Frosting.

Okay, here are my 2 most favorite icings. ;)

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz cream cheese (softened)
Cube of butter (softened)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 box of confectioners sugar

Combine all ingredients, mix using hand or standing mixer until soft and of spreadable consistency.

Vanilla Icing

3 cups of confectioners sugar
Cube of cutter (softened)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tsp of whipping cream

In a standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, mix together butter and sugar. Mix on low speed until well blended, then increase speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat for 1 minute (medium speed) adding desired amount of cream in small increments, until desired spreading consistency is reached.

Bon Appétit

-Katie

Asparagus for dummies

I am kind of assuming everyone knows this but I just learned this tonight. I am 33 yrs old and I just learned this. (shakes head) And of course I learned it from my sister and she informed me that our mother taught her...which means she probably taught me but I was probably day dreaming or something at the time... (shakes head again)

Once you buy your asparagus and bring it home and get ready to cook it...

Take 2 or 3 stalks at a time and gently "bend" them near the bottom...the bottom of the asparagus will then break off at a natural breaking point. The remainder top part of the asparagus is ready for you to cook up however you like.

This eliminates that tough bottom of the asparagus that is soooo hard to eat.


Seriously people. How did I not know this before?!

PS. I read in an etiquette book once that asparagus is the only veggie you can eat with your fingers and it is not considered rude.



How we cooked it tonight:

Covered the bottom of the pan in Olive Oil
Medium Heat
Put the Asparagus in and toss it in the Olive Oil until they are covered.
Cook till they look good. We made ours really al-dente (is that a pasta word or can I use it on asparagus?).
*depending on the thickness of your asparagus the cooking times will vary...ours were really thin and didn't take long at all
About half way through add cut up Honeyed Almonds (I had some in a pouch already cut up from the grocery store)
At the very last we added diced tomatoes (minus the seeds/slimy part) in and gently cooked them for a minute or two...long enough to warm them up.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

I have to say...this was A-Maze-ing!

I hope you try it and I hope you learned something new too!

Quesadilla- Patty's way.

1 medium flour tortilla(s)
chopped onion (to taste)
chopped, seeded jalapeno (to taste)
2oz low-fat Montorrey cheese shredded
1/4 cup grilled chicken breast

5 points on Weight Watchers*

In a heavy skillet, heat one flour tortilla. Spread shredded cheese on the tortilla and top with 1/2 the chicken mixture. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup cheese over the chicken and top with another tortilla. When bottom tortilla is lightly brown and cheese has started to melt, flip quesadilla and cook on the opposite side.

You can serve it with guacamole or pico de gallo on top. I'll share a recipe for both soon.

Enjoy!

*I forgot to add in my introduction post that I am currently battling weight loss. I'm on the Weight Watchers program so my recipes will have the Weight Watchers points on them for those looking for some new low fat recipes.

The belly rules the mind. ~Spanish Proverb

Hola!

I'm Patty. I'm married (4 years this Easter!) and a mother to two boys, my first born is 3, my youngest is 10 months. We currently live in Los Angeles, Southern California. I say currently because my husband is in the military.

No matter how hectic our lives are (moving, living out of suitcases at times, not knowing what's next) we always enjoy a home cooked meal, sitting at the dinner table. I love to cook, but I'm not one of those fancy chefs. What I make is easy, and something you will usually have in your kitchen already. Not those hard to pronounce ingredients that you will likely not use again. ;)

Salud!

oh yeah, I can cook...kinda :)

So I'm the least likely to be apart of a cooking blog...I am okay with a recipe and I learn fast but it does not come natural. So when I do accomplish something in the kitchen it is kind of a big deal...

My sister is the queen of throwing anything and everything together and having amazing meals. My mom is pretty much the same. Me...not so much. The last time I just "threw" things together it was bad. Very very bad. So needless to say I will stick to recipes that work and I will glean from those around me and find more ideas and ways to keep my family well fed. (my husband claims to enjoy the taste of burnt bread and cookies...lol...he is to kind)

All that to say....if I post a recipe...you can bet it's easy and will be hard to mess up :)

Here we go!

Jamie

The Spaniard Salad

There seemed to be a theme of mexican foods going so I thought I would continue it with a salad. Easy and very low calories, only 319. This is another recipe you can adjust the ingredients to make for 2 or for a large party.

3 Corn Tortillas
1 pd chicken (or you may use ground beef)
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
2 tomatoes, diced.
6 cups shredded lettuce
2 green onions sliced
1 can black olives, drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fat free thousand island dressing

Optional: If you want to add some spice, you can add hot chilies of your choice.

Oven set to 350.
Cut the tortillas into strips and place on a cookie sheet. I would recommended using butter or cooking spray before placing them on the sheet as they will stick as the brown and will break easy. Cook strips until lightly brown. You may have to shift them on the sheet to get all sides.

Cook chicken and add taco seasoning mix according to the packet. Combined separately lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, olives and kidney beans. Add chicken, tortilla strips and thousand island. Toss altogether and its ready to serve.

Enjoy!!

Cake recipe.. sharing one and in need of one..

So, Nova's birthday is coming up and I am expecting somewhere between 40 and 50 people. I have decided to make three cakes:

1. Traditional Danish birthday cake - will share my recipe below

2. Red Velvet cupcakes - In desperate need of a good Red velvet recipe

3. A Lightning McQueen cake - as he is having a Car's themed birthday, I hate themes, but my sister started it and I don't see any other way now.. I also need a good recipe for the inside of this cake

so anyone feel like sharing their favorite Red Velvet recipe and base cake recipe..In return ill share the Danish version of a birthday cake..

Danish Layer Cake

First you need to prepare the layers, you need:
8 eggs
8 tbsp sugar
8 tbsp flour
2 tsp baking powder

Separate the eggs and whip the egg whites until they form peaks. Whip the egg yolks with sugar until creamy. Add the whipped egg whites and the flour and baking powder gently to the egg yolks. Bake the mixture in a springform on 350' for 40-45 minutes. Take it out turn it upside down and leave to cool. Slice the cake in 3 slices.

Now for the filling:
there is really artistic freedom when you make this layer cake I will share our favorite:

1 small pack of pudding
Whipping cream ( some people mush up raspberrys through a sieve and add to the whipped cream to make it pink.
Vanilla essence
Bananas (change for any fruit you like)
Pineapple
Chocolate chips
Marzipan or almond paste

Prepare the pudding as per package, whip the cream with a little vanilla essence and a dash of sugar, cut the banana in slices and the pineapple. Roll the Marzipan into a sheet to cover the first layer.

We usually do this configuration:

Bottom layer:
Marzipan
Pudding
Banana's

Middle layer:

Pudding
Chocolate chips
Pineapple

Top layer:
Whipped cream
Choc chips and bananas

Velbekomme!

Stephanie


Nova's first birthday cake - I kept it simple..


Wanted to show you the inside of it..


A cake I made for my sister last year..