Naughty 2 year olds

As you know I am a proud mother of three. Yes, proud, most of the time (more on that later). Have you met the 2 year old below? If she looks like she's up to something, it's because she almost always is.

This is Brooklyn. She's made several guest appearances on Mama Makes it Best. She also plays an active role in my cooking. Her duties in the kitchen include, but are not limited to: tugging on my apron while I'm cooking, climbing inside the fridge to grab anything that looks tasty, official egg-whisker, saying, "Mama, I hungeee", and "mmm, das nummmmy", and lastly taking the occasional photo of her own plate of food. Yes, it's true, the life of a food blogger can be contagious. When I'm preparing a meal that I won't be blogging about, Miss B will somehow find my camera (which I may or may not have left within her arms reach) and say, "Mama, I take pitcher uh chiken, ok?" This little one has been bitten by the bug. 

The other day I sent all three kids outside to get out of my hair play. Sooner than later there was some sort of arguing which forced me outdoors to interfere. My attention was abruptly shifted to something lying in the grass. Gasp! No, it couldn't be, could it? Of course it is. Leave it to my sweet, er, mischievous Brooklyn, age 2, to take my camera outside, capture a few Kodak moments and then carelessly throw it on the ground where the lens met its fate. Needless to say I was angry. Angry at myself for leaving the camera out. Angry at Brooklyn for being naughty. Angry at the two older kids for not noticing what she was up to. Just. plain. angry. I took a deep breath and decided a timeout would be appropriate. For all of us. After a little breather, I quickly realized it wasn't the end of the world. My camera wasn't what I'd call expensive. What's done, was done. Time to move on. Lesson learned: DON'T LET CHILDREN PLAY WITH CAMERAS.

So.....this means (and if you're smart, you've already figured it out) no camera = no blogging. Boo! I've been saving my pennies though, and hope to buy one soon (or borrow my Mom's!). However, blog or no blog, a family's still gotta eat. I've been busy making some oldies but goodies.  (I cringe at the old photos, so please ignore. Practice makes perfect, right?) If you haven't tried the Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce, you need to. I made it again and, once again, we all loved it. We also enjoyed the Drip Beef Sandwiches (for dinner and lunch the next two days!!). These are sooo delicious and satisfying I think I'll put them on a monthly rotation. Quick tip: cook the meat in a crock pot instead of in the oven or on the stove since it's been so hot out lately. 

I've tried a few new recipes too. I made, what I've dubbed Friday-night-jambalaya, because I crave this jambalaya all the time now! It was a recipe from Emeril and was fantastic! It will be making a debut on the blog soon because it was sooo darn good. On the sweet side I made a recipe by Dorie Greenspan for Banana Cream Pie-absolute heaven! It was a hit and I can't wait to make it again. Lastly, head on over to Liam's blog, My So-Called Knife, and try the Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze. Sooo good!! Of course they satisfied my love for lemony goodness!

Granny Smith Apple Crisp

My man is a dessert man. No question about it. One of Jason's favorite desserts is apple crisp with vanilla bean ice cream. There's just something so comforting about an apple crisp. The smell of those sweet apples mixed with brown sugar and cinnamon, cookin' up in the oven is mmm mmm good. Kinda makes you wanna cozy up on the porch, in a rocking chair and enjoy your dessert in the peace and quiet. Or at least that's what I'd like to do.

The great thing about an apple crisp is you probably already have all the ingredients! Makes for a perfect last minute dessert.

Granny Smith Apple Crisp

Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook

serves 6

Topping

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

7 TB all-purpose flour

Pinch of kosher salt

½ cup ice-cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges (I used 4 apples)

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 cup hot water

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly butter an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan.

To make the topping, in a bowl, stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, and salt. Add the butter and oats. Using your fingers, a pastry blender, or a fork, work in the butter until all the ingredients are well blended but not overmixed. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble the crisp, spread the apples in an even layer in the prepared pan and sprinkle with the cinnamon. Drizzle the water evenly over the apples. Spread the topping over the fruit.

Bake the crisp until the topping is brown and crunchy and the apples are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve the crisp hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Super Simple Summer Chinese Chicken Salad

My friend, Stephanie, Facebooked recently that she was chopping away. Hmmm, of course this got me curious. What are you chopping, Stephanie?? Chinese Chicken Salad. I needed the recipe. She understood and kindly handed it over.

Originally the recipe was titled Chinese Chicken Salad. I renamed it Super Simple Summer Chinese Chicken Salad. I know, very inventive. But I had to, the recipe is exactly like it's title.

For my Mama's birthday I planned a day for her and my family at the beach.  I brought this salad and it was perfect. Light, cool and refreshing. Enjoy!

Super Simple Summer Chinese Chicken Salad

serves 4-6

1 Med/Large lead of cabbage, chopped (I used ½ head of purple & ½ head of green for the color!)
2-3 green onion, chopped
2 chicken breasts or 2 cups any type of chicken, cooked & diced
2 T sesame seeds
½ cup slivered or chopped almonds
1 package Top Ramen chicken flavored noodles (I used 1 1/2)

For Dressing:
2 T sugar
3 T vinegar
½ cup oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 pkg. flavoring from ramen

Mix together cabbage, green onion, and chicken. Brown seeds and nuts and set aside. Crush noodles & add to seeds & nuts. Make dressing and refrigerate separately until ready to serve.

Assemble the night before and chill, if possible. Right before serving, combine cabbage mixture, dressing & crunchy mixture. (So, all the dry ingredients are added right before the dressing, right before serving.) Toss well.

Meyer Lemon Ice Cream

Ok, I think it's time we talk about something here. I feel it's necessary and there's no better time than the present, right?

Ice cream. Ice cream is one of those timeless treats. It is loved by the youngest and oldest across all families. It can cheer you up after a bad day, cool you off on a hot summer day, soothe you over a heartbreak, or add to the ambiance of a evening stroll with your honey. Ice cream can accompany almost every dessert and makes them better: brownies, cookies, banana splits, shakes, apple crumble, the list is endless. So, there's no question here that ice cream is loved. The real question is.......store bought or homemade?

I vaguely remember sometime in my childhood having homemade ice cream made with the salt, hand crank and the whole bit. Um, I hated it. I don't know what it was specifically about it but from that moment forward I never considered making ice cream myself. It seemed to lack flavor and the texture was just plain off. Why make it when you can buy it, in any flavor imaginable, right? Well, I am happy to say I have since been converted to a homemade ice cream lover.

While visiting my best friend, Kristin, she took me out to her incredible garden and we proceeded to harvest anything and everything that was ready: onions, cilantro, tomatoes, green beans, and lemons among other things. We made salsa, a yummy green bean side dish and this Meyer Lemon Ice Cream (I know, I know, incredibly odd mixture of dishes to make-and no, neither of us are pregnant! Just trying to use up her garden fresh produce.) This ice cream is heavenly. You know by now I am a lover of all things lemon and that is why I agreed to make it with her. It was sooo creamy and had the tastiest hint of lemon you can imagine. This was not tart or sour by any means. It was perfect. So, needless to say, I now want need an ice cream maker just like Kristin's because of its simplicity and ability to turn out some seriously excellent ice cream.

Meyer Lemon Ice Cream

Williams-Sonoma Savoring America: Recipes and Reflections on American Cooking

¾ cup sugar

2 TB finely grated Meyer lemon zest (we used regular lemons from Kristin’s tree)

6 egg yolks (we saved the egg whites for breakfast the next morning!)

1 ½ cups half-and-half

1 ½ cups heavy cream

Pinch of salt

3 TB fresh Meyer lemon juice, or to taste

*You will need an ice cream maker

In a food processor, combine the sugar and the lemon zest and process until the sugar becomes very moist and the grated zest becomes finer. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the processed sugar until the mixture is pale and thick and forms a ribbon when the whisk is lifted.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the half-and-half and ½ cup of the cream. Bring to a simmer. Pour the hot liquid into the beaten eggs, whisking constantly, then return the mixture to the saucepan. Add the salt and cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon, about 3 minutes. Do not allow it to simmer, or it will curdle. Remove from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Add 3 TB Meyer lemon juice, or enough to give the custard a tart edge.

Pour the mixture through a sieve placed over a bowl, then cover and refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Transfer to an ice-cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Chocolate Ganache Birthday Cake

Last week was full of birthdays. I mean FULL of birthdays. Apparently December is the most popular month to consummate one's love and hence, reproduce.

Anywho, this meant I was busy baking up a storm. By special request I made the infamous Pecan Squares for my Mom (which she has requested 2 years straight! Happy Birthday Mom!), the incredibly delicious Carrot Cake for my best friend (Happy Birthday Kristin!), and an indulgent Chocolate Ganache cake for my father-in-law who celebrated his 50th birthday (Happy Birthday Bernie!). It was a fun week to say the least. And to top it off, the desserts were loved by all! Hooray!

Now, when I offered to bake my father-in-law a birthday cake I asked what his preference was and his reply: chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Ok, done. Immediately I thought of Ina's Chocolate Ganache cake. It's incredibly decadent, moist, rich and chocolatey of course. I've made it before and it was a hit, and bonus, it's super easy.

Chocolate Ganache

Barefoot Contessa Parties! By Ina Garten

makes one 8-inch cake, serves 8-10

¼ pound unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 16-ounce can Hershey's chocolate syrup

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

For the ganache:

½ cup heavy cream

8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Candied violets or edible gold leaf, for decoration, optional

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 8-inch round cake pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat, or the cake will be tough.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until just set in the middle. Don't overbake! Let cool thoroughly in the pan.

For the ganache, cook the heavy cream, chocolate chips, and instant coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.

Place the cake upside down on a wire rack and pour the glaze evenly over the top, making sure to cover the entire cake and sides. You can tilt the rack to smooth the glaze. Decorate with candied violets, if desired, or gently crumble the gold leaf and place it on the center of the cake. Do not refrigerate.

*Excuse the lumpiness in my ganache-I was impatient and took the chocolate off the heat before it was completely melted-oops. The first time I made it, the ganache came out silky smooth. So, just be patient and wait until the chips are melted through :0)

Kids' Campfire-Roasted Dinner

Summer is quickly winding down. Vacations are coming to an end. The crazy shopping for school clothes and back-to-school supplies has ensued. Haircuts are a must. Soon gone will be the days where our daily wardrobe was a swimsuit and flip flops. Back to our regular bedtimes. And...I'm back to the blog.

What a great summer it has been. Not because of some fancy vacation where I was gallivanting across the globe, but because of the simple pleasures I was able to indulge in. Reading. Reading actual books instead of magazines. Cooking and baking - or not! Hitting the pool every other day. Going to the beach more than I have in the last 10 years. Visiting with friends. Vacations. And being with my kids.

Even though summer is almost gone, I still wanted to do something fun for the kids without going on a big trip. I planned a camp out in the backyard with the works. We put up a couple tents, started with a campfire-roasted dinner, played game after game of UNO, roasted marshmallows to make S'mores, and sat around the campfire laughing and talking. The kids had a blast, and so did we. I just loved that no one was on the computer, watching TV or checking their phone. I really loved just spending quality time with my family.

So, if your summer is winding down and you don't have time to go on a big camping trip, I say bring the campground to your home, make this for dinner, and let the good times roll. Happy End of Summer everyone!

Kids’ Campfire-Roasted Dinner

Nordstrom Friends and Family Cookbook

serves 8 campers

1 chicken (3 ½ pounds), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 8 pieces (I just used chicken legs)

16 baby new potatoes, halved (and quartered)

1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

4 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks

2 ears of corn, shucked and each ear quartered crosswise

2 large yellow onions, quartered through the stem end

4 plum tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise

½ cup olive oil

2 TB fresh rosemary leaves, plus 8 sprigs

4 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp black pepper

Place the chicken, potatoes, garlic, corn, onions, and tomatoes in a very large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary leaves, and season with salt and pepper. Cut 16 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil into 14-inch lengths. Lay 2 sheets of foil on a work surface, one on top of the other, to create a double thickness. On one half of the foil, place 1 piece of chicken. Arrange 4 potato pieces, 1 garlic clove, 2 carrot chinks, 1 piece of corn, 1 onion quarter, and 1 tomato half around the chicken. Garnish with a rosemary sprig. Fold the foil over the chicken and vegetables, and then roll, crimp, and seal the edges tightly to form a packet. Repeat to make 8 packets of chicken and vegetables. Refrigerate the packets until ready to cook.

Build a campfire and allow it to burn until you have some orange coals. Pull some of the coals away from the center of the fire to create a thin, even bed. Set the packets, top-side up, on the coals and scoot some additional coals around the packets. Cook the packets, replenishing the coals as needed, for 50-70 minutes. Open 1 packet to test for doneness; the chicken juices should run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife in the thickest part and the vegetables should be tender.

To serve, open packets carefully ad enjoy.