French Bread & Garlic Herb Butter

Okay, so Dan and I have a soft spot for French Bread. We used to buy a loaf when we went grocery shopping and have it devoured before we even finished roaming the aisles. I wanted to try and make my own ... and I was amazed at how simple it is. HERE is where I got the bread recipe and HERE is where I got the garlic and herb butter.

French Bread: 

• 1 1/4 C water (70 to 80 degrees F)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 C bread flour
• 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

     GLAZE:

• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp water

In bread machine pan, place the first five ingredients in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).
When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Roll each portion into a 10-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal.

Place loaves seam side down on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20 minutes.

Whisk egg and water; brush over loaves. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake at 375° F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Garlic Herb Butter:

• 1/2 C butter, softened
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/8 tsp dried basil
• 1/8 tsp dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 300° F.

In a small bowl, mix butter, garlic salt, rosemary, basil, thyme, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese.

Cut each loaf of French bread in half lengthwise. Spread each half of the French bread with equal portions of the butter mixture. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Place bread halves, crusts down, on a medium baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly browned (I usually cook the bread folded back together instead of opened).

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 94 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 255 Calories from Fat 92

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 10.2g 16%

Saturated Fat 6.1g 31%

Cholesterol 43mg 14%

Sodium 314mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 34.8g 12%

Dietary Fiber 1.4g 5%

Sugars 1.1g

Protein 5.6g

Vitamin A 6% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 2% • Iron 12%

Nutrition Grade C+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in sugar
• High in selenium

Bad points

• High in saturated fat

Nutrition information based on 10 servings. 

Stuffed Cabbage (Golubtsi or Голубцы)

Daniel served his mission in Ukraine, where he had the opportunity to try many different Russian foods. This is one of his favorites ... and one we cooked for a "Russian Night" with one of Dan's old mission buddies a while back. It's a little time consuming, but super good.

If you're interested in more Russian and Eastern European cooking, check out this awesome cookbook! I bought it for Daniel and we love it. It's got myriad authentic recipes and the history to go along with it.

Stuffed Cabbage (Golubtsi or Голубцы)

Stuffing

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 oz ground beef
• 6 oz ground pork
• 1/2 C long-grain rice
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 1/3 C beef broth
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Cabbage and Sauce

• 12-14 large green cabbage leaves
• Salt, to taste
• 1/4 C vegetable oil
• 1/4 C all-purpose flour
• 2 C beef broth (or more if needed)
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar, firmly packed
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 C Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 C Bechamel Sauce

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until lightly colored, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the meats, onion and remaining stuffing ingredients. Knead until the mixture is thoroughly blended. Set aside. 

Scald the cabbage leaves in a pot of salted boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. 

With a sharp knife, cut out the tough center vein from each cabbage leaf. Divide the stuffing into equal portions. Place a portion on the base of each leaf, tuck in the sides and roll the leaves up, tucking in the sides firmly as you go. 

In a large heatproof casserole or Dutch oven that will accommodate all the rolls, heat the oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Spread the flour on a plate and roll the cabbage rolls in it, then place them in the casserole dish, seam side down. Brown the rolls on all sides until deeply colored, about 15 minutes. 

Heat the stock in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the tomato paste, ketchup and sugar, then season with salt and pepper. Add the mixture to the casserole. The liquid should cover the rolls completely (if it doesn't, add more stock). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375° F.

Increase the heat under the casserole to high, uncover and let the liquid boil until it is somewhat reduced, about 5 minutes. Place the casserole in the oven and bake, uncovered, until the liquid reduces even further, about 15 minutes.

Spread the bechamel evenly over the rolls, sprinkle with the grated Parmesan and bake, uncovered, until the top is nicely browned, 10 minutes or longer. Serve the cabbage rolls at once.

Serves 4-6.

Bechamel Sauce

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 C milk, hot
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes

Remove the pan from the heat and add the milk in a steady stream, whisking vigorously until the mixture is thick and smooth. 

Return the pan to the heat and simmer the sauce until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. If you are not going to use it right away, keep the sauce covered with buttered waxed paper to prevent a skin from forming. 

Serves 4-6.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 366 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  427 Calories from Fat  205

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  22.8g 35%

Saturated Fat  9.4g 47%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  75mg 25%

Sodium  626mg 26%

Total Carbohydrates  30.5g 10%

Dietary Fiber  1.5g 6%

Sugars  8.5g

Protein  24.7g

Vitamin A 15% • Vitamin C 12% Calcium 17% • Iron 20%

Nutrition Grade B

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• High in selenium

Bad points

• High in saturated fat

Steak Fajitas & Guacamole

Okay, so I love love LOVED this marinade. So delicious. The fajitas were wonderful and the guacamole was awesome with them. My husband thought the guac was a little too lime-y for regular chips-and-dip, but it sure tasted marvelous on these fajitas. HERE is where I got the recipe. Enjoy!



Steak Fajitas & Guacamole

Marinade:

• 1 orange, juiced
• 2 limes, juiced
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 3 chipotle chiles, in adobo sauce
• 3 Tbsp roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt

• 2 1/4 pounds skirt or flank steak, trimmed of fat cut into thirds or 8-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• Lime juice, olive oil, optional
• 12 flour tortillas, warm
• Guacamole, recipe follows
• Salsa

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a re-sealable plastic bag and add the steak; seal and shake to coat. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to tenderize and flavor the beef.

Preheat a ridged grill pan on high heat. (We pan-fried ours, which worked out just fine as well ... but we had a very thin cut of steak)

Drain the marinade from the beef. Lightly oil the grill or grill pan. Season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grill the steak over medium-high heat and cook for 4 minutes on each side and then transfer to a cutting board and let rest. Depending on the size of your grill pan you may need to cook in batches.

Once the beef is off the grill pan and resting, add the bell peppers and onions tossed with lime juice and olive oil, if using. Grill the mixture for 7 to 8 minutes until the vegetables are just barely limp.

While the peppers and onions are cooking, heat up the tortillas. Turn any free burners on a medium low flame. Place a tortilla on each flame and let it char about 30 seconds to 1 minute, flip the tortilla and repeat on the second side. Once heated and charred remove the tortilla to a clean tea towel and wrap to keep warm. Repeat until you have warmed all of your tortillas.

You can also heat your tortillas in a microwave, lightly dampen a tea towel with some water, wrap the tortillas in the damp towel and heat in the microwave for about 1 minute. Check to see if they are warm, if not repeat the heating at 1 minute intervals until they are warm and pliable.

Thinly slice the steak against the grain on a diagonal.

Spread some guacamole on a tortilla, top with a few slices of steak, peppers and onions, and salsa. Roll up the tortilla to enclose the filling.

May also be served with sour cream and shredded cheese.

Guacamole:

• 5 ripe Hass avocados
• 3 to 4 limes, juiced
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 serrano chile, chopped
• 1 big handful fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Drizzle olive oil

Halve and pit the avocados. With a tablespoon, scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocados with a fork, leaving them still a bit chunky. Add all of the rest of the ingredients, and fold everything together.

Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole so it doesn't brown and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving (This is an excellent tip. I had no idea you could actually keep guacamole from browning ... but this really works!!). 

Fajita Nutrition Info:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 574 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  831 Calories from Fat  335

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  37.2g 57%

Saturated Fat  11.1g 55%

Cholesterol  140mg 47%

Sodium  762mg 32%

Total Carbohydrates  45.4g 15%

Dietary Fiber  7.6g 31%

Sugars  9.1g

Protein  76.7g

Vitamin A 40% • Vitamin C 173% Calcium 14% • Iron 36%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• High in niacin
• High in selenium
• High in vitamin B6
• Very high in vitamin C
• High in zinc

Guacamole Nutrition Info:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 328 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  243 Calories from Fat  199

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  22.1g 34%

Saturated Fat  3.2g 16%

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  11mg 0%

Total Carbohydrates  13.3g 4%

Dietary Fiber  10.2g 41%

Sugars  1.2g

Protein  3.1g

Vitamin A 4% • Vitamin C 26% Calcium 2% • Iron 5%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• No cholesterol
• Very low in sodium
• Low in sugar
• High in dietary fiber
• High in vitamin C

California here I come, right back where I started from

Though I claim Kansas as my home town, I was actually born and spent the first 15 years of my life in Southern California. Last week, we went back for my BFF Heather's wedding (ref: funny commercial) and it was fabulous. I was so glad I could be there and celebrate with her and her new family. We were also able to catch the first few days of the Young Family Reunion, which was a lot of fun.

So, without further ado, I present our California trip in 14 pictures (random number, I know ... I was trying to limit it to 10 and it just wasn't happening):

Naturally, we forgot to take our camera to the wedding. So here is a  shot captured at the photo booth on my mom's cell phone. 

The flights went surprisingly well ... mostly because the fabulous Mr. P decided he was going to sleep for every flight.  Thank you!! 

Peyton loved all the attention he got from his aunts, uncles,  great aunts and great uncles.  Here he is with Munkle (that's monkey-uncle) Collin.

Like I said, he loved the attention. Clockwise: Auntie Clare, Munkle Collin and Munkle Brady.

For some reason, Dan wanted to make all the Munkles look like they pooped lemons. Munkle Collin's picture is on his phone, but here is Munkle Brady with a lemon poo. 

Lisa Bell was there with sweet little Jace! I was so excited. Peyton got so jealous whenever I was holding Jace. He would crawl over and start climbing up onto my lap and swinging at poor cousin Jace. 

Jace and Peyton sleeping after a long day at the pool. 

Peyton ... well ... LOVED his first beach experience. Especially the beach part. He wasn't this fond of the ocean, but oh, did he love the sand! 

Me and Will building sandcastles on the beach.

Like I said, he loved the sand. 

Probably one of the best parts of the trip was that we got to go with Tonya and her kids. It was a lot of fun, and I really like that we've been seeing more of the Pierce's this year. I think we'll have to make a habit of that. Left to right: Kanyon, Leigh Ann, Will and Tonya. 

Peyton even slept for Daddy on the plane. Poor kid was so exhausted that as we were getting seated and waiting for the plane to take off, he passed out like this. Not the most comfortable thing for Daddy, but pretty dang cute. Unfortunately, I couldn't reach my camera when Daddy and Peyton were both asleep and drooling on each other. Oh well. 

Daniel, Peyton and I on the San Clemente pier. San Clemente is my favorite beach of all time. We used to spend a week camping there every summer when I was a kid -- with the Adams' family actually (ha ha ha) ... but seriously, with Heather Adams' family (the BFF whose wedding we attended). 

This is in my grandparent's front yard in Pomona, CA. We stayed at my grandma and grandpa's house. The trip was so much fun! 

Chicken-Zucchini Alfredo

I have been looking for a healthier version of an all-time favorite -- and finally found one. This recipe is great because it uses evaporated milk rather than heavy whipping cream. Even better news: it tastes great too =) HERE is where I found it.



Chicken-Zucchini Alfredo

• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 zucchini, thinly sliced into half-moons
• 16 oz thin skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Freshly ground pepper
• 12 oz whole wheat fettuccine (preferably whole wheat)
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 C cold low-fat milk (1%)
• 1/2 C evaporated nonfat milk
• 3/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 C chopped fresh parsley

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 clove garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the zucchini, cover and cook until tender, stirring, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat another tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper and cook through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water as the label directs. Drain, reserving 1/2 C cooking water; return the pasta to the pot.

Meanwhile, whisk the flour and low-fat milk in a bowl. Place the remaining 1 clove garlic and 1 Tbsp oil in the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, 30 seconds. Add the flour-milk mixture and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp salt and the cheese; stir to melt, 1 minute.

Cut the chicken into strips. Toss with the pasta, sauce, zucchini and parsley, adding the reserved pasta water to loosen.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 426 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 642 Calories from Fat 184

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 20.4g 31%

Saturated Fat 5.6g 28%

Cholesterol 87mg 29%

Sodium 560mg 23%

Total Carbohydrates 63.7g 21%

Dietary Fiber 10.3g 41%

Sugars 8.7g

Protein 50.0g

Vitamin A 17% • Vitamin C 38% Calcium 43% • Iron 28%

Nutrition Grade B-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Not bad for a cream-based pasta, eh?

Tuscan Pasta and Bean Soup

This was super easy and SUPER yummy. I didn't know quite what to expect when I made this, so I'll tell you. It's like a tomato basil soup. We ate it with a nice loaf of bread from Panera (my FAVORITE), though I can't tell you what it was because it was given to us. I think grilled cheese sandwiches would be delightful with it as well. HERE is where the recipe came from. 

Tuscan Pasta and Bean Soup

• 15 oz can kidney beans, undrained
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 C small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 28 oz chicken broth (I just filled the empty crushed tomato can up with water and used about 6 tsp bouillon)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh basil
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup dried macaroni

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes, broth, beans, basil, parsley and pepper. Bring to boil.

Add pasta; reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, 12 to 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 552 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 304 Calories from Fat 73

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 8.1g 12%

Saturated Fat 1.3g 6%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 1228mg 51%

Total Carbohydrates 45.4g 15%

Dietary Fiber 13.0g 52%

Sugars 15.7g

Protein 16.3g

Vitamin A 44% • Vitamin C 32% Calcium 18% • Iron 30%

Nutrition Grade A-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• High in dietary fiber
• High in vitamin A
• High in vitamin C

Bad points

• High in sodium
• High in sugar

The nutrition facts say this is high in sodium -- which is true -- most soups are. One easy way I cut out some of the sodium (which is not included in the nutrition information) is by using canned crushed tomatoes with no salt added.

Moo - Rawr - Meow - Wuff

Today Peyton was all smiles ... and laughs. This morning, he was just sitting on the floor with his toys, busting a gut. This evening, Dan and I discovered that Peyton finds animal noises funny. REALLY funny. Prepare yourself for a few videos that are so cute, you won't be able to keep from smiling =)