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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Savory Sweet Potato Fries


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Most people are either savory or sweet when it comes to their preference of food genre.  Me?  I'm a savory girl (for the most part)...I'll take a big, fat juicy cheeseburger over a piece of cake any day!  Don't get me wrong, I do occasionally go on an old fashion chocolate binge - what woman wouldn't?! 

Being in the savory category can be good for you or it can be bad, especially if you tend to crave the not-so-good things for you (like cheeseburgers)!  In trying to stay on top of what we eat, french fries are definitely out of the question (not indefinitely, though).  Sweet potato fries, however, are not!  I don't remember when it was that I, all of a sudden, became a fan of sweet potatoes!  I remember as a kid, at every holiday gathering, someone would make a sweet potato casserole and the thought of it, just made me cringe!  I don't know what it was about it that I didn't like because I don't recall ever trying it.  Maybe it was the words "sweet potato" - it sounded so much like a grown-up vegetable!  Or maybe it was the idea of putting marshmallows and cinnamon on (what I thought were) potatoes!  Yuck...who does that?! 

But, my time finally came when I tasted the quite delicious sweet potato fry; it was like the clouds separated and angels were singing!  They were just regular fries seasoned with salt and pepper and dipped in ketchup...YUM!  It was the best of both worlds: sweet and savory.  It was at that moment, that I offically became a fan.  I recently wanted to introduce Chris to my love as well (he had never had them), so when I did, he literally said "Oh my God, these are SO good!"  They have now become a weekly staple in our household and we can't go to the grocery store without stocking up on sweet potatoes.  BUT, when you eat something on a regular basis, you begin to become tiresome and we don't want that to happen - not with our beloved sweet potato fries.  So, I needed to find a way to change them up every now and then just to keep our interest piqued.  I came across this recipe (I believe) in Fitness Magazine quite some time ago; I tucked it away in my recipe book for the day that I would stumble upon it again, which wasn't all that long ago.  To our delight, the fries were amazing!  The combination of spices used married so well with the sweetness of the potato...it truly was heaven!


Savory Sweet Potato Fries
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Ingredients
3-4 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cumin
1/2 Tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 Tsp. Paprika
1/4 Tsp. Pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the potatoes into quarters and halve the quarters (to make bite-size pieces).  Arrange pieces on a large baking sheet misted with non-stick spray. 

In a small bowl, combine seasonings and sprinkle over potatoes.  Bake for 20 minutes or until brown and tender.

Source: Adapted from Fitness Magazine
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Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Dog Cookies


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Next to my love for food is my love for animals, especially my baby, Bailey!  After my move to the South, I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd get a puppy!  Neither of us had ever adopted before; however it was something we had been considering for a little while and decided to take the leap in October!  We went to our county animal shelter and fell in love with a little (well, not so little anymore) Black Lab/Rottweiler mix!




She has been an absolute joy (for the most part); however her little puppy antics and mischevious behavior have not gone unnoticed!  She's definitely still a puppy and has certainly had her naughty moments (especially recently).  BUT, she does have her moments when she is oh, so sweet and cuddly and affectionate and on her best behavior; it's those times when she deserves a treat! 

I've always wanted to try my hand at making homemade dog treats and I thought what better time than now?!  Christmas is right around the corner and it would be a great stocking stuffer for Bailey and a great gift for all of our little furry friends in our family!  I chose the Pumpkin & Peanut Butter biscuits I found on allrecipes.com because I already had the ingredients and I thought, if I were a dog, those would be the ones I would choose!  I was a little nervous because I've never made them but figured dogs eat most things, right?!  So what's the worst that could happen....they may not turn out the best, but they'll still get eaten!  They ended up turning out very well and Bailey sure didn't hesitate to inhale the first one I gave her!


Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Dog Cookies
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Ingredients
2 1/2 cups Flour
2 Eggs
1 cup canned Pumpkin
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
1 cup Carob Chips
Sugar Sprinkles

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt and cinnamon.  Add water and flour as needed to make the dough workable as it should be dry and stiff (like sugar cookie dough).  On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/2" thick.  With floured cookie cutters, cut dought into desired shapes and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. 

Bake for 30 minutes and let cool on a wire rack.  - I do a variety of small and large treats for the small and large dogs in our family; the smaller treats only need to bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on your oven temperature).

To frost the cookies, melt carob chips in a double boiler (stirring frequently) to the consistency of melted chocolate.  Fros the cookies by dipping them into the melted carob or using a knife to cover their surface.  While carob is still wet, sprinkle desired decorations on top.  Set out on parchment paper to dry.  Store in an air-tight container up to 2 weeks to keep fresh.

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com






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Monday, December 21, 2009

Stuffed Poblano Peppers


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While food happens to one of my most favorite things in this world, what you don't know is that my favorite kind of food is Mexican!  Whenever Chris and I discuss where we want to go out for dinner, my first choice is almost always Mexican (even if I don't say it out load with the fear that he may become tired of my suggestion(s), it still looms in the back of my mind)!  I could eat it everyday, which means it would be darn near impossible for me to turn down an opportunity to make it at home.  The love for Mexican cuisine even carries throughout my family...when getting together with my parents, that is always the food of choice when we go out!  It has even become a yearly tradition with my extended family....every year we all get together to make homemade tacos.  Yes, they are homemade because we even make the corn shells with a taco press.  The work becomes an all day process, but at the end of the day when we all sit together and pile those tacos into our bellies, it is SO worth the wait every year!

I had quite a bit of Chorizo in the freezer and trying to use up what we have before going out and buying more groceries, I had to really start getting creative!  Normally, I love chorizo for breakfast.  Give it to me in my scrambed eggs, omelet, breakfast casserole...you name it, I love it (for breakfast that is).  Chris had never had chorizo before and while we both love breakfast foods, I wanted to make something different; something that would really make him fall in love with chorizo like I had!  Someone had recently mentioned stuffed peppers and they had been sounding good for quite some time.  The light finally went off - Stuffed Poblano Peppers!  I've never made them before, nor had I ever tasted them.  I didn't have the slightest idea what I was going to put in them or how I was going to prepare them.  So, I started running through my Mom's Stuffed Pepper recipe and figuring out how I could tweak it to suit this dish appropriately.  With a few switch-a-roos of ingredients, I came up with my own creation of what I have found to be a quite popular dish! 

I ended up serving them with Mexican Fried Corn and it was SO GOOD!  This entire dish was something I, literally, pulled out of the air and made on a whim.  With no direction and no idea of what I was doing, I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out!  Man oh man, was this good!  It's not very often I give myself a pat on the back for a well-created dish; however, there is that rare occasion and this was definitely one of those occasions!  I even got a "high-5" from Chris!  SUCCESS!  He continuously kept repeating how good everything was and while my food guinea pig usually gives me the best compliments, I've never gotten them like this before!  I just had to share this recipe with you....enjoy!

Stuffed Poblano Peppers
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Ingredients
1 lb. Chorizo
1 Med. Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
3/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
1-14 oz can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis
1 1/2 cups Rice, cooked
1 Tsp. Cumin
5 Lg. Poblano Peppers
1 lb. Mexican Cheese, shredded

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Preheat large skillet on med-high heat.  Remove chorizo from casing and crumble into the skillet.  Cook until heated through; drain grease.  Add onion and cook until translucent.  Add garlic, cilantro, tomatoes, rice and cumin; mix together.

To prepare the peppers, you'll want to use gloves (while they're not very hot in taste, they will make your hands burn while working with them).  To remove the seeds from the pepper(s), make a cut in the form of a "T" by making across the top (just below the stem) and then another slit down the middle.  Using your hands, gently pry open the pepper to remove the seeds and ribs.  You'll also need to carefully cut off the stem inside where all of the seeds are connected.  Place the pepper on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Do this for all of the remaining peppers.

To stuff the peppers, place a generous amount of cheese inside and then fill to the top with chorizo mix.  Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, pull out and top with remaining cheese; bake for another 5 minutes.

Yield: 4 Servings
Source: With a Cherry on Top


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Friday, December 18, 2009

I'm Back!!!


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Whew, what a week!  Some of you may have noticed that I'm a little behind in posting (okay, A LOT), but what you may have also noticed is that I've undergone a face-lift!  Well, not me personally, but With a Cherry on Top took on a new look and has some new features that have been added on as well!  As I mentioned when I first started this blog, it's going to be a work in progress (always).  I'm constantly looking for new add-ons and ideas to continue making it more and more user-friendly.  Plus, I've grown a bit since I first started and will continue growing, which will also transpire into improvements to the site! 

First thing's first - I have completely done away with the black and hot pink color scheme.  While I love that color combo, it just wasn't working for me.  With a Cherry on Top has digressed to a pistachio and coffee color scheme with hints of cherries jubilee....like my little play on words with the food-named colors?!  I like to think they remind me of ice cream!

Another thing you may have noticed and will definitely begin to see is a HUGE improvement on my photography skills!  I'm not claiming to be a pro (yet), but I've been doing a lot of research and reading up on food photography in addition to becoming best friends with my camera.  I've been playing around with it's features, doing test-shoots before I actually take the "real" pictures and have brought in some fun and festive backgrounds to liven things up a bit.  I've also gotten my hands on a photo editing program and am just into the basics right now, but slowly learning my way around it to help with the editing of my photos.  Again, it's still a work in progress with definite improvements from before.   

Onto the new features...I really haven't taken anything away from the older version; however, I have made some upgrades and added some new things that I hope you will find useful.  Starting out with the "Categories" section - I have added more categories (hopefully) making it easier to look up and find recipes under a variety of topics.  I've added other blogs!  I now have an official "Blog Roll" listing all of my favorite food blogs (so far) that I love to follow, share ideas with and get inspiration from.  In addition, there is a small group of "Other Blogs I Love" which is simply a list of other non-food blogs that I like to look at regularly simply because they are things of interest to me and maybe for you too!  "Things That I Love" is going to be a common topic with posts on a regular basis where I will be highlighting things that I love...imagine that!  They will all be cooking-related, of course, and may include items such as products (new and/or old) that I have fallen in love with, websites that I have come across, gift-giving ideas, etc.  And eventually, (once I get caught up on my posts here), I'm going to add a "Weekly Menu" feature where you will see, every week, what our menu will look like here in our home to maybe provide you with some inspiration on your menu!

While I may have taken some time off from updating things on here, I certainly have not taken time off from the kitchen!  I have many new recipes and pictures to share with you and will be working on getting them all posted here (hopefully) in the next few days.  Thank you for your patience...Happy Eating!!!
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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Making Some Changes!


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Well, as you've probably noticed, it's been a while since I've been on here sharing tasty recipes and helpful cooking tips....I apologize for that.  As you can tell, my blog is going through a face lift to make it more user-friendly and aesthetic to it's viewers.  Please bear with me as I work out the kinks and make these changes.  I hope to have them completed within a few days, so please keep checking back for new updates!  Until then, Happy Eating!
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Saturday, December 5, 2009

Parmesan Tilapia


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Go Fish!  While the once popular children's game would come to mind for most, I'm actually referring to the theme that has been (or is going to be) common amongst our kitchen.  In the spirit of "going healthy" and in light of preparing for the ultimate gorging over the holidays, we are trying really hard to eat more fish and seafood.  One of my favorites (although some may find it boring) is Tilapia!  I don't find it boring at all and actually prefer it's mildness and meaty substance because it can take on so many different flavors and be used in a variety of ways! 

This recipe is one of my own and has to be one of the easiest and most inexpensive meals I know how to make (aside from popping in a frozen dinner or making it out of a box)!  The Tilapia, itself, is initially cooked with simplicity using a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  Later on, it is coated with a creamy parmesan sauce that has a hint of lemon and a richness that isn't overpowering.  And if you're like me and are the one that eats the burnt cheese crusted on the sides of the homemade mac and cheese, you'll especially love this one because after sitting under the broiler, the parmesan gets slightly overdone and makes this dish uberly delightful!

Parmesan Tilapia
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
6 Tilapia Fillets
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

Directions
Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Place fillets on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Drizzle olive oil over fillets and season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until no longer translucent. 

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, cheese and lemon juice.  Spread mixture over each fillet generously.  Turn oven off and turn on broiler; broil fish for 3-5 minutes or until topping becomes bubbly and brown.  Remove and serve immediately.

Source: With a Cherry on Top original
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Turkey & Cranberry Panini


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What to do with those Thanksgiving leftovers?! Even though we had Thanksgiving dinner at our house for just the two of us, we still ended up with quite a bit of food to finish up throughout the week. There are only so many times you can re-heat Thanksgiving dinner before wanting to run the other way! While we don't have much left, we have refused to go grocery shopping until we clean out our fridge and are rid of it altogether! Since the dinner as a whole has become tiresome, I have had to find new ways to be creative to use up those leftover trimmings.

One of my favorite things to eat are Paninis! They're great at any time of the year and pair well with soup, salads, crackers, fruit...you name it! You can make them as healthy as you want or as fattening as you want and either way you have them, they're delish! One thing we ended up having a lot left over from dinner was Cranberry Sauce. As I found out the day of, Chris is not a big fan of it so it was up to me to polish them off! It's obvious that cranberries and turkey make a great combination, so wanting to use up what we have, I decided to make a Turkey & Cranberry Panini! Since our vow to not go grocery shopping this week stands firm, I had to make use of what was in the fridge. In all reality, you can make this either way you want; however I found some Muenster cheese in the crisper and thought that it would be a creamy and flavorful topping among the cranberries and turkey. Topped with a mixture of Dijon mustard and a little bit of mayo, this sandwich was delightful!


Turkey & Cranberry Panini
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 slices Whole Wheat Bread
6 slices Smoked Turkey Breast
1 slice Muenster Cheese
1 Tbsp. Cranberry Sauce
1/2 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 Tsp. Mayonnaise

Directions
Preheat Panini press (if you don't have a press, you may also use a Panini pan, a grill pan or even a George Foreman Grill). Spread cranberry sauce on 1 slice of bread and place on grill (plain side down). Place turkey on top of cranberry sauce and top with cheese. In a small bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard and mayonnaise and spread mixture on other slice of bread; set on top of cheese (plain side up) and close the press to heat the sandwich (about 3 minutes).

Source: With a Cherry on Top
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