Cookie Cake Pie Recipe

Yes, you read that properly. Someone combined three amazing things into one insane dessert. I'm not even going to try copying and pasting the directions. Just click over.

July 15th update: The kids and I made it today. It was great, they loved it.

Coca Cola Chicken

Now this sounds really interesting. Maybe this weekend? If I do it I'm just going to use chicken breasts rather than an entire chicken.

1 whole chicken
4 tbsp cummin powder
2 tbsp coriander powder
4 tbsp ginger paste
2 tbsp garlic paste
2 tbsp onion paste
5 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp thick soya sauce
1 cinnamon stick
4 pcs cloves
2 pcs clove flowers
200 ml coca cola
6 tbsp corn oil
3 cups water
1 tbsp salt


Clean the chicken and cut into small bite sizes.
pour oil in a wok then fry the cinnamon stick, cloves and cloves flower.
when it pops, put the ginger, garlic, onion paste, fry till aroma rises
Then put the cummin, coriander powder in a slow fire ,fry well.
After 5 minut put the chicken in the wok and mix well.
Pour 3 cups of water,1 tbsp salt and cover it.
Cook till the chicken becomes tender.
Put thin and thick soya sauce cook for 5 min.
Lastly pour the coca cola into the gravy and serve it with plain rice.

Injera

I'm going to make this tomorrow. I'm working on finding more ethnic recipes to go along with it.

Injera is not only a kind of bread—it’s also an eating utensil.

In Ethiopia and Eritrea, this spongy, sour flatbread is used to scoop up meat and vegetable stews. Injera also lines the tray on which the stews are served, soaking up their juices as the meal progresses. When this edible tablecloth is eaten, the meal is officially over.

Injera is made with teff, a tiny, round grain that flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. While teff is very nutritious, it contains practically no gluten. This makes teff ill-suited for making raised bread, however injera still takes advantage of the special properties of yeast. A short period of fermentation gives it an airy, bubbly texture, and also a slightly sour taste.

1/4 cup teff flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
a pinch of salt
peanut or vegetable oil



1. Put the teff flour in the bottom of a mixing bowl, and sift in the all-purpose flour.

2. Slowly add the water, stirring to avoid lumps.

3. Stir in the salt.

4. Heat a nonstick pan or lightly oiled cast-iron skillet until a water
drop dances on the surface. Make sure the surface of the pan is smooth: Otherwise, your injera might fall apart when you try to remove it.

5. Coat the pan with a thin layer of batter. Injera should be thicker than a crêpe, but not as thick as a traditional pancake. It will rise slightly when it heats.

6. Cook until holes appear on the surface of the bread. Once the surface is dry, remove the bread from the pan and let it cool.

In case you can't find teff flour here is an alternative recipe:

½ c Flour, Whole Wheat
1 ½ c Flour, All Purpose
1T Baking Powder
½ t Salt
2 ½ c Club Soda
2 ea Lemons juice only

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over a medium-low flame. Wipe with a paper towel soaked in a little oil. Mix all dry ingredients together well. Stir in club soda and mix to a smooth batter. Should have the thin consistency of a pancake batter. Pour about 1/2 cup of the batter at a time into the skillet and spread with a spatula to make as large a crepe as possible. Let bake in the skillet till all bubbles on the top burst and begin to dry out, about 2-3 minutes.

Carefully turn the injera and bake on second side another minute or two. Try not to brown the injera.

Remove the injera to a warm platter and repeat with the rest of the batter, wiping the skillet clean with the paper towel each time.

After the batter is used up, brush each injera all over with the lemon juice. Serve immediately, or hold covered in a warm oven.

No Bake Cookies

I didn't know such a thing existed until I went to church on last Wednesday. So yummy, guys, seriously. I got this recipe at All Recipes.

1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

I exist!

For those of you reading this through my facebook feed you're going to be wondering why it sounds like I haven't written in a while even though my status gets updated pretty regularly. Ignore this post if that is the case.


For those of you reading this via RSS or actually on the blog: Hi!!! So real quick run down of the past month...In early June I dropped the kids in Texas to visit their dad for a month. While down there I stayed a few days with my Gpa that I haven't seen since I was two.



Then I "swung" by Nashville to visit some friends from high school. The timing was pretty perfect b/c Kristin was planning on coming back up to Illinois to visit her family for a week so she ended up just driving up with me a few days later. I had tons of fun hanging out with her and barely spent any time at home. We even managed to take a road trip with our friend Sam (she is a photographer) to see her show up in Madison.

Before I knew it the month was almost up and I got ready to head down to Springfield, MO to get the kids back. Needless to say I was very excited. Now we're home, settled, and the kids are enjoying the pool while I work outside on the deck.

I've got a few cool recipes and websites to share, so look for those over the next couple of weeks. Oh, and I've got my final project due on Thursday for my summer course - I suppose I should start it.

Sour Cream and Spinach Pancakes

This sounds really interesting.



1 batch pancake batter
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1/3 cup honey
1 T flaxseed meal (optional)



Prepare a batch of pancake batter. Set aside.

Blend the spinach in a blender or food processor until completely chopped. It will make about 1/2 cup. Set aside.

Stir in sour cream to the batter. Combine well with a fork until smooth. Add honey and eggs. Add the chopped spinach and the flaxseed meal to the batter and stir. Make into pancakes as normal.

Reflections: Family Friendly Apparel & Gifts

Make sure you guys update your links, Carla has (finally) got a website with all her awesome designs in one place. This surely will prove to make browsing her product line much easier, and I for one am excited. So go stop by the new www.carlarolfe.com today!

//END PROMO POST//

Pancake Pantry in Nashville

So, my trip got extended a bit when I decided to swing by Nashville on the way home from Texas and further decided to stay on until Tuesday morning. I freelance so it isn't like I have an office I need to be at. Yesterday my friend and I went out for breakfast (at 2pm) to a place called The Pancake Pantry. Guys, seriously, if you go to Nashville you have to try this place out. The selection of pancakes is insane, and you can mix and match different ones. I got the Georgia Peach Pancakes.

Texas here I come

Ok, not quite yet but soon - this weekend in fact! I'm going to be driving the kids down to Texas so they can visit their dad & step-mom and then driving home. On the way down we're going to stay in OK for the night and do some free touristy things. Once I'm down there I'm going to get to see my Gpa for a couple days, meet up with some internet friends, and then maybe hit Nashville on the way home. Pictures and maybe some recipes when I get back.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Marinaded Steak

Have I mentioned I'm not a huge fan of steak? I know that sounds weird, but I'm just not. I could eat it a few times per year and be ok with that. Which is why chicken is featured so frequently on the blog. I've tried a million different things to my meat to see if that will make me enjoy it more to no avail - until now. Last night I threw some Olde Cape Cod All Natural Raspberry Vinaigrette on my cut of sirloin and let it sit for about 30 minutes before I threw it on the grill. Seriously, guys, delicious. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, so it was a very nice surprise.

Wet Burritos

There is a convience store near my house that also makes random fresh food. Sometimes I get a wet burrito from there (for like $10!) that feeds two people pretty easily and is yum. I found a recipe today for them so I'm pretty excited.

1 lb lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, in sauce divided
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (or you can use mexican blend)
4 large flour tortillas
2 cups refried beans, with
1/4 teaspoon cumin, added
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 (18 ounce) jar homestyle beef gravy


FOR SERVING

sour cream
chopped onion
salsa
jalapenos
chopped lettuce
chopped tomato



Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic, making sure to chop ground beef into very fine pieces while cooking.

Drain off any fat from browning.

Add Worcestershire sauce, paprika, oregano, chili powder, cumin, pepper, and half of the can of tomatoes with sauce, and simmer for 5 minutes.

While meat is simmering, heat beans with 1/4 tsp. cumin, and make gravy.

For gravy, combine enchilada sauce, beef gravy, and the other half of tomatoes, and heat until almost boiling.

Soften tortillas according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Assemble burritos.

On each tortilla, layer 1/4 of the meat mixture, 1/4 of the bean mixture, and 1/4 cup of cheese.

Fold sides of burrito in, then roll from the other sides until you have a"package".

Place seam side down in a 13x9 baking dish.

When all burritos are assembled and in the baking dish, pour sauce mixture over all and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and burritos are heated through.

Serve each burrito with extra sauce from pan spooned over the top.

Have sour cream, chopped onions, salsa, jalapenos, chopped lettuce and chopped tomatoes available to sprinkle on as desired.

Cranberry Couscous

MckMama posted a recipe that sounds really interesting. I haven't made couscous in months, and this definitely peaked my interest.

2 cups instant couscous
1 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or toasted halved almonds)
2 teaspoons white onion, very finely chopped
1 32 oz. can chicken broth
dash salt
dash black pepper

In a medium bowl, combine couscous, dried cranberries, onions, salt and pepper.

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Pour in couscous mixture. Allow to sit, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the couscous has absorbed all the broth.

Once broth has been absorbed, fluff with a fork. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over couscous. Serve immediately.