I'm Back!

Hello cooking friends!  First of all, I do apologize for my rather long hiatus.  Planning a wedding and getting married are rather time consuming!  While I certainly have found time to cook, I have not had much time leftover to write to you.  I absolutely love being married to my wonderful husband and could not be a happier bride!

My job has also taken a toll on my body.  As anyone who works in food service knows, it can be utterly exhausting!  I have scoliosis and had surgery for it when I was sixteen.  I have pain every day, but until recently, it was manageable.  After work, I am now in enough pain that I usually have to lay down for the remainder of the evening and use various pain medications, ointments, and heating pads to subdue it.  For this reason, I now have to stop often in the middle of cooking to sit or lie down for a few minutes to prevent unbearable pain.  Unfortunately, this means cooking takes longer, leaving less time to write.

HOWEVER, I am back!  I will be doing my best to post regularly.  I will be doing some catch up by posting some of my requested recipes, as well as posting my current concoctions.  I am so excited to be back with you!

I am going to start out with a recipe that has been requested by one of my husband's coworkers.  I made these last week and they were delicious!  I will warn you, if you aren't a big fan of lemon flavor, these are not for you.  They tasted very lemony.

Lemon Supreme Rice Krispie Treats

original recipe can be found at: http://www.sweetasacookie.com/2013/04/lemon-supreme-rice-krispies-treats.html

Ingredients:

• Vegetable Shortening (enough to coat your baking dish.  Seriously, this makes the treats not stick and makes cleaning a breeze!)
• 4.5 T. Butter
• 15 oz. marshmallows (Use the small ones, not the jumbo size)
• Zest of 1 lemon (If you've never zested a lemon before, it isn't too hard.  Just use a cheese grater and grate off the bright outside layer.  Do not grate too deeply.  The white part is more bitter)
• Juice of 1 lemon (Yes, you can use the same lemon)
• 2/3 c. Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake Mix (If you aren't as keen on lemon as I am, cut this down to 1/3 c.  Use the mix dry.  DO NOT follow the directions on the box)
• 6 c. Rice Krispies

Directions:

1. Coat a baking pan or dish with your vegetable shortening.  I used an 8x8 baking dish.  My treats came out thick, so if you need more, I would use a 9x13 and make thinner ones.
2. This really is simple.  Promise.  Melt the butter in a medium to large sauce pan over low heat.
3. Add the lemon zest and juice to the butter.  
4. Add the marshmallows.  Stir until completely melted.
5. Slowly stir in the cake mix.  The marshmallow mix may not look very yellow, but resist adding more mix to it.  If you would like a more yellow color, add a few drops of food coloring.
6. Stir in the Rice Krispies.  Mix well.  It will be sticky and difficult to mix, but if you don't mix it well, the lemon flavor will not distribute evenly.
7. Press into your baking dish with a GREASED spoon or spatula. (I forgot to grease mine and ended up with a very sticky mess.
8. Let cool and enjoy!  Yep.  It really is that easy.

Now on to what I made last night!

Ally's Hot Crab Rangoon Dip

original recipe can be found at: http://www.sweetandsavoryfood.com/2012/11/hot-crab-rangoon-dip.html

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. Cream Cheese
• 2 c. Crab Meat (I used imitation of the flaked variety.  I have no idea what this means, but this is what the lady at the grocery told me would work best.  Plus the real stuff was $50 per can.)
• 1 c. Mayonnaise
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 1/2 t. Minced Garlic
• 1 t. Cayenne Pepper (If you have people in your family who are not big fans of spicy heat, cut this in half)
• 1 t. Salt
• 1 t. Pepper
• 4 Green Onions
• Handful of Breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Finely chop the crab and green onions.  Put in a large mixing bowl.  (I used my KitchenAid Mixer to make the dip)
3. Combine all ingredients except breadcrumbs.  Mix well.
4. Place in baking dish (I used an 8x8 glass one) and top with bread crumbs.
5. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
6. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

This was so easy and probably my favorite part of the meal.  I had never eaten crab, much less bought and cooked it, so I was surprised at how wonderfully this came out!  Now onto our entree...

Asian Fried Quinoa

original recipe can be found at: http://livlifetoo.blogspot.com/2013/03/asian-fried-quinoa-book-club-post.html

Before I go any further, let me just say that I LOVE QUINOA!  

If you have never tried it, you need to.  It is gluten free, has tons of fiber and protein, and still tastes delicious!  Best. Grain. Ever.  If you are nervous about trying it, I would recommend adding it to a rice dish, which makes it less intimidating. Okay, on to the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. Dry Quinoa
• 3 c. Water
• Olive Oil (when I saute things, I don't measure.  Just splash.)
• 2 c. Diced Onions
• 1/4 c. Shallot
• 1/4 c. Minced Garlic
• 2 T. Fresh Grated Ginger (Let me just say that grating ginger was a pain!  I would recommend just buying minced ginger and using that or even using ginger as a powder.)
• 1 c. Finely Chopped Green Onions
• 1 c. Diced Carrots
• 2 c. Shredded Bok Choy
• 2 c. Shredded Napa Cabbage
• 1 c. Finely Chopped Celery
• 1 c. Diced Sugar Snap Peas (probably could be left whole)
• 1 c. Sliced Mushrooms
• 3 T. Soy Sauce
• 2 Large Eggs, Lightly Beaten

Directions:

1. Cut up all your veggies.  Yes, this is time consuming.  If you're like me (super impatient with little time), I would recommend cooking the quinoa while you chop, slice and dice (.  
2. In a large dry skillet, toast the quinoa over medium-high heat for about five minutes, stirring often.  The quinoa will take on a more golden color and eventually you will hear little popping sounds, like baby popcorn kernels popping.  At this point, reduce heat to medium, add the water and cover for twenty minutes.  When the quinoa is done cooking, transfer to a large bowl to cool.  You do NOT need to drain!  All the liquid should be absorbed.  You can tell that the quinoa is done if the white ring around the grain has opened.
3. If you are also a multitasker like me, cut the onion up first.  Place in a large skillet (or medium if need be.  You can always transfer to a larger skillet after your quinoa is done) and saute until well browned and soft.
4. Are your veggies all cut up? Good!  Now add the shallot to your onions and cook for another two minutes.
5. Add your garlic, ginger and green onions.  Cook for another 3 minutes or so, stirring frequently.
6. Add the remaining veggies and stir until they are just wilted.  Add your soy sauce and mix well.  Allow to cook for another minute or so.
7. Place veggies in a separate bowl and cover.
8. You may need to clean your biggest skillet at this point.  You're definitely going to need it!  Splash in some olive oil, heat over medium-high heat and put your quinoa in this skillet.  Once it has been heated through, pour the eggs over the top (My quinoa never completely cooled to begin with, so this really didn't take long).  Stir until the eggs have cooked.  
9. Add the veggies to the skillet, mix it all up, and serve!

This recipe makes a ton, but it is so good!  I encourage you to get creative with this one!  There are all kinds of veggies you could add, or even spices you could throw in.  Take it and make it your own! If you are one of my vegetarian/vegan friends, just take out the eggs.  It won't alter the taste much, if at all.

Okay, now I'm at the part you all have been waiting for...

Caramel Cake with Crunchy Chocolate and Toffee Frosting

original recipe can be found at: http://swirlandscramble.blogspot.sg/2012/09/caramel-cake-crunchy-chocolate-toffee.html

First, let me say that half of the process for this recipe was converting the measurements from metric to US.  If you decide to check out the original link, you will find all metric measurements.  However, if you are an American like me, I have done all the hard work for you.  This is why some of the measurements may seem odd (like 14 T. of butter.  That was just the easiest way to convert it!)  If you ever need to convert measurements, this calculator was great! http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/cooking/

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 14 T. softened butter
• 1 t. Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 c. Sugar
• 2 1/3 c. Flour
• 4.5 T. Caramel Syrup (I used Caramel Ice Cream Topping)
• 1 t. Baking powder
• Pinch of salt

Frosting Ingredients:

• 8 oz. Cream Cheese
• 2 T. Butter
• 1/4 c. Sugar
• Milk
• Toffee Bits
• Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix eggs, butter, vanilla, sugar, and caramel. (I used a mixer)
3. Add flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix until smooth.
4. Transfer to a greased and floured 9 in. Round cake pan.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Check the center with a knife to see if it has cooked through.  Mine ended up needing a total of 45 minutes baking time.
5. Place cake on a cooling rack and allow to cook completely before frosting.
6. To make frosting, mix cream cheese, butter, and sugar.  Add in some milk if needed to smooth frosting.  Slowly add in toffee bits and chocolate chips, to your preference.  Frost cake.

And now it's time for me to go to work!  I hope you all enjoy these recipes!