Food, Food, Glorious Food!

Whenever Boyd comes to visit we can count on three things:

1. Lots of lounging around/relaxing while watching movies

2. Lots of game playing

3. Lots of good food!



It's time for cooking, baking, and eating!

Boyd's favorite: Apple Dumplings.

Shakshuka, or poached eggs in tomatoes and onion. Courtesy of Andrew.

So yummy! Serve with warm pita bread.

Roasted parsnips, new potatoes, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms with some pink Himalayan salt.

Roast lamb. Via Andrew.

Testing out the  cookbook we got Andrew for Christmas.

Gougère : Cheese puffs

Andrew treated us to crab legs!

Cheese party!

I'm drooling just looking at these pictures again. 

So yummy! These are actually served in hollowed out fruit! Find at a Costco near you. Perfect for a spa night. 

Boyd: the baby food whisperer

Homemade pizza with Great Harvest bread dough for crust. Yum!

Cinnamon rolls

Boyd and Andrew, come back soon! I'm hungry!

Apple Pear Crisp

I was excited to whip up some apple/pear treats after our harvest, and figured I would make one of Zach's favorite desserts, a crisp!

I started with a recipe from Our Best Bites, found here, but substituted pears and apples. Here is my version!



Apple Pear Crisp

Filling Ingredients:

3 1/2 lbs ripe but firm pears and apples (6-8), peeled, cored, and sliced into 3/4″ wedges.

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pinch salt

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of ground nutmeg

Crumb Topping:

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

6 tablespoons cold butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.

Directions:

For fruit filling, gently combine fruit and sugar in a large bowl and let stand for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Whisk cornstarch, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in small bowl. Toss juice mixture with fruit and transfer to an 8 or 9 inch square pan that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. 

For topping, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, nutmeg, and cinnamon and either grate the cold butter with a large-hole cheese grater, or cut it into small cubes and use your fingers to crumble the mixture together. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit in pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes.  The topping should look golden brown and crisp and the fruit should be soft.  Let cool to luke warm before serving.  Serve with ice cream.

Breakfast of champions!

I will definitely use this recipe again for future crisps! I even enjoyed eating it for breakfast the next morning warmed in the microwave, then served with milk, like a bowl of oatmeal. Yum.

Iowa: Good Eats

Yum! Look at those cheeks. I want to eat that baby!

Only half kidding, we were actually at my new favorite restaurant in Iowa, Bubba-Q's when these delicious baby pictures were taken. (Bubba Q Bacon Cheeseburger, please!)

Oh my, cuteness x2!

We also enjoyed some good ol' home cooking provided by Greg and Kay. Yum!

Some kind of caramel, coconut, pecan cake. Mmm. 

Burgers & corn on the cob = good ol' Iowa eatin'!

Kay's famous Dirt Cake recipe, for posterity's sake.

 What are your favorite foods to eat when you go home? I'm already starting to think about making classic Christmas treats to help us make new memories in our new home.

Share any delicious tried and true family recipes below!

Friendship Brunch

Time again for the Ladies Friendship Brunch! It was a blast again this year! We kept with tradition and had a crepe bar, speed friendship dating, a short thought about making friends, and plenty of socializing.

The ladies in charge did a fabulous job planning, decorating, and executing this activity.

Enjoying a nutella crepe from my bestie, Natalie.

Natalie enjoying my thoughts about making friends.

Speed friendship dating!

Love these ladies!

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this activity a success! And thank you to everyone who came! I had a great time getting to know everyone better and enjoying some delicious crepes.

Marshmallow Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

I could not stop eating this yummy dip at our Cheese Party. I especially enjoyed dipping walnuts into it. Yum! After getting the recipe from my friend, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to recreate.



Marshmallow Cream Cheese Fruit Dip
Original recipe found here.

Ingredients:

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 15oz jar marshmallow cream
Fresh fruit
Graham crackers

Directions:

1. Blend cream cheese and Marshmallow cream with hand mixer until combined.

2. Serve with assorted fresh fruits and graham cracker sticks.

Baked Apple Dumplings

While Boyd was in town visiting he brought all his favorite recipes to share with us. Yum!

We made these Baked Apple Dumplings together while playing games. They were a perfect treat topped with vanilla bean ice cream. A perfect dessert to share during a game break.

Original recipe found here. (If you sign up for the website, you can also get all kinds of great tips and tricks.)


Baked Apple Dumplings
Serves 8

INGREDIENTSDough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar 
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
3/4 cups cold buttermilk

• 
  
• Apple Dumplings:
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped
• 4 Golden Delicious apples (other kinds of apples turn to applesauce, or stay too crisp)
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Cider Sauce

(Makes 1.5 cups)

1 cup apple cider

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Make Dough Process flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor until combined. Scatter butter and shortening over flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer to bowl. Stir in buttermilk until dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly until dough is cohesive. Press dough into 8- by 4-inch rectangle. Cut in half, wrap each half tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (Or make it the night before and let it set overnight.)
• 2. Prep Apples Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. In second bowl, combine butter, raisins, and 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar mixture. Peel apples and halve through equator. Remove core and pack butter mixture into each apple half.
• 3. Assemble Dumplings On lightly floured surface, roll each dough half into 12-inch square. Cut each 12-inch square into four 6-inch squares. Working one at a time, lightly brush edges of dough square with egg white and place apple, cut-side up, in center of each square. Gather dough one corner at a time on top of apple, crimping edges to seal. Using paring knife, cut vent hole in top of each dumpling.
• 4. Make Cider Sauce Bring cider, water, sugar, and cinnamon to simmer in saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until thickened and reduced to 1 1/5 cups of sauce, about 15 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and lemon juice. Drizzle over dumplings to serve.
  5. Finish Apples Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange dumplings on prepared baking sheet, brush tops with egg white, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake until dough is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 10 minutes. Serve with Cider Sauce.

Boyd also enjoyed them for a late night snack, breakfast, and lunch the next day.


What is your favorite snack for game nights?

Lucy Lately: February

Lucy and I had a lot of fun together in February. Here are some of the things we did. 

Lucy working on her scrapbook project. 

Making Ooey Gooey Rocky Road Cookies with Mom. 

Lucy modeling her "new" tennis shoes.

She "loves them."

Art time.

Writing notes for Grandpa Billy and Bishop D.

Lucy enjoying her treat after her first successful day of potty training.

Mine.

Hers.

Lucy wasn't feeling well and put herself down for a nap. We found out a few days later that she had RSV!

Playing with marbles on foam.

Making Valentine Canadian Bacon Pizza.

Fun at the park.