Pineapple Soyaki Meatballs

Pineapple Soyaki Meatballs

With my to-do list being big today, I thought to start dinner early ... that's right a crock pot meal!  Cole has been asking me for about a week now to help me cut open the pineapple that has been sitting on top of the refrigerator.  I decided to take him up on his offer and use the pineapple in our dinner and I grabbed a few other ingredients- turkey meatballs, soyaki sauce, the pineapple and the pineapple corer.

The pineapple was our first task ...

I cut the top off of the pineapple ...

and then I used the corer to remove the pineapple while taking the core out as well.  I got this started ...

and then Cole took his turn at it- the coring is actually a bit tricky as you are pressing down into the pineapple while you are also turning the tool to cut the pineapple at the same time.

Success!  We did it!

I sliced the pineapple into smaller pieces and Cole and I ate a few too!  We then placed our frozen turkey meatballs (which is perfect for little prep and a quick meal- another TJ find) into the crock pot with our sliced pineapple.  

I poured a can of pineapple juice on top ...

and then the bottle of soyaki sauce as well.  I stirred it up and let it cook on low in the crock pot.

When Jeremy gets home we will enjoy our pineapple and meatballs over rice ... until then I will be folding the 7 loads of laundry from the day and reading more books with the boys-  as Braydon just climbed into my lap and gave me a hug and Cole brought me a new book to read saying, Mommy I miss you, can you cuddle with me and read me another book? I'm not sure if it is cute that he misses me after only 30 minutes of being away, but either way I suppose that is my cue to sign off for now and LOVE on my boys.  

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

As Father's Day is approaching this weekend, the boys and I thought it would be fun to make a yummy treat to be enjoyed.  My Dad LOVES pie, Lemon Meringue specifically.  Jeremy also likes this same pie which created an obvious baking choice for us!  Rather than have to split the pie, we baked two!

As with most things, baking from scratch requires a decent amount of time to be invested.  We had no where to be today and there was a cool breeze in the air so we got started early this morning.

I will share the ingredients and measurements for a single 9 inch pie.

Pie Crust

We began by making our pie crust.  Some people prefer to buy their own crusts, but quite frankly- homemade tastes better and it doesn't take much time at all. 

I didn't have any shortening on hand when I began this process today, so I opted for an oil based pie crust.  

In a bowl mix together 1c and 2 tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/3 c oil.  Your texture will look like this.

Add water, a tbsp at a time for a total of 2-3 tbsp until your dough starts to take shape of a ball.

Place your dough on a piece of wax paper ...

and cover the dough with another piece of wax paper.

Use a rolling pin to now flatten and roll out your dough to fit your 9 inch pie plate.

Once flattened, peel one side of the wax paper off and place in your pie plate.  

Then peel the second sheet of wax paper off and shape the dough in your pie plate.

Fold the edges of your pie plate if you prefer a design.

Once your dough is properly placed, take a fork and poke holes all through the dough to prevent the dough from rising while baking.  Bake the pie crust for 7-10 minutes at 450 degrees.

Once your dough is done baking, set aside to cool.

Lemon Filling

Before getting started on your filling, some prep work is required.  To start, slice a bag of lemons in half to juice them. 

You will need 1/2 c of fresh lemon juice.  Once that has been achieved, set aside.

Now it is time to extract the rind of the lemons.  The boys helped me grate the lemon rind.  

Measure out 2 tsp of grated lemon zest and set aside.  If you have extra, you can freeze it for a later recipe!

Now combine 6 tbsp of cornstarch with 1/2 c of water in a bowl and mix well until the cornstarch has completely dissolved.  Set aside.

Here comes the EGG part.  At this time, you will be separating your yolks from your egg whites.  In one bowl keep 5 yolks and in another bowl keep 6 egg whites.

Now that all our prep has been taken care of, we get to heat and combine.  In a saucepan whisk together the egg yolks, 1 3/4 c sugar, lemon juice and 1 c water until well blended.  Continually stir to keep the filling from sticking and burning.  Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and bring it to a boil over  medium heat until the mixture thickens.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in your lemon zest.  Using a spatula, pour the filling into a bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling to keep it hot.  Your filling MUST stay hot while you make your meringue.

Set aside to make your meringue.

Meringue

To make the meringue, in a large bowl, combine your egg whites and 1/2 tsp cream of tartar.

Using a mixer, beat this on a medium speed until the whites begin to thicken.  Increase your speed and beat until soft peaks start to form.  Be prepared to beat for about 8 consistant minutes.

Slowly add 6 tbsp sugar and continue to beat until stiff, shiny peaks form.  This will take another 5 minutes or so.

Building Your Pie

Remove the plastic wrap from your hot filling and evenly pour it into your prebaked crust.  

Distribute the meringue evenly over the filling, mounding it towards the center and spreading it to the edge to seal the crust.

Use the back of a spoon to form peaks and swirls in the meringue.

Bake at 350 for 12-17 minutes. 

When the surface of your meringue is golden in color remove from the oven so your peaks do not burn.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for an hour.  Once completly cooled, refrigerate until cold for 5 hours or overnight.  Serve cold.

The Daddys in our family LOVE to be spoiled with this dessert, how will you spoil yours??

Yellow Curry Chicken- Crock Pot

Yellow Curry Chicken

Today is Monday which means that I am typically home doing laundry and catching up on chores.  Since I would be busy with other tasks throughout the day I didn't want to worry about dinner and all its time and preparartion.  Dinner screamed crock pot meal tonight!!

I am someone who gets stuck in a rut of routine ... I like to experiment, but I hardly venture out of my typical Mexican and Italian cooking ideas ... all the more why I tried something different for tonight's dinner.  

In addition to my chicken I used a yelllow curry sauce, light coconut milk and pearl onions.  I placed my 2 chicken breasts into the crock pot, poured this 11 oz jar of curry sauce on top, 3/4 of this can of coconut milk, 1 1/2 c of pearl onions and I topped it all with 2 tsp of curry powder and a few dashes of pepper.

I stirred all the ingredients together, turned my crock pot on low and let it cook for 6 hours.  

With about 20 minutes left before dinner, I made some jasmine rice and warmed up a few chicken egg rolls- I love Trader Joe's egg rolls- if you haven't tried them before, DO!

Plate your rice, top with your chicken and onions and drizzle your meal with your curry sauce.  This is awesome and rich in flavor- and the key to every Monday's dinner is that it is EASY!

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

A while back I shared a coffee cake recipe that didn't have sour cream, so I thought that I would also share a recipe that did have sour cream.  After quite a few different recipes tried, adapted and altered, this is by far our families favorite!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  

Begin by making your streusel.  In a small bowl combine 4 tbsp butter, 6 tbsp flour, 2/3 c brown sugar and 3 tsp cinnamon.  Use a pastry cutter or fork to blend and cut the ingredients into one another.  Once a crumbly texture has been achieved, set aside to begin making the batter.

To make the batter, mix together 2 1/2 c flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and also set aside.

In one more bowl, beat together 3/4 c of butter with 1 1/4 c of sugar.  The texture should become creamy.  Beat in 4 eggs, one at a time.  Then add 1 tsp of vanilla, beating until just combined.  

Set aside 1 1/2 c of sour cream and gather all your bowls of ingredients to complete your batter.  

Add your dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the sour cream and mix on low until the batter is combined and smooth.

Pour half of the batter into a prepared pan and smooth over with a spatula.  Top the batter with half of your streusel.  Then add the second half of your batter to the pan, topping again with remaining streusel.  

Bake for 45 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.  

Once completely cooled you can sprinkle with powdered sugar or a vanilla glaze, slice and enjoy!

  

Gnocchi Cheese Bake

Gnocchi Cheese Bake

Typically I would make a dish like this for dinner, but Jeremy and I had quite the appetite for lunch and I figured- why not!?  If you enjoy cheese or carbs, THIS is for you!!

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Once your water is boiling, add 2 packages of potato gnocchi (potato, pasta like dumplings) to the water and watch for them to rise.

Once the gnocchi starts to rise to the top of the water, remove the pan from the heat and drain the water.

Lightly grease an ovenproof dish and place your gnocchi in the dish.

Scatter 2-3 tbsp of butter on top ...

then sprinkle 1-2 tbsp of fresh parsley on top as well.

Lay shredded mozzarella and provolone on top of your buttered and seasoned gnocchi.  The amount of cheese you use is completely to your preference.  I used about 1 c of mozzarella and 6 slices of provolone.  When your cheese has been placed, top with pepper.

Place in your oven for about 15-20 minutes.  When the top begins to turn a golden color it is ready!

Serve once it has cooled a few moments and enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Streusel Topping

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Streusel Topping

It was time to make banana bread again. I purposely buy a cluster of bananas strictly to let them brown and then I make bread out of them.  The bananas were ready, so today I got to baking.  I usually make bread, but today I opted for muffins.  The recipe I used is as follows:

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Mix 3/4 c sugar, 3 large bananas, 3/4 c oil and 2 eggs in a bowl.  Once blended add in 2 c flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp baking powder.  Every time I make banana bread I play with new ideas of add-ins and toppings.  Today I went with adding the classic chocolate chips.  Add 1 c of chocolate chips ... or more!  Mix well.  

Fill your muffin pans with liners or oil well to prevent from sticking.  Pour your batter into the tins and bake for 30 minutes.

I decided to add a bit more sweetness to this batch so I made a streusal topping.  

In a small bowl I added 1/2 c brown sugar, 2 tbsp cinnamon and 1/4 c flour.

Once I stirred these ingredients together I used a pastry cutter to cut in 1/2 c of butter.

After my muffins had been baking for 20 minutes, I topped them with the streusal and placed them back in the oven to cook for the remaining 10 minutes- for a total of 30 minutes baking time.

Remove from the pans within a few minutes so that the butter from the streusal doesn't over saturate your muffins.

I had a little batter leftover so I made bite size mini muffins for the boys to enjoy as a snack later in the day.  These are a great option for a healthy snack since they are made with oil instead of butter and the chocolate chips satisfy the sweet tooth craving too!