St. Patricks day Corned beef and mashed potatoes!

So on St. Patrick's day I embraced my Irish Heritage and made Corned Beef and Mashed Potato's (I just couldn't do the cabbage!) It was so good!! The corned beef was so moist and the glaze I put on it made it so good! The mashed potatoes were very good as well!

Ingredients:

1 piece Corned beef brisket (About 5 lbs)

Boiling water

1/2 C Firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup Yellow + Honey Mustard (I used about half of each)

Directions:

Wash the Corned Beef. Place in a roasting pan, and pout the boiling water and pickling spices in. Cover it with a a lid or tin foil. Bake about 3 1/2 hours at 325 degrees F. Or until tender.

Combine the Brown sugar and mustard and mix until it forms a thick paste.

drain the brisket once the 3 hours are up. spread the brown sugar mustard over the top and bake for 30 more minutes uncovered

This is what it looks like when it is done.

ENJOY

Pizzelles

Pizzelles, A traditional Italian cookie; I grew up eating these! The other day I made almond pizzelles, but usually my family requests anise flavored pizzelles (which I must say, are not my favorite) I used almond oil instead of almond extract because almond extract can sometimes become biter. These are like a thin crispy waffle, with powdered sugar sprinkled on top...

Ingredients:

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons extract (If you are using a flavoring oil use about 1 teaspoon)

1 stick of unsalted butter (softened)

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1 3/4 cup flour

Directions:

Mix all the wet ingredients until well blended. Whisk the dry ingredients and combine with the wet ingredients. Mix well! The batter will be quite thick.

Put a tablespoon of batter in the pizzelle iron.

They are done when the light goes off. Remove with a spatula, and cool on a wire cooling rack

Dust with powdered sugar or with drizzled chocolate.

ENJOY!

Palmiers

Palmier's (Pahlm-YAY) or "Madonna Bra's" ( the alternative name created by Becky) are a french cookie made out of puff pastry and rolled in sugar and folded to resemble palm leaves and baked until the sugar caramelizes. So good, crispy buttery sugary goodness. Could there be anything better? I learned a few things while making these cookies, 1. DON'T USE WAX PAPER!! The caramelized sugar sticks to it within a matter of seconds, it's sticky business.. 2. Always flatten the Palmier's so they don't turn into "Madonna Bra's" I used the palm of my hand.

3. They taste amazing with the Cinnamon , and when they are warm.... This was a fun learning experience, it was very rewarding (In the sense that I ate all of the reject cookies, I just couldn't resist.)

ingredients:

1 box puff pastry

1 cup sugar (Divided into a 1/4 cup for each side of the puff pastry)

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:

On a cutting board sprinkle a 1/4 cup of sugar equally across the board and lay one sheet of puff pastry on the board and sprinkle the top of the puff pastry with a 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Using a rolling pin, roll the puff pastry out as far as it with stretch without it being to thin. Roll one side up to the middle and then roll the other side to the middle.

Cut the roll into small pieces and then flatten with the palm of your hand.

Repeat for the other piece of puff pastry. Generously grease a metal sheet pan and lay them 2 inches apart (they don't spread very much.)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and bake them for 5 minutes ( If they don't cook just keep setting the timer for 2 more minutes, they will burn in a matter of minutes so stay close for these. )

ENJOY!

Penne in Almond Sauce

Once again Giada De Laurentiis has captured my attention with one of her amazing dinners.. I just couldn't help myself, Penne in Almond sauce.. Mmmm... A thick creamy sauce with succulent chicken, Penne pasta, fresh Parmesan, heavy cream, basil and peas... Heaven, it literally melted in your mouth! This dish is just amazing! The flavors are Fantastic! I can't wait to share it with you all!! I know you will fall in love with it the minute it hits your mouth (and Stomach)! :)

Ingredients

• 1 pound penne pasta
• 2 cups (9 ounces) blanched, slivered almonds
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed (I only used 2 cloves of garlic)
• 2 store-bought, rotisserie chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup frozen petite peas
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (I didn't add the extra salt, it really didn't need it)
• 2 cups grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I used dried Basil and only about 1 - 1 1/2 Tablespoons)

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a blender, combine the almonds, chicken stock, olive oil, and garlic. Blend until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the mixture into a large skillet and turn the heat on to medium.

Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken, peas, cream and lemon zest.

If your sauce does not thicken, put some of the sauce in a bowl, and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to it, 1/2 a tablespoon at a time so that it doesn't clump. Once it is thick add it slowly to your sauce slowly, stir constantly!

Cook, stirring frequently until the chicken is heated through, about 4 minutes (mixture will be thick). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Put the cooked pasta into a serving bowl and add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Toss together until the pasta is coated.

Add the chicken mixture, the remaining cheese and the basil.

Toss the ingredients together, adding the reserved pasta water, as needed, to loosen the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

ENJOY!

Dinner

Last night we had steaks and mashed potato's and mini corn puddings... Yum.. Steak is my absolute favorite, along with the corn puddings... My mom grilled them on the grill while I took the pictures. So much fun! They were perfect they had perfect grill lines. They were juicy and succulent, and had so much flavor!

Here are some pictures of dinner!

Steak:

Mashed Potato's recipe:

6 large potato's diced

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup of milk (Or less just until they get creamy)

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil the potato's until they are tender, drain them and mash them

2. Add the milk , butter, salt and pepper and mix well.

3. Eat :)

ENJOY

Cranberry Sweet Potato Muffins

I was a little skeptical of these muffins, however I shouldn't have been, they were in the Taste of Home Magazine and my mom wrote the recipe name on the front cover (Which means that it is a great recipe that the family loves!) Unfortunately Cranberries are out of season now :( ... These were moist and flavorful.. Definitely a favorite. I had a friend try one and her immediate response was "Mmm these taste like Fall.They are so good." That sums these muffins up, they taste exactly like Fall. I added a little less nutmeg and a little more Cinnamon, because I love cinnamon.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cold mashed sweet potatoes (without added butter or milk) (I made these the night before I made the muffins)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries ( Or dried)
Cinnamon-sugar


Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a small bowl, combine the egg, milk, sweet potatoes and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cranberries.

Fill greased or paper-line muffin cups half full. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in muffins comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Yield: 1 dozen.

ENJOY!

Crispy Mozzarella with Fig and Honey

Oh Giada, You are a Master mind! I love Giada De Laurentii's show Everyday Italian, I'm addicted. I feel like her show brings out the Italian in me! Now onto the food.. Oh my gosh, This was so unbelievable good, I can't even put it into words. Okay well maybe I can :)

The crust was crispy and the mozzarella was like velvet, with a distinct sweet but smokey flavor. The honey and the fig sauce was just delightful. You bit into the phyllo incrusted cheese and it just melted in your mouth with the sweet tangy honey and figs. It is a perfect dish for entertaining. I just loved it, and within 8 minutes all 10 of the cheese rolls were devoured! Mmmm good.

Now onto the recipe!

Ingredients:

6 sheets phyllo dough
1 block Mozzarella (I used the Krogers Brand)
Vegetable oil, for frying
8 ounces dried figs, stemmed and quartered
3/4 cup honey, plus more for drizzling


Directions:

In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.
Cut the cheese into equal pieces
Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a dry work surface. Place one slice of cheese about 5 inches from the top of the narrow end of the sheet. Fold the top of the narrow end over the cheese. Next fold over 1 of the long sides then the other. Then fold the cheese over. Continue folding to make a package about 3 1/2 by 4-inches. Continue with the remaining pieces of cheese and phyllo.



Fry the phyllo and cheese packages, 2 or 3 at a time, in the oil until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Meanwhile, heat the figs and honey in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is warm. Set aside until the cheese packages have finished frying.
To serve, place 1 cheese package on a plate. Spoon some figs and drizzle some honey over the top of each cheese package.



ENJOY