Project #9 Crispy Chocolate Marshmallow Treats

Also made specifically for a trip in the mail up to UVM, these were made for Stevie herself. I enjoy making bars to mail because they are less delicate than cookies. This recipe was also found in Everyday Food, man I love that magazine! These are as easy to make as regular rice crispy treats, but look soooo much fancier! And are sooo much more delicious! My only gripe (sorry Martha!) is that her bar recipes often are only for a 8 or 9 inch pan! What's up with that? Where's the love for the 9 X 14 in pan Martha? It makes more cookie bars, which only makes more people happier! I suppose I could take it upon myself to double the recipe....
Let me know how they are Stevie!

Project #8 Oatmeal Raisin Bars

I made these delicious Oatmeal Raisin Bars for my sister, Stevie's roommate Sydney. She is one of those rare breeds who doesn't enjoy chocolate! Complete freak right? Just kidding Syd, you know I love ya! She once requested Oatmeal Raisin Cookies be sent to UVM, so when I saw this recipe in Everyday Food I immediately thought of her. Thank god for you Syd, because otherwise I may have passed these by! And what a tragedy that would have been to have never had these delicious cookie bars in my life. That's how delicious I thought they were. I only had one, and Mark had one also, because the rest were for Syd, but that was enough to tell that they were the best ever! I hope you like them Syd! Enjoy (they should be arriving today!)!

Project #7 Lighter Chicken Salad

I found this recipe for lighter chicken salad in Everyday Food and decided to give it a try for Mark. I don't particularly enjoy chicken salad myself, but Mark loves it, so why not be nice to my husband once and a while?
It was fairly uncomplicated and came together beautifully. I wasn't present for the consumption of this chicken salad, which explains the pics of the deconstructed sandwich (I didn't want the bread to get soggy!). Mark said it was delicious and took it for lunch 2 days in a row. He did comment on the overall lack of mayonnaise-ness, but it was suppose to be "lighter" chicken salad, so that explains that (sorry Mark, just add more mayo if you don't care about fatness or your cholesterol).

Project #6 Beef Stew

Believe it or not, I have actually never made beef stew before. Martha's beef stew recipe was completely easy, toss everything in the dutch oven, bring to a boil, toss in the oven. The beef was really tender, which I feel has been lacking in beef stews I have consumed in the past. I realized too late that I had nothing to serve with it, not even some biscuits, but whatever. Everyone was suffering from a cold, so it was a a miracle that we all assembled at the table together.

Verdict....delicious and I would definitely make it again.
(sorry the pics are orange-y I have no clue what's up with the camera sometimes)

# 015

Pulled Pork.

I was skeptical this morning when I was assembling this for the slow cooker. Usually when I make pulled pork, the meat is completely submerged in BBQ sauce and cider vinegar... yet Martha had me just barely coat the meat in a ketchup/brown sugar/spice/garlic mixture. It didn't seem like enough!

Martha was clearly right though, as Gabe said this was the best pulled pork I ever made! The accompanying cabbage slaw was alright, but I think that, out of all the dinner items I've made so far, the pulled pork is #1.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pulled-pork-sandwiches-easy-tasty

# 014

Shepherd's Pie

I really like shepherd's pie, but I rarely make it. Probably because while it never turns out horribly, it never turns out very delicious. This was definitely a step in the right direction, though I still felt like the beef part could've had a little more flavor... Maybe some beef stock and wine instead of the water at the end? And I think mushrooms would've been a nice addition.

I assembled this on a Sunday and cooked it on a Monday, and even though I missed Martha's instruction to assemble right before baking, it still turned out pretty nicely. And it was a great treat during this frigid weather we've been having!

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/cheddar-topped-shepherds-pie

Crafts

After a slightly hellacious week, I took some Mom-time, and went and did errands by myself today. One of my stops was a lengthy trip to Michael's, where I was able to use a gift certificate I received for my birthday. I purchased a self-healing cutting mat, which I'm excited to use for more paper cutting projects. I also got two more punches from Martha's line (they were on sale, yay!), so look forward to some crafts with those.

What was disappointing though was their selection of scrapbooking paper. It's almost impossible to find simply patterned paper that you can buy by the piece (I have no use for a whole "stack" of paper, when I only really like one or two of the designs!). Does anyone know of any good online sources for paper?

Also, I was watching Martha the other day, and she mentioned a website, which I definitely plan to use in the future for crafting supplies: craftparts.com They have a lot of unfinished wood pieces, which you can do so much with!

# 013

John Legend's Macaroni & Cheese.

This is John Legend. Apparently he was a guest at one point on Martha's show, and brought along with him a recipe for Mac & Cheese.

John Legend is a fairly attractive looking guy. Unfortunately I can't say the same for his recipe.

Now, it wasn't horrible. It was just much different from what we're used to eating around here, M&C wise. I have a recipe that I've been tweaking for quite a while that starts with a roux. There is no roux in John's recipe, which came out more custard-y than anything else. Not disgusting, and I will definitely eat the leftovers, but probably not something I will make again.


Sorry John Legend. Maybe you'd like to try my recipe?

# 011 + 012

Red Cabbage and Onion Tarts with Pureed Butternut Squash Soup.

Gabe's mom is a vegetarian, and usually when she comes to visit, I make quiche. I wanted to take advantage of Martha this time though, and make something a little more exciting.

The tarts weren't too bad, though Gabe hated them. I really like cabbage, so they didn't offend me. They're not too attractive to look at by any means though... And not something I would make again; there are easier ways to get my cabbage.

The soup was decent, though I didn't really enjoy the addition of the orange juice... it made everything taste to much like warm orange juice to me. Without it though, it would've been a really tasty, and fairly simple soup, though it did make me realize that I could really benefit from an immersion blender!

And yes, that is a kazoo on the table. Music + dinner time = non-stop fun!

Tarts Recipe
Soup Recipe

# 010

Banana Bread!

This banana bread almost didn't make it into the oven, because the batter was so delicious, I wanted to eat the whole bowlful. Oh my.

The bread itself was pretty good, though I think I should've used bananas that were a bit more ripe, as I like my banana bread to taste a little more banana-y. Ben really liked it though, which was great. we ate it with breakfast for a few days - and no argument from him!


http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/banana-bread