Memorable Milestones: August 2012

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Sour Cream Biscuits

In my quest to find the perfect easy tasty biscuit recipe, I may have succeed with this one from Cooks Country magazine, Feb/March 2012 issue. Unlike my past biscuit catastrophe's this one baked perfectly just like the magazine said they would.

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2 cups all (10 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 (16 ounce) container sour cream

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Adjust the oven rack to middle position and heat oven and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. Stir in sour cream and 5 tablespoons butter until combined.

Scoop and drop generous (slightly heaping) ¼ cup dough 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheet using greased ¼ cup measure. Brush with remaining 2 teaspoons butter and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let biscuits cool on sheet on wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Baby Shower (Part 4) - Real Event

Thanks for hanging in there this month as I shared what it took to bring this special baby shower together. Have a look at all the details put together to honor this couple as they welcome their baby boy into the world soon!

Take a look at our Facebook page for all the photos from this event.

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Thursday, August 23, 2012

Catrice's Orzo Pasta Salad

A very dear friend of mine made this yummy pasta salad for our "DIY Day" leading up to the baby shower we've been sharing tidbits about this month. After raving about it for weeks, I finally asked for the recipe which was a shock since I don't like ranch or cucumbers (I pushed them aside). I made it at home, it was delicious, all it was missing was Catrice's special touch!

The ingredients include Orzo Pasta, Water (or Chicken Stock), Ranch Packet, Zesty Italian Dressing, Turkey Pepperoni, Cucumbers and Tomatoes. Each of these ingredients should be added for your desired taste.

Cook Orzo as directed on the box using either water of chicken stock. Add ranch packet (I used half) toward the end of the cooking process.

Halve or quarter pepperoni, cucumbers and tomatoes once orzo is done cooking. Add desired amount of Italian dressing and combine.

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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Baby Shower (Part 3) - Yarn Chandelier & Custom Baby Blocks

If you're hosting a party are in a jam for decorating idea's, you can't go wrong browsing the Hostess with the Mostess Blog. This idea for Yarn Chandelier's came straight from there! While the result was beautiful, I must warn you that this is a VERY messy project and tons of fun to do with kids! In all of the excitement of the Shower I totally forgot to take pictures of our actual chandeliers (sorry), but you can see one peeking behind the beautiful custom baby blocks I purchased from a fabulous Etsy vendor.

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Thursday, August 16, 2012

Daphne's Turkish Burger

This recipe can be found in the Glamour August 2012 issue. I must admit it was a bit ambitious of me to attempt to make the first Greek meal I've ever tasted, so ambitious I was only able to get a photo of the finished product. This meal was a delightful twist on a classic burger.

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For Whipped Feta

4 ounces of Greek yogurt

6 ounces of Feta cheese

2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

For Burgers

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried mint

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large sweet onion, minced

¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 egg

1 slice day-old bread, soaked in milk

¼ cup olive oil

4 pieces flatbread (or whole wheat pitas, tops trimmed)

Sea salt

Combine yogurt, feta, dill, and salt in a food processor; whip until smooth and creamy, like mayo. (If sauce is too thick, add more yogurt to thin.) Refrigerate.

Combine oregano, mint, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, and paprika in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

In another bowl, combine beef, onion, parsley, and egg. Soak bread in milk for a few minutes, then squeeze to remove excess. Add to mixture, combining thoroughly. Stir in spices. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Wet hands with water and form small, loosely packed patties about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide. Pat each down gently to flatten. Brush each burger with olive oil, and grill on medium heat for about 10 minutes on each side until burger feels springy.

Brush flatbread or pita pocket with oil, sprinkle with salt, and heat on grill until warm but not crispy, roughly about 1 minute on each side.

Spread bread with whipped feta mixture. Fill with patty and top with Cucumber Tomato Salsa. Serve immediately.

Cucumber Tomato Salsa

Finely chop 2 tomatoes, 1 small seedless cucumber, 1 red onion and ½ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Baby Shower (Part 2) - Custom Paper Straws

Paper straws are all the rage now days at weddings and showers alike, so why not a baby shower too! This was a more simple project with the aid of this printable template. All I had to do was think of "cutesy" words, print, cut and attach with a glue dots (double stick tape would work too). How adorable are they!

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Thursday, August 9, 2012

Spinach Artichoke Baked Pasta

If you love Spinach Artichoke Dip (like me!) then you are sure to love this pasta bake. This meal is so simple to put together, ultra filling, but not too heavy for summer evenings! Enjoy!

Recipe to follow or found here.

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14 oz of Orecchiette Pasta (or short pasta)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Cup of Chopped Onion

3 Cloves of Garlic (Minced)

1 Cup of Sour Cream

4 oz of Cream Cheese (Room Temperature)

3/4 Cup of Parmesan Cheese

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice + Zest

10 Oz of Spinach (Make sure to squeeze excess moisture, after it has been thawed of course)

13.5 Can of Artichoke Hearts rinsed and chopped

1 Cup of Mozzarella

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

1 Teaspoon of Pepper

Preheat Oven To 425 degrees.

Cook pasta according to the box. Keep 1/4 Cup of the Pasta Water before you drain the cooked pasta.

Heat oil in pan and cook onions for 8 – 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute.

In a large bowl – Mix Sour Cream, Cream Cheese, Parmesan, Lemon (juice and zest), onions, and garlic. Add Pasta and mix. Stir in spinach, artichokes, 1/4 cup of cooking liquid from the pasta, salt, pepper, and 1/2 Cup of Mozzarella.

Place mixture into greased 2.5 – 3 qt casserole dish and place the rest of mozzarella cheese on top.

Place in the oven till golden brown on top – about 10 – 15 minutes.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Baby Shower (Part 1) - Mini Bunting

July was a busy month for us, we had quite a few events. One of which involved A LOT of crafting. Over the next few weeks I'll share all of the crafting goodness it took to pull off a baby shower for a little boy themed around shades of blue & brown, bunting, pretty paper and yarn!

One of the major projects was the centerpiece. It literally came to me in a dream, to which I jumped up and wrote down everything I could remember in the middle of the night so I wouldn't forget a single detail.

After sketching out the centerpiece (which I won't share) I looked to the internet for some guidance on how to pull mini bunting off. The Sweetest Occasion was the most help in terms of measurements. Take a look below to see the steps and materials used to pull off this project.

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Thursday, August 2, 2012

Baked Brown Sugar Chix Wings

During one of my many blog surfing sessions, I stumbled upon this sweet and savory recipe that puts a new twist on chicken wings. While the wings are sure to make your mouth water, it's really the roasted red pepper sauce that steals the show! Even my cautious (read: picky) eater boyfriend ranted and raved about this dipping sauce. Thanks to the folks at Damn Delicious for sharing this recipe.

Recipe to follow!