Borscht

 I cannot get enough of this borscht. It is heaven. I chose to eat borscht leftovers over Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch today. It is beyond delicious. Oh, and it's super healthy. I win.

A few weeks ago, my neighbor brought me over some fresh beets from her garden. There were a lot, so I knew I wanted to use some to make borscht. I immediately e-mailed my brother (who lived in Ukraine for two years on his mission) for a recipe. After translating it from Russian to English for me, he sent it my way.

There's nothing better on a cold winter day than soup, especially when it's a divine, healthy soup like this one is! (I think that gorgeous red color would be awesome for a Christmas soup don't you?)

Borscht

** Note: This recipe makes a TON. I halved it and had enough for dinner, a couple lunches, and still had enough to freeze for a future dinner. Also, this soup, like many soups, is even better the next day after all the flavors have had time to meld together.**

6 liters (just over 6 quarts) of water
1 medium cabbage
3 large beets
3 medium carrots
3 medium onions
1.5 lbs potatoes
1 little bundle of parsley, chopped
1/2 cup tomato paste
2 cans pinto beans or white navy beans (I always drain and rinse canned beans)
2 bullion cubes
3 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
Vegetable oil for sautéing
Black Pepper to taste
1 lb meat, cubed (optional, pork is great. I used what I had on hand at the time which was hamburger. I just browned it and threw it in at the end.)

• Put water on to boil on medium-high heat (if preparing with meat, boil the meat in water until cooked, then remove and set aside).

• Chop up the cabbage into thin strips and add to the water. Add salt. Boil for 5-10 minutes until cabbage is soft.

• While cabbage is boiling, cube the potatoes (about 1.5" cubes) and add to the pot. Add the bullion cubes.

• While the potatoes and cabbage are coming back to a boil, grate carrots and beets into separate bowls and chop the onions into very thin slices.

• Sauté the carrots in oil until they are soft (about 5 min). Add onions and sauté for about 10 min. Remove from the pan and set aside.

• Without cleaning the pan, add the beets, sugar, vinegar, and some of the broth from the pot (a few cups maybe, just enough for the beets to simmer and cook). Cover with a lid, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10min or until soft.

• When the beets are soft, add the carrots and onions back to the pan. Let them sauté for a few minutes, then mix in the tomato paste. While it's sautéing, add the beans to the pot.

• Add pan contents to the pot (along with the parsley and meat-if used) and simmer for as long as you like. (I let mine simmer for at least an hour).

 Serve with a spoonful of sour cream. 

Recipe source: Someone in the beautiful country of Ukraine, via my brother Reese.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan

When my friend called to ask us over for dinner and wanted to know what our thoughts were on Indian food, I'll be honest, I was a little hesitant. The only time I'd eaten Indian food was at a little restaurant in Logan, UT and I was less than impressed. This was definitely not the case this time though. Chicken Tikka Masala has to be the best meal I've ever had, hands down. I really don't know how I've gone my whole life without it. You have got to try it at least once!

{Recipe found at allrecipes.com}

The original recipe was super heavy on the salt and we didn't use a barbecue, so I've kind of tailored this recipe to what we did:

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat.
3. Pour the marinated chicken {marinade and all} in the frying pan and cook the chicken until no longer pink inside.
4. Transfer chicken to a strainer and drain all marinade; set aside.
5. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt.
6. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.
7. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Now for the naan. Naan is and Indian flatbread and goes perfectly with Chicken Tikka Masala. The recipe we used is from allrecipes.com as well. Again, we didn't use a grill, so I've changed it to what we did:

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat griddle to medium high heat.
4. Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly grease griddle. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

When all is said and done, we like to dip the naan in the chicken tikka sauce, but you can eat it however you want. Hope you enjoy it!

-Sarah

Pasta Salad

A while ago while trying to figure out how to make a homemade pasta salad, I stumbled upon a really neat article titled "Five Steps to a Perfect Pasta Salad."  I was intrigued, 5 steps and completely adaptable; like a good "choose-your-own-ending" book.  I followed the steps, and my salad turned out awesome! Then I completely forgot about it, until today. I had a huge craving for pasta salad (thank you pregnancy for finally giving me a craving that includes lots of veggies and no chocolate), so I pulled out the article again and for a second time, I was not let down. The results looked and tasted great!
Things I love about this article:
The author, Pam Anderson, teaches cooking classes across the country--sounds like a pretty legit source to me.
The directions are simple, yet very clear.
There are lots of suggestions for things to put in.
And it works!

Here's the salad I made today (with the corresponding steps from the article):
Step 1- Rainbow pasta
Step 2- Broccoli, carrots, and cucumber
Step 3- I didn't have any of the suggestions ready on hand, so I used little cubes of Colby Jack cheese. It worked really well.
Step 4- I left out green onions (my husband is not a fan), and for the herbs I used 1 T. dill, 1 1/2 T. parsley, and the last 1/2 T. rosemary. (The rosemary flavor wasn't very strong, so I think next time I'll do 1 T. of each).
Step 5- I used the link for Creamy Buttermilk Dressing. For the optional rice vinegar or lemon juice, I did half and half. The vinegar taste was a little too strong, so I think next time I'll do all lemon juice or just leave it out. For this salad however, I balanced out the flavors a bit more by adding some extra mayo. Despite some of the negative reviews, my dressing was not overly thick (although with the nature of the salad, that wouldn't have been too bad) or bland (since herbs were already added to the salad).

So next time you need a pasta salad, you can unleash your creativity and easily build one from scratch. Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Dinner

I am so excited for Valentine's Day! I started planning our dinner way to early, just because I couldn't wait :) I am in love with the menu, so I thought I'd share it. (PS-none of the pictures are mine, they are from the awesome folks I got the recipes from!)

Chicken Kiev

Chantilly Potatoes

Roasted Asparagus

And for dessert ...

Baked Doughnuts

Only of course I'm doing heart shaped holes and a raspberry cream cheese glaze (found HERE) instead of cinnamon sugar.

Now it's just the long wait until V-Day so I can actually make all this great stuff! What are your plans for the 14h?

Whole Wheat Bread

I just made the most delicious homemade wheat bread! I had to share the recipe. It is light, fluffy, soft, and so healthy!

Go HERE to find the recipe (it's the one called Darcy's Whole Wheat Bread), and then go HERE for a step-by-step tutorial (very helpful in not over-flouring the dough. Mine looked different while it was mixing since I made mine in a KitchenAid, but the dough still looked the same when you pulled some off).

One last side note, I halved the recipe (to make 2 1/2 loaves) and substituted a scant teaspoon Fruit Fresh for the crushed up vitamin C pill.

Potato Salad

I am always looking for a good side dish. Whether it's for a party, a neighborhood bbq, or just dinner with the hubs, I feel like I need a good go-to dish that I know will turn out fabulous. Well, my friends, I've found it. I made this potato salad for dinner with our neighbors last night and it was all I could do not to lick the bowl clean. Now, I know there are a BILLION variations out there on how to make potato salad, and  maybe I'm just a little picky when it comes to it, but I was more than impressed with the taste and simplicity of this recipe.

What you will need:

1 cup mayonnaise (I used about 3/4 cup + 1/4 cup water)
2 T vinegar
1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
5-6 med potatoes, peeled, cubed, and cooked
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 eggs, hard boiled
1-2 T chpped green onions

1. Combine mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper in a large bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Toss gently to combine well.
4. Cover and chill for 2 or more hours.

Enjoy!

-Sarah

Margherita Pizza

Zachary and I are trying an experiment this month. We sat down for Family Home Evening a couple weeks ago with a few cookbooks, paper, and pens. We spent an hour or so picking through the cookbooks for recipes that sounded good or we thought it might be fun to try. Then we put down one meal for each day of the month of May. Since there's only 2 of us and a lot of recipes we found were for 4 people on average, we figured it works out perfect to give us leftovers for lunch the next day! We even have a rating scale for all of this. One scale is for how good the food was and the other scale is for how affordable the meal was. So far, it has worked out fantastically! I feel like the hardest part about cooking is deciding what to make in the first place. This experiment has taken a lot of burden off of both our shoulders.

One of Zachary's picks was Margherita Pizza. I had never had it before, but I like pizza so I thought why not? Then I found out that it doesn' even have marinara sauce or anything on it. I thought, "No way could this ever be good." I was wrong. It was de-FREAKING-lightful!

picture found here
Doesn't it look delish?

It is fairly cheap and it definitely got an "I could eat this everyday" on our rating scale. Here's the recipe:

For the pizza dough:

- 1 1/2 c. hot water (as hot as you can run it from the tap, NOT BOILING or you will kill the yeast)
- 1 1/2 tsp. dry active yeast
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 3 c. all-purpose flour
- oil for greasing the bowl

For the Margherita topping:

- olive oil for brushing
- 4 cloves sliced garlic
- 2 large ripe tomatoes, or similar quantity of small ones, or cherry tomatoes (whatever you have on hand, can purchase at the grocery store, or can pick out of your garden)
- 3/4 c. grated mozzarella
- 1/4 c. grated parmesan
- about 15 large fresh basil leaves

(IMPORTANT NOTE: this dough recipe is good for TWO pizzas, so if you want two Margherita pizzas, just double the amount of Margherita topping ingredients, OR you could top that second pizza with your choice of traditional pizza toppings.)

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the top of the hot water. Use the hottest water that you can run from your kitchen tap. DO NOT use boiling water or you will kill the yeast, and your dough will not rise. Let the yeast "bloom" for 5 minutes.

2. Add the olive oil, sugar and salt to the yeast, and stir.

3. Measure the flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and, using a wooden spoon, stir until well combined. The dough will appear VERY gooey - this is normal, as it makes a much more tender dough. DO NOT add more flour to the dough during this step.

4. Brush or spray some oil over the sides of the bowl and the top of the dough. Flip the ball of dough over and oil the other side. This will help when removing the dough after rising.

5. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, and set in a warm location to rise for 1 hour. Looking for a warm location? Try above the fridge, above you cabinets, or on the stove as you're preheating the oven for the next step!

Onto the good stuff - this is where you can easily diverge from the recipe and top your pizza however you want, but I STRONGLY suggesting Margherita toppings. If, however, you choose to go your own way, skip ahead to the next step for directions for how to bake the pizza.

1. Slice the tomatoes as thinly as possible. Use a serrated knife to make the task easier. The more thinly you can slice them, the less soggy your pizza will get after baking. Set them aside for now.

2. Mix the mozzarella and parmesan together. Set them aside for now.

3. Thinly slice the garlic cloves and set them aside. Wash the fresh basil to remove any traces of dirt, then lay them out on paper towels to dry. These will only go on the pizza AFTER baking, or else they will dry out and lose all their flavor in the oven. By putting the basil on the pizza after cooking, they will slowly release they flavor as they warm with the residual heat of the freshly-baked pizza. (We have tried it with dry basil and it worked out fine as well.) Now you are ready to garnish your pizza!

1. Preheat the oven to 500 F. Set one rack in the lowest position in your oven. If you have a pizza stone, place it on the rack before you preheat, so that it can heat to the same temperature as the oven. If you don't have a pizza stone, you can just as easily bake the pizza on a baking sheet. A pizza stone is a good investment, however, as it makes for a nice crisp outside and tender inside to your pizza crust. I highly recommend it. (They can be found for $7.99 at Ross. Holla!)

2.  Roll out half the pizza dough for one pizza, to 3/4-inch thick. Place it on the pizza stone or baking sheet. If using the baking stone, be careful not to burn yourself!

3. Now for the toppings: Brush or spray the top of the rolled-out dough. This is important, as it creates a barrier between the dough and the juicy tomatoes, which prevents the dough from getting soggy. Sprinkle the garlic slices over the oiled dough. Place the tomato slices/halves/pieces over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch space on the edge for holding the crust, and overlapping the slices where necessary. Sprinkle the mixture of cheeses over the top of the tomatoes. (If you are using dry basil, this is where you would sprinkle it to taste, over the cheese.) That's it - your pizza is topped!

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on how brown you like your crust, and how hot your oven runs.

Once that timer rings, remove the pizza from the oven, either on its baking sheet or using a pair of tongs to slide it off the stone and onto a cutting board. Turn off the oven.

Immediately place the fresh basil leaves on top of the freshly-baked pizza. The heat from the melted cheese will wilt the basil and release all the flavorful oils into the air and into the pizza.

Time to enjoy a taste of traditional Italy - grab your pizza wheel and slice into a piece of heaven. I think Margherita has become my favorite food. Try it and let me know what you think!

-Sarah

Calories: 226 per slice (1/8 or pizza)
Total Fat: 4.9 g
   Saturated: 2.1 g
   Polyunsaturated: 0.3 g
   Monounsaturated: 2.1 g
   Trans: 0 g
Cholesterol: 10.3 mg
Sodium: 1011.7 mg
Potassium: 189.3 mg
Total Carbs: 37.3 g
   Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g
   Sugar: 4.2 g
Protein: 8.7 g
Vit. A: 8.5% DV
Vit. C 10.3% DV
Calcium: 11.2% DV
Iron: 9.3% DV

Buffalo Dip

We have been lacking posts lately, so I thought I would update with a couple of my favorite recipes.

This recipe is addicting and a crowd pleaser!

Have a party or event coming up and need an appitizer?

Check out this recipe here.

Enjoy!

-Nikki

Mississippi Mud Cake

I posted this recipe here.

It is a great rich combination of brownie and marshmallow!

MmmMm!

I LOVE them!

Enjoy!

-Nikki

Slush

This is an AMAZING drink!

It is fruity and delicious.

Give it a try and you will become addicted!

Click HERE to get the recipe

enjoy!

-nikki

Pluckett

This is a delicious breakfast or treat!

It is a favorite in my family

click HERE to view the recipe

Enjoy!

-Nikki

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Looking for an easy dinner?

go HERE for a delicious and easy meal 

Enjoy!

-Nikki

Almond Cookies

I absolutely LOVE these cookies!

Check them out HERE

MmmMmm!

Enjoy!

-Nikki

Yummy Sugar Cookies

new recipe here

I made these for Arika's movie-themed birthday party!

They were really yummy :)

Enjoy!

-Nikki

Giant Cupcake Base

I got a lot of compliments on Avrie's giant cupcake she had almost a year ago for her birthday.  I thought I would share my secret to my fun cupcake base

Everyone pretty much knows about this awesome giant cupcake mold pan from wilton...

Bake your cake according to the pan's directions.

Now comes the fun part that made my cupcake kind of unique.  i didn't like just the plain old cake for the base.  I tried fondant and it still didn't show the groves like I wanted it to.  SO I thought, why not use white chocolate?!

I really like the Kroger brand of white chocolate.  I like the taste and you get a lot of chocolate in the package.  Not to mention its cheaper than the candy melts.

I melted the white chocolate according to the packages directions then added the color food coloring I wanted, in my case, lime green.  I then painted the chocolate onto the base part of the cupcake pan.  I painted until I had it about 5 layers.  Once you get a nice thick coating of white chocolate, stick it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to let it set.  It pulls out really nicely.

Once your cake is completely cooled, you trim the base to fit inside your shell.  The top will sit nicely on top of the shell.  Then frost the top however you would like!  I used a pink frosting and swirled it!

these giant cupcakes are seriously so cute!  For all the other party guests, I thought it would be fun to serve little cupcakes.

have fun!

-Nikki

The Best Snickerdoodles EVER!

While living in Alabama last month, my husband and I decided to invite some friends over for dinner. I wanted to make some kind of dessert and was scrounging around for recipe ideas. I decided that I wanted it to be something easy {having dinner guests is stressful enough, no point in making it harder for yourself} and I came across this recipe for the most delightful snickerdoodles in the world!

You will need:

2 and 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup {2 sticks} unsalted butter, softened
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs

Also:

1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. Cream together butter and 1 and 1/2 cups sugar. If you are doing this by hand, cream them until pale and fluffy. If you are doing this with a mixer, about 3 minutes should do the trick. This is important, so that your cookies turn out full.
4. Mix in eggs.
5. Gradually mix in flour mixture.

1. Stir together cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
2. Shape dough into about 1 and 3/4 inch balls.
3. Roll balls in cinnamon sugar.
4. Space 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes.


They go FABULOUSLY with a large glass of milk.

Enjoy!

-Sarah

Chicken-Fried Chops in the Slow Cooker

For our new visitors,

I have my own recipe blog located here.

In order to still keep that one updated I will post the actual recipes there, but still let people know at the Avon Bunch that there is a new recipe!

So go and check it out!

Chicken-Fried Chops in the Slow Cooker

Enjoy!

-Nikki

Easter Cupcakes

Today, I decided to try and be creative by making some easter cupcakes! I saw the idea for these on our aunt's blog and fell in love with it.

I tweaked it a little bit though and here is how...These are the ingredients you will need:

My husband and i are trying harder to be healthy, so we went with a low calorie chocolate cupcake. here is the recipe:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree Farenheit.
2. Soften your butter beforehand and cream it with the sugar in a large mixing bowl until it's a nice, light, fluffy mixture.
3. Next, add the egg and egg white separately and beat the mixture well. Use your own manpower or an electric beater to whip it all together.
4. Stir in the buttermilk, water, vinegar and vanilla.
5. Mix your dry ingredients together and then add it to your batter until it's moist.
6.  Finally, add in the secret ingredient -- chocolate chips.
7. Now fill your muffin tins 2/3 of the way full of batter.
8. Back for 15-18 minutes.

While you are letting them bake, this is where the fun begins. You will need:

• Orange starbursts
• Green Twizzlers
• Kitchen skewers
• Kitchen scissors
• Green food coloring
• Coconut
• Green frosting
• Baggies

1. Take an orange starburstt and roll it into the shape of a carrot. {you can microwave it for 5 seconds to soften it if necessary}

2. Use a skewer and make a hole about 1/4-inch deep in the top of each carrot.

3. Cut off about 1 inch of green Twizzler and then snip it in half vertically. Turn each half into a leafy top by cutting fringe in one end.

4. Insert the carrot tops into the holes in the carrots.

Your carrots are done!

In a baggie, put some coconut and a few drops of food coloring in it, depending on how green you want it to be. Shake it up. When your cupcakes are finished, let them cool. Spread the frosting on them and top with green coconut, to make it look like grass. Insert 2-3 carrots in a cupcake and enjoy your creation!

P.S. Happy Easter!

-Sarah