Del Sisters Kitchen

Our Cookbook is now available!

2011-10-01T15:55:00.001-07:00

Hello dear friends, we have finally put our cookbook in an E-book form!

Please visit the link below to purchase and down load your very own copy...

Now Introducing..................

2011-08-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

Our new blog, The Theology of Food. We have permanently moved so will be no longer posting on the DeL Kitchen site. Please pop over for a visit!

Hannah and Esther DeL

Exciting News!

2011-08-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't tell you all exactly what it is, you'll have to come back later to find out! We are still in the throws of planning:-)

The Del Sisters

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-07-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

Last month we experimented with a gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe and after letting them sit for a day the texture became very mealy and when you picked them up they crumbled! Not being satisfied with that recipe we decided to try a new version of a gluten free chocolate chip cookie, so far after letting them sit for a day and also freezing them they have kept a very good flavor and texture!!! Of course you can't have a chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven with out some milk?!?! But because of our dairy restrictions right now we had almond milk, close to cows milk but not the same:( So now for the winner recipe.......see below the picture!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 c. brown rice flour

1/2 c. tapioca flour

1/4 c. potato starch

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 c. butter or coconut butter

1/2 c. xylatol or agave

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 c. chocolate chips

Mix flours, baking soda salt and xathan gum together. In a large bowl beat butter, sweetener of choice, vanilla and egg. Beat in flour mixture on low speed; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonful onto buttered cookie sheet. Press them down to 1/2 inch thickness. Bake 10-12 min. at 350. Cool 2-3 min. before removing from cookie sheet. Makes 24 cookies.

We are back!

2011-07-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

It feels great to be back in our own kitchen again! We really missed it:) Upon arriving home we received a phone call asking if we would like 14 gallons of 'old' raw milk at a extremely low price. Our first thought was 'Sure why not, we can make cheese with it!' So yes, we bought the 14 gallons and this morning have been scurrying around the kitchen making all kinds of things pertaining to milk. With the temps hitting triple digits all week I think ice cream might be on the menu, as well as other types of cheeses. Right now most of our kitchen endeavors are limited to using milk, so no new recipes for a while. Now that we are home the updates should be more frequent. Come back to see what other fun things we are making with our extra plentiful supply of milk!

See you later!

2011-06-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

We won't be posting for a while as we are heading out on vacation, so as the the Mexicans say.... Adios Amigos!

(Goodbye my friends!)

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-06-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

This coming week our family has been getting ready for vacation, some of things we do to save money is make our own snack foods. Hannah thought that having some home-made cookies would be nice, so she made your 'regular cookies' that have the good stuff like gluten and sugar in them for the rest of our family:) But of course that would mean no little goodies for us to have while making the long car trip up north, so she found a gluten free cookie recipe that we had all the ingredients for, yay! They don't taste like 'normal' chocolate chip cookies, but still they are very yummy. We changed the recipe around from the original by using agave instead of sugar, and using our own home-made chocolate chips. If you wanted to make them without butter, try coconut butter/oil, it should work just the same!

Enjoy!!!

Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Celiac Teen
1 (1/2 cup) stick butter, softened
1/3cup agave
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 tbsp brown rice flour
2 tbsp quinoa flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Steps

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream butter and agave together in a large bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a second bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (all but the chocolate chips). Dump dry ingredients into butter mixture, and stir slowly until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoonfuls of dough onto silpat-lined

cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until browned and done.

The newest experiments from our Mom

2011-06-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

She has been making our own homemade:

Laundry Detergent-Lavender Scented

Dishwasher Detergent-Lemon Scented

Toilet Bowl Cleaner-peppermint Scented

All-Purpose Bathroom Cleaner-non-scented

Ironing Spray Starch-Lavender Scented

Toothpaste-peppermint flavor

And this is just the start! Someday we hope to make hand lotion, hand soap, and shampoo.

Avocado Mango Black Bean Salad

2011-06-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

Above is a picture of a salad that Esther and I enjoyed for lunch a few weeks ago.

It had never crossed my mind to put mango in a salad, but we went over to a friends house a few weeks ago, and they had put mango in a salad with avocado as well.

We both loved it, and decided we needed to make that salad again at home with those two ingredients!

To add some protein, I added black beans, and for extra flavor, I topped it off with a Cumin/Lemon Olive Oil dressing. Yum!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

2011-06-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a salad were the base is not lettuce! It was a nice change of pace at lunch for Hannah and I last week. We both love tahini so that's why we dolloped a little on top, if you prefer to leave it out I would recommend a good olive oil and garlic dressing for a little more moisture! It was a really quick lunch to put together once the quinoa was cooked, we left it warm but you could make it ahead of time and use it cold. Also one last side note, the tomatoes and kale were freshly picked from our garden!!!!Our Mom has a amazing green thumb:-) It's such a blessing to have fresh produce right in our back yard.

^{Genesis 1:11-12}

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Serves:1

1/4c. dry quinoa, cooked

3 leaves of fresh kale, de-ribbed chopped and steamed till al dente

1/4 c. cooked garbanzo beans

4 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

5 kalamata olives, sliced in half

1 1/2 tsp. tahini paste ( Made from Sesame seeds)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Place cooked quinoa in a pile on plate, top with kale and garbanzo beans. Scatter tomatoes nicely over the top. Drop tahini in a nice looking 'drop' on top!

In rememberance of D-day I made this lovely dessert!

2011-06-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

Normandy Apple Tart

1 batch of sweet tart dough enough for a 9 inch pan, partially cooked (about 8 min. )and cooled

For the filling:

2-21/2 cups of pear or applesauce

For the topping:

2 medium granny smith apples

1 egg, beaten with ½ tsp. water for egg wash

First make your tart dough and cool it all the way through. Next pour apple/pear sauce into crust till it reaches almost to the top of the crust. Peel and core apples for topping. Cut each apple into 4 pieces, and then slice into 7 thin sections. Arrange the slices in slightly overlapping concentric circles on the applesauce, starting at the edge and laying them down so their tips are against the crust. After finishing laying the apples, brush with egg wash. Bake at 400 for 50 min. Don’t worry if the apples burn a little! Cool and serve with whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream

Bizarre Love Triangle Brownies GF

2011-06-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

Bizarre Love Triangle Brownies:

Coconut Crust, Black Bean Brownies & Macadamia Glaze

Coconut Crust:

4 cups fresh coconut flakes
1/2 cup butter, soften/coconut oil
3/4 cup Earth Circle Organics coconut sugar/organic cane sugar
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/3 cup coconut flour
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut out parchment paper for a 9x13 baking pan and lightly grease it with coconut oil. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Pour into prepared pan and spread the mixture evenly around the pan. Press lightly, but firmly. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes. Do not overbake it! Pull crust out of the oven and let it cool a bit while making the brownie batter. If the crust puffs up a little, take a knife and poke slightly to allow hot air to escape. Leave the oven at 350 F for the brownies.

Note: If you opt to use dried coconut flakes. Add 1/3 cup of butter or coconut oil into the mixture.

Black Bean Brownies:

4 cups cooked black beans
7 eggs
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup Earth Circle Organics coconut sugar/organic can sugar
1/2 cup butter/coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 Tbsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. instant coffee opt.
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Rinse out black beans with water and let it drain completely. Pour into your blender or food processor and blend for a couple minutes. Add in eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla, instant coffee & sea salt. Melt and briskly stir the coconut sugar, butter and coconut oil together over low heat. Add in with the rest of the ingredients. Blend till smooth. The batter should be thick, but slightly soupy.

Pour the mixture over the coconut crust evenly. Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, or until the brownies are set. But don't overbake! Use a knife to test the brownies... it should come out clean.

Set aside and let it cool in the pan completely while making the macadamia glaze. For quicker results, put them in the fridge.

Note: You can use 2 cans of black beans instead of making it fresh and use instant grain coffee substitute instead of instant coffee.

Macadamia Glaze:

2 cups macadamia nuts, soaked & dehydrated
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup Earth Circle Organics coconut sugar/organic cane sugar

Store macadamia nuts in the freezer for at least a couple hours. Pour into food processor or blender and give it a whirl till it starts to clump together into a ball. While it is still going, pour in coconut oil. It should look runny. Turn off motor and add vanilla & coconut sugar. Blend it till completely smooth (several minutes). If you want it sweeter... add more coconut sugar. Pour the glaze into a seal tight jar.

Note: you do not have to soak & dehydrate the nuts, but you'll be missing out the benefits and improved flavor from this nourishing technique.

Cut and serve these bizarre, melt-in-your-mouth brownies drizzled with Macadamia glaze.

17 Brain Boosting Foods!

2011-06-03T10:32:00.001-07:00

1. Beef, extra lean: High in iron, a mineral that improves memory, alertness and attention span.

2. Beets: Contains phenylalanine, an amino acid that helps relay signals from one brain cell to another.

3. Blueberries: Excellent source of antioxidants and “anthocyanins,” compounds thought to help protect brain cells from toxins, improves use of glucose in the brain, and promotes communication between brain cells.

4. Broccoli: Packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients that help protect brain tissue from toxins.

5. Carrots: High in beta carotene and other natural substances that help protect brain tissue from toxins.

6. Chicken: High in tyrosine, an amino acid required for the production of the alertness chemicals dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine. When your brain is producing these, you think and react more quickly, and feel more motivated, attentive and mentally energetic.

7. Citrus fruits: Contain vitamin C and other antioxidants that help maintain sharp memory and help brain cells resist damage.

8. Edamame: Contains phenylalanine, an amino acid that helps relay signals from one brain cell to another.

9. Eggs: High in the B vitamin choline, which helps with memory.

10. Egg whites: High in protein, which can improve alertness by increasing levels of norepinephrine, which helps keep your brain at its sharpest.

11. Hot chilies: Contains the fiery-tasting chemical capsaicin. Capsaicin stimulates circulation, aids digestion, opens your nasal passages and, even better, sends a feeling of euphoria straight to your brain.

12. Legumes: Provide glucose to fuel the brain, and the fiber they contain slows the absorption of glucose, helping to maintain stable levels of energy and support alertness and concentration overtime.

13. Pork: Loaded with vitamin B1, which protects myelin, a fatty substance that helps facilitate communication among cells.

14. Romaine lettuce: High in folate, a B vitamin important for memory and nerve cell health.

15. Spinach: Packed with iron, which is involved memory, concentration, and mental functioning.

16. Tuna: Full of omega-3 fatty acids, which help build and maintain myelin.

17. Yogurt: A probiotic food that has been found in many studies to boost mental alertness.

Mexican Salad with Tangy Cumin Dressing

2011-06-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

Around lunch time at our house you can almost always find Hannah and I eating a salad of some sort. Lately I have been trying to be a little more creative with the ingredients we have on hand, so upon realizing all the fresh produce we had within our reach from our garden and in our fridge, I decided to give your 'traditional' Mexican Salad a new twist! I hope there a few brave souls out there who will be willing to try this new version of Mexican fare:-)

Fresh Mexican Salad
1/2 A head Romaine lettuce, chopped and washed
1/3 c. cooked black beans
1/4 avocado, thinly sliced
4 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 bell pepper, sliced
1-2 T. dressing(recipe below)

Pile lettuce neatly on plate. Top with beans, and arrange peppers, avocado and tomatoes in a orderly fashion. Drizzle with tangy dressing. Enjoy this refreshing salad with a cup of ice cold water!

Tangy Cumin Dressing
Serves 4-8
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried mexican oregano
Mix together and serve over lettuce.

GF Coconut Banana Blueberry Pancakes

2011-05-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I (Esther) decided to try out a new recipe for pancakes, and as you know since we are off gluten they would have to be gluten free:-) This recipe caught my eye the other day when I saw them on Joy the Bakers Blog, I knew that I would have to make them sometime very soon. The original recipe called for the batter to be cooked in a waffle iron. Though as you know with a family of 7 and only 1 waffle iron it was going to be to time consuming a task on a Sunday morning to accomplish! After thinking about it I thought that it could not hurt to try and see if they would work as pancakes, and sure enough they did and some amazing pancakes they they turned out to be! The recipe calls for coconut flour which is basically you guessed.... extremely finely ground coconut,do not try and blend up some of the dried coconut you have in your pantry as it will not work( Hannah and I have tried this before, it doesn't work:-). You will need to buy this flour at your local health food store.

Gluten Free Coconut Pancakes

1/3 cup sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted

4 tablespoons melted coconut oil,

6 large eggs

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup coconut flour

2 tablespoon mashed bananas

Toppings:

Sliced banana

Fresh Blueberries

Almond Butter

Maple syrup

Unsweetened coconut flakes

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200 degrees F.

Place coconut on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 6 minutes. Keep an eye on the coconut, it browns and burns quickly.

Remove toasted coconut from the oven and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut oil, eggs, agave nectar, vanilla extract, and mashed bananas. Whisk until well incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, salt, and baking soda. Work the mixture with your fingers to ensure that the coconut flour doesn’t have any lumps in to.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mixture will begin to thicken as you whisk. Add the toasted, shredded coconut and whisk to incorporate. Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes while you plug in and preheat your griddle. Drop the batter by 1/4 cup fulls on hot griddle that has been greased with coconut oil. Bake about 2-3 min. on first side, flip and cook another minute or so, the 2nd side cooks faster so watch it closely! Put in oven to keep warm while you finish the rest of the batter. When ready to serve dab the top of each hotcake with a little almond butter, slice extra banana and sprinkle blueberries on top. Last of all drizzle with a little maple syrup. Enjoy this absolutely amazing pancakes!

Starbucks and Sisters, what could be better?!

2011-05-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, we don't drink that much coffee, all the cups had water in them except the top two. It made for a neat picture!

Like the quote above? I think Starbucks should make some new cups like it:-)

What is your favorite Starbucks beverage?

What are we doing?

2011-05-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

Approximately 3 months ago we ordered some meat birds to raise for our dinners this summer. Finally, after months of feeding these birds, it was time to butcher them.
We have raised meat birds before, but we usually have someone else butcher them for us. This year we decided that we could do it ourselves and save a bit of money by doing so.
Well, early this morning we surfed youtube for tutorials on bird butchering.
Wow, there are so many techniques to kill a chicken! We finally decided on the "nicest" looking way.
Our brothers we the first ones to try out the butchering technique, and all went well except.....
They now wanted Esther and I to each butcher a chicken :-)
We gave in to their pleas, and ran out to the barn to assist in the "food for dinner" process.
With our brother's guidance, we successfully have two more chickens in the freezer!

Chicken Butcherer no. #3
-Hannah-

The 2 week Challenge!

2011-05-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

For the next two weeks Hannah and I will be on a gluten and dairy free diet, not by choice but by the doctors orders:( Over the past 4 years we have both come to realize that our bodies do not feel very well if having large amounts of dairy, when we told the doctor that he informed us that if someone is lactose intolerant that most likely they have a sensitivity to gluten as well! So that's how our adventure begins. Yesterday was our first day of being deprived of gluten and dairy....... we decided to buy a gluten free bread mix (Pamala's if you want to try it) and it turned out amazing and tastes remarkably better then the pre-made store bought gluten free bread. On the dairy end of things we have discovered a fabulous alternative for half and half that we use in our coffee it called 'Coconut Milk Creamer', the brand name is 'Soy Delicious' Original Flavor. Being foodies we have really good tastes buds, but using this new creamer we can't detect a flavor difference between the nondairy and diary half and half! Just this past week we have tried 'Luna and Larry's Coconut Bliss' brand ice cream and also 'Soy Delicious', the flavors we enjoyed were Chocolate Walnut brownie and Vanilla Bean. We haven't been able to eat ice cream in about 4 years, so finding this tasty dairy free stuff was really nice!

These are our adventures so far, stay tuned for more delectable gluten and dairy free treats!

Have a great week!

The Results!

2011-05-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

What do you like to put on your oatmeal?

Nuts or nut butter	3 (17%)
Fresh fruit	8 (47%)
Dried fruit	3 (17%)
Maple syrup or Agave	9 (52%)
Cinnamon or other spices	8 (47%)

Thank you all for voting! It was so fun to see what you all like to put on Your Oatmeal!

What was for Dinner?

2011-05-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

Esther finally figured out what I made for dinner last night, only after she saw it in the fridge!

It wasn't soup, it wasn't Vegetarian Lasagna ( although thats a good idea!)

The item that would have given away my dinner surprise, was not pulled out while Esther's eyes were peering curiously at my assortment of ingredients. I decided it would make it too easy for her to guess if I pulled out the.............Sweet Bell Peppers, while she was in sight.

Have you guessed yet? Did mentioning the peppers give away our dinner last evening?

Well, if you still haven't guessed, I guess I just HAVE to tell you what I made:-)

Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

I cut the peppers in half, and then scooped out the seeds.

Then I made the filling for the peppers out of cooked couscous, chickpeas, olives, (sauteed) cubed zucchini, onions and garlic. Then a dash of salt and pepper, and a bit of crumbled feta cheese. Tada, you have your filling.

Stuff this into your peppers, and then start making the sauce.

To make the sauce, I made a spaghtetti sauce with lots of garlic, basil, and oregano then added a little ricotta cheese to make it creamy.

Top your peppers with the sauce, and sprinkle with more Feta or Parmesan cheese if desired.

Bake for about an hour at 375 degrees!

Can you help me guess???

2011-05-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hannah asked me this morning" What's our plan for dinner tonight?" My reply, "I don't know, why don't you decide what to make!" After letting her take the task of preparing dinner, she immediately scurried into the kitchen and started pulling things out of the fridge and pantry. Some items she has gathered so far are Chickpeas, Spaghetti Sauce, Ricotta Cheese, olives and zucchini! What do you think she is making? I have already guessed multiple things and still have not figured it out yet!!!

PLEASE leave a comment and see if you can guess what we will be having for dinner this evening! I need all the help I can get:-)

Esther

Cookies here, cookies there, cookies everywhere!!!!

2011-05-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

We are busy making lots of cookies for a harp recital reception I am putting on next weekend:-) Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese and PB and Jelly Bars. We have made 4 batches of cookies and have a few more to go!

Kathryn, (to the left) helped with the clean up crew....thank you Kay!

My sweet dedicated sister helping me out with all the cookie making I need to do! Love you sis!

New Poll on side bar!

2011-05-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

Homemade Rees' Cups!

2011-05-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Esther and I held a tea party at our house for a few of the young girls, and their mothers, that attend our church. While we were planning the menu for that special day, a friend sent us a recipe for homemade rees cups! They looked so cute and petite, we just had to add them to the tea menu. If you would like to indulge yourself on a rees, but don't want to feel guilty;-) Then give this recipe a try, its sure to fulfil any chocolate pb, cravings you have!

Homemade, Healthier Peanut Butter Cups

If you use another nut butter, you may need to add more honey. Peanuts are naturally sweet. For that matter, this is definitely a “to your own taste” recipe! And you can easily adjust the sweeter to satisfy you.

3/4 cup of peanut butter, toasted and salted (or use nut butter of your choice)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla (if you are making this gluten free, make sure to use gluten free vanilla)
1/4 cup of coconut oil
1/3 cup of chopped soaked and dehydrated nuts, or toasted (I used a mixture of chopped almonds and pumpkin seeds) *
4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate
2-4 tablespoons honey *
1-In a small bowl combine the peanut butter, coconut oil, vanilla, first two tablespoons honey, and nuts. Mix until well combined.

2-Drop by the heaping teaspoon into mini cupcake pans. Place in freezer.

3-Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in the top of a double broiler (or, like I do, in a heat proof bowl that fits on top of a pot you have). Mix in the honey. Bring about two inches of water to a boil in the pot and place the bowl on top. Watch the chocolate carefully so that it doesn’t burn, stirring gently while the chocolate melts. When there are just a few chunks left in the chocolate, take off of the heat and allow it to melt completely.

4-Drop by the teaspoon over the peanut butter mixture and place back into the freezer. Freeze for 20 minutes. Take out, and using a butter knife pop them out. Keep in the freezer or refrigerator and enjoy!

*To toast the nuts, place in a dry pan over medium-high heat. Stir almost continually until they are starting to brown. Take off of the heat.

Del Sisters note: We did not use nuts in our recipe, and they were good anyway!

Also, we would cut down the amount of coconut oil for the PB filling to 2T. instead of 1/4c.

Next time we might double the filling but keep the chocolate amount the same. I personally think that the recipe does not have a very prominent peanut butter flavor....so doubling the filling would fix that problem!

What's your favorite flavor?

2011-04-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

Today I'm making ice cream! The flavors I decided on were French Vanilla and Peach. We also made a dairy free "ice cream" that is peppermint chocolate, will see how it turns out:-).

What's your favorite flavor of ice cream, and have you ever made ice cream from scratch?

Other things we have made today are, Coconut Flax Granola,Raw granola,Protein Bars and Raw Brownies. We also picked a large laundry basket full of swiss chard, washed, cut and steamed it. All in under 2 hours!

Great Recipe!

2011-04-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

Not much cooking going on around our house lately, just the usual everyday kind of stuff, though we have found this really tasty healthy brownie recipe from Green Kitchen Stories! We modified it a little by leaving out the Chai tea and using almonds and walnuts instead of hazelnuts. Try them for a guilt free pick me up for your next afternoon snack or an after dinner treat!

How daring are you?

2011-04-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

Lately Hannah and I have been experimenting with green smoothies. I have only gone a little wild once, that's when I decided to put in a rather large amount of swiss chard:-) I just thought that if a little was good why not add just a little more....right?!?! This morning I made us a very delicious concoction consisting of 11/2 bananas, 1cup strawberries, 4 kale leaves, 2 very small swiss chard leaves, and 2 cups almond milk, this does serve 2. Oh, and just for a side note, all our greens are coming straight from our Mom's garden!!!!

( Because of having this smoothie for breakfast we were not able to capture a picture of this awesomely green concoction......sorry:-)

So my dear readers, are any of you the adventuresome type? Do you like to add those extra greens to your morning smoothies???If so, please do share we always love to try new things!

Monkey Bars

2011-04-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Monkey Bars

Ingredients:

5 T. coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
2 large mashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/3-1/2 cup oat flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4-1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 and spray 8″ square pan or 11×7 pan
Melt coconut oil over medium heat along with honey and stir with whisk. Remove from heat and let cool while doing the next step
In a large bowl, mash bananas, add the beaten eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla. Add the slightly cooled oil and honey mixture
Add oat flour and w/w flour and salt. For less moist bars, add more oats.
Bake for 25-35 minutes until they don’t jiggle in the middle anymore and turn slightly brown around the edges
Allow to cool and then melt chocolate chips and spread on top.

What would life be without them!

2011-04-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

What would life be without younger siblings.............very boring I suppose:-) Love you guys!

Basil Pesto and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken

2011-03-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

With summer on its way we decided to post a recipe that requires using the grill! This recipe is very easy to change, so if you don't like pesto skip it and add something else, also try changing the cheese. Some of our next experiments will be with swiss, brie, gouda, and cheddar.....just get creative, don't be shy! If you don't care for bacon, just don't use it:-) It won't be as flavorful, but it still will be good!

Basil Pesto

Mozzarella Cheese

Sliced Bacon

Chicken Breasts

Toothpicks

Pound chicken breasts with meat mallet till chicken breast is even in thickness. Spread pesto on chicken breast, sprinkle with cheese. Roll breast and secure with toothpicks, warp bacon on and make sure to place extra toothpicks to hold it onto the chicken. Grill on medium heat till cooked through.

Saturday Morning Donuts!

2011-03-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

Back at Thanksgiving our Mom took us out for the "Black Friday Sales", one of our stops was at Bed, Bath and Beyond! Upon browsing the cooking/baking section we came across these donut pans. Our little siblings LOVE donuts but we don't buy or make them that often because it involves that dreaded process of FRYING;-) When we saw these pans for baked donuts we could not resist, we just HAD to buy them. Upon buying new kitchen tools you sometimes forget that you bought them, well that's what happened to us, we made donuts the day we got the pans but had not made any since!!! Last Friday evening Hannah announced that she was going to make donuts for our Saturday morning breakfast. This time around upon making them we used a different recipe. If you like pumpkin and you have a donut pan that you always forget to use, and might have forgot that you bought it like we did , try this recipe out;-)

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

Yield: 12 donuts

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
2 tablespoon milk
¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
cinnamon sugar for dusting
melted butter for dunking in before coating in cinnamon sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray two 6-count donut pans with non-stick cooking spray (or alternatively spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray). Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon in a small bowl. In a stand mixer or medium sized bowl and hand mixer cream together the brown sugar, pumpkin, eggs, milk, butter and vanilla extract on medium speed until the butter is well incorporated.

2. With your mixer on medium low speed, slowly add the dry sifted ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until just barely combined. Do not over-mix.

3. Scoop pumpkin batter into a large Ziploc bag, pushing batter down towards one end of the bag. Snip the end of the bag with scissors and fill each donut mold with the batter. Be sure to wipe any excess batter that may have gotten around the edge of the mold or on the center "hole".

4. Bake for 6 – 8 minutes or until the exterior springs back when touched. Remove from pan and dunk in melted butter then in your cinnamon sugar!

It's a BUG!

2011-03-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

In my last post I mentioned that it was our little sister Kathryn's 8th birthday. Upon her request I (Esther) made her this very cute lady-bug cake. It was such fun to create and not to complicated to put together! I thought it was just too cute not to post a picture of:-)

What could be more special then this for breakfast???

2011-03-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

Last week Kathryn lost a tooth, so for a special surprise we made her a very special breakfast. Crepes, Strawberry Nutella stuffed crepes to be exact! A little sweet for breakfast but would could be more fitting for such a sweet little sister!?!? Upon arriving at the table she had a rather sleepy look upon her face but after describing what we were making her they quickly opened and she eagerly waited for her breakfast. I think she liked them very much because she requested them for her birthday breakfast tomorrow! This was my first time making them, it was fun after the first few odd shaped ones......they tasted great but looked a little lopsided:-) By the time I had finished using the batter I had finally gotten the hang of it and they actually were round shaped! Since making them once I think tomorrow should be much easier when making them for her birthday breakfast. The only thing that is missing is fresh whipped cream, I think it could use some to cut back the sweetness a bit. But that's just my preference!

Sweet Breakfast or Dessert Crepes

Ingredients:

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/3 cups milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, melted butter, flour, sugar, and salt until smooth. Heat a medium-sized skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Grease pan with a small amount of butter or oil. Using a serving spoon or small ladle, spoon about 4 tablespoons crepe batter into hot pan, tilting the pan so that bottom surface is evenly coated. Cook over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes on a side, or until golden brown. Serve immediately; store leftovers in air-tight container. Makes about eight Crêpes.

Sliced strawberries and Nutella for stuffing!

2011-03-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.

-Johannes Sebastian Bach-

The perfect afternoon snack!

2011-03-02T08:18:00.000-08:00

So what do you make yourself after you get back from your sweaty afternoon workout? A smoothie of course!!! What could be more refreshing?!?! This smoothie recipe I came up with about a week ago has all the right ingredients to make sure you are fueling your muscles after winding down from your workout. After trying this recipe you will not want to go back to your original smoothie because this one is so much more creamy then any other you could imagine, the secret ingredient.......cottage cheese, that's right you read me right, cottage cheese! For me cottage cheese is something that is not on my favorite "foods" list but I was needing to eat it because of the extra protein content, after eating it plain a few times I had this brilliant idea, why not put it in a smoothie just like you would yogurt? There both dairy products right, so why not? After pouring it into my cup I a little hesitantly gave it a try, to my surprise it was so creamy, it almost tasted like a frosty and no I'm not joking! Just make sure to blend it well so you don't get those cottage type chunks:-) Enjoy!

Blackberry Peach Smoothie
Serves:1

1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2-3/4 cup frozen blackberries
1/2 frozen peach
1/2-3/4 cup water
Put all ingredients into blender and blend on high till very smooth, about 1 minute.

Yeah, coffee wins!

2011-02-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for voting on the poll last week, Hannah and I are so glad that there are other coffee lovers out there!

The final results were:

Coffee drinkers-12

None coffee drinkers-5

Sometimes coffee drinkers:-)...8!

Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake

2011-02-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

This recipe and picture have been sitting in our draft box for about a month, finally I have found the time to post it! This recipe does take some time to make so make sure you give your self about 1hour, though it is time consuming it is REALLY worth it. I think Hannah and I have mentioned before that we do not really get why people like cheese cake, we both agreed it is just to cheesy......if that make sense:-) But this cheese cake changed our option by a mile, I think that we do really like cheese cake just more gourmet cheese cake. So if you are one of those cheese cake haters, give this one a try and I'm sure it will change your opinion on the subject too!

Brown-Sugar Apple Cheesecake

From Baking from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan

For the crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tsp ginger
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

For the apples

1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into eights
2 Tbsp light brown sugar

For the filling

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
3/4 cup light brown sugar
6 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp apple cider
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup heavy cream

To make the crust, first butter the bottom and sides of a 10″ spring form pan.

Break up the graham crackers and put them in your food processor, pulsing until you have 2 cups worth of fine crumbs. Stir in the ginger.

Melt the butter and pour it over the graham cracker crumbs, stirring until the mixture is moist and crumbly. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and up the sides, as far as it will go. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

When the oven has been preheated, remove the pan from the freezer and wrap the bottom in aluminum foil. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned. Cool on a rack while you make the filling and cook the apples.

To cook the apples, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the apple slices and cook until golden brown. Sprinkle the apples with the brown sugar and cook a few minutes longer.Put a pot of water on to boil and get a roasting pan large enough to hold the spring form pan ready. To make the filling, beat the cream cheese on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, for about 4 minutes. Add the sugars and beat an additional 2 minutes.

Beat in the cider, vanilla, and cinnamon. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the eggs one at a time. Then, beat in the sour cream and heavy cream until well-combined.

To assemble, pour about a third of the batter into the crust.

Spoon the apples on top of the poured batter.Cover with the remaining batter.Place the spring form pan on the roasting pan, and then pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the spring form pan.Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes, and then cover the cheesecake with a foil tent to prevent excessive browning. Bake an additional 45 minutes to an hour. If the center still isn't quite set when you remove it from the oven, that’s okay. Transfer the cheesecake to a cooling rack, and let it cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 6 ours; overnight is best. When ready to serve, run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the crust. Then, open the latch on the pan and remove the sides.Serve plain, or with a dollop of whipped cream.

New Poll!

2011-02-20T18:50:00.000-08:00

Waffles Win!

2011-02-20T18:47:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back I posted a poll asking people to choose there favorite between Waffles or Pancakes. It seems that there are lot more Waffle lovers out there, the final score came in at 12 for waffles and 6 for pancakes!

No lettuce for lunch? Oh, what to do!?!

2011-02-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

As 12pm. was swiftly on its way today, I scurried into the kitchen to make lunch for Esther and I, and for my siblings as well.
After making a good old Texas meal of Quesadilla's for our ever hungry and appreciative brother's and sister, I scrounged around in the fridge for a few minutes trying to see what I could find to make Esther and I something to eat.
What, no lettuce? How could that be! I was thinking a salad sounded really good especially since the high was 75 degrees today:-) ( I just love Texas!)
Anway, since I was obviously not going to get my salad, I decided to get a bit creative with our delectible fridge ingredients; tuna, red peppers, and zucchini..........what an interesting combination.

I was really excited though, as I thought I could make something really good and different with these ingredients. Plus, I was really needing a break from practicing my harp anyway, and having to create a new and exotic lunch was just the perfect "harp practice" intermission!

I sliced the zucchini with a vegetable peeler, and then sprinkled it with a bit of chopped red pepper for flavor and color. What to do with the tuna? I love asian food, so I mixed it with a bit of soy sauce and tahini. After that was all done, I topped the zucchini with the tuna mixture.
After a drizzle or two of flax oil, it was set!
Now for a side, that was easy. We had some hummus that Esther made a few days ago so I put that on the side with a few slices of red pepper. A little more color was needed, and there was also an empty spot on the plate that looked lonely;-) So a few orange slices and 3 blackberries would do the trick of filling in that bare spot.......and tada, presto, we have lunch! Of course I told Esther she had to let me take a picture of it before she could devour it:-)

Double Chocolate Brownies

2011-02-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

Since Valentines day is arriving within the week, we thought we had better make something chocolate and share the recipe with y'all! These brownies are an adaption from a recipe we saw on Elana's Pantry, we thought they looked so scrumptious that we must try them! Upon viewing the recipe, we found that we didn't have all the exact ingredients on hand, so we switched a few things around from the original recipe. They were just as good as the picture looked and we will be keeping the recipe in our brownie archives:-)

Double Chocolate Walnut Brownies

½ cup dark chocolate chips 73% cacao

¼ cup coconut flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

½ cup honey

¼ cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½ cup chopped walnuts(opt)

⅓ cup dark chocolate chips 73% cacao

Place ½ cup chocolate chips in food processor and pulse until the consistency of coarse sand
Pulse in coconut flour, salt and baking soda until combined
Pulse in eggs, agave, grapeseed oil and vanilla
Pour batter into a greased 8x8 pyrex dish
Sprinkle walnuts and remaining chocolate chips over batter
Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes
Cool and serve

Autumn Vegetable Stew

2011-02-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

Here is the recipe for the stew I promised!

Autumn Vegetable Stew with Cheddar-Garlic Crumble Crust

For the Cheddar Topping:

2 c. flour( we used whole wheat)

1 tsp. salt

1 T. plus 1 tsp. baking powder

6 T. butter, chilled and cut into small cubes

1-1/3 c. heavy cream( we used milk)

1 ½ tsp. finely chopped garlic

Pinch of coarse ground pepper

½ c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

For the Vegetable stew

About 3 T. olive oil

About 3 T. butter

1 red onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch rounds

1 medium celery root, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces(we used russet potatoes)

1 acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces( we used butternut squash)

1 parsnip, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces( we used sweet potatoes)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 c. dry white wine

3 T. tomato paste (we skipped this)

3 c. chicken, vegetable broth or water

1 T. fresh chopped marjoram( we used dried)

Salt and pepper to taste

To make topping, mix flour, salt and baking powder in large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry knife until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cream, garlic, and pepper. Add the cheddar cheese and mix lightly with a wooden spoon until mixture just holds together. Let rest.

To make the stew. Heat the oven to 400. In a large saucepan, heat about ½ the oil and butter over medium high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery root, cook stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned about 7 min. Transfer the cooked veggies to a large 13x9 inch pan` . Add the rest of the butter and oil to the skillet. Add the squash and parsnip and sauté until they are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for another couple minutes, and then add all to the 13x9 pan. Increase the heat and add to high and add the wine, paste and broth to sauté pan. Bring to boil. Scraping up the browned bits stuck to the bottom, lower heat and simmer about 3 min. Add this liquid to the baking pan with the veggies, sprinkle with marjoram and season with salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil and bake the veggies just until tender about 30mins. Remove foil. Using a large spoon, dot the surface of the veggies with Ping-Pong ball sized dollops of cheddar topping. The top of the casserole should look like the surface of the moon; bumps and craters are ideal. Return the casserole to the oven, uncovered until topping is cooked and browned about 25 min.

Dorie Greenspan's Cinnamon Chocolate Squares

2011-01-24T14:42:00.000-08:00

It seems that the only things we have been posting recently have been dessert, and not healthy ones at that! This week we are making a new recipe that is not sweet, it's called Autumn Root Vegatable Stew with a Cheddar Garlic Crumble Crust. We are a little late in making it since its been a while since Fall but there still is a enough cold days left here in the South to make Stew, so we have justified our tardiness in making it:)

I will be posting the recipe next week so be sure to check back!

Cinnamon Squares

For the Cake:

1 1/4 c. plus 2 T. sugar

1T. plus 2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder

1 3/4 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

3/4 c. milk

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla

10 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

For the Frosting:

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 1/2 T. butter, cut into 4 pieces

Heat oven to 350. Butter a 8inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Place the pan on a baking sheet.

To make the cake:

Stir 2 T. sugar, 2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and espresso powder together in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour remaining 1 1/4 c. sugar the baking powder, salt and remaining cinnamon. In another large bowl whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients over the flour mixture and gently whisk until you have a homogeneous batter. Now, using a the whisk or a rubber spatula, fold the butter with a light touch, just until the butter is absorbed. You'll have a smooth, satiny batter. Scrape half the batter into the pan and smooth top. Sprinkle with the chocolate over the batter and dust with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Cover with the rest of the batter and smooth the top again. Bake fir 35-40 min. or until the cake is puffed and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan; a thin knife inserted into the center will come out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it rest 15 min. before unmolding it onto another rack. Peel off the paper, invert it onto the first rack, and cool to room temp right side up.

To make frosting:

Put the chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl and fit the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring gently and often, just until they melt. Be careful not to overheat the mixture so much that it thins out; the chocolate should be smooth, very shiny, thick and spreadable. ( If it thins, leave the frosting at room temp for a bit, until it thickens a little.) Using an offset metal icing spatula or a table knife, spread the frosting in generous sweeps and swirls over the top of the cake. Allow the frosting to set at room temp, then cut the cake into 9 squares, each about 2 1/2 inches on a side.

What do you prefer?

2011-01-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cast you vote on the poll to your right!

Nutella Brownie Recipe!

2011-01-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

Nutella Cheesecake Brownies

2c. flour

1/2c. cocoa powder

4eggs

2c. sugar

1 13 oz. jar Nutella

1 ¾ c. butter, melted and cooled

4 eggs

2 8oz. pkg. cream cheese

1/3 c. sugar

Heat oven to 325. Grease and lightly flour a 13x9 inch pan. In a large bowl combine 4eggs, 2 c. sugar, ½ c. nutella, and melted butter. Beat with a hand mixer on medium till well blended. Add Flour and cocoa powder; stir until smooth. Spread batter in prepared pan. In another large bowl beat cream cheese, rest of nutella, eggs, and sugar until very smooth. Carefully spread over brownie batter. Bake for 50-65 min. or until cream cheese layer is firm and set. Cool in pan. Cover and chill before cutting into brownies. Makes around 32 brownies.

Nutella Brownies!

2011-01-12T13:40:00.000-08:00

Recipe to come soon!

New things!

2011-01-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

Reflecting on the year 2010, Hannah and I have decided to put together a list of new kitchen gadgets, new foods we have made and new foods we have tried from 2010. We are looking forward to seeing what this next year gives us to make and try!

New Kitchen Gadgets

Vita mix

Crème Brulee set

Sharp Sushi Knife( not sure the technical name, a real girly color HOT Pink!)

New Foods Made in 2010:

Hollandaise sauce

Butterflied a chicken

Crème Brulee

yogurt

Mozzarella cheese

Ricotta cheese

Feta Cheese

Julia Childs French onion soup

Cheesecake

Sushi

Sourdough Bread

Homemade peanut butter and almond butter

Experimenting with gluten free baked goods

Tried for the 1^st time in 2010:

Scallops

Creme Brulee

Serbian Coffee

Turkish Coffee

Dessert Crepes

Brushetta

Kelp noodles

Beef Hofun

Droppies

Asian Soups

Baba Ganoush

Banana Ice cream

A new year is about to begin!

2010-12-30T15:36:00.000-08:00

2010 is kissing us goodbye as 2011 welcomes us into its 365 days of revolving around the sun!

It is amazing to look back on the past year and see all the blessings the Lord has given us, all the lessons we have learned, and all the trials we have faced. The Lord has guided and sustained us with His wonderful mercies and grace of which we are not worthy of, and made us more like Him in the process of this years trials and blessings.

Hannah for the Del sisters

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2010-12-23T19:28:00.000-08:00

What a blessing it is to have a day separated in our year specifically for the glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ! We are so thankful to Jesus for all His blessings He has poured on our family this past year. We are grateful that He came down from above, in the sinful form of a man and lived a sinless life on earth, took on the sins of all who repent and turn to Him for salvation, so that we may live eternally with Him in glory!

~Hannah

--For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

2010-12-20T12:35:00.000-08:00

We have been making this recipe for as long as I can remember but only around the holidays. It came from my Dad's sister Laura. The original recipe calls for pre-made Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough, but ever since Hannah and I started taking over the baking we always make our homemade chocolate chip dough, it tastes WAY better, trust me:) Plus you don't get all those preservatives! It's healthy...right??? Even if they are not the healthiest thing for you to be eating they still taste amazing, our friend after making these said she was not sure if she would ever go back to making just plain ol'chocolate chip cookies! So when you start getting your list together for the grocery store just add cream cheese, the rest is just normal all-ready-in-your-pantry ingredients.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Aunt Laura’s Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

Cookie Dough:

¾ c. butter, softened

¾ c. sugar

¾ c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 T. vanilla

2 ¼ c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 ½ c. chocolate chips

In a large bowl cream butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Stir in flour, soda and salt till blended. Add chocolate chips. Press half the dough into the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan. Pour cream cheese filling over top. Sprinkle remaining dough on top. Bake at 325 for 45-55 min. until the cream cheese is set and dough is cooked through. Cool all the way before cutting and serving.

Cream Cheese Filling:

1 8oz.pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 egg

½ c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat till very smooth and creamy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

We give thanks to the Giver and Maker of all things..........Jesus Christ our Savior!

The joys of living in the South!

2010-11-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

I can still grill out side! This evening for dinner we are grilling chicken and having sweet potato fries and a salad.....the joy of living in warmer weather! We can grill all year long!!!! Sorry all you northern friends, I hear its cold up there:)

Thanksgiving is almost here!

2010-11-16T11:56:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe it but Thanksgiving is just around the corner! This week we have started to scheme our menu and shopping list. Hannah and I have one favorite part of the meal and that is our Mom's stuffing and gravy, I don't know how she does it but it always tastes better when she makes it. This year I( Esther) am on pie crust duty as well as making the pumpkin roll. Hannah is going to take over the filling for the pies as she knows how to make our Pumpkin pie taste just like our grandmas. As Thanksgiving rolls around each year it gives each one of us a time to reflect on the things to be thankful for, but as our pastor on Sunday reminded us we not only need to be thankful on Thanksgiving but everyday and all day for the rest of our lives! Hannah and I are very thankful for the loving parents God has given us to raise us in such a godly home. Even through all the trial we have faced in the past year, I can truly see how many blessings he has bestowed on us!

So what are you thankful for this year?

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

Psalm 95:2

Do you think its apple season?!?!

2010-11-10T11:52:00.001-08:00

How many apples do you think are in the bowl?

Chocolate and Peanut Butter...what could be better?!?!

2010-11-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

We made this for our brothers birthday last week, he really liked it but beware it's EXTRA rich!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

1 1/2 cups finely ground graham crackers crumbs
1 cup finely ground oreo cookies( cream filling removed)
4 T. butter, melted
6 T. sugar
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temp
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 T. milk
4 oz. melted semi-sweet chocolate
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 c. toasted chopped peanuts
Rich chocolate sauce( recipe follows)

Heat oven to 375.
Combine graham crackers, oreo, butter and 4 T. sugar in medium bowl. Stir to combine thoroughly. Press the mixture firmly into 1 9inch pie pan and bake for 15 min. Remove the pan from the oven, let the crust cool completely, then wrap it with plastic wrap and place the pan in the freezer for at least 1 hour and for up to 2 weeks. Allow the crust to come to room temp before filling.

Combine the cream cheese, confectioners sugar, and milk in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until well blended and smooth, about 1min. on medium speed. Add the melted chocolate and the peanut butter and continue to blend for another minute on medium speed. Combine the cream with the remaining 2 T. sugar in another medium bowl. Beat with a whisk or electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate and peanut butter mixture until thoroughly incorporated and smooth. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Smooth the top of the pie with a spatula, cove, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. To serve use a hot wet knife to slice the pie into 8 portions. Garnish with peanuts and drizzle with Rich Chocolate sauce.

Rich Chocolate Sauce

3/4 cup half-and-half
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 T. butter

In a small saucepan bring half & half to a bare simmer over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat. Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Whisk the Half&half slowly into chocolate. Add the vanilla and butter to the sauce and whisk until butter is completely incorporated. The sauce can be kept refrigerated in an air tight container for several days, but must be returned to room temp. before serving

Banana Walnut Cake

2010-11-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had my birthday party! I requested this very yummy banana cake that I had seen on Cooking for Sevens blog a while back. It turned out so very moist and was not to sweet. I asked for walnuts instead of pecans and Hannah also used half maple syrup and half honey.

Maple & Pecan Banana Cake

from How to Bake by Nick Malgieri

Ingredients:

For the Cake

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup pure maple syrup
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
2 3.4 cups (11 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup mashed, not pureed, bananas
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk

For the Frosting

1 eight-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened but still firm
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup toasted pecans, for garnish

Directions:

To make the cake:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 13×9-inch glass baking dish and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2) In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand beater, cream the butter until soft and light. Gradually add the maple syrup and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes more, or until very light. The butter and maple syrup may separate slightly.

3) Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the bowl and beaters occasionally. Beat in the vanilla.

4) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture along with the milk and bananas. Beat on low speed just until combined.

5) Scrape the batter into the prepare pan and bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack, removing the paper, and allow to cool completely.

To make the frosting:

1) In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter, maple syrup, and vanilla and beat until smooth.

2) Store in the refrigerator until serving. If the frosting becomes too hard, let it sit a room temperature until spreadable.

To serve the cake:

Cut the cake into desired sized pieces. Spread with frosting. Garnish with toasted pecans. Serve immediately.

Makes approximately twenty-four 2-inch squares

Our new kitchen tool, guess what it is????

2010-10-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

We finally received of kitchen tool that we have been waiting for for 3yrs. and that we have broken 3 times! We use this daily....can you guess what it is?

LEAVE A COMMENT!

Give away!

2010-10-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

Go check out Erica's blog for a give away of the Perfect Portion scale!

How much oil do I need a day???

2010-10-07T15:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry ya'll about the lack of updates. With school back in session comes a new schedule, which this year is exceptionally full. It's great to be busy, but not if you have a blog people are expecting you to update:)

So you read the title of our post, how much oil do I need a day? We have gotten some information that might surprise you. To help your brain and body function properly you need 4 Tablespoons of "good" oil a day. Some recommended kinds are, olive oil, coconut oil, flax oil, hemp seed oil, almond, walnut and pecan oils.

We have started putting coconut oil in our morning smoothies and also melting it with cocoa powder and a pinch of xylatoil and freezing for a afternoon pick me up. Other ways to get oil in to your diet is by eating lots of salad, and also using it on grilled cheese for lunch instead of butter.

Now you tell us by voting on the poll, what's your favorite type of oil?

Check back next week for some more ways to make your life a little more healthy!

Hannah and Esther DeL

P.S. One last thing, you can not have more than 2 tablespoons of oil at once as it defeats the purpose of helping your body:) So try and spread it out over your whole day!

2010-09-15T07:38:00.001-07:00

Introducing Eleganza Strings!

click to visit!

Wisdom teeth!

2010-09-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

So if you have had your wisdom teeth removed what did you like to eat? If not what would be your suggestions?

2010-09-07T11:43:00.001-07:00

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to theglory of God.

~I Corinthians 10:31

New poll........be sure to vote!

2010-09-01T17:08:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin French Toast with a Maple-Fig Syrup

2010-09-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin French Toast with All-spice butter and Fig-Maple Syrup

1 heaping cup pumpkin puree

6 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cloves

1tsp. vanilla

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp. salt

8 (1-inch-thick) slices day-old brioche or challah

4 T. unsalted butter,cut into 4 pieces

1/4 cup canola oil

All-spice butter (recipe follows)

Fig-Maple Syrup ( recipe follows)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Whisk together the pumpkin, whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon,nutmeg, cloves, vanilla, milk,cream, and salt in a large baking dish. Place bread in the baking dish, and turn the bread to coat evenly; let sit for 5 min.

3. Heat 2 Tablespoons of the butter and 2 Tablespoons of the canola oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat until the butter completely melted. Place 4 slices of the bread on the bottom, 2-3 minutes. Turn the slices over and cook until the bottom is golden brown, 2-3 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet. Wipe the pan out with paper towels and repeat with the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter,2 Tablespoons oil, and 4 slices of bread.

4. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 5 min.

5. Serve 2 slices per serving topped with the allspice butter and some of the fig-maple syrup.

Allspice Butter

Makes about 1/2 cup

8 T. unsalted butter, at room temp

2 tsp. ground allspice

2 T. pure maple syrup

1/4 tsp. salt

In a small bowl, combine the butter, allspice, maple syrup and salt. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30min. and up to 2 days.

Fig-Maple Syrup

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

8 fresh figs, quartered

1 1/4 cups pure maple syrup

Combine figs and syrup in a small sauce pan and simmer over low heat until the figs are soft, about 10 min. This can be made up to 4 hrs. in advance and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.

Best of friends

2010-08-15T12:44:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates, we have been out of town. Above are a few pics of us and our brother Sam. Siblings are such fun, and truly a gift from God!

Balsamic, Brie and Swiss Chard in a Sandwich.....HEAVEN!

2010-07-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

We made this lovely sandwich at our mother's special birthday dinner. The balsamic roasted tomatoes and the brie when melted went together like bread and butter.......Ah, so delicious! We got the recipe from a sweet friend we know that goes to our church. She had never made it before but really wanted to, so we decided to use it for our cooking club (ccbakers.blogspot.com)! If you go in that blog you can see other girls pictures and things that they changed. The original recipe does not call for it to be grilled, we added that step. It was definitely a superb change and I would recommend doing it!

So do you like brie cheese? When I was little it was one of those things that I could just not stand. Every Christmas Eve our friends would invite us over to their annual party and the one tradition would be brie cheese coated in brown sugar and pecans served with crackers. When ever I would get close by it I would almost have to hold my nose because the smell was just to intense:) Now after growing up and becoming a foodie I have acquired a taste for that "smelly" cheese. I would classify it as one of my favorites!

So Mrs. M if you read this be sure to make it this year at your Christmas Eve party, I will be looking for it.............so now you answer the question, do you like brie cheese?

Chicken-and-Brie Sandwich with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Adapted From Cooking Light

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (about 1 pound)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 T. low-fat mayonnaise
2 T. sour cream
2 garlic clove, minced
1 (16-ounce) loaf Mutil-Grain Bread, cut in slices
3 ounces Brie cheese, sliced
3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 pound)

Spinach Dressing
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups fresh swiss chard

Preheat oven to 300°.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes; cook 4 minutes, stirring once. Remove from heat; stir in 2 tablespoons vinegar. Sprinkle tomatoes with thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Wrap handle of pan with foil; bake at 300° for 15 minutes. Keep warm.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, and garlic in a small bowl. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly over top half of bread loaf. Spoon tomatoes evenly over bottom half of loaf. Arrange Brie over tomatoes; top with chicken. Combine 2 teaspoons oil, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add swiss chard, tossing gently to coat. Top chicken with spinach mixture; replace top half of bread. Brush each side of bread with olive oil and grill till golden brown on each side, and cheese is melted.

Peach picking!

2010-07-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago our family went peach picking at a farm about an 1hour away. When picking peaches you look for one that are not soft, but hard and yellow. If a peach does not have any red on it does not make it bad, the red is how much sun it recieved! It was very fun but really hot! The next thing to come in season are apples and figs. We will picking those the last week in July. Our Mom froze a lot of peaches with the leftover ones we cut them up and ate them fresh! With apples we will be making applesauce and will be dehydrating the figs for later use. Have you ever been peach or apple picking before?

Phillip holding a box before it was filled.

Jon hiding in the peach tree:)

The field of peach trees

All of us kids after we finished

What things have you been making lately?

2010-07-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

Please leave a comment, we'd love to know!

Some Yummy looking recipes to try!

2010-07-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

Swiss chard Pesto form My Kitchen Addiction

Grilled Pizza

Hummus with a unique ingredient!

Some great looking gluten free ice cream sandwiches!

Creamy Poppyseed Chicken Salad

2010-07-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Poppy Seed Chicken in Pita Bread
(adapted from Food Network)

3 skin-on, bone-in Chicken Breasts (about 2 pounds)
1 Lemon*
Kosher Salt and fresh Black Pepper
1 cup cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Raspberry Wasabi Mustard
1 stalk Celery, chopped
1/4 cup Onion, minced
1/2 cup chopped Pecans, Almonds or Walnuts, toasted )
2 tablespoons fresh chopped Parsley
1 + 1/2 tablespoons Poppy Seeds
1/2 cup dried Apricots, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

lettuce leaves, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Squeeze half of the lemon over tops of chicken breasts in a baking pan. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Bake until cooked through and juices run clear (170 degrees). Remove from oven and let cool.

2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the yogurt, juice of the other half of lemon, mustard, celery, onion, parsley, poppy seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Add the apricots, cranberries and nuts if desired or save the nuts for sprinkling over top.

3. Shred the chicken, discarding the bones and skin, and toss with the dressing. Stuff a few lettuce leaves and some of the chicken salad into each pita. Sprinkle with nuts.

*To get the most juice use a room temperature lemon, microwave for ten seconds and roll against counter using the palm of your hand.

Happy Independence Day Ya'll!

2010-07-04T06:32:00.001-07:00

A hungry waffle designer:)

2010-07-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Hannah and I did a photo shoot for some waffles! I was the camera girl and Hannah was the artistic designer and syrup drizzler:) After taking so many pictures of these scrumptious looking waffles, we got hungry. So we decided to take a bite before feeding the rest to our ever hungry growing little brothers.

Esther

A flat bread recipe

2010-07-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

Here is the flat bread recipe we used for our Dads Fathers Day dinner, thought you all might enjoy a recipe not just pics:)

Saj Bread

For the ingredients you will need

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 to 115°)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Oil for coating the dough

Preparing the dough

Mix all the ingredients using a blender, except the flour and the remaining 1/2 cup of water. Then pour the mixture in a big bowl, sift the 3 1/2 cups flour on top and start mixing with hand or a wooden spoon until smooth and no longer sticky (in this step add the other 1/2 cup of water). Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place for 1 hour. After one hour the dough should be doubled in bulk. Knead with hand for a few minutes, then start to divide the dough into medium sized balls. Using a floured rolling pin (you can flatten using your hands instead) start rolling the balls into circles on a lightly floured surface (in this step use the oil for coating). Put a skillet on low heat. When it becomes hot, put the flattened dough in it. Bake for 30 seconds to one minute (till golden base). Flip the bread to the other side for another 30 seconds. Pile your bread and cover to keep them soft and serve immediately. You can use the Saj as wraps for any thing you like.

A new poll!

2010-07-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Phillip our little brother want's to know what y'll like on your toast!

Food!

2010-07-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of differant things we have been making recently! Can you guess what ingredient they all have in common?
Yes, they are all breakfst goods, but what else????

Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal

Cherry Almond Breakfast Bars

Hawiaan Apple Muffins

Fathers Day food pictues!

2010-06-28T04:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry y'all about the long delay in posting these pictures but we are only allowed so much download a month and when it came time to post we did not have enough left to up load pictures:) We just got our new download for the month so we can post again, YAY!!!
We also grilled lamb for the first time. First we marinated it in olive oil,salt,pepper and fresh garlic the night before, then grilled it for about 4-5 min on each side. Delish!

For breakfast we made our Dad one of his favorite things, Lox's and Cheese. Hannah and I had never had them before, after tasting them I think they would be better a little later in the morning:)

This was the main platter of toppings for the gyro wraps:Red onion,sliced tomato,sliced cucumber,parsley,hummus,black olives,tzatziki,and feta cheese. We also made a red pepper dip(no picture) and served tahini on the side for personal drizzling( LOVE that stuff!)

Tabbouleh! First time making this as well, I went a little over board on the amount, we still have some left:) Its really good topped on salads!

And flat bread.This was really amazing, we are going to be using this recipe from now on.

For dessert we were planning on making Baklava Baked Apples, but some friends decided to come over and watch a movie so we made it a bit simpler, Brownies with whipped cream! They were healthy too:) Chocolate is good for you right!?!?!

Happy Fathers Day Ya'll!

2010-06-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 17:6

Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

Our Dad with 3 of his 5 sons
Us and little sister Kathryn with our Dad

We will be posting the food pictures some time this week! If our internet permits:)

New post tomorrow!

2010-06-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Fathers Day dinner!

Time to say goodbye..........for now!

2010-05-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hello all fellow blog readers! We really have enjoyed doing this blog, but..........we're really getting busy around here, so we are thinking that a little break will be good.

We'll be posting maybe next around Father's Day, or the 4th. of July!

Have a great summer!

The Del sisters

Rhubarb Pie and Strawberry Ice Cream

2010-05-11T09:10:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

3 cups chopped rhubarb frozen or fresh
5T all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1egg
1t. nutmeg
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Mix together all the ingredients except the crust! Pour into the pie crust that has been placed in a pie plate. Top with remaining crust and crimp edges. Slit air holes in the top of the pie.
Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour or till browned.

Mother's Day meal!

2010-05-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

For our Mothers day we made out Mom a special dinner made up of most of her favorite things!

This picture was of the main course, it is garlic chicken with a swiss chard mushroom cream sauce on top, served along side a bed of al dente green beans topped with crispy garlic and fresh shredded Parmesan cheese. For extra color we added a few sliced heirloom tomatoes and a sprig of oregano....

also Cesar salad with homemade croutons, with extra garlic on the dressing they way she likes it.....

...this was the hot appetizer, we took our homemade fresh mozzarella breaded and pan fried and served it with homemade french bread and some chopped tomatoes from the bruchetta below.

This was a slightly cool/warm appetizer called bruchetta, it was really amazing. For this dish we splurged and bought heirloom tomatoes, it really made the dish. The ingredients are tomatoes, fresh garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.....give it a try you will be amazed how such a simple dish could taste so amazing!

For dessert we made a rhubarb pie, served with real strawberry ice cream, we did take a picture its just not downloaded off our camera yet....will post soon!

Mother's Day

2010-05-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

What are some special things you are doing for your Mom tomorrow?

Things we have been making!

2010-05-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of things we have been making lately, though no recipes sorry......we will be posting some very soon, well at least I hope so:)

Italian "Pasta" Lunch

2010-05-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

Quick and easy Italian "pasta" salad

1/2 zucchini peeled with a veggie peeler ( makeing what lookes like pasta strips)
5 chopped olives
1/2 tomato
1T. balsamic dressing

Top zucchini pasta with remaining ingredients, and eat!

Serves 1

Like our new header?

2010-05-03T04:42:00.001-07:00

Also, vote on the new poll on the side bar!

Will post soon, back from vacation on Tuesday!

2010-05-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

What are you making today?

2010-04-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

I just made some Rhubarb Cake for dessert! I will let you know how it is.....

Banana on Stick

2010-04-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

Skewer a 1/2 of banana on a fondue stick, dip in melted chocolate and roll in shredded coconut, and crushed almonds. Freeze for about an hour............then eat!

~ We made these last week............so yummy and healthy for you! They are kida hard to eat because of the metal stick in the banana, but well worth the cautious eating!

Review of Local Coffee

2010-04-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

Last week we had the chance to stop by a new coffee shop that opened in near us. Since we have not been able to find another coffee shops other then Starbucks we thought we'd try it out. Upon our first visit we ordered there droppo, which is a cappuccino with less milk. We also bought a Carmelo and a whole wheat apple and pumpkin muffin. The apple muffin was excellent, we especially loved the moistness and not to sweetness of it. The Carmelo and pumpkin muffin were for a friend, she really liked them both. When we went home we told our mother about how wonderful it was and said we'd have to go again soon. A few days later being out doing some garage saling we decided to stop for a quick energy boost, this time we got a regular coffee, our Mom ordered the pumpkin muffin and we got a gluten and dairy free brownie. The coffee and brownie were good but their pumpkin muffin seemed a little dry. We ate a little of the brownie and saved the rest to bring back to the rest of the family, we were surprised the it was gluten free as the texture and flavor was so good. This past week we stopped once again, can't you tell we like our coffee!?!? We ordered a iced coffee with an extra shot of espresso, this was not something we would order again, the coffee tasted horrible and was not very strong. If your planning on going there to get a frappachino don't go because they don't even own a blender!

Pros:Great droppo, maybe a little more milk for our liking, brownie and apple muffins were fantastic.
Cons: Dry pumpkin muffin, iced coffee had a bad flavor,don't own a blender

A nice quick lunch for a spring cleaning day!

2010-04-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

After posting so many not so healthy recipes in a row we have decided to give you all a break and post some good healthful ones:) We had this for lunch and thought it was worthy of a blog post. If you don't like raw fish in your sushi give this combo a try, I really liked the radishes Hannah shredded and put in it as well as the idea of putting the red pepper dip on the kelp noodles! Hannah and I like to make hand held sushi because its way easier then the real stuff and quick to make when you don't have much time, like we had today:) We have been are on spring cleaning frenzy, I think it's all the warm weather we are having. In the next couple days we will try to post some more recipes, and this time they will be healthier then the last couple we've done:)

Hand Held Sushi

Serves:2

2 sheets of nori, soy or seaweed

1/2 cup shredded radishes

1/2 cup shredded carrots

2 small green onions,sliced

1-2 lettuce leaves, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons tahini (ground up sesame seeds)

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Kelp noodle salad

Serves:2

1 cup raw kelp noodles

2-4 Tablespoons of raw red pepper dip

tahini

raw seasame seeds

In a small bowl mix radishes,carrots,green onions,tahini and soy sauce. Mix till blended. Drop onto nori and sprinkle lettuce on top. Wrap up. For the Kelp noodle salad put noodles on plate and top with red pepper dip, tahini and seasame seeds. Serve the sushi and salad together. You might also want a little soy sauce for the salad as well as the sushi!

Aldo's Cheesecake

2010-04-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

A few years ago Hannah and I played music for a wedding reception at a restaurant called Aldino's. I know the recipe comes from Aldo's:) After we finished up playing they offered us some cheesecake with fresh strawberries, if you know us we don't like cheesecake and never had, it's just to cheesy! Well this one changed our opinion of it that widely loved dessert, the creaminess and not to sweetness made it just right. When we got home we told our Mom how wonderful it was and said we would have to take her there for some very soon. We ended up going about a week later, but when the waiter gave us the cheesecake it was not the same:( Such a disappointment........2 weeks ago upon looking in the newspaper I saw a recipe for Aldo's cheesecake which looked like it might be similar to the texture of Aldino's. So this morning we made it to bring to our church potluck, of course we had to get a picture and taste it to make sure it was not poisonous:) It turned out very good, and quite similar to the one we had at Aldino's, next time we are going to change a few things around and see if we can't get a closer replica of the real thing.

Aldo's Cheesecake

Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Filling
2/3 cup sugar
2 pounds cream cheese (4 [8-ounce] packages), softened
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
Sour Cream Glaze
6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) sour cream
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
Fruit Garnish
Seasonal berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)
Pinch of sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice
Sprinkle of dry vermouth

DIRECTIONS

For Crust:
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Lightly butter an 8-by-11 1/2-inch rectangular baking dish.
Mix walnuts, graham cracker crumbs and softened butter together.
Press evenly into bottom of prepared baking dish.
For Filling:
Mix sugar and cream cheese together until completely smooth.
Add whole eggs and yolk in three additions, occasionally scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl, until eggs are fully incorporated.
Carefully pour cream cheese, egg and sugar mixture over Crust and spread evenly.
Bake 30-35 minutes, gently rotating pan after 15 minutes so the cheesecake will bake evenly.
Remove baking dish from oven, place on a wire rack and cool completely before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating overnight or for up to 3 days.
For Sour Cream Glaze:
Just before serving, mix sour cream with powdered sugar.
Glaze the cheesecake with a thin layer of the sour cream mixture.
Using a serrated knife, cut lengthwise down the center of the baking dish and then crosswise into individual portions, wiping the knife with a damp cloth after each cut.
Plate, garnish with the Fruit Garnish, and serve.
For Fruit Garnish:
Toss berries with sugar, lemon juice, and dry vermouth.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Makes 12 servings, each (using 2 cups sliced strawberries in the topping) 440 calories (74.0 percent calories from fat), 37 g fat, 155 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrates, 1 g dietary fiber, 8 g protein.

Have you ever made cheesecake?

2010-04-17T09:30:00.001-07:00

Do you like cheesecake?

What's your favorite flavor?

We are making it for the first time today, I know can you believe that?!?!We have never made it before! We will post the recipe and pictures soon.

Coming Soon, a review!

2010-04-17T05:20:00.000-07:00

Julia's French Onion soup

2010-04-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it rained all day, and I mean All Day! So guess what was on the menu? Soup! Yes, but not just any soup, we made Julia Child's French Onion soup and boy was is yummy!!!! It had just the right amount of everything, our Mom used to make it when we were really young and I don't have found memories of it:) But we went out for it a few months back and now are hooked. If you have never tried it, now is the time you.

Update coming soon!

2010-04-15T17:37:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay of updates, we have been really busy lots of sewing and not so much cooking:) The next post will be a recipe for French Onion soup, a Julia Child recipe!

The most adorable cookies!

2010-04-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

Last week out Mom made these cute cookies with our little sister Kathryn. They got the recipe from a Martha Stewart Magazine.

One lovely cheese cake!

2010-04-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

Look at this cheese cake!

New Poll!

2010-04-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

Be sure to vote!

Recipe for Lemon Raspberry Tart coming soon!!!

Give Away!

2010-04-08T08:06:00.001-07:00

Visit this website for a give away of some yummy looking GNU Bars!

Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies

2010-04-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

You all probably remember that I had my wisdom teeth out a few weeks back right? Well I'm still having some problems and in the recovery process, long story:) Any ways the last 2 1/2 weeks I have had to go see my oral surgeon about every other day.....I know that's really bad! So last week since going in 2 days in a row (I believe it was) I had to go in for the 3rd time, I felt so bad for him but there was nothing he or I could do about it its just my body won't heal like it should, I deiced to make him some cookies for all the bother I had been giving him. Upon my next visit he informed me that I was to never bring cookies again because he had eaten of the 3 cookies I gave him last visit! I guess that mean's he liked them?!?! All the kids really liked them as well. So for my wisdom teeth or lack of they are finally starting to get back to normal but I still have a little pain now and again........such is life!

Esther

Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350. In a large bowl beat butter, sugar and maple syrup. Add egg and vanilla beat until smooth. MIx in flour, soda and salt. Quickly stir in white chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 min. or until golden brown.

Makes about 20 cookies