I'm moving!!!

It's time for a new blog name and a new blog site...including my own domain!  You can now find me at http://www.edibleinspiration.net/  .  Check out what I'm up to and be sure to change your google reader if you read me that way!  There will be more updates over the next several weeks as I have time!

"What's Happening?!!"

Do you ever read the Tacky the Penguin books where he gives a hearty slap on the back and asks, "What's happening?"  They're hilarious.  Here's a look at what's happening around here.

1. I've been away from home with friends two weekends in a row.  Why, oh why, can't my fun be a little more spread out?!!  First was the mini-marathon weekend and last weekend I went to Louisville with my college girlfriends.  We get together every other year for a weekend.  It's so fun to catch up with everyone.  This year I chose the lodging.  Let's just say it was unique and we'll never forget it!  (That's our B&B owner, Nancy, with us.  She's 80 years old.  I know.  It's hard to believe.)

2.  Many people are on the hunt for the perfect ________________.  Whether it's the perfect man, the perfect home, the perfect school, the perfect body, the perfect life...the list could go on and on.  Me, I've been on the hunt for the perfect water bottle.  And I think I found it.  This beauty holds 22 ounces, is made of glass so it won't leak chemicals, is dishwasher safe and has a wide enough mouth to put ice cubes in.  I love it.  A friend led me to Whole Foods to purchase mine, but if you don't live near a Whole Foods you can purchase here or on Amazon.com.  If you're looking for the perfect water bottle, too, you won't be disappointed!

3.  One friend brought a new kitchen gadget for all of us.  It is awesome!  It's called the Zevro sugar dispenser.  You fill it with salt, sugar, cinnamon, etc. and it instantly dispenses 1/4, 1/2 or 1 t. with the push of the lever.  It also has a shaker.  I filled mine with coarse salt and love it.  I highly recommend it.  In fact, I'd love to have more than one.  It's just so convenient.  You can purchase here.

4.  All of my annuals are planted and my garden is going in the ground this afternoon.  I love spring.

5.  Local news has been a downer around here.  There was a 37 year old father of three who died running a race and a 19 month old child who died because she fell out of a car.  Considering I live with two people in basically the exact stage of life, these deaths of strangers have hit me hard.  I cannot imagine losing anyone who lives in my house.

6.  I had a photo shoot this week for my new, very part-time and hopefully wildly successful job.  Here's a sneak peek.

Dig Deep....

I told Rob that I wanted to quit around mile 10.  He said, "Well, you had to dig deep to finish the race."  And I did.  Someone wise beyond his years told me that everyone hits their wall three quarters of the way into a race - no matter what the length.  And I did.  But I kept walking, walking, walking.  I had something to prove to myself.  And I proved it.  I think I might start running two minutes out of every mile now.  And I might just do a mini again.

Go out and check something off your bucket list.  If I can do a mini-marathon you can meet your goal too.

Ham and Egg Breakfast Bake

A breakfast casserole needs to have a little "wow!" factor. This one has one - it's the crunchy cornflake topping.  It adds something special and makes each bite extra delicious.

Ham and Egg Breakfast Bake

8 slices white loaf bread
3/4 lb. thinly sliced deli ham
6 large eggs
2 c. milk
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. dry mustard
cooking spray
1 1/2 - 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
4 T. butter
3 c. cornflakes

1.  Cut the bread and ham into bite-sized pieces.
2.  Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk well.  Whisk in the milk, salt and dry mustard.
3.  Spray a 9x13 pan.  Scatter the bread pieces evenly over the dish, top with the ham and then the cheese.  Pour the egg mixture over the top and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.  (Can refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

Preheat oven to 375°. 
4.  Melt the butter.  Crush the cornflakes (in food processor or with hands or rolling pin) and mix with the butter.  Spread the crumbs evenly over casserole.
5.  Bake, uncovered, until lightly browned and eggs are set, about 45 minutes.  Let the casserole rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting it into squares and serving.

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

"Mom, this is way better than the brownie I had at school.  And they put powdered sugar on their brownies and it's soooo good."

We had breakfast for dinner tonight.  I'm sending a couple of things in for a teacher breakfast tomorrow (in my past life I was a teacher - trust me, it's a hard and underappreciated job - they deserve a good breakfast) and figured to save time I'd double everything and serve it to my family for dinner.

I wanted to treat my boys like the big boys they are and just set the egg casserole (recipe's coming next), the coffee cake, the veggie and the fruit (I did have to round this meal out!) on the table - hoping they'd eat all of the items and not just the cake.  It was too much temptation for Isaac.  Cake on the table with dinner?!!!  It was his sweet tooth's dream come true.  He ate one piece of cake, said he was still full from lunch and had nothing else.  Oh, well. 

Rob thinks this coffee cake is better than birthday cake.  I don't want to get your hopes up too high, but it is a good coffee cake.  I don't know how I haven't posted it yet.  If you're in the neighborhood, swing by.  I might even have a piece left for you!

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
2 c. flour
dash of salt
1 t. soda
1 t. powder

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Gradually add the eggs and sour cream.  Sift together the dry ingredients and add until just combined.

In a separate bowl, mix together:
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
4 oz. mini chocolate chips

Grease a 9x13 pan.  Spread 1/2 of the batter, sprinkle with 1/2 of the sugar/chocolate mixture and repeat.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Sausage and Pepper Baked Ziti

I've participated in a meal swap every few weeks for the last few months.  They're saving my life.  Really.  I love to cook and I love to be in the kitchen, but it's not nearly as enjoyable when you enter a one year old in the 4-5 o'clock hour and two other children that I'm trying to keep my eye on as they beg to go across the street to play.

The hardest part of participating in a swap is figuring out what to make.  This week I found and tried this new recipe for Sausage and Pepper Baked Ziti.  We had it for lunch on Sunday and it was a hit.  All of my children were begging for seconds.  I hope you like it too!

Sausage and Pepper Baked Ziti
from Good Housekeeping
(Makes 2 casseroles - one to eat and one to freeze.)

•1 pound(s) sweet and/or hot Italian sausage

•4 clove(s) garlic, crushed with press

•2 large red, green, and/or yellow peppers, cut into 1 inch chunks (this adds nice color to this dish)

•1 onion, diced

• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced

•1 can(s) (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes

•1 can(s) (15-ounce) diced

•1 teaspoon(s) salt

2 t. Italian seasoning (salt free is preferable, if contains salt than adjust the amount of salt in sauce to taste)

•1 pound(s) ziti  pasta

•1 package(s) (8-ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

•1/2 cup(s) freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Directions

1.In deep 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook sausage on medium 10 minutes or until browned, stirring and breaking it up with side of spoon. With slotted spoon, transfer sausage to medium bowl.

2.Drain skillet and add a little olive oil to cook garlic, peppers, onion, and mushrooms, covered, 10 minutes. Uncover and cook 8 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender and most of liquid has evaporated. Stir in tomatoes, drained sausage, salt and Italian seasoning; heat to boiling on medium-high, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook sauce 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, but cook 2 minutes less than recommended cooking time.

4.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta. Return pasta and reserved cooking water to pot; stir in tomato sauce to coat pasta.  Divide mixture evenly between 2 shallow 2 1/2-quart ceramic baking dishes sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheeses.

5.Bake one casserole 20 to 25 minutes or until top browns and sauce is bubbling. Let stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare second casserole for freezing.


To reheat after thawing 24 hours:  Heat, loosely covered, at 350 degrees F 1 hour; uncover and heat 30 minutes longer.

When It Rains, It Pours

I'm sure this says something more about me, because there's always a mixture of great and terrible going on in each and every one of our lives.  But I tend to be on the extreme end of emotions...and either everything is great or everything is awful.  We've had a lot of rain coming down from the clouds in northern Indiana the past few weeks, but for me everything is coming up roses.

• My boys are getting a basketball hoop.  I guess this makes me a real Hoosier now.  I know Jonah is going to be occupied for hours on end thanks to this hoop.  He's the only one searching for constant entertainment around here.  I'm sure this will help.  If not, he's out of luck. 

Digging the hole for the hoop's pole.
• What can I say, I don't have any quality time with my girlfriends for months...years, even.  And then I get two weekends in a row with some of my favorite ladies.  I can't wait for the next two weekends!  I've had some rough days lately as a DG - quitting isn't an option but I've felt like it sometimes the past month.  A few days away without my children is just what I need.
• Everyone has their story.  Regarding exercise, that is.  My story is this:  I liked and participated in sports until I was about 11.  And then I was just too self-conscious to ever participate in anything sports related again.  I'm not kidding.  Now I was into aerobics videos like every other girl in the 90's and I've always been a walker with the goal of staying fit.  But next Saturday I'm participating in my first organized sporting event since 1987.  I'm walking (with a little jogging tossed in to shake things up) the Indy Mini.  The journey towards training for this has become all about proving something to myself.  I have a goal, in terms of time, that I really do hope I can meet or beat.  But most importantly I just want to cross that line and show that little eleven year old girl deep inside myself that I can accomplish a personal goal regarding fitness.
• It's almost time to plant my garden!!!
• The details are top-secret, but I'm going to be published in July.  I'm a little excited and a little nervous.  But it's a dream come true to have my name in print along with a couple of recipes.  I'll keep you posted, Loyal Readers, I promise.
• And finally, how can I not love this little guy in this little car?



Buttermilk Waffles

Even as a Domestic Goddess there are a few things that elude me in the kitchen such as dinner rolls, the perfect waffle and coffee cake baked in a bundt pan (evidenced by my huge flop Saturday night).

This waffle is almost perfect.  It has a little more fat than I'd like and no whole wheat flour - but I can experiment with those two things.  You do have to whip the egg whites separately, but they were worth the work. 

Buttermilk Waffles
from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

2 c. flour
2 T. cornmeal
1 t. salt
1/2 t. soda
2 large eggs, separated
4 T. butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 c. buttermilk

1.  Heat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.
2.  Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, and then the buttermilk.  Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the buttermilk mixture into the well, and whisk very gently until the buttermilk mixture is just incorporated (a few lumps should remain).  Toward the end of mixing, fold the whipped egg whites into the batter.
3.  Cook according to waffle iron's instructions.