WW: Summer Challenge #recipe

Our kids had a summer challenge. It was to plan and cook a meal. The boys picked rather expensive dishes. Isaak made Szechuan Shrimp, and Mica picked to make Gyros.

I've had this written for a long time, but never posted it. I'm not sure why. I assure you, he made this during the heat of the summer.

There's a few things Mica learned in the process I hope:

1. Read all he ingredients before getting the ingredients. He read it, but we had to go back to the store twice to get extra things. One of the things was that he had a cucumber, but the recipe needed a few for the Tzatziki Sauce. He also didn't account for how much lemon juice he'd need.

2. Plan for more than just the main dish. It was a difficult day because he kept saying that he only wanted to make Gyros. That's all he had in his plan, and he was sticking to it. I told him that he needed a side of veggies at least! He wasn't having it, so we had to talk.

That's part of the learning process. A big reason why we made the summer challenge was to learn. 

Division of Labor

For the Most Part Mica was in Charge. I did help him with things. I made him read the instructions, and had him tell me what to do. 

Veggies:

We started with the washing, and chopping the veggies, for a side dish. Mica wasn't at all excited about this process. He kept reminding me that he only planned to make Gyros. He's a fantastic kid, but we bump heads at times. I pretty much washed, chopped, and made him spray the pan, and use a butter along with lemon pepper seasoning. 

Mica was excited to make Baklava, that is until he started it:

One of the stores we went to were out of the pastry typically used for Baklava. We got a thicker pastry. I said, "It will taste similar. It just won't be in as many layers." I did roll the dough out more.

1. Thaw phyllo dough according to package instructions (this is best done overnight in the fridge, then place it on the counter for 1 hour before starting your recipe to bring it to room temp). We used Puff Pastry Sheets because it's what the store had.

2. Trim phyllo dough, or roll out more to fit your 9x13 baking pan.

3. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 non-stick baking pan.

Start with your honey sauce (which will need time to cool as your baklava bakes):

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over med/high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat to med/low and boil an additional 4 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and let syrup cool while preparing baklava.

How to Assemble Baklava:

Preheat Oven to 325˚F.

1. Pulse walnuts about 10 times in a food processor until coarsely ground/ finely chopped. In a medium bowl, stir together: 4 cups finely chopped walnuts and 1 tsp cinnamon.

2. Place 10 phyllo sheets into baking pan one at a time, brushing each sheet with butter once it’s in the pan before adding the next (i.e. place phyllo sheet into pan, brush the top with butter, place next phyllo sheet in pan, butter the top, etc. etc.).

Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel at all times. Spread about 1/5 of nut mixture (about 3/4 cup) over phyllo dough.

3. Add 5 buttered sheets of phyllo, then another layer of nuts. In our case, since there wasn't a lot of dough, we repeated this x2, but with traditional phyllo you Repeat x 4. It's much like a lasagna, you just keep layering things.

4. Bake at 325˚F for one hour.

5. Remove from oven and immediately spoon the cooled syrup evenly over the hot baklava (you’ll hear it sizzle). This will ensure that it stays crisp rather than soggy. Let baklava cool completely, uncovered and at room temperature. Start to pour the honey mixture over it evenly. 

I helped Mica put together the Tzatziki Sauce:

1. 2 cups grated cucumber (from about 1 medium 10-ounce cucumber, no need to peel or seed the cucumber first, grate on the large holes of your box grater)

2. 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt

3. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint and/or dill

5. 1 tablespoon lemon juice

6. 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced

7. ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures for the Tzatziki Sauce. We love this sauce for a lot of things at home! Here are the cucumbers I chopped up for it:

At that point I took at nap! Mica claimed he didn't want any supervision with the Gyros. We did buy the meat already prepared, so it was easier for him. 

 

It could have have been filled a little more with lamb meat, but he carefully planned it out, to have just enough for lunches the next day. Really we should have bought more. Ha!

I thought he did an excellent job making this by himself.

We had the potatoes and carrots, for a side. Then had the Baklava for dessert.

If you were to make a special dinner, what would you prepare?

Disclaimer: This was not a paid post, nor a review of a product. All words, and opinions are my own. 

Drying Oregano and Making #Oregano Oil

This is a 2 part post: How to Dry Oregano and How to Make Infused Olive Oregano Oil. 

You need to know how to dry the oregano in order to make oregano oil. 

Things You Need:

Grow Oregano in an area that is alone. It loves to spread, and invade other plants. We planted ours off to the side of our house.

Kitchen Sheers or Scissors to cut the Oregano.

Running Water to wash the Oregano.

A few Towels to dry the Oregano.

A Food Processor to grind the Oregano.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil to make Oregano Oil.

A Mason Jar to mix the Oregano Oil.

A Sunny Window to heat the Oregano Oil.

A Wire Mesh to strain out the Oregano Oil.

Let's Get Started:

First off there is nothing wrong with just letting Oregano grow. Bees love it when it flowers. There's been years where I just let it go.

I find it easiest to cut a bunch at once. I use kitchen sheers to cut it.

You will find some Oregano is one single steam. Those are the easiest to remove the leaves. Others have branches. I pull the branches away, and set them aside. The yellow or withered leaves towards the bottom get put in the compost pile.

Wash Them!

Take the Leaves Off! 

Work against the grain of the plant. Hold the stem right under the clump of leaves towards the top. I do this because that part of the stem is the weakest, thinnest part. It tends to break. Use your other fingers to slide along the stem. The leaves come right off!

Take the top leaves off if they haven't flowered yet.

Soon enough you'll have a bunch of stems and Oregano leaves. 

Towel Time!

Fold a body towel in 1/2, put it on the floor, or up on a table. Spread the Oregano Leaves out on it to dry. It takes about 3 to 4 days. 

Grind Time!

You can feel when they are dried. Get out a food processor, or coffee grinder to grind them down.

Mason Jar Time!

Fill whatever size mason jar you want 1/2 full of dried Oregano leaves. It will look dusty with green.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Time!

Fill the jar up with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Close the lid, and let it sit in a sunny window for 2 weeks. It helps to shake it once in awhile.  

Strain Time!

Get a fine wire mesh. Let the Oregano Oil run through. Discard the leaves. You can use Oregano Oil for salad dressings, Italian dishes and more.  

Health Properties of Oregano Oil:

You can read more about the health benefits here. We're all different, so what works for one person may not work for another.

1. It's a natural antibiotic

2. May help lower bad cholesterol

3. Powerful Antioxidant

4. Could help treat yeast infections

5. May improve gut health

6. May have anti inflammatory properties

7. Could relieve pain

8. May have cancer fighting properties

9. May help you loose weight

Have you made Oregano Oil before? What would you use the oil for? 

Disclaimer: I did not get anything to write this post. I just wanted to share.

WW: Summer Challenge #recipe

I challenged both my boys ages 11 and almost 14 to research a recipe, go shopping for the ingredients and to make the recipe.

Isaak was up first (he's the youngest). I thought it would be great to work with him on his recipe, since Mica was away at camp. He chose to make Szechuan Shrimp. It's nothing we've made, so I was glad he picked something new. He wrote down the ingredients, and we were off to the store to get what we needed.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sherry
2 red bell peppers, cut into slices
1 1/4 cup long-grain rice
1 1/2 pounds of medium shrimp, shelled
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 sliced scallions
1/2 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

Szechuan Shrimp Recipe by AlissaSpiehs-Apel on Scribd

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, ketchup, soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, and 1 tablespoon of the sherry. Heat a large frying pan over moderately high heat until hot. Add the bell peppers and stir-fry until starting to blacken, about 5 min. Remove.

2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Stir in the rice and boil until just done, about 10 min.

3. Toss the shrimp with the remaining 2 tablespoons sherry and the cornstarch. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in the frying pan over high heat. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until just done, 3 to 4 min. Remove the shrimp and add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Reduce the heat and add the charred bell peppers, garlic, ginger, the chopped scallions, and the red-pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes.

4. Increase the heat to high. Add the broth mixture and boil until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and sliced scallions and just heat through. Drizzle the sesame oil over the top. Serve the shrimp with the rice.

Time to Eat!

Isaak learned a lot! He now knows to look over a recipe before he dives in. He needed help along the way. 

He said, "Mom now I know why you get annoyed when I try and talk to you, while you are making a meal. It's also very satisfying to know I made this meal!" 

It was his idea, for me to document the process. He even would stop stirring and would say, "Ok Mom take a picture." 

He decided to pair this meal up with raw cabbage and pineapple. He likes raw cabbage better than cooked. 

Do you have any summer challenges?

Post ANY post you want comment love on! It doesn't have to be wordless or wordful. I like rules sometimes, but they are meant to be broken. Link up a post! 

Chicken and Dumpling Soup {Recipe}

I love Chicken and Dumplings. Usually I make the a traditional recipe, and the dumplings are made from scratch.

One night a few months ago I had a dream I made Chicken and Dumpling Soup. It was go good!

Nom Nom Chicken and Dumpling Soup!

I didn't even look up recipes. I knew I saw potato dumplings somewhere, and thought they'd be perfect for this soup. The homemade ones I typically make would get soggy, and wouldn't work. The question is: Where did I see potato dumplings? I looked at two grocery stores I usually go to, and they weren't there. Finally I found the potato dumplings at Big Lots. I made sure to pick up a few packages if this recipe was as good as it was in my dream.

I have to say, it's a good thing I picked up 2 packages of dumplings! Chicken and Dumpling Soup is amazing! My family must of agreed...they gobbled it up!

I just used some of the ingredients I've used in my regular Chicken and Dumpling recipe. I added more vegetables. One thing I used to do, that I don't do anymore is shave off the carrot skin. I leave it on.

It took about a half hour to 45 minutes to make. I paired it up with homemade blueberry muffins and a side of green beans. One can never have too many veggies.

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil (To Cover the Pan) or 2 Tablespoons of Butter
• 1 Big Onion
• 1 Garlic Clove
• 3 Carrots
• 3 Celery Stalks
• 1/2 a Container of Mushrooms
• A Handful of Spinach Leaves
• 2 Italian Sausage Links
• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 2 Cups Chicken Broth
• 4 Cups of Water
• Salt & Pepper to Taste
• 1 Teaspoon Marjoram
• 1 Package of Potato Dumpling

Chicken and Dumpling Soup by on Scribd

Directions:

Drizzle the non stick pan with olive oil, or heat up the butter.

Start Chopping:

I chopped one veggie at a time, and added it in in this order: Onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and mushrooms.

Stir often, cook until the veggies are tender. Add in a handful of spinach leaves. At this point I put the lid on to make the spinach wilt faster.

I put the veggies into one of our soup bowls. I'm all about using as little dishes as possible.

Cook the Italian Sausage, and break it up as it cooks. Set aside in a different soup bowl.

Cook the diced chicken until it's no longer pink.

Add the veggies and Italian Sausage back into the pot.

Pour in the water and chicken broth. Add the salt, pepper, and Marjoram. Heat back up, and add in the potato dumplings.

Heat back up, and serve.

It was perfect! Have you ever cooked or baked in a dream?

Fruit Pizza #recipe

I love desserts. So I may have a sugar tooth! I have gone on diets just to eliminate sugar for awhile. Kind of detoxing off of it is good to do.

We had Emerson's 7th Birthday and my 42 Birthday Party last weekend. 

My sister was making a sorbet desert. I love sorbet, but I hate graham cracker crust things. I don't mind graham crackers. I just don't like them all crushed up.

So I made a fruit pizza!

I have the recipe below, but I'll explain it as well.

First off I made a batch of ice cream cone sugar cookies for Travis' work and my work. The cookies had different flavors: Chocolate, Strawberry, Lemon and Vanilla. All that was good, but it left me with left over frosting. I just used the vanilla to make the strawberry and lemon. Now I have lemon and strawberry extracts.

I wanted to use the left over frosting on the Fruit Pizza - as much as I could.

1. I rolled out a batch of homemade cookie dough onto a round pan.

2. I used the ice cream cone cookie cutter - backside to imprint the dough, not to cut it. They are part of the big circle, not separated.

3. Then I painted the cones with blended egg yolk, and sprinkled them with brown sugar.

4. Then I baked it on 350 degrees for 9 minutes, or until light brown.

5. I let the crust cool.

6. I frosted the cones with some frosting I had left from the cookies I made.

7. I put plain cream down in the middle.

8. Isaak topped it with fruit that Travis and I cut.

9. The fruit in odd spots like the cherries on the cones, and grapes on the edges were cut in 1/2. I spread cream cheese on them to act as a glue. It worked really well!

Fruit Pizza by AlissaSpiehs-Apel on Scribd

It tasted great too! What's your favorite desert? I think I love chocolate cake with chocolate frosting the most!

Chefast Donut Pan Set Review

We love doughnuts! Do you spell out donut, or doughnut? I always spelled it the longer way doughnut, but I see donut more and more. They both seem acceptable according to google.

Recently I got Chefast Donut Pan Set to Review. It's $16.90 on Amazon. If you don't like bigger donuts, you can get their small donut pan for $12.90. 

The Set Comes With:

• A silicone mold - enough to make nine donuts. 
• A silicone spatula 
• Pastry bags - 5 total

I opened up everything, and washed it in warm soapy water. It's said that they can go in the dishwasher, but the pan and spatula last longer if they get hand washed. I notice it takes awhile for silicone pans to dry - up to 2 hours. What I do is take them outside to fling the water off of them. That works great! 

Lemon Donuts:

I wanted to try something different, so I made Lemon Doughnuts. They were so good!

Lemon Donuts by Anonymous Nh7KbE4hof on Scribd

Tip: Put your donut pan on a metal pan or baking stone when you bake them. You won't have to clean the extra pan or stone. It will just make the silicone pan easier to grab from the stove.

I didn't pipe them in, but the pan does come with piping bags. The recipe does make 12 donuts. There is 9 spots in the pan. I dug out another donut pan to finish the job. I have to say that I like this pan better though. The fact that it's silicone, the donuts just pop out easier.

Instead I used the spatula that comes in the kit. It did a great job of getting the rest of the batter out of the mixing bowl.

Because I used coconut sugar they are not a lemony yellow. They sure did taste lemony good though!

We skipped the glaze. We just didn't need more sugar. They boys didn't mind. They gobbled them up, and asked for another. I imagine you could drizzle some melted dark chocolate on there if you'd rather.

The boys each asked for another one.

What's your favorite kind of donut?

Chefast sells a lot of other products online. Certainly check out their Amazon page here.

• Cake Tip Decorating Set
• Tea Infuser Set
• Herb Scissors 
• Non Stick Rolling Pin and Pastry Mat
• Hydrometer and Test Jar for Wine and Beer
• Food Cover Tents
• Ice Cream Scoop Set
• Stainless Steel Drinking Straws
• Splatter Screen
• Wood Cutlery Set
• Honing Steel Knife Sharpening Kit

I know I want the ice cream scoop. We always use a spoon to dish up ice cream. Lame! Ha! What would be the item you'd pick from their list of items that they sell?

Disclaimer: We got this product in exchange for our opinion on them. The company in no way told me what to write, or influenced me in any way.