March 2010

Multigrain Waffles.

March 31, 2010 · 79 comments

We never have pancakes or waffles during the week.

Mostly, this is because it takes Mr. How Sweet quite a while to get moving in the morning. Watching him dodge corners and laundry baskets on the floor while in his sleep stupor is sometimes the highlight of my day. Trust me, it is really funny.

The best time was one morning after we were recently married – we had just bought a cast iron skillet the day before, and he kicked it, then tripped over it at 5am. Well, I thought that was one of the best times. I’m still giggling as I think of it. He is still clutching his foot in pain.

Mr. How Sweet is long gone by the time I eat breakfast, and instead of whipping up a batch of pancakes or waffles, I usually choose to watch trashy TV or browse the internet.

Because, you know, so much happened in those 8 hours that I was sleeping. I need to catch up.

I decided to make a batch of waffles and freeze them, so that I could break them out in the morning like I’ve heard of so many people doing.

I wanted to make sure the waffles were 100% whole wheat – I like to start my morning out on the right foot!

In the midst of making these, I figured they would be a great snack as well.

Many times, I just can’t finish an entire serving of carb-rich foods. Unless, of course, we are talking about macaroni and cheese.

I ate some for dinner, then cut them into four’s and froze the rest.

Love these!

I used only whole wheat flour, plus some wheat germ and flaxseed. The waffles had such a nutty flavor.

They were also very dense and filling, and I love that about a meal.

Peanut butter and banana is usually my combo of choice, but next time I am going to try topping them with bacon and eggs.

Speaking of bacon, Lent is almost over and my best buddy, bacon, can come back into my life.

I may eat my weight in bacon next week.

Multigrain Waffles

slightly adapted from Eating Well

Serves 8

2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.

Whisk whole-wheat flour, flaxseed, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Stir eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

Mr. How Sweet hasn’t seen these waffles yet. Think I should share?

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{ 79 comments }

Grilled Caesar Salad.

March 30, 2010 · 68 comments

When I went to Baltimore for Fitbloggin’, I had one of the most memorable salads ever.

Yes folks, I said salad.

I may not like veggies, and rarely order salad (unless slathered with bacon and cheese), but when it comes to a caesar salad, I jump on it.

I looooove caesar salad.

Granted, it is usually one the least heathiest salads on the menu, which is probably why I love it.

This may sound like a boring, old salad to you. But it was special. It was grilled. I knew I needed to make it at home.

If you have never tried a grilled salad, I am telling you now that you must.

As is tonight – you must make this tonight!

There is nothing like the smoky flavor from the grill.

The slightly charred lettuce stays crisp, and you can taste the grilled flavor throughout the entire salad.

I think Ashley and Kacy agreed that it was one of the best salads we had ever tasted. I talked about it for 3 solid days.

I can be a bit obsessive.

The key is to keep the romaine hearts in one piece – they will grill better this way. You can chop them up right before you devour them.

Grilled Caesar Salad

inspired by Ryleighs in Baltimore

serves 2

2 full romaine hearts

sprinkle of salt & pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup caesar dressing (for everyday use, we love Bolthouse!)

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

multigrain croutons

Preheat grill.

Brush each heart with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on grill for 2-3 minutes. Fill 2 plates with romaine and drizzle with caesar dressing. Top with parmesan and croutons.

Garlic Multigrain Croutons

2-3 slices multigrain bread (I used Tuscany bread)

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt & pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 425.

Cup bread into bite-size chunks. Toss with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Lay on baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown.

Mr. How Sweet and I love this salad so much that we have eaten it 2 nights in a row now.

I am not sure if I will ever be able to eat another salad if it isn’t grilled. Mr. How Sweet on the other hand, can’t even tell that it is grilled. He also can’t tell the difference between a chicken leg and a strip steak.

Hey, it all goes to the same place.

{ 68 comments }

Strawberry-Lime Stuffed Cupcakes.

March 29, 2010 · 87 comments

If you are still looking for a tasty Easter dessert, you are in luck!

These cupcakes now rank up there as one of my favorite desserts. And you know that is sayin’ something since I loooove my desserts.

They are fun, colorful and impressive, too.

After the cupcakes are finished baking and have cooled, you cut a cone-shaped hole down through the middle and stuff with a juicy strawberry.

It was slightly challenging, but totally worth it.

And no cupcakes were hurt in the process.

The original recipe called for a powdered-sugar glaze, but I replaced it with a lime buttercream.

It sounded much more decadent and sweet to me.

Don’t be intimidated! When I first saw a picture of these cupcakes, I was torn. I had a minor breakdown, thinking that there was no way I had the patience to make them. But I wanted to make them sooo badly.

They really weren’t that difficult, so you must give them a try.

Just imagine how excited guests will be to bite into a vanilla cupcake and get this surprise!

Strawberry-Lime Stuffed Cupcakes

from food network

(I used my vanilla bean cupcake recipe.)

makes 12 cupcakes

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon lime zest

12 fresh strawberries

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs together until fluffy. Add vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add half of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Add the milk. Once mixed, add remaining dry ingredients. Stir in lime zest.

Pour into cupcake tins and bake for 20-25 mins at 350. Let cool.

Using a sharp knife, cut a cone-shaped hole in the cupcake, leaving about an inch of cake on the bottom. Stuff the strawberry down it, and cover with remaining cake if you can. Frost!

Lime Buttercream

1 stick butter, softened

1 lb powdered sugar

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

lime zest for garnish

Cream butter. Add sugar 1 cup at a time. Stir in vanilla. Drizzle in lime juice, add more if needed.

Frost cupcakes and garnish with lime zest.

You’ll have to take my word on the cupcakes, because Mr. How Sweet didn’t get any.

He is probably checkin’ out this post right now thinking, ‘when in the world did she make these. . .?‘

Luckily, I just blame things like that on his poor male memory.

{ 87 comments }

What We’re Eating.

Many days I suffer from ‘cooker’s block.’ I want to cook, but have no idea what I want. And more than wanting to cook, I want to eat. Cooking is just a vehicle. Over the past few months, I have made multiple recipes that I have found on blogs. I wanted to document them to show you some of the delicious recipes out there that we are loving. I’ve made the high-fiber marshmallow treats from Estela, and we absolutely love these. They are basically a high-fiber rice krispy treat. Mr. How Sweet loves rice krispy treats. He loves that so much, that often he take down the entire pan immediately after I make them. I tried to warn him that it would not be good idea to eat this entire pan in one sitting, considering the bars are full of FIBER. Yeah, that didn’t go over so well. I have made the healthy boneless buffalo strips from Active Foodie probably 5 or 6 times by now. We LOVE these. Mr. How Sweet asks for them every week. You can’t even tell that these are a lightened-up version of a classic. One of my other favorite’s is better-than-bottled balsamic dressing from [...]

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Grilled Asparagus with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette.

Now don’t go getting your panties all in a twist. I didn’t eat vegetables twice this week. I made this asparagus one Saturday night while Mr. How Sweet and I were lounging around. And when I say ‘lounging around,’ I really mean laying on the couch by 4pm with nothing planned because we are so old and boring. We’d fit right in at an early bird special. I can eat most veggies if they are slathered in roasted garlic. And of course, I can eat them when covered in cheese and bacon. But I want Mr. How Sweet to still be able to fit his arms around me. I think I’ve mentioned before that I roast a few heads of garlic each weekend. They go with everything. Specifically – warm, toasty bread. But they also go with veggies, I suppose. The vinegarette is slight sweet, yet tart. And it is as smooth as butter from the garlic and olive oil. Grilled Asparagus with Roasted Garlic Vinegarette inspired by Giada 1 bundle asparagus, grilled 2 heads roasted garlic 1/3 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons honey sprinkle of salt & pepper Combine garlic cloves, olive oil, vinegar, honey, [...]

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Chocolate Chip Muffins.

I’m not really into pastries. I could pass by a donut tray and not even be tempted. And if there is a danish laying around? I’m not interested. But sometimes all I really want is a warm muffin smeared with a bit of butter. We rarely have muffins in our house. Mainly because they are a ‘breakfast’ food, and we rarely eat something like this for breakfast. We are also always on the go in the mornings, and Mr. How Sweet must get in his 27 egg whites to meet his protein requirements for the morning. You know the drill. So in the chance that I ever do make muffins, I make them in the afternoon, or the evening. And then they become the dessert that Mr. How Sweet shovels into his mouth while standing over sink. When making muffins, I love adding some raw turbinado sugar on top for that delicious crunch. I think most of us can agree that muffin tops are the best part, right? So in my usual wasteful, bratty fashion, I tend to eat the tops off most muffins, and just leave them sitting on the counter. I mean, I don’t want to waste [...]

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Pizza Pasta.

Mr. How Sweet is a man’s man. He is polite and a gentlemen – he still opens the car door for me every time. He usually shaves, but occasionally has some scruff. And I know he really just wants to wear jeans and flannel. But I’d throw a hissy fit. He doesn’t mind getting dirty or rolling in the mud. Not literally of course. And his meal of choice will forever be one of two things: pizza or steak. He wasn’t always this way. When we first met, his outfit of choice included skinny Dolce and Gabbana jeans, and on one of our first dates we went to get sushi. I couldn’t pay him to eat sushi now. At the risk of totally humiliating him, I have to tell you that Mr. How Sweet made me a mixed tape CD every month, for the first year-and-a-half we were together. They were filled with the newest top 40 hits and occasionally some sappy love songs. I even remember receiving a text message from him in the early days about how he was exciting to watch Dancing with the Stars with me that night. And one night, while we [...]

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Cookies and Cream Brownies.

More brownies! It seems that I can’t get through one full week without trying a new brownie combination. Just wait until you see the next one I am going to experiment with. . . These are super simple. I used my go-to brownie recipe, and just added a few Oreos. You could even do the same with boxed brownies. Just make the frosting and add some more cookies. I only frosted a few because I just don’t love frosting on brownies. Mr. How Sweet really enjoyed the frosted ones. If you waste a good 3/4 of your day on Twitter like I do, you will know that last night Mr. How Sweet brought me home a dozen hot pink roses. I didn’t make him dinner, my half-unpacked mess is strewn in 4 different rooms, and I was in holey sweat pants once he got home. Oh yes, and I was half asleep while he professed his undying love to me. And I just continued to lay there. Sounds eerily similar to the night he proposed. Good thing there were brownies on the counter. As my dad says, marriage is rarely 50/50. The cookies somewhat melted into the batter once [...]

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Crispy Cauliflower with Hot Parmesan Dip.

It’s no secret that I really hate vegetables. I especially hate vegetables that I have to cook. When I cook them myself, they always taste disgusting. When I get them out at a restaurant, they are occasionally delicious. I’m quite sure that has nothing to do with the massive amounts of salt and the butter puddle they sit in . . . But who wants to hold the butter? That isn’t any fun. I’ve whined about my distaste for veggies for some time. A few years ago, one of my clients told me to roast cauliflower with olive oil, salt and pepper. She claimed it almost smelled like popcorn when it was roasting, and was just incredibly delicious. I don’t know if I’d use the word ‘incredible’ . . . but it is tasty. I came up with this dip because Mr. How Sweet and I overdosed on roasted cauliflower a few years ago. After my client had suggested roasting it, we binged on cauliflower for 6 weeks straight. That may sound healthy, right? I don’t remember, but I most likely had chocolate bar in my other hand. Everyone likes the sweet and savory combo. The [...]

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Happy Chicken.

I had to change the title of this dish. It’s real name is ‘funeral chicken’, but when I told Mr. How Sweet that I was making him funeral chicken for dinner, he asked if I was planning on his funeral. I would never do that to my wonderful hubby. Unless he brings one more dyecast car into this home. Speaking of Mr. How Sweet, he survived the weekend without me. He may have survived on Cheerios and a fifth of Ketel One, but at least he survived. I prepared some food ahead of time so he wouldn’t starve. Don’t get me wrong, Mr. How Sweet could have whipped up a few disgusting meals himself. But he probably would have called me 17 times an hour asking how to turn on the oven or if he had to refrigerate steak. My favorite question is ‘but, how do I make. . .stuff?’ Obviously, this dish gets it’s name from it’s purpose – an easy, delicious meal to give to people when they lose a loved one. I think there are many versions of ‘funeral’ chicken. We had never eaten it for dinner, but I figured we should. It is really tasty, [...]

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