Inside the Life of Me.....

Monday, October 17, 2011

Lime Chicken Tacos by Taste of Home (Pinterest)

Yes Please!!!

Lime Chicken Tacos
Lime Chicken Tacos Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 cup chunky salsa
  • 12 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed
  • Sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce, optional

Directions

  • Place the chicken in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.
  • Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred meat with two forks and return to the slow cooker; heat through. Stir in corn and salsa.
  • Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas with sour cream, cheese and lettuce if desired. Yield: 12 tacos.



Stuffed Baguette by Baking Obsession (Pinterest)

This would make a great appetizer!!

Stuffed Baguette

  • Baguette about 14-inch long
  • 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 4 oz fresh goat cheese
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • ½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
  • ½ cup finely chopped sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
  • ¼ cup finely chopped Kalamata olives
  • 2 oz finely chopped spicy salami
  • About 2 tbsp minced Italian parsley
  • About 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Salt to taste (very unlikely since there’re plenty of salty ingredients)
Preparation:
Slice off both ends of the baguette. Using a long thin knife and working from the both ends, hollow the baguette out leaving about ½-inch thick crust all around.
Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth and lump-free. Beat in the goat cheese and garlic. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
Working again from the both ends, fill the baguette with the cheese mixture. Pack the filling tight. I like to use a slender tequila shot glass for pressing the filling in. Wrap the stuffed baguette very well in plastic and refrigerate for at least two hours and up to two days. Right before serving, slice the baguette into ½-inch thick slices and serve. For the most neat looking slices, treat it as a cheesecake – each time slice it with a hot dry knife.

Apple Fritter Muffins by Chasing Some Blue Sky (Pinterest)

Tyler loves apple fritter anything!! I will have to make these for him!

Apple Fritter Muffins


For the Apples:
2 large granny smith apples, 1/4 inch dice
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup flour

For the Muffins:
2 large eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk

For the Glaze:
2 tbsp butter melted
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp hot water

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
  2. Line 14 muffin cups with muffin liners 
  3. In a skillet add add apple ingredients except flour and cook over medium heat until apples are tender, about 10 minutes.  Stir in flour to coat apples (this prevents apples from sinking to bottom of muffins)
  4. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt
  5. In a large bowl beat together applesauce, oil, and sugars till smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly  
  6. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined. Gently stir in apples until just combined
  7. Spoon batter into cups, filling the cups, and smooth tops. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Bake until muffin tops are a pale golden and springy to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time.
  8. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 10 minutes before glazing. 
  9. To make the glaze, In a medium bowl mix together the melted butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and water. Whisk until smooth. 
  10. When muffins have cooled slightly, dip the muffin top into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. Once hardened, dip a second time and allow to harden before serving.

Grasshopper Brownie Bars by Love and Olive Oil

I used to love the Grasshopper Girls Scout cookies, these look so good!

Grasshopper Brownie Bars 
Grasshopper Brownie Bars

Makes 16 large brownies or 32 small brownies (halve recipe for an 8x8 pan).

INGREDIENTS:

For the brownie base:
3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dark unsweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
5 ounces good quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the buttercream:
3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened but still cool, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons creme de menthe
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
For the chocolate glaze:
6 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

DIRECTIONS:

To make the brownie base: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light-colored metal 9-by-13-inch pan. Line the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper, and butter the parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the salt, and cocoa powder.
Configure a large size double boiler. Place the chocolate and the butter in the bowl of the double boiler and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler and add both sugars. Whisk the sugars until completely combined. Remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be at room temperature.
Add three eggs to the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
Sprinkle the flour/cocoa/salt mix over the chocolate. Using a spatula (do not use a whisk) fold the dry ingredients into the wet until there is just a trace amount of the flour/cocoa mix visible.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with an offset spatula, and bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. The brownies should be just a tad underdone (not too gooey, but ideally, just 1 minute from being cooked through completely). A toothpick inserted into the brownies at an angle should contain a few loose crumbs. Remove the brownies from the oven and let cool completely while you make the creme de menthe filling.
To make the buttercream: In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally until mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until filling is light and fluffy.
Add the creme de menthe and peppermint extract and mix until combined. If the filling is too soft, chill slightly in the refrigerator and then mix again until it is the proper consistency.
If the filling is too firm, place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and re-mix to proper consistency. Spread the filling evenly across the top of the brownie layer and place the pan in the refrigerator, for a minimum of 45 minutes, while you make the chocolate glaze.
To make the chocolate glaze: In a large non-reactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir vigorously for 1 minute to release excess heat.
Pour the mixture over the chilled creme de menthe layer and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. Place the pan back in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the glaze hardens.
Remove the pan from the refrigerator, wait about 15 minutes for the glaze to soften slightly, and cut the bars with a warm knife. Cut into squares and serve immediately. ?Note: The bars can be stored in the refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.

Garden in Boots-- by Pinterest

Saw this on Pinterest, thought it was a great idea for a cute garden!

Pinned Image

Love this!

Blackberry Cheese Danish by Lauren's Latest

This would be yummy for a Sunday breakfast treat!

Blackberry Cheese Danish
blackberry danish4


Ingredients:
1 tube Pillsbury crescent rolls
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup fresh blackberries

for the icing-
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla. Set aside.
Pop open crescent roll dough and unroll, leaving crescents in rectangles. On an ungreased baking sheet or silpat, lay the crescent roll rectangles together, lining them up width wise. Dough should be almost the entire length of a half sheet pan.Press edges together to even out edges and seal any holes. Cut 1/2 inch diagonal strips up each side of the dough. Carefully spread cream cheese filling down the center of the dough to be about 2-3 inches wide. Top with fresh blackberries. Fold 1/2 inch dough pieces up over filling alternating sides to get a braided pattern. You may have excess dough once you reach the end of the danish, so fold them in as best as you can. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until filling is set and crescent dough is golden in color. Cool before removing from baking sheet.
Once danish has cooled, remove to serving platter. In a small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, vanilla and cream to create icing. You may need to add more cream to get the desired consistency. Drizzle icing over danish. Cut into pieces and serve.

Future Bedroom Inspiration by Revelment

This bedroom is so beautiful! Love the color choices!


Inspiration!!