Marmalade, so I found a recipe with a Kumquat twist!

My recipe:

3 cps. Kumquats, Deseeded and Rinsed
3 Oranges, Deseeded
4 cps. water
4 cps. sugar
1 lemon, juiced and discarded



1. I deseeded the oranges and Kumquats and gave them a rinse. I then threw everything in the food processor with the lemon juice. I pulsed a few times. I then added the sugar and water and let sit over night.
2. I brought to a boil and then let it simmer until it reached a 220 temperature... It took awhile. Be patient.

3. I then put them in sterilized jars. Let sit in a cool temperature.

I can't wait to dig in this morning!!!!

Chicken Tenders for Alex

My Alexandra loves Chicken Tenders. They are one of her all time favorite foods. I do not buy them frozen anymore because I found out how simple (and delishes) it is to make your own.

These are so fantastic. Crunchy. Tender. Yummy.

My husband actually preferred eating these chicken tenders over the very spicy jambalaya that I made him. He actually requests me to make them for him now...His words, "Restaurant Quality"

Of course, It was a winner for my two little munchkins too.

They are very simple and take less then 15 minutes..

Give it a try!!!


CHICKEN TENDERS FOR ALEX
Oil

2 Eggs
Splash or two of water

1 cp panko
1 cp. flour

Chicken tenders
Seasoned salt
Pepper



1. Heat the oil.
2. Make two dishes. One with the eggs and water whisked together and season with the seasoned salt and pepper. Dish number two add the panko and flour. Season this with salt and pepper.
3. Pat dry the chicken tenders. Dip in egg wash and then panko mixture. Repeat one more time. Put in the oil. When browned remove...EAT! Isn't that super easy!!