Reminders for 2012

I know I just said I'm not big on New Year resolutions but I came across something the other day that made me think of them in a different light. If you follow me on pinterest, you saw Woodie Guthrie's resolutions from 1942.

There are so many simple, doable things on his that serve as great daily reminders of how to live. I used his resolutions as inspiration for my own daily reminders for my life in 2012.



Did you make any resolutions, goals or reminders for 2012?

Top Posts in 2011

I have enjoyed other people's posts about their top 5 posts from the previous year so I decided to do that here. I just based it on most page views for posts made in 2011, though, some of the most viewed pages were from 2010 posts.

Anyway, here are the top 5...

5. I Think I Did It



Maybe it's the coffee ice cubes or the fact that a ton of people are looking for a perfect iced coffee recipe, but either way, this post made it to the top five. I feel kind of bad because I am going to share something this week that will make this post obsolete. Seriously, folks, stay tuned.

4. P is for... (part 2)



I would like to think it's my clever "Princess and the Pea" cake that got all the page views but it probably has more to do with the super cute dollhouse, pillow and quilt that were given to my P.

3. P is for... (part 1)




This makes me happy to be in the top five because I'm usually not a crafty gal. I busted out all my secret skills on this party and it seems that people liked it, thank you pinterest.

2. Homemade Pizza Balls

Say hello to my favorite snack recipe for 2011. Those babies were so good. I have made them several times since and have no plans to stop. The Nathan's ball is my fave.

1. Maybe a Tad Biased



Maybe it's the too-cute-for-words pictures my sister took of my P or the subtle announcement at the end that made this the top 2011 post but in all honesty, I'm quite certain it's the fact that my sister linked up to the news. Most page views in one day goes to this post as well. Thanks, sister.

Hope you enjoyed at least one of those!

Natural Snack

Here's a quick, all natural little snack we've been munching on around our house that I thought you might enjoy.  They're no-bake, all natural energy balls/bites.

I first saw them on Krista's blog where she talked about how delicious they were. I pinned her pin to my pinterest board and finally made them myself, you can find the original recipe at Food Doodles.

I stayed close to the recipe but a few slight changes.

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 cup finely shredded coconut
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1/4 cup chopped, dried mixed fruit (cranberry, blueberry, strawberry)
about a teaspoon sea salt

***UPDATED: I have been roughly chopping up some milk chocolate chips and love that addition. It's not so natural but it's really good!***

You mix the peanut butter and honey together, then mix in the rest of your ingredients.



Refrigerate for at least 30 min. and roll into little bite-sized balls - I got 30 out of them. I stuck them on some wax paper in a tupperware dish in the fridge and they lasted about 5 days.



I'll be making a new batch tomorrow and trying the frozen version, Heidi, mentioned.

Oktoberfest Feasting

As I've mentioned, Oktoberfest was this past weekend here in T-town. The plan was to save money by going during the free-admission time and not eating anything while we were there because we had a German feast to come home to. Such was the plan anyway. We made it inside the gates with seconds, and I mean seconds, to spare. We didn't plan on the traffic and had to run for the gates. Sweet P and I made it through, then Eric and then the ticket-takers started moving out saying time was up and everyone needed a ticket. My mom held her phone up with the time showing there was still one minute to go as she pushed on through. They ended up letting her through - along with a drove of others!

It was a fun start to the event. We walked from tent to tent, hearing various sounds of music and cheering and smelling all kinds of tempting treats.



We hadn't been there 20 minutes before the beer (the husband's beverage), potato pancake and Ludgar's Bavarian cream cheese cake had been purchased.



With full bellies it was time to work a little of those calories off with a little chicken dancing. Sweet P once again wooed the crowds and had everyone around her clapping and smiling.



It was a good time. I think I need one of those German hats for me and Sweet P next year.

The rest of the weekend was filled with family, a lot of football watching and more German feasting. Last week I mentioned a few recipes I wanted to try and I made all but one. I also added one I didn't mention so here's the reviews...

First up, the Wiener Schnitzel and German potato salad.



I tried this chicken schnitzel recipe but used tenderized-boneless pork chops for the meat. The husband said it was the best schnitzel he's ever eaten and that it reminded him of the one he would order as a kid at Ursula's (Tulsa restaurant no longer in business). I thought it turned out pretty good.

Then there's the German potato salad recipe that I mentioned last week. Again, the husband loved it and said it was the best potato salad I've ever made. Personally, I prefer a cold, smashed potato salad but it went well with the dinner.

Next up is the recipe for apple strudel I also mentioned last week.



After I converted everything in her recipe, I decided to use puff pastry instead of phyllo dough. I like puff pastry, it's easy and I'll use the leftovers. Plus, I didn't feel like taking the time to do the whole buttering the 4-5 layers or phyllo. I'm lazy.



The puff pastry ended up working out really well and the strudel was amazing. Really folks, delicious. I used honeycrisp apples inside and topped the strudel with some icing to really take it over the edge in the healthy department.

And, last up, I tried this recipe for homemade pretzels.



They were a huge hit. I read a lot of the comments on the recipe and ended up going with 4 cups of flour and using my kitchenaid with the hook attachment to knead the dough. That thing made this recipe SO easy. The pretzels smelled amazing and were perfect right out of the oven.

The recipe calls for sugar but the husband didn't care for the sweetness of the dough. I didn't mind but will probably use less next time I make them. They were also really good covered sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and coated with melted butter. Such a great treat.

After all the German food cooking and eating I have determined that the German folk aren't too concerned with calories and I'm happy Oktoberfest only rolls around once a year.

My Favorite Mushroom Risotto

As I typed that I caught myself saying riz-auto in my head like I'm Chef Ramsey. Have you ever heard him say it? It's just like that.

Anyway, one of my favorite not so healthy indulgences is risotto. I've never had it at a restaurant so I have no comparison as to what it "should" taste like. But, I've made it countless times at home and love it.

Here's the recipe I use as a base - not surprisingly from Martha. I get the sliced baby portobellos from the store to help with the prep work because risotto is a dish of love and labor. It's not one that you can start and walk away from. I've never timed it, but I think it takes about 30 - 40 minutes of constant stirring.



Not a side I make if the husband has to work late.

It's also a great recipe to use any frozen, homemade chicken broth because it calls for like 5-6 cups of chicken broth.

Since the risotto needed serious attention, I baked some salmon and steamed some asparagus to have with it (it also balanced out the meal to be a little healthier). Although, I could eat of bowl of just mushroom risotto by itself.

Yes, it's that good.



And that's what we had the other night.

Here's my adapted version of her recipe:

• 5-6 cups homemade chicken broth
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 large shallot, diced small
• 1/2 pound sliced baby portobello mushrooms
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine
• 2 handfuls grated Parmesan (probably about 1/2 cup)
• 3 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley, marjoram, and chives

I'm really wanting to try this recipe next:

Source: thewellfednewlyweds.blogspot.com via Lesley on Pinterest

It's supposed to be a quick version that you can bake!

Proof I Still Cook

Last weekend marked the beginning of college football season! Go Cowboys!
I love this time of year, especially because of the insane, record-breaking summer we just had.

The mornings are cool and crisp but the sun is out and warms the afternoon, perfect mix of cool and warm. I also like long sleeve shirts, jeans, weenie roasts by a campfire and the smell of fall. I also realize I am not in college anymore and shouldn't dress like I am, but I love hoodie sweatshirts and just can't let them go.

Anyway, another reason I love college football games is because we almost always eat fun game-day food. I went to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and we started the tradition of eating great food on game days. If it was an away game, there would be meat smoked, chips and dips a-plenty and tasty treats. Home games could be enjoyed at Eskimo Joe's eating world-famous cheese fries or in parking lots on tailgates. Ahhh, I can smell the game-day flavors now!

Sorry about the sidetrack, back to last weekend and food!

Now, I didn't invent this recipe and there are probably a hundred different recipes out there on these but I'm going to go ahead and share how I make jalapeno poppers.

These are one of those perfect game-day treats: two bites, on a stick and make no mess.

Here's what you'll need:

• 12 jalapeno peppers
• 1 8oz tub of Philadelphia chive and onion cream cheese
• 2 slice of American cheese
• 12 slices of uncooked bacon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the jalapenos, slice them in half and remove all the seeds and ribs (those are the hot parts).



Then cut the American cheese into little strips and put one into a jalapeno slice, then spoon in some cream cheese and set aside and repeat with the remaining jalapenos.





Next, cut the bacon in half lenght-wise and wrap one half of a slice of bacon around the cheese-filled jalapeno. (Sorry, no pics here due to gross raw bacon germs.) Then stick a toothpick or small kabob stick through on end to the other to hold the bacon in place while it cooks. Repeat with the remaining jalapenos.



Put the assembled poppers on a wire rack and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the bacon is brown and starts to crisp. Let them cool a few minutes before digging in, otherwise you'll melt your tastebuds off.



These are also really good cooked on a grill but the husband was fishing so I had to use the oven which was also good.

I also bought enough jalapenos and bacon to try this recipe I saw on pinterest, but due to a small kitchen fire that ruined all the cooked bacon pieces, I only got to make a few.

The few I did get to try were dangerously good!




So there, proof I'm still around and still cooking.