It's a Little Early, But...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Behold, Lucky Charms cupcakes!  I found this recipe on Pinterest a month or so ago, and knew it would be perfect for St. Patty's Day.  Green cupcakes with real bits of Lucky Charms cereal,  marshmallow buttercream frosting, and green and gold sprinkles, topped off with a lucky charm.  I brought them into work today, and they were a big hit. 

My frosting skills still need a bit of work, but other than that, I'm pretty pleased with how they came out. 

I do have to tell you, there was one huge advantage to making this recipe:  I have almost an entire box of Lucky Charms left over.  I'm so excited!

Looking for the recipe?  Head on over to Just Call Me Maria and check it out!

Tutorial Twosday: Quinoa

All hail the triumphant return of Tutorial Twosday!

I have just discovered quinoa.  It's a lovely little protein-packed grain with the consistency of couscous and a healthful resume. The first time we cooked quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wah), we fell in love with the texture and its ability to be a blank canvas to all kinds of flavors; the love affair has continued from there. 

This week, I have two quinoa recipes to share, both of which I have tested, both of which are tasty.

Feeling summery?  Try Quinoa with Corn and Scallions:

Via Just a Taste

This was so good.  Light, fluffy, and sweet, this was the perfect addition to a light, summery meal.  We had ours as a side for kabobs, and a glazed carrot and pea tendril salad, and it was perfect.  There are some things we cook and I think, " I am so bad ass! I am an awesome chef!" This was one of those.  Two thumbs up.

Remember how I said quinoa was good for you?  Remember when I said you could add pretty much anything to it?  Remember my love of cheese? (You see where this is going, right?) One of my lovely Pinterest pals found Quinoa Mac and Cheese, and I couldn't resist.  Grains.  Cheese.  What's not to love?

Via Around the Table RI

Was it as good as Mama Goodlaff's Mac and Cheese? No. But it was pretty awesome. And I felt very righteous eating that instead of pasta mac and cheese. I will probably add more cheese to the recipe next time I make it, which will completely negate all the good things the Quinoa brings to the table.  Oh dear--old habits die hard. 

Happy Cooking!

Tutorial Twosday: Sweets

Is a sweet tooth genetic?  Daddy Goodlaff is practically the cookie monster, and I seem to have inherited the same sugar obsession. I have a terrible sweet tooth.  Really, it's just awful. 

I see the most amazing, delicious confections on Pinterest every day, and though I want to make all of them, I think that would be massively unwise and unhelpful given my current goal of running a half marathon in August.  Still, it doesn't mean that I can't look...

You want to know one of my biggest weaknesses?  Those damn Lofthouse cookies.  So soft, so fluffy--frosting, sprinkles, tastiness.  Oh man, I could eat a whole package.

Source

Now, thanks to the Authentic Suburban Gourmet, I can make them in my own kitchen.  I'm pretty sure this could be a really, really bad idea...

Valentine's Day is barely over, St. Patrick's Day merely a blip on the radar, and the stores are full of Easter, Easter, Easter.  So, when this darling cupcake came across my feed, I had to pin it:

Source

Just look at it!  Easter.  In a cupcake.  I kind of want to head in the kitchen right now and get started....

Happy crafting!

The Cold of Death

It was pretty quiet around here last week.  I apologize.  For almost two weeks now I have been dealing with the cold of death, and until Wednesday, I didn't have the energy to move, let alone blog.  My throat was killing me, I had Mr. Goodlaff buy out the entire cold section at the drugstore, and I went through about four boxes of Kleenex. I haven't even been working at my current job for a month, and had to call in sick for two days.  It was not good.  Luckily, I no longer sound like a 70 year-old smoker, and I'm down to only a few tissues a day. I feel almost human!

I made a few discoveries while I was sick, and I thought I'd share, in case any of you happen to catch the cold of death too.

After going through an entire box of regular Kleenex, I finally caved and sent Mr. Goodlaff to the store to get those awful tissues with the aloe in them.  My nose was so raw that I just couldn't take it anymore. What he came back with was this:

Source

They have aloe and all that, but the best part of these tissues is that they are cool to the touch. It's kind of creepy--they are cold when you touch them. But they are so soothing, so awesome.  A total lifesaver.  It's a small box--only 50 tissues--and it's a bit spendy, but worth every damn penny.  I highly recommend them.

My second discovery was more of a referral than a find of my own. Turns out Sister Goodlaff was also suffering with a cold of death, and she found a recipe for a miracle drink on Pinterest. It's called Dr. R's Cold Remedy, and the recipe comes from Le Man and Wife. 

It's not much to look at, but the combination of lemon, honey, coriander, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon sticks is actually really tasty.  It can be a little strong and a little strange at first, but after three nights of drinking this, I felt way better.  Maybe I was just healing on my own, you say?  Nah. I prefer to put stock in this little gem.  Head on over to Le Man and Wife for the recipe!

If any more colds of death strike this winter, I will be ready!

Tutorial Twosday: Christmas Cookies

Do you bake during the holidays? I do.  A lot.  There is nothing better than a house and tummy full of Christmas cookies, but at some point, you have to give them away, otherwise your New Year's Resolution will be to lose all the cookie weight.

Today's tutorials may tempt you into one too many cookies, but that's inevitable, isn't it?

One of my favorite cookies in the whole wide world has to be these Glazed Toffee Bonbons from Betty Crocker.  A few years ago Mama Goodlaff and I were standing in the supermarket check out line, flipping through those Betty Crocker cookie books that they always have right by the packs of gum and the US Weekly.  One of them had so many tasty looking recipes that I couldn't put it down.  I told Mama Goodlaff we (she) should get it and I would make copies of the recipes to take with me.  Three years later, I still have the book--ah, a Mother's love!

Anyway, these were in that book.  Fair warning--they are involved.  These aren't your Tollhouse chocolate chip drop cookies.  First you bake the cookie, then dip them in a glaze, then add the topping, sprinkle with toffee, and drizzle chocolate and vanilla on top. It's a long process.

But, it's oh-so worth it.

Via Betty Crocker

See, don't those just look divine? 

And speaking of divine, these next cookies come to us from Divine Baking.  Their Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies are, in fact, divine.  I might even go so far as to say they are heavenly. They also happen to be gluten free, and it's always good to think of our gluten-free friends during the holiday season. 

Sometimes gluten free products can taste a little bit off, but these are right on. Chocolatey, gooey, fantastic.  Try them fresh out of the oven for a truly spiritual experience.

Via Divine Baking

Happy crafting baking!

Leftovers

With certain leftovers, it's all about transformation. Got mashed potatoes? Leave those puppies alone. They are already perfect. Turkey? Change it up.

The last thing I wanted to do with our Thanksgiving leftovers was make soup or Turkey pot pie. And I love leftover turkey sandwiches like nobody's business, but given the amount of leftover turkey and the fact that I didn't want to be sandwiches for the next two weeks straight, the Goodlaffs had to come up with some new ways to talk turkey.

Here are two ways we mixed it up, turning our leftovers into exiting new meals.

This first one comes from Food Network. Normally Sandra Lee drives me batty, but she demoed this recipe on one of Food Network's T-day specials last year, and I knew I had to try it. This is the second year in a row that we've done these Scallion Pancakes with Crispy Turkey and Cranberry Hoisin Sauce, and they just might be my favorite leftover remodel, ever.

Here's the recipe, courtesy of Food Network:

Scallion Pancakes with Crispy Turkey and Cranberry Hoisin Sauce

• 1 (8-count) package refrigerator biscuits (recommended: Pillsbury Grands)
• 8 scallions, sliced, some reserved for garnish
• 3 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
• Flour, for dusting
• 1 cup canola oil plus 2 tablespoons
• 4 cups leftover cooked turkey, shredded
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
• 1 cup hoisin sauce, divided
• 1 cup julienned cucumber

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Remove the biscuits from the tube. Flatten out each one slightly. Place 1 teaspoon of sliced scallion into the center of the biscuit and drizzle with 1/4 teaspoon of sesame oil. Wrap the edges of the biscuit around the scallions and roll into a ball. Repeat with remaining biscuits. On a clean, floured work surface, roll out each biscuit ball into a round about 1/8-inch thick.

Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add a rolled out pancake and fry until crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Once cooked, place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining pancakes and canola oil.

Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil over medium heat. Add the turkey and soy sauce and cook until heated through. Turn off the heat and add the remaining teaspoon of sesame oil.

In a mini-food processor, combine the cranberry sauce and 1/2 cup hoisin sauce and blend until smooth.

To assemble: Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the remaining hoisin sauce onto a scallion pancake. Top with some cucumber, scallions, and some of the cooked turkey. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the cranberry-hoisin sauce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Eat those and then tell me they're not the best things ever. I would recommend extra scallions on top, and because I tend to like the sauce a bit more fruity, I would add a bit more cranberry sauce to the hoisin mixture too.

The second leftover remodel? Buffalo Turkey Sloppy Joes.

Rachael Ray has this insanely good recipe for wingless buffalo chicken pizza.  I could eat a whole one by myself if my husband wouldn't look on in disapproval.  How about that pizza on a bun? Okay!

We didn't follow any recipe for this, we just decided to wing it (heh).  Here's my best guess at what we did:

Buffalo Turkey Sloppy Joes

• About 1 1/2-2 cups of chopped turkey (most of ours was dark meat, and we both agreed white meat would have been a little better. Then again, neither of us are big fans of dark meat.)
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 2-ish tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup tomato sauce
• Hot sauce to preferred level of spiciness, 2 or more tablespoons (it's buffalo sauce, after all)
• 1/4-1/2 cup of crumbled blue cheese
• 4 green onions, sliced
• Hamburger buns

Directions
Take the turkey, tomato sauce, butter, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce and add to skillet.  Mix it up. Heat turkey through and add blue cheese crumbles (how much depends on how much cheese you like).  Stir to combine.  Add about two thirds of your green onions to the mixture.  Remove from heat.

Crumble some blue cheese on the inside of your hamburger bun and broil until the cheese is melty and bun is crisp.  Add more green onions on top of cheese.  Pile mixture on bun and devour. Wear your napkin as a bib.

You could probably chop up some celery and add it to the mixture.  It might add a nice bit of crunch and fit in with the whole hot wings theme. 

Do you have any leftover turkey recipes to share with me? I'm taking suggestions...