Scrumptious Sunday #4 - Features!

What an incredible party it was last week!  Thanks so much to everyone who came and shared recipes.  I really enjoyed reading each and every submission.  Everyone it so talented!  An amazing 85 entries last week!  WOW!

It was SO HARD to choose just three submissions to feature...I know I've said that before, but it is true!  And I couldn't choose just three this time, so I picked four features for the week.  Congratulations to everyone on your fantastic posts....if you are one of my features, please grab my "I Was Featured" button and post it on your site, please and thanks!

<a href="http://iamaddictedtorecipes.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w519/AddictedtoRecipes/addictedbutton.jpg" width="200" height="177" border="0" alt="I was featured, I was Featured by Addicted to Recipes"></a>

Here are my four features from Scrumptious Sunday Link Party #4:

#13 - Strawberry Shortcake Appetizer from Lady Behind the Curtain

#48 - Spaghetti Squash Carbonara from The Travelling Spoon

# 56 - Royal Icing Recipe, Step-by-Step from Lizy B

#74 - Skinny Mashed Cauliflower from Serena Bakes Simply from Scratch

Scrumptious Sunday #5 Link Party opens late tonight - be sure to link up your favourite recipes from the last week!

If you have a moment, I would LOVE for you to support my blog by voting for it at the voiceBoks "Top 10 Foodie Blogs of 2012" awards - simply click this link and vote for ADDICTED TO RECIPES.  Just takes 2 little clicks...thanks so much!  Voting ends on April 13 (which happens to be my son's birthday!).

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts

Don't turn up your nose! Give this post a chance...yes, it is about brussel sprouts, and I don't know why they are so disliked :-)  A few weeks back at Scrumptious Sunday #2, The Traveling Spoon posted her recipe for Caramelized Brussel Sprouts.  The recipe caught my eye and I featured it that week.  Well I am here to tell you, I made the recipe and tried a few of her suggestions, and well, you'll have to read on for the verdict :-)

Here is the recipe that I used, based on The Traveling Spoon's eye-catching recipe:

3 slices bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 brussel sprouts, washed and cut
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Cook bacon in frying pan, set aside to cool. Drain off excess grease from frying pan (don't worry about scraping clean, I figure a little extra bacon flavour is good!)

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, warm, and add minced garlic.  Saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add in the brussel sprouts and salt.  Saute for a few minutes until starting to heat through, then add the brown sugar.  Continue to cook and the brown sugar will melt away.  Crumble the bacon and add to the pan.  Serve immediately.

VERDICT:
We are already brussel sprouts fans in our house.  But let's just say...this recipe is awesome!  There was NOTHING leftover.  Nada. Zilch. Empty serving dish!  My husband had THREE helpings, he liked the sprouts that much!  It was a WINNER!  We will be making this again...try this dish and you will become a fan of brussel sprouts!

Would love for you to "like" me on Facebook and would you, pretty please

VOTE FOR MY BLOG at the voiceBoks

"Top 10 Foodie Blog 2012" contest by clicking this link and voting for Addicted to Recipes (just two little clicks for you, easy breezy, and will really help me out!) THANKS so much!

Featured!

What a pleasant surprise to visit a fellow foodie's blog and see the Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake featured!  It continues to be a hit in blogland! 

Have you given the recipe a try yet?  We had it again last weekend, but with blackberries this time...and again, it was YUM!

This week it has been featured by Miz Helen's Country Cottage at her Full Plate Thursday!  Thanks Miz Helen!
           

Have you joined me on Facebook yet?  Would love for you to do so!

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Homemade Noodles

When I made or meal plan for this week I decided I wanted to try to make another soup from scratch.  Since my Hearty Ham & Split Pea Soup went over so well, I figured, let's try round 2 with a new one!  I've been wanting chicken noodle soup, so I thought about what I would put into it, researched how to make my own noodles, and here is what I came up with.  The egg noodle recipe I found at allrecipes.com, the rest of it, I made up as I went along.  Here is the recipe:

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Oil

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into small pieces
3 slices of bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
1/2 onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 stalk of celery, sliced
1/2 cup cauliflower, cut into small florettes
1/2 cup broccoli, cut into small florettes
1/2 cup green beans, cut in half (ends cut off)
4 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Fresh homemade egg noodles (recipe follows)

In a frying pan, coat with a small amount of oil.  Heat, and cook chicken until cooked through.  Remove chicken from frying pan and set aside.  Add bacon to the pan and cook until crispy.  Remove from pan and set on paper towel to remove excess grease.

While the chicken is cooking, in a large pot, coat witha small amount of oil, heat over medium, and add onions, carrots, celery.  Cook until they start to soften.  Add in cauliflower, broccoli and beans.  Continue to cook, around 5 minutes.  Add in chicken broth, chicken, garlic, parsley and pepper.  Simmer at medium-low for 10 minutes.  Add bacon and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.  Add fresh pasta and simmer until pasta is cooked to your liking (approximately 5 minutes).  Serve, and enjoy!

Homemade Egg Noodles

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter

In a large bowl, stir together flour and salt.  Add the eggs, milk and butter.  Knead together until a smooth dough is formed, about 5 minutes.  Sit in bowl, covered with a tea towel, for 10 minutes.

After the dough has rested, roll it out to your desired thickness.  Cut into lengths (or shapes).

Leave the noodles to air dry after you've cut them.

*Notes 
- I made my egg noodles around 10 am and left them to sit on the counter until I started making the soup at 12:30 pm.
- I found that this recipe made enough for 3 batches of noodles, so I have packaged up the other 2 batches and will freeze them until the next time I make soup.

VERDICT:
Of course the baby decided he was hungry just as I was about to serve the soup.  So I dished up bowls for my husband and our oldest, and they ate while I fed the baby.  My husband's first reaction was "This is SO good".  He ate his bowl of soup really quickly and went back for more.  Our oldest wasn't in the taste-testing mood, he was tired after a busy day yesterday (swimming lessons, birthday party, babysitters so that Mom & Dad could go out for a grown-up only dinner) - so he didn't actually try the soup, he went for a nap instead.  Finally, I got to try the soup, and it was declicious.  I really enjoyed it.  The variety of vegetables, the fresh noodles, oh my.  It was yummy!  This is a keeper in our books!  To top it off, we have two nice sized servings leftover, already packaged for lunch tomorrow...can't wait!

Would love for you to "like" me on Facebook and vote for my blog by clicking:

My Buttons Are Fixed!

Thank you, thank you to my wonderful husband who helped me get my buttons working properly!  You will now find them on their own page and you can grab the code from there! 


I would love for you to add my button to your link party page - thank you so much!

And for those who have had recipes featured as part of the Scrumptious Sunday link party, there is now a "I Was Featured" button that you can grab too!


Yay!!


Have a fantastic rest of your night...I know I will NOT be dreaming about buttons tonight! Phew!

Scrumptious Sunday #4

Party time!  The Scrumptious Sunday Link Party is now on! 

Come one, come all, link your favourite recipes from the last week.  Can't wait to read all the submissions. 

And remember, I will be featuring three recipes from each party on my blog and on my Facebook page.  Be sure to follow me (GFC, Linky) and like me too!

Here's the link to join the party!

Scrumptious Sunday #3 - Features!

Good morning everyone!

At Scrumptious Sunday #3 you shared 62 fantastic recipes - thank you so much! I thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every one of them, and all of your blog posts too!  It's hard to choose just three to feature - they all look so amazing!  But I did it, always with a little help from my wonderful husband. 

Here are this week's features:

#31 - Vegetable Egg Muffins from My Lovebug Baby

#29 - Cinnamon Swirl Bread from The Wednesday Baker

#61 - Best Homemade Ranch Dressing from The Crafty Blog Stalker

Have you liked me on Facebook yet?  Please do!  All three recipes will be featured on my page.

Scrumptious Sunday #4 opens later this evening....can't wait to see what everyone posts this week.  I'm hoping for 70 submissions...hope you'll help me hit that goal!

Thanks so much everyone for your ongoing support, I really appreciate it!

Baked Not Fried French Fries

My boys have been bugging me for hamburgers for dinner for what seems like forever.  I love a good homemade hamburger, but to me, they are a summer thing.  A juicy BBQ burger, sitting out on the patio, beer in hand....ahhhh...summer, come soon!

Anyways, I finally "caved" today and said yes to their request, so I made my hamburger patties for my husband to grill, and this time I decided to make some homemade fries.  Armed with sweet potatoes and yellow potatoes from the pantry, I put together a little "baked not fried" french fries.  Here's what I did:

1 sweet potato
2 yellow potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450F.

Wash sweet potato and yellow potatoes, clear away any blemishes, but do not peel.  Cut into fry-sized pieces and put into a large bowl.

Drizzle olive oil over the cut potatoes.   Add in the red pepper flakes, paprika, garlic, chili powder, basil, salt and pepper, stir well to coat.

Spread onto a foil-lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes at 450F.  Take fries out of the oven and flip.  Return fries to the oven, reduce heat to 400F and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes, or until the fries are done to your liking.

VERDICT:
These were oh-so yummy.  We enjoyed them very much, and it was so nice to know exactly what seasonings were on the fries.  They had a little bit of a kick and a little bit of a smoky flavour, which we enjoyed.  Sure, they are a teensy bit more prep than ripping open a bag of frozen fries and baking them in the oven, but they are so worth it!  I'll be doing these again, and am already thinking about other spice combinations to try :-)

Would love for you to "Like" me on Facebook and vote for me by clicking:

Liebster Blog Award

Not one but TWO awards this week!  I feel so loved :-)

Thank you so much to Kim at Cups by Kim, who nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award!  The Liebster Blog Award is given to up and coming bloggers and helps to spread the word about their fantastic blogs!  Be sure to check out Cups by Kim......

There are rules that come with the award:

1) Thank your nominator (and link back!). Thank you Cups by Kim!!
2) Nominate 5 other blogs, with less than 200 followers and post a comment on each blog letting them know they have been given the award.
3) Copy and paste the award onto your blog.

Here are my 5 nominees!

1)  Pint Sized Baker - I just love all the desserts she posts.  I am a huge dessert fan, she's won my heart :-)

2) Little Mommy Big Appetite - first, I just love the title of her blog.  And second, I'm really enjoying all her posts!

3) The Sweet Swiper - Again, love all of her posts.  Like the format too - bake, taste and give to friends.  Before I was married with children, my friends often benefitted from my baking too!

4) The Kitchen is my Playground - Great tutorials.  Love the pictures that go along with her posts!  I also like that she has a "Giving Back" tab on her blog :-)

5) The Wednesday Baker - Love her 5 year plan, and that she too has a sugar addiction!

Congratulations to each of you!

Have you "Liked" me on Facebook yet? Would love for you to do so!  And if you have a minute, please vote for me at (you just need to click once and it's done!)

Versatile Blogger Award!

My blogging colleague at Cherished Handmade Treasures nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award!  Thank you so much!  Too cool! 

So, what is the Versatile Blogger Award?  "It is a great way to introduce different bloggers to each other and to promote quality blogs that awardees and their readers may not have discovered otherwise."

If you are nominated, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award.  Here are the rules:

•  Thank the person who gave you this award.  Thank you again, Cherished Handmade Treasures!
•  Include a link to their blog. Here it is again, in case you missed it!
•  Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly. Please see below!
•  Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award. Please see below!
•  Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.  I've posted the 7 things below!

I've also seen a few add-on rules:

• In the same post, include this set of rules. Done!
• Inform each nominated blogger of their nomination by posting a comment on each of their blogs.  Will do that right away!  Yay!

My nominees (in no particular order) for the Versatile Blogger Award are:

1. Grateful Belly
2. Crazy for Crust
3. Happy Canadian Home
4. The Mellow Mama
5. Diddles & Dumplings
6. Dulce Freska
7. Lisa's Dinnertime Dish
8. My Lovebug Baby
9. DJ's Sugar Shack
10. The Cooking Actress
11. Cups by Kim
12. Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
13. Misadventures in Motherhood
14. Mom's Thumb Reviews
15. Things That Make You Say "Mmmm"!

And, here are seven random things about me:

1. I have lived in 12 houses in my life (so far).
2. I've owned 4 of them (the other 8 were with my parents).
3. When I was a child, I collected the entire Nancy Drew series in hardcover. 
4. I still have all of them.
5. I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up.
6. I also wanted to be a movie star.  I am neither.
7. I also wanted to be a Mom...and I am, to two wonderful boys!

Would love for you to follow me via GFC and "Like" me on Facebook! Thanks!

I've Been Featured, Again!

OH MY GOODNESS!  A third feature on the Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake!  This is amazing!  Thank you Inside BruCrew Life for featuring the breakfast cake as one of her "Fab 5" for this week!  I do hope your kids love it as much as my son does!





Be sure to check out her blog, as well as the other blogs who have featured the cake.  They all do great work!  Here's a picture of of the Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake...just to tempt you again!

Salmon Cakes

Inspired by a post I saw, I decided to shake up our salmon this week.  Rather than our usual baking or BBQing, I decided to make salmon cakes. 

Here is my version of Naked Moxie's recipe:

1 lb salmon
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
2 green onions, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups panko
Olive oil

Bake salmon at 350F for 15-20 minutes, or until done.  Cool for 10 minutes.

While salmon is baking, dice vegetables.

Flake salmon into a large bowl.  Add in the red pepper, yellow pepper, green onions, garlic, spices, dijon, eggs and panko.  Mix well.  Use your hands!

Form patties from the salmon mixture, approximately 8 (depending on the size you prefer).

In a skillet, heat some olive oil.

Place salmon cakes into the heated olive oil and cook until browned on both sides.

This would pair well with a salad, and we had ours with quinoa.

VERDICT:
My husband and I both enjoyed the salmon, it was a nice change to our usual!  I particularly enjoyed the fresh veggies inside the cakes, added nice crunch and colour.  Our son stuck his nose up at the dinner, more because he was tired than anything because once he tried the salmon, he also liked it.  In fact...I'm going to go eat the leftovers now!


Would love for you to "Like" me on Facebook and vote for my blog by clicking:

I've Been Featured!

What an exciting morning for me!  It looks like the Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake is a popular recipe - with good reason, it is VERY yummy!  I just found out that my breakfast cake was featured on another link party/blog! 

My oldest son was sitting with me when I read the news, and his response was "That's my favourite recipe in the whole world!".  Cool!  Thanks so much to Things that make you say "Mmmmm"!  Please check out Karen's blog here:



Scrumptious Sunday #3

It's Sunday, which means that the next installment of the Scrumptious Sunday Link Party is now open!  Would love for you to link up your favourite recipe(s) from this past week.  Link up here!

I can't wat to see all your recipes!

Scrumptious Sunday #2 Picks!

What another phenomenal week of submissions to the Scrumptious Sunday Link Party. 56 submissions this week - thank you so much to everyone who posted recipes!  All of the recipes look SO good.  I really enjoyed reading all of them...and it was so hard to choose 3 to feature.


Here are my three feature recipes (in no particular order) from this past week:

1) # 51 - Bailey's Fudge and Homemade Irish Cream from Lightly Crunchy

2) #22 - Caramelized Brussel Spouts from The Traveling Spoon

3) #49 - Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches from Feeding my Temple

Have you liked me on Facebook yet?  Please do!  All three recipes will also be featured on my page.

Scrumptious Sunday #3 opens late tonight...I look forward to reading all your recipes!

If you have a moment, and this just takes a click, would love for you to vote for me at:

Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Bread

Banana bread is a hot commodity in our house.  We all love it, we all fight over that first slice (the chef gets the first slice)...and one of the submissions to this week`s Scrumptious Sunday left me inspired to try something new with our banana bread.  Thanks Like Mother, Like Daughter for inspiring me to try something new!  I probably would have tried their banana blueberry bread if blueberries were in season (I will try the recipe later this year!), but instead I went to my trusty piles of recipes to see what I could find.  I found one that is full of all sorts of goodness - bananas (of course!), coconut, chocolate, and then I added in some extra goodness, peanut butter chips and walnuts.  Here is my recipe:

Topping:
1/2 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour

Combine all the topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Bread:
1/3 cup oil (vegetable, coconut, etc)
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 ripe, mashed bananas
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup walnuts
3/4 cup mixed white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and chocolate chips (use whatever ratio you wish -  I used mostly white chocolate and peanut butter chips)

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together oil, sugar, vanilla and eggs.  Add in bananas and stir until well mixed.  Add flour mixture.  Add 1/2 cup of the white chocolate/peanut butter/chocolate chips.  Pour intogreased bread pan (8" x 4"). Top with remaining 1/4 cup of chips and cover with coconut topping.

Bake in centre of oven for about 70 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in the pan, on a rack.  Enjoy!

VERDICT:
Everyone enjoyed this bread, it was a nice change to our usual, everyday banana bread.  Though my husband said there could be less chocolate (my chip ratio was about 1/2 peanut butter chips, 1/4 white/chocolate chips)...but then again, he claims to not like chocolate ;-)  My oldest son said that he didn't like the walnuts.  But they both keep eating the bread, so I'm taking that sign as one that they do like it!  I found the coconut topping too messy for my preference, and will probably reduce the coconut to 1/4 cup for the topping and would consider mixing some coconut into the bread to see how that tastes!  Next time!

Have you "liked" us on Facebook yet?  Please do! Thanks! And please vote for my blog by simply clicking:

I've Been Featured!

This is so exciting, my first feature by a fellow blogger, My Favorite Finds!  If you haven't yet checked out the recipe for Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake, please do so! It's been a popular one.  My oldest son asks me to make this almost every single day (I don't....but it sure is nice to know he loves it that much!).  I hope you enjoy!

Savoury Fish

Today's post is straying from my original resolution about trying new recipes...but it's for a very good reason!  This month we will help my parents celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.  40 years...that is just awesome!  Such an inspiration!

In honour of their anniversary, I asked my Mom to share with me one of her tried and true recipes...one of the ones that has been around for the long haul.  She had a few suggestions, two of which had also come to my mind when I first thought about writing this post.  Her final choice was Savoury Fish.  She has prepared this dish for us forever.  I can remember having it when my brother and I were kids, and there would never be leftovers.  Now that I'm all grown up and married and have my own family, I make this dish for my crew...and still there are never any leftovers.  My husband and oldest son love it that much! (the baby is too young to have it yet) It's funny that my Mom would think of sharing this recipe as I just recently shared this recipe with both of my sisters-in-law...here's hoping that they and their families enjoy it too!

It is a super easy dish to prepare, great for after work when you might be in a rush.  Lots of colour to the dish too, which is nice!

I do make mine slightly different than my Mom (she steams the broccoli first, I don't).  Here is the recipe:

1 pound fish fillets (cod, sole, halibut)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Broccoli

1/8 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

¼ cup white wine (optional)

½ cup grated cheese (we tend to use more, we like melted cheese!)

Place fish in shallow baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper.  Arrange broccoli around fish and sprinkle with onions and tomatoes. Cover with mixture of soup and wine. Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 450F for 25 minutes.  Serve with rice or pasta.

VERDICT:

We do love this dish.  We have it every few weeks, and never get bored of it!

Would love for you to follow me here and/or on Facebook!

Scrumptious Sunday #2

It's Sunday! That means it is time for Scrumptious Sunday Link Party #2! 

I was totally BLOWN AWAY by all the submissions I received for my first link party....THANK YOU so much!  When I posted the party I hoped for 20 submissions and all of YOU helped me surpass that "goal" and added 42 of your fantastic recipes!

I read each and every one of your submissions and am SO GRATEFUL that you took the time to link up.  Thanks again!

Here is the PARTY LINK to start adding your submissions for this week!

Scrumptious Sunday #1 Picks!

Good morning everyone!  As promised, I've picked three recipes to be featured this weekend from my first Scrumptious Sunday link party!  THANK YOU to everyone who partied! 

Those of you who are featured, I would love it if you would link back to my blog...either add in a link, grab my button, mention me in a post, whatever works for you!  Greatly appreciated! 

Here are this week's features:

1) #16 - Broccoli and Cheddar Soup from Scratch from Pocket Change Gourmet

2) #15 - Giant Cinnamon Rolls with Buttermilk Glaze from GirliChef

3) #35 - Easy Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken from Hot Eats and Cool Reads

These will also be featured on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/AddictedToRecipes


Don't forget, tomorrow is Sunday....Scrumptious Sunday Link Party #2 will be on!  I look forward to reading everyone's submissions!

Taco Tuesday - Taco Seasoning

This week we had "Taco Tuesday"....not sure why it is, but when we have tacos, it always seems to be a Tuesday :-)

In the back of my mind, I've always wondered/worried about the taco seasoning that we use for our tacos, up until now we have usually gone the store bought, pre-packaged route.  And always the seasoning has been salty and the ingredients a little unclear.  When it says "spices" that's not really telling me much!

I found a recipe for homemade taco seasoning...why I didn't try this before I don't know!  It's so easy and I have everything in my spice cupboard.  Here is my slightly revised version of the allrecipes.com recipe:

3 tablespoons chili powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
4 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt (we use Epicure's Chili Garlic Sea Salt)
3 teaspoons black pepper

In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients.  Store in an airtight container. 

Use 2 tablespoons of seasoning with 1 lb of ground beef (or to taste).

VERDICT:
My husband and I both enjoyed this new version of taco seasoning and I will be making a big batch to store for future use.  It wasn't too spicy and not too salty, and best of all, we know exactly what is in the mix!

Be sure to follow me on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/AddictedToRecipes

Bang Bang Cauliflower

I am really lucky that I have a family that loves vegetables.  My husband has been on a cauliflower kick lately, which works for me....now if only I could get him to eat more salad ;-) Baby steps!

I came across a recipe for Bang Bang Cauliflower online and I thought, what the heck is this?! But of course, the "bang bang" caught my eye, as well as a new way to prepare cauliflower.  Here is my version of the recipe:

1 head cauliflower, cut into florettes and washed
5 tablespoons cornstarch
3 egg whites
3 tablespoons light coconut milk
1 cup panko
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons (approx) vegetable oil
Green onions for garnish

Sauce:
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/8 cup thai chili sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar

In a small bowl, prepare sauce and set aside.

Put the cut cauliflower into a large bowl.  Sprinkle the cornstarch over the cauliflower, and toss to coat.

In a second (small) bowl, mix together the egg whites and coconut milk.

In a third (small) bowl, mix together panko, garlic, powder, salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium.

While oil is heating, start taking the pieces of cauliflower, dip them in the egg & milk bowl, and then dip in the panko bowl.  Once dipped, place cauliflower into the heated skillet.  Repeat until all the cauliflower is in the skillet.  Reduce the heat in the skillet at this point to a medium-low.

Brown all sides of the cauliflower and once the cauliflower is cooked to your liking, remove cauliflower from skillet and put back into the large bowl.  If there is still oil, you may wish to place the cauliflower on paper towls to blot out any extra oil before putting back into the large bowl.

Once all the cauliflower is back in the big bowl, pour on the sauce and and stir to coat the cauliflower.  Add green onions for garnish and stir immediately.  Note - this uses a full head of cauliflower, so there is a LOT, you may want to adjust the recipe accordingly.

VERDICT:
While out four year old was not a fan (there was too much spice for him), my husband and I were addicted.  It was hard to stop eating the cauliflower.  The subtle spice kept pulling up back in!  Needless to say, we got our veggie fill for dinner.  Because I made the recipe with the full head of cauliflower we did have lots leftover - next time I would probably half the recipe and use the other half to steam and "baby bullet" for our baby.

Have you joined me on Facebook?  http://www.facebook.com/#!/AddictedToRecipes

Thank You!

Hello everyone....just a Monday morning THANK YOU to all of you for visiting my blog.  You'll see that I am still learning the ropes and am working on adding new pages and links...and having fun doing it! 

THANK YOU again...and come back anytime!

If you haven't found me on Facebook yet, would love to have you visit me there too:  http://www.facebook.com/AddictedToRecipes (still working on adding that button to the blog!)

Have a great day!

 2RFTGNRRXBJJ

Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Yes, you read it right...cake for breakfast!  I've mentioned before that we are a house that eats a LOT of pancakes, french toast and waffles, and I am still trying to shake up our mornings by adding a few new breakfast recipes into the mix.  This weekend I decided to go with a Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast cake.  I saw it on Pinterest and it looked good enough to try!  I adapted the recipe from Alexandra's Kitchen.  Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Zest of one large lemon

7/8 cup + 1/2 tablespoon sugar*

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups + 1/8 cup flour**

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups fresh blueberries, washed

1/2 cup buttermilk

*Extra 1/2 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top

**Extra 1/8 cup is for tossing with blueberries

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a large bowl, cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of sugar.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. 

In a separate bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt.  Gradually add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk.

In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with 1/8 cup of flour.  Fold the blueberries into the batter.

Grease a 9 inch square baking pan.  Spread the batter into the pan, batter will be thick.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of sugar on top of the batter.  Bake for 35-40 minutes or until done.  Allow cake to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.  Serve warm.

VERDICT:

This was a wonderful change to our usual.  Our 4 year old told me that it is his favourite, even more than ribs (and the kid LOVES ribs) - so that is saying a lot!  He ate more than half the pan!  (sure hope he doesn't get a tummy ache later).  DH and I both enjoyed the cake too, especially since it is served warm.  It's a keeper! And I bet raspberries or blackberries would be tasty in this too.  Oh YUM...I can't wait for berry season!