[a cookbook worth purchasing]

One of my goals this year is to learn new, tasty recipes. 

I purchased this cookbook as it has many fast and simple every day recipes in it. I thought I’d share one to show an example what you get with the book.

APPLESAUCE BARBECUE CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

½ tsp pepper

1 TBSP olive oil

2/3 cup (1.5dl) (chunky) applesauce

2/3 cup (1.5dl) spicy barbecue sauce

2 TBSP brown sugar

1 tsp chili powder

1.   Sprinkle chicken with pepper. In a large skillet, brown chicken in olive oil on both sides.

2.   In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over chicken. Cover and cook 7-10 minutes longer, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with rice.

For barbecue sauce, I used Bull's Eye's Honey Garlic Bonanza sauce.

I haven’t been eating meat for awhile but the rest of the family said this was delicious. So super easy to make!

[delicious!!]

I love it when I discover a new recipe which is simple & fast to make plus tastes delicious. If you like Indian food at all, you have to try this recipe: Masala + chicken naan bread pizza. I used red peppers with the chicken. I could have licked my hands when I got some of this spice on my hands. This spice smells divine!

Click here for the recipe. Club House spices are my favorites. I use their Cajun spice all the time. Many great recipes on their website.

NOTE:
Looks like the link to the recipe doesn't work anymore so here's the recipe:

1/2 cup (125ml) unsalted butter, softened
2 TBSP (30ml) Clubhouse Indian Masala seasoning
4 naan bread
1/2 cup (125ml) cooked, diced chicken
2 cups (5dl) favorite sliced vegetables
1 cup (2,5dl) shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix the butter and seasoning together. Spread on naan bread evenly. Top with chicken, vegetables and cheese. Bake in 400F oven (200C) until cheese is melted. 

{advent calendar, snowmen, an elephant, the best muffins ever...}

Finished making our advent calendar. I'm so done with the traditional red/green Christmas colors.



We made some t-paper roll snowmen.



Such a simple thing - a snowman made out of cardboard - yet I love it so much.



T-paper roll elephant.



Love, love, love this crayon/glitter watercolor/acrylic paint fingerprints snowman.



Saw this online and I had to make one to see if I could do it.



Delicious Muffins

2 cups (5dl) all-purpose flour

1 cup (2,5dl) sugar

2 tsp (10ml) baking soda

2 tsp (10ml) cinnamon

1/4 tsp (1-2ml) salt

2 cups (5dl) carrots, shredded

(I buy mine already shredded to save my fingers)

1/2 cup (125ml) raisins

2 apples, shredded or finely chopped

3 eggs

2 bananas, mashed

2 tsp (10ml) vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease or line 20 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the carrots, raisins and apples.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla. Stir the egg mixture into the carrot/flour mixture, mixing just until moistened.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Try not to eat too many. :)

{the best veggie lasagne ever!}

VEGGIE LASAGNE

12 lasagne noodles

1 green pepper, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup of carrot, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 jar (645ml) Newman's Own Sockarooni pasta sauce

1 tsp dried basil

salt & pepper

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 eggs (optional)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup Tex Mex shredded cheese

Cook the lasagne noodles for 10 minutes. Rinse with cold water. Drain.

Fry green pepper + onion + carrot + celery + green onions + garlic in 2 TBSP olive oil.

Mix pasta sauce with the veggies.

Preheat oven to 350F (175C).

Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.

Spread 3 lasagne noodles in the pan. 

Next layers: sauce + cheese + 3 noodles + sauce + cheese + 3 noodles + sauce + cheese + 3 noodles + cheese.

Bake for 40 minutes.

My new favorite recipe.

So delicious!

springerle cookies.

you can find the recipe here (Country Living magazine).

you could also stamp FIMO clay and make cute decorations or ornaments.

{cinnamon, apples, veggies, maple syrup... :P}

one of my favorite things about winter is that you can make all sorts of delicious food in the oven. yesterday i tried this new recipe and we all enjoyed it so of course i'm sharing it with you all. you know me. :)

i think this would make a perfect potato/vegetable dish for your christmas table since it has cinnamon and cranberries etc.

Preparation time: 20 min.

Cooking time: 1 hour.

 

Festive Roast Vegetables

3 Granny Smith apples, cored, cut into 8 wedges

2 medium red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1" (2.5 cm) pieces

1 cup (250 mL) whole baby carrots

1 cup (250 mL) rutabaga, cut into 1" (2.5 cm) pieces

1 medium parsnip, peeled, cut into 1" (2.5 cm) pieces

1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges

1 red pepper, sliced

1 cup (250 mL) CAMPBELL'S® Ready to Use 25% Less Sodium Beef Broth

1/3 cup (75 mL) maple syrup

3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil

1/3 cup (75 mL) sweetened, dried cranberries

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
Preparation:

Combine all ingredients well in large mixing bowl. Place mixture into shallow 13" x 9" (34 x 22 cm) baking dish.

 

Bake at 400°F (200°C), stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender – about 1 hour. Remove from oven and stir mixture well.

Additional Information:

Tip: Just after baking, stir mixture gently and broil for 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables begin to turn golden brown and caramelize.

Feel free to create new flavour combinations by using other vegetables – explore your market for locally grown produce. Just keep the overall quantity of vegetables the same, and replace them with ones that would cook in the same amount of time.

(recipe via campbells.com)

i didn't put rosemary in it as we're not big fans of it. i used chicken broth instead of beef broth. i also found that the apples got mushy when baked as long as the rest of it. i'd suggest adding the apples (and probably the red pepper too) in the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

delicious! :P

(image via google image search)

{martha's people, i tell ya!}

 what can i say? all you need to do is browse marthastewart.com if you want to get christmas inspiration.

you know i like snowflakes so imagine my excitement when i saw these snowflake quesadillas. only martha's people would think of something like this. so simple to make and kids will love it. i bet other magazines will once again come up with a similar idea in the future. they seem to copy martha's stuff quite a bit.

 i love this! beautiful!

*lighted pinecone arrangement*

the only complaint i have about the martha stewart website is that it's a pain in the butt to try to find something you've seen there before. so use these names i type here if you want to find the instructions.

 *gingerbread-man wreath*

this looks simple but i can just see few people's nerves break when they try to keep the gingerbread-men from not breaking while doing this wreath or hanging it up. i also doubt that our cookies would look this perfect. solution? make it out of scrapbook paper! you can glue the paper on chipboard for durability.

 you'll never guess how these were made.

the name says it all:

*magazine christmas trees*

i bet we all have a stack of old magazines lying around. why not recycle them into these gorgeous trees.

 *bleached pinecones basket*

 *peppermint-candy place cards*

*matchbox advent calendar*

this brought back nostalgic childhood memories for me. i made something like this as a kid.

if you made this calendar to look a bit more "manly", you could hide lovenotes for your husband in it each day. awww! :)

marthastewart.com my friends.

marthastewart.com! :)

{comfort food}

what do you guys cook/bake when you need comfort food?

whenever i need some comfort, this is what i crave - pannukakku.

i love it! it's so fast and easy to make. it warms you from inside out. it's delicious!

here's the recipe:

pannukakku

2 big eggs (or 3 small ones)

2 TBSP sugar

2 + 2/3 cups milk

1 + 1/3 cup flour (add through a sieve to prevent lumps)

little bit of vanilla

mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl. let it sit a bit in the fridge (maybe half an hour to an hour).

preheat oven to 400F.

put 2 TBSP of butter or margarine in a 9 x 13" oven dish. place the dish in the oven and wait until the butter has melted. take the pan out and pour most of the butter/margarine into the batter. mix. pour the batter into the pan.

bake for 30 to 40 minutes. until it looks dark brown in some spots. sprinkle some sugar on top. eat warm.

serve with your favorite jam. i like e.d.smith's strawberry jam with it.

try your best not to eat too much. :)
ps. it's normal for big bumps to form on the pannukakku. check it a few times while it's baking and stab any big bumps with a knife to flatten them.

{my favorite salad}

www.hydropolis.com

(the website is under construction, there's nothing there yet)

how would you like to stay in an underwater hotel? i'm feeling 50/50 about it. would be kind of cool and exciting but i don't know if i'd feel safe even though it must be safe.
lately my favorite salad has been:

fresh spinach leaves
baby romaine lettuce

(any lettuce works, the greener the better though)

sliced strawberries

pecan halves

craisins (sweetened dried cranberries)

red onion (optional)

raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing

cucumber (optional)

try it. so delish! :P

{10 x happy}

charlotta from www.spaceforinspiration.blogspot.com was so kind and gave me a lovely reward and asked me to list 10 things that make me happy.

1. reverse psychology

getting sienna dressed and washed up has gotten so much easier lately.

said in a fun voice, while smiling: "sienna, you are NOT allowed to get dressed... oh no! don't put that shirt on... atleast don't put your socks on... no, no, no! you shouldn't brush your teeth..."
next thing you know, sienna is dressed and washed up.

love it! :)

2. smiley faces
in any shape, size or form. love them!




(cocoaloco)

i want, i need, i gotta have this smiley face pancake pan from jcpenney.
3. circles
i love circles!!! i do. they make me so, so happy.

(aida dirse from rare device)

environmental art by andy goldsworthy

ps. i love his art!!!!

a bamboo mirror from www.puji.com

(cattycomehome/flickr.com)

crop circles

fokus design/fabric

www.marimekko.fi

fokus mugs

metal decoration (www.homecontrast.co.uk)

art by jenn ski
www.jennski.com

jules_lewis/flickr.com

kivet design/fabric

www.marimekko.fi

kristinamarie/etsy.com

www.marthastewart.com

rph10uk/flickr.com

4. snowflakes!

real ones, paper ones, jewellery ones, rubber stamped ones...

5. twilight
anything and everything to do with twilight. like this valentine's day card & stickers i'm giving to someone.

6. learning

"a mind is like an umbrella. it's useless if it's not open."
i'm always trying to learn something new. like how to make meatloaf muffins:
Recipe and introduction from The Deen Bros. Take it Easy; Ballantine Books 2009.
Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 cup plain unseasoned bread crumbs

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons milk

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons ketchup

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan.
In a large bowl, combine the beef, bread crumbs, eggs, milk, garlic, onion, salt, thyme, and pepper. Divide the meat mixture among the 12 muffin cups, pressing the meat firmly into the pan.
Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the meat is almost cooked through—the "loaves" will be firm when pressed lightly in the center, but not set.
While the meat loaves are baking, whisk together the ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. After baking for 20 to 25 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze, using it all up, and return the pan to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes more, or until the glaze has thickened and the meat is completely cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes total. Run an offset spatula or butter knife around the edges of the muffin cups and pop out the meat loaves. Serve hot.
(i found this via www.socialcouture-tabletalk.com)

metric conversions on the right side of my blog!

suomalaiset mittaversiot on tuossa blogini oikealla puolella sivulla.

7. marimekko's unikko pattern

designed by Maija & Kristina Isola in 1964.

"Unikko syntyi vuonna 1964 sen jälkeen kun Armi Ratia oli julkisuudessa sanonut, että Marimekossa ei suunnitella kukkakankaita. Maija Isola ei hyväksynyt sääntöjä eikä rajoituksia, vaan suunnitteli vastalauseeksi kokonaisen sarjan uhkeita kukkakuoseja. Nyt Unikko on luultavasti suositumpi kuin koskaan, ja saatavana on lukematon määrä erilaisia Unikko-kuvioisia tuotteita. Myös värivalikoima hyvin laaja."
www.marimekko.fi
my all-time favorite!
the more unikko, the better!
i love it when i see unikko products in foreign magazines.
with love from finland.

i want, i need, i gotta have! :)

unikko wallpaper!!
i want, i need, i gotta have!

8. trees!
you all know it. i loooooove trees.
someone made this tree art by planting multiple trees and making them grow like this. neat-o!

yep, i love them so much that i have to go get the camera and snap pictures of them. even late at night.

9. sienna's art
any children's art to be honest. children know how to do it.
this one is us (sienna, daddy, robin and me) peeking through the window. priceless!

10. valentine's day
love is in the air and i love it!

if love doesn't make you happy, then what does?!

so many other things that make me happy. "just" this today. :)
if a picture is worth 1000 words then i just wrote 61,000 words!
don't you all think that i should get atleast 61 comments for this posting? :)

(all images via google image search unless otherwise mentioned)