…In case you can’t tell what that says…

Starbucks “Gazebo Summer Blend”… meant specifically to be iced coffee!

… Many warm afternoons I’ve wanted a cheap iced coffee fix. But it just never tastes the same when I brew regular coffee and pour it over ice. Now I know why!

Iced Coffee has different brewing measurements than regularly brewed coffee! To account for the melting ice… Iced coffee is brewed double strength. So, instead of 2 Tbsp. to 6 ounces water, use 4 Tbsp. scoops to every six ounces of water. It seems so simple… but somehow I never picked up on this. If you did, don’t tell me because I’ll feel silly.

Pour the Brewed Coffee into a carafe. Add ice. Allow to cool.

Serve over ice. Add a little little caramel or chocolate sauce over the top. Our favorite is Stonewall Kitchen’s “Coffee Caramel Sauce”, or really, any of their dessert sauces.

Enjoy with a friend…

]]> http://treatstoshare.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/before-its-too-late/feed/ 1 treatstoshare images SONY DSC SONY DSC http://treatstoshare.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/taco-mac/ http://treatstoshare.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/taco-mac/#comments Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:13:03 +0000 treatstoshare http://treatstoshare.wordpress.com/?p=1575 ]]> So, to be truthful… we went into a little bit of a newlywed-i-don’t-have-to-wear-a-wedding-dress-again binge for a month after the wedding…

… and then we started to realize that we were no longer cute, beaming newlywed’s… but starting to be THAT couple who got married and let themselves go…

ewwwwwwwwwwwww…

So, we’ve been trying to be “healthier” and practice “in moderation”… BUT when the October issue of Family Circle arrived with Mac and Cheese on the cover… I knew we were in trouble…

There are five different Mac and Cheese variations in this issue! I HAD to try Taco Mac and Cheese. Big surprise… the recipe I’m about to share is a variation on Family Circle’s… I just can’t leave anything be… sorry!

Recipe after the jump…

Necessities

1 lb. boneless Chicken Breasts, cubed

1 Packet Fajita Seasoning Mix

1 Box Elbow Mac

6 cups water (boiling)

2 cups water

1 Sweet Red Pepper, diced

2 Tbsps. unsalted Butter

1 Tbsp. Flour

1 Tsp. Chili Powder

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 1/4 Ccups Milk

1/2 can corn kernels

1/4 cup diced Green Onion

1/4 cup cilantro

About 2 cups Cheese, shredded (We used Mexican Blend)

2 cups crushed tortilla chips.

Directions

Add elbow mac noodles to boiling water. Prepare chicken cubes in skillet with fajita mix according to package instructions. *

Add butter to an additional skillet and melt. Add red pepper, cilantro, corn, and green onion to the skillet and saute. Pour in milk and allow to simmer, adding and stirring in the flour, chili powder, and salt.

Continue to cook chicken in Fajita pack seasonings.

Drain cooked pasta and add the cheese immediately to the super hot noodles. Stir fervently as cheese melts. Add the contents of both skillets and stir until cheese is entirely melted. Serve into individual bowls and crush tortilla chips over the top! **

* Please prepare the chicken this way! Or THIS WAY. The magazine recipe requires that you *gag* boil the chicken. That’s just gross and WILL ruin your meal!

** I crumbled the tortilla chips over the whole dish I wanted to serve from. WRONG! We didn’t finish a serving dish worth… and I had to pick the crumbles off of what I was storing to be leftovers so that there weren’t soggy tortilla chips in it the next day. ewwwww.

Since the Mrs. doesn’t really “do” red meat (she’ll eat it, but won’t touch it), I felt the need for some good ‘ole manly meat and potatoes. GRILLED TEQUILA-GARLIC-LIME FLANK STEAK WITH ROSEMARY-BACON POTATOES AND A RED WINE TOMATO REDUCTION – if you’ll forgive the snobbish title.

First of all, I didn’t exactly have all the ingredients I needed, so I sort of jimmy-rigged a couple things. I’ll let you know what I used, and also what I should have used.

Notice the sweet Shun knife. Valentines day present. Such a good wife.

Marinade – You’ll want to do this in advance to let the meat marinate for 1-3 hours.

1 tsp minced garlic (or 2 tsp if you’re anything like the Belks)
1 tsp freshly chopped cilantro leaves (I didn’t have this. Which is a shock. And a tragedy. Would have been nice)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp tequila (Otherwise known as a “shot”. For the college kids)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1-2 lbs skirt or flank steak

Throw everything into a bowl, and if you don’t have fresh lime/lemon juice like I didn’t have, throw in a tablespoon or so of Triple Sec. If you don’t have Triple Sec………..well…….. then you’re probably not much fun to be around anyway so why don’t you just order Chinese.

Drop the steak and the marinade in a freezer bag and mush it all around like you figured out how to do the first time you had to cook for yourself and throw it in the fridge.

The rest, and more photos, after the jump…

Potatoes:

3-4 large red-skinned potatoes, whole
Garlic. Lots of garlic.
Rosemary
3-4 strips of bacon, diced

Get the potatoes precooking in the microwave while you start the sauce (see below). Once the sauce is simmering and the potatoes are precooked, dice them and throw them in a big skillet with the bacon, garlic, and rosemary to taste. Mix around until the bacon is cooked and the potatoes are nice and crispy. Mmmmm. Easy.

It's the bacon............

Now for the sauce, er, reduction. I honestly didn’t even know what a reduction was until I made this. I actually didn’t even know I was making a reduction until “simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces by half”. Oooooooohhh……………

6 tbsp cold unsalted butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic (ok, 2)
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 1/2 cups red wine (plenty of this lying around)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt/pepper to taste

Melt TWO of the tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and saute until you start to drool, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the wine. Simmer, stirring, occasionally, until the sauce reduces by half, about 10 minutes (yay! reduction!!). Remove the skillet from the heat. Whisk in the remaining 4 tbsp of butter. Strain the sauce into a small bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids in the strainer. Or, if you’re like us and don’t have a strainer, you can pull this dangerous and messy maneuver:

Ghetto strainer

Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm.

Reducing.

So hopefully like 10-15 minutes ago you remembered to put the steak on the grill. I won’t explain how to cook a steak – if you don’t know how, have your guy do it. If you don’t have a guy, ask the guy next door to come over and do it for you. Who know’s, maybe after dinner you won’t be “guy-less” anymore.

Triple-tasking.

When the steak is done, slice it thinly, drizzle with sauce, and serve with a heaping portion of potatoes. Yeah, it’s freaking good.

Finished product.

SUPER easy! SUPER filling!

Necessities

2 Chicken Breast (at least partially thawed)

1/2 Italian Dressing

1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning

1 Cup Bread Crumbs

1 Jar Pasta Sauce of your Preference

4 Slices Mozzerella Cheese

Grated Parmesan for Garnish

2 Servings Cooked Pasta of your Preference

Directions:

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees. Pour Italian Dressing into a shallow bowl. Combine bread crumbs and Italian Seasoning in a shallow bowl or on a plate. Dip/Coat Chicken breasts in Italian Dressing. Dredge moist breasts through bread crumb mix, ensuring that they become thoroughly coated on every side. (This is why I recommend having partially thawed chicken. The coating doesn’t seem to stick very well to completely frozen chicken surfaces.) Spray baking dish with non-stick spray and spread a little pasta sauce in the bottom. Place the breaded breasts into the dish, pour additional sauce over the breasts. No need to fill the whole dish, just make sure each piece is covered. Lay 2 slices of mozzarella over the length of each breast, add a tiny bit more sauce, and shake some parmesan over the top if you like…

Bake Chicken for approximately 45 minutes if breasts were completely thawed; One hour if they were a bit frozen.

Boil pasta of your preference.

You can reserve some of the pasta sauce from the jar to drench the pasta when you serve… However, I really like the cheesy sauce mixture that gathers in the bottom of the dish. Generally, I spoon this on top of both the pasta and the chicken when ready to serve…

Pair with garlic bread and a good glass of wine… serve, and enjoy!

(See, SO easy! and SOOO satisfying!)

]]> http://treatstoshare.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/chicken-parm/feed/ 0 treatstoshare SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC http://treatstoshare.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/skinny-vanilla-latte/ http://treatstoshare.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/skinny-vanilla-latte/#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 21:01:31 +0000 treatstoshare http://treatstoshare.wordpress.com/?p=1544 ]]> … I know I’ve mentioned I have an affinity for coffee… and in an effort to be budget and calorie conscious I do try to make coffee at home most of the time, rather than forking over the bucks at ‘bucks… … I don’t mind… I do like coffee that much… but i REALLY enjoy seeking out new creamers and finding ways to dress up my kitchen cup… and as I sit here sipping, watching the snow fall… I think I have found a new favorite…

… have you tried International Delight’s new Coffeehouse Flavor: SKINNY VANILLA LATTE…

… toss a little cinnamon on top and you’ve got a cal-and-budget conscious gourmet cup of warm delight…

(oh, and if you visit the International Delight website linked above, there’s a printable coupon)

I bought the heart-shaped pan from Michael’s and  made this super easy and insanely yummy treat from Bakerella!

Though I chose to top the ganache with a layer of pink butter cream frosting instead of the M&M tid-bits.

… so i’ve been a bit MIA lately despite it being my favorite time of year for baking and playing hostess…

…fa la la la Fridays went completely out the window… and a few of you have noticed…

…i have been doing the things i love  and enjoying the season’s greetings very much… but,the truth is… this happy planner just got hit with my biggest challange yet… and i’ve hit the ground running…

… and that challenge is….

…

…MY OWN WEDDING(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)….

…tada… we’re engaged…

.. he proposed November 14th, 2009…

… and i promptly said, “you betcha!”…

… thus the whirlwind began…

… we’re getting married in July 2010… and this means that my attention is going to be slightly more focused on another blog for just a bit…

… our wedding blog… where we’ll be chronicling the process of planning this shindig and the little life we’re excited to start together…

… treatstoshare will remain up and running… but, probably won’t get quite as much attention- i’m sorry to say…

… i would love for you to follow me on mikeandheather2010…  and hope that this is sufficient explanation for my absence…

… MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL… AND BLESSINGS FOR 2010…

...she's such a trooper... we bundled her up and took to alaska last summer... and she just went right along with it...

… this is going to be a more personal post than i usually write… no recipe or recommendation… just reflection…

… this weekend my mom and grandma were in town to celebrate my grandmother’s 78th birthday… they’ve come to visit for grandma’s birthday every year since i’ve lived down here… but this year was particularly poignant because we had such a wonderful time and witnessed the peace and power of prayer… after they left, i cried, because i was so proud and so grateful that we had the chance to celebrate a 78th year of grandma…

…you see, this trip last year was painful and terrifying… grandma had just been diagnosed with bladder cancer and would be having a MASSIVELY INVASIVE surgery on November 13, 2008 to remove a golf-ball sized tumor… she was in a lot of pain, looked horrible, and moved slowly… when they left,  i sobbed because i didn’t know what the next few months held or if this annual trip would happen in 2009…

…but by the grace of God it did… and what’s more… it not only happened- but this weekend was the best i’ve seen Grandma look in over a year… it’s the most i’ve seen her eat… it’s the most i’ve seen her laugh… and it’s by far the most relaxed i’ve seen my mom around my grandma since the diagnosis…

… this, was a weekend of praise and celebration… because it wasn’t just about the surgery- as the healing and the fight back from surgery were long and difficult… there was an infection that threatened her life more than the cancer and a few scary rides in an ambulance back to the hospital… it was a FIGHT…

…but God bless the woman- she FOUGHT… i tear as i write this because i am so proud of her for pushing through… it was so much to take in and take on at 77… she could have given up… but she pushed, she tried,  she listened and she trusted… she trusted God to get her through this… to save her and to heal her… she trusted the Dr.’s to know exactly how to proceed… and she trusted my mom to walk her through every day of recovery…

… so here’s to you grandma… HAPPY BIRTHDAY… i had already learned so much from you over the years… but in the past year, you’ve taught me about faith, strength, and the will to live… i am grateful for every moment we get to keep you… and look forward to seeing what kind of trouble we can cause in the year to come…

… and here’s to God, who taught us a lesson or two as well… and got us through the last year… apparently, no worse for the wear…

… isn’t it nice to actually get to sleep in on a Saturday and then enjoy a leisurely brunch…

… well that’s exactly what i did last weekend… and since it was a Halloween Saturday… we thought it appropriate to have PUMPKIN pancakes and caldron coffee…

…i used the Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix from Trader Joe’s… and my beloved Mickey Mouse Waffle Maker…

… i’m just gonna carry on with the pumpkin obsession right through thanksgiving in case you haven’t noticed… but, i’ll be intentionally and intensely throwing in Peppermint, gingerbread, and other yule tide cheer… especially starting at the end of this month with Fa-la-la Fridays (a fitting follow-up to Thank Goodness it’s Fall Fridays, don’t ya think)…

… but for today… Pumpkin Mickey Mouse Waffles…

… he decided to crumble the bacon and put it IN his waffle…

… you know what i’ve been thinking about? How come more breakfast joints aren’t like Denny’s? I mean, you’ve got your eggs, your bacon, your potatoes, all right there in the skillet”…

…if you can name that  Christmas movie… we will be automatic best friends…

… but anyways… believe it or not… it totally worked…

…TGIFF…