We Have Figs That We Don't Like

I don't know if it's the fact that I never grew up eating figs and now I don't have the palette for them, or the fact that they look like little alien eggs when you open them up..but I just don't like figs. The good thing is that we have plenty of friends that love these little fruits. 

Aside from us, our little pups absolutely love these things. Not a day goes by that I don't catch these two out by our fig tree, either eating the figs that have fallen or jumping to get the ones they can reach. Even though we don't like them I thought it would be fun to round up a few yummy sounding fig recipes as well as some non-traditional ways to use figs. 

Fig & Raspberry Cake

The Flying Fig Cocktail

Fig & Goat Cheese Gallette

4-Way Fig Jam

Figs in Bouquets, see here & here

I'm a sucker for food and pretty bouquets, so maybe I'll learn to love these little weird looking fruits. But in the meantime, who wants some?

xo // leah

{thank you for the photos Pamela}

Make: Sesame Almond Butter Date Balls

These little guys are jammed packed with protein, good fats, and antioxidants. They are really easy to make and easy to make variations to them. 

STEP ONE

Gather Ingredients

Dates

Almond Butter

Mixed Nuts

Ground Flax Seeds *

Sesame Seeds

*(I use a coffee grinder to easily grind them)

STEP TWO

Mix dates, almond butter, ground flax seeds, and mixed nuts in a food processor. I used about 12 dates, 4T of almond butter, 1/4 c. nuts, and 4T flax seeds. Blend until you have a mixture in between brown sugar and dough consistency. It should be easily formed into a ball. If it's too sticky add some water or more ground flax seeds. If it's falling apart add more butter. 

STEP THREE

Form the mixture into little balls. Make them the right size for you. I make mine big enough to have about 3 for a little snack. You can make them as little or big as you want.

STEP FOUR

Roll the balls into sesame seeds. And you're done! 

Enjoy!

xo / leah

+++ VARIATIONS +++

Instead of Dates use: Raisins, Prunes, or Cranberries

Use just sunflower seeds or your favorite type of nuts instead of mixed

Instead of Almond Butter use: Peanut or Sunflower

Add a little cocoa or chai powder for some extra flavor

Recipe: Easy Bread

Yesterday I ventured to make my first loaf of bread. The last skill on my resume is a baker. I do not bake. If you ask me to bring dessert to a food function, it will always be store bought. However, technically bread making is baking. I was determined to make a good (okay, hoping for great) bread; so I put aside my fears of the term baking and tried my hand at bread making. 

What you'll need: 

1 large bowl

1 wooden spoon

3 cups Unbleached Bread Flour

1 1/4 teaspoons Kosher Salt

1/2 teaspoon Instant Rising Yeast

1 1/2 cups very warm water (not boiling though) 

1 Stainless Steel pot w/ the lid (or a french oven)

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients together..flour, salt, yeast. 

Then add the very warm water. 

(Side note: I had my dough all ready when my husband came home and asked if I used warm water. Um, no? Why? I didn't read the back of the yeast package before I started, and sure enough - to activate yeast mix dry ingredients together with very warm water. Hmm, okay. So I just whipped up a new batch.)

Mix until all ingredients are combined. And don't worry, you don't need to over mix. This is suppose to be easy. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let sit for 12-19 hours. 

Excessively flour your work station and lay the dough right in the middle. Begin to form a heavily floured dough ball; the shape of a perfect round loaf.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for another 1-2 hours. When you have about 30 minutes left of this sitting period, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place your pot inside. Once the 30 minutes is done, take out your pre-heated pot and place your doughy loaf inside. 

++ Do not grease/spray the bottom of the pot ++

Make sure your dough is well floured on the bottom. If it isn't it will stick. (DO NOT use a spray because that will burn the bottom.) Bake for 30 minutes covered. After this time, remove the lid and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. It should be getting golden brown on top at this time. Once done, take out and marvel at your handiwork. 

Take out and enjoy warm, or let sit on a cooling rack until you are ready to eat. 

Either way enjoy!

Bread making, not baking ;)

xo leah

Recipe: Spring Rolls

Last night I was inspired to try out a new recipe of Spring Rolls with a Rice Noodle stir-fry. It turned out really good and super easy. One thing I like about the Spring Rolls is that you can make the filling a head of time and then make the rolls when your ready. The rolling and frying part doesn't take long at all. 

The Stir-Fry was a simple recipe of Rice Noodles, chopped Carrots, Water Chestnuts, Cilantro, Garlic, and about 1/2 c. of Peanut Sauce (store-bought for me).  You can add more veggies to it if you prefer. 

For the Spring Rolls you'll need 

1 lb. package of Hot Italian Sausage 

(you can get medium or mild for your spice level preference)

1 cup Sliced Carrots

1 cup Chopped Cilantro

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a hot oiled skillet

2. Ground meat very finely

3. Once cooked thoroughly place in fridge to cool off completely. 

*** Make sure your filling mixture is completely cooled off before rolling.

 If not, it could cause holes in the spring rolls ***

Once your ready to start making the rolls grab a little cup of water along with a Tablespoon and the bowl of filling.

  Place your oil into a large pot and turn on med-high heat. 

1. Place 1- 1 1/2 Tablespoons of filling in corner of roll. 

2. Fold up bottom and spread filling out like a hot dog. 

3. Place a small amount of water on the folded up side (I just dip my fingers in the cup of water and run them along the side) and fold in the edges.

4. Place more water along the top of the newly made triangle section and roll the spring roll up from bottom to top of the triangle. 

5. Set aside and keep rolling. Once your finished and the oil is starting to crackle, place the rolls into pot. It should take about 5-10 minutes to get to golden brown. Once golden brown, take out and let sit for a few minutes. They will be hot inside! 

These are a perfect compliment to any stir-fry or as a snack by themselves.

Enjoy!

xo leah

Drinks: Black Sangria

This recipe for Sangria fits exactly with the Halloween spirit. When it comes to trick or treat, I choose treats and this drink is perfect for just that.

Some Sangria recipes call for 1 cup sparkling water. That helps to downplay the strong taste of the wine. For this recipe you do not need that. I chose a wine that was extra sweet and not too wine-y tasting (that is such a thing in my book).

I chose Roscato. It's like a red moscato, hence the name. You can buy these at World Market.

You'll also need:

1 cup of Blackberries

1 cup of Blueberries

3 Black Plums

Directions: Add all ingredients into a pitcher and stir. Let sit in refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Best served chilled. 

This drink is perfect for a Halloween party. 

Enjoy!

xo leah

*All thoughts on this wine product are my own

This Week

1. My neice in our new truck
2. Needing to make this for my in-laws anniversary party
3. Attempting to make these for a little get-together this weekend 
4. New Found Fun
5. Dreaming of this backyard*

6.Saying Farewell
7. Dinner = Best Lasagna Ever by Pioneer Woman
8. Finally finished this for work
9. This inspired me this week
10. Summer Fruit = Happy Day

This week has been great. Busy, but great. *As to that back yard - it is the backyard of our soon-to-be (I'm very hopeful) new backyard at our home! I snapped the photo while the Arborist was inspecting some of the trees. Things are moving forward and it makes my heart so happy!

(more on the house later).

Hope everyone has a lovely week!

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

I actually baked something. And it wasn't terrible!! *gasp* Seriously people this is a great feat. Let's say I am a horrible baker. Something about a dessert recipe and I just don't mix well. I got this recipe from my Aunt and I had to at least attempt it. 

Ricotta Cookies from Sue DiForti

4 C. Flour (do not sift)

2 C. Sugar

1 t. Baking Soda

1/4 t. Salt

1 lb. Ricotta (well drained in colander lined with cheese cloth or paper towels)

2 Sticks of Butter or Margarine (at room temp)

3 Eggs

1 t. Vanilla

+++This recipe makes a ton of cookies! Like enough to make at 

Christmas time to give away to all your neighbors. So I suggest cutting the recipe in half. +++

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Place ricotta in colander to drain

3. Mix all ingredients in large bowl (including ricotta once it is drained)

4. Drop by the teaspoon full on a greased cookie sheet/or parchement paper on an un-greased cookie sheet

5. Bake for ~15 mins*

* The recipe said 10-15 mins but my cookies needed around 20min. 

Icing

2 C. Powder Sugar

3 T. Lemon Juice

1 T. Milk

1 t. Vanilla

Lemon Zest from 1 whole lemon

1. Combine ingredients into bowl and stir with fork until completely mixed

2. Glaze on cookies when they are completely cooled

Enjoy!

Recipe: Baked Jalepeno Popper Wontons

Thanks to Pinterest I've been able to accumulate a variety of recipes from breakfast to the late night snack. This week I tried out a new snack. 

>>------------- > Baked Jalepeno Poppers AKA Poppers < -------------<<

Photo Via As A Verb

These work really great for appetizers, finger foods at a party, or a just a little snack around the house. You can find the recipe HERE . 

* Instead of Cream Cheese try Pepper Jack Cheese

* Add some spicy Italian Sausage instead of the bacon

*Try Green Onions instead of Cilantro

This recipe is a lot of fun because you can make it your own and adjust it to your own liking. 

Summer Drink: Mojito

During Cory's birthday we sat outside and enjoyed the summer (ahem, I mean spring) sun. While walking around the yard we found mint; what a pleasant surprise! During our dating years Cory made me a lot of mojitos (we fell in love during summer, what can I say). We quickly decided that we would make some mojitos. 

Here is the quick and dirty of a simple mojito (serves 1):

Ingredients

1 Lime

2 Shots Bacardi Rum 

4 Shots Club Soda

10 Mint Leaves

2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar

Step One: Gather Ingredients 

It is helpful to have a muddler.

Step Two: Cut Lime in half. Squeeze juice from whole lime into mason jar (or any other fancy glass). 

Add Mint Leaves and muddle for about one minute.

Step 4: Add 2 T Powdered sugar and continue to muddle for several seconds

Step 5: Add 2 Shots Rum and 4 Shots Club Soda*

*I personally like it more sweet so I added one extra shot of Club Soda and 3 tsp Raspberry Torani Syrup

Step 6: Stir with fancy straw; add a few ice cubes and enjoy!

Fried Rice

This week someone at work had brought in some left-over fried rice. I have a big appetite on my work days and everything that people eat (even the hospital food) looks yummy. So when I saw those left-overs I immediately texted Cory and asked if he could whip some up for dinner.

When I came home the whole house smelt like Chinatown. I was so happy and excited for the little pleasure of fried rice. 

When my husband cooks a new dish, he always follows a recipe. For this first-time fried rice he used the America's Test Kitchen recipe for Indonesian Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng). 

It was AMAZING! It was so good, we ate it all! He ended up  making another batch the next day because of how delicious it was. The whole day I was expecting a simple, basic, few ingredient type of rice. But no, I got heavens version (seriously it was good). 

Photo Via America's Test Kitchen

One tip would be to make the rice the day before so as to make it a little quicker. We used brown rice and I think it added more flavor. From now on I know whenever we get take out I'll be having him make the side of fried rice. 

Don't forget your chopsticks!

Cayenne Breaded Chicken

Here is a simple, quick, recipe for some yummy yummy chicken. It is a little spicy so be forewarned! 

Here is what you'll need (Recipe for 2): 

1 Egg

1 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp Bread crumbs

Cooking butter spray or a slice of butter

2 Chicken breast

1 tsp Garlic Pepper

Read the "to do" thoroughly before you begin cooking. 

To do: 

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Melt some butter, on medium heat,  in a skillet or spray with cooking spray. Pat dry the de-thawed chicken breasts and place in warmed skillet.

2. Beat one egg in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Cayenne pepper, and garlic pepper. 

3. Cook Chicken on skillet for about 3-5 minutes on both sides. Just enough where the chicken is a little browned, but still pink in the middle. 

4. Once chicken is golden browned place them in the beated eggs. Make sure it is covered with the eggs, then dip in the bread-crumb mixture. 

5. Place in a lightly buttered baking dish and bake at 300 degrees for about 15-20 min (I say about because before you put the chicken in the oven, cut a little into it to see how pink it is. The more pink the longer you'll have to bake it). 

Take out and serve with some steamed green beans and smashed potatoes!

I added some red bell peppers to our green beans with a tad of chili garlic sauce. (This dish was for my husband. Too spicy for moi!)

Tastes better than it looks, I promise!

Happy cooking

Recipe: Duck Sausage & 4 Dips

Cory got some Duck Sausage this week and asked if I could make it tonight. At first I was intimidated by this. Duck... what do I make with that? And then I realized that it was in a simple sausage form and should keep my dinner plans easy. So I decided I'd make some dips. 

1. Spicy Chili Dip: This is a dip we keep on hand (can't take credit for making it).

2. My variation of Aioli: Ok, I didn't use egg whites, just some mayonnaise (can I still call it Aioli?...).

3. Spicy Mango Soy: I mixed a little spicy mustard, soy sauce, and this mango pepper sauce. 

4. Cheese dip: Can't have sausage without cheese. 

My husband also made it easier for me by requesting some smashed potatoes. With those and the duck sausage, tonights dinner was delicious. 

Any creative suggestions when cooking duck for dinner?

Recipe: Beef Drip

Last night Cory and I went over to our sister and brother-in-laws house for dinner. They hadn't been feeling too great this week so I offered to cook. While thumbing through my pinned recipes I was trying to find one that would suit this night. Feel good food, easy to carry from point A to point B (without loosing it's flavor/crunchiness/everything that is a dish when you serve it from stove to plate), and that would be easy to clean up afterwards. When I saw this recipe I knew it was the one. 

Beef Drip via Pioneer Woman

This particular recipe has 2 ways of cooking it. I forgot to read it all the way through before starting (as usual) so I ended up mixing both recipes. What I ended up doing was pan cooking the beef on both sides for about 4 minutes. Then I added all the ingredients to my cast iron pot and stuck it in the oven for 4 1/2 hours. Mine was a 3 lbs'er so it worked out really well. I also added in all the ingredients from both recipes. Once the beef was done, I shredded it and transferred everything to a crock pot. Easy-peasy.

Final result = every last morsel was consumed. This recipe was delicious. 

Happy Cooking!

Recipe: French Toast Poppers

Cory has a sweet tooth, however a very specific one. So when it comes to sweet breakfast foods, I save them for myself. This recipe I stumbled upon and fell in love with immediatetly. At work, my patients get a variety of not-so-appetizing hospital foods for their meals. One day last week though one of my patients got French Toast. And it actually looked and smelt very very good. I've been craving the crunchy/soft, sweetness that it is ever since. 

So once I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it at once. I had already bought a baguette that morning so I whipped up a bunch of these little goodies:

Photo & Recipe via Sugar & Charm

This recipe is fast, easy, and delicious. Using the baguette pieces seem to make the poppers a little crunchier. And crunchier=yummier.

Do you like sweet or salty breakfast foods? What's one of your favorite breakfast recipes?