Beef Bourguignon...yum!!

I don't know if it is all the rain or what but I have been on a mad cooking spree. Today I made beef Bourguignon from some stew meet that I got on sale. And may I say is was AWESOME!! Seriously you just have to make this. You can find the recipe over at Passionate Homemaking and I made it with her amazing Garlic Mash Potatoes. It did take some time to make but oh so worth it.

1st Food, Crafts and Pies, O My!

Yesterday was the best. Davey had his first bite of real food, smashed banana with milk. He loved it! I like making baby food and having them try new things but what I don't like is the extra time and mess involved. That is why I have held off as long as possible but with a week of him waking twice a night I thought we better get this show on the road.
The highlight of the day was making crafts with some friends and our kids in the morning. It was so fun but wild with 6 kids, hence no pictures of the actual craft making. I think it is better to enjoy the moment then capture it. At least that is what I tell myself.

We did start the morning off right with coffee and blueberry scones. yum!
Then we were off on an adventure with the kids to find colorful leaves. With our baskets full of leaves we headed back and made these beautiful turkeys. and of course we made colorful hands prints of turkeys too.
The kids had a blast! And I so enjoyed spending time with other moms. Our conversations don't get to go super deep. We are lucky if we can finish a sentence let alone a conversation without a little voice yelling; "I got to go potty", "she took my toy", "i want juice", "mom, Mom, MOM!". But there is something about going threw this crazy stage of life together that is encouraging.

Continuing on with the best day ever: the kids took a nap at the same time (first time in a month, yah!) so I made apple pies for Kevin's Bible study. That's right not one but two apple pies. You wish you were in Kevin's Bible study now don't you? Anyways,I had bought one of those apple peeler, slicing, coring gadgets after my friend Cara convinced me that it would change my world. Well, I loved it. You end up with all these pretty apple peels.
So, I tried sprinkling them with cinnamon sugar and baking. The result was a failure, oh well. If anyone has any tips on how to make them crispy just let me know. After cleaning the house, getting dinner on the table and kids into bed I felt like June Clever. Trust me that is not a typical day for us. I promise, I can prove it to you with my messy house today. But it did feel good to spend time with friends, be creative with the kids and be productive. What a good day.

Banana or Blueberry Crumb Muffins

I have made these muffins twice and everyone in the house is in love with them. The real test is Abigail, she ate 3 in one day.
She must think they are junk food to eat them like that but I am here to tell you they are good for you. Especially if you use sucanat instead of brown sugar and use apple sauce instead of oil. One thing I did was use bananas and blueberries and I didn't even bother making the topping but I'm sure that makes them extra yummy.

Check out the recipe over at Passionate H0memaking. Enjoy!!

Lettuce Wraps

I just made these for the second time the other night and they were as good as a remembered the first time . yum! Dare I say as good as PF Chang's, I think so. The picture doesn't do them justice but trust me you are gonna want to make them. If you make the sauce you can half the the ingredients. Enjoy!!

Ingredients

Filling:

• 1lb ground turkey
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 11/2 c shittake mushroom
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 2 TBSP fresh ginger, grated
• 2 TBSP brown sugar
• 5 TBSP soy sauce
• 1 TBSP rice vinegar
• 1 TBSP sesame seed oil
• 1 (8oz) can water chestnuts, chopped
• 1/2 c green onions

Special Sauce:

• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/2 c water
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
• 1 TBSP ketchup
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp sesame oil

Preparation & Directions

Chop your mushrooms, water chestnuts, and shred your carrots. Then brown your ground turkey with your minced garlic until it's no longer pink. Dump in your chopped items and let them cook for 2-3 minutes. Add your ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and rice vinegar and stir it well letting cook for another 2-3 minutes. Last add your chopped green onions, give a final stir and let cook for 1 more minute. Wash and spin lettuce leaves, from Iceberg or Romaine Lettuce. Serve as an appetizer or main dish. Sauce is optional.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

I want to blog about something else besides Abbey all the time but it is just so hard when she is just so darn cute. So here is my attempt to share about other things going on in our family.

I love to cook. I don't like to bake but I love to cook so I hope to introduce some of my favorite recipes now and then. The picture above does not do this dish justice but it is definitely one of our favorite shrimp recipes. Abbey is not a fan of sea food yet so she usually eats something else. Not ideal to make two meals for dinner but we love it so much it's worth it. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Ingredients:
1 lb. large shrimp in the shell (I use about 20/lb. size)
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. dry white wine
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tsp. minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
2 tbsp. minced shallots
1 1/2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/3 cup panko
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper until combined.

Starting from the center of an oval or round baking dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer in the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Place under the broiler for 1 additional minute to brown the top. Serve with lemon wedges.