grilling with dinner's at 6.

we recently started ordering dinner's at 6 for our evening meals.  so far we've liked everything we've gotten {except for the honey mustard, bacon, mozzarella chicken}.  tonight i was on my own for dinner.  travis wasn't home. haley and sierra were, but they decided to hit up the pool. 

i called my dad on the way home because i wanted to grill the french onion burgers i had thawed, but ... here's a little secret ... i have never grilled on my own before.  i love grilled food, but we use a charcoal grill because of my mom's allergy to propane.  and i had never started a charcoal grill. 

so, my dad gave me instructions for how to use the stainless chimney charcoal starter and let me know how the charcoal should look in the chimney before dumping it out in the grill to cook.

everything went really well, and i ended up with these bad boys. 

they. were. amazing.  i couldn't stop talking about them!  and i'm not even a burger person.  i will eat them from time-to-time, but rarely but choice.  these are called french onion burgers because they have french onions mixed right in.  oh. so. yummy. 

mom brought fresh zucchini the last time she was at the house, so i steamed some up, sliced up tomatoes and tore some leaf lettuce.   i tried to wait for the girls, but they were preoccupied at the pool and the melty goodness was calling my name, so i fixed up a plate and sat down to enjoy a yummy, yummy dinner. 

i never thought i would need something like dinner's at 6 since i love cooking.  with everything we have going on right now, though, it has been a welcome relief to know all our meal planning and prep is taken care of for the most part after a long day of working. i'm excited for the next time we have these bad boys. 

easy garlic chicken.

Tonight I needed something quick and easy for dinner.  The week has been long, and nothing would come to mind for dinner.  I knew I didn't want to go out for dinner, but I could hardly even think of what was in my freezer and pantry.  I knew I had chicken {Haley's favorite} so I hopped on the Food Network on my cell phone to see if I could come up with something simple.

This recipe jumped out at me.  Typically I try to document the full prep and cooking experience, but I just wasn't up for it tonight. I was very impressed with this recipe though.  It was super easy and I wanted to make sure that I don't lose it.  I love that I could change the number of servings I want and the ingredients would automatically update. 

I plan to make this again in the future.  I'll do a better job then of capturing how the dish is actually made.  Maybe.

welcome to MY frontier.

This weekend Travis watched The Pioneer Woman with me.  It's Ree Drummond's show on the Food Network.  I've used a few of her recipes {particularly when I'm cooking beef}, and I've had a lot of success with them {remember that incredible beef tenderloin I whipped up at Christmas?}. 

She made a tres leches cake, and Travis thought it looked really yummy.   I decided to give it a whirl.  Mine isn't as pretty as hers {and I didn't feel like removing the stems from my cherries} but all in all it turned out pretty well.

I've had tres leches cakes before, but Travis never had.  It's very light, even though it has the three milks in it.  I'm a fan, but mine definitely wasn't as good as the professionally made cakes I've had.  I'm not giving up on the recipe, but think it's something I'll need to try a few times before I get it just right.

apple kale muffins.

Right now kale is really popular, but I've never really eaten it.  Since we've been making smoothies and juices for Travis, kale is a frequent ingredient as part of the base, especially for green smoothies.  I bought a large bunch of it ... but then found that I didn't really know what to do with it.  It didn't go through our juicer very well, and when I put it in the blender, I couldn't get it smooth enough for either of us.  I like lots of other green smoothies, but I just can't get past the kale texture.

I started looking into other ways to use kale.  I made kale chips last night.  They were pretty good, but definitely not my favorite thing under the sun.  I thought I really liked them as soon as they were finished, but after a few I wasn't a big fan.  I stored them in a Rubbermaid container overnight and they were soggy today.  Ick.  No thanks.

I had seen these apple kale muffins by Lemon Stripes on Pinterest.  They looked really yummy so I decided to give them a whirl.

They made the house smell delicious while they were baking {and even though you're not supposed to, I couldn't help but sample the batter a few times while mixing them up}.

Don't let look delish?  They had moist chunks of apple in them and wonderful spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. I would definitely make these again, but will need to find other kale recipes that I like because it really didn't take much kale to make the muffins, and it always seems to come in such large bunches.

Do you have any kale recipes you love?

a morning at home with haley girl.

This morning I spent time at home with Haley.  It’s been a rough week for her not having Travis and me around. She’s really worried about Travis, too.  We also needed to run her out to the doctor’s office in Owasso so they could start her on another round of antibiotics. Lately I feel like we spend all our time in ER's, doctors' offices, and hospitals.  Still, I know I am blessed and try to continually remind myself of that. 

I started the morning making French toast dumplings for her.  They're made out of Grand's biscuits and simmered in maple syrup and brown sugar.  Yowza. They also gave me the opportunity to use my Dutch oven that I love so much -- that thing is awesome!
  

They were incredibly easy, and we both really liked them ... I would be lying if I said she didn't think they looked a little weird, but all-in-all, I think they were a success.   I didn't get a final shot of mine, but you can see how they look at www.ohbiteit.com by following the link to the recipe above.  Let me know what you think if you try them. 

baked oatmeals cups.

last month haley and i spent a day making lasagna and oatmeal cups.  i posted the recipe for the lasagna, but never got back around to the oatmeal cups.  since i'm sitting in the hospital with travis, i thought i'd try to get caught up.

 

this is another pinterest recipe, and it's from sugar-free mom.  she asks that others not post the recipe on their personal blogs, so you'll have to click over to her blog for the actual ingredients and directions. 

for our toppings: we used white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, raisins, and blueberries

sugar-free mom uses 1/4 cup of flaxseed meal, but i didn't have it so we left it out and did not substitute anything for it

i think i would play with these a little bit if we make them again in the future.  i expected the oatmeal to be a little firmer, particularly in the center -- and maybe the additional flaxseed would have helped with that.  i think these could bake longer and be just about perfect.  they're not super sweet, but that's what i like about them.  i know exactly what's in the cups (and i approve of just about all of it). 

haley at these for breakfast every day the week after we made these, and we still have plenty in the freezer.

oh so yummy lasagna.

last saturday i posted about several yummy things haley and i spent the day whipping up.   i promised you i would post the recipes, and i don't want you to think i'm a liar, so here we go.  {also, this stuff was so amazing, i want to make sure i get the recipe saved before i lose it}.  but we can pretend this is all for you.  ;)

i didn't have a recipe when travis sprung on me at the grocery store that he would like lasagna for dinner.  i'm not really a lasagna person, so i've never made the stuff.  my mom is a fantastic cook, but i always hated lasagna nights growing up.  of course i jumped on google {what else is a girl to do in the middle of the grocery store when her husband wants a dinner she has never made?}.  i came across a recipe that sounded pretty yummy {and boy was it ever}!

you can find the original recipe on allrecipes. going back and looking at the recipe now, i see that it says "takes a little work, but it's worth it." not sure i would have made it had i seen that message in the beginning, but the guy is right it IS worth it. 

the original recipe calls for 1 lb of sweet italian sausage and 3/4 lb of lean ground beef.  travis didn't want me to use sausage, so i used two lbs of ground beef. it also calls for fennel seeds, which i omitted.

world's best lasagna from allrecipes.com {with my edits}

original recipe makes 12 servings 

• 1 pound sweet italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves

• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
   

1. in a dutch oven, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. season with sugar, basil, italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.  {this made the house smell amazing}. 
2. bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. in a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. {haley and i did this while the sauce was simmering and just put it in the fridge so it would be ready when it was time to assemble the lasagna}.
3. preheat oven to 375.
4. to assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. arrange 3 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce {the original recipe called for six noodles, but even overlapping them a bit, i wasn't able to fit six in the bottom of my pan}. spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture {so yummy!!}. top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices {i used shredded mozz, but would like to try it with the mozzarella slices in the future}. spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese {i did 4 layers of noodles to be able to use all the noodles i had cooked.  on the very top of my noodles, i only had meat sauce and cheeses}.  cover with foil: to prevent sticking, spray foil with cooking spray
5. bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. cool for 15 minutes before serving.

holy moly. look at that ricotta.  that was my favorite part of this entire dish.

and here's the finished lasagna in all its melty goodness.

travis posted on facebook that it was absolutely delicious, and haley said it was one of the best lasagnas she's ever had because most of them have a lot of sauce and this one doesn't go overboard on the sauce.  later travis told me it was the best he's ever had -- he just wished he could enjoy it more, but his mouth has been hurting so badly.

so there you have it.  a lasagna for the books.  i have an idea this will find its way into my kitchen again. 

lazy sunday: steak fajitas and guacamole.

after driving around and looking for land together with our pups today, travis and i headed back home.  we needed a few groceries so i headed to aldi {i'm trying to go there whenever i can because of the great deals i got on christmas eve}. they are a little hit and miss on what they have, so i also had to make a stop at reasor's -- i much prefer shopping there.  

when i got home we were trying to decide if we were going to hang out with the loves and/or if travis's friend chris was going to drive in from bartlesville to hang out for a bit.  as it turned out, we decided to stay in for the rest of the day.

while at the grocery store, i picked up everything we needed for steak fajitas.  travis had pulled steak out to thaw when we got home from our excursion.

chicken fajitas: 

i made my own fajita seasoning instead of picking up a packet at the store.  i got the basic recipe here, but as i've recently mentioned, i like to play around a little with recipes.  

i followed the recipe and used the following ingredients {not pictured, sugar}.  

mix the following measurements of these spices together in a bowl.  {i poured them all in and then whisked together}. 

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 2 tablespoons chili powder 
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt 
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

i had already started marinading the steak in whiskey and balsamic vinegar {i used a shot glass and poured it half full of whiskey and topped it off with the balsamic}. before adding the liquid marinade, i poked the steaks all over with a fork {i don't have a meat tenderizer}.  the meat was in the fridge while i got the seasoning ready.

the recipe calls for the spices and 2 tablespoons of oil {i used olive oil} to be mixed together in a ziplock bag and then add the meat.  i didn't want to dirty another item, so i just started mixing everything into the bowl with the meat.  i added the olive oil and then three tablespoons of lemon juice {i didn't have a fresh lemon or lime}. next i added two tablespoons of the seasoning.

i put the lid on my rubbermaid bowl, turned it upside down, and shook it vigorously.  {mine didn't leak, but i would recommend doing this over the sink ... just in case}.

this worked very well and everything mixed well, coated both steaks well, and even got in between the two steaks.  i opted not to cut off the fat yet.

to give the meat plenty of time to marinade {a minimum of thirty minutes to an hour is recommended}, i decided to chop all my veggies and prepare my other items.

since it was just travis and me, i sliced half of three different bell peppers.

next i sliced part of an onion {to be cooked with the peppers} and diced the other part for guacamole & to top the fajitas.

i chopped a little cilantro {for the guac} and diced a tomato {to be used in the guac & to top the fajitas}. i also cut open two avocadoes {only one pictured}.

doesn't it all look so pretty?  the other thing i didn't capture is the lettuce i cut up to top the fajitas. -- what can i say?  we top our fajitas similar to tacos. 

i scooped the meat out of both avocados.  they weren't quite as ripe as i hoped, but still tasted fine.  they were just a little tougher to mash than usual.

after mashing the avocado as best as possible, i added in onions, tomatoes, and cilantro {my stomach used to turn at the taste of cilantro.  now i love it}.  travis doesn't eat guacamole, so i just fixed a small bowl for myself. 

it got a little easier to mash the longer i worked with the meat.  the finishing touch was to sprinkle garlic salt across the top of the bowl and then mix well again.  all of these ingredients are to taste.  i usually add a little lime juice, but as i mentioned i didn't get any limes at the store.

i didn't snag any pictures, but i also cut up a block of cheese and got the queso started in the microwave.  i melted the cheese, cream cheese, cream of mushroom, and rotel in the microwave.  i decided the sausage for it would be the last thing i would cook and stir in at the end.

i pulled the meat out of the fridge and cut it into strips.  you'll notice i left the fat on for flavor while i was cooking.  it came off like butter once it was all cooked. 

isn't that gorgeous?

i put the strips from one steak into a tablespoon of heated olive oil.   travis likes steak a little more well done than i do.  as soon as it has a little brown color to it, i added the rest of the steak, the vegetables, and added 2 tablespoons of the seasoning.  i would encourage you to taste the flavor as your cooking.  i like my tacos and fajitas well-seasoned.  you may decide you want more seasoning.

lovely, lovely colors!

while i was cooking my hubs came in and captured a few shots of me.

 

he tried to get a picture of conor, but he kept moving ... doesn't his face look freaky in this picture??

i finished up the meat and peppers, quickly browned some sausage, added it to the queso and called travis to the kitchen.

dinner is served.  mmm ... mmm ... mm.  you can't go wrong with fajitas and guacamole. 

what's on your menu tonight?

buttermilk pie.

after dinner i started cleaning out the fridge.  i noticed the buttermilk was going to go bad tomorrow {can buttermilk really go bad?}.  i've been in the mood to bake, but have been refraining because travis just loves sweets too much.  he has a love/hate relationship with my baking.  i had a pie crust in the freezer from christmas that i needed {okay, wanted} to use, i decided to whip up a delicious buttermilk pie {travis's favorite}.

in my christmas post with all my recipes for christmas eve dinner i mentioned that i've never really been a pie maker.  and i decided it's something i need to learn to make and get better at.  i also linked to the homesick texan's recipe for buttermilk pie.  i used the exact same recipe tonight.

this is a super easy pie to make {i don't think i realized it during the hustle and bustle of christmas when i was cooking a million other things}; it takes about 10 minutes tops!  it takes a long time to bake though -- 50 minutes or so.

since i captured a few action shots tonight, i thought i would go ahead and post the recipe here as well.


{the homesick texan's buttermilk pie}

ingredients:

• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 8 Tablespoons butter {softened}  -- i used unsalted butter anytime i bake 
• 3 large eggs, beaten
•  pinch of salt 
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 pie crust

directions:

preheat the oven to 350.  bake pie crust for 10 minutes.

while the crust is partially baking, combine the sugar and flour.

cream the butter.  {i didn't have mine sitting out, so i put it in the microwave for 30 seconds, turning it every 10 seconds - you just want it soft, not runny}

beat the eggs {in a separate bowl}. 

add the sugar/flour mixture to the butter.    next stir in all other ingredients {eggs, salt, buttermilk, baking soda, vanilla extract & white vinegar - buttermilk not shown in pictures}.  i add them one at a time, making sure each one is stirred in before adding the next item.

your timer for the pie should be going off right about now.  if not, take this time to put away any ingredients you've gotten out, put any bowls into the dishwasher, etc.

once the crust has baked for 10 minutes, pull it out of the oven and pour the filling into the partially baked pie crust.  bake in the oven, uncovered until the custard is set.  this will take about 45 - 55 minutes depending on your oven.

for mine, i set the timer for 40 minutes.  i check it then and decide if it needs to go another five minutes or so.  -- you do not want to over-bake this pie.  if the custard is a tiny bit unset in the center, that's okay.  it will stand up while setting on the counter.

as i mentioned before, travis said the one i made on christmas eve was better than his aunt's or mom's {i'll take the compliment!} but that the texture "wasn't quite right." he did say it was the closest to his granny's he's ever had.

if you try it out let me know what you think.   if anyone has a good recipe that you'd like to share, i'd love to try it!

comfort food and staying busy.

all day yesterday i felt like a cloud was hanging over me.  i would be fine and then sad.  thinking of losing my uncle.  my mom and her siblings losing their brother -- i don't know how to process that.  thinking of haley losing her dad -- again, unimaginable. thinking of how grateful i am we got to spend christmas eve.  realizing i never captured a picture of haley and uncle david in front of the christmas tree. wishing i had ... 

on the drive home travis asked me what i thought sounded good for dinner.  i really didn't know.  chicken and dumplings came to mind for him.  the day was dreary and a little cold outside.  i thought chicken and dumplings sounded fitting for the day.  we stopped at reasor's for a few things we needed and then headed home. 

keeping busy was therapeutic for me.  i would still think of my family, but i was focused on happy memories and the task at hand more than anything. 

i had never made chicken & dumplings {and my mom's are pretty hard to compete with}.  i didn't feel like i could call & ask my mom with all she was dealing with, so i took to the internet.  i started with paula deen's, but her recipe sounded much more bland than my mom's.  next stop, martha stewart,  her recipe sounded closer to what i thought my mom's would likely be. 

if you've been following me for any time at all, you realize that i have trouble not manipulating recipes.  i always have to change them in some way {well for some things. i tend to stay true to the recipe on desserts because i'm always afraid they won't set up correctly}

here's my version of martha's. {i didn't include the frozen peas at all}.

chicken & dumplings:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 head of fresh garlic, diced {this is something i added}
• 5 medium carrots, sliced {i sliced mine thinner than she calls for}
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme {i used italian seasoning with thyme and oregano}
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 box reduced-sodium chicken broth {i had to use significantly more than martha's recipe}
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons more milk

 directions:

1. in a dutch oven, heat butter over medium. add onion, carrots, and italian seasoning. cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. add 1/4 cup flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. add broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly - i started with the 14.5 oz the originally recipe calls for, but added more as the soup cooked.  it became more of a paste than a soup; season with salt and pepper. nestle chicken pieces in the pot; reduce heat to medium-low. cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. meanwhile, make dumplings: in a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup flour, dill, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  i also sprinkled enough italian seasoning to cover the top of the dough mixture because i didn't think the dill would make these taste enough like my mom's. with a fork, gradually stir in 1/2 cup milk to form a moist and soft batter. it should be just a little thicker than pancake batter and should easily drop from the tip of a spoon. i had to add the additional 2 tablespoons of milk because the dough was too thick.) 
   
   
   
   
   
4. drop batter in simmering liquid in 10 heaping tablespoonfuls, keeping them spaced apart (dumplings will swell as they cook). 
   
   
   
   
   
   cover, and simmer until chicken is tender and dumplings are firm, 20 minutes. the dumplings bubbled up so perfectly -- i was so nervous!  not the best picture ever, and the dumplings still look a little doughy here, but i can assure you they were not.
   
   
   
   
   
   we ate dinner with the soup just like this, but i added more chicken broth {until the box was gone} and sprinkled more italian seasoning across the top for our leftovers tonight.