What We Ate Last Week - May 2017 Week 1

Brent had his interview in Seattle this week and it went okay.  It would appear that it's actually more of a data-entry position and less of an actual Biomed Tech job, so that's kind of a bummer.  Given that little detail, they're also not really wanting to pay as much as we would like Brent to make if he was working/commuting in Seattle.  He hasn't heard back from them one way or the other, but he did send them a thank you email a day or two after his interview.  So, it's back to applying for jobs all over the country and hoping/praying that the Lacey/Olympia job opens back up soon and wants him.  We'll keep you all posted and ask for your continued prayers and good thoughts. :)

In the meantime, here's what we ate last week!

Monday 5/1

Breakfast:  Fruit, Yogurt, Carrot Cake Muffins - These were pretty good, I think...  Calvin needed a diaper change while they were baking, so I ended up accidentally over-baking them.  They were a little dark and dry, but the flavor seemed good.  I'll have to try them again.

Lunch:   Leftovers

Dinner:   Salad, Garlic Bread, Pressure Cooker Split Pea Soup - I'm borrowing a pressure cooker from my mom and was really excited to use it, but then I read in the manual that you shouldn't cook split peas in it because they foam too much.  So, I ended up cooking it on the stove, which took forever.  My grocery store didn't have any ham bones and I didn't want to buy a whole ham, so I bought a package of smoked ham hocks from the freezer section.  The soup was good, but it was too smokey and not as good as my mom's.  Kind of anti-climactic after all the time on the stove and all the time/effort to get the meat off of the ham hocks...ugh.  I'd like to try making it again, because I do like split pea soup.  I'll just have to either plan a ham dinner sometime before I want soup, or find our nearest Honey Baked Ham and buy a soup bone from them.

Tuesday 5/2

Breakfast:  Fruit, Avocado Toast

Lunch:   Sandwiches, Chips, Fruit

Dinner:  Salad, Birdseye Frozen Fajita Skillet Meal - Love these things!  We've tried a few flavors and they're nice to have in the freezer for those nights you don't feel like anything else.

Wednesday 5/3

Breakfast:  Fruit, Yogurt, Muffins

Lunch:   Sandwiches, Fruit

Dinner:  Salad, Leftovers

Thursday 5/4

Breakfast:  Fruit, Yogurt, Muffins

Lunch:  Sandwiches, Chips

Dinner:   Toasty Bread, Grilled chicken, Strawberry Poppyseed Salad - This was super yummy!  Our feta was old and not so good, so we skipped that. 🙁 I'm sure it would be really good though!  I added a little avocado and that was delish!

Friday 5/5

Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs

Lunch:   Leftovers

Dinner:   Fiesta Friday!!  Tacos!

Saturday 5/6

Breakfast:  Pancakes

Lunch:   Leftovers

Dinner:   Fruit, Turkey Avocado Bacon Ranch Wraps - We ended up spending the afternoon and evening with family, so just had hot dogs and boxed mac & cheese.  Oh yeah! lol.

Sunday 5/7

Breakfast:  Pancakes

Lunch:  Car snack on the way to church

Dinner:   Salad, Fruit, Roasted Broccoli, Cheddar and Sweet Potato Stuffed BBQ Turkey Meatloaf - This was really good!  We invited Brent's parents over for dinner and we all enjoyed it!  I was worried about it being dry since the turkey was pretty lean and the only added moisture was from an egg and some bbq sauce, but it was plenty moist!  I'll definitely make it again!  In addition to what's already listed, we also had garlic bread since there was a loaf on the bakery clearance at Fred Meyer this week. :D

Well, it looks like we should have some more nice weather the first half of this week.  I hope you all get a chance to enjoy it!

Have a great week and keep giggling!
Michelle

What We Ate Last Week - April 2017 Week 3

Hey-a friends!

Just another week here at the Gunnell house.  Calvin has been enjoying the spoils of Easter with a little candy after almost every lunch and dinner (I'm not above a little bribery to get him to try "thank you bites" of what I make for dinner...).  We've also been watching a lot of Moana...  It's pretty cute to hear Cal walking around the house singing "you're welcome, you're welcome". 😍  Brent only has 6 weeks of classes left and then it's off to an internship or a job.  We're still waiting to hear about the Lacey/Olympia job opening back up, but until then he's continuing to apply for jobs back East and in the MIdwest.

We ate some pretty tasty things this week - I highly recommend the Thai Beef Bowls and the Apricot Balsamic Chicken if you're looking to try something new!  Here's the rest of the menu - enjoy!

Monday 4/17

Breakfast:  Avocado Toast and Fruit

Lunch:  Leftovers

Dinner:  Fruit, Salad, Broccoli Bacon Mac & Cheese - This was pretty tasty.  I never really measure cheese out for recipes, so I'm fairly certain I used more than it called for.  Not a problem here though - we like cheese. 😁 My finished product looked a lot more brown than the pictures in the recipe, so it didn't look amazing...but it tasted good!  We served peas on the side and both ended up mixing them in, so next time I'll probably just add peas into the recipe.

Tuesday 4/18

Breakfast:  Fruit, Yogurt, Pumpkin Pecan Baked Steel Cut Oats - I know a lot of people view pumpkin as a fall only thing, but I love pumpkin all year round!😁  This recipe is super yummy and is freezes and reheats well.

Lunch:  Salad, Leftovers

Dinner:  Fruit, Salad, Leftovers

Wednesday 4/19

Breakfast:  Frittata and Fruit

Lunch:  Fruit, Thai Beef Bowls - holy yum, Batman!  This was really good.  I think it could use a little more peanut butter in the sauce (and the sauce is a little spicy), but other than that I think it's fine as is.  I used cilantro and basil for my fresh herbs.

Dinner:  Salad, Apricot Balsamic Chicken - This was tasty too!  I used spinach instead of arugula, since we prefer spinach.  I think next time I would use brown rice instead of couscous.  I don't feel like I'd be missing out on anything flavor wise and the texture of couscous is just annoying.  It's so small and it falls of your fork and gets all over the table and your lap and...yeah....brown rice it is, lol.

Thursday 4/20

Breakfast:  Fruit, Yogurt, Oatmeal

Lunch:  Salad, Sandwiches, Chips

Dinner:  Salad, Fruit, Leftovers

Friday 4/21

Breakfast:  Frittata and Fruit

Lunch:  Salad, Sandwiches, Chips

Dinner:  Salad and Baked Fish & Chips - I forgot to pull the fish out of the freezer and we still had lots of leftovers to eat, so we'll try this a different time.

Saturday 4/22

Breakfast:  Fruit, Panakes

Lunch:  Salad and Caramelized Onion Flatbread - This was pretty tasty!  I used Pilsbury Thin Crust and a tub of storebought pesto.  I think it would be better with a homemade pizza dough.  It also wouldn't be bad if you added a little rotisserie chicken to add some protein.  Still, pretty tasty and I'll probably make it again.  Oh, I also caramelized my onions WAY longer than the recipe said to.  I like my caramelized onions and lot darker and softer.

Dinner:  Fruit and Leftovers

Sunday 4/23

Breakfast:  Fruit, Yogurt, Pancakes

Lunch:  Sandwiches and Fruit

Dinner:  Easter Dinner 2.0 at Caitlin and Kyle's

Well, there ya have it!  I hope you like these recipes as much as we did, if you try them!

Keep giggling!
Michelle

What We Ate Last Week - April 2017 Week 2

Hello friends!

It's been a pretty good week here.  My youngest sister, Sarah, was home for a few days on her spring break from BYU-Idaho, so we did a lot of family dinners at the beginning of the week.  On Monday evening we went over to Caitlin and Kyle's house (my middle sister and her hubby) for a soup and salad dinner with most of local family.  Then, on Tuesday evening, I picked Sarah up and she spent the night and spent all day Wednesday with us.  We went to Trader Joe's, Foley's (a local produce stand) and The Nutty Squirrel for gelato - yumm!  The rest of the day we just spent at our house hanging out.  Then we met most of the same group from Monday night at Rio Blanco down in Auburn.  It's our family's favorite restaurant and we go there for lots of birthday celebrations.  Their Carne Asada is so yummy!  Sarah went back to Caitlin and Kyle's after Rio Blanco and then she headed back to Idaho Thursday morning.  It was nice to have her home for a few days.  I sure do like that kid. 😁

Brent only has 7 more weeks of school left!  Whoop whoop!  He hadn't heard anything back about a job interview so he emailed the recruiter to follow up and she told him that they're actually in a hiring freeze right now.  She said that when it lifts they'll be hiring for two positions and she'll let him know when that happens.  We're still hopeful that it could work out, but kinda bummed that it's fallen through for right now.  So, Brent will keep applying for jobs and internships.  It sounds like he has a pretty good chance of getting an internship at Madigan (the hopsital on base) since he has a specialized biomed tech interest.  We'll see how everything pans out over the next two months!  

So, that's what we've been up to the last week, and here's what we've been eating!

Monday 4/10
Breakfast:  Eggs and Toast
Lunch:  Leftovers and Salad
Dinner:  Family dinner at Caitlin and Kyle's because Sarah is home for a few days between semesters!!! - We brought these fudgy brownies.  They are delicious and a top contender in my quest for the perfect brownie.  Highly recommend!

Tuesday 4/11
Breakfast:  Fruit and Broccoli Cheddar Spinach Frittata - It turns out that all of the flooding in Southern California is negatively impacting the broccoli crops down there and the broccoli has been really low quality.  Ours went bad really quick, so I didn't have any for this.  I just winged it and added orange bell pepper, extra spinach, a few quartered cherry tomatoes and a little bacon bits.  Yummo!
Lunch:  Salad and Leftovers
Dinner:  Fruit and Turkey and Butternut Squash Curry - This was really good!  I upped the curry powder a little and added some garam masala.  It was a little spicy so I'd add less cayenne powder next time.

Wednesday 4/12
Breakfast:  Yogurt and Apple Peanut Butter Toast
Lunch:  PB&J, Fruit, Chips
Dinner:  Rio Blanco with the fam to celebrate Sarah being home!! - Rio Blanco is my family's favorite restaurant.  It's a family owned Mexican place in Auburn and it's delicious.  The house I grew up in is a 10 minute drive/15 minute walk away.  We go there for lots of family celebrations.  If you're ever in Auburn and need some yummy food, check it out in the shopping center at A St and 41st St.

Thursday 4/13
Breakfast:  Fruit, Frittata
Lunch:  Salad and Chicken Spinach Meatball Soup with Rice - I was really looking forward to this, but Thursday was kind of a lazy day and it didn't happen.  I'll probably just make the meatballs this week and then freeze them.  That way it's super easy to pull it out for lunch sometime later this month.
Dinner:  Salad and Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Casserole - Lazy day prevailed again and we had leftover curry for dinner.  We had this on Friday instead since we fed the missionaries and I knew a casserole would be enough food.  We had fruit salad, an Asian salad kit from the store, and ice cream with strawberries and hot fudge for dessert.  I wish I had added the full amount of garlic, but I thought it sounded like a little much.  I think a sharp cheddar would've been nice too.

Friday 4/14
Breakfast:  Apple Peanut Butter Toast
Lunch  Salad and Leftovers
Dinner:  Chips, Guac, and Fish Taco Rice Bowls - We ended up feeding the missionaries on Friday and I didn't have enough fish, so we switched things around and had Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Casserole instead (but we did have this on Saturday).  I improvised a little since I didn't want to pickle onions and I didn't want to buy a jicama for such a small amount.  So, I cooked the fish as directed, made my own guac and made a homemade mango salsa with some spiced frozen mangoes.  We still served it over rice and had purple cabbage, diced tomatoes, and chopped cilantro.  It was pretty dang good!

Saturday 4/15
Breakfast:  Fruit and Whole Grain Pancakes
Lunch:  Grilled Chicken and Orange Strawberry Avocado Salad - lazy day again and leftovers in the fridge that needed to be eaten.
Dinner:  Fruit, Salad, and Leftovers

Easter Sunday 4/16
Breakfast:  Fruit and Pancakes
Lunch:  Sandwiches
Dinner:  Barrett Family Easter Dinner

What We Ate Last Week - April 2017 Week 1

Can you believe we're a quarter of the way through the year already?!  Time sure does fly - and the older I get, the faster it's flying...

Brent only has eight more weeks of classes and then it's off to an internship or a job!  He's been applying for jobs as a dialysis biomedical tech, but there's not a whole lot of openings on the West coast unless we want to live in the LA area, which we don't.  So, he's been applying for a lot of jobs back east:  North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin, etc.  He hasn't heard anything back besides the automated rejection reply, but we kind of expected that since he still has two months of school left and we're all the way on the other side of the country.  Last week he did hear back from a regional recruiter for one company though who wanted to talk to him about a job here in Washington.  After a day of phone tag, he talked to her for a bit last week and she said she'd pass on his info to a hiring manager out here and that he'll probably have an interview in the next week or two.  We're still waiting to hear back on the interview, but still!  We got a bite and it's exciting - especially since it would mean we could stay in state.  We're definitely willing to move where ever the right job is, but since the majority of both of our families are here it would be really nice to stay in Western Washington.

Also on the (potentially) exciting news front - we bought big boy underwear and a toilet insert for Calvin...he's not super interested yet, but he's starting to show interest and tell us when he needs a diaper change, so I'm pretty sure potty training is coming up soon for us.  Wish us luck!

Here's our menu for last week.  Brent finally kicked his cold and my back is feeling much better, so we actually stuck pretty close to our plan for the week.

Monday 4/3

Breakfast:  Leftover Muffins, Yogurt and Fruit

Lunch:  Grilled Turkey Patties and Salad

Dinner:  Salad and Baked Potato

Tuesday 4/4

Breakfast:  Yogurt and Grapefruit Yogurt Coffee Cake - This was okay.  It's a little underwhelming though.  The grapefruit flavor could be stronger and/or it could be a little sweeter.  I think if you upped the grapefruit it wouldn't need to be sweeter and if you upped the sweetness you wouldn't need to up the citrus because it would taste like cake.  I think I'd prefer more grapefruit.  I wonder if reducing the juice down would help...

Lunch:  Salad and Leftovers

Dinner:  Fruit, Chips, and Pesto Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwiches - These were so good!  I used butter lettuce instead of arugula since it's what we had on hand and arugula isn't my favorite.  It would probably be good on these sandwiches though.  I ate the leftovers the next day in a whole wheat wrap.  These will definitely make an appearance on the menu this summer when it's too hot to cook. :)

Wednesday 4/5
Breakfast:  Fruit and Avocado Toast
Lunch:  Tuna Sandwiches, Chips, and Salad
Dinner:  Salad and Migas - I forgot to get cilantro and jalapeno, which are key components of this recipe.  So sad!  We love these though.  Make them! :)

Thursday 4/6
Breakfast:  Yogurt and Grapefruit Coffee Cake
Lunch:  Grilled Turkey Patties and Salad
Dinner:  Fruit, Salad, and Leftovers

Friday 4/7
Breakfast:  Scrambled Eggs, Fruit, and Grapefruit Coffee Cake
Lunch:  Tuna Wrap, Chips, and Fruit
Dinner:  Salad, Fruit, and Avocado Tuna Cakes - We've had these before and they're tasty!

Saturday 4/8
Breakfast:  Fruit and Whole Grain Pancakes - The usual Saturday morning breakfast, made by Calvin and Brent as usual. :)
Lunch:  Fruit and Broccoli Pizza - We ran out of time for these on Saturday since we needed to go get some interview clothes for Brent.
Dinner:  Salad and Leftovers

Sunday 4/9
Breakfast:  Fruit and Pancakes
Lunch:  Sandwiches
Dinner:  Gunnell Family Dinner

There ya go!  I hope everyone had a great week!

Keep giggling,
Michelle

What We Ate Last Week - March 2017 Week 4

Here's our menu for last week, although we didn't make everything.  I hurt my back on Sunday and that, combined with Brent still being sick and starting school, kind of threw  meals for a loop.  I'm working on our menu plan for April though, so most of the things we didn't get to in March will just be pushed forward to April.


Monday 3/27
Breakfast:  Fruit, Frittatas
Lunch:  Fruit, Leftovers
Dinner:  Fruit, Avocado Toast

Tuesday 3/28
Breakfast:  Yogurt, Caramelized Banana Peanut Butter Toast - Another menu item lost to our stinky week. :(
Lunch:  Grilled Chicken, Orange Strawberry Avocado Salad with Citrus Poppyseed Dressing - This one is supposed to be inspired by my favorite salad from Panera Bread, so I'm really looking forward to putting this on the menu again and actually trying it.
Dinner:  Fruit, Chips, Guac, Fish Taco Bowls - Didn't get around to this one, but it'll reappear soon!

Wednesday 3/29
Breakfast:  Strawberry Cheesecake Toast - I was in too much pain to make/couldn't find brioche, so this one didn't get made.  I found a recipe to make my own though, so I'll definitely be making this soon!
Lunch:  Salad, Leftovers
Dinner:  Salad, Fruit, Rice, Slow Cooker Chicken Curry - This smelled really good while it was cooking in the slow cooker - my house (and fingers) still smell like curry!  Unfortunately, the curry flavor wasn't strong enough for me.  It was overpowered by the taste of jalapeno, which could be because I tossed it in the food processor with the coconut milk and spices.  Maybe I'll try it again, but cut the jalapeno in a few big chunks and fish them out afterwards.  That would probably help cut down the spice a little too.  it wasn't too spicy, but the leftovers will be spicier and we're kind of wussy when it comes to spicy things.  I'd probably up the curry powder and garam masala too...and the ginger.

Thursday 3/30
Breakfast:  Fruit, Yogurt, Grapefruit Yogurt Coffee Cake - I was all set to make this and realized I was missing the yogurt...whomp whomp.
Lunch:  Grilled Chicken, Orange Strawberry Avocado Salad
Dinner:  Fruit and Cottage Cheese, Baked Potatoes

Friday 3/31
Breakfast:  Yogurt, Caramelized Banana Peanut Butter Toast
Lunch:  Salad, Leftovers
Dinner:  Pancakes, Fruit

Saturday 4/1
Breakfast:  Gunnell Family Brunch between sessions of General Conference
Lunch:  Salad, Leftovers
Dinner:  Fruit, Salad, Leftovers

Sunday 4/2
Breakfast:  Barrett Family Brunch between sessions of General Conference - We brought muffins over to my dad's on Sunday.  I made banana (I'll share my banana bread recipe on here some day...) and these Rhubarb Streusel Muffins which were quite good.  I think they need a little bit of tweaking though, mainly some spices in the actual muffin batter.
Lunch:  Salad, Leftovers
Dinner:  Salad, Fruit, Leftovers

Let me know what you think if you try anything!

Keep giggling!
Michelle

What We Ate Last Week - March 2017 Week 3

Here's last weeks menu, complete with thoughts and changes.  We were sick this week, so things didn't necessarily get made on their scheduled day - or at all in some cases...

Monday 3/20

Breakfast:  Fruit, Yogurt, Toast

Lunch:  Fruit, Sweet Potato and Green Rice Bowls - These were really good!  I wish I had cut the sweet potatoes smaller than suggested, so that it felt like there were more of them.  I used chicken broth, since I had that on hand, but I followed the recipe otherwise.  Just a warning, the spicy smell of the green puree will kick you in the nose when you open the blender.  It mellows out a lot during the cooking though, but I would not have minded if it kept a little more zing.  The recipe says it serves 4, but I feel like 5 servings would be better - or even 6 if you served something else alongside. 4 servings were just way too big, neither of us could finish them...

Dinner:  Fruit, Whole Grain Pancakes

Tuesday 3/21

Breakfast:  Pancakes, Fruit, Yogurt

Lunch:  Fruit, and Leftovers or Sandwiches

Dinner:  Fruit, Toasty Bread, Grilled/Baked Chicken, Roasted Garlic Spaghetti Squash - We didn't actually make this due to sickness.  We still want to try it though!

Wednesday 3/22

Breakfast:  Mini Frittatas, Fruit,Yogurt

Lunch:  Salad, Fruit, Leftovers

Dinner:  Salad, Tortilla Chips, Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Fajita Soup - This was pretty dang tasty!  I made it pretty much exactly as written and served it with green onions, diced tomatoes, avocados, and crushed tortilla chips

Thursday 3/23

Breakfast:  Muffins, Fruit, Yogurt

Lunch:  Salad, Ground Turkey with Potatoes and Peas - I was curious how this one would turn out and was quite pleased.  I used two Yukon potatoes and thickened the sauce with a cornstarch slurry.  We served it over brown rice with shredded cheddar, but it the leftovers were also good served over crushed tortilla chips

Dinner:  Salad, Fruit, Leftovers

Friday 3/24

Breakfast:  Frittatas, Fruit, Muffins

Lunch:  Salad, Fruit, Leftovers

Dinner:  Fruit, Broccoli Pizza  - Another recipe ignored because we were sick. :(

Saturday 3/25

Breakfast:  Fruit, Whole Grain Pancakes

Lunch:  Salad, Fruit, Leftovers

Dinner:  Salad, Chicken Fajita Soup, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas  - These were quite tasty!  They'd be good with a little shredded chicken if you wanted to bulk them up to be a solo meal.

Sunday 3/26

Breakfast:  Fruit, Pancakes

Lunch:  Sandwiches, Chips, Fruit

Dinner:  Birthday dinner for our niece, Charlotte!

I hope you enjoy anything you decide to try!

Keep giggling!

Michelle

What We Ate Last Week - March 2017 Week 1

After my last post,I decided to post our menu weekly instead of monthly, and to post them at the end of the week.  That way it will be 4-5 smaller posts instead of 1 long post.  Plus, I won't have to keep updating the same post all month long.  And hey...maybe, since I'll (in theory) be posting weekly, I'll actually do real, here's-what's-going-on-in-our-lives posts more often.  Maybe...let's not make any crazy promises...

Anyway, here's our menu for this week, March 6-12th (I'm one of those weirdos who plans the week out Monday through Sunday...I think I picked that up while serving my LDS mission...).

Monday 3/6
Breakfast:  Crepes, Yogurt, Fruit
Lunch:  Sandwiches, Fruit
Dinner:  Leftover Banh Mi Rice Bowls

Tuesday 3/7
Breakfast:  Cereal
Lunch:  Leftover Spaghetti/Lasagna
Dinner:  Out for Tracy's Birthday!! Calvin was sick so we stayed home

Wednesday 3/8
Breakfast:  Avocado Toast, Fruit, Yogurt
Lunch:  Leftover Spaghetti/Lasagna
Dinner:  Sandwiches or Cereal

Thursday 3/9
Breakfast:  Peanut Butter Toast with Skillet Cinnamon Apples - I love this toast!
Lunch:  Sandwiches, Chips, Fruit
Dinner:  Fruit, Roasted Broccoli, Brown Rice, Apricot Chicken - this was so yummy!  I have a cranberry chicken recipe that is very similar and one of our favorites!  I love that this is made in the slow cooker and will definitely remember that next time I make cranberry chicken - it should work just the same!

Friday 3/10
Breakfast:  Apple Steel Cut Oats, Yogurt - These oats are so good!  I do add a few spices when I toast the oats (cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and cloves) and I use 3:1 water to milk ratio instead of all water.
Lunch:  Fruit, Salad, Sandwiches, Chips
Dinner:  Salad, Chips, Greek Turkey Burgers - These burgers are soooo delicious!  We don't have a grill so we cook them on our George Foreman and they stay so moist and yummy!

Saturday 3/11
Breakfast:  Fruit, Whole Grain Oatmeal Pancakes - This is our go-to scratch pancake recipe - so good and pretty darn healthy, as far as pancakes go.  Brent and Calvin make these for our breakfast every Saturday morning. :)
Lunch:  Salad, Leftovers
Dinner:  Salad, Fruit, BBQ Chicken Pizza

Sunday 3/12
Breakfast:  Fruit, Pancakes
Lunch:  Sandwiches OR Leftovers
Dinner:  Mac & Cheese night at Caitlin and Kyle's, we brought Avocado Mac & Cheese, which is delicious!

If you try anything, I hope you'll like it as much as we did!

Keep giggling!
Michelle

Not Your Grandma's Peach Cobbler!

So, we've been buying peaches from Costco the past few weeks and they are delicious!  So juicy and perfectly ripe - yummy!  I've mostly been using them for fresh smoothies with my new Vitamix (so excited about that purchase!!) or slicing them up with a bowl of vanilla greek yogurt!  I'm going to use them to make some Peach Chiffon Pie for a pie contest at our Relief Society monthly meeting next week too!  I'll share that recipe when I've got pictures to go with it.

Last night though, I didn't just want a smoothie or peaches with yogurt.  I wanted something warm and gooey and peachy and delicious.  So, I headed to Pinterest, of course!  And there, towards the top of my feed, was exactly what I was looking for!  Butterscotch Caramel Peach Cobbler.  Yep.  I was drooling.  So, I headed over to Parsley, Sage and Sweet and  took a quick peek at the ingredients and directions and then we were off!  About an hour later, this was in my kitchen, smelling delicious and begging to be eaten.

Mmmm...I think I'll go downstairs and get some more. :)

We  had no problem obliging and dug in to bowls topped with whipped cream, or in Brent's case chocolate ice cream and whipped cream...lol, love that man! :)

A few notes and then I'll get to the recipe for you.

• This is one of those magic cake recipes.  As you assemble the layers DO NOT STIR!  Add each layer gently, not mixing at all, and as it bakes the batter will rise up to the top, creating a lovely crust.
• I used an 8x8 glass pyrex baking dish.  It was a tad small and ended up bubbling over (hence the foil underneath the pan in the picture).  Next time, and there will be a next tiime, I'll use a 9x9 or double it and throw it in a 9x13.  If you don't have a 9x9 just put a foil lined pan underneath your baking dish to prevent a sticky mess.
• The recipe calls for a stick of melted butter in the pan, but I thought it was too much.  Maybe it would have worked out better if my pan had been bigger, but I had about a quarter cup of melted butter puddled on the top of my cobbler when I pulled it out of the oven.  I think next time I'll just melt half a stick of butter in the pan.
• You can use this as a base recipe for any fruit cobbler.  I think it would make an amazing apple cobbler - yumm!!  If you want to make a berry cobbler Lisa suggests, and I agree, making the simple syrup, letting it cool and then stirring the berries in right before you spoon it over the melted butter and batter, otherwise you'll end up with a jam cobbler...That's what I did here:  cooked the peaches and simple syrup, set them aside to cool while I made the batter and then stirred in the raspberries right before spooning it all on top.

Now, on to this delicious recipe!

Butterscotch Caramel Peach Cobbler

From Lisa at Parsley, Sage and Sweet

For the peach layer:

1.5 - 2lbs of fresh peaches, pealed, pitted and sliced. (about 3-4 large peaches or 3-4 cups)

3/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar (I think ours was light brown...it was good though!)

1/4 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Water
1 Cup Fresh Raspberries (Optional)

For the Batter:

1 Stick or 1/2 Cup Butter, melted in baking dish

1 Cup Flour

1.5 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Milk (If you want a thicker crust only use 1/2 Cup)

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F

2.  Combine brown sugar, water and 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan and mix well.  Bring to a boil and simmer until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.  Stir in sliced peaches, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand while preparing batter.

3.  Melt the stick of butter in your baking dish.

4.  In a bowl, combine dry batter ingredients.  Slowly pour milk and vanilla in, stirring until smooth.

5.  Pour batter over melted butter, don't stir!  The butter will float to the top, but that's okay.

6.  If using berries, stir them into the syrup mixture now.  Then carefully spoon the fruit and syrup over the batter.  Again, don't stir!  Keep those three layers as separated as possible

7.  Place in the oven (I put a foil lined cookie sheet on the bottom rack in case of spillage) and bake for 40-50 minutes.  The batter rises to the top while cooking and will be golden brown when it's done.  Serve warm with whipped cream, ice cream, yogurt, whatever suits your fancy!

8.  Enjoy! :)

So, there you have it!  I hope you try this out, especially as the summer progresses and peaches become more readily available!

Keep giggling!

Michelle

An Egg-stra Special Treat! :)

Oh my goodness!  Thanks to Culinary Concoctions by Peabody (who just happens to be a fellow Western Washingtonian!), and courtesty of Pinterest, I have found the most amazing ice cream recipe!  Ever!

Cadbury Creme Egg Ice Cream!

Yep.  You read that right.  Cadbury Creme Egg Ice Cream!  Can I get an amen?!

You have to try this stuff!  It's Easter candy based, so you kind of have to make it now.  I totally understand though if you're done with the stores for today, but go Monday and buy some discount Cadbury Creme Eggs and then plan this baby into your life! :)

I made this today.  It's in the freezer right now setting up (or "ripening" as the ice cream maker manual says...weird...).  I can't wait until Brent gets home from work tonight so we can scoop some up and snuggle on the couch!  Of course, I did have to test it before I put it in the freezer.  I mean, what kind of cook would I be if I just tossed it in there, right?  Let me tell you, even in runny soft serve form, this stuff is amazing!  It is probably the smoothest ice cream I have ever tasted, especially as far as home-made ice creams go.  I really hope that carries through to the finished product!

Just a heads up, you will need an ice cream maker for this recipe. :)

So, with out further gushing from me, here's the recipe! :)

Cadbury Creme Egg Ice Cream
From Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

3 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream
1/4 Cup Cocoa (I used Dutch Process, but I'm sure just plain old Hershey's would work too)
3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
Pinch of Salt
2 Tbsp Corn Syrup
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp Corn Starch
4 oz. Milk Chocolate, chopped or broken up (preferably Cadbury Dairy Milk to keep all the chocolate in the same family - you should be able to find it in the candy aisle)
8 oz. Mini Cadbury Creme Eggs (they come in the little 12 pack, clear egg cartons.  You need two packs), unwrapped, chopped, and divided..  (They chop better if you freeze them first.)
1 tsp Pure Vanilla

1. Combine 2 cups of the cream, cocoa, sugar, salt and corn syrup in a non reactive saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk together until smooth.
2. In a small bowl whisk corn starch and 1/4 cup of cream to make a slurry.  Set aside.
3. Add milk chocolate and 4 oz of the Cadbury eggs to your saucepan.  Whisk until smooth (if you froze or refrigerated your Cadbury eggs it may take a bit for the fondant to melt.).  Remove from heat.
4. Add the remaining cream, corn starch mixture and vanilla, whisking to combine.
5. Make an ice bath in a large bowl and set the pot or bowl with your ice cream mixture over it, stirring frequently to cool.  Add more ice when needed and keep stirring until it's chilled (about 30 minutes).  You could also put the mixture in the fridge for a few hours to chill it, but I didn't want to wait that long. :)
6. Once the mixture is chilled through, pour it in your ice cream maker and process it following the manufacture's instructions. (we have a cuisinart and it recommends 20-30 minutes for processing before freezing).
7. Pack the ice cream into an air-tight container and sprinkle with the remaining 4 oz of chopped Cadbury eggs.  Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours.

Enjoy!

Chilling over the ice bath

Starting to thicken up in the ice cream maker!

Headed to the freezer!

The waiting is the hardest part!

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Coconut Chewies!

As many of you may know, I like to play in the kitchen.  I love to bake cookies and muffins, make casseroles and soups and try new recipes.  I often post about these kitchen adventures on facebook and get requests for recipes, which made me think "Hey!  I should post recipes on the blog!"  I repin stuff on Pinterest, I even have a Food I've Actually Made board, but you can't really go into a lot of detail when you make changes and tweak things.  So, hopefully nobody minds if a few of our blog updates are me posting recipes...maybe it'll help me update more often?

First though, can we take a minute to admire my buttercup yellow kitchenaid mixer? :)  My brother-in-law (who wasn't yet married to my sister at the time) and his sisters went in together to get me us me my dream kitchen aid as a wedding gift!  Aren't they great!? :)

It's so pretty!!!

Anyways, moving on...

So I found these delicious cookies on Pinterest.  They originally come from Tina over at The Dough Will Rise Again so be sure you head over there and check out their blog. :)

These are really easy cookies...and they're delicious!  My cookies somehow ended up a little bit poofier than hers did, but no harm done!  I made most of them plain, but I added mini chocolate chips to a few, butterscotch chips to some others and white chocolate chips to a couple more.  All four ways are delicious!  I hope you'll take the time to try these out! :)

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Coconut Chewies

from  The Dough Will Rise Again

1 Cup slightly softened Butter

1 1/4 Cup packed Brown Sugar

3/4 Cup Sugar (I used Splenda and they tasted just fine!)

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 Cup Quick Oats

1 1/2 Cups Shredded, Sweetened Coconut

I forgot to include the Splenda in the picture, but there are your ingredients.

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugars together.

2.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated.  Add vanilla and mix completely.

3.  Add Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt to wet ingredients.  Mix until fully incorporated.

4.  Add about half of the flour and mix until it's just combined.  Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl and repeat with the rest of the flour.  Don't over-mix the dough or you won't get the chewy cookies!

5.  Add Oats and Coconut, mixing until just combined.

There's the finished dough and the spoon I used to scoop dough balls. 

6.  Roll the dough into balls, or use a cookie scoop to ensure that they're all the same size.  I just used a regular spoon (like the kind you eat cereal with) and made little dough balls.  She makes them about a little over an inch in diameter, but my dough balls were definitely smaller.  The recipe makes roughly 6 dozen cookies when you stick in this size range - I got 68, but I was eyeballing size...

7.  Place the dough balls on a lined cookie sheet (I used one with foil and one with a silpat liner, both worked fine.) about 1 - 2 inches apart.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are light brown.  I baked mine closer to the 10 minute mark, but that's because I have a problem with taking cookies out of the oven when they're really light in the middle.

First batch, fresh out of the oven!  They smell so good!

8.  Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes.  Then transfer to a cooling rack (or a paper plate).  You can store them in an airtight container or zippy bag for up to a week, though I don't think ours will make it that long! :)

So good!

So there you have it! :)  Some delicious cookies just waiting to be made in your kitchen!

Enjoy, and keep on giggling!

Michelle