Shoofly Pie

I always have to resist the urge to follow that up with "and apple pan dowdy.  Make your eyes light up, your tummy say howdy."  I mentioned that song to someone the other day and they had never heard it.  Surprising.  Shoofly Pie is an Amish specialty.  I've never had any version but this one, so I can't say how authentic it is.  Nonetheless, it is delicious.  It's sort of like a cake with a gooey layer on the bottom, all baked in a pie shell.  It has a nice cinnamon, molasses, and brown sugar flavor.  If you're not a molasses lover, don't let that scare you away.  My mother isn't a huge molasses fan but she loves this pie.  It's best served with whipped cream, though ice cream would probably be yummy, too. 

Shoofly Pie
allrecipes.com

1/2 cup molasses

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup boiling water

1 pinch salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, dissolve the soda in the molasses and stir until it foams. Sir in the boiling water and pinch of salt. In a separate bowl (I use my food processor), mix the flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter into crumbs.

Pour 1/3 of the molasses mixture into the unbaked crust. Sprinkle 1/3 of the crumbs over the molasses mixture and continue alternating layers, finishing with the crumbs on top.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the crumbs and crust are golden.  Serve at room temperature.

P52 Week 4

This week's theme was "bokeh," which refers to the quality of the out of focus, blurry area of a photo.  For this photo, I had twinkle lights positioned in a heart shape about 8 feet behind my subject, the "LOVE" sign.  I opened my aperture all the way (1.8 for my 35mm f1.8 lens) and focused on the "LOVE" sign.  This caused the lights in the background to be out of focus and blur.  I wanted to have my daughter laying on her belly where the sign was, but she wasn't having any part of that.  Therefore, I improvised. 

House Beef

My favorite Chinese restaurant around here is Yen Ching and their House Beef is out of this world!  It's a stir fried beef with a sweet, salty, garlic-y, onion-y sauce that they serve over a bed of thinly shredded cabbage.  A friend of mine gave me this recipe a few years ago and I've made it several times since then.  I have to say it's very similar to the original.  I slice the meat at an angle and against the grain.  I use reduced sodium soy sauce and will sometimes add a little extra soy sauce (or even a little water) at the end to thin out the sauce.  The sauce runs over the cabbage and wilts it.  So delicious!

  It's helpful to have everything prepped for this before you start the actual cooking.  Once you start, it goes fast!

House Beef

1 lb. sirloin, sliced thinly against the grain
2 eggs
2 T. cornstarch

1 head garlic, minced (and no, that's not a typo...a whole head of garlic!)
1/4 c. green onions, sliced

1/2 t. black pepper
3 T. sugar
4 T. soy sauce

Thinly shredded cabbage (I buy the pre-shredded kind)
Sesame Oil

Mix eggs and cornstarch together in a medium bowl with 1 T. sesame oil.  Toss with meat.  Heat 1-2 T. vegetable oil in skillet or wok over medium high heat..  Fry meat until cooked through.  Set aside.

Wipe pan.  Heat 1 T. sesame oil over medium heat.  Saute garlic and then add green onion.

Combine pepper, sugar and soy sauce.  Add to garlic and green onion, along with the meat.  Stir over medium heat until everything is well combined and heated through.  Serve over rice and a bed of thinly sliced cabbage. 

Serves 4

P52 Week 3

This week's assignment was pretty easy for me:  food.  I made a delicious copycat version of a local Chinese restaurant's House Beef.  As with most Chinese food, it helps to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start the actual cooking.  Here I have a pile of garlic (one whole head!), green onions, and shredded cabbage.  I'll be sure to post the recipe soon.

Kissing Booth

For Clara's Valentine's Day pictures I wanted to use a kissing booth prop.  I made this one myself and I think it's the first time I've actually built something with wood.  As you may imagine, it was a bit difficult getting a 21 month old to "pose" behind the booth, but marshmallows, M&Ms and funny animal noises are always well received.  You might notice there's one shot with her holding a tube of lipstick.  That was the last shot I took, for obvious reasons!

P52 Week 2

This week's theme was "up."  I took a photo that I really liked a few weeks ago for a similar challenge.  It was looking straight up at a turning ceiling fan.  It looked really cool, but I wanted to do something different this time. 

One of my favorite spots in my house is this coat rack.  It's so cute to see Clara's little coats lined up in a row.  Last winter was when I first started hanging her coats there and hubby said, "Awww, she's really part of the family now."  That comment has stuck with me for some reason and I always think of it when I see her coats hanging there.

Spinach Macaroni and Cheese Cupcakes

I've made these twice now and they're such a cute little side dish.  Portion control is hard when it comes to macaroni and cheese but these "cupcakes" are the perfect size.  I'm not a huge fan of whole wheat pasta, as the original recipe calls for, so I just used regular macaroni.  The sauce has a combination of cheddar and Gruyere but I didn't have Gruyere.  Instead, I used a combo of cheddar and pepperjack to give it a little kick.  The spinach is a nice addition to the macaroni and cheese.  It doesn't impart a ton of flavor, but ups the nutrition a bit.

Spinach Macaroni and Cheese Cupcakes

adapted from emilybites.com

4 c cooked macaroni
1 T butter
1 T flour
1 c skim milk
1 garlic clove, minced
3 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded (I used pepperjack)
1 egg
1 egg white
1 (10 oz) package of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, drained and patted dry (or you could use 1 cup cooked fresh spinach)
Salt & pepper to taste

1.    Pre-heat the oven to 400. Lightly mist a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
2.    In a small sauce pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, mixing it into the butter until thick. Stir in the milk and garlic and raise the temp to bring the mixture to just under a boil. Add the cheese and whisk mixture together until thoroughly combined into a cheese sauce.
3.    Remove the cheese sauce from heat and then mix in the egg and egg white (binding agents) until combined.
4.    In a large bowl, combine the pasta, spinach, cheese sauce, salt and pepper and mix together. Spoon the mixture evenly into the cups of your prepared muffin tin.
5.    Bake for 10-15 minutes until the tops slightly brown. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.

Yield:  12 cupcakes (6 servings as main course or 12 servings as side dish)

Slow Cooker Sausage and Bean Soup

I've made this recipe several times over the last year.  That's really unusual, considering all the new recipes I try!  It's from the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook and is so easy and nutritious.  I always rinse and drain the canned beans really well because I don't want to add any more sodium than I have to.  I  also add more celery and carrots because we love them in soup.  This is really yummy served with cornbread.

Slow Cooker Sausage and Bean Soup

adapted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

One (12-ounce) link of turkey kielbasa sausage, cut into rounds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large stalk celery, chopped
1/2 medium bunch kale, stems removed, & leaves chopped (about 4 cups)
3 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
One (15.5-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
One (15.5-ounce) can great Northern beans, rinsed & drained
One (14.5-ounce) can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry red wine (I used water)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. oregano
1. In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low until the vegetables are tender, 8-10 hours. 

If making on the stove-top, saute the garlic, onion, carrots and celery in a little olive oil first.  Then add the remaining ingredients and simmer on low for at least one hour.

Yield: 6 servings (1 1/2 cups per serving)

Double Rainbow

Last May we had a thunderstorm come through during the afternoon.  I happened to step outside to see if it was still raining and much to my surprise, from the front porch, I saw a beautiful rainbow.  When hubs came down to see it, he pointed out that it was a double rainbow.  I had never seen one before!  It was hard to get a great picture of it, but after a little tweaking in Lightroom, both rainbows are fairly visible. 

The order of colors of each rainbow are opposite one another and the sky between the two is darker than the sky on the outside.  I'm not sure why this is, but I have a feeling hubs can explain it, since he studied physics in college.  Hopefully I'll have the chance to see this interesting phenomenon again!

P52 Week 1

This week's theme for Project 52 is "Breakfast."  Clara is getting better with using a spoon so I gave her cereal with milk in it this morning.  She went at it with the spoon first but as she got down to the dregs, she quit the spoon and just used her hands.  She finished up the first bowl and then asked for more.  

Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli

This is one of the first recipes I put in my Recipe Box at allrecipes.com back in 2005.  I'm just now getting around to making it!  I've been trying to work more fish and seafood into my diet and seafood and pasta is always a great combination.  I found some E-Z Peel shrimp in the freezer section that is already deveined.  It took just a moment to peel the shell off.  I left the tails on because I think it looks pretty that way.  It's probably more practical to pull them off before cooking, though.  We all really enjoyed this, though I still can't get Clara to eat fish or shrimp.  Oh well...more for me!

Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 (12 ounce) package angel hair pasta

2 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons pesto

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons salt, divided

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

1 bunch of broccoli, chopped

1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 cloves garlic, minced

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Melt 1.5 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly stir in milk and cream; simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in pesto, garlic, Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer.
3. Meanwhile, place broccoli in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain.
4. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet. Saute shrimp, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt for 5 minutes, or until shrimp are pink.
5. In a large bowl, toss pasta, shrimp and broccoli; pour sauce over and serve.

Expressions

Life with a toddler is never boring! Clara has a personality of her own and her mood can change on the spin of a dime. We were having lunch the other day and I couldn't resist taking a few snapshots. She knows when she's being funny and really hams it up.

My favorite is when she eats something like an orange. She just puckers her little face up and sticks out her tongue. After a moment, though, she carries on and eats it anyway.

Love these small moments!

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I always have to think really hard when I spell "Brussels Sprouts." It feels weird to put that "s" on the end of "Brussels" but that's life, I guess. It's weird that this is my first recipe blog post because I'm actually not a huge fan of Brussels sprouts; however, this is one way I do enjoy them. The hubster loves them, so I try to find interesting ways to cook them. This is a very simple method and I think roasting *any* vegetable brings out a sweetness and nuttiness to it. You can pretty much follow these directions for any vegetable you want to roast if you alter the cooking time depending on the firmness of the vegetable. Roasted asparagus is another favorite!

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 lb. fresh Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and chopped in half
2 T. olive oil (or enough to coat)
salt and pepper to toast

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat Brussels sprouts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking sheet lined with foil (for easy clean up!).

Roast for 15-20 minutes, shaking the pan every 5 minutes. You know they're done when they start to blacken slightly.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog, Domestic Creativity! I'm starting this as a way to record various things I do and/or make: recipes, crafts, photography, mommyhood and whatever else comes to mind. One of the things I want to do this year is a Project 52. I've completed a Project 365 for 2011, taking a picture a day for an entire year. Project 52 is taking a picture a week for a whole year. I need a break from the picture a day thing and I think I'll put more thought into my photos if I'm only committed to doing one a week (though I'm sure I'll take more than that!).

I've been cooking and decorating cakes for years and I love trying new recipes. Hopefully I'll come across some winners to share with you over the coming months. My other hobbies include reading, crochet, scrapbooking and cardmaking. I've been doing traditional paper scrapbooking for quite some time but starting this year I'm going to switch to digital. I love the idea of having the slim photobooks on my shelf versus bulky scrapbooks. I still love my old scrapbooks, though, I'm just thinking that, from a practical standpoint, I need to conserve space a bit.

My new year's resolution for 2012 is to learn to knit so I hope to be able to share some of my creations here once I get it figured out. I know how to crochet but knitting seems like a completely different ballgame. Any tips would be much appreciated!

On that note, farewell, and I hope to have something more interesting to post soon.