Christmas favorites

Two small gifts I'm excited about:

A Sandra Lee Grilling cookbook- and although grilling in winter may not be ideal, there are some excellent looking recipes you can do with a grill pan in here! 

I can't wait to try some of the marinades and rubs... she has some interesting combinations.

And:

A Janet Hill print of her painting "She Liked the Pink Ones."  

Unfortunately a print will have to do because I cannot afford her originals...yet :)

But after matting and framing it will still be a great piece to hang.

I want to get two more that are similar in size to create a set.

I am definitely going to go after this one:

It's called "Heels"

Janet Hill is such an inspiration to me, I love her colorful work.

Go see her new website, Janet Hill Studio.

 Bella Cosa designed it beautifully.

Have a great week

<3 Ash

What a relief!

I put off this blog post for too long. I kept meaning to update things but sometimes a break away from the computer is nice... I have had a lot of things going on lately and it's been good to just sit back and relax once they were done.

...So what's happened? (As if anyone is truly anticipating my update :)

Well I'll just share the two most exciting things:

I graduated college! Finally, after 5 long years.

And secondly, I got all of the fraud charges taken care of with my cell phone company!  This is huge. I mean, I've been dealing with it every week since Halloween and quite honestly, I thought I was getting the run around. 

The grand total: $ 952.00

And it was all credited back to my account.  We are talking ringtones and games here. That a 16-year-old girl downloaded in 36 hours... Isn't that just ridiculous? 

I had my doubts, but it all worked out. Thank you God!

So I got a new phone (feeling that my old one had been violated, haha) and spent a great Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends stress free.

I'm going to share a recipe I made for Thanksgiving.  It's a favorite of both my mom and I, and we like it at Christmas too... Sweet Potato Casserole.

 (By the way, if you aren't sure about sweet potatoes, just give this a try, it's almost like a dessert it's so delicious!)

But really, how can you not like sweet potatoes? mmm!

And no, unfortunately I did not take these photos.. I borrowed them from Cooking Light.

What's a post without a couple of pictures?

Anyway, here is the yummy recipe:

Enjoy and I will be back soon!

Sweet Potato Casserole

FOR THE SWEET POTATOES

2 pounds sweet potatoes
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil spray, for the baking dish
1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

FOR THE PECAN CRUNCH TOPPING

¾ to 1 cup chopped pecans
¾ packed cup light brown sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Prepare the sweet potatoes: Peel and quarter the sweet potatoes. Place them in a saucepan, add cold water to cover and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat, cover the pan, and let simmer until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes, then mash them with a potato masher.

2. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 13 by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with vegetable oil spray and set the dish aside.

3. Place the mashed sweet potatoes, granulated sugar, 8 tablespoons of melted butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until just combined, about 2 minutes. Spoon the sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top with a spoon or spatula.

4. Make the pecan crunch topping: Place the pecans, brown sugar, flour, and 3 tablespoons of melted butter in a small bowl and stir with a fork to combine. Scatter the pecan mixture evenly over the top of the sweet potatoes.

5. Bake the sweet potatoes until the pecan topping begins to brown and the potatoes are bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.

Chicken Vino Bianco

This is my favorite thing to get at Olive Garden! Actually, in order to get it, I have to ask the waiter to ask the cook if he will make it for me, haha. They took it off the menu for some reason, but every time I have asked, they have made it! (My boyfriend just loves when I am "difficult" like this :)

But it is so worth it, the white wine sauce is delicious. I found the recipe online and I've made it twice so far. You have to try it! (Or you could just go to Olive Garden and ask them to do it for you! :)


Chicken Vino Bianco
Recipezaar.com

Ingredients

4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 ounces olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/2 cup small diced tomato
1/2 cup red onion, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, divided
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Bella Sera Pino Grigio)
1 lb uncooked linguine
seasoned flour (for dusting)

FOR SEASONED FLOUR
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1 Heat oil in large saute' pan.
2 Dust chicken in seasoned flour.
3 Cook chicken on both sides until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
4 Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
5 Add 2 Tbsp butter to pan.
6 Add green onion, diced tomato, red onion, mushrooms, garlic, chopped parsley, crushed red pepper, black pepper and salt to pan.
7 Let saute' for three minutes, stirring constantly.
8 Add chicken back to pan.
9 Add white wine, lemon juice and the remainder of the butter. (Not too much lemon! And I put about 3/4 cup more wine to make more of the sauce- it will thicken eventually)
10 Allow to come to a boil.
11 Cook pasta according to directions.
12 Add drained cook pasta to the pan and toss together and serve.

*Note: The 2nd time I made this, I cut the chicken into pieces before flouring and it tasted WAY too much like flour. It was much better when I butterflied the chicken breasts and cooked them. (Just cut each breast in half so it's thinner, or you could pound them)

Let me know if you try it! Or if you've had this before and like it... It's excellent!

Delicious {and Easy} Beer Bread

You will not be disappointed with this quick and easy bread, it is soo good! And there are so many things you can add to the mix (that you probably already have on hand) to make it exactly what you want.

Beer Bread
Recipe from Foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com

Makes One Loaf

Basic Beer Bread Mix:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh baking powder
1 tsp salt
14 ounces beer (or add 2 oz water to 12 oz beer)

Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten (I omitted this and brushed melted butter on top after 35 minutes of baking, it softens the crust a little)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl (mix thoroughly). Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick! Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan , brush with egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Flavor Variations: (Add any additions to the mix before the beer)

Garlic & Herb: Add 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 2 minced garlic cloves (or 1 teaspoon garlic flakes) to the basic mix. For fresh herbs, use 1 chopped Tablespoon of each.

Dill & Chive: Add 2 Tablespoons fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried dill) and 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives to the basic mix.

Italian: Add 1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano (or 1 Tablespoon each chopped fresh basil and oregano), 2 minced cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan or romano cheese to the basic mix.

Other Additions: Any dried or fresh herbs; 1/2 cup freshly grated asiago (or other hard cheese); 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped scallions; 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 whole wheat flour or 1/2 oats in place of 1/2 of the all-purpose flour. Or practically anything else you can think of--use your imagination.

Hope you will give this one a try! Have a good weekend,

Ash

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Oh yum! You have to try this delicious salsa; it's SO good and easy to make! I found the recipe on Lynda's Recipe Box. The big pieces of avocado are what drew me in :) She has lots of great recipes so you should stop by her blog for sure.

I brought this dip to my boyfriend's parent's house for a cookout and they all had seconds, even thirds! (I thought you didn't want to eat black beans and corn, Christopher??)

Anyway, give this one a try, you'll love it!

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained well
1 1/2 cups fresh, frozen, grilled, or canned corn (drained)
4-5 Roma tomatoes, diced small
1 bunch green onions (scallions) sliced
some diced red onion, or vidallia onion
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced, or other pepper of choice
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 diced avocado (I used 2)
1 small can sliced, black olives, optional
about 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1Tbs. canola or olive oil (I omitted this)
1/2 cup diced cilantro, if desired

Dice up vegetables and combine in a large bowl. (I folded the avocado in last to keep it from getting too mushed). Add minced garlic, lime juice and oil and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. (Although I served mine right away!) You can make this salsa as hot or mild as you like. Serve with lots of tortilla or pita chips (bagel crisps would be good too)

Hope you like it as much as I did!

xox Ash