Blog Day of Silence

I'm not sure who started it, but today is a Blog Day of Silence.

To quote Tina from Carrots N' Cake:

In honor of the memory of lives cut short [the adults and children slain at Sandy Hook Elementary], I’m stepping away from my computer today to celebrate the gift of life and those I love most. I hope you’ll join me in remembering, praying, and being with those you love most.

As the President said, "I can only hope it helps for you to know that you’re not alone in your grief; that our world too has been torn apart; that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you, we’ve pulled our children tight... Newtown - you are not alone". 

Although I'm sure you already have, please say some extra prayers for the children, the families, the community, the rescue workers, the clergy and the reporters who have dealt with this, non-stop, and who will contine to work toward recovery. 

Thank you.

Steak review and our Christmas tree

Good morning Crushers!

Remember last week when I was really excited for our date night at a steak house? No, well you can read about it here. Let's just say I was really looking forward to trying one of the best steak places in the city. I was not disappointed in my steak. I had a great dinner, but I had to wimp out and get a take-home bag. You'll see why in a few photos.

The cool part about the 5 O'Clock Steakhouse is that you feel like you either step back in time or you're instantly transported up north to a supper club. We started out at the bar and ordered a drink. I did get an old fashioned and it was terrific! The hostess explains that you sit and have a drink and your waitress takes your order at the bar. Then she goes and sets up your table.

When we were seated there was a HUGE bowl of salad at the table with a lazy susan filled with different dressings. There was also a relish tray. I almost took a picture of it, but we were really hungry and then... well, it didn't happen. I can tell you that it had a few spicy peppers, sweet peppers, carrots, radishes, olives (black and green) and green onions. I definitely enjoyed the veggies. Our waitress also brought out a warm 1/2 loaf of sour dough bread, which got devoured quickly. It was a nice reminder of our California honeymoon!

The only bummer about steakhouses is that you often have to order everything a la carte. While this was true of this restaurant, I feel like we really got our money's worth. Steve ordered a bowl of French Onion Soup that was amazing (and better than the one I made, but probably because it was not the low-cal version). The soup broth was flavorful and loaded with onions. The croutons and the cheese that was gratinéed over the top was perfectly crisp and bubbly. We also ordered crab stuffed mushrooms because when we get our once-a-year fancy dinner out, we like to splurge on calories and a random appetizer.

These mushrooms were so stuffed with crab and cheese that you couldn't even seem them!
They were very rich and tasty, but I don't know if I would order them again.

On to the steaks, the main event! I ordered a New York Strip Sirloin since it was described as "for the love of the finest". I was served a perfectly "medium" steak with a nice char and a generous portion of mushrooms and au jus (French for "with [its own] juice"). Now, I say steak like it's a regular portion of meat. Ha ha, no. This was the size of a small roast. I'm totally planning on taking the leftovers (I could only eat about 1/3 of the steak) and making them into fajitas later this week.

The whole steak wouldn't fit in the picture. It was HUGE, but so very delicious and flavorful.
The rumor goes that only the chefs know the secret to the perfect char and the seasoning.

Steve ordered Bacon Wrapped Filets which were filet medallions surrounded by bacon and then covered with blue cheese. It also came with a Parmesan sauce. Steve said he could have done without the sauce, but it was a nice way to cut the sharp flavor of the blue cheese. We eat traded bites and declared that we made good choices. The bite I had of Steve's steak was very interesting because it was very tender and yet it had the smokey flavor of bacon infused into it somehow. I'd be very interested in trying to repeat all of these at home.

It was smothered! We both agreed that it could have done with less sauce.

This dinner was a nice kickoff to a fantastic weekend. On Saturday we did some marathon shopping and I got to see the Nutcracker ballet with some of the ladies from church. The dancers did a great job! We ate dinner at Elsa's, which makes fancy sandwiches the size of your face. If you go, I highly suggest a burger or the turkey and avacado club. So good!

Sunday was another Christmas-y day. After church we spent time with my sister-in-law's family making Christmas cards and then we went home to decorate our tree. It was a wonderful weekend of family, food and friends!

Makes you want to sing some carols doesn't it?

Get excited for Steak!

Happy Friday, Crushers!

I am very excited for date night with my husband tonight. We were given a gift card for a supper club in Milwaukee, and we are going to have steak! I don't normally cook steak unless it's on the grill, but I do love eating it. The majority of our diets is composed of white meats like chicken, fish and pork, but for a treat (and some iron), we go for red meat. Whether it is a juicy hamburger, some spicy tacos or a roast, beef is a great choice. Everything in moderation, right?

Wait, you don't know what a supper club is? Check it out on Wikipedia. I think they have a spot-on description of these restaurants. Usually we go to one when we are up north by our cabin, but to have an old school supper club right here in Milwaukee is a treasure!

I can't wait to settle in to the 1950's-60's decor, order a martini or old fashioned (another very Wisconsin drink), snack on the relish tray and wait for my steak. Where are we going to enjoy all this kitsch?! The Five O'Clock Steakhouse "One of America's Best Steakhouses" says Rachel Ray. It has been voted number one in the city so many times, and people on Yelp can't be more enthusiastic. I can't wait! You can believe I'll be taking pictures of my meal!

Until then, have a great weekend!

Desserts - it never hurts to make a back up

Good morning crushers,

We have a "food fight" going on at work. The idea is that we split our office building into two teams (east side vs. west side) and we play various games and have drawings and things to support a local food bank called Hunger Task Force.

"Hunger Task Force believes that every person has a right to adequate food obtained with dignity. Hunger Task Force works to prevent hunger and malnutrition by providing food to people in need today and by promoting social policies to achieve a hunger free community tomorrow."

Last year, we raised over $14,000 in 10 days! One of the many activities we do to raise money is a bake sale. Hopefully, some of the desserts I made will help. I tried two recipes last night. One is a tried and true recipe and one is brand new.

First: Mint Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients:
1 box of chocolate brownie mix (1/2 cup oil, 1/4 cup water, 2 eggs)
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 - 1 whole bag of chocolate mints (I used Andes Candies) for the topping

Directions:
Mix the brownies according to the box.

Tip: When cracking eggs, I like to crack them on their sides on a flat hard surface like the counter top because it cracks the egg in a nice line around the whole thing. I have less rogue egg shell pieces that way.

See? It broke evenly in half!

Mix in the peppermint extract making sure you get all the way to the bottom in the mixing process. Bake according to the box. When the brownies are done (a fork or toothpick inserted comes out clean), pour the mint chocolate chips evenly over the top of the brownies. In a few minutes, the heat from the brownies will melt the chips so you can spread them like frosting. It's a nice little chocolatey crust.

Minty and Melty!

I have to confess that I made these brownies as a back up for the cookies I'm about to show you. I had this box of angel food cake mix in my cupboard forever, so I really needed to do something with it. Since I can't find the pan that I would need to make that in (moving is hard), I did a Google search for "angel food cake cookies" and I got the recipe for Angel Macaroon Cookies. I wasn't sure how they would turn out, so I thought I would need a back up. Plus, I have very hungry women at my book club, so I figured it couldn't hurt to have more.

Here is how I made the recipe for Angel Macaroons (or as Steve calls them, Snow Angels).
Ingredients:
1 box of angel food cake mix
1 small package of sweetened coconut flakes (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Because the box of my cake mix said not to use a plastic bowl, I used my big ol' trusty glass mixing bowl with a handle on it. There were very specific directions on how long to mix things for and at what speed. Since I didn't read the directions about "folding in the coconut flakes" and I just dumped them in, I figured I should at least follow the directions for beating the dough more closely: Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape bowl; beat on medium speed for 1 minute.

Well, we all know that I'm likely to break hand mixers, but we bought a new one that should be able to handle a little coconut. And boy did it work well! This thing could have drilled through the wall!

Awesome new mixer! It even has a retractable cord, bowl rest, and lots of attachments!

After you have it all mixed up and it looks really sticky, drop by small, rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. This is important for two reasons: 

Oh how they grew... Especially that guy in the upper right corner.

1. There is no "grease" in the mix, so the parchment paper is important. Angel food doesn't like oil - it doesn't get puffy if there is grease. I did not use parchment paper (ran out), and my non-stick pans didn't do quite the whole job.
2. Be sure and separate them because they will grow. My little spoonful of dough turned into a big cookie.

Snowman!

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove paper with cookies to wire racks to cool. Marvel at the deliciousness that is the Angel Macaroon. Steve saw how some of the cookies stuck together to look like snowmen, so he now calls these "Snow Angel Cookies." He's a bit disappointed that they are going in the bake sale. Fortunately, they're super easy to make. They'll make an appearance at our house again!

Taco trade off

Good morning!
I was all set to take pictures of our meal last night to share with you today, but although it tasted good, we think we won't make it again. I sort-of, kind-of followed the Taste of Home recipe for Baked Chicken and Acorn Squash. If I had actually used canned peaches and rosemary, it probably would have tasted really good. However, I didn't have either of them, so I though I would use some thyme instead since that goes good with chicken. Overall, it was very tasty (especially the squash!), so you should try it, but my red-pepper-loving husband asked for "more kick, less sweet". I had to agree.

Instead of sharing photos and such of the chicken and squash, I am going to share my sister-in-law, Beth's taco seasoning recipe. This way you get all the spice and none of those ingredients you can't even pronounce!

Beth's Homemade Taco Seasoning:
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or 1/8 tsp cayenne
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

Directions:
Add to ground meat (lean beef or turkey) and simmer with 3/4 cup water.

Non-food crushes

Hi Crushers,

I just wanted to share a few links today to some other bloggers that I get a kick out of because THEY ARE AWESOME.

1. Tina from Carrots 'N' Cake or CNC
Tina is a fitness and pug fan that blogs about food, fitness programs, her family and her pug, Murphy. He's adorable and obsessed with chicken. She is also doing a #24daysoftogetherness project with her husband. Last year, I made a huge Advent calendar out of an over-the-door shoe organizer for my husband, Steve, and filled it with all sorts of little treats from his favorite candy to books to restaurant gift cards to new ornaments for the tree to a box of bandages (we climbed Half Dome on our honeymoon). Since I've got a different plan for his gift this year, I am joining Tina's #24daysoftogetherness for our Advent calendar. You can too!

Day 1: Sing and Dance to Christmas Carols - CHECK!
Day 2: Make an ornament - see photo proof!

I have paint on my fingers from making gifts for our "handmade Christmas" party.

We did some finger painting. That's supposed to be a heart made from our thumbprints.
It says, "Our first Christmas as Mr. and Mrs. 2012"

Day 3: Eat dinner by candlelight - CHECK!

Day 4 (today): Play a board game. This morning was full of "Tonight I will win!" trash talk. Muwahahah

2. Ree from The Pioneer Woman
Yes, Ree is an awesome cook and I have been making a number of her recipes lately, but she is also very crafty and has a very interesting life on a ranch to read about. She cracks me up because she must write like she talks. I'd definitely take this woman out for a cup of coffee.

3. Tiffany from The Nest Effect
This woman is a teacher and recently-married person who loves organization. I can't say that I'm as organized as she is, but Tiffany sure has some great ideas! From time to time, she shares free printables. She also has an Etsy shop.

Advent by Candlelight with Easy Chocolate Cherry Trifle

Hey Crushers,
This past weekend was full of getting ready for Christmas Spirit! Every year for the past 15-ish years, our church has hosted a Christmas program for women called "Advent by Candlelight" or ABC. The idea behind the program is that the holidays are always filled with hustle and bustle, so sometimes we forget the real purpose of Christmas is to celebrate Jesus' birth as the fulfillment of a long-ago promise that God would send a Savior to the world. This often gets mixed up in the cookies and lights and stockings and cards and shopping and wrapping and groceries and cooking and more and more... Although you hear about the true "reason for the season", this really makes you stop and think about it.

For ABC, there are table hostesses that invite friends, family, acquaintances and neighbors to join them in a relaxing afternoon of fellowship, faith and desserts. I was a reader for ABC and I am in the handbell choir which played "Tree of Life" and "Here I am Lord" as part of the program. The theme for this year was "Here I am Lord" about how God often used the unexpected woman in the Bible to help bring about His promise of a Savior. You never know when you're going to be called to a bigger purpose!

Jen's ABC table (before we lit the
candles). Note the baking soda
on the table in case of fire.

Part of the fun is that we hold this whole event with only a few electric lights for the readers and musicians. All of the tables for participants are lit by candles. Every hostess is encouraged to decorate her table and bring a dessert to share. Since my sister and I got married this year, I was able to recycle a lot of the table decorations from our weddings. I wrapped mason jars (from my wedding) with sheer ribbon for a nice glow and used a Christmas/wintry centerpiece that my mom gave me as a gift a few years ago. She also let me borrow some of her white dishes so the whole table was red and white. I got lots of compliments, so that was very nice, but I must say that each hostess really showed how creative she is!

For the dessert, I wanted to make something that I could just hand out individually instead of needing to slice and serve. Cupcakes are a great option, but I was feeling a bit caked-out after all the weddings this year. So, I made individual Chocolate Cherry Trifle cups! Instead of putting it in one big trifle bowl (which would give me the scoop and serve problem), I put them in clear plastic cups. They were easy to make, easy to serve, and everyone enjoyed them!

Chocolate Cherry Trifle Cups
Ingredients:
1 box of chocolate cake mix (plus 3 eggs, 1 1/3 cup water, 1/2 cup oil)
2 packages instant chocolate pudding (plus 4 cups of cold milk)
1 large tub of whipped topping
1 can of cherry pie filling
1 square of semi-sweet baking chocolate (mini chocolate chips would work, too)

Directions:
Bake the chocolate cake according to the directions on the box. If you're feeling ambitious, go ahead and make chocolate cake from scratch (I ran out of time because we were giving the house a good pre-Christmas decorations cleaning). While that is in the oven, make the chocolate pudding according to the package. I sound like I'm on "Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Cooking", don't I? It works!

Assembly process

Once the cake has cooled (takes about an hour), it's time to start assembling. I needed to make enough for 12 servings, so I grabbed a muffin tin to help me keep the cups from tumbling over, plus it's easy to carry! Cut the cake in 1 x 1 inch squares or just tear it with your fingers in little clumps. Layer each cup with the following: cake, chocolate pudding, whipped topping, cherry pie filling, cake, whipped topping. Be sure and spread out each layer so you can see it from the outside.

All done! I saved putting on the chocolate shavings until I was ready to serve them.

Tip: You can cover these and put them in the fridge overnight, but I wouldn't make this two nights ahead. That might make them a little too soggy. For a pretty garnish on top, take that chunk of baking chocolate and shave off some with a veggie peeler.