Spiced Pork Tenderloins with Ancho Peanut Sauce Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

Doesn't this look amazing! Check out the recipe..pretty easy too!

Spiced Pork Tenderloins with Ancho Peanut Sauce Recipe - Every Day with Rachael Ray

Buttermilk Fig Cake Recipe

My friend found this recipe today! Thanks Jessica!! Now we are going to make them...YUMMO!!

• —  Buttermilk Fig Cake:

• 2  cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2  cups sugar

• 1  teaspoon salt

• 1  teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2  teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2  cup vegetable oil

• 3  eggs

• 1  cup buttermilk

• 1  tablespoon vanilla extract

• 2  cups figs, chopped

• 1  cup pecans, chopped

• —  Buttermillk Sauce:

• 1  cup sugar

• 1/2  cup (1 stick) butter

• 1/2  cup buttermilk

• 1  tablespoon corn syrup

• 1  tablespoon vanilla extract

• 1/2  teaspoon baking soda

  
  
  Instructions

  1. Cake:  Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a large bowl and mix well.  Add the oil, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, figs and pecans and mix well.  Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.  Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 45 minutes or until the cake tests done.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack and poke holes over the cake with a fork or wooden pick.
  2. Sauce:  Combine the sugar, butter, buttermilkm, corn syrup, vanilla and baking soda in a saucepan.  Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.  Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Pour over the cake. 
  3. You may bake this cake in a greased and floured 9 x 13-inch baking pan and pour the sauce directly over the cake.

  And the best part? It was actually sent to this website http://www.relish.com/recipes/buttermilk-fig-cake/ from the Junior League of Lake Charles Marshes to Mansions cookbook. (Junior League of Lake Charles, Louisiana, 2007). 

  
  

  GEAUX LAKE CHARLES! 

Yum...figs.

A friend brought us some little cakes made with figs...does any one have a recipe for this?! I would love to make some! YUM! 

Making this recipe tonight...but instead of zucchini-I am using garden grown eggplant (Louisiana Long green eggplants) and mozzarella cheese. I am also adding some fresh spinach and garden tomatoes...because I need to eat it!

Hope y'all enjoy...I'll be sure to post a pic of my version soon! Good Eats!
Original Website: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2010/07/29/good-and-plenty-zucchini-pizza/

As you may have noticed, zucchini is EVERYWHERE right now. Bright, green (or yellow), and eager to please, it’s just begging to be your friend. It’s very easy to throw into pasta and salads, but let’s face it—unlike other summer veggies, zucchini isn’t very sexy. Tomatoes are just gorgeous and juicy, corn is sweet and fun to have around. Zucchini is, well, eh. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make zucchini more interesting… I learned a great trick from Jim Lahey—the bread guru behind Sullivan Street Bakery—about how to add zucchini to pizza. He regularly serves a Roman-style pizza at his bakery topped with zucchini, and it’s amazing…here’s how you do it.

The trick is to grate it (I used 2 large zucchinis and grated them on my food processor), then combine the shredded zucchini in a bowl with a couple of tsps salt. Let sit for about 20 minutes to leach out the vegetable’s liquid (this will keep it from getting mushy when it cooks).
Squeeze the zucchini and discard any extra water, then toss it with 2 cups of shredded gruyere cheese.
For the pizza: Take a rimmed cookie sheet and coat it with olive oil, using your hands to get the oil into all of the corners. Take your pizza dough (yesterday I didn’t have time to make my own, so instead I defrosted a ball of whole wheat dough I had bough at Whole Foods, which worked very well), and stretch it gently but firmly into the pan, making sure there are no holes. You want it to stretch as far as possible to the edges so it’s the same size and shape as your cookie sheet.
Dump your zucchini-cheese topping onto the dough and with your hands, rake it onto your pizza dough. You will want it to reach all the way to the edge and it’s better if there is more zucchini on the edges than in the middle because the edges cook faster.
Sprinkle with bread crumbs, if  you’d like.
Place sheet in an oven that has been allowed to preheat to 400 degrees.
Cook for about 20 minutes. It’s done when the crust has begun to pull away from the edges and the cheese is melted and golden brown.
Sprinkle with parmesan before serving and cut into squares.
What you’ll have is a ridiculously delicious pizza.

Good Morning Everyone! It has been so busy at the university these past two weeks. Especially so this week since my boss left for her maternity leave. We are all running with our heads cut off! But honestly-we seem to be getting things done pretty efficiently. 

The recruiters (including me) received our schedule of travel a couple of weeks ago-I am hoping while I am on the road I'll have some more time to actually do some blogging! 

But here is something we tried last night for dinner. 

We went to World Market over the weekend and found this fajita seasoning sauce....well we just had to try it! We also got the taco one..hope to make that one later!

First you sauté onion and bell peppers (you can use red or green peppers) 

This salsa is not called for the recipe...it is really my cooking sidekick. 

Sneaking a little snack while I cook! 

After the peppers and onions are slightly browned and softened, cook your chicken (or steak) 

Make sure not to over crowd the skillet. Cook the meat in 2 or 3 different batches if needed. 

Here is Patrick approving of the fajita seasoning. LOL 

Here is the stuff...chipotle and lime. YUMMO!

After chicken is cooked, add back the veggies and pour in sauce. Stir and let cook for a good 10-15 minutes....Let everything get happy!

And the finished product. Added some lettuce, sour cream and cheese but it tastes really good solo too! 

What is your favorite fajita or taco seasoning? Do you make it yourself? Or does it come in a package?

Breakfast

Got a cinnamon roll today...what is your favorite breakfast treat!? 

Blog Wordle

Hey guys. I have really been stinky at putting up a blog post. I have tons of recipes and even pictures to post but I just have not had the time. I really didn't want it to come to this. So here is a little filler for y'all. 

 While playing on the internet today I found wordle.net. It is a pretty neat thing-I put the web address of this blog and it created this. Create something and share it with me! 

Pre Birthday Food

Well it is almost my birthday!! 26 freakin' years old. I can't handle this! Last night, Monday, we had our weekly rosary night with Patrick's parents. And much to my surprise and excitement Mrs. Janie prepared an amazing dinner of chalupas and an AWESOME almond/mandarin salad. YUMMO!

Here is the spread:

You might have noticed the special red plate-it is a tradition started by Patrick's family. On your birthday or anniversary you get to eat from the SPECIAL plate! I love this so much that Mrs. Janie got me a plate for our family this past year for Christmas. It comes with a pen to write the dates the plate is used...it is awesome. It is almost like a date book for the great days of FOOD and family you celebrated! Can't get any better than that!

 If you are interested in starting this with your family here is the link to buy it online: http://bit.ly/mdcd07

"You are special today!" 

Thanks to the Eustis family for an awesome meal!!  Love you lots! 

I am still here-and eating like a Champ!

Hey guys. Sorry it has been so long since I posted something....looks like I dropped of the face of the earth! I didn't...still here and searching for new recipes and plotting new blog ideas and such. 


There is one awesome thing I would like to share with y'all. It is called Pinterest. IT IS SO AWESOME!!  Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard. Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. 


Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. 

Well you know I have started a collection here is a link to my pinboards! http://pinterest.com/whisafaye/

I hope will enjoy this and join! It will be a great way for us to share ideas...GO...AND PINTEREST! :) Let me know if you'd like an invite! :)

Taste Test - The Best Ice Creams - Every Day with Rachael Ray

Taste Test - The Best Ice Creams - Every Day with Rachael Ray

Oh yes! Let's have some Ice Cream! What is your favorite flavor!?

Maybe I should make some homemade ice cream....sounds like a plan to me! :) 

Menu Monday

The beginning of a new week. It's time to plan the week's menu.!!

It seemed that when Pat and I first got married we were definitely in a "food rut". Always eating the same thing-baked chicken, spaghetti, pizza, spaghetti, chicken, hamburgers-BLAH. Now we both really try to spice up the weekly menus. With the help of my Rachael Ray and Food Network magazines we have been able to really add  variety into our nightly dishes.

Today I am sharing with y'all our week's menu. For the recipes that have online links I will post them (they will be the green words)  the others are just simple "off the cuff" dinners that really need no explanation.
Here we go!

MONDAY-Grilled Paprika Shrimp

TUESDAY-Stuffed Potatoes and Salad

WEDNESDAY- Going to the In-Laws for Dinner WOOT! 

THURSDAY-CheeseBurgers and Sweet Potato Fries

FRIDAY-Leftovers

SATURDAY-Dinner with Friends

SUNDAY-Deer Chili

 (I know it's HOT for chili but I have to get that meat out of my freezer. I need more room for ICE CREAM!)

Food Foto Fridays

Hey guys! Starting a new thing. It's called "Food Foto Fridays"! I am really excited... okay HERE WE GO! 

CHICKEN PARM PASTA TOSS

-Serves 4-6 

Ingredients

Salt

1 lb whole-wheat penne pasta

3 tablespoons EVOO (that's Rachael Ray for Extra Virgin olive oil!) 

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (or thighs), chopped into bite-size pieces

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

Black Pepper

1 medium red onion, chopped

2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated

2 pints grape tomatoes

2 cups fresh basil leaves, chopped

3 cups arugula or baby arugula, roughly chopped

1 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese ( I used Parmesan) 

Bring a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Salt the water and cook the pasta to al dente (:Cooked so as to be still firm when bitten) HEADS UP: Before draining, reserve a cup of starchy cooking liquid. 

While the water is coming to a boil, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Season chicken pieces with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, then add to hot skillet. 

Cook chicken until it is brown, add the onions to the pan, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, then cook for a couple of minutes more.

Add the tomatoes and cover the pan with a lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes burst open and begin to release their juices, about 6 or 7 minutes. Using a wooden spoon to mash or crush any tomatoes that do not burst on their  own. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Add the drained pasta and reserved starchy cooking water to the skillet, toss for 1 minute. and turn off the heat. 

(yup barefoot in the kitchen! LOL) 

Add the basil, arugula, and cheese and toss for a minute more. 

Then serve in shallow bowls (or plates..does it really matter?! LOL) 

Wow guys! And let me tell you. It was awesome. I'd like to thank my hubby, Patrick for taking all the photos for me. It would have been difficult doing it alone! 

If you enjoyed this type of blog-email me your recipes and I will do another and FEATURE your FOOD! 

Hope you all have a great weekend! GOOD EATS!