Creamed Spinach

Hey everyone!

We recently had a dearth of spinach, and I asked my fiancé whether he had ever had creamed spinach. Not having grown up in the south, he said no, but I encouraged him to make it and now he's made it almost 5 times. It's a fairly standard side in the south, and put those onions and bacon in it, and you're golden!

My fiancé just went off of this recipe here by Paula Deen on the Food Network website, but he then added some crispy bacon and has since modified it to frying the bacon first, then using some of the bacon fat for the onions, etc. Try either way- just depends how much you love bacon!

Here's your spinach after most of your pretty quick steps- just let it wilt down a bit and meanwhile...

If you didn't start by frying the bacon then using the grease for the onions, do that, but if you've got a vegetarian or something like that, just fry your bacon to serve on top.

This is super simple, and a great and delish way to get some greens- try it!
Savor it!
love, rue

Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

Hey guys!
     Today is a good one- my fiancé finally did all the pushing and made me buckle down and actually commit to making homemade mozzarella cheese. I thought it would be easy, but still time consuming and a little difficult, and I was worried about getting all the ingredients too. Let me tell you- I was wrong! It was pretty easy to get the ingredients- citric acid is available in stores (just google it in your area), and you can order rennet online anywhere (got mine on Amazon- used animal rennet, make sure to refrigerate after receiving!). It was SO easy to make the cheese, and it only took maybe 30 minutes all together.
I'm going to link to the recipe we used, but show you the process through our pictures too, because we (but mostly fiancé J have made it twice now). It is so easy, and so delicious.
Most recipes around are quite similar, and the one the we used is here from The Kitchn.

The ingredients and most of the tools- milk, distilled water, citric acid, and rennet. You'll also need salt and  that thermometer at the back of the pic :)

Warm milk to room temperature, then add in your citric acid and water.

Heat to 90 F, then add rennet and water mixture.

Remove from heat, and stir for 30 seconds.

Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

Gently run knife through curds, cutting into rough squares. (We used a plastic knife because this is a non-stick pot)

Return to heat and gently stir curds until the temperature reaches 105 F and the curds start to gather away from the whey.

Remove from heat, mix together curds for 5 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon, and you have this!

Reserve the whey (on the left) for storing the cheese (among other uses) later. Put cheese in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until the cheese reaches 135 F, heating 30 seconds at a time. Strain off the whey.

Wearing rubber gloves (these were not quite thick enough for the heat), add the salt then gently knead the mozzarella and shape into balls, whatever size you like.

Here are the finished balls from the first batch of cheese. We made two larger balls from the second batch. Store the cheese in a bowl of the whey to keep it moist and fresh.

And here's the cheese over tomatoes and basil- just awaiting a little balsamic! yum! (The cheese from the first batch, kneaded a little more and stored not as submerged in whey, is on the left, and the more gently kneaded and stored totally submerged in whey, is on the right).

Savor it! (thanks again for all the help and work, J!)
love, rue

Avocado Deviled Eggs

Hello again!

This time we've got a collaborative effort on the inspiration and execution of this recipe. The BF and I have been keeping a list of things to make and trying to get one crossed off now and again between everything else. So this last time we made Avocado Deviled Eggs. I love deviled eggs, and so does the BF, though we have our differences (I am not a pickle juice fan), and we both love avocado, so it seemed like a no-brainer. Also, healthier! Let's go!

Here's the arsenal- simple, and tweak according to your tastes!!

Here's the filling in my mini food processor.- for more eggs you'll need a bigger one, a mixer, or do batches! But the mini one sure is cute!

Alright, here are the eggs almost done- filling and whites, just waiting!

Avocado Deviled Eggs
-6 eggs, hard-boiled
-1 avocado
-1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
-2 teaspoons good mustard
-salt
-pepper
-paprika
-optional: lime juice, pickle juice, other spices, etc.- make it how you like it!)
Peel your hard-boiled eggs, cut in half lengthwise, and separate the yolks.
To the yolks add your avocado, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper to taste, and anything else you’re putting in the filling.
Use a masher, blender, or food processor to make your filling mostly smooth.
Pipe or spoon (both techniques are in the pictures- to pipe, put your filling in a ziplock and snip the corner, or use a pastry bag) your filling into the waiting egg whites, sprinkle with paprika, and you’re done! Enjoy!

You can either spoon or pipe the filling into the whites- my eggs had no lime juice or any acid, and I spooned them, while the piped ones are by the BF and are a little more zesty- make it your own!

Savor it!
love, rue

Jalapeño Poppers

Hey everyone, this post is written by me, but all the work was done by the BF, so all credit to him for the idea and execution, start to finish!

So we were at the store and saw some frozen jalapeño poppers, but figured they were awfully expensive, so why not make his own? We already had cream cheese for stuffing, so we bought some jalapeños and bread for crumbs and below is the result!

Most of your ingredients- simple!

Your halved jalapeños and homemade breadcrumbs.

The stuffed jalapeños!

And here's your dredging setup, post-chilling.

Jalapeño Poppers
-jalapeños
-cream cheese, flavored, mixed, or otherwise, for filling
-breadcrumbs or bread for breadcrumbs (toast, then pulse in food processor)
-flour
-egg
-oil
Halve the jalapeños and de-seed and de-vein to your preference.
Fill with your choice of cream cheese based filling. Chill.
Put egg in one bowl, well beaten, flour in a second bowl, and bread crumbs in a third.
Dredge the stuffed jalapeños in egg, flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.
Heat your skillet over medium heat. Place your jalapeños, however many will fit without crowding at a time, in the pan and fry until browned nicely.
Place jalapeños on a baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 5-7 minutes.
Serve with jam or your choice of sauce!
(p.s. next time the BF says he will try baking the jalapeños before stuffing so you don’t need to bake at the end for them to be tender.)

Frying up the poppers- just don't let them go past brown to burnt!

And the finished product- enjoy!!

Savor it!
love, rue (and BF)

Fluffy Peanut Butter Honey Dip

Hey there everyone!

This recipe/idea is super easy and simple- it really feels like cheating to me, but we have to give ourselves breaks every once in a while and whip up what's quick, easy, and completely delicious. This Fluffy Peanut Butter Honey Dip is awesome on apples, tastes like PB&J with berries, and is also great on cookies, graham crackers- whatever you can think of, I'll admit I've even had just a spoonful alone! Let's go!

I told you- super simple- 3 ingredient arsenal of cool whip, peanut butter, and honey.

Put cool whip and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl.

And whip until uniform and fluffy!

Add in your honey- 2 to 3 tablespoons depending on your tastes.

And then beat for 2 more minutes in your mixer. You can also definitely use a hand mixer, no problem.

Fluffy Peanut Butter Honey Dip
-1 cup peanut butter (regular or natural, regular or reduced fat)
-1 (8 oz.) container cool whip (lite, extra creamy, store brand- whatever your preference)- put in fridge for 1 hour prior to making
-2-3 tablespoons honey
*Both stand and hand mixers will work just fine with this recipe
Whip peanut butter and cool whip together until fluffy.
Add honey and beat 2 minutes, until incorporated and uniform.
Store airtight in the refrigerator.
Delicious with apple slices, graham crackers, other fruit, whatever you can think of- even a spoonful by itself is delish!

Your finished dip- just minutes and you've got 2 1/2 - 3 cups of delicious dip for fruit, graham crackers, whatever you like.

You should definitely whip this up, soon. It stores great in the fridge and is awesome to pull out for a snack with an apple or whatever your preference is. Enjoy!

Savor it!
love, rue

Coffee Cake Muffins

Hi everybody-

These are pretty darn yummy. I don't often have sour cream on hand, but I happened to so I seized the opportunity to bake these. I love having them in muffin/cupcake form instead of a whole cake because it's easier to portion out and control what you're eating (especially if you live alone!)- that in mind, use whatever pan/pans are suitable for your occasion. Let me just show you-

Here are all of your ingredients- not complicated at all!

Mix together your topping ingredients- butter, sugar, nuts.

Here's your topping all made- set aside until you're done with the batter.

Mix sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla.

Add in your dry ingredients, mix well.

And add in the sour cream alternately, mixing well.

Your finished batter and topping- simple!

Here's the muffins half-done - half of the batter is in the bottom of the papers, and then I put half of the topping on.

And here are the muffins with the rest of the batter and topping done and ready for the oven!

 

Coffee Cake Muffins
-3 tablespoons butter, softened/melted
-1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice (I used walnuts)
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-3/4 cup white sugar
-1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil
-1/4 cup applesauce
-3 eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-2 cups flour
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 cup sour cream
Mix butter, nuts, and brown sugar together. Set aside.
Beat the white sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
Add in 1/2 of the dry ingredients, mix well. Add 1/2 of the sour cream, mix well. Then mix in the second halves of each.
Layer 1/2 the batter, then 1/2 the topping, then the other 1/2 batter, then the last 1/2 of topping in whatever kind of greased (or paper lined) pan you are using (I made muffins- works great!).
Bake at 350 F for 18-20 minutes for muffins, about 50 minutes for a bundt pan.

Your finished coffee cafe muffins- delish, and an easy snack to take anywhere!

Savor it!
love, rue

Traditional Potato Salad

Hey there everyone!

This recipe is thanks to my helping out for the 4th- I'm not really an eater of traditional potato salad, so I probably would not have brought you a recipe otherwise, but I was assured by all present that it was really good. Let me show you- super simple.

Here's your arsenal! Pretty simple, and colorful!

Chop potatoes and eggs, then mash roughly.

Add in your chopped veggies and mix well. (I forgot the pickles and added them later- just fine!)

Here are your seasonings and binder- change ratios to your taste.

Add your mayo and then your seasonings and mix well.

And finally, I added in the chopped pickled I forgot about earlier.

Sorry I don't have a picture of the finished salad- it's pretty similar to the above, just mixed and with paprika sprinkled on top. People gobbled it right up before I could think of it!


Traditional Potato Salad
-Potatoes, boiled
-Eggs, hard boiled and peeled
-Red onion, chopped
-Green onion, chopped
-Celery, chopped
-Radish, chopped
-Sweet pickles, chopped (or relish, whichever you prefer)
-Mayonnaise
-Pickle Juice
-Dry mustard
-Salt & Pepper
-Paprika
Chop potatoes and eggs once cool then mash roughly.
Mix in all of the other ingredients- using your own ratios and amounts to make it however you like it- don’t like something, don’t use it, and use more or less of ingredients depending on what you like. This is a really easy recipe to play around with the amounts of- just start slow with the mayo because that is almost impossible to fix.
Chill. Sprinkle with paprika to serve.

Savor it!
love, rue

Basic Baked Brie

Hi there!

This is a super easy recipe, and it doesn't have too many pictures as a result of that- pretty much one-step assembly, then bake and eat. Delish. I've been eating this pretty much my whole life but hadn't made it in a while as brie is on the expensive side. But I was able to get some super on sale, so Jordan and I made baked brie- let's go!

Put your brie in a dish, and put your toppings, well, on top!

Basic Baked Brie
-brie
-brown sugar
-chopped pecans or other nut of your choosing
-optional: dried fruit of your choosing, chopped if it is larger than raisins
Put the brie in an oven safe dish, cover with toppings (as much or as little as you like) and bake at 325-350 for 8-10 minutes.
To be a little more advanced, you can cut the brie in half so that you can layer toppings in like filling between the layers of a cake.
This is perfect for eating on apple slices, but equally as good on a crusty bread.

Bake your brie and it will come out warm and gooey and cheesy and sweet and nutty and is PERFECT on apples or some nice crusty bread.

Savor it!
love, rue

Microwave Baked Apples

Happy New Years Eve, everyone!

This is something I've been making during these super cold nights to help keep me warm. It's super simple and easy- 5 ingredients, and it takes under 5 minutes to make. These taste yummy, slightly sweet, and cinnamon-y, without the oven! Let's keep things easy and get to the recipe!

Ingredients: apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter.

Peel and chop your apple to about this size.

Toss with the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Then top with butter and a splash of water.

Microwave Baked Apples
-apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
-2 teaspoons brown sugar per apple
-a sprinkle of cinnamon per apple
-1/8-1/4 teaspoon butter
-a splash or two of water per apple
Mix apples with brown sugar and cinnamon in a microwave safe bowl/dish. Top with butter and a splash or two of water.
Microwave for about 45 seconds, then stir, then microwave for 30 more seconds and stir again (this is for my microwave, which I do not know the wattage of but it is pretty strong- adjust for your microwave and for your taste in terms of how firm you like the apples).
Enjoy!

And here's your finished product- eat it while it's hot!

Savor it!
love, rue