Family Circle Gingerbread Men

I found this recipe in the November 2009 issue of Family Circle magazine. The boy spied all the gingerbread men arranged on a platter in the cover photo and immediately started asking to make them. I am not the best baker, but this recipe looked simple enough that even my little helper and I could handle it. This is my first crack at baking/decorating these type of cookies, so hopefully they will turn out yummy and aesthetically pleasing. I will make sure to post pics of the final product later on.

Family Circle Gingerbread Men
From: November 2009 issue, Family Circle magazine

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons of baking soda
1 Tablespoon of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup of packed dark-brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup of original molasses
Red hot cinnamon candies, for decorating
Tubed white icing for piping

Directions:
1) In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

2) In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until smooth (I used a handheld electric mixer). Beat in egg, then molasses. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture. Divide dough into 2 halves. Wrap; CHILL FOR 2 HOURS.

3)Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a well-floured surface, roll half of the dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut shapes with assorted-sized gingerbread cookie cutters; transfer to ungreased baking sheets. Reroll scrap cuts. Repeat with rest of the dough.

4) Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks to cool. Decorate with icing and assorted candies.

Jen's Notes:
I made a couple of subtle substitutions for our cookies. First, I did not have unsalted butter. I just used regular salted, which worked out fine. Then, the magazine has a recipe for Royal Icing, but I didn't use it. I already had tubed icing on hand and I reasoned that it would be easier to work with, considering I have a 3 1/2 year old assistant baker. Lastly, I don't have assorted gingerbread cookie cutters. I just have one size (it looks to be a 4 inch one), so that is what I used.

The cookies on the magazine cover don't have faces,which I think is a little strange. They look like little gingerbread drones. I think ours will have faces...that will make biting their heads off more fun, anyway!!!


Here is my assistant, hard at work mixing the dough. Notice his baking apparel...an apron, t-shirt, and Spiderman underwear.


Gee...it looks like he had to sample some of his handywork. I spy a little cookie dough at the corners of his mouth.







The Result:
This was a really fun project to do with my son. I think as gingerbread cookies go, this recipe is probably mediocre...really, nothing special. The cookies themselves tasted okay, but are super-crunchy. Personally, I like a more chewy cookie; but as it has been explained to me that gingerbread is usually pretty darn crunchy.

The fun part was decorating these guys and getting my little one involved in the whole process. I love that he is old enough to enjoy helping me in the kitchen. The decorated cookies did not turn out "magazine cover" beautiful, but I am okay with that. All in all, I would certainly make gingerbread men again...maybe just look for a better recipe. I would recommend this baking project for something neat to do with your kids!!!

Edamame and Mushroom Risotto

I am on the fence about dinner tonight. While I really like this dish, I don't know if I am in the mood for it, per se. I am a fickle creature, I know. I have been drooling over some recent Pioneer Woman/Pastor Ryan recipes on the Pioneer Woman website, and I think that is part of the problem. Nothing I have planned looks as appealing as what they have been cooking over there. Alas, this was the meal that I put on our weekly meal plan. It is a solid vegetarian choice, and I need to use the mushrooms that I purchased for this recipe. I am not going to succumb to the temptation of changing my mind at the last second...I am just going to stay strong and make what I already have planned. Besides, the husband loves this risotto. (If that is not a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is...)

Edamame and Mushroom Risotto

I am probably not going to make any changes, take a new photo, or do another review of this recipe. My previous post does this dish sufficient justice. The funny thing is that I really liked this dish the first time we had it. I don't know why I am so "blah" about it now! Oh well. Maybe after tasting it again I will be more enthusiastic.

Update:
This was still awesome! I don't really know what my problem was with not wanting this dish tonight. I am sticking to my original thoughts about this dish...yum-o!

Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole

Last time I made this recipe, I combined it with another dish in my post. I wanted to separate it out, so it is easier to link back to in the future. This is the side dish we are having with our Pork Schnitzel. I am hoping that it pairs well with the flavors of the pork. I love that this dish is a all-in-one starch/vegetable combo. That means I only have to make one side items to fill both requirements, instead of two!

Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole

Ingredients:
* 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
* 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
* 2 eggs
* 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
* 1 can (10.75 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
* 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
* 1 box (6 ounces) chicken-flavored stuffing mix
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large pot, steam cauliflower for 7 to 8 minutes and broccoli for 5 minutes, or until fork-tender. Set aside.

3. In a food processor or blender, mix together eggs, onion, soup and mayonnaise until smooth.

4. In a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish, spread cauliflower in an even layer. Sprinkle with half the cheese and top with half of the soup mixture. Repeat layering with broccoli and remaining cheese and soup mixture.

5. Prepare stuffing mix following package directions. Spoon stuffing over top of casserole. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Serve warm.

The Result:
Did you see the photo below???? This looked good, didn't it??? Let me assure you, it tasted good, too! I really like this dish. It went nicely with our pork, so I am finding that it is pretty versatile. It goes well with a variety of main courses, and I still think it could be a stand-alone vegetarian meal all by itself. I will certainly be turning to this casserole recipe whenever I find fresh broccoli and cauliflower for a good price. It is both easy and yummy!

Edamame and Mushroom Risotto

I am always on the lookout for interesting vegetarian recipes. I was flipping through one of my magazines, where low and behold, I found this dish. I cut the article out and saved it, but I did not note which magazine it came from. I did a little online investigating and deduced that it came from the April 2009 issue of Family Circle magazine. Whew! I found it!!! Next time, I will just have to pay closer attention to what I am doing.
I love edamame and often buy it to have on hand. I like to steam it in the microwave, then top it with some flaked sea salt, for a healthy, mid-afternoon snack (it helps me keep the cookie cravings at bay). Believe it or not, it is a very satisfying little treat! Anyway, we have been having a lot of heavy meals lately, so I thought this would be a nice break. I am always a sucker for a good risotto!

Edamame and Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces white button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 pound frozen edamame
1/2 dry white wine
3 cups vegetable broth mixed with 1-1/2 cups water
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of half and half (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

2. Cook edamame, about 5 minutes, following package directions. Drain, cool and remove beans from shells. Add beans to mushrooms in skillet. Discard shells.

3. Place broth and water in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a simmer.

4. In a large saucepan, heat remaining tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice and stir until rice is coated with oil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring-. Add wine and cook until wine is absorbed -- about 1 minute

5. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until broth is absorbed. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, cooking in the same manner. This should take about 30 minutes.

6. Gently heat mushrooms and edamame. Stir into rice and remove from heat. Stir in the pepper, half and half, and 1/4 cup of the cheese.

7. Divide among 4 bowls and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.



The Result:
This was really good. The husband really liked it. He had seconds, which is rare at our house. It was not as rich as most risottos, but still creamy and satisfying. The edamame made it pretty substantial, and gave it a fresh element. I loved the combination of flavors, with the earthy mushrooms and the green edamame. So yummy!

The edamame I used was pre-shelled (found at Fresh and Easy in the frozen section), so it actually saved me a step. I just steam-cooked them in the microwave and then combined them with the mushroom mixture...no shelling involved. The only other changes I made was that I added a couple cloves of minced garlic and some Pecorino Romano cheese; maybe 1/4 of a cup. I mixed the two cheeses together, since I love the slightly pungent sharpness that a little Romano lends. Overall, this is a definite keeper. We are huge risotto fans, and I love having another version of this classic dish in my repertoire.

UPDATE:
I made this risotto again, but changed up some of the base ingredients. Instead of edamame, I substituted peas. Then, I wilted some fresh baby spinach into it for a little nutritional boost. Lastly, I topped it off with some crispy, crumbled bacon as a garnish (I think I only used 4-5 slices total). YUM! I think I like the updated version better than the original recipe. This is a great basic risotto that you can play around with and add/subtract different items of your liking. (PS-Obviously, the bacon negates the "vegetarian" aspect of the dish, but it is a great addition if you are not adverse to a little pork product in your risotto.)

Cheeseburgers on Whole Wheat Buns and Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole

It has been awhile since we have had old fashioned, grilled, no-frills cheeseburgers at our house. I think the last time was when I was sick...about a month or so ago. Even then, I felt really crappy and I could not enjoy them at all. (How sad for me!)
The husband had requested burgers again a week or so ago, but I forgot to work them into the menu. Since I took a freezer inventory last Tuesday, I realized that we needed to use up some of the ground beef that we have stocked. Based on the beef surplus I have in my freezer, I will be breaking my self-imposed "beef once a week...vegetarian three times a week rule" again. (I have really fallen off the wagon with that lately!) I am slowly trying to cut back on red meat by only having it once a week. However, frugality is my main priority and I don't want to be wasteful. Until I can get a good balance of protein items going in my freezer, I need to set my plans aside and be a little more flexible with our menu planning. Keeping our budget in check is what I need to work on the most right now.

I thawed some of my homemade whole wheat buns to have with our cheeseburgers and I am making a new veggie side dish, too. I found this casserole recipe in Family Circle magazine recently. I have both fresh broccoli and fresh cauliflower on hand, and all the other ingredients I found lurking in my pantry. Yes, it employs the use of some processed ingredients...sigh...processed stuff makes me cringe. Again, I am trying to stay flexible and keep what is budget-friendly in mind. At least the veggies are fresh.

The burgers and buns are 'been there/done that' so I won't bore you with re-typing the recipes. However, below is the new recipe for the casserole. I will let you know how it turns out!

Broccoli-Cauliflower Casserole

Ingredients:
* 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
* 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
* 2 eggs
* 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
* 1 can (10.75 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
* 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
* 1 box (6 ounces) chicken-flavored stuffing mix
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large pot, steam cauliflower for 7 to 8 minutes and broccoli for 5 minutes, or until fork-tender. Set aside.

3. In a food processor or blender, mix together eggs, onion, soup and mayonnaise until smooth.

4. In a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish, spread cauliflower in an even layer. Sprinkle with half the cheese and top with half of the soup mixture. Repeat layering with broccoli and remaining cheese and soup mixture.

5. Prepare stuffing mix following package directions. Spoon stuffing over top of casserole. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Serve warm.





The Result:
The casserole was really, really good. It could actually stand alone as a vegetarian meal. It was both flavorful and filling; after tasting it, I didn't mind so much about the "processed" ingredients. What can I say, I am fickle...especially when the dish tastes good! The casserole itself kinda reminded me of the Strata I made, but with different veggies. Overall, this casserole is a total keeper...considering it is made with all ingredients that I usually have on hand anyway.
Our burgers turned out awesome, and my homemade buns held up well to freezer storage. You could not even tell that they had been frozen and then thawed. I am still ridiculously pleased with the whole wheat bun recipe. Our dinner was super-yummy and fairly simple...perfect for a Sunday night meal!