Grilled Chicken Breasts with Red Chile Oil

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Summer weather is finally here to stay and so is this chicken. My dad LOVES this chicken. It has pretty much become a staple in our summer repertoire. Is it bad that I made this for mothers day, last weekend, when it is my dads favorite? My mom doesn't dislike, so I will go with its okay. Since this dinner was truly a family affair, it was rough trying to snap some pictures. My brother was hovering like a ravage beast. Apparently no one feeds him? When I was finally done, he polished off his chicken breast in record breaking speed. My dad jumped when I told him I was making this and my brother nearly chewed his hand off waiting to eat this; maybe it is a sign this is the perfect chicken for the men in your life.


The chicken gets brined, making it unbelievably juicy and moist. If you have never brined anything before, you don't know what you are missing. Make sure you let the water cool after you add the sugar and salt. If you don't, like me, nothing that terrible happens. It is probably just better to let it cool, not cooking the chicken slightly with boiling water. The little effort of a brine goes a long ways. The leftover chile oil is perfect on sweet potatoes too. If you don't want any leftover chile oil, half it. I recommend using it on veggies though or making chicken again this week!

xo

April

Courtesy of Fine CookingIngredients:For the chicken:2 tablespoons granulated sugar2 tablespoons kosher salt2 cups water6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
For the chile oil:1 tablespoon ground cumin1 tablespoon ground coriander1 teaspoon ground caraway seed3 tablespoons ancho chili powder1 teaspoon cayenne2 garlic cloves, minced or grated on a micro planeSalt1 cup extra-virgin olive oil1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Instructions

1. In a measuring cup, boil 2 cups of water combined with sugar and salt and stir to dissolve. Cool completely. Add the chicken breasts, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
2. To make the chile oil, combine all the ingredients in a medium mason jar (it is easier to mix as the spices and garlic settle) or measuring cup. Stir or shake before using. 
3. Prepare a medium  gas grill. While the grill heats, remove the chicken from the brine, pat dry with paper towels, and let sit at room temperature.
4. Toss the chicken in 4 tablespoons of the chile oil. Grill the chicken without moving until golden brown grill marks form, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip the chicken and grill until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate to rest a few minutes before serving. Serve and enjoy with the remaining chile oil on the side for dipping.

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Beet, Blue Cheese & Arugula Pizza

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Has anyone else been watching the Olympic trials? I caught synchronized diving the other night when it was a bit slow at work. It is some crazy cool stuff. I'm especially excited to watch the swimming Olympic trials. I even know someone who will be swimming, crazy! It was also just brought to my attention that the Tour de France starts Saturday. 

That is right, I like to watch the kind of sports where people just truck along, alone. Wind through the hills of France. Swim back and forth, back and forth, in a pool. It is thrilling stuff, seriously. 

If the Olympic trials and Tour de France don't thrill you, pizza will. Pizzas are such a great treat in the summer time. There are so many fresh veggies and even fruits available to top you pizzas with. That is right, savory fruit pizza. Its going to happen this summer, just wait for it. 


Homemade pizza is a great way to get outside the box in the kitchen. Like this beet pizza. The ingredients are a classic flavor combination. Think beet salad, on a pizza. My new unofficial mission is to get people to like beets. At least to give them a chance. Good thing these beets are on a pizza, because everyone likes pizza.


The beets add a little sweetness, contrasted by the tangy, creamy and sweat blue cheese. I used a Hook's Danish Blue. Using a variety of colored beets, makes this pizza very pretty too. The only difference in red and orange beets is their sweetness.

Walnuts add a unexpected crunch to the pizza. Lets be real, who expects nuts on a pizza? Probably no one. The addition of arugula adds a peppery spiciness to offset the sweetness of the beets. I added some before I cooked the pizza and then more after it came out of the oven. Either or both ways work.


Just have fun with this pizza. It is super easy to throw together, using your favorite pizza dough. I used this one from Smitten Kitchen. You can always do store bought dough. Try adding goat cheese, if blue cheese isn't your thing. Enjoy!
xoApril
Ingredients:10 ounces pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)4 small to medium beets, thinly sliced4 ounces of blue cheese, such as Hook's Danish Blue, crumbled1/2 cup chopped walnuts2 cups arugulaOlive oilSalt
Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 500F. Gently roll your pizza dough out to a 10 to 12 inch diameter (don't worry if it isn't perfect, that is what we call rustic!). Place the pizza on a sheet pan, or heat a pizza stone in the oven. Cover the surface of the pizza with the beet slices, overlapping them slightly. Sprinkle with salt and olive oil, to keep the beets moist. Sprinkle the blue cheese, walnuts and half of the arugula evenly over the beets.
2. Bake until the dough is golden and crisp, about 10-15 minutes, popping any bubbles with a fork that might form. Remove from the oven, topping it with the remaining arugula, allowing it to wilt slightly. Serve and enjoy!

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Ombre St. Patrick's Day Garland

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I have a little last minute St. Patrick's day project to share with you. I wasn’t planning to decorate for St. Patrick’s Day. The last two days I have been sitting on the couch next to a sick little boy. I wasn’t allowed to leave his side except to get him more juice. I think I have seen Toy Story at least 20 times over the last two days. As much as I love my son, a woman can only watch toys come to life so many times. So on one of my juice runs, I checked out my felt stash. I found four different shades of green and a cream that I thought would be cute for a some St. Patrick's day décor. I set out to make an ombre garland. The perfect project for those sitting on the couch days.
I used this as the stencil to help cut out my shamrocks. I cut out 8 of each color. I cut 40 shamrocks. I would have loved to run over to my sewing machine to sew this together quickly. Since I wasn’t allowed to leave the couch. I just used embroidery thread to connect all of the shamrocks. It didn’t take as long as I thought it would. This project may be coming a little late this year. I will definitely be keeping it for next year too!

The Penelope Nursery Mobile

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We haven’t meant for this to be a secret, but we are expecting! Yep, both Whitney and I (Angela).  We are due just days apart. I’m due at the end of June and Whitney is due at the beginning of July. And if that wasn’t exciting enough, we are both having girls! Whitney has the cute Penelope nursery bedding from Pottery Barn for her little girl’s nursery. I thought that I would make her a mobile to match her bedding.

It has hand stitched birds and hearts, each stuffed with cotton balls to give a more 3D effect.
It hangs from a wooden hoop that I covered in lace. I love this mobile!
*This was my audition project for SYTYC. You may have seen it over there. Competition starts in a few weeks. I’ll give you more details on that when it begins.
*Also, any interest in a pattern for this mobile? I’d be happy to share one.

Upcycle- iPad Case

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Angela is competing on So You Think You Are Crafty. Voting for Week 6- Sunshine Week is up over on SYTYC- don’t forget to go vote for your favorite project. Thanks!_________
Last week was upcycle week. I took two napkins (both purchased from World Market) and one thrifted belt…
I created my own iPad case. Would you like to make one? It is super easy. Let me show you how.
What you will need:

• 2 napkins
• 1 belt
• 2 8 x 11 inch pieces of fleece
• Velcro
• Glue gun
• Sewing machine

How to assemble your iPad case:1. Cut the fabric for the back side and top flap of your case. You need to cut two pieces. Cut one piece 8 x 11 inches. The other cut 11 x 11 inches.2. Cut the fabric the front side of your case. Cut one piece 8 x 11 inches. 3. Cut two pieces of felt 8 x 11 inches.4. Cut two pieces from your belt each 6 1/2 inches long. 5. Cut off the pointy end of your belt. (I don’t know what it is called. Feel free to fill me in on what it is called. )6. Cut the pointy end in half. You should now have two pointy ends. One from the front of your belt and one from the back of the belt. See picture below or let me know if you need a better explanation.7. Sew two button holes on your 8 x 11 inch piece of fabric you cut for the top flap of your case. The buttonholes should be the same width of your belt. They should be located 2 inches from the side of the top flap, and two inches from the bottom of your top flap.8. Open your button holes with your seam ripper. 9. Pull your belt through the buttonhole on your top flap and glue it to the backside of your fabric.10. Sew together your top flap with the belt glued in to your 11 x 11 piece of fabric you cut for the
 backside of your case. Make sure the front side of the fabric is facing each other. It should be a little lumpy with the belt, but just hold the fabric as tight and straight as you can as it goes through your sewing machine. 11. Once you turn the fabric right side out it should look like what you see in the image. 12. Glue on your Velcro to the 8 x 11 piece of fabric you cut for the front of your case. I cut my Velcro 1 3/4 inch long. I placed it 2 inches from the side and 1 1/2 inches from the bottom.13. Sew on the Velcro.14. Pin your fabric together in the following order: Felt piece #1, Backside/top flap fabric(with belt), front fabric(with velcro)  , felt piece #2. Sew around the 3 outside edges. 15. Turn inside out. Then glue the other side of your velcro to your belt. 16. Remember those pointy ends of your belt? Glue those to the top of your belt. Then you are finished!
Front side
Backside
Inside without iPad.
Inside with iPad.
I love my iPad case!Let me know if you have any questions on how to make your own.

Breakfast Sammie with Avocado, Siracaha and Swiss

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Summer is officially here. The rest of the world and calendar may disagree with me, but it is here in full force for me. I had big dreams for a "its summer, lets celebrate with this bomb-tastic ombre cake" blog post. This post is not an ombre cake and school has officially been done and summer started last week Thursday. Can you say recipe failures? The post was going to go something like celebrate summer with this delicious show-stopping cake and I would tell you about all my big summer plans and aspirations. When the cake failed, I decided I would make a cocktail. That also failed. I decided to turn to what I know for a little success.


I LOVE breakfast sammies. My favorite breakfast meal is hands down a breakfast sammie. They involve bread, cheese and a oozy-gooey-yummy fried egg. Those three things can make anyone's morning bright, yummy and wonderful for at least the 10 minutes it takes to make and eat it. Need more moments of wonderfulness, make it for lunch or dinner.


This sammie, to some people, may sound a bit strange. I don't know why they think that, it is a breakfast sammie at its best. My advice is to go with an aged swiss (Hook's 3 year Swiss is a good choice). Aged swiss cheese is just better. If you have the extra minute to spare, grate your cheese for exceptional melt-ability. The Siracha compliments everything beautifully with its sweet and garlicky heat.


On days when I am feeling healthy, I use egg whites and no bacon. There are other days where I can't resist the deliciousness of a runny yellow yolk. It is the avocado, Siracha and swiss that makes this breakfast sammie a knock out.

xo
April

Ingredients:
1 slice bacon, fried
English muffin, toasted
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup aged swiss cheese, grated
1 egg
Siracha

Instructions:

1. Fry your bacon over medium to medium-low heat, reserving some bacon grease to cook the egg. Add the egg to the frying pan, cooking to your desired doneness (I vote over easy, runny goodness!). Place the grated cheese and bacon on top (this helps the bacon to stay put while you eat) of the egg after it has been flipped.
2. Place the toasted English muffin on a plate, placing the avocado on the bottom half. Remove the egg from the pan, placing it on top of the avocado. Finish the sammie off with Siracha and enjoy!

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Chocolate Upside-down Cake

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This is one of my all-time favorite chocolate desserts for more than one reason. It is super simple, has little ingredients, and a rich flavor. However, it's at the top of the list because it is close to my heart. This recipe was rarely made for special occasions or on holidays. It was a recipe my mom would make for my sisters and me when we needed a pick-me-up or when we all craved some delicious chocolate! It is the ultimate chocolate comfort food.
For the past couple of years, no one in the family has made Chocolate Upside-down cake. My mom passed away the summer before my senior year of high school. I guess we all stayed away from this recipe because it was too hard. This passed Mother's Day, I made Chocolate Upside-down cake for the first time without my mom. It was bittersweet. However, today I see this dessert as a way to preserve a memory of a wonderful mother that will always be missed.   

Chocolate Upside-down Cake
Ingredients
Cake:3/4 c. white sugar3 Tbsp. cocoa1 1/2 Tbsp. melted butter1/2 c. milk1 1/2 tsp. baking powder1/8 tsp. vanilla extract 3/4 c. chopped nuts (optional) 
Sauce:1/2 c. white sugar1/2 c. brown sugar3 Tbsp. cocoa1 1/3 c. boiling water
Instructions1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.2. Mix cake ingredients in a large bowl.3. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish.4. Mix sauce ingredients in the same bowl and pour on top of the cake batter. 5. Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes.6. Sprinkle cocoa on top if desired and serve warm.7. Enjoy!

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Maple Bacon Biscuits with Maple Glaze

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Swim lessons just started up and I've been a bit busy and trying to get into a new routine. You know how that goes, right? It is only a small change and doesn't really take up much time, but it seems to throw off your whole game. Maybe I am just in a bit of a slump. Work has at least forced me into a working out routine. Riding your bike to work plus some for the win! Now its time to kick the slump elsewhere, starting with maple bacon biscuits and a wonderful message from fellow blogger Frances!


Frances (aka Emily) and Kelsey are in Spain right now. Totally jealous. In case you didn't know, they also contribute to the blog along with Brittany and I. The only difference is Britt and I are here, in good old Wisconsin. We make our own fun that  competes with their European adventures. It is fun to pretend we do anyways.


I got the best message from Frances this morning. A real fixer for the slump I am in. Her host mom wanted to check out the blog, mostly the pictures. Then Frances writes down the recipe in Spanish for her, if the picture looks yummy. No big deal, she thought my hummus looked tasty enough to write down. It pretty much made my day. Remember that people, little things (especially food orientated things) make my day. Now onto more important things, maple bacon biscuits.


These biscuits are like little nuggets of gold. Be sure to use a good quality real maple syrup, not Mrs. Butterworth. They are best enjoyed warm out of the oven. They are still good if made the night before or at room temperature, just not as good. Their sweet, salty, bacony goodness makes up for their lack of warmth, if you choose to make them ahead of time. Try sandwiching a fried egg between these biscuits. I bet it would be out of this world delicious. I made these in a food processor because I think it easier. They can be just as easily made without one and are equally good. If you like bacon, you will love these. Give them a try.
xoApril
Adapted from Baking Illustrated
Ingredients:
Biscuits
6-8 slices of bacon
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1/4 cup maple syrup
Maple Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450F
2. The bacon can be fried or baked. I prefer the baking method for a more crispy bacon. Preheat the oven to 400F. Arrange the bacon on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet side by side. Place the bacon in the oven for 10-20 minutes or until crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels and roughly chop into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. If you baked the bacon, increase the oven temperature to 450F. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or food processor. Whisk together or pulse six times.
4. If making by hand, add the cubed butter, working quickly to break it into bits, to resemble small peas. If using a food processor, evenly distribute the butter into the work bowl, pulsing 12 times, for 1 second.
5. If making by hand, add the buttermilk, bacon and maple syrup, stirring until it just starts to form a ball. If using a food processor, add the buttermilk, bacon and maple syrup, pulsing 8 times or until the dough just comes together.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and quickly form a rough ball. Be careful not to over mix. Using a knife, dived the dough into quarters and then cut each quarter into thirds. Quickly shape each piece into a rough ball and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. 
7. Bake until the biscuit tops are light brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
8. For the glaze, mix all the ingredients together, whisking to combine. Serve the biscuits warm with glaze poured over the tops.

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Ombre St. Patrick's Day Garland

To contact us Click HERE
I have a little last minute St. Patrick's day project to share with you. I wasn’t planning to decorate for St. Patrick’s Day. The last two days I have been sitting on the couch next to a sick little boy. I wasn’t allowed to leave his side except to get him more juice. I think I have seen Toy Story at least 20 times over the last two days. As much as I love my son, a woman can only watch toys come to life so many times. So on one of my juice runs, I checked out my felt stash. I found four different shades of green and a cream that I thought would be cute for a some St. Patrick's day décor. I set out to make an ombre garland. The perfect project for those sitting on the couch days.
I used this as the stencil to help cut out my shamrocks. I cut out 8 of each color. I cut 40 shamrocks. I would have loved to run over to my sewing machine to sew this together quickly. Since I wasn’t allowed to leave the couch. I just used embroidery thread to connect all of the shamrocks. It didn’t take as long as I thought it would. This project may be coming a little late this year. I will definitely be keeping it for next year too!