New Orleans Button- Poppin' Beignets

This southern dessert was introduced to me by my roommate my first semester in college and then again by the movie Princess and the Frog. The best thing about this tasty treat is versatility. You can eat it simply with powdered sugar (as is traditional) or you can add caramel (as pictured), honey, chocolate, fruit, cinnamon, cocoa, or really anything that strikes your fancy. This is the best recipe I have found for beignets. It only has to sit in the refrigerator for an hour and puffs up so beautifully when fried. You can make them any shape you want although square is traditional. There is no way you won't love this recipe! Here's what you need.

1 cup water, heated to 110°
6 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp yeast
3 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 tbsp plus 2 quarts vegetable oil
powdered sugar


Mix water and yeast with a tbsp of sugar and let it get foamy for about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the sugar, eggs, and oil. Whisk until combined. Slowly add in the flour and salt. Store in a greased bowl cover with greased plastic wrap. Let it rise in the refrigerator for an hour. This is important. If you don't wait, you won't get the nice puffy dough you really want to see in a beignet. Set wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet. Line second sheet with ­parchment paper and dust heavily with flour. Place half of dough on well-floured counter and pat into rough rectangle with floured hands, flipping to coat with flour. Roll dough into ¼-inch-thick rectangle (roughly 12 by 9 inches). Using pizza wheel, cut dough into twelve 3-inch squares and transfer to floured sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Here is the only way you can really mess these up. In a dutch oven, large skillet, or preferably if you have a temperature controlled skillet heat the oil to 350°. Any hotter it will burn the outside and the inside will stay gooey. Any cooler and by the time it is done cooking it will just be a greasy mess. Use a thermometer if you don't have an electric skillet. It must stay at 350°. Place a few pieces of your sliced dough in the oil cooking them about 2-3 minutes each side or until golden brown. I use tongs, but you can use a slotted spoon or an Asian strainer to flip and fish out of the oil. Set them on the rack to let the oil drip off and coat in powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Baked Eggs in Avocado

As a child of Mexican southern California it's hard for me to believe there is any other way of eating an avocado besides guacamole. So, when I saw this recipe I was like, "Whoa! Hold the phone! This looks delicious!" And it was. The creamy egg yolk and tender avocado played so well together and the bacon and cheese (which wasn't added in the original recipe, but I thought it desperately needed it) gave it a great flavor. Topped with some chives and cayenne pepper, this is a great way to start your day. A super juicy peach doesn't hurt either. Here's what you need.

1 ripe avocado
2 eggs
1 strip of bacon
2 tbsp finely grated cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 425°. Cut your avocado in half and pit it. Dig out enough of the meat so the egg and fixin's will fit nicely. Place your two avocados halves cavity side up in a very small oven safe dish. You want to make sure they aren't going to roll on their side. Salt if you think you need it, although I think the bacon is enough. Sprinkle about a tbsp of cheese in the pit of each of your avocado halves. Cook a strip of bacon and slice into 1/4 inch pieces. Place on top of the cheese. You will most likely have too much. (Mid-cooking snack!) Separate your eggs in small bowls or ramekins. Gently place a yolk in each pit. And I know it's a pain, but now spoon in the egg white into each pit. I say spoon in because if you dump it in, it will most likely overflow and you will have a mess to deal with. Gently place it in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the egg white don't jiggle when you move the pan. Let it cool and top with cayenne and chives. Maybe some hot sauce if you feel up to it.

Enjoy!

Filet Mignon With Balsamic Beurre Noir Sauce and Stuffed Mushrooms

Let's just look at this for a minute. Okay, now after you wipe the drool from your face listen to this story. I had been asked to post about stuffed mushrooms and I cringed. I do not like mushrooms. *GASP* Yea, yea I know. But there is just something about that texture. It's just gross. Anyway, it was the first request I had gotten and I didn't want to say no. So, my adventurous side kicked in and said, "You will make this. It will be awesome. And you will eat it because life it too short to wuss out over mushrooms". Then my mother-in-law gave us Filet Mignon and I was really excited because I wanted to make this sauce so bad and I figured this would be the perfect time to do it. The stars aligned and behold, a delicious meal. And to answer your question, yes the stuffed mushrooms were amazing even to someone who doesn't like them. Not even on pizza where they are smothered in cheese and sauce. Here's what you need.

2 8 oz filet mignon
I cooked mine in the oven at 375° for 20 minutes and they turned out amazing.

For the sauce
2 tsp melted butter
1 slices garlic glove
1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
1 tsp minced red chilies
1/2 tsp tomato paste
salt and pepper to tast
2 tbsp unsalted butter


On medium heat melt 2 tsp of butter in a skillet. Once it's melted add the sliced garlic and let it cook until the edges of the garlic start to get some color. Pour in your balsamic vinegar. This will stop the garlic from cooking so don't you worry your pretty little head about burning it. You want this to reduce to about a 1/3. While you are letting that simmer add the chilies, tomato paste, salt and pepper. (I think this is the first time in my life that I haven't added the Oxford comma and ya know what? It feels kinda good). Turn the heat off before you add the cold 2 tbsp unsalted butter and keep stirring until it is complete emulsified into your sauce. When you serve this, make sure the plate is hot or your butter sauce will congeal. Gross.



For the mushrooms
12 whole fresh mushrooms
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 8oz package cream cheese , softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper


 I'm not an advocate for preheating your oven 45 minutes before you need it specially in the summer. That being said, you know your oven so make sure you do give it plenty of time to warm up even if it's not in the very beginning of your process. In any case, preheat your oven to 350°. Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Make sure it's thorough. Nobody want's to eat dirt with their fancy dinner. Carefully break the stems off and discard the tough end of the stems. Place caps cavity side up on a greased baking sheet. Mince the stems and garlic finely and saute them with the oil over medium heat until all the moisture is gone. Set them aside to cool. Stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
Use a little spoon to fill each cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Bake for 20 minutes.

 

 Enjoy!

You Will Never Have Normal Breakfast Again Eggs Benedict

Oh, Eggs Benedict, how I dream of thee. No lie. I have had dreams about this incredible dish. This is another recipe that I knew to be popular, but I had never tried. So, on a morning when I woke up at 3am and was clearly not going to make it back to bed, I ran to the store to pick up everything I needed to make this truly underrated dish. And of course this is a Chef John recipe. Here's what you need.

2 super fresh eggs
1/4 cup vinegar 
2 slices Canadian bacon (or, ya know, ham works fine as well)
1 English muffin
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
1/2 lemon
salt to taste
cayenne or tobasco sauce to taste


Here's a demo on how to make Hallandaise sauce

In a deep, wide pan bring 4-6 cups of water to a simmer and pour in 1/4 cups of vinegar. This helps the egg yolks stay together. Crack your two eggs into seperate bowls to make sute there are no shells or a broken yolk. Gently pour the eggs into the water. Now here is where your taste buds do the talking. If you like a runny egg (which is what I recommend) let them cook for just 3-5 minutes. You will be able to check the consistancy by using a wide slotted spoon and fishing it out. Poke the yolk and when it is to your liking, place it (smooth side up) onto your HOT English muffin and Canadian bacon. Pour your sauce over and there you have it. I like to garnish mine with some cayenne pepper and chives. Prepare yourself for a really amazing day.

Enjoy!

Makin' Brunch Fancy Crepes

I honestly never heard of crepes until I got to college and then everyone everywhere was having crepe parties. I am still only at the very tip of learning about these amazing little treats. They are so versatile. They can be sweet, like in my picture, with fruit and chocolate whipped cream or savory with eggs, cheese, and meat. Any way you choose you eat your crepes, they will be amazing. Here's what you need.

Crepe Batter

2 cups milk
1 1/3 cup flour
1 egg
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract


Chocolate Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cups cocoa powder if you want it to be chocolate


Whisk all the crepe ingredients in a bowl making sure there are no lumps. Heat (on high heat) a frying pan with some butter to fry the crepes. The batter will be very thin and that's good. When you are first trying this, be careful not to pour too much because flipping these thin guys can sometimes be challenging and the less surface area you have to deal with on your first time the better. Cook your crepe for 1-2 minutes on one side (depending on how hot your pan it) and flip it over and cook it for one more minute. Repeat until you are out of batter. I like to brush on a little bit on melted butter between layers on stacked crepes.

With a stand mixer or hand mixer, whisk the heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar (and cocoa for chocolate) on high for 3-4 minutes to form stuff peaks. The end.

I liked the berries in my crepes but you could easily substitute it for any fruit really.

Enjoy!

Mornin' Sunshine! Juice

So, as a fairly regular juicer I am still constantly surprised with the combinations people come up with that are actually really good. This is one of those juices. I do not like grapefruit or red bell peppers all that much, but in this juice, they are so amazing! Here's what you need.

1 red bell pepper
1/2 grapefruit
2 hand fulls baby carrots
2-3 oranges

Juice them together and enjoy.

Enjoy!

A Chicken Salad That Takes Me Back

Back in the day when my sister and I were in junior high and high school, we were in 4-H and raised bull calves. We would adopt these adorable baby bulls for three months and then take them to the fair. On show day, we had our hair done in braids and wear this horrible white outfit that got dirty the second you put it on. Besides having to change in the van and potentially flash a passerby, what I remember most is the chicken salad my mom would make and put on croissants. There are days when I just crave it. This recipe isn't the exact one she used, but it's close. Above, I have it pictured alone and with some lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and a little bit of feta (because I put feta on everything *yum). Here's what you need.

2 tbsp lemon juice (fresh is best!)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken (skinless)
1 cup finely diced celery (I like mine chunkier so I cut it in 1/4 inch strips)
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup diced red grapes (I kept mine whole)

Combine the chicken, celery, pecans, and grapes in a large bowl. Mix well, but don't squish anything. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, mayo, and salt- mix that into the chicken mixture and refrigerate for no less than 4 hours. It's best over night. Easy Peezy! You can serve this as a sandwich, on top of romaine lettuce, or as a side.

Enjoy!

Snap, Crackle, & Pop... & Marshmallows

For me, this is one of those recipes where when the two things are alone it triggers my gag reflexes, but when they are together the angels of mediocre snack foods sing in perfect harmony. This is also one of those recipes where I don't really measure anything- I just kinda do it. Here's what you need.

1 bag of marshmallows
1 box of Rice Krispies
2 tbsp butter

Generously grease a large bowl and spatula. Microwave the marshmallows and butter for a minute or until fairly gooey. This is where your imagination comes in. I never measure the amount of Rice Krispies. I just add it until I think there's enough. I'd guess around 4 cups, but you be the judge. After you that you play around with it. Pictured here I have chocolate and sprinkles, but I have also done M&M's or sweetened coconut. Have some fun with it. Great for movie nights or just when you want something sweet and you don't want to turn on the oven because it's ridiculously hot.

Enjoy!

Butter (And I Mean Butter) Horns

This is a family recipe that we make by the truck load during the holidays. They are great next to some turkey and make awesome turkey sandwiches the next 2 weeks. The flaky, buttery crust will have your mouth watering, but try to save some for everyone else. Here's what you need.

1 tsp dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105°-110°F)
1/2 cup melted butter
8 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
4- 4 1/2 cup flour

Combine yeast and warm water and let it stand for 5 minutes. Melt your butter in a medium saucepan and add milk immediately and remove from heat. Blend your sugar, eggs, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add the milk and butter mixture. Slowly  incorporate the flour to make soft dough. Cover and let it rise until double (about an hour).

Turn the dough onto a floured board. Make sure it's floured or you're gonna have a bad time. Knead it slightly to handle. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a circle 12-14 inches in diameter. Spread 4 tbsp of melted butter and cut, pie fashion, into 16 pieces. Roll each piece loosely from large end to pointed tip. Let rise until doubled. Place it in a preheated 350° oven for 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

The Alfredo Sauce That Knocks Your Socks Off

 I never knew how... what is the word I'm looking for here?... bleh. Yea, I never knew how bleh store bought sauce is until I made this recipe. Maybe I shouldn't share this. It could put those companies out of business. This rich, super creamy Alfredo sauce is so good it may knock your socks off. I have mine pictured here with some spaghetti, shrimp, and scallops because I love seafood Alfredo. You could also add chicken if that sounds good. This is a Mom's Crazy Cooking recipe. Here's what you need.

1 stick of butter

1 clove minced garlic

I pint heavy cream

1 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp cream cheese

salt, pepper (I used cayenne because I live my life on the edge) to taste

Okay, so in a saucepan over medium heat melt butter and add garlic and cook for two minutes. Then add in heavy cream and cream cheese and heat until bubbling. Do not boil. Add in Parmesan cheese and mix until the cheese melts. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with pasta of your choice. Maybe top with some parsley or chives for color. It is so simple and so amazingly good. Make it to impress a special someone even if it's yourself.

Enjoy!

If the Green Giant and the Energizer Bunny Had a Delicious Baby

 If you are the type of person who likes to punish themselves with kale juice then I have a recipe I'd like you to meet. This combination of fruits and veggies will give you so much energy, you, will get all that bitter kale you've been craving, and it doesn't taste like Satan made your breakfast. The fennel does something really magical to this juice. You have to try it. Here's what you need.

3 kale leaves and stalk
1/2 cucumber
1/2 cup spinach
3 stalks celery
1/4 fennel bulb
1/4 head of romaine lettuce
1-2 apples
1/2 inch ginger

Run everything through the juicer, leafy greens first. Drink immediately. I like mine cold so I put a few ice cubes in there. That's it. I can feel the healthy after-taste coming on already.

Enjoy!

Balsamic Corn Salad

Once upon a time, I decided to eat clean. So I looked up "clean eating" in the Pinterest search bar. I found this corn salad. I have it pictured here with some romaine lettuce and feta cheese because I think it's better with a base or you could put it on top of tuna as well. The corn is meant to be warm, but I prefer this whole salad cold. Here's what you need.

For the salad
2 pounds sweet corn
1 large red bell pepper
1 10 oz package of cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion (I thought this was too much. I suggest 1/4 red onion)
1 pound package shelled edamame beans (I couldn't find any, but I'm interested in how that would change the flavor of it all.)
1 10 oz package tofu (optional)

For the dressing
4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
4 tsp garlic powder
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 small bunch of fresh basil

Dice the pepper and onion and mix those and the rest of the salad ingredients together in a bowl.  In a separate, smaller bowl mix the dressing together. Spoon over the salad or offer it on the side to your guests.

It's a versatile salad with a bangin' dressing. Great for summer picnics and potlucks.

Enjoy!

The Apple Pie You Sip

I love hot beverages. They are so cozy and make me feel like it's Christmas. I wish it was Christmas all the time (183 days until December 25). So, on days when I wake up with a tickle in my throat, this is the tasty stuff I like to sip from my mug. It's basically ginger tea with apple juice, but let's go through the rhythm. Here's what you need.

1 knob of ginger
1-2 Gala apples (or if you don't have a juicer, the most natural apple juice you can find)
2 cups water
cinnamon, honey, and lemon juice to taste

I have seen many people grate their ginger and that works really well if you like your tea extra gingery, but I prefer to just mince it into small pieces. I usually use a 1/2 inch-3/8 inch piece of ginger, but you can make it as gingery as you would like. Remember, if you make it too spicy, you can always tone it down with some water. (Side note: Do not taste this until you have added the apple juice. It may seem like a lot, but the apple juice will balance it out.) Because I usually make this for my husband and I, I will bring 2 cups of water to a boil and let my ginger steep in there for 15-20 minutes. While that sits on the stove, prepare your apple juice. Depending on the size of the apples juice one or two. By the way, any of the sweeter apples would work, I just really like Gala. And of course if you don't have a juicer, prepare a liquid measuring cup with1/2-3/4 cup apple juice. I find one cup too much especially with store bought apple juice. Once your ginger has finished steeping, run the water through a strainer into a bowl or wide-mouthed pitcher to ensure no ginger particles make their way into your finished product. Add the apple juice and taste. Please, don't burn your tongue. If you feel like it needs to be sweeter, add some honey. Or if it needs to be a bit zippier, add some lemon juice. If it's all around too much, add water. I like to top mine with some cinnamon and all of those flavors combined is like a little liquid apple pie. YUM!
There are tons of benefits to this drink as well. If you drink this every morning about 30 minutes before breakfast, the ginger will prepare your stomach for food and digestion, while the honey, cinnamon, and lemon help slim you down by ending the accumulation of fat in your body.So, it's yummy and good for you. How often does that happen? I hope you give this a try. It could become a staple in your diet.

Enjoy!

The-Blue-Box-is-No-Longer-the-Cheesiest Mac N' Cheese

Photo by Clever, Crafty, Cookin' Mama

Forget everything you know about Mac N' Cheese (except any memories you may have about Dickey's Barbeque mac n' cheese because theirs is outstanding). After you make this recipe you will never even think about making box mac n' cheese again. This is so creamy and smooth and sure its fattening, but it's 90% cheese. What did you expect? I apologize I don't have an original picture, but I couldn't get this dish to look appetizing for the life of me. So, I have pictured a pot of the stuff from Clever, Crafty, Cookin' Mama from whom I got this recipe. Here's what you need.

12 oz of pasta (whatever strikes your fancy-shells, macaroni, bow tie, mini wheels)
4 tbsp butter
1 10 3/4 oz can cheddar cheese soup 
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the noodle according to the box and drain. Keep the burner on low. It's going to help everything melt together. Add them back to the warm pot and stir in butter. It goes quicker if you dice the butter. Once that's melted in, add the cheese soup and half of the can of evaporated milk. Stir until completely mixed.
Add one cup of the grated cheddar and see if that suits you. Throw in some more if you feel like it could use it. It's all about what you like. If it gets too thick, add some of the reserved evaporated milk to thin it down. Salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.

I really hope you try this dish because it's so cheesy and creamy and dreamy... mmmmm


Enjoy!

No-Knead Ciabatta Bread

Photo by Chef John at Foodwishes.com

Photo by Me

Turns out all you really knead (see what I did there) for great bread is some patience. That's right this bread is all about waiting it out. It's about a 21 hour process, but only 20 minutes of real work. I have mine pictured here with some homemade butter which I WILL post about later. I didn't have a picture of the full loaf and I thought it was important that you saw what it looked like so I borrowed one from Chef John. Here's what you knead (okay I knead to stop) Again, this is a Chef John recipe.

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp yeast
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt

In medium bowl mix your yeast and water (warmed to 105°- 110°F) Let that sit while you whisk together the flour and salt, beating away the clumps of flour. Add your yeast and mix with a wooden spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and let that sit for 18 hours in a warm, draft-free place.

After you've waited the majority of a day, take your dough onto a floured surface and start pulling and pressing it into a long oval shape. It will be flat and that's just fine. Sprinkle some corn meal on a baking sheet and transfer your oval dough onto it. Now sprinkle that with some flour and place a dry, floured towel on top of that. And test your patience again for two more hours. It will rise more out than up.

Place that in a preheated 425°F over for 35-45 minutes.

See, easy peezy! Enjoy your amazing bread with maybe some goat cheese or seasoned butter or on it's own.

Enjoy!

The Complete Chocolate Cookie

I promised myself that this would be one of the recipes I would keep to myself. One of those things I sold at my bakery that everyone would try to replicate, but never really grasp. This cookie is that good. It is somewhat involved, but trust me your time and dirty dishes will not be used in vain! Here's what you need.

1/3 all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips, separated
1/2 cup butter (don't you dare use margarine!)
2 large eggs
3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups pecans (you do not want to over nut this cookie! If you love pecans trust me this is enough.)


 Go ahead and preheat your oven to 325° F and grease two cookie sheets. In a small bowl, mix your dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt). Whisk these together. This is the modern version of sifting so all of those pesky flour clumps fall apart and your cookie batter is nice and smooth.

In a heavy saucepan, melt half of the chocolate and butter over low heat. Make sure you stir often until smoothed. Burned chocolate is the most frustrating thing in the world so keep it moving and turn off the heat as soon as there are no more chocolate clumps. Set that aside and let cool completely. This is important because when you add the rest of the chocolate chips, you don't want them to melt into your batter.

Now use a large bowl and with a mixer on medium speed (or here's your opportunity to get an arm workout today) beat eggs and sugar until light and lemon colored (2 minutes). Remember to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything gets incorporated evenly. Add the cooled chocolate, flour, and vanilla and beat for two minutes on high. Use a wooden spoon to fold in pecans and remaining chocolate chips.

Drop this batter on your cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Spread the batter with the back of a spoon to about 1/2 inch thickness. Bake 13 minutes or until the tops have cracked. Rotate your cookies sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Let them cool for ten minutes before you dig in. Burning your tongue isn't fun even when it's with chocolate.

There you go. Fairly simple and super yummy. Haven't met a person who didn't love these.

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Mascarpone Gnocchi

Well, here it is folks. The most amazing dish I have ever made. I know it doesn't look like much, but what it lacks in size and fanciness, it more than makes up for in it's incredibly texture and flavor.
So, here we go. This is a list of ingredients you will need for the most amazing dish of all time.
By the way, this is a Chef John recipe. I did not create it. 

2 cups cooked butternut squash
1 cup mascarpone cheese
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (but since that stuff is crazy expensive and we're poor, I settled for store bought grated Parmesan. It worked fine, but I highly recommend the good stuff)
1 packed cup all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter for frying, used in batches-not all at once
cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sliced sage leaves (I used dried because that's what I had)

As you can see I made a couple substitutions so it just goes to show you, cooking isn't science. It's art. Make it however you want. Recipes are really just guidelines.

First step is to cook the squash. Trim the top off and cut it in half leaving the bulbous, seedy part alone. We only need two cups and no one likes seeding squash unless it's Halloween. Now, you're going to take that and split that in half and lay those down, middles exposed, on a plate and place Saran wrap on top and make a seal as best you can. Then microwave them on high until tender (about 8 minutes). Let those cool before you handle them or you will loose your fingerprints. At this point the skin should just peel right off and now you have perfectly cooked butternut squash to which you could add butter and whatever spices strike your fancy or you could continue to make this amazing dish.....

In a medium to large bowl mix the mascarpone, eggs, salt, and Parmesan until just combined. Add your squash and whisk. You want to see those partials from the squash so don't fret about getting it super smooth.

Finally add the flour one half cup at a time mixing between the additions.

Batter's done! Wrap the bowl in plastic and let it sit over night. This will help firm it up and make it much easier to make our little dumplings.

To cook the gnocchi, you will need to bring water to a simmer in a large pot and on medium heat, melt butter on a frying pan. Form your dumplings by taking a teaspoon sized dollop on one spoon and scraping/ cradling it with another into the simmering water. You can do this in batches on 8-15 depending on how large you pot is, but you want enough room to let each dumpling surface. Let those sit in there until they float to the top (1-2 minutes) and let them boil about one more minute. Use a slotted spoon to fish them out and place on the frying pan with butter. Turn your heat up to medium-high and just brown them in the butter (3-4 minutes per side). This is when you get to be really creative with your spices. Salt, pepper, cayenne. When you feel like they are nice and brown on the bottom, flip them over. While they are cooking on that side, throw in some thinly sliced sage leaves (totally brings out the flavor- if you don't have fresh sage use dried).

Serve hot and with an extra sprinkle of Parmesan.

I like to eat these as a full on meal, but they are great as appetizers, side dishes, what have you.

Definately try this. Let me know how you liked it and how it turned out.

Enjoy! 

Introduction of Sorts

So, I've had a food blog before, but ya know, I've grown since then and I decided to prioritize a little differently. If you don't know me, my name is Sammie. I'm 21 years old and live in Utah where it's very hard to find seafood worth a dime. It's a shame, but I'll live since I really hate the smell that lingers after I cook it. I've been married for a year to my darling husband Rowdy and we live in a basement apartment while he goes to school and I have to wash the dishes every time I step in the kitchen because it is impossibly small, but we make due. The reason I re-started blogging is really because Jennie from In Jennies Kitchen. Her perspective on food and the time spent in the kitchen is so beautiful and it really made me reassess all the things I believe to be true about food. As some of you know, I have mild to moderate bouts of anxiety and there are times when I truly have attacks. It gets really bad when I'm in a crowd, when I feel like I'm inadequate or being judged, and when I feel ignored by those I love most. Yes, I'm a little paranoid and that definitely doesn't help. The point is that this anxiety really hinders my abilities to connect to people and make friends. The result is a really lonely girl licking the spatula after making some really amazing brownies. It took me a while to realize that it wasn't impossible to connect to people, just, like the hallway of our shire, slightly skewed. A few months ago, I got Instagram and started posting pictures of the dishes I made and honestly, I'm not that tech savvy so I really didn't know how it worked, but nevertheless I ventured on. On my ventures I found out that I have 45 followers. My emotions went from excitement to confusion. Followers? Oh, a whole new world opened up to me. It wasn't too long before I started following other people! And all of their pictures inspired me to keep learning and then Chef John from Food Wishes happened and a whole new world of food was opened up to me. I have learned so much in just a few short months. I was making all sorts of things from ciabatta bread to hot chocolate stones to rattatouille. I learned all sorts of jargon that made me feel like I really knew what I was doing. Then came the day when a comment appeared below one of my posts on Instagram. "You are honestly my inspiration to someday open the bakery of my dream. & to actually learn how to cook lol :)" I tried to play it cool and tell her that it made my day and whatnot, but in complete seriousness it validated my entire existence. I would like to say I'm exaggerating. (Side note: Thank goodness for spell check) I read that comment and every feeling of doubt about myself disintegrated. If she ever reads this I hope she knows how much that really meant to me. I've never inspired anyone before. And in the end, that's all I really hope to accomplish. Long story, short (if I may presume to call it such) my way of connecting to people is through food and although I may come off as super awkward in social aspects, I am doing all I can to reach your heart through super delicious food. This has been too much about me already, but I want to finish this post by saying thanks to my mom who taught me how to make and love food and the importance of self reliance. Thanks to my dad for teaching me to be positive and keep trying no matter what. Thanks to my husband for full-heartedly supporting every task I attempt to undertake and believing in me every step of the way. Thanks to my grandma for inspiring me to do what I love and loving me in the worst of times.It is to them I dedicate this blog. Let the cooking begin =)