A meaningful message...

There are fine things which you mean to do some day, under what you think will be more favorable circumstances. But the only time that is surely yours is the present, hence this is the time to speak the word of appreciation and sympathy, to do the generous deed, to forgive the fault of a thoughtless friend, to sacrifice self a little more for others. Today is the day in which to express your noblest qualities of mind and heart, to do at least one worthy thing which you have long postponed, and to use your God-given abilities for the enrichment of someone less fortunate. Today you can make your life significant and worthwhile.


Grenville Kleiser, 1868-1935

American Author

I've got a bunch of recipes to share with you so I'll be back later!

Five Faves Friday (on Saturday)

I haven't blogged my Five Faves Friday in a while so I'm totally due! I'm just one day late.

I just can't go another minute without sharing this find with you. It is by far my favorite find this year and it just goes to show you that I have spent the first part of 2009 in the kitchen, not my scrap room...

the kapoosh knife block

My biggest pet peeve in the kitchen lately has been my knife block. The slots are just not the right sizes for my knives, especially my big santoku knives. Problem solved. This knife block has no slots. You just put the knives in any which way! Love it!!

I'm also loving this pot. It's a big oval shape so you just throw your long pasta in it without breaking it. Nate is obsessed with "ghetti" so we use it a lot!

I love Bake It Pretty. I've been ordering lots of cupcake wrappers and cupcake boxes from them. Check them out!

I can't get enough of Chef Tyler Florence. He has this show on Food Network where he has the "Ultimate" recipe for all of your favorite dishes. I recently made his Chicken Cordon Bleu. Absolutely to die for!! You have to use the best ingredients when you cook for the best results and Tyler Florence always does.

I was given a challenge recently from my good friend Jenny L. to make a big, soft, chewy Snickerdoodle cookie. Well I came up with one that is pretty darn good. I'm not a big fan of the Snickerdoodle because there is no chocolate in them (lol) but everybody I gave them to loved them! Now my friends are blaming me for their weight gain! Whatever! So this is a fave of my family and friends.

Here's the recipe:

Lori's Big, Soft, Chewy Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup Hershey's cinnamon chips


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.
Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture. Fold in cinnamon chips.
Chill dough
Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.
Scoop tablespoon size globs of dough and coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar/cinnamon mixture and bake 12 minutes.
Remove from pan immediately to cooling racks.

Those are my faves! Hope you love them!

Special K's job is going great. One of the company he reps is a candy company which makes the most amazing chocolate. Starts with a d and is a type of bird. YUM! Loving the samples!

♥Lori♥

just a quote...

As a child
I was told and believed
that there was a treasure
buried beneath every rainbow.

I believed it so much that
I have been unsuccessfully
chasing rainbows
most of my life.

I wonder why
no one ever told me
that the rainbow
and the treasure
were both
within me.


Gerald G. Jampolsky, MD

A tragic death...

I had a wonderful time tonight with my best friends at Bunco. I came home, got my jammies on and read a few of my favorite baseball blogs. I didn't expect to read about a very tragic accident which took the life of a young pitcher for the Angels. Please read Cyn Donnelly's post here and Ted's blog here.

God Bless Nick Adenhart and his friends and loved ones.
I am so very saddened.

Cupcake Factory...

That's what my kitchen will be today. I'm making cupcakes for Bunco tonight, for Easter Sunday and well, just because it's FUN!!

I'll be making the Red Velvet, Chocolate Red Wine and these...

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar (I use superfine sugar for baking)
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 extra-large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour (I use Softasilk cake flour)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 cups grated carrots (less than 1 pound)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

For the frosting:

3/4 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the grated carrots, and chopped nuts to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter. Mix until just combined.

Line muffin pans with paper liners. Scoop the batter into 22 muffin cups until each is 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for a further 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

For the frosting, cream the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar and beat until smooth.

When the cupcakes are cool, frost them very generously and serve.

♥YUM!♥

Happy New Year!

For most baseball fans, yesterday was New Years Day.

 

170 days since October 19th.
55.2 inches of snow in Boston.
34 games in Florida.
1 Opening Day postponement.
It's about time.

WELCOME TO 2009!

The Red Sox were rained out at Fenway yesterday so today is Opening Day! I'm watching the pre game show now and I am so excited for the first game of the season! I can only watch half of it and then I have to go to work so I will DVR the second half... bummer!!!

Go Sox! I love ya!

Peace, Love & Baseball!

Hey...

I'm just quickly checking in to post a few quotes that I got in my inbox today. I'll be back later to post some wicked yummy recipes!

Serving only one's self is a petty and unsatisfying ambition. But serve a cause greater than self-interest and you will know a happiness far more sublime than the fleeting pleasure of fame and fortune.

John McCain


The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.

Robert Pirsig

How true! ♥♥♥

Can a cupcake make you cry?

These cupcakes can! They were so good, they brought tears of joy to my eyes!



Chocolate Red Wine Cupcakes with Mascarpone Icing

Recipe is inspired by Silvana Nardone
From Every Day with Rachael Ray
September 2007

I made a few little changes.

Makes approximately two dozen cupcakes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup good quality milk or dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup water
2 sticks (8 ounces)unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (I like to use superfine sugar for baking)
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups flour (I use Softasilk cake flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup full bodied red wine
Two 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
Red grapes, halved, and chocolate curls for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350º. Line 2 muffin pans with baking liners.
2. In a large glass measuring cup, microwave water until boiling, about 2 minutes. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate pieces. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is combined. Whisk in red wine.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until blended. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate mixture a little at a time, mixing well between each addition, until the batter is smooth. Divide among the muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan.
4. Lightly beat the mascarpone, then add the powdered sugar and beat until creamy. Remove the cooled cupcakes from the pan, spread each with icing and top with a grape half and chocolate curls.

*To make the chocolate curls, just use a vegetable peeler. Works great!

These are hands down, the best cupcakes I have ever tasted!

♥♥♥
~L

Today is...

World Autism Awareness Day!

 

Go HERE to learn more.

I'm going to go HERE to download a Wow Wow Wubbsy coloring book for Nate today!

Love to you!
~L

A Meaningful Question...

This cracked me up and I had to read it a couple of times before I got it!

Did you hear about the dyslexic, agnostic, insomniac? He stayed up all night trying to decide if there really was a dog!
-- Jack Gray

I have two recipes to share with you today. My middle son Nick is my pickiest eater. These are his two very favorite dishes...

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini

Ingredients:
1 pound linguini
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large shallot, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
20 large shrimp, about 1 pound, peeled and deveined, tail on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:
For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of water.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta and reserved pasta water. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and serve immediately.

This is the only Shrimp Scampi recipe you will ever need. It is from Tyler Florence.

Nick's other favorite is Stir Fried Beef and Broccoli. This is delicious!!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 teaspoons grated ginger
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons hoisin sauce
3 teaspoons honey
4 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
2 pounds petite sirloin steak sliced into strips.
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 large heads broccoli, cut into florets and blanched
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Steamed white rice, for serving (we like the sticky Jasmine rice)

Directions:
Combine the garlic, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and honey. Mix well and set aside until ready to use. Preheat a wok or a large skillet. Once it has reached a medium heat, add 1/2 of the peanut oil. Dredge the beef in the cornstarch, lightly shake off any excess cornstarch and add 1/2 of the beef to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 of the broccoli to the pan and shake frequently.

Add 1/2 of the sauce and stir to evenly coat the beef and broccoli. Cook until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes. Repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients. Serve immediately with steamed white rice.

*It will be easier to slice the beef in thin strips if it has been partially frozen.
This may be able to be done in 1 batch if using a very large wok or skillet. This recipe was originally from Emeril Lagasse but I changed it just a little bit.

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

♥♥♥
~L

Mojito Chicken

This is a recipe from the crazy bleached blonde guy from Food Network, Guy Fiere. I like most of his recipes, some, not so much!

I served this Saturday night and it was the first time I had cut the spine out of a whole chicken to cook it flat. I have roasted chickens so many times but never thought of doing this to make the chicken cook faster and more evenly.

Mojito Chicken

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) chicken (I used a 5 pound chicken and extended the cooking time)
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika

Marinade, recipe follows

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Mojito Glaze, recipe follows

Directions
Remove backbone of chicken with poultry shears; flatten chicken out by pressing firmly on skin part of chicken so it will sit evenly in a pan.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine all the dry spices and rub chicken with spice mixture, especially under the skin. Put into a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the marinade, then add chicken to marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess marinade. In a large saute pan over medium to high heat, add 4 tablespoons of extra- virgin olive oil. When oil is hot, place chicken skin side down and sear.

When skin is golden brown flip chicken and add 1/2 cup of marinade into pan; place pan in oven and cook the chicken for 25 minutes or until chicken has internal temperature of 165 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the chicken from oven and brush with Mojito Glaze. Place chicken under broiler for 5 minutes. Remove from broiler, cut and serve immediately with more glaze on the side.

Marinade:
1 cup orange juice
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
1/4 cup dark rum (I use Whalers Dark Rum, very good!!)
Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl.

Mojito Glaze:
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In medium sauce pot, place rum, chicken broth and brown sugar. Reduce by 1/3 over high heat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together water and cornstarch. When rum mixture is reduced, add cornstarch mixture slowly to simmering liquid and whisk for 3 minutes, until 50 percent thicker. Keep in mind that you might not need all of it. When glaze is at desired thickness, add mint leaves and transfer to small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

This was delicious and I served it with homemade sweet potato fries (oven baked) and a homemade key lime pie, YUM!!

And tonight we had the Wonders family over and had Marinated Flank Steak which I have shared with you recently. You've gotta try it.

I made this for dessert:

Chocolate Chip Pie

Ingredients

Pie:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup (2-sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts, optional (I omitted due to our guests' allergies)

Whipped cream:
2 pints (4-cups) heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Garnish:
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) pie plates; set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, and mix until fully combined. Fold in the 3 cups chocolate chips and, if desired, the walnuts. Divide the dough between the prepared pie plates and smooth the tops with a spatula.

Bake about 30 minutes or until pies are golden and slightly firm to the touch but still soft. If the pies begin to darken too much before they are baked through, cover with foil and continue baking. Let pies cool completely on a wire rack.

While the pies cool, whip the cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Refrigerate whipped cream until ready to use. Spread the whipped cream over the pies, sprinkle mini chocolate chips for garnish and serve.

I apologize that my scrapbooking blog has turned into a cooking blog that will soon turn into a baseball blog! Thats just how I roll, lol. Thanks for following and much love to you!

~L
♥♥♥

Red Velvet Heaven!

As promised, I'm going to share some amazing recipes with you. This recipe was originally from Paula Deen (love her!) but I tweaked it just a bit.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use Softasilk Cake Flour)
1 1/2 cups sugar (I use superfine sugar for baking)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature*
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (make sure you sift so it is smooth!)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

*For the buttermilk, I never go buy expensive buttermilk from the store. I simply add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk and let it sit for five minutes, and voila! Instant buttermilk!

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

I use the large star tip to frost the cupcakes.

That's my friend's little boy Jake ready to dig in, YUM!

xoxo,
~L