A Cook's Quest

This month's recipe for the Secret Recipe Club comes from the blog Loving Life  written by Kirstin.  What I enjoyed about reading through this blog is the personal aspect Kirstin brings to all of her posts.  Not only are there recipes, but also daily life details of one family from the Pacific Northwest.  I love learning about those who write the blogs and getting to know about their life and what is important to them. I have shared on my blog a time or two that my husband's favorite dessert flavors are chocolate and peanut butter, in fact I have a chocolate and peanut butter category on my blog just so I can quickly find a recipe whenever he has a craving.  When I found this peanut butter pound cake at Loving Life I knew it was the recipe that I would be making for this month's reveal. As pound cakes go this one fits the bill.  It is dense, but moist, and very full of flavor.  Alone it reminds me of a peanut butter cookie in cake form, ...

When your in-laws give you three cases of apples it means it is time to make delicious desserts!  Apples are my all time favorite fruit to bake with and it won't be difficult to use them all up.  My father-in-law made a request for a batch of apple butter, my husband asked for dried apples to pack during hunting season, and I wanted to try some new recipes. The first recipe I tried was this delicious French apple cake.  It it dense with chunks of apples and rich with an almost custard flavored cake, but light and delicate too.  I would put the cake to apple ratio at about 50/50.  This cake was gobbled up quickly by my family.  I thought it was best at room temperature with a sprinkling of powdered sugar; however, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it served warm with fresh whipped cream! I only made one change to this recipe--the original calls for 3 tablespoons of rum; however, I didn't have any so I left it out of this recipe. ...

In order to get ready for my family to go back to school in a few weeks I have been trying to stock my freezer with meals and side dishes.  With my recent discovery of the perfect baked potato  I decided to make twice baked potatoes, and put them in the freezer for an easy side dish.  These potatoes have been around for a long while with many variations, I am sharing with you how I prepare them for my family. This potato is delicious with a creamy cheesy filling, flavorful skin, and brown, crispy top.  We love them with grilled meat and a light salad or even for lunch once in a while. They are easy to change and adapt depending on your family's likes and dislikes.  I hope you ENJOY! Twice Baked Potatoes Recipe Source: A Cook's Quest 5 Baked potatoes , cooled slightly 1 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons butter, softened Shredded Cheese Salt Pepper Seasoning Salt **The sour cream is an estimate.  The amount you will need will ...

About a month ago my mother in law called me out of the blue and asked, "Do you want a tread-mill?"  to which I replied, "ummm, yes?"  And within the hour I had a treadmill in my garage just waiting to burn all those unwanted calories off of my ever growing hips. Fast forward a  few weeks to when my mother in law was cleaning out her cabinets and stumbled upon a smoothie maker still in the box and never used.  She asked me if I wanted it or not, and, after considering what I had planned for dinner that night (NOTHING), I quickly snatched it up and became a hero when I made fruit smoothies and peanut butter sandwiches for dinner.  Thus, our love of fresh fruit smoothies was born in my kitchen.   There are millions of ways to make smoothies both healthy and un-healthy.  So far ours have been relatively healthy.  We have been making them by tossing in fruit, ice, and milk or yogurt and blending away.  But, now I feel an obligation to crea...

I love potatoes.  Again, in case you didn't read it the first time, I LOVE them.  As starches go, they are my first pick.  They can be prepared just about any way possible, and I will devour them.  When I was in high school, and with little money, I would often eat at a fast food restaurant that served baked potatoes.  They were less than a dollar and so good.  Even better were the baked potatoes served in steak houses with crispy outsides and soft fluffy insides.  At home we ate them at least once a week, and always, always, when meatloaf was served.  But, as an adult I haven't made baked potatoes much.  The reason why is because I didn't know how to create that delicious steak house potato that I love, but now that has all changed. As I was scanning Pinterest last week I found a pin for a potato that promised crispy skin dotted with salt.  It was the perfect potato, the kind I always eat when I go to a restaur...

Today for breakfast we wanted something different than the regular pancakes or baked French toast we normally have.  I have seen a few recipes floating around Pinterest for German pancakes/Dutch Babies and remembered a recipe in an old community cookbook that my Grandmother passed to me.  This cookbook is on of those books that is a compilation of favorite recipes from cooks who know their stuff.  I LOVE this book and have always enjoyed the easy comfort style food that I create when I select a recipe.  But, a quick internet search will give you a plethora of recipes all quite similar to this one. This recipe for German pancakes was a delightful surprise.  I have never had one of these pancakes, but I was excited to try it.  A German pancake, or Dutch Baby as some recipes call them, is a baked pancake that puffs up high in the oven, and when it starts to cool falls.  Inside are lovely air pockets perfect for absorbing the flavors of anythin...