FREE St. Patrick's Day Subway Art Printable

It’s here and hot off the press! Enjoy the St. Patrick’s Day subway art I made for you. Please see below to download the file and for printing directions. J

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Here’s direction on how-to order this print from Costco:

***The Subway art is a 16x20 print.***

1. Save the Subway Art to your computer. Then when you go to the

Costco website, click on PHOTO at the top and log in.

2. Choose UPLOAD PHOTOS on the right sidebar. Choose the album

you want to upload it to or start a new album.

3. Select your photo by clicking on the arrow in the box and find

where you saved the subway art and OPEN it.

4. Under STEP 3 Select the FULL RESOLUTION UPLOAD. Then click on

START UPLOAD.

5. After that's loaded, select ORDER PRINTS on the right sidebar. Select

the one you want and ADD TO CART.

6. Under PRINT OPTIONS, I always select LUSTRE, but that's up to you

Under PRINT ORDER, select the size you want. (Make sure to delete
the 4x6 they already have selected.) Then click CONTINUE.

7. Choose your warehouse... and then on the PLACE ORDER screen,

click on the EDIT OPTIONS and select DO NOT AUTOCORRECT MY
PRINTS. Click CONTINUE.

8. Make sure your order is correct and PLACE ORDER.

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

This is a great weeknight meal because it’s quick & easy and not to mention yummy, too! The flavor profile was right on—tasted just like a Philly Cheesesteak with not nearly as much work. The cheese sauce in itself was delicious, and would make a superb queso dip…maybe by adding some green chilies and diced tomatoes.

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Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 T steak sauce
1 C beef stock
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

4 dinner rolls

For the Cheese Sauce:

1 T butter
1 T flour
1 C milk
1 C provolone cheese, shredded

Directions:

Add oil to a large skillet and let it preheat over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and brown, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and beef stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a simmer and cook about 2 minutes.

Split open rolls and remove most of the soft insides, leaving a bed to hold the meat mixture. Toast the rolls and set aside.

For the Cheese Sauce:

While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, bring up to a simmer and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir the cheese until melted.

To Serve:

Place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.


Source: Adapted from Chef in Training








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Z is for Zebra Cookies!

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Before becoming a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) I taught for 7 years (mostly 4^th, 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade). I really miss teaching kids and seeing them come alive when they learn new things, so when my brother and sister-in-law asked me to teach their 4-year-old how to read, I jumped at the opportunity!

We started by learning the alphabet; both the letter names and their sounds. Everyday we’d learn a new letter of the alphabet by first doing some workbook pages and then came the fun part, singing! I had 2 wonderful resources for this portion:

1-     I used the YouTube videos below from www.havefunteaching.com. They’re great videos that are exciting and super fun to jam to (my niece and I jammed to each one J).

2-     We sang a song the Kindergarten teachers at my last school had their students sing to get them to learn the letter sounds. It’s called “Who Let the Alphabet Out” to the tune of “Who Let the Dogs Out”:

“Who let the A out!?! /a/ /a/-/a/ /a/-/a/ “

“Who let the B out!?! /b/ /b/-/b/ /b/-/b/ “

… so on and so forth (you get the idea)

So, to celebrate the end of learning the alphabet & letter sounds we made zebra cookies! I thought this was the perfect activity to celebrate out accomplishment…and we totally sang “Who Let the Alphabet Out” while making the cookies! J

Sydney enjoying her Zebra Cookie

Sydney & Mia

Cook’s Note: I get a lot of questions from readers about what kitchen equipment and specific ingredients I use in recipes. I will try to list any specific ingredients & specific/super helpful kitchen equipment before each recipe. I hope this helps! J

Here’s specific equipment and/or ingredients I used in this recipe:
Pastry Mat for patting the dough out to the instructed dimensions
Bench/Dough Scraper I like this one in particular because it’s sturdy & has a ruler on it, bonus!
Silpat Non-stick Baking Mat
Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder

Zebra Cookies

Ingredients:

For the Vanilla Dough:
2 3/4 C  cake flour
1 C plus 2 T  powdered sugar
1/4 t salt
1 C butter, at room temperature
1 t vanilla

For the Chocolate Dough:
2 1/4 C cake flour
1 C plus 2 T powdered sugar
1/2 C plus 1 T natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
1 C butter, at room temperature
1 t vanilla

2 C (about 15 ounces)nonpareil sprinkles for decoration (optional)

Directions:

For the Vanilla Dough:
Combine flour, sugar and salt and mix on low speed until combined.

Add the butter and mix on low until the mixture appears to be lumpy.

Add the vanilla and mix on low until combined.  

Transfer dough to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

For the Chocolate Dough:
Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt and mix on low speed until combined.

Add the butter and mix on low until the mixture appears to be lumpy.

Add the vanilla and mix on low until combined.  

Transfer dough to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

To form into logs:
Divide the Vanilla Dough into thirds, with each piece weighing about 7 1/2 ounces. Divide the Chocolate Dough the same way. You will work with a third of each dough at a time.

On a piece of parchment paper or a pastry mat, flatten one piece of Vanilla Dough into a 7" x 5" rectangle. Repeat this with a piece of the Chocolate Dough. Place the chocolate rectangle on top of the vanilla rectangle, then cut the stack in half crosswise to create 2 pieces, each about 3 1/2" x 5". Place a chocolate rectangle on top of a vanilla to create 4 layers. You may need a bench/dough scraper to help with this. Press or roll the stack into a 9" x 4" rectangle. Cut the stack in half lengthwise to create two 9" x 2" pieces. Place one piece on top of the other to create a long narrow stack with 8 layers.

Carefully twist each end of the dough once or twice, gently working toward the center. Use your hands to twist the pattern and shape the swirled dough into a log about 8 1/2 ” x 2”. Set aside. Repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough to form two more logs. Compress each log with your hands so it is compact, gently rolling back and forth until the log is round and uniformly shaped.

Place the sprinkles in a shallow pie dish and roll each log in the sprinkles to coat. If the dough is soft, set the coated logs on a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until firm enough to handle. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator for 2 hours to chill thoroughly.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Use a sharp knife to cut generous 1/4” slices and arrange 1/2" apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.

Bake one sheet at a time just until they are no longer shiny on top and are lightly golden on the bottom, about 10 - 12 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.

Makes about 12 dozen cookies

Source: Adapted from Pret a Gourmet

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Chicken Pie

Yum, yum, and YUM! This is some serious comfort food! I had never heard of chicken pie until an Oprah episode, so when I saw this recipe in Cook’s Country I knew I had to try it!

Mmm Hmm!

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I made this chicken pie for my hubby and he LOVED it—so much that while he was still in the process of eating it he asked “when are you making this again?” Luckily I had a hunch he’d love this pie so I made two of these pies at the same time and froze one for later! I really do suggest making two of these pies at a time and freezing one for later because this is a time consuming recipe, but when you make two at once, it only takes a few extra minutes.

Cook’s Note: If you do make two and freeze one for later, prepare the pie that is to be frozen up until it needs to go into the oven. Double wrap the pie in plastic wrap and then with foil. When you want to bake the pie, take it out of the freezer and allow it to come to room temperature before placing in the oven (I took mine out of the freezer in the morning and it was ready to be popped in the oven in time for dinner).

I get a lot of questions from readers about what kitchen equipment and specific ingredients I use in recipes. I will try to list any specific ingredients & specific/super helpful kitchen equipment before each recipe. I hope this helps! J

Here’s specific equipment and/or ingredients I used in this recipe:
9-inch Pie Plate
Adjustable Rolling Pin
Silicone Pastry Mat
Cook’s Country Magazine

My unbaked Pie

The finished product--so pretty!

Moravian Chicken Pie

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

1/2 C sour cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1-1/2 t salt
12 T cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For the Filling:

2 (10- to 12-ounce) bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed and halved crosswise
3 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 T vegetable oil
3 C low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 T unsalted butter
1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 C half-and-half
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

For the Crust:

Stir together sour cream and egg in small bowl, set aside.

Process flour and salt in food processor briefly. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, and pulse until the butter is pea-sized.

Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture, half at a time, pulsing after each addition until combined. Mixture should start to form into a dough about 10 pulses after final addition.

Transfer to floured surface and knead briefly, just until dough comes together. Divide in two and form each half into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour.

After chilling, remove 1 dough disk from refrigerator and let sit 10 minutes, then roll into 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to 9-inch pie plate.

Roll second disk of dough, and transfer to parchment-lined sheet. Cover both and return to refrigerator for 30 minutes.

For the Filling:

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until browned all over, about 10 minutes; transfer to plate. Pour fat (you should have 2 tablespoons) into small bowl; reserve. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. Add broth, chicken, and bay leaf to now-empty pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until breasts register 160 degrees and thighs register 175 degrees, 14 to 18 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces, discarding bones. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into second bowl and reserve (you should have about 2¾ cups); discard bay leaf.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450°F. Heat butter and reserved fat in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of reserved broth and half-and-half and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gravy until thickened and reduced to 1¾ cups, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine 1 cup gravy with shredded chicken; reserve remaining gravy for serving.

Transfer chicken mixture to dough-lined pie plate and spread into even layer. Top with second dough round, leaving at least 1/2-inch overhang all around. Fold dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie plate. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Cut four 1-inch slits in top. Brush pie with egg and bake until top is light golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until crust is deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let pie cool on wire rack for at least 45 minutes.

When ready to serve, bring remaining ¾ cup reserved gravy and remaining ¾ cup reserved broth to boil in medium saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve pie with gravy.

Source: Cook’s Country December 2011/January 2012 issue

 

I’m linking this post up at:

Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Cake Batter Cookies

YUM-O is what I have to say about these cookies! They really do taste like luscious cake batter, and the exteriors are a little crispy and the centers are nice and soft. These cookies can easily change with the seasons/celebrations depending on the sprinkles you use! These would also be a great alternative to cupcakes for birthday celebrations at school!

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Cook’s Note: I get a lot of questions from readers about what kitchen equipment and specific ingredients I use in recipes. I will try to list any specific ingredients & specific/super helpful kitchen equipment before each recipe. I hope this helps! J

Here's the specific equipment and ingredients I used in this recipe:

Jello 3.4 oz package instant vanilla pudding mix

2.5 oz container “Be Mine Confetti” sprinkles from Target

3 Tablespoon (or 50mm) Scoop

Silicone Slipat Non-Stick Baking Mat

Cake Batter Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 C butter (1 ½ sticks)

3/4 C light brown sugar

1/4 C sugar

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix

3/4 C yellow cake mix

2 C flour

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

½ C or a 2.5 oz container of sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F and prepare 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars together on high speed for about 2 minutes, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth, and then beat on high for about 1 minute.

Add in pudding mix and cake mix and beat until well thoroughly blended.

Add the flour mixture and beat on low until well incorporated.

Add the sprinkles and mix until just combined.

Using a 3 tablespoon scoop, scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans half-way through cooking.

Makes 24 cookies

Source: adapted from Chef in Training

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog