tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45201193065174760132024-03-13T07:33:20.365-07:00Survival of the Yummiest!Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~Harriet van HorneMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-39222470022693055762013-03-17T10:50:00.000-07:002013-03-17T22:13:16.726-07:00Return of the Guinness Chocolate CupcakesHappy St. Patty's Day!!! Jeff and I started out our St. Patty's weekend celebrating our dear friends' puppy's 1st birthday. :) Too cute, and sooo funny to watch these pups eat their "pupcakes."
Then, this morning I took Jeff to the airport at o-dark-thirty, so we found a breakfast place that was open before 6 am... The Five Point Cafe - dive bar and diner, and I can't believe we've Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-4974169908818965462013-01-13T20:17:00.000-08:002013-01-13T20:17:01.386-08:00Pike Place Stout Beef & Coffee ChiliAfter a long week, and a long weekend, on this very CHILLY day, we decided to make some CHILI. :) My dad had put up this recipe on his food blog a while ago, and I decided to try and replicate it. It turned out wonderfully smoky, spicy, and toasty warm. Just what we needed since our heater in our apartment isn't working - darn!
Pike Place Stout Beef & Coffee Chili
adapted from Dad's Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-6566904227978721222013-01-01T15:35:00.000-08:002013-01-01T15:35:12.155-08:00White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake
Every year we have a gag gift exchange with my mom's extended family (her dad, and his 2 brother's families). We are lucky enough to all live close, and to be able to keep this tradition alive. There were 32 of us this year!! And it just keeps growing!
I was tasked with bringing a dessert. :) My favorite. I decided to try this White Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake. I was Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-39262599336612182932012-12-21T17:43:00.000-08:002013-01-01T15:36:10.189-08:00Oven roasted veggies
OK so pretend I'm writing this in the fall...
Or not, because you all know how much I love the fall. So it's not THAT weird for me to be posting this in December??
And you can make roasted veggies anytime! Not just in the fall!!
OK, so here's the recipe. :)Chop up ANY root or other veggies.Here are some ideas:Carrots
Bell peppers
Potatoes (red, purpleMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-37929127402423298182012-12-21T17:32:00.000-08:002013-01-01T15:36:39.854-08:00Marcoux Southwestern Cornbread
Southwestern Cornbread
Straight from Jeff's Uncle Ken Marcoux
"A family favorite, Carol first created this recipe when we lived in Albuquerque about the time
Marc was born, and won first prize in the Albuquerque Tribune’s Great Green Chili Cooking
Classic."
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies – Hot or Mild, your choice (we like hot!!)
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbs. baking Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-18591234601990815522012-12-21T17:27:00.004-08:002013-01-01T15:37:48.896-08:00Pumpkin Cognac Cheesecake
Made this last year for my practicum group while still in the program, and it got rave reviews :) Tried it again for Halloween this year at Grandma's, and again, it was a hit. Think it's a keeper!
Pumpkin Cognac Cheesecake
Originally from: Cool Culinary
2 lbs cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp GOOD vanilla + 1/4 cup cognac or brandy
2Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-84988604981426340252012-04-11T22:05:00.004-07:002012-04-11T22:23:32.753-07:00Espresso Fudge Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese FrostingEspresso Fudge Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese FrostingAdapted from this site. Cupcakes1 cup flour1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder2 tsp espresso powder1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp baking soda1/4 tsp salt1/2 cup butter1 cup sugar1 tsp vanilla1 egg3/4 cup milk1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chipsMix flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, soda and salt in a bowl. In a separate larger bowl, cream Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-43784974364523331042011-10-26T21:22:00.000-07:002011-10-26T21:31:43.997-07:00Pork Sirloin Tip Roast...and Pumpkin PieI wish I could capture smells in a post for you ... because the smells that have filled our apartment tonight have been heavenly - enough to make my paper-writing bearable. And enough to make me forget that we have a pile of dishes to clean up after my culinary adventures. But really... sooo good.We enjoyed some Pork Sirloin Tip Roast, and are about to enjoy the pumpkin pie that just came out of Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-77355323582878916672011-10-20T12:21:00.000-07:002011-10-20T12:26:16.548-07:00Easy weeknight pork tenderloinSo this meal has become one of my go-to meals when we don't have a lot of time but still want to eat a healthy and delicious meal. Trader Joe's has packages of pork tenderloin pre-seasoned with garlic and herbs in their meat section. Trader Joe's also has pre-seasoned asparagus in a microwave pack. And you can just pick up a few sweet potatoes while you're at it, and you've got this meal made! Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-18234076378436358532011-10-12T12:14:00.001-07:002011-10-12T12:17:28.761-07:00Sauteed Butternut SquashI first off have to apologize that there will be no photo for this post... but it's for good reason - the butternut squash this post refers to was so quickly snarfed up that that fact alone should speak to how good it was. :)I sauteed some cubes of butternut squash in butter, some ground ginger and some cinnamon. YUM! It was heavenly - crispy on the outside, and soft and smooth on the inside. Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-45612109233689145482011-10-11T15:03:00.000-07:002011-10-11T15:11:52.318-07:00Crockpot Pork ChopsJeff and I decided we would be brave and try cooking pork chops again. We both have never been big fans of pork chops, but because they're so cheap, we wanted to see if there was a way to cook them that we'd enjoy. We found it! The Crockpot wins again... these chops were SO tender - literally falling apart when you cut them with a fork. I've NEVER had a pork chop do that before, and these were Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-69520578907391045532011-10-09T19:50:00.000-07:002011-10-09T20:31:41.667-07:00Spiced Honey Lemon Chicken and Sweet Carmelized Brussels SproutsJeff and I celebrated my Grandma's 80th birthday today with the rest of the Berger clan at The Oyster Bar in Bellingham, right on Chuckanut Drive.We had a great time celebrating with family, and the sun came out just in time to enjoy a beautiful view from the private room in the restaurant.We came home exhausted and after trying to figure out "what to do" tonight after a failed attempt at findingMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-72488392124931365752011-08-04T17:29:00.000-07:002011-08-04T17:42:36.895-07:00Epic Ales Brewery visitSo Jeff and I are excited to keep trying all of the many, many breweries in the Seattle area - at the same time as being embarrassed about how many we haven't tried!! I listed several we want to try a few months ago in this post. Recently, we visited Epic Ales brewery in SODO with some friends from my program. We showed up on a Friday evening, and were greeted by a TINY tasting room, but it felt Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-50064887882269718862011-06-19T21:26:00.000-07:002011-06-19T21:39:00.413-07:00Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for JeffSo it's been a while!! There's been a lot going on in the Marcoux household recently. Jeff just graduated from UW with his Master's in Business Administration, and a certificate in Entrepreneurship. Great job babe!!We also celebrated my sister's graduation from SPU with a degree in Illustration the same weekend! (she's the one on the right, pictured with her roommie and good friend)So for the Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-41288968909604952902011-03-17T22:47:00.000-07:002011-03-17T23:07:52.566-07:00Corned Beef Update!Corned Beef was a success!!! Unfortunately, so much of a success, I don't have a great picture of everything on one plate!! Oops! But here's some of the final prep process... ~*~Take the meat out of the bag, and rinse, then pat dry. I debated this step, because I didn't want to wash away all the yummy-ness, but after reading numerous blogs and deciding to trust Bow-Tie Man, I did. It really Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-18303354098341891202011-03-13T12:32:00.001-07:002011-03-13T13:11:50.271-07:00Seattle Brewery RoundupSo with all of our brewery filled trips to Bend, Oregon, I decided that we need to be enjoying the fact that we live in a big city that also boasts a lot of great local brewing talent. Jeff and I have barely tapped (ha, ha, ha...) the list of breweries based in Seattle, and I thought I'd share our journey through the self-made list here.The following are some of the breweries that made the list. Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-11971892836458292992011-03-06T20:36:00.001-08:002011-03-13T12:17:55.649-07:00In Process: America's Test Kitchen Corned Beef & VeggiesI hope to try making this for St. Patty's day next week ... glad I looked this up now, because it calls for the meat to sit in the fridge for 5-7 days!! WOW! But I trust America's Test Kitchen and the bow-tie man, as my mom calls him, so we'll see how it turns out!3/13/11 Update: Finally found some uncured beef brisket at the local meat market on top of Queen Anne. While pricey, I know it will beMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-11410760045249905652011-03-03T19:16:00.000-08:002011-03-03T19:23:03.908-08:00Best Banana Bread EVERScouring the hundreds of saved and "Favorited" recipes I have acquired through my food-blog perusing obsession, I found this gem that I didn't even remember seeing before. I had like 10 frozen super ripe bananas waiting to be made into some type of banana concoction, and this sounded like a perfect way to use a few of them. :) Enjoy!Caramel Toffee Banana BreadFrom BakingJunkie.com1/2 cup (1 stickMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-71297326825912237272011-03-03T19:06:00.000-08:002011-03-03T19:16:13.816-08:00Italian MeatballsAfter a month and a half of being sick, I'm tired of eating applesauce and canned soup or crackers for meals. I finally broke down and had a moment of motivation and decided to make a *REAL* meal!! I got this recipe from my Dad (check out his food blog). This is my go-to when I don't know what else to make, and when I want to make a cheap and easy but delicious meal. 1 lb lean ground beef *½ cup Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-86866757223166843402011-01-22T18:41:00.000-08:002011-01-22T18:51:12.806-08:00"Inner Child" Chicken with RiceSo this one has become one of my go-to favorites after hearing about it from my dad, who got the recipe from In Praise of Leftovers. That site has now become one of my favorites, and like I said, this recipe has, too! Enjoy!Inner Child Chicken with RiceAdapted from In Praise of Leftovers6 large boneless chicken thighs (or 8 small ones) *thighs are definitely best, but you can use breasts for thisMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-29394340260146887372011-01-22T15:10:00.001-08:002011-01-22T18:41:50.810-08:00Caramel CornSo I had a random craving for caramel corn the other day ... but Jeff and I are trying not to eat a lot of sugar these days. But while he's out of town on his "man weekend," he gave me permission to bake. So I figured I would take the opportunity to bake while I had the time and could choose to do whatever I wanted! :) Caramel Cornfrom Simply RecipesINGREDIENTS4-5 quarts popped popcorn (about 2/3Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-58149047962309755202011-01-12T21:38:00.000-08:002011-01-12T21:44:16.997-08:00White Chocolate Peppermint FudgeDisclaimer: at first glance of this recipe, I was hesitant. I don't like peppermint much, and I don't like white chocolate, and I didn't anticipate liking them together. I also was not too keen on "adulterating" FUDGE, in all of it's milk chocolatey goodness that I typically imagine. So, I'm not exactly sure what led me to try this recipe, but I am SO thankful - it was super easy, fun, and wow - Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-71529929142780923932011-01-12T21:11:00.001-08:002011-01-12T21:28:05.474-08:00Orange Pound CakeI found this recipe through my many wanderings of food blogs via StumbleUpon - definitely my weakness. :) You can set your "stumbling" (a.k.a. browsing) topics, and there's a fun little button that says "STUMBLE", and up pops random websites that may or may not intrigue you! The Hungry Mouse blog is a fun one, and it's come up several times in my "stumbling."I didn't make this recipe recently - IMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-65622108896904037222011-01-12T20:56:00.000-08:002011-01-12T21:09:36.943-08:00MUSHROOM SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!I witnessed a momentous occasion in history Monday night. Jeff ate a mushroom ... and LIKED it!!! I was so amazed. :)Granted, it was a stuffed, baked mushroom ... so a lot of flavor to disguise the "texture" of mushrooms that he doesn't enjoy.I'm not entirely sure why I'm blogging this appetizer, other than the fact that I want to remember stuffed mushrooms as a super fast and easy option to Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520119306517476013.post-6881028826088487732010-12-23T14:11:00.000-08:002010-12-23T14:17:28.528-08:00Holiday CookiesAmerica's Test Kitchen Holiday CookiesFrom the Family Baking CookbookWhile labor intensive, these are absolutely the best sugar cookies, ever!!! I can't go back to a normal recipe...the cream cheese is life changing - makes the cookies tender, soft and not as "sugary" tasting. And with the cream cheese in the icing, it makes it thicker and easier to spread and set - also keeps the cookies moist. Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15482332753275929409noreply@blogger.com0