A Cook's Quest

It's  Secret Recipe Club reveal day!  This has become one of my favorite events each month.  This month I was lucky to be assigned  Healthy. Delicious. as my blog to choose a recipe from.  Lauren loves to cook and has a blog full of tasty AND healthy food.  I had a lot of trouble choosing a recipe because Lauren's blog is full of amazing food, and since she has been blogging since March of 2007 there were many tasty recipes to choose from!  Finally, I narrowed my choices down to three: Pear and Raspberry Brie Puffs , Brussel Sprout Salad with Maple Vinaigrette , and Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese .  I settled on the Mac and Cheese because homemade mac and cheese is one of my all time favorite dishes, and jalapeno poppers are a favorite appetizer of mine.  Both have cheese, and in my book cheese bumps a recipe to the top of the rankings. Let's get to business about this recipe.  I love that Lauren took a favorite...

Every year, after the massive amounts of food at Thanksgiving dinner, we head over to my sister-in-law's house for dessert.  It has become a tradition for all of the extended family, and everyone enjoys the time together.  I try to make a new dish each year to share.  Last year it was this Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake that took two days to make, but was insanely good and worth every second of effort.  This year I needed something easy and quick to make, but with the same decadence as last year's contribution.  After a short visit to my  Pinterest  page, I found a chocolate cake that I had pinned a while back.  It looked rich and moist, but best of all the recipe was easy.  Perfect to bake the morning of Thanksgiving. Now, I'm not a huge fan of mixes, but when a cake looks this good I am willing to make compromises.  I am so glad that I did.  The recipe called for two cups of sour cream which contributed ...

You know those recipes that are similar to another recipe that you love?  This recipe is one of those recipes.  It is like a pineapple upside down cake, which is one of my all time favorite cakes,  in flavor and technique, but instead of pineapple the fruit layer is fresh fall pears.  YUM! The original recipe calls for canned pears, but during this time of year in my area we have an abundance of fresh pears.  I went with the fresh pears because of price and flavor.  I was not disappointed.  This cake has rich, gooey, caramelly, flavors from the brown sugar and butter combined with  sweet pears and a moist yellow cake.  The whole thing just screams Fall, well you have to listen carefully to hear the screaming, but I promise it does.  ENJOY! Caramel Pear Upside Down Cake  Recipe Source: Modified slightly from  Moonspice  Ingredients: ½ cup Dark Brown Sugar ¼ cup Unsalted Butter 2-3 Ripe pears, pe...

On a cold day there is nothing more comforting to me than a bowl of warm soup.  I love making it, I love eating it, and I love the leftovers.  This year I decided to try chicken and dumplings rather than my traditional chicken noodle soup.  I have always avoided dumplings because I thought they were hard to make.  I was wrong, they were easy peasy to make!  As a result,  I instantly fell in love with the tender dumplings, flavorful chicken, and thick broth. On top of easy to make, this recipe is super inexpensive; especially if you make your own chicken broth .  This meal has become one of my quick go to meals because it can be made in about 30 minutes.  I did cut down the portions of the dumpling recipe because I always ended up with too many dumplings, but you can easily increase them if you want a higher dumpling:chicken:broth ration.  ENJOY! Chicken and Dumplings Recipe Source: Eat At Home about 2-3 cups cooked chicken 6...

The trees are brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow, and the air is crisp and cool.  My husband and oldest son are off in the mountains deer hunting and my two younger children are enjoying the warm afternoon sun that chases the frost away.   All of this means Fall has arrived, and with it comes soup season. Though I haven't been outside enjoying the beauty of Fall thanks to computer work, I can still appreciate a nice hearty soup to enjoy with my family.  I pinned soups all summer long in anticipation for a perfect day to enjoy them--the day finally arrived a few days ago.  First up for soup season was Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup .  It had a rich tomato broth in which cheese tortellini cooks and then it is topped with parmesan cheese.  Really, what could be better than that?  It was hearty and filling without being heavy.  I loved the broth alone and when a piece of pasta was included in the bite I was in a...

Hello! First I want to just say I am sorry for the very LONG, and unplanned, absence.  Once the new school year started, I have found it increasingly difficult to maintain family, school, and the blog.  I hope all of you will accept my apology and wait for my return to blog land.  Life here at my house has exploded with excitement since August.  I am in full swing with student teaching, which means the end is in sight--graduation is in December!  I now have a middle schooler, which is quite the adjustment for everyone, a 4th grader, and a 1st grader.  They are all doing incredibly well, but each is at different school which results in a lot of running around in the mornings.  My husband is working the dreamiest hours right now, day shift, which makes the balancing act so much easier. I will close with a huge thank-you to all of you that read my posts, pin my recipes, and continue to support me even when I'm not around.  I appreciate al...

I can not believe that a month has gone by since my last post!  The month of August has FLOWN by like a whirlwind, and I now find myself adjusting to a new school schedule.  In addition to the start of school, it is also time for another round of the Secret Recipe Club . This month, I was assigned to Bewitching Kitchen written by Sally who is originally from Brazil and has traveled the world.  If you want recipes that feature fresh and healthy ingredients this blog is for you.  I was struggling to choose a recipe because all of Sally's recipes look mouth watering!  I finally settled on the Roasted Heirloom Tomato Tart that she adapted from Just a Smidgen because tomatoes are in abundance right now, and I believe that anything that calls for puff pastry is destined to be delicious! I was not wrong!  This tart was delicious with the creamy cheese and sweet summer tomatoes atop the light and crispy puff pastry.  I was not able to locate ...