The Smith Family: May 2012

Monday, May 28, 2012

Bubba's Key Lime Pie

Went over to my parents tonight for dinner. They had plans to eat pizza, BUT Macy had other plans. I have been craving fried fish and chips lately. It didn't take much to convince the family to do a fish fry. We had a wonderful night in the kitchen frying up fish and enjoying one an other's company!
Being pregnant has been so great and I love all these new cravings I am getting because it gets me out of my same ole same ole food rut. Another thing I have been craving for weeks now, is Key Lime Pie. I found a very simple recipes and here it is....

Ingredients

Crust:

5 tablespoons butter, melted
1-1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup Key lime juice
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, combine ingredients and pat down into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the milk, lime juice, and 1 teaspoon zest; blend in the egg yolks. Pour the filling into the crust.
For the meringue, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar and remaining teaspoon zest until the mixture is stiff. Spread the meringue over the filling; spread it to touch the edge of the crust all around. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown.

I did not modify anything in this recipe. There is one thing I would change from this and that is to chill the pie for an hour or so before eating. If you have read my blog before you know I can hardly let my deserts cool before diving in. This one should have been chilled before eating. Don't get me wrong I loved it! The family agreed as well. The Key Lime Pie put the finishing touches on a great Memorial Day!

Waiting for the Pie to cool

Playing on Grandpa's Hammock

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Slider Night....

I was watching Food Network, as usual, and couldn't get these bad boys out of my head. Rachel Ray did a show on:

Brooklyn Chili Burgers with Smoky Barbecue Sauce with Oil and Vinegar Slaw

They were even more amazing than my pregnant craving ever imagined. I paired these mouth watering sliders with sweetpotato fries and some grilling beans.

Ingredients

BBQ Sauce:

1 cup ketchup
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark amber maple syrup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika, 1/3 palmful
Coarsely ground black pepper

Oil and Vinegar Slaw:

3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey or agave
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Celery salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound shredded cabbage slaw salad mix with carrot and purple cabbage
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced

Chili Sliders:

2 pounds ground sirloin
1/4 cup grated onion
Montreal steak seasoning (recommended: McCormick) or coarse salt and black pepper
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's Seasoning
2 tablespoons chili powder, a palmful,
1/2 cup beer (I Used Blue Moon)
Vegetable oil or olive oil, for drizzling
Sliced yellow sharp Cheddar, optional
Cooked Bacon Slices
12 slider rolls or brioche rolls (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)

Directions

Put all the ingredients for the barbecue sauce in small pot and cook over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens and the flavors combine, about for 20 minutes.

Whisk together the vinegar, honey and oil, in a medium bowl. Stir in the celery salt and black pepper, to taste. Add the slaw mix and onions and toss together. Let the salad wilt up to 10 to 15 minutes.

Preheat a grill or griddle to medium.
Put the meat in a bowl with the grated onion and season with steak seasoning or salt and pepper, to taste. In a small bowl combine the Worcestershire with seasoning, chili powder and beer. Pour the mixture over the meat and mix thoroughly. Form the meat mixture into 12 sliders and drizzle with vegetable oil or olive oil. Put the burgers on the grill or griddle and cook for a few minutes on each side. Baste the burgers liberally with barbecue sauce. Top the burgers with Cheddar and let it melt, if you prefer cheese burgers.

Serve the burgers on slider rolls topped with bacon and the slaw.

They look so delicious!

Tip: I par-boiled the fries before baking them for a faster cooking time.

The beans were amazing! HEB brand beans called Burrachos!

They loved it!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Sweet Emma

Over our weekend in San Antonio at Jacob and Emma's soccer tournament, an interesting conversation came up. Emma started the conversation by telling me she wanted a hair cut. At first I brushed it off, thinking "OH NO YOU WON'T". You see, Emma has NEVER had a hair cut (other than a trim) in her life. She has been telling me for about a year that she wanted her hair short " like her old mommy!"
One of Emma's biggest memory of her mom is how she wore her hair really short. After thinking a while, I asked Emma what she knew about chemotherapy. Judging by the scrunched look on her face I guessed she knew nothing about it. So we started to talk about Cancer. I explained to her that some people get sick and need chemotherapy. I reminded her of her aunt that passed away from breast cancer. With question flying at me left and right I tried to answer to the best of my knowledge. Emma wanted to know all about how people could get better.
After telling Emma that chemotherapy could help people who are sick, I then told her that people who need chemotherapy could also lose their hair. At this point I could see it on her face, she was putting it all together in her head. She then asked me what they do when they lose their hair. I told her they could wear hats, bananas, and even wigs. I told her that they can even wear wigs made from human hair and that if she really wanted her hair cut, we could donate her hair so that a pretty wig could be made for some who needs it. She thought for a moment trying to process all the information. Then her face light up and she belted out... "MOM, I WANT TO DO THAT, SOMEONE NEEDS MY HAIR".
Monday afternoon we went to the hairstylist and asked if they donated to Locks Of Love. They said yes! Emma was so excited. I probably asked her fifty times if she was sure she wanted to do this. The answer was the same every time "yes I am sure". While Emma was sitting in the chair getting ready for her big cut, a lady two chairs over called her by name. Emma looked over at her "yes?" The Lady then explained to Emma that her four-year-old daughter had leukemia. She told Emma how her daughter needed chemotherapy and lost all of her hair and needed to wear a wig. The lady's eyes began to swell up, and she said " Emma, thank you so much for what you are doing, some girl will be very lucky to have that beautiful blond hair".

Emma just smiled at the woman and turned her head. After the cut, both stylist at the hair salon told her the same thing. We payed and walked out. Emma loves her new hair. She keeps touching in and saying "I LOVE IT!"
If only everyone could think like a little girl....

Friday, May 11, 2012

Field Trip to the Park...

Last month the school took a field trip to our local park. The kids had the whole day to play on the playground, fish in the river, play in the water and run around and be kids! They had so much fun and we were all completely exhausted that afternoon. Emma caught two fish! Jacob played in the water for 2 hours and found a turtle! I am so blessed to be able to attend field trips with my kids!

Perfect for a Chocolate craving...

I have been eating very healthy through out my pregnancy, but who doesn't get that chocolate craving once in a while? For me the cravings haven't been too bad. Sometimes I have the will power to fight them, other times I get in the kitchen right after dinner and bake. Wednesday night it was too much, I wanted rich chocolate. Here is what I came up with....

Make My Cake- Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup water
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
Frosting recipe follows

Directions

In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and water and heat in a microwave or over a double boiler until melted. ( I like the double boiler method, it is not as easy to burn.) Stir until smooth and set aside. In a separate bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, vanilla extract, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the melted chocolate. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating, until just combined.

Add the egg whites to a small bowl and beat with an egg beater until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whites into the batter until well incorporated.

Pour the batter evenly into 2 (9-inch) cake pans or 2 (12 capacity) cupcake tins. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes for the larger cakes and 15 to 20 for the cupcakes. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

To Assemble the Chocolate Cake:

Put a cake layer on top of a serving plate and top with a generous layer of the chocolate frosting Cover the frosting with another cake layer of and spread with the frosting.

Spread chocolate frosting around the outside of the entire cake. Cut into wedges and serve.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting:

1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
2 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup of milk

Add the 3 Tablespoon of butter and the chocolate chips heat in a microwave or over a double boiler until melted. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix melted chocolate, remaining butter and milk until creamy ( will be slightly watery). Gradually add sugar one cup at a time until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl. (You may add more milk if too thick.)

Please keep in mind this was a craving night. I did not spend any time cake decorating, I wanted this chocolate cake right away!!!... I hardly even let it cool before I frosted it. So ignore the mess on the sides of the plate and know it tastes so much better than it looks. This cake was very rich and moist I needed a big glass of milk to get it all down, and it was worth the wait!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Blue Moon Cupcake Recipe

My Sister and I made these cupcakes last night. They were great! I only had a few because of the beer in the frosting. Try them they will be a big hit!

Blue Moon Cupcakes
(makes ~15 cupcakes)

3/4 a stick/6 tbsp butter, melted
2 eggs, room temperature
4 oz buttermilk*
6 oz Blue Moon beer*
2 tsp vanilla
zest of one orange
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp baking soda

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Melt butter and set aside to cool down.

3) Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, beer, vanilla, and orange zest in one bowl, and mix together the sugar, flour, coriander, and baking soda in another. (Here's another tip: You can make buttermilk by combining 1 tbsp lemon juice and enough milk to add up to 1 cup. So easy!)

4) Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two parts, using a mixer to combine. Add the melted butter and combine.

5) Pour batter into cupcake cups and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
(adapted slightly)

2 package(s) (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup(s) (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon(s) fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon(s) grated orange zest
2 1/2 cup(s) confectioners' sugar
1.5 oz Blue Moon beer

1) Blend the cream cheese, butter, orange juice, orange zest, and Blue Moon in a large bowl, using an electric mixer set at medium speed, until smooth.

2) Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and creamy -- about 3 more minutes.

3) Pipe each cupcake in a swirl motion and top with orange zest.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

New Member to the Smith Family

On September 3rd (also known as Labor Day) we will be welcoming the newest member to the Smith Family! We are so excited to meet our new daughter Macy Anne Smith! I am currently 22 weeks pregnant.
Two weeks ago we (Josh, My Mother and I) went for my second ultrasound and found out we were having a girl! It was so amazing to see my baby on the screen in front of my eyes! She is perfect.
My pregnancy is going so great. The first 2 months were the most challenging thus far, with just morning sickness. I have had no complications at all. I feel great most of the time. When I am not feeling the best I have minor back pain or I am just tired and cranky. With a little rest I am feeling 100%! Macy already has so much personality. She loves music, from what I can tell, and food of course.
The thing Macy and I are enjoying most is the food! For those of you who know me, know I have a passion for food. From cooking to baking to the consumption of it all, I love all things food. During my pregnancy, with the exception of the first 2 months, my love of food has grown even more! I am enjoying food like never before. The craving do get bad at times, nothing crazy, just my sweet tooth. For the most part I eat very healthy. With the ocassional indulgence. I am eating around 1800 calories a day. I try to eat a lot of vegatables and leafy greens. Fruit is one of my favorates! I take my prenatal vitamins every evening and do pregnant pilates on regular basis. Being pregant has shown me a whole new healthy lifestyle.
So far I have gained 12 lbs. My blood pressure is great and all of my blood work came back with no problems. I feel so healthy and happy!
Jacob and Emma and so excited for thier new sister! Jacob was a little disappointed he was not getting a new baby brother. He and Dad are out numbered now! Jacob loves being the older brother and is ready to help! He told me he would help with everything, but change dirty diapers. Emma is more than extatic about her baby sister. She shops for baby clothes with me saying: "this one will be so cute on her". She has a baby doll permenently attatched to her at all times practicing for her sister. Dad loves the fact that we are having a girl. There is just something about the girls that melts his heart. I would have been happy with either a boy or girl. I already have two wonderful children that God has blessed me with, and I am so excited to have another.
Josh and I both agreed on the name Macy. It was simple like all of our names! Now we didn't agree on the middle name at first. I wanted her middle name to be Grace. Josh wanted Anne after my middle name. After some comprimize, on my part, Macy Anne Smith it was.