DIY Christmas Wreath!

This festive time of year also celebrates evergreen plants and trees! Most people hang a pine wreath on their front door as a welcome symbol for all who come by. The past few years, I've been experimenting with DIY wreaths, and have made a few magnolia leaf, springtime themed and several Christmas pine wreaths. Here's why making your own fresh wreath is awesome - it is very inexpensive and quick to put together!  Here's what you need:

Equipment
- Several pine branches. Home Depot and other temporary tree lots that do a "fresh cut" are happy to give you discarded bottom branches for free. Just ask. FREE!
- A wire circle wreath base, 12"-18" diameter. This year I used a 14" quilting hoop as I had it around. Wreath bases are available at crafting stores. I recommend a style like this one. 
- Green Floral wire, 24 gauge
- Decor, including bow, pine cones, etc. (optional)
- Heavy duty scissors or pruning shears 
- Gardening gloves (optional)

Instructions

Cutting branches

Once you've picked up some free pine branches, preferably of all the same type of tree, prep your work area either outside or indoors in an easy place to sweep.  Using the scissors or pruning sheers, clip off the bushy branch ends in lengths of 6" to 12" long. Clip enough for a large pile. Your hands will get some tree sap on them, so you may want to wear gloves.

Wrapping wire around frame and cut branch end

Take the wreath frame and floral wire and wrap a bit of the wire around the frame to secure. Make a few loops by going up from the middle of the frame and circle the outside. You will circle the frame a lot with wire, so keeping the wire taught while working is important. Pick out one of the biggest branches and lay along the frame, greenery side up.  Using the wire and looping wrapping motion, secure the cut end of the branch to the frame. This will take 1-2 loops to wrap.  Then, moving down from the cut end of the first branch, lay a new branch down, covering the cut area and wire of the first one. Secure with more wire loops. Continue around your wreath, you may have to cut more short branches. When you reach the first branch, lift it up and secure more branches so the looping is hidden and tucked under, not visible. Adjust the wreath for fullness as needed.

Finished wreath - just needs decorating!

Wreath view from behind

To decorate, I used components of an old sugared berry wreath and a piece of ribbon.  I attached the berry pieces with three short pieces of green floral wire, twisting the wire behind the frame to secure. I tied the ribbon in a festive knot on the side. You may want to add other components, like pine cones, fake fruit, ornaments, or even battery powered lights. Make sure to secure each component separately with floral wire.  
Final step - hang on your door, take a picture and share with friends!

Bread Pudding with Plums

Beautiful, ready to be devoured! 

Most of the recipes for bread pudding I found online make too much! This is a smaller version, perfect for about 6 servings.  The tart plums are a good contrast to the sweet bread and caramel sauce.  I use store bought caramel sauce, making the last step of this delicious recipe ready faster.

Ingredients

2 almost ripe large plums

1 cup of cubed french bread

Diced plums and sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup of granulated sugar, divided

1 cup of milk

1/4 cup of half and half

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of triple sec

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons of butter, softened

1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, toasted

Caramel sauce (optional)

Equipment

3 bowls, sized small, medium and large
9" square baking dish
Cutting board
Whisk
Measuring cups and spoons 
Paring knife
Bread knife or serrated knife
Spatula
Fork

Bread soaking up custard

Baking sheet

Instructions

Dice up plums and place into the medium bowl.  Stir in 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and set aside to macerate. 

Preheat the oven to 200°F. Spread out the fresh cubed bread onto the baking sheet. Bake in the oven to dry out, about 10 minutes.  Once toasted, let cool.

Grease the 9" square dish.  

In the large bowl, beat the three eggs, then add in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, milk, half and half, salt, vanilla and triple sec. Mix until combined. Gently add in the toasted bread cubes, stirring with the spatula. Let sit for 10 minutes and the bead will absorb the liquid.

Cooling, fresh from the oven

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Using the regular oven or toaster oven, lightly toast the chopped walnut pieces for 3 to 5 minutes.   In the smallest mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and butter with the fork.  Add in the walnut pieces, stirring to combine. 

Add the plum pieces to the bread mixture, stirring gently with the spatula. Pour into the 9" baking dish and flatten slightly.  Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top, spreading evenly.  Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, until set and top is browned. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.  Heat up caramel sauce and drizzle over bread budding.  Mmmmm....

Cheesy Pearl Couscous with Tomatoes, Spinach and Chicken

Tonight is a quick post for a quick, tasty dinner!  Pearl couscous is also known as toasted Israeli style pasta.  I paired it with chicken to complete the meal.  Here's how to put it together:

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces 

Cheesy pearl couscous with chicken

1 cup Pearl Couscous
16 oz. vegetable broth
14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, drained
2 slices of cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of half and half
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Seasoning mix
Salt to taste

Equipment:
Large skillet
3 quart pot with lid
Cutting board, knife, tongs/spatula

Instructions:
Heat up olive oil in the skillet, stove on medium high.  Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the seasoning mix, add to the hot pan.  Cook, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes, until done.  Set aside.
In the pot, add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, turn heat down to medium and stir in the pearl couscous.  Cover with the lid and let simmer.  After 5 minutes, stir in the diced tomatoes, and then the cheese.  Stir in the half and half.  Let simmer down for 3 more minutes.  Once the couscous is soft, turn off the heat and stir in the chopped spinach.  Add salt to taste.  Serve in warmed bowls with the chicken on top.  Enjoy!

Hearty Fall Dinner - Baked Pasta with Chicken and Artichokes!

Cheesy chicken and pasta bake!

Fall weather is coming soon, which means more delicious dinners to make! This baked pasta tomato ziti-style dish uses chicken, artichoke hearts and just the right amount of cheese.  It's lovely and filling on cold evenings. I've adapted this recipe from a few I've found online. This version is my favorite, though I believe you may swap out the meat and vegetables and it would still work well. There are several steps in this dish, and it took about 1.5 hours from start to finish.

Ingredients:

1 pound (box) of dry Rotini or Penne shaped pasta

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 6-7 pieces

12 oz. of artichoke hearts (Trader Joe’s frozen bag works great)

8 oz. of fresh mushrooms, sliced

½ yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 26-ounce jar tomato pasta sauce

Pasta, vegetables and chicken cooking!

3/4 cup sour cream

6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

2 ounces shredded parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of butter

4-6 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp. of French herbs

Salt to taste

Non-stick cooking spray

Equipment:

9x13 baking dish

Large skillet

3 quart pot for pasta

Cutting board, knife, tongs/spatula

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or lightly grease with butter.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil then add pasta and cook according to the package directions for al dente, about 7-10 minutes. Before draining, reserve about a 1/2 cup of the pasta water – we will use this later. Then, drain pasta, leave in colander briefly.

Once the pasta is cooked, use the same pot to heat the tomato sauce on the stove. When it’s slightly bubbling, turn off the heat and add cooked pasta back in and toss to coat.  Set aside.

In large skillet, heat olive oil until shimmering, add in chicken pieces.  Add in salt and French herbs on top.  Sauté chicken until brown and cooked on all sides, about 7-9 minutes.  Remove from pan, let cool slightly, and chop chicken into smaller, bite size pieces. Set aside.

Sauteing mushrooms, onions and garlic

In the same large skillet, heat up more olive oil. Add in the chopped onion.  Caramelize the onion in 5 minutes, then push to the side of the pan, off the heat.  Add in 2 tablespoons of butter, let melt.  Add in chopped mushrooms and minced garlic, sauté for 4 minutes.  Add in frozen artichoke hearts and reserved ½ cup of pasta water.  Sauté for 2 minutes and mix all vegetables together. Add salt if desired. Turn off heat. Add chopped chicken back into the skillet, toss to mix.

Last layer before the cheese

Add about half of the pasta and sauce mixture to the baking dish. Then, spread half of the chicken and vegetables on top, pressing down to create an even level.  Spread all of the sour cream, top with half of the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  Add remaining pasta and chicken and vegetables layers. Press everything down into the baking dish then scatter the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses on top. Sprinkle chopped basil over top.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Remove, let cool for 5 minutes, then scope out to serve and enjoy!

Golden Lemon & Orange Coconut Bars

My absolute favorite lemon bars have a ton of coconut in them.  Coconut reminds me of Hawaii, Phuket and Boracay, and thinking about past tropical vacations is always a lovely daydream.  For this recipe, I adapted slightly from Mary Engelbreight's Cookies Cookbook by subbing in Orange.  The flavors were less tart, mildly orange-y.  Good thing I had a potluck to attend otherwise I could have eaten these all myself!

Finished Lemon-Orange Coconut bars!

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups of flour

Coconut-Lemon-Orange topping:
4 large eggs, room temperature
1  1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 cups sweetened flaked coconut

Equipment:
Stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachments (or hand mixer)
9"x13" pan
Aluminum foil
Cooking spray for greasing the pan & foil
Spatula
Sharp knife
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the 9"x13" baking pan with cooking spray.  Line with foil, allowing the ends to extend over the two short sides of the pan.  Grease the foil.  

Baked crust completed

2. In the mixing bowl of the stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy.  On low speed, gradually add in the flour.  Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan.  Bake for 16 minutes, until golden around the edges.

Cooling bars

3. Meanwhile, clean the mixer bowl and dry.  Now using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs until they are frothy.  Beat in the granulated sugar.  Beat in the flour and the baking powder, then beat in both zests and the juice.  Add the coconut, stirring on the lowest setting, until the topping is thoroughly mixed.
4. Spread the topping evenly onto the hot crust with the spatula.  Bake for 28 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the coconut is lightly browned in a few spots. 
5. Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes.  If necessary, run the sharp knife along the edges to release the foil from the pan.  Lift the foil by it's long ends and transfer the bars to a cutting board.  Using the sharp knife, cut into 24 squares.  Store well-sealed in the refrigerator, using wax paper to separate the layers if you are stacking them. 

Small Batch of Orange Marmalade

This week, fueled with my large supply of oranges (and a few lemons), I continued in experimenting in cooking with them.  This was my first time making a jam and canning, definitely an adventure!  I was a bit scared of so many issues that could have happened, but in fact, canning is fairly easy and it tastes delicious.  I did not make a big batch, this adjusted for a half recipe based from the Ina Garten recipe and Alton Brown's canning instructions.  Only three ingredients! 

Orange slices

Ingredients:
2 ripe, seedless large oranges (I used CA Navel)
1 medium lemon
4 cups of sugar

Equipment: 
Large non-reactive pot and lid (stainless steel)
Canning supplies - 2 pint size jars with lids and rings, canning pot, tongs
Candy thermometer
Spatula
Ladle
Canning funnel
Paper towels
Small plate

Lemon sliced by food processor

Directions: 
Wash fruit throughly in cold water.  Cut off the top and bottom the oranges and lemon to make the ends flat.  Cut into quarters, and then into very thin slices.  If you have a mandoline or a food processor with a slicing blade, this will go very quickly.  Chop into smaller pieces, if desired.  Discard the lemon seeds.  Place all fruit in the large pot, and cover with 4 cups of water, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often.  Remove from the heat and stir in all of the sugar until it dissolves. Cover and allow to stand overnight at room temperature.

The next day, bring the mixture back to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Stick the small plate in the freezer to get cold for testing doneness later.  Also during this time, prep your canning supplies by boiling all pieces, submerged, for 5-10 minutes to ensure they are sterile. 

Overnight soaking

After two hours, turn the heat up to medium and boil gently, stirring often, for another 20 minutes.  Stir more often. Skim off any foam that forms on the top. Cook the marmalade until it reaches and holds for a minute at 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer.  At this stage, the boiling will look more rapid. To make doubly sure it's ready, pull out the cold plate from the freezer and put a few drops of the marmalade on it. In a minute, pick up the plate and tilt it.  If it's firm -- neither runny nor too hard -- it's done. It will be a golden orange color. (If the marmalade is runny, continue cooking it and if it's too hard, add a little more water.)  Remove from heat.

Using the canning jars, funnel, and ladle, carefully scoop the marmalade from the pot to the jar, up to a 1/4 inch from the top.  Repeat with the second pint jar.  Wipe jar rims with damp paper towels and place on canning lid, then ring and tighten down.  

Cooling on the counter

Handle these hot jars carefully! Put them back into canning pot, submerge with water by an inch, and boil for 10 minutes to seal.  Take the jars out, leave them at room temperature for 24 hours while they cool.  The lids should be solid when pressed down from the top.  Store in cabinet for up to a year!  Once opened, they will last several weeks in your fridge.

Steak with an Orange Bourbon Glaze

What do you do when a friend generously gives your fruit off of her tree?  Figure out how to use it all in creative recipes before it all spoils!  Such is the case for me and 2 dozen California navel oranges.  While I have been juicing and adding to smoothies, I still have so many to left enjoy.  And while I would love to make mini orange angle food cakes and other sweets, I started with a savory recipe.  Filet Mignon steaks with an Orange Bourbon Glaze.  It is amazing in flavor, and elevates the steaks to an even tastier level. I've adapted the recipe here from the Food Network.  Start by marinating the meat, then make the sauce.  It makes an excessive amount of sauce, good for side dishes or save it for a chicken dish the next night!

Orange slices simmering down in the glaze

Ingredients for Orange Bourbon Glaze:

2 tablespoons diced shallots  

1/4 cup butter, divided 

2 seedless oranges, peeled and segmented 

1/2 cup bourbon

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups beef stock

Equipment needed:
Large saucepan
Spatula
Measuring cups and spoons
Knife and chopping board

Directions:

In the saucepan over medium-high heat saute the shallots in 2 tablespoons of butter until caramelized, about 3 minutes.  Whisk in the bourbon (careful, it will sizzle!), water, oranges, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and add beef stock. Simmer until mixture is a sauce-like consistency. This will take a while, about 20 minutes to reduce it by half.   Remove from heat. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. 

Tasty steak with orange glaze sauce

Ingredients for Steaks:

1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil 

2 (5 ounce) Filet Mignon steaks

Equipment needed:  
Medium bowl
Plastic wrap
Non-stick fry pan with lid
Rubber-tipped tongs

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine Cajun seasoning, cayenne, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons canola oil. Rub mixture on both sides of the steak. Cover bowl with plastic wrap to marinate and put in refrigerator for 1 hour. After marinating for 1 hour, take it out and let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.  Add some olive oil to the pan over medium high heat.  When the pan is hot, carefully add in the steaks, turn after 3 minutes.  Add lid to cover pan to ensure even cooking.  Cook steaks to your preferred level of done-ness, remove with tongs and place on a plate.  Spoon Orange Bourbon glaze on top of steak.  Enjoy!

Almond Butter and Marshmallow Chocolate Cups

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I were given some homemade, delicious peanut butter cups. I believe the sweetness of homemade Reese's and Valentine's day go together quite well, so I should not have been surprised when my boyfriend requested that I attempt to whip up a batch of my own.   This has happened on several occasions, such as the mochi ice cream balls experiment, and "We have way too many dates - please make something delicious with them".  Yum.  

These challenges generally bring lots of fun, sometimes frustration, and always excuses to purchase more kitchen equipment. 

Showing off the cup's layering 

Back to the almond-butter, peanut-butter and marshmallow cups!  It started out simple, but then both milk and semi-sweet Guittard chocolates made it into the shopping basket.  Followed by a jar of marshmallow creme and a grin on my boyfriend's face.  And then the suggestion of using honey and making a peanut butter option... the possibilities started adding up!  I made milk and semisweet versions of both almond and peanut butter cups.  Also, I tempered the chocolate, as I'm lucky enough to have an infrared instant read thermometer for accuracy, but I'm skipping that step in the instructions.  The chocolate will still taste delicious and set just fine.  Tempering chocolate makes the surface shiny and crisper shells.


Ingredients:

Milk Chocolate cup with Almond butter

1/2 bag (6 oz) milk chocolate chips
1/2 bag (6 oz) semi sweet chocolate chips
3/8 cup natural almond butter
3/8 cup natural peanut butter 
1/4 cup powdered sugar, divided
2 tablespoons of whipped honey, divided
2/3 cup of marshmallow creme
Non-stick cooking spray

Equipment:
24 mini muffin paper baking cups
2 glass bowls (for melting chocolate)
2 spatulas
2 mixing bowls
mini muffin baking sheet
lots of spoons
offset icing spatula, if available 

Directions:

1. Layout mini paper cups into pan, spritz each one lightly with cooking spray.
2. Work with only one chocolate at a time.  In a glass bowl, melt 6 oz chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Stir; continue to microwave in short-bursts and stirring until completely melted and smooth, approximately 1:30 minutes total.  
3. With a small spoon, scoop chocolate into the bottom of each cup. With a clean finger, spread the chocolate up the sides of the paper cup, covering it completely.  Fill 12 paper cups, reserving about a third of the remaining chocolate. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine almond butter and half (1/8 cup) of the powdered sugar with a sturdy spoon. Add the teaspoon of honey. In a new bowl, do the same with the peanut butter.  The consistency will be like dry paste.

Full completed tray of delicious cups!

5. Remove chocolate cups from the fridge. The chocolate should be hardened.  Carefully use a knife and spoon to scoop and drop a small 3/4 teaspoon of the marshmallow creme into each cup.  Using a spoon or your clean fingers, add in a teaspoon of the almond or peanut butter pastes, alternating flavors. The filling should almost reach the top of the cup. Return to fridge for 5 minutes.
6. Reheat reserved chocolate, in 20 second intervals in the microwave.  Take the cups back out of the fridge and drop with a spoon a small amount of chocolate to the middle of each cup. Using the offset icing spatula, swirl slowly from the middle to the edges of each cup, spreading out the chocolate.  Repeat with other chocolate type.  
7. Refrigerate to set, then peel and enjoy! These may be kept refrigerated or at room temperature.