Asparagus, red pepper, and cheese strata

Here's a great make-ahead dish that you can serve anytime of the day!  I served it as dinner, but it would also make the perfect side for breakfast.  It's another one of those customizable meals that you can make however you like.  I added asparagus and red pepper, but I think next time I'll add some meat (per Darling Husband's request).  Perfect to bring to a big gathering, or dish it up for a couple meals at home.  You could easily prep this the night before and toss it in the oven in the morning.  I prepped it around 9 am and we had it for dinner that evening.  It's just like a savory bread pudding.  Eggs, and cheese, and bread....what else could you ask for?!

Asparagus, red pepper, and cheese strata

1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch size pieces

1 large red pepper, diced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

6 cups French bread , cut into cubes (day old works great)

8 eggs

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.  In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook onion until soft, about 10 minutes.  Add asparagus and red pepper and cook for 5 more minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.   In a large bowl beat eggs with milk. Add about a teaspoon salt and pepper, and Dijon mustard.  

Place half the bread cubes along the bottom of your prepared dish.  Top with half your veggie mixture and 1 cup cheese.  Repeat layers, but save the remaining cup of cheese to add right before baking.  Pour egg mixture over the entire casserole.  Gently press the top of the casserole down to moisten all the bread layers. Cover dish and refrigerate anywhere from 2 to 24 hours.  

Once ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.  Sprinkle with remaining cup of cheese and bake for about 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Let stand for about 15 minutes before serving.

There you have it!  A simple dish, you can serve many different ways!  Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to making some cookies.

Salted Caramel and chocolate chip cookies

We have some new neighbors who just moved in across the street.  I decided to be super neighborly and bake them up some treats.  I always like trying out a new twist on a classic recipe.  I've been reading a lot about people adding a little cornstarch to their chocolate chip cookies.  The corn starch is supposed to create that nice chewy texture and produce a nice puffy cookie.  I tried this recipe two different ways.  With one, I chilled the dough, the other, straight to the baking sheet.

I honestly didn't notice any difference in either of the methods.  I did really like the texture though: nice chewy outside, soft middle.  Maybe I'll have to keep making them to perfect the recipe.  All in the name of research right? For fun I added in some caramel chips.  Oh, and a little sprinkle of sea salt on top.  Both add-ins are optional, but I think totally worth it.

 Salted Caramel and chocolate chip cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup caramel chips

sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.  Stir together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

With a mixer cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add egg and vanilla and mix completely, scraping the bowl as necessary.  Add pre-mixed dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Stir in chocolate and caramel chips.

Using a medium cookie scoop, or a tablespoon, drop rounded balls of dough on prepared cookie sheet.  Sprinkle dough with sea salt.

Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Tops will still appear light and slightly undone.  Do not bake longer than 10 minutes.  9 minutes was perfect in my oven.  Allow to cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes and then transfer to rack to cool completely.  Yum!

It's fun to put little twists on cookie recipes. Luckily, this didn't turn out to be a negative experiment. I would definitely make this recipe again.  Would be fun to try this with other fun candies or mix-ins.  Like I said, I'm willing to keep trying...it's the least I can do for you.

One year of Motherhood

Crazy to see the title of this post!  One year with my new BFF and sidekick!  It is true what they say, time does fly when you have a kid around. However, if I am being honest,  some days felt really, really long.  Also, there were many long nights.  The first six months were the toughest.  I've heard it said about raising kids: the days are long, but the years are short.  Truer words have never been spoken.  The thing is, even though she's in bed no later than eight, I still have work to do.  Cleaning up from the day, getting ready for the next day, and also trying to factor in some time for just me.  Seems there are never enough hours in the day.

I absolutely love my new job as Peyton's personal assistant.  On those long days though? I wouldn't mind a one-way ticket to Cabo!  I think I'd probably start to miss her though. Probably.  I think being a stay-at-home mom can make those days feel longer.  (I am not here to say being a stay-at-home mom is more challenging than being a working parent.  I don't know how working parents do it!  I'm just giving my perspective as a stay-at-home mom.) I am so grateful to be able to spend my days with her. I really don't want to miss anything.  There are definitely challenges though. 12 hours spent with a person who can not really do anything for themselves and who you can not reason with, and who doesn't understand when mommy might want to go to the bathroom by herself...that can be exhausting.  I'm lucky to have a husband who steps in and gives me the reprieve when needed. Also, there's wine and cookies.

Becoming a Mom has changed me.  I see things differently now.  My priorities are definitely different.  My family and my baby are number one.  I definitely don't have time for a lot of the things that I used to enjoy, but I know that there will be a time for those things again.  It honestly doesn't matter right now.  I am completely dedicated to this period in my life and I want to give it my all...except for those moments when I'm on Facebook, Pinterest, or watching TV.

As far as Peyton goes....she is great. She just had her one-year check-up and she is right on track! Weighing 20 pounds and 29 inches long, she's about average.  No walking yet, but slowly getting a few steps in.  I know once she starts, I'm in for it.  One of my favorite things about her now is how affectionate she has become.  She gives the best, most slobbery, open-mouth kisses ever!  She also will "hug", by laying her head on you.  It's only about the cutest thing.  Also, if you ask her if something is "soft", she will put it to her cheek to test it out. She does this with just about everything, dolls, blankets, stuffed animals, dirty laundry.  I'm working on cutting out her bottles, and giving her almost all table food.  This kid is still a maniac for food!  She loves to eat and has no patience.  Food! Now! She now has eight teeth!!  The two most recent being molars, which I think caused her a little discomfort.  We're having fun with our music class, but I think she's ready for a new challenge.  She wants to be on the move as much as she can.  We just went to a really fun Play and Learn class at Gymboree, and I think that is more to her speed.  I would also like to do some swim classes.  She has a really fun group of friends, and I enjoy spending time with their moms...it's a win-win!  

Overall, I think she's a healthy, happy kid.  It's crazy to look back on the changes.  These past few months I've especially noticed how much she is growing.  I'm really enjoying this age, but always looking forward to what she'll do next!

Golden Grahams S'mores Bars

Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed a safe and happy long holiday weekend.  Did you BBQ?  Eat, or make anything fun?  I was happy to enjoy a grilled hot dog and my weight in Cheetos.  I have a tasty and easy recipe for you today.  I made this for my Bakin' Friend this month. Our secret ingredient was marshmallow.  For me, marshmallows automatically lead me to think about S'mores.  I wasn't sure how I would mail S'mores, so I was happy when I discovered this recipe in my Betty Crocker book!

This will be a great recipe for summer because it is no-bake!  No need to worry about turning on a hot oven in those hot summer months.   I imagine this being really fun for sleepovers with friends. Great treat to give to little ones who aren't quite ready to roast marshmallows.  

The recipe reminds me of Rice Krispie treats.  You melt together butter and marshmallows and then toss in some chocolate chips and vanilla.  Golden Grahams give you that tasty graham flavor and you add even more marshmallows.   They have to sit a little before they are ready....a true test of your patience.  So don't wait till summer to make these...do it today!

Golden Grahams S'mores Bars

1 bag (10.5) oz mini marshmallows, 1 cup reserved

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

5 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 cups Golden Grahams cereal

Prepare a 13x9 pan by spraying with cooking spray and set aside.  In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup, and marshmallows.  Stir continuously until completely melted.  Once melted, remove from heat and add vanilla. Add cereal to saucepan and stir until completely coated.  Add remaining cup of marshmallows.  Spread evenly in prepared dish.  Let sit for at least an hour, or put in the fridge to speed up the process.

If you're not on your way to the grocery store to buy these ingredients, don't let me keep you.  I know this will quickly become one of your favorite treats to share ....or keep to yourself.

Scenes from a birthday party...

Broccoli, egg, and cheese muffin cups

I love breakfast.  I really love it when someone makes it for me.  However, most days I am the one making breakfast.  Peyton and I really like having eggs.  I needed a way to make eggs as easy as possible.  Enter, the muffin tin.

A little bit of prep work, and you can have breakfast, or lunch or dinner, ready for the whole week.  After baking, keep these in the fridge, then just microwave for one minute and you're set.  You really don't have any reason to skip breakfast anymore.

I received some awesome gadgets from OXO and put them to use for this recipe.  My favorite has been the 3-in-1 egg separator.  It fits right on the bowl, has an elevated ridge for cracking, and separates the yolk from the whites with ease.

I added broccoli and cheese to my muffin cups, but you can make them however you like.  I think next time I'll try adding some ham and maybe green peppers.   This recipe made 6 muffins, but you can easily double to make 12.  I added toast and fruit and the meal was Peyton approved!

Broccoli, egg, and cheese muffin cups

2 cups broccoli florets (about one head of broccoli)

4 whole eggs

2 egg whites

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare muffin tin with cooking spray or baking papers.

Steam broccoli in a medium pot of boiling water for about 6 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  In a large bowl combine eggs, egg whites, milk, shredded cheese, and salt and pepper.  Fold in broccoli.  Pour into prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 full. I sprinkled each with a little extra cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until each muffin turns light brown.  Serve immediately.  Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.    Reheat leftovers in the microwave for 1 minute.

Now you can have breakfast in no time!  

I received these OXO products as part of their blogger outreach program. Opinions are all mine.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

We have been having some amazing weather here in Seattle!  80 degree temperatures in May?? That's pretty shocking for us here.  These cookies go perfectly with this summer-type weather we have been having. Citrus treats are just summery treats to me.  Not to say I wouldn't eat a dozen chocolate chip cookies in the summer, I just make a little extra room for citrus. 

I made these cookies for my Bakin' Friend last month.  These cookies have a great lemon flavor and are dusted with powdered sugar for that little extra sweetness.  This is a cookie where you could be in danger of eating the whole batch.   They are light, sweet, and just the perfect little treat.  I imagine eating a lot of these this summer...I think you will too!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

from Lauren's Latest

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare baking sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again until all ingredients are combined.  Add in all dry ingredients except the powdered sugar and mix slightly more. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate.  Grab a heaping teaspoon of dough, roll into a ball, and roll in powdered sugar.  Repeat with all remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until dough is set.  Allow to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to cooling rack to completely cool.

Think you can commit to these cookies this summer?  You won't be sorry.  They'd be perfect to bring to all those summer parties you'll be attending.  They'll definitely get you some invitations to come back.