Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce

Phew! There is so much that I've wanted to post about lately, but I haven't had the chance to sit down and write! My schedule at work has been a little different these past couple of days, and it's thrown off my groove. I must say that I'm proud of myself because I sent out some more query letters today! I've been getting a few rejections here and there, but that's all part of the process. I'm just waiting for the one who will say yes. You better believe it's going to happen.

In the meantime, I do believe I promised some more recipe sharing. When we made that delicious Alfredo, my mom and I looked up a ton of recipes, so I honestly can't remember where this one comes from. The woman who did it showed the original recipe and then the modifications she made to it. We used her modifications. As I mentioned, it's none too healthy. Pretty much it's a heart attack on noodles. That's what makes it so darn delicious! You could definitely make adjustments to it though to make it a little healthier. A lot of Alfredo recipes do it without cream cheese, so that's not a necessity. We always use the neufchatel cream cheese or the 1/3 less fat or whatever it is, so that's another option. So here's the recipe as we did it. Keep reading afterwards for notes on what the original recipe called for.

Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 pint half and half
1 tsp garlic powder
salt
black pepper
1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter.
2. When butter is melted, add cream cheese.
3. When the cream cheese is softened, add half and half.
4. Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
5. Simmer for 15-20 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly.
6. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan

We also sauteed onion, chicken, and small shrimp and seasoned those with Cajun spices. Mix that all together and you will have a splendid masterpiece!

The original calls for 1/2 cup of butter, heavy cream instead of half and half, and 2/3 cup of grated Parmesan. We used half and half because that's what we happened to have on hand! You can used minced garlic cloves instead of the powder (3-4 cloves).

We used some wheat angel hair pasta instead of Alfredo noodles, which I actually prefer. Choose whatever noodles you like best! If you have leftovers, the sauce will become a solid mass, but it heats back up really nicely, so you can enjoy it over and over again!

More to come! Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread

Recently I've become something of a baking fiend. I came to this discovery while I was in Romania. I think the best part about it besides eating a glorious mixture of baked goods is watching others eat a glorious mixture of baked goods. I decided that cooking/baking for people is my one of my favorite ways to serve people, and that realization hit me when I made what has become my famous banana bread for some fellow missionaries at the time and the eyes of one them open wide and sparkled with joy that moment he took his first bite. My banana bread will forever be dedicated to him.

My point is that I also like to share the love by offering up good recipes so that other people can experience the joy of delicious food. So heads up! You're going to be hearing about my cooking/baking adventures along with all my other adventures (for they are many).

I've been wanting to try this recipe I found on Pinterest for a whole wheat honey oatmeal bread. Sunday has kind of been my "try making a new bread" day. So when I got up, I only had one thing on my mind (okay, no. It wasn't about the bread. It was actually about curling tighter in a ball and not getting out of bed...but my second thought was totally all about bread.). You can find the original post where I got the recipe from by clicking here.

I didn't quite do everything as instructed, mostly because I prefer to make bread the old fashioned way and not with a dough hook. I tried the dough hook once, and it just didn't please me. I'll tray it again someday. But for now, I prefer stirring everything up by hand and kneading it myself. Also, I used salted butter so I didn't put in as much salt as she said. I put in about 1/4 tsp.

I was afraid it wasn't going to rise because my water/milk combo didn't seem like it was warm enough for the yeast, and the yeast didn't really get foamy like it normally does, but it actually did okay. It is a nice texture and very hearty. I would say to check it at 35 minutes when baking. I cooked it for the full 40 as instructed and the top crust is a tiny bit overdone, but not hugely so. Basically, it's still delicious, but take note that not every oven is the same.

I also don't have a ton of experience taking those fancy food photos. I ended up taking a whole bunch of ridiculous pictures of myself with a piece of this amazing bread smothered in butter in honey (divine!). Sometimes pictures are just more fun when you're a little weird in the process, right? Hopefully someone out there is nodding their head.

Full credit for this recipe goes to Kathy Gossen. Check out her site for more info and recipes!

Whole Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients

·         1 cup water

·         1 cup milk

·         2¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast

·         2 tablespoons honey

·         2½ cups whole wheat flour

·         2 cups bread or all-purpose flour

·         1 cup rolled oats

·         ½ stick unsalted butter, melted

·         1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

1.     Pour water and milk into a microwave-safe bowl; heat 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.

2.     Add yeast and honey. Let sit 10 minutes until yeast is foamy.

3.     Stir in remaining ingredients, adding slowly while mixer is on low.

4.     Using a dough hook, knead on medium speed 6 minutes until dough is smooth, elastic and only slightly sticky.

5.     Keep dough in bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let rise 1 hour until doubled.

6.     Turn oven on warm.

7.     Grease two loaf pans with butter, making sure to cover the entire pan surface.

8.     When dough is doubled, punch down. Split the dough into two ball. Work the balls under until they resemble two small loaves. Transfer the loaves to the loaf pans.

9.     Turn oven off. Place bread into the warmed oven for 45 minutes.

10.  Leave loaves in oven. Turn oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes or until loaf is deep brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

11.  Remove the bread from the loaf pans and cool on a cooling rack (or enjoy warm with butter and honey--our personal favorite topping on fresh bread)

Yum! Yum! Banana Bread!

What do you do when you buy a lovely bunch of bananas and you or your loved ones don't eat them before they start turning brown? You make banana bread, of course!

My wonderful madre directed me to a Martha Stewart recipe, which you can find here. Or you can keep on reading :)

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (3 bananas)
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (or chocolate chips!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf
pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream
butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat to incorporate.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and
salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour
cream, and vanilla, mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan.

Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake
comes out clean, about 1 hr 10 min. et rest in pan for 10 min, then turn out
onto a rack to cool.

There you have it! It took 3 bananas to for me to reach a cup. I also used chocolate chips instead of nuts since others eating it are opposed to nuts. If it were just me, I'd add both!

It turned out really well. I didn't have to add or subtract any time. It's nice and moist. It's a great recipe. I've been thinking of putting together a family cookbook filled with a bunch of my family's favorite recipes so we can all have a collection of them. This would make it into the book!

Still feeling a little fancy cooking wise after successfully making banana bread, a made some chedder and potato pieorgi. Okay so they were frozen and in a box... But I tried to dress them up a little based on an idea on the back of the box. I was quite pleased. And then I gobbled them up! Yum!

I'm really going to have to find a homemade recipe for these sometime.

Well, you should bake some banana bread! I promise it's delicious!

Peach Cobbler

We have this big box of sweet, delicious peaches. So the other day I did something that I've never done before: I made peach cobbler! I was very proud of myself and it turned out so good! I'll share the recipe with you so you too can enjoy the greatness of this peach cobbler.

Megan was sitting in the other room applying for jobs whilse I was peeling and cutting peaches to my heart's content. I told her she was actually preparing to go out in the world and provide for herself while I was learning how to be a good house wife with my new found knowledge of peach cobbler making. She loving pointed out that I need a man before I can be a good house wife.

Rude. But true.

Still, I now have mad peach cobbler skills. You know you liked it, Megan. I saw you eat like half of it. Ok maybe that was Mom.

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients

· ½ cup unsalted butter, melted

· 1 cup all-purpose flour

· 2 cups sugar

· 3 tsps baking powder

· Pinch salt

· 1 cup milk

· 4 cups peeled, pitted and thinly sliced fresh peaches (5-6 medium peaches)

· 1 tbs fresh lemon juice

· Several dashes ground cinnamon or ground nutmeg (optional)

o I used ½ tsp of cinnamon and ¼ tsp of nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Pour the melted butter into a 9 by 13 pan

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and the salt and mix well. Stir in the milk, mixing until just combined. Pour this batter over the butter but DO NOT stir them together.

4. In a small saucepan (ok, more like medium saucepan to fit all those scrumptious peaches), combine peaches, lemon juice, and remaining cup of sugar and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Pour the peaches over the batter, but DO NOT stir them together.

5. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg if desired

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden-brown. Serve warm or cold.

It will look something like this right before you bake it.

And once it's all done it will look something like this!

It's easy and delicious. Make some for yourself and have fun doing it!

Until next time!