Poppy Seed Bread

 

Here's a secret... I don't really like most bread.  I know it isn't a well kept secret since I have mentioned it a few times.  I usually only serve bread when we have company (much to Bill's dismay).  But one bread I do like is Lemon Poppy Seed.  When I saw Ashley's recipe for Poppy Seed Bread I knew I wanted to give it a try. I have actually been wanting to try this for a while but since it makes 2 loafs I wanted to make it when we were having a gathering of people, so I waited to make it for a bridal shower my mom and I hosted in May.  It doesn't have lemon in it but it was still delish and the glaze was perfect (and surprisingly easier than the ingredients look).  I may try adding lemon next time though - I think it would be spectacular.

Poppy Seed Bread

From: Ashley's Cooking Adventures

Ingredients:

For the Bread

1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring (I used my homemade vanilla extract)
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring
1 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

For the Glaze
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream oil and sugar together in an stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer. Add eggs and mix well. Mix the vanilla, almond, and butter with the milk. In a small bowl mix flour, salt, and baking soda.

2. Alternately add in milk and dry ingredients to the sugar/egg mixture. Mix well after each addition. Add in poppy seeds and mix. 

3. Pour into 2 large greased and floured bead pans. 

4. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes. While baking make the glaze by whisking all ingredients together. After removing bread from the oven, punch holes in the top with a fork. Pour glaze over bread and let sit for at least 20 minutes.

5. Remove from bread pans. Slice and serve.     

Chicken Marinade

I made this marinade tonight and it was perfect - flavorful and juicy but not overbearing.Plus I had all the ingredients at my house. It is great for the grill or oven (we baked it this time, but will be trying it on the grill next time for sure!  Would be perfect for a summertime BBQ! I have been looking for a go-to marinade for chicken and this is now it. 

Note: I did follow some readers suggestions and cut out the salt.  The soy sauce had plenty of salt for us. 

Chicken Marinade
From: Allrecipes

Ingredients:
1 - 1 1/2 lb chicken breasts
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp minced fresh parsley (or can use dried)

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and lemon juice.  Stir in mustard powder, salt, pepper and parsley.

2.  Marinate chicken a couple hours up to over night (I put my chicken in the marinade in the morning before work).  The longer you marinate, the more flavor it will have.

3. Grill or bake as desired and discard marinade (I baked ours at 350 for 35 min).

Parmesan Baked Artichokes

 

When I saw this recipe on How Sweet It Is it reminded me of my mom's artichoke dip recipe.  Since I love that dip, I was pretty sure I would like this recipe especially as a side.  It was really easy and if you like artichokes it is a must try!

I realized when I was posting these that I haven't ever posted my mom's artichoke dip... I can hardly believe it.  I make this all the time with lots of variations so I will have to post this soon!

Parmesan Baked Artichokes
From: How Sweet It Is

Ingredients:
1 14oz can artichokes in water, drained
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (I only used about 1/2 Tbsp)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 oz freshly shaved parmesan

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.  Layer artichokes in a baking dish.  Drizzle olive oil on top.  Season with salt, garlic and Italian seasoning.  Add Bread Crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan on top.

2.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove artichokes from oven and turn on broiler.  Top with shaved parmesan and broil for 1-2 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown.

Asparagus Soup

 

I love asparagus in the spring and I like to make this soup at least once during asparagus season.  This time it was a little more thin than normal, but still absolutely delicious.

You may have noticed I haven't been posting as much - although some of you probably don't think I post much anyway or didn't even notice! There are several reasons for this.  One, I'm in between laptops right now. Two, I'm very busy lately (as usually at this time of year), and three I am going to try to spend less time on the computer when I'm not at work.  So I will probably posting less at least for a while.

Asparagus Soup
From: Joan DeWilde
Ingredients: 
1 1/2 c. chopped leeks (about 3)

2 lbs asparagus - cleaned and cut up, tips separate
3 cans chicken broth
1 c. half & half
2 Tbs butter
Lemon

Directions:
1. Saute leeks in butter until translucent, add asparagus (except tips) and broth.

2. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Blanch tips in boiling water for 1 minute and cool, reserving water.

3. Puree simmered ingredients in blender or with electric hand blender.  Add 1 c. half & half and heat.  May add reserved water to blender or after to desired consistency.  Give a good squeeze of lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste.


4. When serving sprinkle reserved tips on top of bowl.

Mozzarella, Tomato and Avocado Salad

My mom recently gave me pots of basil, cilantro, parsley, and thyme and I have been itching to find just the right recipe to use them in for the first time. When I saw this recipe posted on Ashley's blog, I new I would be making it as soon as possible. 

I made it for our Memorial Day celebration and it was a great cool salad to have on a 90 degree day here in Chicago. About half the people ate it as a salad on its own, and half put it on slices of bread, and it was great both ways!

Mozzarella, Tomato and Avocado Salad

From: Ashley
Prep time: 5-10 min
Chill time: 1 hr 

Ingredients:

1 container cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quartered if large

1 carton fresh mozzarella cheese pearls, drained (cut in half if desired)

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1/3 cup basil, julienned

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Baguette - optional

Directions:
1. In a large bowl combine the  tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and parsley.  Set aside.

2. In a small bowl whisk the lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper.  Pour over tomato mixture.  Toss to coat

3. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving

4.  Just before serving, stir in chopped avocado.  Serve with slotted spoon and bread (if desired).

  

Orange/Lemon Julius

When I was younger I use to get Orange Julius often, but I haven't had it in a long time.  When I saw this recipe to make it myself I knew I had to give it a try.  I also made it with Lemon (which is what these pictures are of) both were good, but makes quite a bit so make sure you have someone to share with you!

Orange/Lemon Julius
From: shirleyelizabeth via Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:
3/4 can concentrated orange juice (or lemon juice)
1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups milk
8 cups ice
Top with whipped cream if desired

Directions:
1. Combine the concentrate, sugar, vanilla, and milk in blender.

2. Add the ice and blend to desired consistency.  Pour into cups and stop with whipped cream if desired.

Buffalo Chicken Burger

 

Bill really likes burgers, but I tend to get sick of having the same thing all the time, so when I saw this recipe I knew we needed to give it a try. It was so easy and delicious so it will definitely be making it into our burger rotation on a regular basis!

Buffalo Chicken Burgers
From: How Sweet It Is

Ingredients:
1 lb ground chicken breast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 Tbp Italian Seasoning
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Ranch dressing and buffalo wing sauce for topping
Whole wheat buns

Directions:
1. Preheat grill or skillet.  In a large bowl combine ground chicken, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, parmesan and buffalo wing sauce.  Mix until just combined. Combine into patties

2. Grill or pan fry patties until brown on both sides and cooked through, about 8-10 min.  In the last 2 minutes, place 1/2 oz of cheddar cheese on each burger (I used shredded because that is all we had in the house).  Place burgers on buns and top with ranch and/or buffalo wing sauce.

Hot & Sweet Drumsticks

I saw this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and it looked so easy and tasty that I knew I had to try it. They turned out great!  Next time I might do a little less of the apricot preserves because while I loved how sweet they were, it was a little too sweet for Bill.  Also, be ready to have lots of napkins (or wet wipes) they are very sticky! :)  I will definitely be making these again!

Hot and Sweet Drumsticks
From: Terri Via Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 tsp Minced Garlic
2 tsp Hot Pepper sauce
3 lbs. Drumsticks (about 12)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, combine preserves, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic and hot pepper sauce.  Cook and stir over medium-low heat until preserves are melted.

2. Arrange drumsticks in a single layer on a 13 x 9" pan that is covered in foil.  Pour sauce over drumsticks, turning to coat.  Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is done, spooning sauce over drumsticks while baking.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Thank you to everyone who commented and are now followers!  Since I'm not all high tech, I wrote everyone's names on slips of paper and put them in a bowl....

and the winner is... Jacquelyn Bos!  Congrats!  I will ship you the gift card asap!

Jacquelyn said...

Congratulations on 3 years! I would have to agree with you on the salad and another one of my favorites is the Mexican Lasagna!

See below for the video of picking the winner... (thanks to my computer savy husband!)

On a side note - I ran my first 5k today and am very proud of myself since I am NOT a runner! :)

3 Year Blogiversary and Giveaway!

 (Above is My absolute favorite salad - so glad tomato season is coming soon!)

I can hardly believe it has been 3 years since I started by blog! I'm so glad to have a place to organize my recipes, try new recipes, and share them with others.  I will never claim to be a chef, just someone who loves food, loves to cook, and can read a recipe! Thanks to everyone who reads, comments, or tells me personally what they have made and liked (or didn't like!).

Unfortunately, the computer I usually do all of my posting from is DEAD, so I don't have easy access to most of my pictures.  So instead of sharing a new recipe today, I'm taking a look back at all my posts in the last three years and sharing links to some of my favorite recipes.

GIVEAWAY
As you can tell from the title I am doing a give away to celebrate!  This is not sponsored by anyone other than myself, but I wanted to give one lucky reader a token of my appreciation: a $25 gift card to Williams-Sonoma.

2 Ways to Enter:
1. Look through the recipes (doesn't have to be from my list of favorites) and leave a comment on THIS post telling me which recipe looks good to you or just say hello!

2. Click on the right and follow me. If you already follow me you are already entered in the giveaway!   

Rules: 1 comment per person, no entries after 9 pm CST May 6th, and the winner will be randomly selected... good luck! 

My Favorite Recipes:

Appetizers: Guacamole, Pickle Wraps, Tortilla Roll Ups, Not Your Average Rotel

Soup/Salad: My Favorite Salad, Asian Noodle Salad, Mimi's Chili

Breakfast: Huevos Rancheros, Fruity Baked Oatmeal 

Dessert: Chocolate Eclair Dessert, Peppermint Pie, English Trifle  

Mexican: Fish Tacos, Southwest Bake, Mexican Lasagna , Vegetable Pizzaz, Chicken Tacos 

Sides/Veggies: Rice and Black Beans (a staple at our house), Party Potatoes, Killer Marinated Tomatoes, Kale Chips, Any type of Risotto 

Entrees: BBQ Ribs, Pulled Chicken BBQ, Fish in a Bag, Poor Man's Lobster, Turkey Burgers, Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Spinach and Artichoke Pasta, Chicken Turnovers, Spicy Chicken Peanut Noodles, Stromboli, Picadillo