Recipe Recap #38

Hello again...you lucky friends you!  I'm back with Recipe Recap #38 (and part two for today!)  October was a busy month last year, and I created one of my "signature" recipes for a party this time last year.  Check it out below, along with the other recipes from the week of October 20 - 26, 2012.

Nutella Cheesecake Bites (I get asked to make these for pot lucks often!)

Rice Krispies Halloween Treats (fun for the family!)

Beef Barley Soup - SLOW COOKER (just finished another pot of this...this one is very popular with my boys!)

And just in case you missed the earlier recap...pop on over!

See you next week!

Recipe Recap #37

Hello friends, welcome back to Recipe Recap.  With the Thanksgiving holiday last week, and with us being away, I got behind on my posts and missed sharing my recap from last week.  So today, you get TWO recaps!  Here is the first...and be sure to pop back later for part 2!

Here are the recipes that I shared the week of October 13 - 19, 2012:

Grilled Vegetable Basket (a staple in our house!)

Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes (Slow Cooker)

Now be sure to come back this afternoon to check out Recipe Recap #38!

Finish BOGO Ultimate Kitchen Makeover #FinishYourKitchen

Anyone who knows me, knows that I spend a LOT of time in my kitchen.  After all, I am a recipe blogger, and I test every recipe before I share it with my readers.  Sundays especially are "heavy" kitchen days for me as I try to prepare meals, snacks, etc in advance of the upcoming school and work week. My family spends a lot of time in the kitchen too - whether it is eating meals together or doing homework or playing games at the table, I would say the kitchen is the most used room in our house. 

Lucky for me, I have a kitchen that I am happy with.  It is a decent size with good counter space - always a plus for us (messy) cooks!  The eating area has a huge 8-seater table and the area has 4 large windows and a (windowed) door to outside to the back patio and back yard - which means that I have a bright kitchen and I can see my kids as I work in the kitchen and as they play in the yard.  It was a big selling feature for us when we bought our home, and we have been happy with it.

Of course there are things that I would like to change about my kitchen - I would like a more open concept style into our living/play room, as sometimes I feel closed off from everyone if I am in the kitchen and they are all in the living/play room.  That might be a reno for us once kids toys are gone (otherwise those toys would be all over the kitchen).  We like to entertain, but I don't feel like our current kitchen is a true "entertainer's kitchen".  And I would really like a new stove.  I would love one with a double oven and convection.  I had a convection oven in our last house that I miss.  I feel that our cabinets are a little outdated, but they are in such good shape that I could never justify tearing them out "just because".  I'd also love a built in cleaner...to clean up after all my cooking and baking messes!  LOL

Fortunately for us, I do have help in the cleaning department - we have Finish Quantum in our house.  We switched to the Finish line of products a while back now, and have never looked back.  We have always been happy with the quality of clean that we get from Finish Quantum. 

Right now, Finish and Bosch have partnered and will be turning the dream kitchens of 10 families into reality with their 10 Ultimate Kitchen makeovers valued at $10,000 as part of their Buy One Get One Free with mail-in-rebate promotion!  Head on over to their Facebook page for more details!

Tell me, what would your dream kitchen look like?


Disclosure - I am participating in the Ultimate Kitchen Makeover Blogger Campaign on behalf of Finish.  I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion.  The opinions on this blog are my own.

Meal Plan Monday

Hello everyone!  My apologies for the hiatus last week for Meal Plan Monday.  

We were away for Thanksgiving, and I didn't develop a meal plan before we left, and once we got back I had "stuff to do" (groceries, laundry, etc etc etc) and just didn't get to posting the meal plan on time.  And then before I knew it, the week was over and I was planning this week's menu!

So...here we go, our meal plan for this week:

Sunday - Slow Cooker Butter Chicken (recipe coming soon!)

Monday - Hubs and I are going out for dinner (Greek!...soccer year-end dinner for coaches), the kids are having pork chops and baked beans with their babysitter

Tuesday - Three "P" Night - Pork (chops), Perogies, and Peas!

Wednesday - Spaghetti

Thursday - Cauliflower Curry Soup & Sandwiches

Friday - Beef Stew

Have a great week!

Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #76 & Features!

Hello everyone!

Apologies for the late start this week for the recipe link party here at Addicted to Recipes...but I am pleased to say that this week's party is about to start...once I share with you this week's features!

Here we go...

Candy Coated Popcorn Pumpkins from Celebrating Holidays

Pumpkin Pie Muffins (Paleo) from Prudent Living

Easy Potato Soup from Florida Fitness

Paleo Berry Crumble Bars from Watch Out, Martha!

Congratulations everyone!

Now, it's time to head on over to this week's party!  Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party #76 is now live! 

Pepper Rubbed Roast

You know that we are fans of the Rosemary and Pepper Crusted Roast recipe that I found earlier this year.  It's our new go-to recipe for roast.  But the other day I wasn't feeling like making the trip down the hill to seek out some fresh rosemary, so I decided it was time to try something a little different.  I came across a recipe for Herb Rubbed Roast, and modified it...here is the recipe:

1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon chipotle pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Mix all the seasonings together, including the olive oil.  Rub the seasoning paste all over the roast.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place roast onto a prepared baking sheet (lined with foil).  Roast for 1 hour, or until the roast is cooked to your liking (use that handy meat thermometer!).  Remove from oven and let the roast sit for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

VERDICT:
You need to like pepper to like this roast.  We like pepper, so we enjoyed it.  The crust had a bit of a bite, which was tasty, and added a little kick to the gravy for the mashed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding.  We had to give the kids the inside of the slices of meat (too peppery for them) - but us adults were happy :-)

Peach Crisp

Y'all know that I just love peaches.  And I love to whip up a crisp (apple...) - unless it is peach season.  I like to prep the dessert before I start dinner, so it is baking and has cooled just enough to serve right after dinner.  Recently I shared the recipe for Peach Blueberry Crisp.  Today I am sharing a recipe for Peach Crisp:

4 cups freestone peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup oats

Preheat oven to 350F.

Arrange peaches evenly on the bottom of an 8x8 or 9x9 glass baking dish.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt - use a pastry blender or two knives - until evenly crumbly.  Add in the oats, mix well.  Spoon the mixture evenly over the peaches.  Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon, pop into the oven, and bake for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.  Best served warm.

VERDICT:
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  Fresh baked peach crisp right out of the oven, with a little homemade vanilla ice cream...oh so darn good!  A simple recipe, a staple for us!