Another great cooking class from Publix

Tonight, George and I attended a hands-on cooking class at the local Publix Aprons Cooking School. This class' theme was "A Bottle, a Blanket and a Basket"  and the menu contained picnic-themed foods. Starting with bruschetta with three cheese and caramelized onion spread, we moved on to a roast beef roll with arugula and pickled shallots, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus with lemon basil pesto, and strawberry cream-filled cupcakes, the menu was delicious. George and I really enjoyed the process of creating these new flavors. Here are some pics from tonight's adventure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had such a nice evening, and we can't wait to do it again.

National Ice Cream Day

Sunday was National Ice Cream Day, and to celebrate, we made a blueberry pie and some vanilla bean ice cream. The ice cream was pretty easy to put together as it only has a handful of ingredients.

Danny helped me by being the official stir-er of the custard.

And Megan helped me with the packaging after we froze the ice cream.

While waiting for the ice cream to freeze, the kids did rainy day projects from Surprise Ride, a web-based organization that puts together projects with all of the materials needed. Our subscription began this month, and the theme for July was pirates. Complete with a copy of Treasure Island, a snack, a paintable treasure chest,

a draw-it-yourself treasure map, and a floating foam pirate ship.

The kids had a blast, and I highly recommend getting a subscription. After project time, we ate dinner and broke out the ice cream. It was delicious! What an awesome end to the weekend!

More inspiration

Last night, after the house was quiet, I was trying to think of something to make for breakfast today to make use of my week-old bananas and/or blueberries before they went completely bad. I had seen Giada at Home last week, and I remembered that she made a Blueberry-Banana bread.

Perfect! I love baking at night, and I like to think the smell of baked goods gives the kids good dreams.

This morning, Megan and I made use of our leftover cajun ingredients and some others to create an Andouille, potato and egg scramble to have with the bread.

Megan was inspired to help by our "Creamer Cooking Camp" and has become an expert sausage slicer.

For the scramble, we used one Andouille link, one cup of cooked hashbrowns (we had some leftover refrigerated hashbrowns from another breakfast), 1/4 cup red onion, 1/4 cup red bell pepper, 2 beaten eggs, and 3 Tbsp. shredded cheddar. First, you place 1 Tbsp. of butter in a non-stick pan, adding onions and peppers when hot. Add the sausage and cook until sausage slices are lightly browned on both sides. Add the hashbrowns and continue to cook until the potatoes are heated through. Add the egg and cheese and stir until the eggs are fully cooked. That's it! Such and easy way to use leftovers, and an easy way to continue the inspiration to create in the kids.

Creamer Cooking Camp

I had signed the kids up for Publix kids cooking camps this week, but unfortunately the class was cancelled due to low enrollment. I had already taken off work to shuttle them around, and I decided to no let it be a total loss. I planned a cooking class for them at home, and we had a great time cooking items from Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking.

Once all of the prepping was completed (George chopped the red and green peppers, Megan chopped the green onion, and Danny chopped the celery), we started on the appetizer, Crawfish Pies. While Danny read off the instructions, everybody took turns stirring and sautéing the filling mix. First George, who showed off his tossing and flipping skills while stirring,

then Danny,

 

and then Megan.

Then, Megan and I rolled out the pie crust and brushed the egg to seal them.

After they were filled and baking, we made the Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese and Warm Andouille Dressing. All I can say is..."Yum." Here are the finished products as we sat down to eat them.

 

 

After the first two courses, we quickly made the main course, Andouille and Crawfish Maque Choux. For this course, we modified Emeril's Tasso Maque Choux recipe to incorporate the sausage and crawfish. This was by far one of the best dishes we've ever eaten.

Our dessert for the evening was Jessica Lagasse's Black and White Brownies.

This is a white chocolate "brownie" with semisweet chocolate pieces melted into the top. In all it was such a successful cooking experience, and the kids were so excited about how much they learned and enjoyed what they created. We will definitely do this again.

Buttermilk Pie

Last night, while I was trying to decide on what to make for dessert, I looked in the fridge and saw that my buttermilk was about to expire. So I decided to make a buttermilk pie.

This pie is Megan's absolute favorite, and she can usually only get it at Tallahassee Smokehouse. But I decided to give it a go, and it turned out fabulous. Here's the recipe, adapted from one I saw on Tasty Kitchen Blog (I borrowed the pic from there), in case you get inspired, too (or in case you have some left over buttermilk you need to use).

Buttermilk Pie

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour

1-¾ cup Sugar

½ tsp. Salt

⅓ cups Butter, Melted

3 whole Eggs, Beaten

1 cup Buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (I use homemade, reduce to 1 tsp. if using storebought)

1 pie shell, unbaked (I used Marie Callenders frozen pie crusts, thawed)

Preparation Instructions:

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine beaten eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and stir with a whisk until well-blended. Continuously whisking, pour in beaten eggs and whisk until well combined. then pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.

Pour into the pie shell. Bake for 55-60 minutes at 350ºF until filling is set and top is golden brown. Allow to cool for about 20-25 minutes before slicing. Store covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Welcome home, Megan!

Megan was gone for 5 1/2 days, and during that time, George and Danny went into a deep depression. OK, maybe not a deep depression, but definintely a significant funk. We missed her smile, her humor, and most of all the love that she pours out daily. Danny woke up with tears in his eyes, and George was generally grumpy. This is not to say that they didn't have fun with their alone time running errands and snuggling until noon (while it rained every day!), but we were all ready for her to come home on Saturday. Danny and I went to pick her up at the church at 5:30, and here she's saying hey to her dad (who was working).

Recognize the outfit? She had to wear most of her outfits twice as she was limited to one small suitcase and a backback for everything including clothes for 6 days, linens, towels and all toiletries. She had an awesome time the whole week, and she regaled us with stories of her adventures. For example, she told us about Ransom Cafe, a network of churches that hold a soup kitchen for the homeless in different locations around Mobile. Megan stepped out of her comfort zone and took orders, delivered food, and socialized with the folks she was serving. During her lunch break, she met a homeless family and talked to them about her experience while asking about theirs. It was very eye-opennig for my sheltered girl. She also spent some time at a Mobile nursing home, playing bingo and singing hymns and gospel tunes for the residents. 

Between the work and the worship, she was inspired...and exhausted. On Sunday, after being immersed in all of the activity for the week, she actually missed church because she slept all morning. After waking up, she needed some quiet time, so we sat and watched create tv where Megan found her new favorite show, b. organic. In this show based out of Iowa Public Television, the host (Michelle Beschen) show folks how to create a natural lifestyle by making everyday fun from recycled and reused treasures, getting kids outside, and using natural organic products. Their website, borganic.net, has tons of project ideas to get folks inspired about living the natural lifestyle. The kids even got inspired, and built a fort in the living room (it was raining outside - shocker!).

Megan says you're never too old to build a fort. We had a super relaxing weekend, and I know her week will be spent recovering in the quiet comfort of her room. Welcome home, Megan!

I miss her already...

Megan set off on her first mission trip to Alabama this morning, and I miss her already. Before she left, I snapped a few pics of her,

including one of her saying goodbye to Danny

and one of her saying goodbye to Harley.

I am so proud of her for signing up for this trip. She knows few people and is going to a strange city, but she's committed to helping those in need. Megan has the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met, and I love her so much, I missed her as soon as I dropped her off. I can't wait until she gets back!

A very productive 4th of July "weekend"

This weekend, even though the rains continue in Tallahassee, we had a great time. On the 4th, we spent most of the day watching The Revolution on H2 (the History Channel's additional programming channel) and relaxing. This was the first 4th that George didn't have to work as the fireworks he usually works were cancelled due to the continuous monsoon we've been experiencing. So, we had a great 4th dinner at Longhorn, and then went to see Monsters University at the theater.  Loved it!

Friday was a work day for me, so no fun. Again it rained that night, so the kids and I had a family reading night. On Saturday, we got a long enough reprieve from the rain for me to mow the yard in the morning. the kids packed their stuff and headed off to visit Gran-ma and Papa Creamer for a night of fun. Danny got to hone his baking skills by making homemade snicker doodles.

Meanwhile, I had a night on my own (George was working), and I had plans at the Aprons Cooking School at Publix. The class for the evening was A Vegetarian's Journey Through India. A hands-on class full of tasks for everyone, I spent a lot of my time making naan

and enjoying the preparation of a huge Indian spread.

I had a great time, but I'm glad George is signed up for the next one. I missed him.
This morning, the kids said goodbye to their grandparents

and headed to church. In the service, Megan's mission group was recognized before they head out tomorrow.

She's so excited, and as nervous as I am to let her go for the week by herself, I'm excited for her too. When we got home, we took her to lunch, and then packed all of her stuff for the trip. I am really going to miss her. 

In all, it was a very productive "weekend," and I hope you all enjoyed the 4th holiday too!

Easy Cinnamon French Toast

Have you ever tried to make cinnamon French toast, but when you make the batter, the cinnamon doesn't disburse throughout the batter, but gathers at the top in clumps? Well, the French toast I made this morning is an easy way to make cinnamon French toast perfectly every time. Here's the recipe:

Easy Cinnamon French Toast

 

1 loaf Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Bread*

4 eggs

1/2 cup whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla (I use homemade)

pinch of salt

Unwrap the bread and remove the ends. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla and salt. Heat a non-stick skillet to Medium, and when hot, spray with non-stick cooking spray (or you can coat the pan with butter before each batch of bread). Dip each slice of bread in the batter so it soaks into each side but still remains firm. Place in the hot pan and let cook until the underside turns golden brown. Flip over, and let the other side brown. Repeat until all slices are used. Serve with syrup and fruit, or you can serve them Danny-style, with powdered sugar and whipped cream. However you serve it, the cinnamon flavor is delicious.

*Our Publix often has a BOGO sale on their small Pepperidge Farm breads, and when they do, I always buy a few. They freeze beautifully because they're already double wrapped in plastic. When you want to thaw it for French toast the next morning, just take it out of the freezer at bedtime and leave it on the counter overnight.