Macaron Making - Take 3

Macaron Recipe -

• 200 grams powdered sugar

• 110 grams almond flour

• ¾ teaspoon instant espresso powder

• 90 grams egg whites (about 3 eggs)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 25 grams granulated sugar

Frosting Recipe -

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon strong brewed coffee, cooled.

** This frosting was absolutely amazing -- but definitely made way to much for the number of macarons yielded from the recipe. We had left over frosting that we squished between mini nilla wafers and make "mock-arons" for Thanksgiving with Josh's family. They were amazing!

the cookies were definitely better on height and look, but they ran together too much. Overall a GREAT product.


Our batter was definitely thinner than last time, when my assumption was I made Josh whip the meringue too "stiff". Overall, I do think this consistency was better, it just took us a bit to figure out how full to pipe them. 

FFET!!!!

Our giant "caterpillar" cookie: 

Finished Product: 

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes

Josh requested these as the small group dessert the week of his birthday. They are to die for -- seriously, the frosting is amazing.

CUPCAKE: (Modified from Once Upon My Life)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, at room temperature
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.
3. Whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla.
4. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
5. Place three tablespoons of batter in each prepared baking cup.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes.
7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

FROSTING: (borrowed from Mele Cotte)
5 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
~ ¼ cup cream or milk

1. Whisk together powdered sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
2. Mix butter until fluffy and pale. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce speed on low and gradually add cinnamon sugar one cup at a time alternating with a tablespoon of milk. (The amount of milk needed may vary.) Beat until smooth.

Post-Evie Meal Prep

Some extra cooking and freezing this week allowed me to cross another huge item off my to-do list...meal prep for after Evie arrives. I've got us covered for 14 meals and obvious left overs for lunch mommy's midnight snacking!

I did one massive chicken breast boiling and shredding party and from 9 chicken breasts got meat for:
- 2 Taco Nights
- 1 Quesadilla Night
- 1 Pan of Enchiladas
- 1 Buffalo Pizza
- 2 Nights of my mother-in-laws famous Chicken Roll Ups

I made and froze a Stromboli as well

I've also purchased the canned ingredients and frozen the meat for these great crockpot meals:
- 2 Crockpot Chilis
- 2 of this new Chicken Taco Stuffing recipe

I've also got supplies on hand for:
- 2 Pasta Nights

Mexican Chicken Taco Stuffing

One of my "to do items" for this week was to start prepping freezer meals for after Evie's arrival. I found this link with 6 chicken meals: http://www.stacymakescents.com/crock-pot-freezer-cooking-tutorial-6-meals-1-hour

This one seemed particularly yummy to me, so I made it today to test it.

I changed a few things: 

- 3 chicken breasts 

- 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes - with juice, not drained

- 1 tbs of diced green chilies

- I kept the drained blackbeans, frozen corn, and cream cheese

In the future I would add some salt and more chilies. It was really delicious! We ate it with tortilla chips. 

Blueberry Cobbler

This recipe is to die for! I had never made a cobbler before, but found this recipe online earlier this summer.

I made a few modifications and like it much better. You can taste the blueberries more. Basically I increased the crust amounts by half and removed some sugar from the topping. 

Ingredients: 

Crust
1 1/2 cup of sugar
3 cups of all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
6 tablespoons of shortening
1 1/2 cups of milk

Filling
2 pounds of fresh blueberries
3/4 cup of sugar
4 tablespoons of butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease 9x13 pan with butter or shortening
3. Mix together all ingredients for the crust; put 3/4 of mixture into the bottom of the pan
4. Add all blueberries to pan
5. Pour additional crust mix over the blueberries
6. Top with 3/4 cups of sugar and cut up cubes of butter
7. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
8. Enjoy with ice cream!

Tex Mex Chicken Meal

I've been looking for some new recipes lately. With Josh's allergies our meat options are limited, so we get bored easily. 

I found this easy recipe online this week, so we tried it last night. 

http://www.busymomsrecipebox.com/2012/10/slow-cooker-tex-mex-chicken.html?m=1

I made a few modifications:

- I shredded the chicken instead of cubbing it. 

- I didn't add the peppers. 

- served with cilantro. 

- doubled the amount of salsa. 

It was a hit with all 3 of us. 

Strawberry Picking

On Monday my mom and I took Ella strawberry picking for the first time.

I love strawberry picking and it's sorta a summer tradition for my mom and me, so I was excited to share it with E. 

It was brutally hot, so we didn't last long, but Ella actually did pretty well. At first she just stuck her thumb right into the berries; so she ate those ones. 👶🍓

Eventually I got her to pull on the stem right above the berry. However she picked every. single. berry. she saw, bug holes, misshaped, and the like. 

She is so precious to me and I look forward to taking my sweetheart again every summer. 

Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta

I love a good pasta dish that allows me to just throw in the "veggie requirement" for that meal. One-dish dinners are my favorite. Now if you can make it one pot, I'm in heaven.

We had sweet friends from D.C. over this weekend as they passed through on their way home for the holidays - even though we only saw them for a few short hours - it was wonderful to have them here and meet their sweet baby.

For some reason - I always think it is a wonderful idea to try a new recipe for company. Luckily, this one was a big hit. I took the recipe originally from InspiredDreamer.com.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried basil
• pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• freshly cracked pepper to taste
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 oz. cream cheese
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan
• ½ lb. penne pasta
• 9 oz. fresh spinach 

Hint: I used "small shells" pasta - and used 14 oz - and this barely served 4 people - so I would make an entire box of pasta in the future.

Instructions

1.  Dice the onion and mince the garlic, set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender (7-10) minutes. Drain the pasta.
3. While waiting for the pasta, cook the onion and garlic in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium-low heat until softened and transparent (about 5 minutes).
4. Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and a ½ cup of water to the skillet and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce.
5. Turn the heat down to low. Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and then add them to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Use a whisk to stir the sauce until the cream cheese has fully melted in and the sauce is creamy. Add half of the Parmesan to the skillet and whisk until it is melted in. Add the remainder of the parmesan and whisk until melted in again.
6. Add the fresh spinach and gently stir it into the sauce until it has wilted (3-5 minutes). Add the pasta and stir until it is well coated in the creamy tomato sauce. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.

Thanksgiving 2012 vs. 2013

Thanksgiving 2012 was without a doubt, the most magical Thanksgiving ever. (At least in my life!)

Ella's due date was November 16th, her Aunt Callie's birthday. And throughout our pregnancy I kept telling Josh, I didn't want to go early and have a Halloween baby, or go late and have a Thanksgiving baby - everything else was ok.

God had other plans.

It was a "Gillespie Thanksgiving" and everyone arrived in town on Wednesday. We hang out as a family and looked at about a million of those celebrity name memes, but this one did the trick.

My contractions started in full just a few hours later. Long story short - we arrived at the hospital at 6am on Thanksgiving morning. Although the day was exhausting, we met our 8lb 11oz turkey (just before the cafeteria closed...easiest Thanksgiving dinner ever) and our hearts instantly melted. The whole world stopped. Honestly, I really couldn't even image anyone else was still out there. My Ellanore was in my arms, and my mommy heart was bursting.

This Thanksgiving was awesome too. We had Josh's dad and sister, Katie, here as well as new friends from church, Ryan & Jessica.

I intentionally kept the cooking to a minimum - who wants to cook all day to eat for 30 minutes? Well, I guess, most of America.

Here is our sweet girl on her first (full) Thanksgiving - she only got about 6 hours last year - and missed the entire parade - what's Thanksgiving without the parade?

Soup #3 - Zuppa Tuscana

This awesome recipe was shared with me by the fabulous Khanh! Thanks!

Ingredients: 

1 pound Spicy Breakfast Sausage
1 whole Red onion; Medium, Diced
3 cloves Garlic; Minced
2 whole Medium Potatoes; thickly sliced and then cut into quarters
6-8 cups Warm Water
3 cubes Chicken bouillon cubes
2 1/2 cups Kale; Stems removed and ripped into bite sized pieces
1 cup Heavy cream

Directions: 

Crumble sausage into a large pot and heat over medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain oil from the pan. Chop onions add to the the pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are clear. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add 6 cups warm water, bouillon cubes and potatoes to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes until potatoes are almost done. Taste and add more water if too salty.

Add kale, sausage, and heavy cream. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve with shaved Parmesan cheese on top.

Soup #2 - Minestrone

 [Amazing] Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth [next time, I'm going to double the broth]
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes [all I had on hand were garlic & olive oil flavored - it added a nice flavor]
1 (15-ounce) can white (cannellini or navy) beans, drained [oops, I only had pinto]
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage [I didn't have any sage, so I used savory]
2 bay leaves [I still don't have any whole leaves, just flakes]
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups cooked ditalini pasta
1 medium zucchini, chopped [I didn't have any, so we did without]
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:

In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Thirty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add ditalini, zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top.

Chicken Barley Soup

I love soup! But....I rarely make it. I don't really remember my mom making lots of soup, so maybe it just doesn't come to mind, or maybe I'm just nervous because I don't do it very often. This fall, my goal is try out 5 new soup recipes - what is your favorite?

I tried this one last week - it was great.

Modification:
- I doubled the crushed red pepper (warning it definitely had a zing)
- I didn't have whole bay leaves so I just added a 1/4 tsp of flakes
- I simply used a can or shredded chicken - so easy!

Canfield Fair

The Canfield Fair is a family tradition for the Gillespie clan. I started going with Josh our Junior year in college - and I haven't missed a year since! It was so fun to share the fair with our sweet baby girl.

She was mildly interested in the animals and would giggle any time they made noise of any type. Overall, she was such a trooper! She went in her backpack carrier for the first time ever (thanks Josh for carrying her for 6 hours!).

Here she is "petting" aka jabbing a bunny. 

The 3 of us in front of the rooster! 

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze 

I know this recipe isn't in season right now, but I've been late in sharing with my Uncle Jeff, so posting it now before I forget again! :)  Hold onto this - it is sure to be a fall crowd pleaser! 

Ingredients:

Cake: 

⅓ cups water
1 can pureed pumpkin (15 Oz)
2 whole eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 box yellow cake mix (18 Ounce Box) [I could only find 16 ounce boxes, and mine turned out well]
1 teaspoon baking soda

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar, Divided
½ cups flour
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
¼ cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cups heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl mix together the water, pumpkin, eggs, 1 tablespoon of vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice until well combined. Add the cake mix and baking soda and mix until just combined. 
3. Grease a 9×13 pan with butter and pour batter into pan.
4. In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour and melted butter. Use your fingers to sprinkle over the top of the cake. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5. For the glaze, combine the other 1/2 cup brown sugar, granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and heavy cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir until all sugar is dissolved. 6. When cake is finished baking, poke holes in the top with a toothpick. Pour glaze over the cake, making sure to cover all surfaces. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.

Amazing Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

This recipe will definitely be a hit!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 ounces butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 2 bananas)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips [TIP: I use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet chocolate premium baking chips. They are larger than the "average" chocolate chip.]

Instructions:

Cream sugar and butter; beat in the mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and stir into the first mixture just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips until well incorporated. Pour batter into greased and floured 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 325° for 60-70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted tests done.

Spicy Salt

For Mother's Day this year I'm making my mom homemade seasonings. (I realized I'm a little late on Mother's Day, but better late than never, right?)

I just finished my first of four seasonings - originally named Seasoned Salt, but I've renamed it "Spicy Salt" after my recent "quality control" taste. :)

This was my first time making seasonings, so here are a few tips I learned along the way:
- Check your grocery store's International Food aisle for cheaper spices. (At my Giant Eagle, 2.5 ounces of Ancho Chili Powder was $6.49, but in the International aisle it was only $1.79).
- My Walmart has bagged spices that I found to be "one step fresher" which allowed me to ground my own spices rather than buying ground ones. (Cumin, Parsley, Thyme, etc).
- Check out the food aisle in your TJ Maxx or Marshalls - You will most likely be able to find your salt and pepper there. I got a cheap pepper mill to grind my pepper balls rather than buying pre-ground; you can also buy coarse sea salt and zip it in your food processor for 15 seconds to get a "mildly coarse" salt.

Spicy Salt Receipe: 

1/4 cup + 1 Tbs. (5 Tbs.) (home-ground) coarse sea salt
1/4 cup fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 Tbs. chili powder
2 Tbs. paprika
2 Tbs. dried parsley
2 Tbs. crushed red pepper flakes (chop in your food processor for 15 seconds)
2 Tbs. cumin (chop in your food processor for 15 seconds)
3 teaspoons cayenne pepper (you could do less for less "bite")

Smoky Chili Lime Salt

This is the last for the 4 seasoning I made for my mom for Mother's Day this year. Check out the spicy salt, lemon pepper, and Rajin' Cajun seasonings too!

This one was definitely the most intensive recipe, but hopefully well worth it!

Ingredients: 
- 2 Tbs. ground pepper (I dried and ground my own peppers, but you could use pre-ground peppers).
- 4 Tbs. lime zest (zest for 3 or 4 limes)
- 3/4 cup coarse sea salt
- 1/4 cup pink Himalayan salt (this helps the seasoning keep its pink/red color)

Directions:
1. Zest your limes and leave out throughout the day to dry out. 
2. Cut the steams off of your peppers and remove all seeds (remember to wear gloves and NOT to touch your eyes).
3. Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil. Lay your peppers (bought in the International food aisle) on a cookie sheet. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes (I suggest opening your windows).
4. Take peppers out of the oven and let cool.
5. Once peppers are dry, grind up in your food processor.
6. After zest is dried, mix together pepper, zest, and salt.

Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning

- zest of 4 large lemons
- 1/3 cup crushed pepper corns {black and/or medley}
- 1/4 cup coarse sea salt

Directions:
1. Zest your lemons, leave out on plate to dry throughout the day.
2. Grind your pepper.
3. Mix together zest, pepper, and salt. 

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Ingredients: [for 2 chicken breasts - just increase seasonings for more servings] 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 tablespoon butter
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions: 
1. Mix together all seasonings listed in first portion of the directions.
2. Dip both sides of the chicken breast into the seasoning.
3. Heat butter and olive oil in your pan, saute your chicken until golden brown (about 6 minutes on both sides).
4. Drip lime juice over chicken and then sprinkle garlic powder on top, cook 5 more minutes.

Homemade Rajin’ Cajun Seasoning

Here is the 2nd of 4 homemade seasonings I'm making for my mom. For a few tips, check out my previous post. 

Homemade Rajin’ Cajun Seasoning:

• 1/2 cup paprika
• 1/3 cup Himalayan Pink Salt (I found this at TJ Maxx)
• 1/4 cup Garlic Powder
• 3 Tablespoons Black Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Onion Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Oregano
• 1 Tablespoon Thyme
• 2 Teaspoons Cayenne Pepper (optional- won’t be spicy without this)

Mix and Enjoy!