Because of the new babysitting schedule I’m finally FREE on a Thursday – WOW! (We changed to Monday/Tuesday starting 1:30 – around 4:30/5 – or a little later if needed). I just agreed to the same next week – it works out MUCH better for me not working the extra hours (used to be 9:30 a.m. – 4/5/6 etc.) VERY long hours!
Today my husband decided to drive me around to my various errands: first we went to deliver about 12 baby blankets/hats/booties, toys to Crossroads Pregnancy Center – they offer them to expectant mothers. It’s been probably 2 years since I’ve donated to them and now that our Detroit Veterans Hospital Baby Shower is almost upon us ( beginning of May) all of my baby knitting for them is ready to go. I needed another ‘charity/out/donations’ so this fills the bill! Next we stopped at Michael’s crafts store where I was able (with a LOT of help from one of their staff) to find three skeins of a new yarn I just feel in love with. It’s called “Loops and Threads Ombre Hues” in a lovely violet/purple hue. Took us quite awhile to locate the yarn then actually FIND it in the store! Turns out it was on an End Cap about 3 aisles over from where their yarn is located but the lovely lady found me exactly what I wanted – they only had THREE skeins of my color and I was THRILLED – that’s all I needed to make a baby blanket. It’s really pretty varied shades of purple/lavender and SUPER SOFT! Gonna love finding a pattern for this one!
Next was a quick grocery store trip – got that done then home. We decided it was more than time to order CHINESE FOOD! YES! It’s been a long time since we did that so we pigged out on Sweet ‘n Sour Pork, Shrimp fried rice & Almond Boneless chicken – YUM!!!
Caramelitas (bar cookies)
1 C. rolled oats
3/4 C. melted butter
1 C. flour
3/4 C. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 (about 11 oz) bag soft caramels
1 C. chocolate chips
1/2 C. heavy cream
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Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Spray a 8 X 8″ baking pan with
nonstick cooking spray.
In small saucepan combine caramels &
heavy cream – cook over medium heat.
Stir continuously until all is smooth &
caramels have melted. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl combine melted butter,
brown sugar, flour, rolled oats & baking
soda – mix until well combined.
Press half of oat mixture into bottom
of prepared pan in even layer.
Bake 10 minutes.
Remove & sprinkle choc. chips evenly
over crust. Pour caramel mixture over
choc. chips.
Spread remaining half of oat mixture over
caramel layer, creating a top crust.
Return to oven – bake 20 minutes until
top is brown.
Once fully cooked, make sure bars are
cooled completely before cutting into squares.
(recipe: cooktopcove.com)
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Parmesan Meatloaf
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. lean ground turkey
2 large eggs
1/4 C. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C. marinara sauce
1/2 C. Italian cheese mix
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Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In large bowl combine meats, seasonings,
eggs, bread crumbs, garlic & onions – don’t
overhandle – just combine – shape into
loaf pan.
Top with sauce then place loaf pan on a
baking sheet.
Bake 45-60 minutes
Remove & top with cheese. Place back in
oven until cheese melts.
Let it rest 5-10 minutes before cutting.
Serves 6
(recipe: justapinch.com)
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Ham, Spinach & Potato Pizza
(time for dough to rise 1 1/2 hrs or up
to overnight)Dough:
1 1/3 C flour (plus more for dusting)
2/3 C. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1 C. lukewarm water
Toppings:
3 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, torn
2 handfuls fresh spinach
6 oz. thick-cut (3/8 inch) sliced ham,
cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 oz. rainbow fingerling potatoes
thinly sliced (1/8 to 1/16th inch thick)
kosher salt/black pepper
crushed red pepper flakes, for sprinkling
grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
handful chopped fresh parsley
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Dough:
In a medium bowl combine flours, salt,
sugar & yeast – mix in water until combined.
Cover with plastic wrap & let rise at room
temp. for 1 1/2 hours (or up to overnight)
Preheat oven 475 degrees F.
Position a pizza stone OR inverted
baking sheet in oven.
Cut out 2 big sheets of parchment paper &
dust liberally with flour.
Divide dough into 2 pieces & place each
on a piece of parch. paper. (dough will be
very sticky – don’t be shy in dusting it with
enough flour as needed to handle it)
Roll out dough on parchment until dough is
very thin & about 12 inches in diameter,
dusting with flour as needed.
Toppings;
Brush each dough round with 1 T. oil & top with
garlic, shallot, mozz cheese, spinach & ham.
In a medium bowl toss potatoes with remaining
1 T. olive oil & distribute potatoes over the pizzas
in a single layer, not allowing the potatoes to
overlap. Sprinkle both pizzas with a good pinch
of salt & a few grinds of black pepper.
Using a pizza peel (OR a baking sheet) slide
one of the pizzas on it’s parchment onto the
pizza stone OR inverted baking sheet)
Bake about 12 minutes until cheese is splotchy
with brown marks & potatoes are browned.
Sprinkle tops of pizzas with crushed red pepper,
Parm. cheese & parsley.
Makes two 12-inch pizzas
(recipe: foodnetwork.com)
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Crockpot Sweet ‘n Spicy Pork Tenderloin
1 (2 lb) pork tenderloin
1 medium yellow onion, sliced into rings
8 T. honey mustard salad dressing
3 T. soy sauce
3 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. honey
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. chili paste
2/3 C. water
salt/black pepper – to taste
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Pat pork tenderloin dry using paper
towels – trim any excess fat. Cover
with salt/black pepper – to taste.
Place sliced onions on bottom of crockpot –
lay tenderloin on top. Pour water on bottom
of crockpot around tenderloin.
In a bowl mix remaining ingredients – whisk
until combined (taste & adjust heat & sweetness-
adjust to your liking); pour over tenderloin.
Cover & cook on High 4 hours (or Low about
7 hours).
Serves 4-8
(recipe: justapinch.com)
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Russian Chicken
1 large 5-6 lb. chicken, cut up;
8-10 bone-in pieces (rinsed &
patted dry with paper towels)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
4 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
4 large Granny Smith apples, cored/
cut into eights (place in a bowl of
water with a little lemon juice to keep
them from turning brown, until ready
to use)
1 large sweet onion, thickly sliced
1/2 C. orange skins cut from 2 large
navel oranges
1 C. white wine
1 C. orange juice, squeezed from the
2 navel oranges
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Heat a large cast-iron pan (or wok) over
high heat. Add butter & oil. Salt & pepper
chicken pieces & place half of them in hot
oil to sear, skin side down. Turn after 4-5
minutes (or once skin is crispy), cook other
side 4-5 minutes.
While first batch of chicken is cooking, line
bottom of a Dutch oven with
half of the apple pieces (but do not turn on
burner yet). Place seared chicken on top of
raw apple wedges. Cook second half of
chicken, searing on both sides – set aside.
Keep pan hot & add onions & orange strips;
cook just until onions start to soften, tossing &
stirring often. Using a slotted spoon, remove
half of cooked onion/orange & spread over
chicken in Dutch oven – top with rest of onion
mixture.
Once apples are done, lay those on top.
(Dutch oven should have layers of uncooked apples,
chicken, onion/orange peel, more chicken, more
onions & orange peel – finished with seared apples.
Deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping any
brown bits from bottom & pour over chicken in
Dutch oven. Pour in squeezed orange juice &
bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to Low & cook
about 12-15 minutes until thickest part of chicken
pieces registers 160 degrees F. on an instant-read
thermometer. Remove chicken pieces to a platter
& cover with apples/onions; serve with some of
the liquid on the side.
Serves 8
(recipe: afamilyfeast.com)
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Tomato Florentine Soup
1 tsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 large tomatoes, diced (about 2 lb)
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 (14 oz, ea) cans reduced-sodium
chicken broth
1 (10 oz) pkg. fresh spinach, trimmed
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
(optional topper)
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In soup pot, heat oil over medium heat.
Add onion & garlic – saute 5 minutes until
onion is browned, stirring occasionally.
Add tomatoes & Italian seasoning – cook
10 minutes until tomatoes soften,
stirring occasionally.
Add chicken broth, spinach & pepper; bring
to boil.
Reduce heat to Low; cover & simmer
2-3 minutes until spinach is wilted.
Ladle soup into bowls & top with Parmesan
cheese, if using.
Serves 7
(recipe: mrfood.com)
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Heaven on Earth Cake
1 angel food cake (pre-made OR bake
a box of angel food cake mix & let cool)
1 (18 oz) can cherry pie filling
1 (3.6 oz/4-serving) box instant vanilla pudding
mix
1 1/2 C. milk
1 C. sour cream
1 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip, thawed
sliced almonds (optional) garnish
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Cut angel food cake into 1-inch cubes.*
Layer half of the cake pieces evenly in
bottom of a 9 X 9″ baking pan (if you have
a trifle bowl – you could put it in this)
Spread 2/3rds of pie filling evenly over
cake layer then layer remaining cubed
cake over top of pie filling.
In a medium bowl using elec. mixer,
combine pudding mix, milk & sour
cream – mix until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Pour evenly over top of cake.
Spread Cool Whip evenly over pudding
layer.
Drop & spread remaining pie filling over
top of cake.
Refrigerate 4-5 hours (or overnight) before serving.
(cake needs this amount of time to soak up all the
flavors)
Sprinkle top of cake with slivered almonds, if
desired.
Serves 10
NOTE:
*The best knife for cutting angel food cake is a
knife with serrated blade.
(recipe: spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com)
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It’s another really lovely day – 63 degrees F. & sunny with fluffy clouds & a bit of a strong breeze. Yesterday we were under a Severe Weather Watch for most of the afternoon & evening but we only got a mild thunderstorm – nothing big. On & off for the rest of the week we’re supposed to get rain – we’ll see. It’s April – we will need the rain for the flowers & budding trees! I LOVE SPRING! So many gorgeous colors of blooming things! I was finally able to identify it – it’s a vine that I’ve been seeing around. I know we had it in our yard when I was growing up but I finally remembered the name of it: Bittersweet! It has red ‘flowers’ with red ‘almost like a cherry’ in the center of the ‘bloom’ – strange looking but the color is magnificent – bright red/orange!
Enjoy your day! Remember to have some FUN or do something that makes you smile or relax!!!
Hugs;
Pammie
Pammie's Place 