{drink and be merry: lime spritzer}

Hello Wednesday!

It’s the middle of the week which means that the weekend is just around the corner! Woo! This weekend is going to be crazy! I’m doing something big---shh it’s a secret though. Here’s a hint---it has to do with my list J Last weekend we played in a cornhole tourney and lost...BLL. Oh well, we had a blast anyway. We made new friends, ate lots of yummy food, and Jesse and I took our first trip on the MARTA! Look out for a future post on all the funsies we had last weekend.

Today starts a new feature, {drink and be merry}, where occassionally I’ll be posting some of my favorite beverage recipes. It’s summer which means you must stay hydrated especially if you spend a ton of time under the sun. Today’s beverage---the lime sprizter, is a perfect way to do just that. It’s non-alcoholic, but can easily turn alcoholic with a shot of your preference. We’ll save that for the weekend---or at least 5:00 (hehe). I love this drink because it is low cal and incredibly refreshing. It also fits in perfectly with my healthy eating plan. Since cutting out soda, I find myself craving some fizz to go with my meals every now and then. Sometimes I cheat and steal some sips of Jesse’s soda when he’s not looking. I remembered awhile ago that my dad never drank soda when we went out to eat but would instead order a club soda with a twist of lime. It seemed to satisfy that fizz craving for him, so I gave it a try and really liked it. I’ve never liked flavored waters because they always add sugar (and I hate sweet water---not the beer..ha). I don’t even add anything to my green tea. This lime sprizter was just what the doctor ordered. Plus, I can have several without worrying about the effects on my waistline.

lime spritzer:

Ingredients:

club soda

1 lime

How To:

 

Step 1: Fill a glass with club soda.

Step 2: Slice the lime in half.

Step 3: Squeeze both halves of lime into the club soda.

Step 4: Stir, add a few ice cubes, and enjoy!

Whatttt? That’s all? No more steps? Yep. It is just that easy. So kick back, pour yourself a spritzer this evening, and watch the sun go down. It’s gorgeous outside!  

{fancy appetizers: strawberry pancake delights}

As I mentioned in my hello breakfast sandwich post, breakfast and brunch are my favorite meals to put together. I guess it’s the challenge of making traditionally simple meals fun and creative. This brings me to today’s appetizer; strawberry pancake delights.

 I enjoy pancakes but can usually only eat one and a half as they fill me up very quickly. I love to top them with some yummy maple syrup, fruits (usually strawberries), and finish them off with a squirt (a really long squirt) of whipped cream. Yea...I guess you can see why I can only eat so much. I ran across these on Pinterest a little while back and decided to make them for my Memorial Day brunch guests---(along with some other decadent foods and of course mimosas!). They were incredibly easy to put together and the perfect bite to satisfy that pancake craving. Plus, you still have enough room for other breakfast goodies.

 To make them all you need to do is:

1)Cut strawberries into thin slices.

2)Mix up some pancake batter.

3)Make your pancakes using about a tablespoon of batter for each pancake. I also find that a griddle makes this process super easy.

4)Take a toothpick and skewer your pancakes and strawberries (strawberry slice, pancake, strawberry slice, pancake).

5)Arrange nicely on your plate. Although next time I’m going to stick them in little martini glasses with maple syrup in the bottom and a dollop of whipped cream on top (I’ll make sure to post an update).

Easy peasy and super delish!

{recipe: hello breakfast sandwich}

Ehllo Friends!

{british for hello riiight?}

Growing up I always missed breakfast because I could never get up early enough to enjoy it (plus I’ve never really been a morning person). I also felt like breakfast had no variety and was limited to cereal and toast. Boy was I missing out. Once I started expanding my horizons (and actually catching a glimpse of the morning sun) I learned that there is so much more to this most important meal. In fact, my favorite thing to do now, is wake up super early and make a fancy breakfast/brunch (depending on the night we had...haha) whenever we have overnight guests. I feel it’s a nice way of saying, “we like you so much we want your belly to feel it.” So---if you don’t get breakfast at the Ellis house---well errr, this is awkward.........

I’ve been experimenting with breakfast sandwiches (my fav!) and recently came up with the one I’m sharing today. It includes my favorite cheese of all time and is pretty healthy all around. Who said healthy was limited to green monster smoothies? I love the concept of a breakfast sandwich because it fills you up and is a great meal option for those on the run (especially if you can do some fancy napkin origami to keep the fillings in).

 hello breakfast sandwich:

Servings: 1

Source: Jkrabbits INC Kitchen

 Ingredients:

 2 slices of delicious wheat bread

2 eggs (1 whole egg, 1 egg white)

1 strip of bacon cut into small pieces

1 slice of smoked gouda cheese

fresh baby spinach leaves

salt and pepper to taste

a little butter (for spreading)

How To:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. 

Step 2: Whisk the eggs together and add a little salt and pepper. 

Step 3: Place the bread slices on a baking sheet with one slice of smoked gouda on top and toast in the oven for about 7-10 minutes. 

Step 4: Cook the bacon pieces in a small pan to your desired crispiness, and then drain out the grease. Add the eggs. 

Step 5: Allow the eggs to cook with the bacon in an even layer in your pan and flip when it starts to bubble a bit and the layer stays intact when shifted around. 

Step 6: Remove bread from oven and butter the slice without cheese. 

Step 7: Slowly remove your bacon scrambled eggs from the pan and fold on top of the bread slice with the gouda cheese. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. 

Step 8: Add fresh spinach leaves then cover with the buttered bread slice.

 

Step 9: Pour some OJ on the side or hot tea and devour!

I hope you all enjoy this sandwich just as much as I have. I’ll have to post up some other sandwich creations soon.

 

What does your favorite breakfast sandwich include?

J

The Mrs.

 

{recipe: spicy herb mac n’cheese}

Heyy June!

It’s summertime which means days out on the water, fresh cocktails, fancy sunglasses, and of course tons of cookouts! For me summer also means lots and lots of mac n’ cheese. I don’t know why, it just seems like a cookout staple. Just ask my hubs---if it’s on the menu, I’ll most likely want to try it. I especially love when the traditional mac n’ cheese is recreated. Some have been absolute fails, but others have taken my taste buds straight to the moon. I just love it! Can’t you tell? Recently, I had a craving for cheesy noodles and decided to experiment with a few random ingredients I had on hand. It all amounted to this delicious recipe. The hubs gave it two thumbs up! Try it out and let me know what you think. Seriously, I’m always open to suggestions!

spicy herb mac n’ cheese:

Servings: 4

Source: Jkrabbits INC Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 cups of cavatappi pasta

1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

3 oz of velveeta (cubed)

1/4 cup of shredded smoked gouda

1 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of chipotle powder

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup of fresh baby spinach leaves

1/4 cup of bacon pieces (optional)

How To:

Step 1: Bring slightly salted water to a boil in a medium pot. Add pasta and cook until al dente. 

Step 2: In the meantime, add whipping cream, velveeta, gouda, and butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted. 

Step 3: Once cheeses have melted, add minced garlic, pepper, chipotle powder, garlic salt, parsley, and basil.  

Step 4: Incorporate baby spinach leaves and bacon pieces. Turn heat to low and cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Step 5: Once pasta is cooked to al dente, remove from heat, strain, and rinse with cool water. Shake out any excess water. 

Step 6: Add pasta to your serving dish and pour cheese sauce over top. 

Step 7: Slowly combine the sauce and pasta until all the noodles are covered. 

Step 8: Serve warm and enjoy!

Super easy and incredibly good! If you want to tone down the spice, take out the chipotle powder. I personally enjoy it as it adds a bit of a smoky flavor. I may experiment with it some more in the future and come up with a baked version.

J

So long for now!

The Mrs.

{recipe: crockpot chicken cordon bleu}

Happy weekend everyone!

Today I have a super delicious recipe for you guys to try out; Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu! I’m sure many of you may have tried one version or another of this delightful dish. It’s one of my favorites---cheese, ham, & chicken---yum! Such a great combo of flavors. I decided to put my own spin on this traditional dish and came up with a recipe I think you might enjoy. I switched out the swiss for some smoked gouda and added a special sauce that is unbelieveable delicious (seriously---I had to stop myself from licking the crockpot). Give it a go and see if your tastebuds are as impressed as mine were.

crockpot chicken cordon bleu:

Servings: 4 – 5

Source: Jkrabbits INC Kitchen

Chicken Ingredients:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4-6 slices of smoked gouda

4-6 pieces of thinly sliced honey ham

1/4 to 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour to dredge the chicken in

garlic salt & pepper to taste

italian herbs

Sauce Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup chicken broth

1 & 1/2 cups of grated colby cheese

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of butter

2 teaspoons white granulated sugar

2 large tablespoons of flour

3 tablespoons of dry white wine

2 tablespoons of minced onions

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1/2 tablespoon of dried italian herbs

1/4 cup of sliced button mushrooms (optional)

How To:

Step 1: Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and using a mallet (or whatever your have around---for me it was a wine bottle...haha), pound each chicken breast to 1/4″ thickness.

Step 2: Season each piece of chicken with garlic salt, pepper, and italian herbs.

Step 3: Place 1 gouda slice and 1 ham slice on each breast, then roll up (tucking loose ends in) and use a toothpick to secure.

Step 4: Dredge each chicken roll in flour & shake off any excess.

Step 5: In a skillet, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and turn your heat to med/high. When the oil is hot, carefully place your chicken rolls in the skillet and brown both sides until golden brown.

Step 6: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat melt the butter, then add the garlic salt, pepper, italian herbs, onions, garlic, and sugar.

Step 7: Add the flour and whisk in quickly until the roux is bubbly and smooth.

Step 8: Add the chicken broth, cream, milk, & white wine.

Step 9: Continue whisking over med. heat until it has thickened – about 10 minutes.

Step 10: Turn heat to low and then add the grated cheeses.

Step 11: Stir well until smooth and creamy.

Step 12: Add the mushrooms now and anything else you’d like to include.

  

Step 13: Place the chicken rolls into the slow cooker and pour the sauce over top until covered.

Step 14: Cover with lid then allow to cook on low for 5-6 hours, or high for 3-4 hours. The chicken is done when it falls apart easily when forked.

Step 15: Remove from crockpot and place on a nice plate. I put mine over spinach so my guests could enjoy some greens with their meal.

I was surprised at how tender the chicken was after cooking. And the flavors were beyond amazing! This definitely makes my list of favorite recipes. Hopefully it will make yours too J

Good day friends!

Mrs. E

{recipe: hostess with the mostest cupcakes}

Today’s post is on some delicious cupcakes I made for a BBQ we hosted a few weeks ago. Have you ever had a hostess cupcake; those yummy cream filled delights with the little white icing curls on top? They were one of my favorite childhood treats! I had a major craving for one so I thought it might be fun to try and make them myself. I searched throughout the net until I came across this well reviewed recipe. The cake came out very moist and just as I remembered, however the ganache topping and center filling are so much better (sorry hostess). I skipped the frosting curls as I ran out of time (my guests were arriving!) and instead left a cute little filling dot on top. Try them out and let me know what you think. My guests were impressed...hopefully yours will be too!

hostess with the mostest cupcakes:

Servings: 10 – 15 (less if you keep them to yourself…ha!)

Source: Bake at 350

Cake Ingredients:

1 & 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

How To:

Step 1: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350.

Step 2: Place paper liners in a muffin tin for about 24 cupcakes. We ended up with a little less as my hubs couldn’t keep his spoon out of the batter.

Step 3: Bring the sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Step 4: Pour the sugar water into a large bowl; add the chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture has cooled slightly.

Step 5: Stir in the vanilla.

Step 6: Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

Step 7: Using a mixer, beat the eggs into the chocolate, then mix in the dry ingredients.

Step 8: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Step 9: Cool in the pans for about 25 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

marshmallow filling:

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Source: Bake at 350

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup marshmallow crème

How To:

Step 1: Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy.

Step 2: Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar.

Step 3: Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth.

Step 4: Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition.

Step 5: Beat in the marshmallow crème; set aside or refrigerate.

Step 6: Once your cupcakes have cooled, use the back of a filling tip to cut out the center of each cupcake.

Step 7: Spoon some filling into each hole; don’t worry about the filling showing, the ganache will cover it.

ganache topping:

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Source: Bake at 350

Ganache Ingredients:

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

How To:

Step 1: Place the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl.

Step 2: Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon of butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Whisk until smooth.

Step 4: Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid. **Don’t let it cool too much as it will be harder to spoon over your cupcakes.

Step 5: Spoon the ganache carefully over each filled cupcake.

decorating icing:

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Source: Bake at 350

Icing Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 & 1/2 - 2 tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

 How To:

Step 1: Using a mixer, beat the butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, milk, and confectioners sugar until smooth, adding more milk if needed.

Step 2: Spoon icing into a pastry bag with the smallest tip you have and pipe onto the cupcakes to decorate. Check out Bake at 350 for a very cute decorating idea.

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to make these as they can be a little time consuming. They are definitely worth the trouble!

That’s all folks! Enjoy!

Mrs. E