Thursday, January 30, 2014

Potato Nachos with Smoked Raclette & Easy Lavender Honey Chicken

Why have one recipe to try when you could have four!? Each of these looks great to us, so take a look yourself and choose from "Potato Nachos with Smoked Raclette & Easy Lavender Honey Chicken"!




Beetroot chocolate protein bars; chickpeas and chorizo stew; and easy lavender honey chicken in today's Delicious Links.




Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/potato-nachos-with-smoked-raclette-easy-lavender-honey-chicken-delicious-links-199622

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Easy Weeknight Recipe: Sloppy Joes

If you're looking to cook tonight but don't want to bother with an overly complicated recipe, check out "Easy Weeknight Recipe: Sloppy Joes" for some tasty sandwiches without the difficult process.



Sloppy Joes

Adapted from Favorite Recipes from First United Methodist Church of Still Water, Minnesota
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped small
2 celery stalks, chopped small
1 carrot, peeled and chopped small
8- to 10-ounce package mushrooms (button or baby bella), sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1-2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
8 hamburger buns
In a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, brown the beef. Break it up into small bits as you cook. Once browned, transfer the beef and any juices to a clean bowl and set aside.
In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm a teaspoon of olive oil. Add the onions, celery, and carrots, and cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots look softened, about five minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about thirty seconds.
Return the ground beef to the pan. Stir in the tomato sauce, ketchup, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar (if using), salt, and black pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Taste the sauce, adding more vinegar, salt, or sugar if desired. If the sauce is too thin for your taste, simmer uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes until the desired thickness is reached.
Serve on hamburger buns. Don't forget a napkin.
The sloppy joe sauce will keep refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months.




Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/weeknight-recipe-oldfashioned-58069

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!

We'd like to wish a happy and safe Thanksgiving to everyone out there! Enjoy the food, drink, and company. Here's a festive picture of cats for the occasion.


Thursday, November 21, 2013

Holiday Recipe: Eggnog Breakfast Bread Pudding

It seems like all the good holiday food is for dinner and desert, but it doesn't have to be that way. This holiday turn your breakfast into a delicious meal with "Holiday Recipe: Eggnog Breakfast Bread Pudding"!


Eggnog Breakfast Bread Pudding

Adapted from Marion Cunningham’s The Breakfast Book
Serves 8 to 10

1 (12 ounces) loaf French bread, sliced
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups eggnog
2 cups whole or 2% milk
5 large eggs
4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons bourbon (or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract)
Confectioners’ sugar and warm maple syrup, for serving

Generously butter the bread slices. Cut the buttered slices into 1-inch cubes and pile into a 2-quart baking dish.
Heat the eggnog and milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until bubbling gently but not boiling.
Meanwhile, combine the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk vigorously until light and frothy. Whisk one cup of the eggnog mixture into the eggs to warm them. Gradually whisk in the remaining eggnog mixture and the bourbon.
Pour the custard over the bread cubes, and gently mash down with your hands to make sure all of the bread gets saturated. Set aside for a minimum of one hour or chill overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (or alternately heat in the microwave in a microwave-safe measuring cup). Place the casserole dish inside of a large roasting pan and transfer to the oven. Carefully pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, so that it comes halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
Bake for approximately 45 to 50 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is light golden brown. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, then carefully lift the casserole dish out of the water (I use a very large metal spatula to lift it out of the water.) Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving (although it is equally good at room temperature).
Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve with warm maple syrup.
    (Image credits: Nealey Dozier)


    Wednesday, November 13, 2013

    Bob Vila’s November ‘Must Do’ Projects

    Every home needs a little upkeep, especially for seasonal changes. As fall begins to fade away and the weather gets colder, check out these "Bob Vila’s November ‘Must Do’ Projects" to keep your place cozy and calm!

    Autumn kitchen


    Embrace the season

    It doesn’t take much to bring the natural beauty of the season indoors. Fill a bowl with acorns and pinecones to admire, cut leaf-covered branches to decorate a table or create an autumnal wreath to hang above the mantel — or outside on the front door. You’ll find plenty of clever ideas in “Budget Decor: 10 Ways to Dress Up Your House for Fall.”

    Seal those drafts

    A small crack or one leaky window might not seem like a big problem, but taken together, your home’s small drafts can add up to a lot of wasted energy dollars. Seal any gaps around electrical outlets, ducts, windows and doors with foam sealants, caulking or weather stripping.
    On the outside of your house, use caulking to seal anywhere different materials meet such as between the siding and the chimney, window and door frames and at the foundation. Even small gaps around cables, lighting fixtures, spigots, electrical outlets, dryer vents and air-conditioning pipes can add up to big air-infiltration problems and compromise your home’s thermal efficiency.
    To fill large gaps, expandable polyurethane foam works best, but use it sparingly since it can over-expand (and it’s a greenhouse gas producer as well). Water-based expandable foam works well in small cracks and won’t over-expand.

    Winterize your yard

    If you haven’t done so already, this is the time to winterize your seasonal equipment. Drain fuel from lawn mowers, leaf blowers and chain saws. Cover and store outdoor furniture and barbecues in a protected area. And, be sure to empty out pots, containers and planters, as soil left in clay pots outside can freeze and cause the pots to crack.
    Disconnect and store your garden hoses. If your home has a separate shutoff for external spigots, turn it off and drain the water from those spigots. If you have a sprinkler system, you may want to call in a professional company to blow out any leftover water in the underground lines.
    If it snows where you live, check to see that all of your snow equipment is close at hand, fueled up and ready for use. That includes snow blowers as well as shovels and roof rakes.

    Stress less on Thanksgiving day

    Did somebody mention turkey? If you are the one preparing the big meal, make your life easier by planning ahead. Clear countertops and empty the fridge so that you have ample space for food prep and storage. If you are worried about getting everyone around the table, look for ways to maximize your dining room.



    Original Article Here: http://www.zillow.com/blog/2013-11-08/bob-vilas-november-must-do-projects/

    Friday, November 8, 2013

    Cheap, Easy DIY Project: Stylish, Modern Bar Cart Hack for Under $40

    Forget going out to the bar, instead bring the bar to you! Check out this wonderful bar cart for your digs in "Cheap, Easy DIY Project: Stylish, Modern Bar Cart Hack for Under $40" and mix up a little something for yourself at the end of this long week!




    When it comes to bar carts, there aren't too many budget-friendly options that also happen to be fashionable. A bar cart at Target runs $100+, and you can't even find (an attractive) one at IKEA for less than $50. But this one above? It was built for under $40 (and to say "built" is really stretching it). The secret?
    Harbor Freight, the discount tool and equipment chain! This two-shelf steel service cart doesn't look like much at first, but for $37.99 (plus the inevitable sales and coupons that are always going on in the stores), it's really a steal.
    The guys at Primer classed it up a bit by adding wooden shelves (made from super thin and super cheap plywood from Home Depot), sanding and staining them, and hanging hooks for bar towels and bar tools.
    The result is a stylish, modern, industrial bar cart that only took an afternoon to make (and that includes picking it up from the store). You can customize it even further by painting the steel itself. Check out the tutorial on Primer!
    (Image credits: Andrew Snaveley for Primer)




    Original Article Here: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/cheap-easy-diy-project-stylish-modern-bar-cart-hack-for-under-40-primer-magazine-196941

    Wednesday, October 30, 2013

    Back to Basics: 8 Warm & Cozy Recipes with Cinnamon

    There is nothing like walking out of the cold and into a warm house with delicious smells and treats. Winter is coming soon, so prepare yourself with "Back to Basics: 8 Warm & Cozy Recipes with Cinnamon" below!

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    After a few years of pushing aside plain cinnamon in favor of more exotic spice blends, I've found myself pulling out the cinnamon bottle again and again lately. No fancy spices, no complicated blends, just the comforting taste of buttery cinnamon toast, warm cinnamon rolls and snickerdoodles. But the cinnamon options don't end there — from apple cinnamon mini monkey breads to spicy lamb and cinnamon-roasted eggplant pies, these eight recipes prove that old, familiar cinnamon doesn't have to be boring.
    (Images: See linked recipes for full image credits)




    Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/back-to-basics-8-warm-cozy-recipes-with-cinnamon-196697

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