Dutch vs The Ducks

We love our house and we love the atmosphere that comes with it. We love that our house backs-up to a creek...until recently. We have never had issues with Dutch and the creek (except we had a small episode the first day we brought him home) but that was 3 years ago. This summer however is a different story. Dutch has discovered the ducks...

Brian and I have spent lots of hours now yelling at Dutch while he romps and plays up and down the creek chasing ducks. He has no idea how to catch a duck and I must say it is hilarious watching him make the fearless attempt over and over again, of course being unsuccessful. If you have never watched a duck be "hunted" in the water, they swim away as they are being chased and right when the "hunter" (a.k.a. Dutch) goes for the attack, they dive under the water so the "hunter" (a.k.a. Dutch) has no idea where they went. They end up coming out of the water at the complete other end of the creek and the process starts all over again. Dutch sprinting after the duck, finally catching up to it, then swimming behind it, then diving for it, and then being left dumbfounded by the duck's disappearance. Also, 10 minutes in to the chase, he is panting from exerting so much energy, however he is completely clueless that he doesn't have the stamina to continue chasing duck after duck. It is quite humorous most of the time, however I am getting extremely tired of this process. This happened twice today. Dutch can no longer be trusted to be outside with us...I am convinced he will take off into the creek.

Also, Dutch apparently goes deaf when he goes into "duck chasing" mode. It is like Brian and I don't even exist. When Brian and I realize that our yelling is not going to be enough, Brian goes to the garage...puts on his waders...heads into the creek...and pulls Dutch out of the water. Dutch of course is soaking wet, so he then gets to spend some time tied to the pole outside in order to dry off.

You think Dutch would learn...the ducks are going to win every time.

New Staple Side Dish...Pureed Cauliflower with Goat Cheese

Where has the time gone? I realized today that it is September 19th. I swear just the other day it was July...what happened? I was making my way through a blistering summer, and unfortunately I am still making my way through the blistering heat. I am totally ready for Fall and I hope it stays for a while. I am ready for cooler weather, but nothing that requires a coat. Just nice, cool weather that can be enjoyed without sweating your make-up off, without having flat hair, without having to think about which outfit won't stick to my sweltering skin, and without wanting to jump into an ice bath after every moment I spend outside. It's hot out there people...

I also realized today that I have been on the road for 5 weeks since July, so that is where my time has gone...it has literally flown by.

Anyway, on to more interesting things. With all my time on the road, I have definitely gone on a binge fest, eating whatever I want whenever I want. (By the way, that is one of the problems with traveling for work...you constantly eat...all day every day. I still don't really know why.) So that means, when I am home I gotta be more aware. Since we are spending our Saturdays tailgating, and Friday nights are spent having a Mexican feast at our favorite spot, that leaves about 5 days to be more conscious of what we eat...which actually means that if I aim for 5 then I might do 3...

Tonight we had Bison Tenderloin with a Shallot Marmalade, Sauteed Garlic Spinach, and Pureed Cauliflower with Goat Cheese. Unfortunately, the battery in the camera was dead tonight when I went to take a picture of this feast, which believe it or not was healthy. (At least to me since our typical Sunday night meals are packed full of unhealthiness...)

I really want to emphasize how AH-MAZING the pureed cauliflower was. Please try it the next time you want something different. I was leaning towards grits, polenta, mashed potatoes, and all the other usual suspects for something rich and creamy to go with our filets, however I really didn't want a high calorie dinner. Bison by the way is great for you. Our 8oz filets had only 4.8 grams of fat, 50 grams of protein and only 260 calories.

Pureed Cauliflower with Goat Cheese (recipe by me)

1 head cauliflower

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 tsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

3 oz goat cheese, cut into small pieces or crumbled

Salt and Pepper to taste

Simply core the cauliflower and cut into florets. Place a steamer basket over boiling water and steam the cauliflower with the smashed garlic until tender and done, about 12-15 minutes. Once the cauliflower is cooked through, place them in a food processor and add the buttermilk, butter, olive oil, goat cheese, and salt & pepper to taste. Puree the mixture until the cauliflower is completely smooth and all the ingredients are well incorporated. If the mixture is too think, add a little more buttermilk. Taste the mixture for appropriate seasoning and serve hot.

Roasted Shrimp with Orzo and Feta

The other night I tried this recipe for dinner. It was one of the last nights of the dead heat of summer (so I think as of right now) and I thought we needed a nice cool summer dinner. I stumbled across this recipe from Ina Garten and was quite impressed with the way it turned out. I even spent some extra time peeling and deveining the shrimp because I still can't understand why it is so much more expensive to buy them this way at the store. For my 2 lbs of shrimp I could have spent an extra $15 to be lazy...tempting, but ridiculous. Anyway, this recipe for dinner was great, but what I really want to suggest for this recipe is to pack this goodness in your lunchbox. We were too hungry to wait the the suggested hour at the end and I didn't plan ahead to refrigerate it overnight, so it is fair to say that it's our own fault we weren't wowed the first night. Pleased, but not wowed. The next morning I packed up some leftovers and took it to work the to enjoy for lunch, and enjoy did I. It was fabulous. The flavors had really come together and I was super glad I had made such a big batch so I could enjoy it all week. I think it will definitely become a lunchbox staple. I served mine with some toasted bread rubbed with fresh garlic.

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo (recipe by Ina Garten) Serves 6

kosher salt

good olive oil

3/4 lb orzo

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

freshly ground black pepper

2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts

1 cup chopped fresh dill

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and medium-diced

1/2 cup small-diced red onion

3/4 lb good feta cheese, large diced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I am about to share one of my most favorite cookie recipes. Nothing fancy, nothing gourmet. Just a good recipe for your back pocket when you need to take cookies somewhere or even just curl up on the couch with glass of milk. I have always loved both oatmeal raisin cookies and chocolate chip cookies and when I am buying cookies, I always have a hard time deciding between the 2...this recipe brings my 2 loves together.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (recipe from All Recipes)

Yields 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup chopped walnuts (sometimes I use pecans)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Beef Burgers with Green Chile Salsa, Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onions

Okay, don't be bored with burgers yet. There may be several more coming your way. Sunday night has become burger night at our house. I don't know what it is lately that has led us to want burgers, burgers, and more burgers. We have craved them for the past few weeks and I anticipate that this will continue for awhile. Kinda like our pizza craze a while back...

Tonight, the 2 of us enjoyed green chile salsa burgers with goat cheese and caramelized onions. You may not remember, but I brought this burger to you last year. I didn't have a picture then...but I do now!

This burger is awesome. It is so perfectly balanced in all aspects of flavor. Last year, we made the salsa with hatch green chiles, which I must say is slightly better than our improvised version today. When we headed to Central Market this morning, we thought it was the season again for these amazing chiles. I may need to start doing my research before heading to the store because we quickly discovered we were wrong and we were a few weeks premature on collecting a bag full of the green greatness. Bummer...my thought out menu for the week, centering around Hatch Chiles, wasn't going to happen...so, what to do when my heart was set on Hatch Chiles? I had to improvise by buying Poblano's and Anaheim's.

Once our patties were cooking we smeared some amazing local goat cheese on the top while they had just a few minutes remaining. We also added some caramelized onions before topping each burger with the star of the show...the Green Chile Salsa.

A girl can never have too much bakeware

Is it too early to start a Christmas list? Aren't these bowls and Cassoulet adorable? All I am thinking of right now is how wonderful it would be to eat chili, stew or a gratin out of these, preferably curled up on the couch with my fuzzy winter socks on. With it being a blistering 105 degrees outside lately, this gift definitely seems a little premature, but such a perfect gift for me come December!

I just hope they look this amazing in person.

Party Time

Well, the party was a huge success. We had so much fun with all of our close friends and family. So much fun that we are actually still recovering. I realized once again how exhausting it is to entertain. Well worth all the time and energy, but geez, it's tiring. I love it though. It was so fun and all of the details paid off. Brian had a blast which was of course the main goal. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take many pictures and these don't really do the party scene justice, but I guess it helps provide some sort of a visual. Why I didn't find the time to take a picture of the large lanterns in the backyard that I spent hours hanging or take a picture of me and the birthday boy before the party started is beyond me... I was in hostess mode and not good wife preserving a memory mode. Honey...please forgive me.

Stocked bar with an amazing Peach Sangria.

My prized dessert table. After all the decorating, cleaning, preparing, running errands, and stocking the bar, 3 homemade desserts was all I could crank out. I resorted to having the food catered by Pappasito's, so we were all able to enjoy some great fajitas. Here are my Triple Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies, Brian's Birthday German Chocolate Cake, and some OMG Good Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies. The cookies post is coming, and they are totally going to be a staple for you! The girl's at work greatly appreciated some of the leftovers...

Lame partial view of the backyard. You can't see the light posts, the lanterns, the personally and artfully created birthday sign that was hung...Ridiculous.

P.S. I should be able to blog more often now that Brian has his new birthday gift from me. We can now both sit on the couch together...him on his iPad and me on my MacBook Pro lovin' life.

He's 30!

Yesterday was Brian's 30th Birthday. The day was great (for the most part...) I have taken off work yesterday and today in preparation for the big party tomorrow night. I ran errands in the morning, planted some new flowers, took Brian to lunch at Cafe R&D, ran more errands, baked cookies, baked brownies, cooked homemade cheeseburgers, drank wine, made Happy Birthday Milkshakes and still had time to clean out the entire area under the sink because the pipe to the disposal busted. Yes, this was the only part of the day that was not great. I was trying to clean out the fridge because I needed to make room for several of my desserts and other random ingredients for the party. As I am shoving lettuce down the sink (because I never made all those salads I was planning to have for lunch) I feel myself standing in a pool of green water. The water is running out of the cabinet underneath the sink and I just close my eyes and say a few choice words to make myself feel better. We have had a few problems with the disposal before as Brian has been determined to put some things down the sink that the disposal just can't handle. We have always managed to fix the pipes back and clean-up the mess and move on. Yesterday was worse than it had ever been before. Not only did the pipe get clogged, but it busted at one of the places where the pipes come together, so when I opened the cabinet doors, it looked like a lettuce firecracker had gone off under the sink. SICK. I hadn't scheduled in the 2 hours it took to clean it all out into my day, but what do you do? I hunkered down in the floor and proceeded to wipe lettuce and green water off of everything...walls, pipes, cleaning supplies, etc. Finally, Brian got home and fixed the pipes so I can now continue baking and washing dishes, however we both need to think before putting anything down the disposal in the future...

Moving on to the better part of the day...dessert! I am making Brian's favorite German Chocolate Cake for the party on Saturday, so unfortunately is wasn't available for our enjoyment last night. Lucky for me, Brian just wanted milkshakes! Woo Hoo! Super simple. I thought it needed a candle...so cute!

I found this recipe last summer when the Food Network first came out with its new magazine. You probably know which one I am talking about because the cover is advertised all over the place. The one with Bobby Flay on the cover with an amazing looking classic burger. Anyway, Bobby had this recipe to go with his burger, so it was only appropriate for Brian's birthday.

Chocolate Milkshakes with Marshmallow Creme

Whisk 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup marshmallow fluff and 1/8 tsp vanilla extract until stiff peaks form; set aside. Combine 1 cup milk and 3 cups chocolate ice cream in a blender and blend until smooth. Fill 4 glasses one-quarter of the way with the shake; add some marshmallow cream, then more milkshake, then more cream, then milkshake. Finish with a dollop of marshmallow.

Brian's Turning 30...whether or not I succeed at the party is still up in the air

Once again, I am stuck at a hotel and can't get out! That's what I do for a living though. I travel quite a bit and spend countless nights in random hotels. Sometimes it's great and sometimes it's not. This time...not so much. The meeting is going super well and I must say I have been getting decent sleep, but the problem is that tonight will be the 9th night I catch zzz's here out of a total of 11. Needless to say...I am ready to get out. I am ready for a home cooked meal made by none other than myself! More on that later...


Today......stress. I am stressing. I am stressing because Brian's 30th birthday is literally around the corner. I am stressing because I am throwing him a wonderful birthday bash with his close friends and family. I am stressing because I am spending 12 days at a hotel and that is keeping me from planning, shopping, organizing, decorating, baking, etc. You get it. I know you do cause you have probably been here. The party is going to be great and super amazing and an absolute blast. I am so excited to plan this for such an amazing husband and have this memory for year's to come. With that being said, stress still follows...


I need to be hanging these...

And putting up the tiki torches...


And figuring out how the heck to string extention cords so all my lights work. Not these lights. White christmas lights I have hung from the posts on the patio. I realized during the first part of this project (I am now on part 3 and not even done yet...this really could be a post all by itself, but I will spare you - I have wrapped one pole 3 times and unfortunatley for me, I think there will need to be a 4th) that hanging lights is quite complicated. I also realized that I desperately needed (and still need) my husbands help, but I am desperately trying to not make him help with the petty details of his own party...

And then there is deciding what type of Sangria to make...

And making 3 different desserts for all these peeps...including an extraordinary German Chocolate Cake...

And decorating the patio...and the kitchen...and the living room...

And figuring out how the heck I am going to fit the abundance of people who have accepted our invitation in our house without having them step all over each other...

And finally...determining how to add days in to the month of July.

The Best Basic Beef Burger

We have safely made it back from Mexico. After a cancelled flight out of Dallas, being redirected out of the way through Miami, surviving Tropical Storm Alex for 2 1/2 days, tackling 30 mph winds every single day, shielding 24 hour sandblasts, and not melting from the most extreme humidity known to mankind, we truly did have an amazing trip. Despite all of this, we managed to enjoy every moment of our time together. We ate decent food, drank plenty of Dos XX, mastered every 2 player card game we remembered from childhood, and came back golden brown and relaxed. Brian even managed to significantly improve his Spanish speaking skills. (He practiced non-stop for the entire trip and I am still waiting for it to wear off.) Unfortunately, there are no pictures as proof we had fun...every time we brought out the camera, it completely fogged up.

After eating resort food for an entire week (which was better than expected) we came home craving our local Texas favorites. The night we got in we hit up Fernando's for some of our favorite Tex Mex enchiladas, last night we had Louie's for great pizza, and tonight...what better than homemade juicy cheeseburgers.

We've made good burgers before and I think my favorite is still the hatch chile burger we made last summer. I cannot wait to give that another go round this year...

Anyway, tonight's burger came in 2nd place as far as Bischoff home burger's go. It was EXTREMLY juicy and full of flavor. It was so easy and fast too. We didn't even bother heating up the outdoor grill. We just straight up cooked 'em in the cast iron skillet.

Best Basic Beef Burger (recipe by The Bischoff's)

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 tbls soft butter

2 large soft buns (we use the freshly made ones from Central Market)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lb beef chuck (80% lean meat, 20% fat)

Vegetable oil

4 slices of your favorite cheddar cheese (no American...we've talked about this)

4 slices tomato (we used heirloom because they are in season and perfect right now)

2 leaves of lettuce

Pickles (this is totally up to you whether you want sweet, dill, or a combination. this is an important piece, so think about it...we found the most amazing homemade pickles at Central Market that are perfectly sweet, sour and a tad bit spicy)

Thinly sliced red onion

2 tbls mayonnaise

1 tbls mustard

Directions

Start by dividing the 1 lb of beef into 2 patties and let it come to room temperature. Season each patty liberally with salt and pepper on each side.

Heat a large cast iron skillet to medium high heat. Add a small amount of vegetable oil and wait for it to heat through. Once the oil is hot, add both patties to the pan and cook 3-4 minutes per side for medium. (The amount of time will vary depending on the width and size of your patties).

Meanwhile, spread the softened butter on each side of the buns and toast until golden brown on the inside, but still soft on the outside.

After the first 3-4 minutes is up, flip the patties and cook for 1 minute. Add 2 slices of cheese to each patty and cook for about 3 minutes longer.

Remove the patties from the skillet and let rest on a plate for about 5-10 minutes. (You want all those wonderful juices to redistribute themselves into the meat and not all over your plate when you cut or bite into your burger.) Note: the burger is still ridiculously juicy after letting it rest...make sure you have a roll of paper towels nearby.

Assemble your burger...Brian and I assemble differently, but the goal is to put something on the bottom bun that creates a barrier. Brian puts mayo and I put lettuce...either way, it keeps the juices from the beef from creating a soggy bun.

We paired our burgers with a mustardy potato salad and some Malbec.

Boccalone

I've talked about it before...my love for pig fat and pork products. Here the story continues...

I found out a few months ago I would be spending a week in San Francisco in August for work. Of course I was super excited because after visiting this wonderful city last October I realized how amazing it is. At the time however, Brian and I were spending several days of our vacation in Napa and in Oakland to visit some of Brian's family. Therefore, I spent the bulk of my restaurant research on Napa making sure to hit up Michael Chiarello's Bottega, wishing to go to Thomas Keller's French Laundry, and so on...I did ask around to a few friends who had been to San Fran where to eat, so we ended up at some amazing places. However, it was not until the past several months that I realized I had missed out on experiencing Boccalone. Lately, I have learned more and more of Chris Constantino and his true obsession with the pig. The Whole Pig. Boccalone. Tasty Salted Pig Parts.

You can begin judgement now. This IS a total man place. A guy's fantasy of delicious salami, pulled pork, mortadella, etc. and I cannot wait to stand in line for my sandwich.

Tickets are bought, hotel is booked...we are bound for Mexico in 11 days. Brian and I researched the heck out of every possible beach vacation and landed on the Riviera Maya at an all-inclusive adult only resort. I know it may not sound super fancy...it's not. We weighed the time we had with the money we had and this was the best fit. We are super excited to do nothing for 6 days except relax...we may read some books...we may not. We may leave the resort and do something active...we may not. The goal is to do nothing...

I am super glad I booked this trip when I did. Work is getting quite busy for the summer and it looks like I will be traveling A LOT in the next few months. I am re-dedicating myself to the blog though. I am making it a priority to bring you delicious dishes.

For the next 11 days, Brian and I are in beach-body diet mode. (Whatever that means) We are basically on strict diets to shed a couple of extra flabby pounds that I seem to have grown accustomed to carrying around. I have thought about this whole "diet" off and on today. Why do we do this? It seems like everyone I know goes on some form of a diet before a vacation or other special occasion...is it to off-set what we eat on vacation? I guess. If feeling a pound or two lighter now makes me feel less guilty later about a week's worth of indulgences while I am living it up in Mexico...than so be it.

However, for the past month or so we have been enjoying wonderful fruit smoothies for breakfast. They are extremly healthy and delicious and have kept me full until lunch while also making me feel energized. Try it...you might like it.

Energy Smoothie - Makes 2 smoothies (recipe by the Bischoff's)
1 cup Almond Milk (I buy unsweetened vanilla almond milk by Blue Diamond)
1/2 cup Coconut Water
1 1/2 cups fruit (fresh or frozen) I like to use the combination below
1 Small Banana
1/4 cup Blueberries
1/4 cup chopped Pineapple
1/2 cup Ice
1 tbls Almond Butter
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Agave Syrup
(If you workout add your protein powder)

Combine everything into your blender and puree until smooth. Enjoy!

King Ranch Chicken Casserole. From Scratch.

Ok, so you are probably wondering what I mean by "from scratch" with this recipe. I mean, no can of chicken soup and no can of mushroom soup. Please don't freak out. I know these are your comforts with this recipe. Trust me. I mean, "from scratch" by creating your own thickening agent with flour and cooking all of your veggies and spices until the flavors harmonize. This means taking more time with this dish and focusing on fresh ingredients. Not just dumping everything into a bowl and layering it in a casserole. Here cooking is required prior to baking.

What's my reasoning for putting all the added time and attention to making this dish from scratch? #1. I have been wanting to try a delicious recipe from The Homesick Texan #2. My dear friend Dana just had her first baby...a precious baby boy named Carter and she and her husband needed a delicious homemade meal. What is better to serve than a comforting casserole that just keeps on giving? #3. I have been wanting to make a casserole for Brian and me to eat off of all week and I didn't want to have to feel guilty about it being loaded with crap. #4. I am starting to focus on using the freshest ingredients I can in preparing week night dinners. So, here is where The Homesick Texan's Slightly Fancy-Pants King Chicken Casserole comes in. Please follow along below.

P.S. I did not use any cilantro, because as you know, I just do not have a taste for it. (Don't be fooled by my picture. That is simply a snip of parsley from my herb garden.)

Slightly Fancy-Pants King Ranch Chicken Casserole

(Recipe by The Homesick Texan & Photos by Me!)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of chicken, without skin and bones
4 teaspoons of lime juice
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons of butter
1/2 an onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 10oz. can of Ro-Tel tomatoes (or you can use a can of regular diced tomatoes and a 4 oz. can of diced green chiles, or if tomatoes are in season, can use two cups of diced fresh tomatoes with 1/4 cup of diced green chiles, such as a jalapeno)
4 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 cup of chicken broth
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of half and half
1/3 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
3 cups of grated pepper jack and cheddar
10 corn tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Cook the chicken in the olive oil on medium, adding 2 teaspoons of lime juice, 2 teaspoons of ancho chile powder and salt to taste.

2. When chicken is done (after about 20 minutes), shred it with two forks and set aside. Should yield about 3 cups.

3. Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium, and add the onions, red bell pepper and poblano pepper. Cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add the garlic, flour, cumin, cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons of ancho chile powder, and cook for 1 minute.

5. Add the chicken broth and cook on low until mixture is thickened, a few minutes.

Stir in the half-and-half and Ro-Tel cover the pot, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Uncover the pot, and add the sour cream, 2 teaspoons of lime juice and 1/4 cup of cilantro, and add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
8. Heat up the tortillas (you can do this by adding a bit of oil on an iron skillet and then cooking the tortillas for about 30 seconds on each side).
9. Ladle 1/2 cup of the sauce onto the bottom of an 11 x 7 inch baking pan.
10. Layer half the tortillas along the bottom of the pan (on top of the sauce). To make sure entire pan is evenly covered, you can rip some of the tortillas into strips to fill any gaps.
11. Add half the chicken, half the remaining sauce, half the remaining cilantro and 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese.

12. Repeat the layering, leaving the cheese layer on top.

13. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbling. Serves 6-12, depending on how big a portion you distribute. Goes great with sour cream and cilantro on top.

Homemade Hollandaise. The only way to eat it...

Ok, so it's been awhile. I'm sorry. I had an accident, a cooking accident actually and I haven't been cooking or baking or doing anything in the kitchen that requires using a knife since. So I haven't had anything to bring to you from my kitchen. It has been almost 3 weeks since it happened and last week I finally got to chopping some chocolate and pecans for some brownies, and got to a few veggies this week. I don't want to get too detailed or be too dramatic, but the accident did require a trip to the ER and makes me cringe thinking about chopping kale.

With that being said, I do have plans to make some divine dishes soon, so don't give up on me just yet. I also realized that I never shared with you my amazing hollandaise from Easter, which is a true tragedy because you should have made it by now...really.

Ok, so here is the dish on the hollandaise. On the Saturday before Easter, Brian and I had discussed making a veggie eggs benedict and on Easter Sunday we executed the masterpiece. We savored every bite, and we even took smaller bites to make the enjoyment last longer...it was incredible, and I am still thinking about it. Not only were all of the ingredients so fresh and so perfectly tastey, it was the hollandaise that brought it all together. You always need that unifying piece to the puzzle and for this dish, it was this hollandaise. I say THIS hollandaise because it wasn't just any hollandaise. It was crafted in my home, in my kitchen and it was lovely. It was so much better than anything I have ever had in any restaurant. Don't get me wrong, I have had ones that I thought were great at the time, but now after this experience, they were just good. Ours was light, creamy, slightly tangy with a touch of S&P and dill. Try it and tell me you have had better...

Homemade Dill Hollandaise (serves 6)

4 egg yolks, large

2 tbls freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided

1 cup clarified butter *(recipe below)

3 tbls water

Salt and freshly ground pepper (white pepper if you want it to look really pretty)

1 tbls fresh dill

This recipe is so super easy. Start by heating a saucepan with a few inches of water. Place a large metal bowl on top of the saucepan, but do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. The water should just heat the bottom of the bowl. Combine the eggs, water, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and whisk quickly until the sauce thickens and gets frothy. Once the sauce has reached this consistency, remove the pan from the heat and whisk rapidly to cool is slightly. About 30 seconds. While whisking, drizzle in the warm butter and whisk until sauce has thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, dill and the remaining lemon juice. If the sauce is too thick, add warm water 1 teaspoon at a time. Keep in a warm place until your dish is ready for hollandaise.

*Clarified Butter

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter over low heat until the butterfat becomes very clear and the milk solids drop to the bottom of the pot. (This will be obvious, just give it some time.) Skim the surface foam as the butter clarifies. Ladle off the butterfat into another container. Be careful to leave all the milky residue in the bottom of the pan. That's it!

Easter Brunch

I love the food on Easter Sunday...it is always packed with wonderful springy brunch dishes and includes some of the traditional spring favorites for dinner. Easter Sunday really starts off the spring season of eating. In Dallas, the weather has not been able to make up its mind. One day chilly, one day pouring rain, the next day hot and sunny. It is really confusing to the palate. Yesterday, it was beautiful outside and was really the ultimate spring day, so I headed to Whole Foods to stock up for the week. (Today, cloudy and chilly, but I am still so ready for spring.) Brian and I had a long run in the morning, preparing our appetites for a wonderful brunch together at home. There are so many things I could focus on with this creation. Everything came together so perfectly. Please invest the time and energy to make this one...it is worth it!

Egg's Benedict - Veggie Style (Recipe by me)


Serves 2


Ingredients
1 large freshly baked ciabatta roll
6 spears asparagus, ends trimmed
Olive Oil
Salt and Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
Handful of fresh spinach
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts
4 eggs
1 tbls white vinegar
4 tbls Kasey's Homemade Dill Hollandaise*** recipe here


Directions


For the asparagus and artichokes: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the asparagus spears with about a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the asparagus on a foil lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, take out the asparagus and add a few artichoke hearts to the pan. Continue roasting for about 2 minutes more. Cut the asparagus spears in half.


For the bread: Turn the oven to broil. Cut the bottom off of the ciabatta roll and cut the top into 2 halves. Toast in the oven until crispy.


For the spinach: Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add the garlic and saute for about 1 - 2 minutes until the garlic has infused the oil. Add the spinach and toss until the spinach as slightly wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until the spinach has wilted completely.


For the eggs: Bring a saucepan 3/4 full of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low until the water reaches a low simmer. Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Crack the first egg into a ladel and carefully drop the egg into the water. Set your kitchen timer for 4 1/2 minutes. Make sure to watch the water and do not let it come back to a rolling boil. When the timer goes off, remove the egg carefully with a large spoon and place on a paper towel and gently pat dry. Continue with the other 3 eggs. Once all eggs are done, sprinkle with salt and pepper.


To assemble: Place each piece of toasted ciabatta bread on a plate and top each one with spinach, cut asparagus, artichokes, and 2 eggs. To finish the dish, drizzle the hollandaise over the top.

Scarves...Nothing food related

Don't you just love a good scarf? I know this is totally random, but I have really come to love scarves of all forms. I love my older really long knitted scarves that have tassles at the end. I love my new spring scarves that are a simple pattern or a bright fun solid, but that are extremly light weight and that I can throw around my neck in several different ways. I love my pashmina shawl that's thick, warm and a lovely, cozy gray. I love my standard black scarf that goes with almost everything in my closet and that it can be dressed up or down. I love my skinny silk scarves that match some very unique pieces in my closet and the fact that I only paid a dime each for them at a garage sale in Greenville, Texas. (Such a steal! I know...I felt like I was robbing them.) I love the 2 scarves knitted by one of our family friends, Sharon, and the wonderful corkscrew shape one of them has. My dear friend Haley has this fabulous corkscrew scarf in a wonderful mustard-y yellow that her mom knitted. Little did I know that when I obsessed over her scarf that one was in my very near future. You see, the 2nd scarf I got from Sharon was not originally intended for me, but for my mom. My mom, however, could not see herself in it, so naturally I claimed it to make sure the world sees me in this fabulous scarf.

What got me to thinking about scarves? Well, I thought it was going to be warm and sunny today, but instead it is quite cloudy, windy, and chilly. I wish I was wearing one of my fabulous scarves...that's it.

Cheesecake Cookies (Recipe by Paula Deen)

Welcome to the wonderful land of cheesecake...Well, I have actually never tried to make cheesecake before. I am afraid I have feared failure for the past several years. My really good friend Dana made cheesecakes all the time in college and they always cracked on the top...she has now mastered cheesecake though, and they are truly delicious. I however decided to cheat a little this time and made the cheesecake in a 9 x 13 baking pan so they were a lot thinner than actual cheesecake. Don't call me a slacker...I needed to start out easy just for my own sane of mind. I was attempting the dessert for Brian's family who was in town for the weekend and I really didn't want something ugly or inedible, so I took a no-fuss, simple recipe from Mrs. Paula Deen to help me out. I was serving a simple house salad with homemade garlic croutons, warm toasted garlic bread with butter and oregano, my traditional homemade lasagna layered with my delicious red sauce made from scratch of course and these cheesecake cookies for dessert sprinkled with a touch of powered sugar, mint, and a sliced strawberry. (The picture doesn't include any strawberries because I pretty much gobbled those down because they were so delicious and forgot to save some for photo purposes.) Anyway, if you are looking for a simple, creamy, and decadent dessert...this one's for you!

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 stick butter, melted

Filling:

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract
• Fresh berries and mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Start by sifting your flour into a large mixing bowl.

Combine flour and brown sugar.

Add in pecans and butter into your bowl and stir to combine.

Press dough into an ungreased 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

I started the filling while my crust was baking.

For the filling, place your softened cream cheese and sugar in a bowl

Beat cream cheese and granulated sugar together in a bowl until smooth.

Using a handheld electric mixer; add eggs and extract; beat well.

Pour the filling over a slightly cooled crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Cut into squares before serving. Decorate tops with berries and mint leaves.

Breakfast in Bed

So I decided this week to give myself a spring break. I was on the road a lot during the first quarter of the year, so why not right? I love all meals of the day, but I truly love breakfast. I usually only get to enjoy a nice hearty breakfast on the weekends, but I love days when I can make myself a nice fulfilling breakfast during the week. I adore eggs and woke up today craving a nice piece of egg toast. I brewed some coffee and whipped up a fabulous egg over medium, toasted some fresh sourdough bread and topped it with some mozzarella. I took it all upstairs to enjoy breakfast in bed while watching the Today show...I could get used to this.

Egg Toast for one

1 large egg

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large slice of fresh sourdough bread

1/8 cup shredded mozzarella

1 tbls butter

Start by heating a nonstick skillet on low and spray with some Pam. Crack the egg into the pan, careful not to break the yolk and let it start to cook low and slow. Sprinkle with some salt and freshly ground pepper. After yolk has slightly set, flip egg over and cook for a couple of minutes. You will know it is medium when you touch the yolk and it gives back slightly. I usually cover the pan with the plate while it cooks to help steam the egg.

Spread the butter on the piece of sourdough and toast until it reaches your desired "toasty-ness". Top with mozzarella and place under broiler until cheese is melted.

Top your cheesy toast with your perfectly cooked egg and get ready to enjoy.

Make sure your coffee is ready to go. This is going to be a great breakfast which will be a great start to your day...Look at that slightly runny yolk...mmmm. Delicious.