Freckled Star

Happy <3 Day!

Just a short post today with recipes:)

Still going through over 300 pictures Lindsay took of "My Vintage Valentine"!!

So those will come soon............

But just have to say what an amazing day and I am so happy, so thrilled to have had you all in my home doing what we love most..............

I heard lots of laughter all day long, out of my good ear anyway lol:)

Sorry I was not 100% but I think everyone got along just fine............

And I tried my best not to breathe all over the place:)

Here are the recipes from the day.........

Giada De Laurentiis Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme.

This is absolutely delicious right out of the oven. Keep in mind it does not keep well so unfortunately leftovers aren't very good. Mircowaving dries it out and makes it really oily. Just a heads up:)

The antipasta salad.........

1 bag italian mixed lettuces

1/2 red bell chopped

1/2 cup kalamata olives chopped

1 cup whole mozzerella cubed

1/2 cup Parmesan grated

3 oz. pepperoni chopped

3 oz. salami chopped

and toss it all together with 1/2 cup Kraft Zesty Italian.

Simple as that!!

Maybe a special meal for you and a loved one tonight??:)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you all get lucky lol;)

 

Recipe 411.........

Here are my most requested recipes from Sunday:)

You can find Fontina Mascarpone Baked Pasta on that link.

As an aside the My Recipes website is pretty neat. Sign up for their emails and you will get a new healthy low fat recipe every morning. I have tried several. The pasta dish above was a keeper:)

Kid's Favorite Mac:

16 oz. cooked pasta (elbows, bow ties, shells whatever you have in the pantry)

1 cup 2% milk

1/4 cup butter cubed

1 tsp. each of garlic salt, garlic pepper and lemon pepper

2 cups shredded colby jack

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup panko crumbs (or bread crumbs)

1/3 cup grated parmesan

Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile in a big pot combine milk, butter and seasonings. Once hot toss in cheese and let melt. Add sour cream mix well. Add hot pasta. Mix. Top with panko and parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Now I do it all in a dutch oven that goes straight from stove to oven but it can be transfered to a casserole dish.

 

Champagne Vinaigrette:

2 Tbls. Champagne Vinegar (they have it at Vons)

1 Tbls. finely chopped shallot

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Mix well.

Add about 4-6 Tbls. GOOD olive oil

Mix with a whisk and you are done!

 

Vanilla Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter. Room temperature.

3 and 1/2 cuos powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/8 of salt

With a hand mixer I cream the butter for about a minute and a half.  Then I slowly add powdered sugar. Maybe a 1/2 cup at a time until incorporated. Mix in milk, vanilla and salt. If the icing is not spreadable you can add a little more milk. Mix just until smooth and creamy it is possible to over mix and you'll just have a huge separating airy mess:)

 

So there you have it!!

Wow 4 posts in 4 days. I am on fire:)

And I have been crafting every night.......

Except tonight.........

We have baseball and it's cold outside!

This weather is really starting to be a downer:(

Anyway.......

Won't be back til next week.......

Have a wonderful Easter!!

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas:)

I'll leave you with a super CUTE, super EASY and super INEXPENSIVE way to share the love;)

 

They had these 6 space cupcake tins at Vons. I had never seen them before but I guess since cupcakes are all the rage it's only natural you'd start seeing these next to the turkey trays:) They are 3 tins for $1.99. So I thought with all the Christmas candy I had it would be cute to use the cup holder as the display. Kinda fun:)

Then we made cookies. These are just those Pillsbury shape cookies you can get at Vons. They were 2 for $4.00. We sandwiched them with icing .99 cents and left over red sprinkles. The idea was right on the back of the box:)

 

We also made Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies

Elaine and Char those are the cookies I gave you:)

The super EASY recipe:

Preheat oven 350 degrees

1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup regular oats

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt (I think what make mine taste so good is I use sea salt)

Mix and put aside.

In a large bowl cream together:

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup softened butter

1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

Then add your dry ingredients. Blend well. Mixture will be slightly crumbly.

To that add 1/4 cup each of mini chocolate chips and finely chopped pecans.

Drop spoonfuls on to cookie sheet. Again mixture will be crumbly so you may have to mush them together a bit. This is a drop cookie recipe and that is the way the dough is. Don't worry they flatten out and catch all the little bits:) This makes 24 cookies.

Bake about 12 minutes or until edges are slightly golden.

I have been making these for years and everyone loves them. I am telling you sea salt!:)

So once your cookies have cooled just start filling your trays...........

 

Then wrap in a cellophane bag (these are at Micheal's the medium basket bag is what I used, in the gift bag section) add some ribbon, a cute tag and you are set!!

 

Well it's time for me to skeedaddle:)

With any luck and weather cooperation Frank will be home in about 16 hours!!

I hope each and every one of you have a very Merry Christmas!:)

Big hugs!!

Andrea~




 

Simply "JOY"ful..........

As some of you may know on Sunday we did a class at my house.........

It was a beautiful "JOY" banner taught by the fabulous Denise Hahn :)

Needless to say I did not get many pictures in the beginning. I was too busy cookin':)

But here are some of the fantastic gals that came to create that day.........

 
 
 

Everyone working hard:)

Some banners in process..........

  

  

Some decor:)

I got these trees from Pottery Barn and on one went all my charms from the day before and on this one all 14 of our gorgeous ornaments from our ornament exchange. Everyone involved did such an amazing job. Love, love, love my "Andrea" banner made by Cynthia. So cute!! 

I wish I had a picture of the tables all pretty with Denise's silver bagged kit on them but as before mentioned I was in the kitchen freakin' out over a frittata:)

That apparently was pretty good because I didn't get any;)

Denise also had a table set up with all kinds of treasures for everyone to choose from...........

She also had a few treasures for sale that were all snapped up before I even had a chance to look!!

 

So cute!:) And my friend Elaine got the most beautiful wall hanging that was a Christmas tree made of all kinds of neat trinkets. It was a piece that could be done in so many different ways.

Hmmmm.........

I feel a Spring time class coming on;)

 

I want to thank you all so much for coming. For supporting Denise and eating my cooking:)

Had you told me when I started this "JOY"ful adventure that so many of you that I had met through Kim's events and even KIM herself the founder of Artistic Bliss would be creating in my home I would not have believed you!!

I can not tell you how glad I am that I signed up for that first event "La Petite Maison Blanc". All by myself and not knowing what to expect.....

Sometimes you just have to take a chance:)

I am so happy I did.....

I am a lucky girl:)

 

**All recipes I made that day can be found in "How Easy is That" by the BarefootContessa for those who wanted to give them a try:)

But here is the chicken salad recipe just for you Elaine:)

 Mustard Chicken Salad:

2 whole chicken breasts cooked and diced (I bought 2 rotisserie chickens from Vons)

5 cups broccoli florets (I bought 1 bag from Trader Joe's)

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 and 1/2 cups mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip)

1/2 cup dijon

1/4 cup whole grain mustard

2 Tbls. white wine vinegar (the recipe in the book calls for tarragon vinegar and I could not find it)

2 Tbls. fresh tarragon leaves minced

Just mix it all together. Delicious!!!

 

Thanks again ladies:)

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

Mom's Famous Cheese Potatoes:)

Sorry I completely forgot I said I would give out this recipe!!

Hopefully you haven't already got your grocery shopping done.........

But if you have these are great for Christmas too:)

 

Super easy recipe........

You'll need:

3 pounds of potatoes Yukon's or russets cut into quarters

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 8 oz. container sour cream

1 stick of butter

1 bunch green onions chopped

2 cups shredded cheddar

In a stockpot boil water and add handful of salt. Turn heat to medium and add potatoes. 15 minutes then drain. Rice the potatoes in a 9x12 baking dish.

*special note~if you have a potato ricer there is no need to peel, the ricer catches all the skins and you just clean it out periodically with a fork. If you don't peel the potaotes and mash with fork in baking dish.

While the potatoes are boiling melt the stick of butter in a sauce pan. Add the sour cream and soup blend til creamy. Add the cheese. When the cheese is melted add the green onions. Pour on top of the potatoes. You can add a handful of shredded cheddar to the top if you like. The more cheese the better:)

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes. Until all bubbly at the top. These can be made up to one day ahead of time. Like I did:) Just cover in saran wrap and refrigerate.

Easy peasy:)

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I am so incredibly thankful for all my family and friends! You all make my time apart from my love bearable. Truly:)

Talk to you next week.........

Oh and my bangles are almost done!! Can't wait to share:)

 

T.G.I.F! and a surprise........

Man what a week!

With record breaking temps, lightening, thunder and power outages it's been grand!

I do have to say it's nice to not be freezing my hiney off at 8 o' clock at night watching Tyler's games:)

And that double rainbow we got yesterday was AWESOME:)

What will not be nice is when my Edison bill comes! Yikes!!

Anyhow I have gotten out of cooking two nights this week:) And although this is no time for crock pot cooking I thought a pot of "Mom's Spaghetti" would be simple enough. It's so nice to know all I have to do is boil pasta and slice up some French bread tonight.......

So maybe where you live you won't be eating this in the air conditioning but by a nice cozy fire with rain pelting away outside:) Ok so I have started daydreaming again! Snap out of it:)

Start with a crock pot.

Add: 1 14 and 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

       3 small cans of tomato sauce

       3 cans of tomato paste

       A splash of white wine

       A pinch or two of dried basil

 

Meanwhile saute a pound package lean hamburger meat and 6 Italian sausages. We prefer the spicy but you can use whatever you'd like. Make sure to take the sausage out of the casing.

 

Add to the crock pot.

In the same pan (no need to clean it) saute a large chopped onion and 3 minced garlic cloves until soft about 5 minutes.

 

Add that to crock pot. Stir and turn on low if leaving it all day or high if less than 4 hours.

That's it DONE!!!

And I mean really who doesn't love spaghetti!!

Have I mentioned I lOVE wood spoons:) And my new LOVE is my red Staub 12 inch skillet!! Got that for my anniversary;) I know I know I have officially been kicked out of the feminist movement!!

So while I was sauteeing and listening to my music and pretending it really was Fall outside I thought to myself...........

Maybe I should do another little giveaway (and no it's not a pot of sauce;) since they are so much fun and it is Friday and I am really trying to believe that Halloween is coming this month.......

With that said apparently a few of you liked this idea:)

 

Leave a comment on this post telling me what you steal out of your children's Halloween bag:) Or if you don't have kids what you buy with the intent on giving to trick or treater's but really it's just an excuse:)

Come on we all have our weaknesses:)

Some kid will pick a winner let's say on Wednesday..........

And if it's you........

You get this little guy.......

 

Sound good??

Have a wonderful weekend! Try the sauce you'll love it I can assure you:)

I am off to GLITTERFEST tomorrow and I am so excited I may just pee my pants!! I am taking the camera and will take LOTS of pictures. Fingers crossed! I will have lots to share next week:)

 

Get the grill ready.............

These burgers are awesome!!

Adapted recipe from Giada De Laurentiis.........

Turkey Burgers

1 and a 1/2 pounds thawed turkey meat

1 cup Miracle Whip

1/4 cup chopped FRESH Rosemary

2 crushed cloves of garlic

6 slices provolone cheese

Mix Miracle Whip, Rosemary and garlic. Add half to turkey meat and mix well. Form 6 six patties in a 9x12 pan and set in refrigerator for about a 1/2 hour. (The burgers will be sticky)

Grill for about 8 minutes on each side. It is important not to lift them to soon. They need to set up and form grill marks. Add a slice of cheese to top about a minute before they are ready to come off the grill.

Meanwhile drizzle olive oil and garlic salt on 6 Cracked Wheat buns and put under the broiler until golden.

Slice a tomato, purple onion and a ripe avocado. Also have some green leaf lettuce washed and ready.

Use the other half of the Miracle Whip mixture to spread on buns. Assemble!

Have ketchup and barbecue sauce ready for little ones.

 

Coconut Macaroons

Recipe from Ina Garten

14 ounces shredded sweetened coconut

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 extra large egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Combine coconut, condensed milk and vanilla in a large bowl.

In another bowl whip the egg whites and salt on medium high speed til medium stiff peaks are held.

Carefully fold egg whites in with coconut mixture. To fold take a rubber spatula and go all the around the bowl and then make a chopping action in the middle til all ingredients are incorporated.

Drop onto parchment lined cookie sheets in tablespoon fulls.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

Must cool completely!!

Lindsay made these and they were delectable:)

Ann's Favorite Margarita

1 cup Mango Margarita Mix (Williams Sonoma is my favorite!)

1/2 cup white Tequila

1/4 cup Cointreau (orange flavored liqueur)

1 cup frozen sweetened strawberries (grocer's freezer)

4 cups of ice

In a blender and you've got perfection!!:)

A wonderful way to enjoy the remaining summer days.........

Now if I only had this backyard:)

Pictures from Food Network and Southern Living

Small change..........

to the scheduled program:)

I want to introduce you to Indian Summer Gardens a brand spankin' new Etsy shop I adore......

When Michele mentioned on her Facebook (love Facebook!) that she had a friend that was starting up a new little shop I of course had to go check it out...........

And being me had to be supportive of our hand made artsy ladies out there........

Not to mention it was fate because I have been looking at these all summer.......

But never committing because they were a little too pricey...........

Well not anymore..........

These are not only fantastically priced but also the best looking little terrariums I've seen......

These could be easily be sold in a boutique for much more........

Not only do I love the terrarium but I also love the rope!

Not only do they come beautifully packaged but also come with a hook for hanging:)

Mine were perfect for my bathroom to go along with my ferns...........

This weekend she updated her shop so take a look would you:) I love them in my bathroom. And did you know that plants in your home are natural detoxifiers? They are! Just read that in my Whole Living Magazine.

Now I am supposed to do a recipe so here we go...........

Zachary's Favorite Sandwich

2 slices sourdough bread

2 Tbls. Miracle Whip (we don't like regular Mayo:)

1 tsp. Ranch Dressing powder mix (this is my FAVORITE!)

1/2 ripe avocado (Make sure the skin is black and it gives slightly to the touch. No indentations or it will be brown on the inside)

5 slices turkey (we like the Oscar Meyer in resealable tub)

2 Tbls. Real Bacon Bits (these are where the salad dressings are, in a white resealable bag by Hormel)

2 slices medium cheddar cheese (Saragento is good and always on sale:)

olive oil

I use a panini maker for this but you can use a pan on the stove.

Turn on maker or set stove at medium high heat.

Drizzle olive oil on one slice of bread. Lay that side down in panini maker or pan. Mix the Miracle Whip and Ranch Dressing together and spread half on the side of bread facing up. Layer avocado, bacon bits, slice of cheese, turkey and another piece of cheese. Spread rest of Miracle Whip on other slice of bread and top the sandwhich. Drizzle with olive oil.

If using a pan you can place another pan directly on the sandwich to give it a panini smooshed feel or just make it like grilled cheese.

In a maker takes about 3 minutes in a pan probably 3 minutes on each side.

When it's nice and golden and melty it's done!:)

And yes we sometimes have these for dinner:)

If you don't have a panini maker I would highly suggest getting one. It is one of my most used kitchen appliances. Very versatile. There are so many different sandwiches you can make. I personally like fresh roast beef form the deli counter, Muenster cheese and a slathering of Balsamic Onion Marmalade. So delicious!!

Happy Monday!

 
 
 

 

Keeping it simple..........

Hello all!

I have started cooking for real again!

Yes it's been a LONG time since I have really cooked. Nachos, quesadillas and paninis don't really count:) Although delicious.........

And then I saw that I have not posted a recipe since February!

If your interested in those recipes click "recipes" on the right sidebar all the way at the bottom. I forgot about "Marilyn's Mac and Cheese" that was delish:)

Anyway I am thinking next week will be "Simple Recipe" week. My intent is to post something yummy everyday. Also that the ingredients be readily available and fresh.

Then at the end of the week I am going to be doing a GIVEAWAY!!!

Something to do with the kitchen and something to do with food. I haven't thought of it yet but I am sure it will rock;)

I'll leave you with some pictures from dinner last night........

Can't get any better than fresh Alaska caught Halibut courtesy of our GM who got to go on the Ford Alaska Fishing trip this year.

A little garlic pepper salt then I add some Italian dressing and let it marinade for about a 1/2 hour. Then Frank barbecues it.

All from the Claremont Farmer's Market. Bag of tri colored potatoes $2, 2 big handfulls of green beans 50 cents, one large Maui Onion 50 cents. I mix in about a 1/4 of a cup of Williams Sonoma's Antipasti Vegetable oil. But you could use a mixture of 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 Tbls. garlic pepper and 2Tbls. Parmesan cheese. Yum:)

These little French loaves are at Fresh and Easy for 99 cents. Just the right portion for a family of 4. Split in half and spread a Tbls. of Garlic Herb Butter on each side. Put back together in a 350 degree oven for 7 minutes. The Garlic Herb Butter also at Fresh and Easy $2.99. It is so good I could eat the whole loaf:)

Then a couple of thick slices of Heirloom Tomato with some fresh basil from my bunny proof herb garden, a drizzle of GOOD Balsamic Vinegar (this is my ABSOLUTE favorite!) and a pinch of sea salt. Heirlooms also from Claremont Farmer's Market $2.99 a pound.

See it doesn't have to be hard. None of these things took me more than 2 minutes to put together. It does require a trip to the Farmer's Market but that's FUN!!

And yes my kids eat all of this. Except the tomatoes Tyler does not like. Which in this house if you've at least tried it and still don't like it you don't have to eat it but you do not get something in place of it.

One trick to get kids to eat say FISH is to provide plenty of condiments. For example Lindsay does not care for fish period but she loves Tarter sauce so I always make sure I have some. Tyler likes barbecue sauce on his so that goes on the table too. How they can desecrate their fish like that I have no idea but hey if they clean their plates I can't complain:)

Keep it simple!

Have a wonderful weekend!

I have to start planning what's on the menu next week;)
 
 
 
 

Hey ladies......

You left me with these.......

Now mind you I am not sad about it and neither are my kids but....... 

You were supposed to eat more than one!!

Anyway thank you so much to all that came:)

Always so much fun!!

So here are the recipes you requested.....

Ready?

Ranch Mac and Cheese:

1 16 oz. package of macaroni

1 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1 envelope of Ranch dressing mix

1 tsp. each of garlic salt, garlic pepper and lemon pepper

2 cups colby jack cheese (shredded)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup crushed saltine crackers

Cook macaroni.

In a pot or dutch oven (makes it easier) combine milk, butter, Ranch envelope and all seasonings. Whisk together over low heat til butter melts. Add cheese and mix til smooth and then add sour cream.

Stir in ready macaroni.

Stir in 1/2 the saltines.

Sprinkle remaining saltines on top.

Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

*If using a dutch oven this can all be done on one pot. If not pour mixture into a 9x13 dish and sprinkle with saltines.

Creamy Germelli (corkscrews) with Asiago:

1 16 oz. package germelli (reserve 1 cup pasta water)

2 cups (plus 1/4 cup) Asiago cheese shredded

2 8 oz. containers creme fraiche (Trader Joe's)

1 cup parmesan shredded

1 Tbls. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook germelli.

In a large bowl combine all other ingredients.

Add ready germelli. Mix well. Add a little pasta water if too thick.

Pour into a buttered 9x13 dish and cook for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

That's it!!:)

Glad I tried that Ranch Mac recipe it was really good!

Again thank you all so much for coming and helping me add to my.....

 

Silverware collection!! I can't wait to get my remaining sets!!

And at 1/2 off too!

I couldn't have done it without you;)