Birthday Blues

Last Sunday was my sweet baby brother's nineth birthday...
Yeah, he's nine already!

Ten rambunctious third graders joined Baby Bear for a jolly jumping good time

followed by pizza and the Lizard Wizard...
Precious just doesn't cover it.

I quickly volunteered to bake the cake... Actually cupcakes because that's what Baby Bear loves.

I have seen pictures of layered rainbow cupcakes, but haven't felt like I could justify making them...

Then Baby Bear's birthday came around and I knew it was fate! 

These ended up being a semi-messy labor of love, but they were vibrant and appreciated. 

He loves yellow... That's why the frosting looks like mustard. 

And the little sprinkles are slices of Sour Punch Straws... They added the perfect contrast of sour! 

How cool does the inside look? 

I almost (alllmoossstttt) didn't want to eat them. 

But oh my didn't regret it once in my tummy! 

And this was all that was left at the end of the day. 

How amazingly artistic does that wrapper look?!? 

And how did I achieve the look? 

Following the process I found here!

1 box white cake mix 

2 eggs

1 cup yogurt or sour cream (I ended up using a half cup of each)

1/2 cup milk 

1/2 cup canola oil 

Preheat oven to temperature on box. 

(You'll bake according to those) 

Beat all ingredients together for two minutes.

(This makes it so airy and wonderful!) 

Once batter is mixed dish it into three, four, or five different bowls 

(this depends on the number of colors).

Add food coloring until it reaches the shade of your liking. 

*Aside: I used Wilson food coloring because it is fantastic and doesn't give the food coloring taste.

Line cupcake pan with liners. 

(go with light colored liners... then you get the tie-dye vibe)

To layer: spoon first color into a well. 

It won't spread like normal, so use your fingers to fill the base of the well. 

Repeat as many times as necessary. 

For the second (and remaining layers) plop a spoonful on top of the previous layer and spread. 

Fill about 2/3 of the way full and you won't get too overfilled. 

Bake for the time listed on the box.

You'll know they're done when you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean. 

Let cool, ice, and ENJOY! 

IMPORTANT: This won't make two dozen cupcakes like the box says... 

I had to make a second batch of batter at the last second to finish!

Japanese Street Fare: Introducing Yakitori

I got a new Cuisine at Home magazine last week that had so many amazing recipes in it! I am a HUGE fan of cooking magazines because they promise to deliver many wonderful recipes every month and a subscription really is easy to finance (especially being young and on the way to the alter!). 

This month featured a Japanese Street Fare section with amazing and fun recipes. So I decided to go for it with some Yakitori and Grilled Rice Cakes! 

The rice cakes fell apart on the grill so there's some tweaking that needs to be done there, but they were tasty nonetheless! First, the delicious yakitori!

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup soy sauve
• 1/2 cup mirin (sake)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 6 thin slices of fresh ginger (I just used 2 Tablespoons of crushed ginger I already had) 
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
• 2 bunches scallions 

Directions: 

1. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Brush the grate with sesame oil. 
2. For the sauce, combine the broth, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil in a saucepan over high heat. 
3. When the sauce comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for ten minutes. 
4. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, then stir into the sauce. 
5. Bring the sauce back to a boil and cook for five minutes. 
6. Strain the sauce and reserve 1/2 cup for dipping later. 
7. While the sauce boils, slice the chicken breasts and scallions into 2-inch-wide pieces. 
8. Skewer chicken and scallions alternating onto sets of double skewers. 
9. Baste the meat with the sauce and grill skewers covered for two minutes on each side. 
10. Flip and baste. 
11. Continue grilling and basting the chicken until cooked thoroughly, about 12 minutes. 
12. Enjoy! 

And now for the rice cakes... Which I'm still working to perfect! 

Sorry for the lack of a picture for you... They didn't fare well after the grill and J and I devoured them.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup dry, short-grain white rice (in other words sushi rice)
• 1/3 cup frozen edamame, shelled and thawed
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1 Tablespoon prepared wasabi

Directions: 

1. Cook the rice according to the package directions. (Mine didn't have any so I used a rice cooker and it worked wonders!) 
2. After it's done cooking gently stir in the edamame. 
3. For the sauce, combine soy sauce and mirin in a small saucepan over high heat and allow to reduce by about a third. 
4. Transfer the sauce into a small bowl and stir in the wasabi until dissolved. 
5. Transfer 1/4 cup cooked to a plastic bag. Shape the rice into a big triangle using the corner of the bag. 
6. Repeat with rice to form 7 more triangles. 
7. Grill bakes until marked, 2 minutes per side. 
8. Dip cakes in sauce, then grill 1 minute more on each side to set the sauce. 
9. Remove from grill. 
10. Enjoy! 

*Simply Sweet Note: Two hints for you... [1] Don't wait for the rive to cool before forming it into little cakes, do that while it's still warm so they stick more and [2] Be VERY careful with the sauce on the rice cakes, it can easily over water them. 

Simply Sweet Sunday Ingredient Challenge #3: Beets!

Time for challenge number three! Yipee! Things are still going strong and I'm just loving sharing this with everyone. The other gals and I are truly enjoying talking about our time in the kitchen with one another.

I'm out of town today, so I set up a linky just to make sure that everything was linked to without my help... Please feel free to enter your delicious little number on here!

Now, to my recipe!

Citrus Beet Ginger Salad

Ingredients: 

• 2 bunches beets (about 5 or 6 medium beets)
• 3 tangelos 
• 2 Tablespoons ginger
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Drizzle of olive oil 
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar 

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 f. 
2. Cut the beets in half and then slice the halves into quarter inch thick slices. 
3. Place the sliced beets in a glass baking pan and drizzle with olive oil. 
4. Cover the top of the pan with tin foil and place in the oven. 
5. Let cook for 40 minutes or until the slices are tender to a poke with a fork. 
6. Remove from oven and let stand until cool. 
7. Drain juice into a medium bowl. 
8. Add the 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, and ginger to the juice in bowl and whisk. 
9. Peel the tangelos and break in half. 
10. Slice halves in quarter inch slices.
11. Place beet and tangelo slices in a large bowl. 
12. Pour dressing mix from step 8 over the beets and oranges. 
13. Enjoy! 

And the challenge for next time (due on May 15)... 

Hummus! 

Now, it's not so much about finding a new use for hummus, 

but instead, making your own hummus recipe! 

I have fallen head over heels for all of the amazing hummus they have at the local farmer's market and decided why not try it myself! Plus you can use many types of beans to make it! 

Now, before I sign off...
Share your beet recipe with us!

Beginners who were worried about the challenge being too tough, this is the perfect one for you! 

Feijoada (Brazilian Beef Stew) and Top Ten Tuesday Topic #2

In February, J's step-brother returned home from his two-year mission in a remote village in Brazil. A few weeks after his return he said that he really truly was going to miss the amazing food they made there. Like a sign from an all-knowing God, Cuisine at Home's February issue included a recipe for Feijoada (pronounced fay-ZHWAH-duh), or as we call in it English, Brazilian Beef Stew. I was nothing short of amazed with how delicious it was, and J couldn't have been happier with all the meat found in it. What a protein packed Latin delight!

 Without any further ado, here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of beef, cut into about 2 inch chunks (a lot of time you can find this pre-cut in the meet department)
• 1 pound kielbasa (or one package)
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil (veggie works, but it's not as healthy, remember?)
• 1/2 cup of orange juice
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 4 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (14 ounces)
• 2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed (it says to puree one, but I didn't and it was so tasty!)
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to season
• Rice (optional as an accompaniement)
• Jalepeno slices to garnish

Directions:

1. Season each side of the stew meat with salt and pepper.
2. Add the two Tablespoons of oil to a skillet over medium high heat.
3. Once the oil is hot brown the beef.
4. Transfer the beef to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up the excess oil.
5. Slice the keilbasa into 1/2 inch thick sections.
6. Brown the keilbasa and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
7. One the meat is done browning, slowly whisk the orange juice into the skillet while scraping remnants off the bottom of the pan.
8. Combine the onions, garlic, tomatoes, beans, and chili powder in a slow cooker.
9. Add beef and kielbasa.
10. Add orange juice and pan juices mixture.
11. Stir the contents of the slow cooker and make sure the meat is coated.
12. Cover and cook on high for four hours or low for 6 hours.
13. Add vinegar when the cook time ends.
14. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired.
15. Cook rice as directed on the package and serve over or under the stew. (It's your choice here!)
16. Garnish with jalapeno slices for a little added flavor! (I did and loved it!)
17. Enjoy!

Simply Sweet Note: This will yeild extras, so enjoy again for lunch at work the next day (or two!).

And last, but NOT least, the Top Ten Tuesday topic for this week!

Things to do on a sunny day!

Since there's so much nice weather going on right now, let's channel summer in spring time!

I'll post the link up at midnight tonight (since it's technically Tuesday then!) and leave it open all day tomorrow!

Simply Sweet Sunday Ingredient Cooking Challenge: Kale

Yay! It's been two weeks since I posted my last ingredient challenge... And here is the fruits (or maybe veggies is more appropriate!) of our labor! I had four people participating this time (a couple forgot their kale at the grocery store, so next time!) and I'll link up to them in this post after I finish my recipe for you!

Kale Sausage Lasagna with Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

• One package of spicy Italian sausage (or sweet if that is more your style) 
• One bunch of kale
• One jar of sun-dried Alfredo sauce
• Two tablespoons of tomato paste
• One clove minced garlic 
• 1/2 of a white onion, minced 
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1/2 package of whole wheat lasagna noodles 
• 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese. 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350f. 
2. Boil a pot of water and cook the lasagna noodles until just tender, not completely done. 
3. Drain noodles and run under cool water. Set aside. 
4. Boil sausages in a pot of water until cooked through, about 12 minutes. 
5. Remove from water and slice into 1/2 inch thick coins. 
6. Remove big stems from the inside of the kale.
7. Place two tablespoons of water in the bottom of a frying pan and toss kale inside of it. 
8. Taste with salt and pepper as you like. 
9. When kale becomes warmed through and tender, remove from heat. 
10. Mix Alfredo sauce, garlic, onion, and tomato paste in a sauce pan. 
11. Stir over medium heat until well-combined. 
12. Spray inside of 9x9 pan to prevent sticking. 
13. Cover bottom of pan with a layer of sauce. 
14. Layer with noodle. 
15. Layer with ricotta cheese (you'll need to use a spoon to spread it around). 
16. Layer with sausage coins. 
17. Layer with sauce. 
18. Layer with kale. 
19. Noodles. 
20. Sauce.
21. Ricotta. 
22. Sausage. 
23. Kale. 
24. Sauce. 
25. Cover the top with the grated mozzarella cheese. 
26. Cover the lasagna with tin foil. 
27. Cook lasagna in the oven for 40-45 minutes (or until cheese is melted and bubbly). 
28. Let stand for five minutes before serving. 
29. Enjoy! 

And for my favorite part, the link up!

Mama Bird's Kale Salad and her Tossed Kale-Bell Pepper-Pasta

Zoe's Baked Kale Chips

Michelle's Creamy Linguine Pasta with Kale

And our next Simply Sweet Sunday Ingredient... 

Coconut Oil 

This can be found in your local grocery store's organic foods section. 

The oil has MANY health benefits: 

It's high in saturated fat which is good for athletes and also great for baking. 

(that's the good fat, remember?) 

It has wonderful heat tolerance so it'll withstand a greater temperature than other oils. 

It's also great for your hair and skin! 

My jar of it says to put it in your hair for an hour and wash out for moisturized clean hair!
If you're a baker, this one's right up your alley!

The next Simply Sweet Sunday Ingredient Challenge 
will be due on April 17th. 

Can't wait to see what my new friends come up with! 

Are you interested in joining? 

Leave a comment or send me an email and I'll fill you in! 

Homemade Tikka Masala (Chicken Curry)

J and I absolutely love Indian food, but always venture out in order to get our fix. I started getting a new culinary magazine this month (Cuisine at Home) that has fabulous recipes... One of them being Tikka Masala!

This dish requires a little love because of the cook time, but it goes in a slow cooker, so once you do your 30 minutes it cooks itself. The chicken literally falls apart with no need for knives or any sort of major effort... FABULOUS! 

Ingredients for the Marinade: 

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon ginger (it asks for fresh... I don't do all that work and just get the jarred stuff!) 
• 1/2 teaspoon garam marsala
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander
• Pinch of cayenne pepper 
• 2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

Ingredients for the sauce: 

• 1 Tablespoon canola oil (it's the healthiest of oils!) 
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (15 ounces) 
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Sprinkle of salt
• Dash of black pepper 
• Chopped fresh cilantro (to garnish) 

Directions: 

1. To make the marinade combine the yogurt, lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon each of garlic and ginger, 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and garam masala, cumin, coriander, and cayenne in a bowl. 
2. Using a knife, pierce the chicken in several places and place in a large bowl. 
3. Pour the marinade over the chicken; stir to coat. 
4. Cover the chicken and refrigerate at least 1 hour, if not overnight. (I let it marinate for 3 hours and it was perfect!) 
5. Preheat the broiler with the rack 6-8 inches from the heat. 
6. Remove the chicken from the bowl and place on a broiler pan. 
7. Broil for 8 minutes. 
8. Discard marinade. 
9. Remove chicken from the broiler and transfer to the slow cooker. 
10. For the sauce, heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high. 
11. Add diced onion and cook until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. 
12. Add 2 teaspoons garam masala, 1 1/2 teaspoon each garlic and ginger, and minced serrano chile. 
13. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. 
14. Stir in the tomato paste and cook about 1 minute. 
15. Deglaze the pan with the crushed tomatoes, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan. 
16. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker. 
17. Be sure to coat the chicken. 
18. Cover slow cooker and cook chicken on low-setting heat until tender, about 3 hours. 
19. Transfer chicken to a serving platter. 
20. Whisk cream into sauce seasoning with salt and black pepper. 
21. Pour sauce over the chicken and garnish with fresh cilantro. 
22. Enjoy!

I really love naan. It's an Indian pita bread sort of thing. I pick up a little package of it at the grocery store and throw it in the oven for a couple minutes on low heat to warm it. It also is fun to use to clean up any extra sauce that may be hanging around! 

Seared Ahi Tuna Steaks with Mango Cucumber Salsa

Jason loves seafood. I don't. But I'm learning slowly to enjoy it. Sushi and lightly cooked fish is tasty, it's the cooked stuff I don't like (I know, bizarre right?) But, when Ahi Tuna steaks were on sale at the grocery store the other morning I knew that it was fate, Jason was going to get some yummy fish for dinner! The mango cucumber salsa really makes this dish delicious to me, plus it's so healthy! 

Ingredients:

• 2 Ahi Tuna Steaks (or more if you're serving more!) 
• 2 mangos (already ripe, if not get the mango salsa in the produce section and it'll work perfect) 
• 1 cucumber
• 1 cup white rice 
• Jalapeno (I use the jarred kind so it's not so brutal on my skin and face) 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1 red onion (you're only going to use about half) 
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Diced the mangos, 1/2 of the onion, cucumber, jalapeno, and the garlic and place into a bowl. 
2. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the diced fruits and veggies and stir. 
3. Add salt and pepper to taste while stirring. 
4. Put this in the fridge with saran wrap covering it to allow it to ferment. (Yep, just let it get that flavor all perfected on its own) 
5. Boil the one cup rice in a saucepan in two cups water. 
6. Once boiling, turn the heat to low and allow it to simmer until the water is gone. 
7. While the rice is cooking, enjoy a moment of down time. 
8. Four minutes before the rice is done, add the olive oil to a large frying pan making sure the whole bottom is covered. 
9. Allow a moment for the oil to get hot hot HOT! 
10. Coat both sides of the Ahi with salt and pepper before setting it into the hot oily pan. 
11. Allow it to cook for a minute and a half on one side, then flip and let cook for another minute and a half. 
12. Serve it up on two plates with rice and lots of mango-cucumber salsa to boot! 
13. Enjoy! 

Searing the fish can be a little tricky, and as Jason and I have learned, is in fact an art. So if it doesn't go right the first time, that's ok, try again! This time Jason said it was undercooked. I liked it and thought it was quite tasty.

Homemade Chinese Take-Out: Sweet and Sour Pork

Jason and I both really love chinese food but struggle finding a good balance of the delicious take-out taste and heathy, nutritious meal choices. This little Food Network recipe was just the fix, I added a couple of things just to make it a little more interesting, but find the original recipe here!

Ingredients

• 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup good ol' H2O
• A pinch or two of kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Sliced baby carrots
• A bunch of scallions, chopped
• 3 cups snow peas (I bought a bag at the grocery store and didn't cut them... I should have done that!)
• 1 can of sliced water chestnuts (Adds a very delightful crunch)
• Cubed pineapple (I didn't have this in mine because pineapple is not really in season despite it feeling like summer out in January, but it would be DELICIOUS!)

Directions

1. Toss the pork with 1/2 tablespoon vinegar and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
2. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, ketchup, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/3 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in another bowl.
3. Heat the 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat.
4. Add the pork and slowly stir until it turns mostly opaque, about 2 minutes.
5. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.
6. Discard the oil and wipe out the skillet.
7. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the skillet.
8. Stir-fry the garlic with a pinch each of salt and sugar, 15 seconds. (Add a little water if the garlic starts to stick to the skillet.)
9. Add the carrots and scallions and stir-fry until crisp-tender, 2 minutes.
10. Add the pork, snow peas and soy sauce mixture.
11. Stir until the pork is cooked through and the sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes.

Jason's rating: He gave it a 4/5. Although it was delicious, he said it just doesn't have the same flavor as a good carton of take-out. He then admitted that it's probably that flavor that is a result of the unhealthy aspects of the dish. (Isn't that always the case!?!)

The cucumber salad on the side is one of the easiest side "salads" to make and Jason loves to do it all by himself! It's just two cucumbers sliced thinly (or at least they are supposed to be) and doused with some vinegar... I usually use rice vinegar, but had to use balsamic this night because my rice vinegar had gone missing! Add a little salt and pepper to taste and you are in business!