Blueberry Festival

We headed down to Alyeska for some blueberry picking and to check out the festival.  The festival was pretty small with mainly vendors selling a few things but we did find some blueberries.  Next year we plan to go earlier so we can get more.  We had to trek a ways into the woods to find some that weren't picked over.  I had to find at least 2 cups to make the best blueberry muffins you've ever had (recipe follows). 

Also, Kallie officially became a wilderness girl...I made her go potty in the woods.  (I was not walking all the way down the hill to find a restroom then stand in line for said restroom...parent's of the year award coming our way).

On the way home, we saw a sign for some wood carving championship.  We stopped to check it out.  It's pretty amazing what some people can create.

Mmmmm.  To the good stuff...

 Blueberry Muffins
Muffins:
6 T. butter/margarine
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. flour
1/2 c. milk
2 c. blueberries or mixture of berries (frozen or fresh)

Streusal Topping:
2 T. butter/margarine
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. flour
1/2 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

Directions:  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  In large bowl, ream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs. Add vanilla, baking powder and salt.  Add flour and milk.  Mix well.  Stir in blueberries.  Fill greased muffin tin with batter.  Add topping on top.  Bake the muffins 25-30 minutes.  Makes one dozen muffins.

Best Faux Fried Chicken

I found this recipe on FoodGawker.com.   This is the best oven "fried" chicken recipe we have had.  It is so tasty with a little bit of Cajun spice and stays crispy after baking it in the oven.  Not many that I have tried actually do.  I think it would be really good using ranch dressing mix, too.  The recipe calls for chicken thighs but you can use breasts.  I also cut them up into strips.  I'm usually halving the recipe but will make 3/4 of the Panko mixture so it covers all my chicken.  For some reason I always run short on the breading on all the recipes I try.

Oven-Fried Chicken
Yields 6 servings

3 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed
1 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon hot sauce, or more to taste
1 1/2 cups Panko
3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup peanut oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.  In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper, to taste.  In another shallow bowl, whisk together egg, milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper, to taste.  In a third shallow bowl, combine the Panko, Cajun seasoning, paprika, peanut oil, salt and pepper, to taste.  Working one at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour, dip into the eggs, then dredge in the panko crumbs, pressing to coat.  Place onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the chicken is completely cooked through.

We had broccoli slaw with ours...too bad I didn't get a picture of that too.

Enjoy!

Our #1 Marinade for Chicken

I found this Dijon Chicken Thigh recipe in my huge binder full of recipes I want to try.  I had a thing of chicken thighs in the freezer from when I bought them on sale so decided to use them on this recipe.  It was so good!  Kyle says he loves the Dijon mustard twang (which is hard to believe since he "hates" mustard).  I think we made these 4 times in 2 weeks.  It can be used on regular chicken, too.  You don't need thighs.

It's the chicken on the left...on the right is a Greek marinade which is good too!

Dijon Grilled Chicken Thighs
1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
4 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried parsley (I added more)
1 Tbsp salt (don't think I used this much)
1 tsp pepper
1/3 c Dijon mustard
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar (don't think I used this much)
1/4 c olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary (we've tried it with and without and like it better without)

Combine all ingredients except for chicken.  Mix well.  Pour over chicken and let marinate for 1 hour or overnight.  Remove chicken from marinade and grill until done.  Enjoy!

And for those thinking the Greek chicken looks good...

Very Greek Grilled Chicken
1/2 c olive oil (don't think I used this much)
1/3 c fresh squeezed lemon juice (have used lemon concentrate before)
1 tsp lemon zest (omit if don't have)
1 tsp Greek seasoning
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp dried oregano
pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Pour over chicken and let marinate for 1 hour or overnight. Remove chicken from marinade and grill until done. Enjoy!

Veri Yummy! Favorite Pork Marinade

My college roommate got me hooked on this teriyaki sauce.  We would stirfry chicken and veggies and add this sauce to make an easy, homemade Chinese meal.  Now, Kyle and I have been using it for stirfry but also to marinade chicken and pork.  This is our favorite marinade for pork chops.  It gives the pork so much flavor without all the dry taste.  I'm not a huge fan of pork chops, but I will happily eat them when marinated in this.  Go get you some Veri Veri Teriyaki at the store today!  (We've seen it at Wal-mart and HEB but might be in the specialty section at other stores).

5 Years of Fun!

Kyle and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on Saturday.  Thinking back, we had such a fun wedding!  And we are still having a fantastic time laughing, crying, parenting (what? we're parents?), doing life together.  In some ways, it seems the years have flown by, but it also seems like we have been together for such a long time.

To celebrate, we were going to go to a nice dinner but I just went back to work last week and missed getting to spend my days with Kallie.  So instead of finding someone to watch Kallie for a few hours, we made our own special steak dinner.  (We used this recipe to marinate our steaks...so delicious).  And had the best dessert you could ever imagine!  Junior's Cheesecake all the way from NYC.  Oh, so good.

We had a wondeful dinner and conversation, and Kallie just relaxed in her bouncer next to us letting us enjoy our time together.  I have loved every minute of these past 5 years with Kyle and look forward to many, many more memories we can make together.  Love you!

Also want to wish a happy 5 years to Cason & Allison, our anniversary buddies.  We hope to celebrate with you again someday.

And because I can't have a post without a picture of Kallie:

Peaches Galore

Our little peach tree has kicked it up a notch and supplied us with tons of little donut peaches...tons!  These beautiful blooms turned into lots of yummy fruit.

This is from our first picking and it didn't even make a dent in the plethora of peaches still hanging on the tree.  We have been eating lots of them and also peeling and freezing even more.

Kyle picked a bunch while Kallie and I were gone, too.  He was being useful by blanching them so they could peel easier but left them on the counter too long and they spoiled.  I would say "What a waste!" but there are so many more still out there.  He gave some to our neighbors and friends and even had a 5 gallon bucket full to the brim (picked in about 10 minutes) waiting for me when I got home.  I think he is a little burned out on peaches but he did so good picking and freezing while we were away.  I think I have peeled probably 300+ since I've been home.  They are small so they don't actually have a lot of fruit but when you have a zillion, it fills up your freezer fast.  Since I didn't want my freezer space taken up by only peaches, I looked into canning some. 

It turned out to be a simple process but time consuming.  I think the most time consuming part, though, was cutting up the peaches...which I would have to do if I canned or froze them.  I used this recipe but there are tons to choose from.  I now have nine of those puppies in our pantry.  At least we have plenty of pantry space.  Maybe Kallie will be able to taste home-grown pureed peaches in a few months. :)

Be My Valentine (In May)

One of our favorite salads is called A Valentine Salad.  It has strawberries, feta, and candied walnuts (or pecans) with homemade dressing and it's just so delicious.  We make it at least once a week if strawberries are on sale.  I may never have known about this recipe if it wasn't for my visit to California to see my college roommate (Lindsay) and her family (the Parks).  Thanks for such a delicious meal!

A Valentine Salad
Salad:
2 packs of spring mix salad (romaine is good too)
sliced strawberries
sliced cooked chicken (optional)
crumbled feta cheese
candied walnuts (or pecans)

Dressing:
3/4 c. sugar (could probably reduce that but have never tried)
1 1/2 Tbsp. pureed onions
1 c. oil
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. poppy seed
1 tsp. dry mustard

Blend together in blender and serve over salad. 

Candied Walnuts/Pecans:
1 c. chopped walnuts (pecans)
1/4 c. sugar

Over low/med heat, stir walnuts/pecans and sugar until nuts are lightly browned and sugar is liquid.  Then place the nuts on waxed paper until cool.  Break up the nuts and use as garnish on the salad.

Don't be intimidated about making your own salad dressing.  Just throw all the ingredients in a blender or food processor/chopper and blend.  This salad comes together in no time and tastes great!  Enjoy!

And because the pictures I took of my salad looked gross, here is a picture of Kallie, forever our valentine.

Happy Easter!

Since I'm only 1 day away from going into the hospital (YAY!), Kyle and I enjoyed a quiet Easter weekend at home.  Yesterday it rained pretty much all day so we sat around and watched movies (after cleaning, doing laundry, and packing my hospital bag - we did do a few things productive).

Today's schedule included church (HE HAS RISEN INDEED!) and a splurge lunch.  We usually don't buy steak because it's so expensive but it was a special occasion and my iron has been a little low, so that was a good enough excuse for me.

Yes, we used our china and crystal for lunch. :)

I found this steak marinade recipe here I wanted to try.  It was delicious!  I rounded out the meal with some green beans and mac and cheese.  The mac and cheese recipe is so easy and requires one pot and no baking.  I don't remember where I got the recipe to give credit but you should try it.

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese
3 1/2 cups water, plus extra as needed
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
12 oz elbow macaroni
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp hot sauce (optional)
6 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
6 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
3 tbsp butter (optional)

Combine 3 1/2 cups water, 1 cup evaporated milk, the pasta and salt in a 12-inch nonstick skillet.  Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.  Continue cooking at a vigorous simmer, stirring frequently, until the pasta is tender and the liquid has thickened considerably, about 9-12 min.

Meanwhile, in a measuring cup, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk, the cornstarch, mustard and hot sauce.  When the pasta is tender, add this mixture to the skillet, stirring to incorporate.  Allow to simmer for another minute, or until the sauce has slightly thickened.

Remove the pan from the heat and begin adding the cheese one handful at a time.  If the sauce begins to look too thick, you can add water to adjust the consistency.  Once all of the cheese is incorporated, stir in the butter and season to taste with salt and pepper.

We took a long walk afterward, and then Kyle spent some time cleaning up the yard.  Tonight I'm going to take a nice hot bath and hope I can sleep despite the anticipation for tomorrow.

Pregnant Posse

I say pregnant posse but really it was just me and my friend. :)  This past weekend Mindy and Sean came to see us in Oklahoma!  Well, stopped by to see us after a residency interview but I'm so glad I got to see them.  I've known Mindy since middle school from my Frisco years, and she is truly a wonderful wonderful person.  And she married the most fantastic guy to fit her.  The exciting thing is that she is pregnant about 3 weeks behind me and she's having a girl!  It has been so fun to swap stories, advice that we've heard, even names.  Just kidding, we wouldn't do that to our parents.

We had such a fun time catching up and laughing.  I don't have any pictures of us yet because my camera was out of battery (reminder to me to always put it on the charger) but Mindy got some with her camera, so I will post those when I get them.

I also tried out a new recipe I found off Pinterest.  It is a take on Outback's Alice Spring Chicken.  It was delicious!  I would definitely make it again.  Find the recipe here.

So I don't leave the blog void of any pictures, I'll showcase the crafty things my brother and sister-in-law have done.

My brother made a desk divider for all the paper, pencils, post-its, etc for Melissa's desk.  I could sure use something like this for our junk drawer.  If you want the tutorial, here is where he got the idea.

And Melissa made a Linen Pinboard.  I think this is such a cute idea and looks great with the maroon ribbon.  I might need to discuss with her how to make the perfect bow.  That looks pretty darn perfect!  I also really like the calendar they have with pictures of people on their actual birthdays or anniversaries instead of just writing it in...idea for the future.  Here is the tutorial for Melissa's project.

Told you so...

We made America's Test Kitchen Oven Fries over the weekend...the best oven fries we have ever made.  Will probably be our go to recipe from now on.  I told you about America's Test Kitchen.  They just know how to do it right.  You can get the recipe here.  She also has a recipe for San Francisco Garlic Fries that looks pretty good.  And if saying I told you so doesn't convince you...check out this picture.  Yummy!

Also thought I'd post a picture of me.  This is last week at 24 and a half weeks.  I had to show off my new boots I got at Christmas.  I have wanted black boots for a long time and could never find ones that fit me right.  Yay to finally finding some.

Happy New Year!

We didn't do anything exciting to ring in the new year, although we did stay up until midnight (there was some debate in our house).  We drove into Tulsa for a nice dinner and then spent our time doing this:

Yes, I know.  A little lame, but to me puzzles are fun!  And it helped me stay up late.  Of course in our house it is always a competition, and Kyle claims he's the puzzle master.

I also did a little baking on Monday since we didn't have work.  I bought bananas specifically for this recipe:  Ultimate Banana Bread from America's Test Kitchen.  Anything we've made by America's Test Kitchen, from the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies to Green Bean Casserole, has been excellent, so I really wanted to try this recipe.

The bread was delicious but a little labor intensive.  I'm not sure if I would make it again because I like the convenience of throwing everything into the mixer versus all the different steps in this recipe.  The banana slices on top do make it look pretty, though.

 

Ultimate Banana Bread (America's Test Kitchen)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

6 large, very ripe bananas

1 stick butter, melted/cooled

2 large eggs

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted/chopped (we used pecans)

2 tsp granulated sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a standard loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Whisk flour , baking soda, and salt together in a  large bowl. 

Place 5 peeled bananas in a microwave safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in the plastic.  Microwave on high power until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 4-5 minutes.  Transfer bananas to a fine-mesh strainer placed over medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.  You should have about 3/4 cup liquid.  Transfer liquid to medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes.  Remove pan from heat, stir reduced liquid into bananas and mash with potato masher until fairly smooth.  Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla. 

Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining.  Gently fold in nuts, if using.  Scrape batter into prepared pan.  Slice remaining banana diagonally into 1/4-inch slices.  Shingle banana slices on top of either side of loaf, leaving 1 1/2-inch-wide space down the center to ensure even rise.  Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over loaf.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes.  Cool bread in pan on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool on wire rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Also, wanted to give a shout out to our friends Matt & Laura Moore!  They had their baby girl, Madelyn Grace yesterday!

Crescent Pepperoni Roll-Ups

We brought snacks for our small group last night.  I wanted to make something I hadn't tried before, was easy, and still filling.  In come the crescent pepperoni roll-ups:

I found the recipe from Plain Chicken here.  She made hers using the whole crescent roll but I cut mine in half to make mini rolls.  They turned out great and were a big hit at small group.  I didn't have any dipping sauce to serve with them but that would make them even better.