Gift wrapping gone for good?

It seems like since the acceptance of gift bags as gift wrapped, we hardly ever see a paper wrapped gift! I don't know about you, but since I noticed the gift bag trend growing, I have put a strong effort toward paper wrapping all of my gifts. I love wrapping paper. It is so fun! Plus opening a wrapped gift is much more fun than pulling a gift out of a bag. :-D

Check out this gift I just wrapped for my boyfriends 10 year old niece! 

So long sweet summer...

As summer comes to an end, I feel a little sad because I will have to wait another whole year until I get to do the summery things that I love doing. Hanging out on the beach...working on my garden...soaking up the sun - I will miss you summertime! 
My absolute favorite summer thing to do is to have a late night bonfire at my parents cottage in Northern Michigan. I love to look up at the stars and look down and see a toasty fire. And you can't have a fire without s'mores! I think the only reason I love s'mores so much is because you can only have them when you have a cozy bonfire. 

What are you favorite summertime foods? 

What are you going to miss about summer?

My sister and I toasting marshmallows to make s'mores

A Mediterranean Twist on Stuffed Peppers

After an entire summer of attempting to grow grape tomatoes, they finally turned red! YAY! I wanted a recipe that really showcased their flavor. I know they are just tomatoes, but it took a whole 'lotta TLC to get these babies to grow for some reason. Anyway, I found a great recipe that showcased their flavor and had a ton of WOW factor. I would definitely use this kind of recipe when I have company over to be majorly impressive with very minimal work. These peppers have great (what I like to call) "food porn" value. The presentation is awesome with these yummy stuffed peppers. I served one per person with a side of warm pita bread. This recipe creates a lot of juices that are good for dipping the bread in.

Mediterranean Stuffed Red Peppers (a Martha Stewart recipe)


Ingredients
2 small red bell peppers (5 to 6 ounces each), halved lengthwise through stem, seeds and ribs removed
1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes - I used grape tomatoes
1 1/2 ounces feta cheese (preferably goat's milk), crumbled
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
8 basil leaves, torn into pieces
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil


Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in top third. Place bell pepper halves, cut sides up, in a baking dish. Toss together tomatoes, feta, thyme, and basil in a medium bowl; season with black pepper. Fill each pepper with tomato and feta mixture, dividing evenly. Drizzle each with oil.


Bake stuffed peppers, covered with aluminum foil, until they begin to soften, about 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue to bake until tomatoes begin to burst and cheese turns light brown, 13 to 15 minutes more. Remove stuffed peppers from oven, and serve warm.

Below are pictures of my own stuffed peppers:

A Day at the Farmer's Market!

Hey guys! Here's what I got today at the Farmer's Market. Enjoy! 

Fourth of July 2011 - Favorites Things!

Besides the fireworks, friends, and s’mores- I had a few other favorite things this Fourth of July that made my holiday that much more enjoyable!

#1) My big holiday plants

These Fourth of July plants would make anyone jump for joy! I found these gigantic flowers at a local nursery and honestly, there were so many amazing choices that it took me over an hour to pick out 2 that I liked. Seriously…I had my cart stolen twice because I took so long! Ha ha! I popped two American flags in these babies and I couldn’t be happier. We have had people slowing down in front of our house as they drive by and I like to think its from my plants.

#2) Festive Candy Bags!

I made these candy bags for my cousins and family friends who are much younger. It’s amazing how cute something so simply can be! All I did was get some clear candy bags and Gingham ribbon from Michael’s.  I went to a very COOL candy store called Sweet Thing in Birmingham and filled up on Red, White, and Blue bulk candy. I literally picked through all the colors and took out the ones I wanted – the employees must have hated me! But I am happy with how they turned out. And I am sure the little ones will be happy to have such a big ‘ol bag of sweet!

What cute encounters did you have this Fourth of July?

Yummy-ness to go!

Headed up north for the Fourth of July and I was freaking about all of the fresh groceries I had in the refrigerator. It seems like almost every time we head out of town, there are awesome groceries at home and I dread them going bad. So today, before we left on our long drive, I took most of out yummy groceries and made snack bags. Instead of eating unhealthy fast food, we snacked gourmet style all the way to Northern Michigan. For dinner, I made us these delicious Caprese Panini’s.

I started with the amazing bread we had ordered all the way from San Diego! It sounds silly, but this bread was so good we had to get some! The bread is a whole grain with a sourdough base. Very deeeelish! I topped one side the sandwich with pesto and stacked each sandwich high with tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil from my garden. I sprinkled it with a little salt and pepper, oiled the outsides of my bread, and dropped her on the Panini press!

After these Panini’s cooled down, I wrapped them up and took them on the road. It was a great way to enjoy the road trip. Follow that with a dessert drink from Starbuck’s and I was Queen of the Road!

Enjoy the long weekend :-) 

Why use Grapeseed oil?

Thanks for your comment JD. Here is my answer:

Grapeseed oil provides more benefits to your body than olive oil.

Grapeseed oil has HALF of the fat as olive oil.

It increases your good cholesterol.

It is packed with omega-6 fatty acids.

It is full of Vitamin E and other antioxidants. 

There are theories that Grapeseed oil slows down the aging process.

Also, Grapeseed oil does not have as strong of a flavor as olive does for cooking.

It has a higher smoke point than olive oil so you can saute things better.

It also is great for dressings!

Thanks for you inquiry!

Grilling your way to good health...

Now that it is summertime, grilling takes priority over everything else...well, at least in my life (ha ha)! But eating juicy burgers and ball park franks everyday is a recipe for health disasters! When it comes to burgers, I usually prefer a cheeseburger in its most classic form. Recently, I discovered a turkey burger that has the same juiciness as a cheeseburger with AMAZING flavor! You have to try this recipe the next time you grill.

*NOTE: the jalapeno flavor is not too strong so don't fear the spiciness! *

Southwest Turkey Burgers (from Martha Stewart)

• 1 1/2 pounds ground dark meat turkey (93% lean)
• 1 jalapeno chile minced (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired)
• 2 ounces grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Vegetable oil for grates
• 4 hamburger buns split horizontally
• Desired toppings

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium-high. In a medium bowl, place turkey, jalapeno, cheese, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix very gently with a fork to combine, being careful not to overwork meat (which would make burgers dense).
2. Gently form meat into 4 equal-size patties, 4 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Press thumb in the center of each patty to make an indentation approximately 1/2-inch deep (this helps keep burgers flat during grilling).
3. Moisten a folded paper towel with oil; grasp with tongs and rub over grates. Season burgers with salt and pepper; grill until cooked throughout, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Serve on buns (toasted on grill, if you like), with desired toppings.
   
   
   
   
   
   I have grilled these burgers a few times and so far I have learned that the vegetable oil on the grill is necessary! Also, pack in more cheese than the recipe calls for. It makes the burgers a bit more juicy. When you go to mix the ingredients, I use my hands (clean, of course!) because it is a lot easier than using a fork. 
   Top these babies off with your regular toppings like ketchup, mustard, pickle, and lettuce...or try something Southwestern like avocado, red onion, tomato, cilantro, and peppers. Basically top it off with whatever floats your boat!
   
   
   Enjoy!

Spice up your Spring!

This spring (in Michigan) had been kind of a drag.  A few nice days here and there..but sometimes it seems like a ginourmous cloud is hanging over Michigan! My solution - spice up your dinner. Since it has been warm enough to whip the grill out, one of my favorite meals this spring has been a Spicy Cajun Chicken breast, with a side of spiced up black beans, and rice. Not only is this mean unique, but very healthy. Heres how it is done:


Spicy Cajun Chicken 
-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - I get the super thin kind, or cut yours in half
-Olive Oil
-For seasoning, I use all natural Wild Tree Cajun Seasoning . If you do not use Wild Tree products, you can use this mixture of hers and spices:

• Seasoning
• 3/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup ground cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder

Mix 4 tablespoons of your Cajun Seasoning with 2 tablespoons of olive oil or the healthier alternative, grapeseed oil. Coat the 4 chicken breasts with this mixture and place covered in the refrigerator for at least an hour to marinate. When you are ready to cook, throw the chicken breasts on the grill and sear each side. Then close the grill and cook for about 5 minutes per side. 

Black Beans & Rice

For the black beans, I usually use Eden Organic black beans. I heat them up in a pan, add some salt and a bit of cumin. Then they are ready to serve! For the rice, I usually use Near East Long Grain and Wild Rice or Trader Joe's brown rice.

This meal is a switch from the norm, super tasty, and more importantly super healthy! 

St. Patty's Day is the BEST day!

Hello world! Long time no post...

One of my most favorite holidays is coming up soon. Can you guess what it is? Let me give you a hint...You wear lots'o green and drink lots'o beer. YES! It is St. Patty's Day! I may be biased because I am part Irish, but who isn't this time of year? In honor of the great holiday, I will be cooking an Irish feast for dinner tonight. The recipe is for none other than Bangers and Mash :-) 

1. Ingredients

   • 2 1/4 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
   • 2 chicken bouillon cubes
   • 1 cup warm milk
   • 1/4 cup melted butter
   • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
   • 8 links pork sausage
   • 1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings
   • 2 (10.25 ounce) cans homestyle beef gravy
   • 2 teaspoons crumbled dried oregano

   Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a pan, and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, leaving the potatoes in the pan.
2. Meanwhile, stir the bouillon cubes into the warm milk until dissolved. Stir the milk mixture and butter into the potatoes. Mash the potatoes until smooth and creamy.
3. Heat the cooking oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Prick the sausages in a few places with a fork, and place them into the skillet. Cook, turning often, until golden brown and juices run clear, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels.
4. Using the same skillet, add the onion rings. Cook and stir over medium heat until the onions are golden, but still crisp, about 5 minutes.
5. Heat the gravy in a pan over medium heat.
6. To serve, scoop the potatoes onto a large serving plate. Arrange the sausages over the potatoes, top with the onions, drizzle with gravy, and sprinkle with oregano.

Another traditional food of Ireland is called a Boxty, which is basically a potato pancake. Below is a good recipe for making Boxty's. Serve them with applesauce or sour cream. 

 And remember...

"Boxty on the griddle, boxty on the pan; if you can't make boxty, you'll never get a man!" 

(Thanks baskerville_gal for this recipe!)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups grated raw potatoes
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon skim milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Toss the grated potatoes with flour in a large bowl. Stir in mashed potatoes until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and skim milk; mix into the potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drop in the potato mixture, forming patties about 2 inches in diameter. Fry on both sides until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve warm.

My favorite Super Bowl dip!

I hope every ones Super Bowl was as fabulous as mine was! Although I know nothing about football, I thoroughly enjoyed my SB Sunday because I made an AWESOME Chili Con Queso dip! I wasn't really planning a big Super Bowl event, but my plans took a turn and we ended up having a Super Bowl party at our house. Long story short, I had to find recipes and I had to find them fast!

I always want Chili Con Queso dip at Super Bowl parties, but it seems the entire world only knows how to make it with Velveeta ...and I am pretty sure I took a vow never to eat that stuff from the first day I saw it. I was really craving this Chili Con Queso dip and wanted to make a great homemade version. I found the best recipe EVER. The recipe is below from the "Homesick Texan" blog:

Chile Con Queso

Ingredients:

1/2 onion diced (about 1/2 cup)

4 cloves of garlic minced

3 Serrano peppers diced

3 jalapeno peppers diced

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of flour

1 cup of milk

6 cups of shredded cheese, can use any combination of cheddar and Monterrey Jack

1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped

2 plum tomatoes, peeled and diced (about 1 cup, can use canned if tomatoes aren’t in season)

1/2 cup of sour cream

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat, and then cook the onions and peppers for about five minutes or until onions are translucent.

2. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

3. Whisk the flour into the butter, vegetable mix and cook for about 30 seconds.

4. Add the milk to the pot, and cook on medium, whisking constantly until sauce is thick, about five minutes. Stir in the cilantro and tomatoes.

5. Turn heat down to low, and a 1/4-cup at a time, slowly add the shredded cheese stirring into the white sauce until completely melted. Repeat.

6. Stir in the sour cream.

7. Add salt to taste.

Serves four.

Notes: You can vary which chiles you use to control how hot you want the queso to be. Also, if the sauce is too thick, feel free to add a bit more milk a tablespoon at a time. The key, however, to a smooth sauce is adding the cheese very slowly and not adding any more cheese until the previous addition is completely integrated into the sauce.

My review

This recipe is GREAT! It is a good junk food kind of a dip that you would only eat during a sports show. It is surprisingly fresh tasting because of the cilantro. It is not really heavy and does not make you feel bloated and nasty like the other "fake" kind might make you feel. It is super easy to make. Everyone at the Super Bowl party LOVED it and couldn't get enough. Here's a note to future makers of this dish- you need a lot of cheese and you really have to let the cheese melt completely before adding more. Also, you may be scared if you see the texture of the melted cheese, but the cheese does not actually get creamy and smooth until you add the sour cream.

YUMMY! 

Gracias "Homesick Texan" for that great Chili Con Queso!

Allie's Kitchen is now on Facebook!

Allie's Kitchen now has a Facebook fan page.

 Please click here to become a fan!

To become a fan, click "Like."

Thank you :-)

My KITCHEN don't STINK!

Have you ever been to someone’s house, and the second you open the door a horrendous smell hits you like a brick wall? It smells like they just got done frying a fish, or perhaps there is a secret McDonald’s hidden somewhere in their basement? Well, I have been to a house like this before. Unless the person is unusually gross and messy, the odor could be coming from their kitchen. Sometimes the foods we cook leave odors that linger around the house. Besides cleaning the kitchen, I have another solution to this problem that does NOT require spraying Febreze in every square inch of my home. 

The solution requires the following ingredients:

-       1 Orange

-       Cloves

-       A stock pot or any pot to boil water

-       Water

Here’s what you do:

1)    Slice the oranges. Doesn’t matter how thin.

2)    Throw the oranges in the pot with a handful of cloves.

3)    Fill pot with water and place on stove.

4)    Let the water bowl on medium throughout the day. (Of course, do this on a day that you are going to be home and turn it off when you leave!)

The scent of the oranges mixed with the cloves brings an amazing aroma to the entire house! When the water starts to get low, just add more and keep it simmering. Not only does this provide an instant odor solution, but also it keeps the house a bit more humid in the dry winter months. Thanks Mom for teaching me this trick….hehe!

Enjoy!

Snowed in? NO PROBLEM!

Many people all across America were snowed in yesterday. Some were disappointed, but I was ecstatic! I was so full of JOY because I knew I could stay warm & cozy indoors next to my fireplace and cook the chicken pot pies I have been dying to make! Too bad my other passion isn't exercise...LOL. So, I was able to cook these delicious pot pies using a recipe I found on Food Network by Ina Garten. The only problem I had was that I was trapped inside and could not leave to go to the grocery store so I had to use what was in my kitchen! Fortunately I had almost everything, except I used a pre-made crust instead of making my own. I KNOW....I know...thats the BEST part! So, I cannot honestly make a review of this recipe because I did not follow it completely, but it still was AWESOME! Theres nothing like a hot chicken pot pie on a cold, cold snow day! 

Click here to get the recipe now! 

Check out my chicken pot pies in the oven:

Allie is in the HOUSE...well...kitchen!

Hello there! Welcome to my blog. I am a young cook learning the tricks of the trade. I have been cooking for about 2 years now and I love it! Cooking has become one of my biggest interests and greatest passions. Although I am still a novice, I would like to post my new cooking experiences on this blog to document my journey. I like to cook new things and am always open to new recipes…so you have any, feel free to post! I will mostly be cooking other peoples recipes and reviewing them. I will post a few of my own, as well. I will try to post a video at least once a week and I will post many pictures along the way. I will also be posting some craft ideas, holiday decorating tips, and much more! Stay tuned :-)

Thank you for following and please follow me on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/AlliesKitchen

Please send any recipes or other ideas to this address:

inthekitchenwithallie@gmail.com