Slow Cooker: Peach Cobbler

There's nothing like fresh peaches in the summer time. There's nothing quite like peach cobbler. Yum! I found a recipe for slow cooker apple crisp/cobbler online and thought I would adapt it into Peach Cobbler instead (who's complaining right?). It turned out so moist and yummy! I will have to make it again to get a picture of it because it was gone before I found my camera! The only change I would make to it now is add more peaches... there wasn't quite enough for my liking...

{ingredients}
canned, sliced peaches (I used 1 29 oz can. but next time I will use more.- though the moisture of one can was just about right.)
1 dry yellow cake mix
6 Tbsp butter - melted
ground cinnamon to taste.

{directions}
1. In a 4-5 quart slow cooker add your peaches. (just dump it in. juices and all!)
2. next you add the cake mix on top. (do not mix it in.)
3. evenly poor (or spoon on) butter over the cake mix. (again, no stirring!)
4. sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the pile**
5. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours. (Do not mess with it. Don't even lift the lid for a sniff. It lengthens the cooking time. And don't worry, after 4 hours it will look like its supposed to. Even at 3 1/2 hours it might look like it needs something. Just trust the cooker to do its job!)

Side note: you want your slow cooker to be at least 1/2 full or just over. Too much or too little will result in less-than-desired results...

**you could also stir in some cinnamon to the dry cake mix before putting the cake mix in if you want it spread through out the cake a little more evenly. But if you spread it out evenly on top, you still get the cinnamon goodness!

Now enjoy! Yum!

Rice Cooker: Swedish Meatballs & Rice

My dear friend gave us a rice cooker for our wedding (love her!). It comes with a steaming tray and serving ladle. Up until now, I have used it to cook... rice. and we have steamed broccoli in it once or twice... But after a little bit of "research" I found there is a lot more you can do with this seemingly humble appliance.

Here it is, my first (of many) no-heat meal. I must admit, this "no-heat" thing is quite an exciting challenge for me. It is stretching me and my creativity to new heights. It is rather exciting. Tonight was a total shot in the dark, but I gave it a try and it didn't turn out too bad... not amazing, but not bad...

Swedish Meatballs & Rice:

White rice went into the main cooker part. I added the required water and started it up. When there was about 10 minutes left on the rice time I added some frozen Swedish meat balls (we picked up a bag while we were at IKEA) to the steaming tray.

The sauce was made up of cream of mushroom soup, some dried chopped onions, and a little water to thin it a bit. We added a few fresh herbs as a garnish (we gave rosemary a shot, and it was pretty good...)

Not the most amazing meal I've ever made, but it was a good first try. More (hopefully better) recipes to come!

Cooking Creativley

July was a blur this year. We found out at the end of June that we would need to move by the end of our lease (Jul 31) so we found ourselves frantically searching for a new place, packing, moving, and everything else that comes with moving... Now we are in our new place. The boxes are being unpacked and we are starting to get settled. The kitchen is unpacked (for the most part) and I can resume cooking again soon...

The only problem? No air conditioning. I have made spaghetti since moving in, but it heated our house to an uncomfortable heat. So I have realized that I need to be a little more creative in my dinners for the rest of the hot weather... Its a challenge to come up meals that do not require stove or oven... but I have been brainstorming and I believe I have a few ideas.

1. Crock pot is the obvious choice. I am not very practiced at slow cooking (I am told it is easy... how hard is it to turn on you ask? It might be better to skip that question...)

2. Microwave is the second most obvious choice. Again, I am not skilled at cooking with a microwave beyond heating up leftovers... and I don't think my husband will go for a month of Easy Mac...

3. Grill. My favorite option as my husband likes to do the cooking on the grill. I am more than okay with that.

4. Electric Griddle. Eggs, grilled cheese... pancakes... anything else I can cook on this?

5. I have a rice cooker that also steams veggies! What a brilliant idea I have just had!

6. Salads are cool and yummy. Hopefully I get enough in my Bountiful Basket this week to work something out...

7. Smoothies are great for cooling off on a hot summer day/evening. All it takes is a blender.

I could use any ideas or suggestions or recipes anyone has. I am trying to stay positive, but lets face it, I'm spoiled and I miss my AC (even if it was a swamp cooler before... yep... spoiled...).  More to come on these adventures as new discoveries are made!

Mexican Rice

This was easier than I thought it would be. And the flavor was pretty good.

{ingredients}
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil
1 C. uncooked long grain white rice
2 c. warm water
1 1/2 tsp Caldo de Tomate (tomato boullion)

{optional ingredients}
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder

{directions}
In a mixing bowl whisk together water, Caldo de Tomate, and optional spices. Set aside.
Drizzle oil into a non-stick saucepan and heat over medium high heat. Add rice and cook several minutes, stirring constantly until rice is slightly puffed and golden.
Add water mixture to rice, stir, and cover pan with lid. Reduce heat to low and allow rice to simmer for 20-25 minutes until water has been absorbed.
Remove from heat, fluff rice with a fork, cover with lid and allow to rest 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Other Serving Suggestions:
drizzle some sour cream, add a few dashes of hot sauce, fresh guacamole, etc.

Avocado Almond Muffins

2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. slivered almonds
1 egg
1/4 c. butter, melted
1 c. milk
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled & pureed

Blend flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and almonds. In a small bowl beat together butter, milk and pureed avocado. Beat egg and add to liquid mixture. Combine with dry ingredients and blend until just moistened. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees. Invert onto rack until cool.

NOTE: These were a little sweeter than I would have preferred. Next time I'm going to try cutting the sugar amount just a little.

The Art of the Easter Egg + How to Hard Boil an Egg.

Little Man is still a little young to dye the Easter eggs this year. It was convenient that Easter came at the end of my week to plan our date night. I boiled up 2 dozen eggs to color in hopes that I could use them the next day for deviled eggs on Easter Day. (strange that deviled eggs are common on the day we celebrate Christ... just sayin')

We had fun with all the colors that came in the PAAS original package. We chose to use vinegar as it gives a more vibrant color. Here's a look at our creative outlet.

Here is the awesome creativity that comes from the hubby...

needless to say, it hasn't been eaten yet...

I mentioned that I was hoping to use these lovely eggs for my deviled egg contribution to Easter dinner. I am now pro at boiling the eggs to perfectly golden centers (after that oh-so-helpful food science class) and I wasn't worried. Until we tried to peel them...

This is one of the better ones... and not pretty enough for little chick-lets coming out of their eggs... the moral of the story? (one I forgot, even after my food science class)

Buy your Easter eggs about a week or two before you boil them up for decorating. The fresh eggs have hearty albumen (the yucky clear gooey stuff when the egg is raw... that turns white when you cook it) that holds to the shell very well. As an egg ages, that albumen (see, you learned a new word today!) thins a little and is less able to stick to the shell, thus it is easier to peel a boiled egg.

How to boil an egg:
1. place desired amount of eggs in bottom of a pan (choose a small pot if you are only doing a few eggs.)
2. cover eggs (barely cover) with cold water.
3. cover pan and bring to a rolling boil.
4. just as it comes to a rolling boil (I mean, rolling bubbles, rolling. Not the wimpy sorta-bubbles) take the pot off the heat.
5. Let the eggs sit in the hot pot for 15 minutes. -more and you will get that yucky grey-ish film on your yolk. less and the middle of the yolk is not completely cooked (and it wont come out of your egg nicely for your deviled eggs)
6. after 15 minutes, cold shock your eggs to stop them from cooking. Take the pot, and run cold water over the eggs until it has replaced the hot water and is cold to the touch.

I did boil another set of eggs... for dinner... I followed a method for peeling them that I found via Pinterest. You can see her post for the "World's Easiest Boiled Egg" here. They peeled beautifully, but...I was in a rush and I cooked them for 14 minutes and they didn't turn out. Moral of this story? Do NOT rush the art of the boiled egg...

Shrimp-Stuffed Shells

This recipe came out of a Cooking Light magazine. I made some adjustment with the supplies I had on hand... They were pretty good, and pretty healthy too. My husband says I can definitely make them again. :)

The recipe said that you can find potato starch near the cornstarch in the grocery store. It also explained that the shrimp goes into the pasta shells raw to prevent it from over cooking while the pasta bakes.

{ingredients}
20 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (about 8 oz)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 c. chopped shallots
2 Tbsp minced garlic (about 6 cloves) {I used some garlic powder... as I didn't have the other stuff}
1/2 c. (4 oz) cream cheese {you can use 1/3 less fat version}
1/4 c. milk
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/3 c. chopped fresh basil {nope didn't have any of these. I used Italian seasoning instead}]...}
1 lb medium shrimp- peeled, deveined, and coarsley chopped {I had pre-cooked, frozen shrimp. So I thawed them and used them instead. It is also important to take not of the coarsly chopped... I used a food processor and it made them a little too fine it made a funny texture.}
1 Tbsp potato starch {I had no idea what this was... and didn't get any before trying it...}


{directions}
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cook pasta 7 minutes, or until al dente, omitting salt and fat. Drain well. {I only cooked them for 5 minutes so they were less likely to break. upon filling and baking...}
3. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots; cook 4 minutes, stirring ocasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Add cream cheese mixture to shrimp; toss well.
5: {this is where I took the liberty to make them my own way} Put the mixture in a ziploc bag and cut one of the corners off. Use it to squeeze it into the shells.
6. Coat a 9 X 13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray; spread 1 c. marinara sauce over the bottom of dish. Arrange shells in prepared dish; top with remaining 2 cups marinara. Sprinkle shells evenly with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until shrimp is done.