Lemon Basil Quinoa Salad May 21, 2013

I love summer for so many reasons, but one of them definitely is bbq-ing and making different side dishes! I am a side dish type of girl for sure I love lemon and basil, and I love quinoa, so I knew this would be fantastic and so simple and easy! I substitued carrots for orange bell peppers, because I didn’t have them on hand!

Also, another reason why I love summer, watching the boys play outside!

1 cup uncooked quinoa
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 roma tomatoes
1 orange bell pepper
1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed)
4 green onions

{For the dressing}
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. basil (or fresh if you have it)

Directions
Rinse quinoa, and cook according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and basil. Set aside.
Slice green onions, dice roma tomatoes and bell pepper.
When quinoa is done cooking, let cool. Then place all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Pour dressing over top and mix well to combine.
Can eat immediately or chill before serving.

Tres Leches Cake May 19, 2013

My friend Gretchen made this delicious dessert for our Cinco De Mayo party and everyone flipped about it! It was sooo delicious, definitely try to make this one – whether for a mexican party or not!

Ingredients

For the cake:
Vegetable oil
6 3/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces sugar
5 whole eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half-and-half

For the topping:
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and set aside.

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. This will appear to be a very small amount of batter. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F.

Remove the cake pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over with a skewer or fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:

Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and the half-and-half in a 1-quart measuring cup. Once combined, pour the glaze over the cake. Refrigerate the cake overnight.

Topping:

Place the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk together on low until stiff peaks are formed. Change to medium speed and whisk until thick. Spread the topping over the cake and allow to chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Playing in the Dirt :) May 16, 2013

Max and Ryan living a little boys dream! Sun, Dirt, and Dumptrucks… Does it get any better??? They were sooo happy to say CHEEEEESE for this picture!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day! Our was fantastic – and finished with a delicious dinner ( including a barbequed turkey made by my Uncle Gene that was sooo delicious ) , and we took some amazing pictures, including a four generation grandmother picture!

Chicken Bacon Tacquitos with Avocado Cream Dipping Sauce

My sister Nicole made these from a recipe from Pinterest and OMG were they addicting!! Absolutely delicious and the perfect addition to the cinco de Mayo Party!

1/3 of a 16-ounce package bacon (about 6 slices), chopped
1/2 of an 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 cans (12.5 ounces each) Swanson® Premium White Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained (or used leftover cooked chicken)
8 flour tortillas (10-inch)
Vegetable oil (I used canola)
1 medium avocado, pitted, peeled and cut up
1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon milk

1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

dash Dried dill weed
dash Garlic powder
dash Ground black pepper

1.Cook the bacon in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on paper towels.

2.Stir the bacon, cream cheese and chicken in a medium bowl.

3.Cut each tortilla into 3 (3-inch) circles using a round cutter. Spoon about 2 teaspoons chicken mixture in the center of each (one) tortilla round. Roll the tortillas around the filling and secure with toothpicks.
4.Pour the oil into a heavy 4-quart saucepan to a depth of 3 inches. Heat the oil to 350°F.

5.Add the taquitos to the saucepan in batches and cook until well browned on all sides. Remove the taquitos from the saucepan and let drain on paper towels. Let cool for 5 minutes. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

6.Mash the avocado in a medium bowl with a fork. Stir in the mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, vinegar, salt, parsley, onion powder, dill weed, garlic powder and black pepper. Serve with the taquitos for dipping.

Dessert Taco’s

My friend Gretchen brought these little cuties to the party, and they were so adorably cute! They looked JUST LIKE TACOS!

Baked sugar cookie dough -To make the shells, I folded the cookie dough over wedges of tin foil and then baked them. The sugary mexican toppings include:

Ground Beef = crushed Oreos, icing & melted chocolate chips

Sour Cream = buttercream icing

Lettuce = green coconut flakes
Cheese = White chocoloate dyed orange and grated!

Tomatoes = cherry sours

Cinco De Mayo!

Hope everyone had a great cinco! We had our annual party full of yummy food, delish drinks, and great friends! Here is a pic of me and Max, just a few of our appetizers, and of course, the centerpiece of the day .. The margarita!