Farewell

To my readers,

After some careful consideration and a short hiatus, I have decided I will no longer be posting recipes to this site. I will leave the site up and active for a short time for those of you who wish to look through the recipes, but no new content will be added. After running this blog for a little over a year and a half, I have found myself more worried about the number of people who viewed my recipes or "liked" them on Facebook, rather than enjoying the time in the kitchen cooking things I enjoy. Time to get back to just cooking for my family.


To my fellow bloggers,

Thanks for all the help. I will still continue visiting your sites looking for new and exciting recipes. I look forward to the inspiration. Good luck in the future.

Chef's Day Off #15

This week has been absolutely crazy. Not only am I going to work every day, I am also attending a professional development seminar all week as well. Translation: long days, lots of work, and not enough time to get it all done. So when a day off comes along, I take full advantage of it. This week, I'm just going to sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice slice of Mexican Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake from Joy over at Yesterfood. Simple and delicious. Now where did I put that remote???

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)

Creamy Spinach Asparagus Soup--Gadgets Are Included #2

This month's featured gadget is the immersion or stick blender. Immersion blenders gained popularity in home kitchens in the United Sates during the 1980s, and have remained popular ever since. These types of blenders are designed to puree or blend in any container, rather than in a special container designed for use with a blender base. While I do not use this device every day, I find it is a lot easier at times than pulling out the full sized blender.

One of my favorite uses for this gadget is pureeing hot soups. When hot liquids are added to a standard blender and pureed, they expand quickly and can create a huge mess, not to mention throw boiling hot liquid all over the person standing next to the blender. Spending the dinner hour at the emergency room is not my idea of a good time. Immersion blenders can quickly turn a pot of ingredients into a smooth soup with the hassle of transferring everything to a blender in small batches. Just be careful to keep the head of the blender submerged to prevent throwing scalding hot soup bits all over the kitchen (it only took once for me to learn that lesson).

My Creamy Spinach Asparagus Soup is a great starter for any spring meal. The flavor of the asparagus really comes through, and the spinach helps give the soup a vibrant green color. Even better, this soup only takes about thirty minutes to come together. Quick, healthy, and vegan (if you leave out the cream). Oh, and tasty.


Creamy Spinach Asparagus Soup

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs fresh asparagus, woody stems removed
5 1/2 cups vegetable broth
4 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Stir and cook 4 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer.





Add asparagus and vegetable broth to pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.






Remove lid and add spinach. Replace lid and let simmer five minutes more, or until spinach is wilted.







Turn off heat. Using immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. Stir in cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with croutons, if desired.

Now it's your turn. Link up any recipe you want that requires a immersion blender to make. Don't forget to stop back the first Monday of next month when the featured gadget will be the ramekin.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Chef's Day Off #14

This past week has been so crazy. The weekend brought temperatures in the 80s, but the forecast still shows snow!!! Looks like I need a nice warm dish to make it through another day off. The Chicken Marsala from Shauna at The Best Blog Recipes looks delicious. I mean, chicken, mushrooms, BACON, and sun dried tomatoes. You could serve it over gym socks and I would ask for seconds...

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)

Steakhouse Meatloaf

Some days call for a quick dinner, others a light meal; but some days just call for comfort food. My idea of comfort food is a nice steak, but my wife is more of a meatloaf gal. This recipe combines the best of both worlds. Meatloaf flavored with steak seasoning and steak sauce. What could be better?!?

Chef's Day Off #13

The best thing to do on a day off.....is nothing. I love being a able to sit back, relax, and catch up on my DVR. This week's featured dish is perfect for that. The Pineapple Chicken from Danielle over at Peanut Life Adventures combines simplicity with fantastic flavors. And the best part, ten minutes of prep followed by eight hours in a crock-pot leaves plenty of time for relaxation. Perfect day off dinner fare.....

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)

Chopped Chicken Tacos

We love Mexican food in our house. When I say love, I mean LOVE. At least once, sometimes twice and even three times a week we will have some form of Mexican food. I'm not talking about Taco Bell either. I'm talking good homestyle tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. Fresh ingredients, prepared quickly and simply, and served with a side of guacamole. What could be better?

Chef's Day Off #12

This week's featured recipe on Chef's Day Off comes from Heidi over at A Week From Thursday. Her Cranberry Orange Donuts looks delicious, and a great breakfast treat on a cold dreary day here in Eastern Nebraska. Looks like we might dodge the snow (unlike our neighbors to the west), but we could really go for a sunny day in the 60s. At least we need the rain.....

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)

Chef's Day Off #11

This week's day off seemed like it was never going to get here. Although the weekend here in Nebraska was beautiful, now we are looking at rain and possibly snow this week. Seems like we are having a nice winter this spring. Oh well, I can always look forward to the weather actually warming up and being able to prepare this week's featured recipe from The Food Prepper. The Vegetable Garden Minestrone looks absolutely delicious. Perfect for a relaxing spring day (if they ever get here)!!!

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)

Red Beans & Rice

One of the greatest feelings in life is walking in the door after a long day at work and knowing that dinner will be ready in just a few minutes. I'm not talking a sandwich or leftovers from the night before, I'm talking a slow-simmered, all day long cooking meal. Man, I love my Crock-pot. Especially when it is loaded down with red beans that have been simmering with smoked sausage and a ham hock.

Chef's Day Off #10

This week's day off could not come soon enough. Easter and my wife's birthday made for a very busy weekend, so it's time to sit back, relax, and enjoy some time off. Looking back over last week's recipes, one post just stuck out to both myself and my wife. The Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting from Diane's Vintage Zest look both easy to make and amazingly delicious. Perfect for a relaxing day!!!

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread--Gadgets Are Included #1

If you were to look in my kitchen, you would find a lot of gadgets and utensils. I have a lot, and I am always looking for new places to store them and new ways to use them. That's what this new feature is about. The first Monday of each month I will be featuring a different gadget or utensil from my kitchen, sharing a recipe I make using that gadget, and asking you to link up recipes that use the gadget of the month.

To get this kicked off, I'm going to start with one of the gadgets I use the most--a whisk. I have a couple, but my favorite is my large balloon whisk. It gets used for everything from making gravy to making bread. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite uses for my whisk is to make quick breads. A single bowl, some basic ingredients, and about 45 minutes in the oven to have a loaf of fresh banana or zucchini bread, all without having to hunt down any of the attachments for the mixer.

Baked Potato Salad

With spring finally showing up here is Nebraska this weekend, and summer just around the corner in other parts of the country, this weekend just begs for a cooking out. We love grilling out when the weather is nice, and this baked potato salad is a favorite in our household as a side for anything grilled.

Chef's Day Off #9

This week's featured recipe on Chef's Day Off comes from Evelyn over at My Turn (for us). Having lived in Texas for five years, I am very familiar with Tex-Mex food. Her Beer Braised Beef Taco Boats are the stuff Tex-Mex dreams are made of. Beef, roasted tomatoes, and beer....let's do this!!!!

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is an easy to prepare dish originating from the Middle East. It is served as a common part of everyday meals as both a dip for vegetables or as a spread with pita bread. The ingredients used in this dish are very common, and the preparation of this dish is something that be be done in just a couple of minutes. The ease and speed of this dish makes it ideal for when unexpected guests drop by.

Chef Day Off #8

This week's featured recipe on Chef's Day Off comes from Leia over at Latitude Adjustment.   Her Ham and Chicken Calzones remind me of one of our favorite foods--pizza. As she mentions in her post, a calzone is basically a stuffed pizza, and her recipe can be easily modified to suit individual tastes. Looks like today is a calzone day. Works for me!!!

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Pear Crumb Pie

So I have a confession to make. My family and I are a bunch of math nerds, so there was no doubt as to what my post for today was going to be. Today is March 14, also known to some people as Pi Day. Pear Crumb Pie for Pi Day. It's a match made in Heaven.

Chef's Day Off #7

This week's featured recipe combines my wife's favorite ingredient (chocolate) with one of my favorites (chocolate), then stirs in those little chocolate mint candies. I could only be talking about the Triple Chocolate Mint Cupcake Squares from Pamela at Pamela's Heavenly Treats. These look absolutely delicious and so easy to make.

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Chicken Milano

When it comes to cooking, I would have to say I cook more Italian food than anything else. Italian food, like American cuisine, is very diverse. Fresh salads, light pastas, creamy risottos, and beautiful tomato sauces are all part of the Italian experience, but this dish would have to fall under Italian comfort food. I mean, chicken breasts, topped with smoky ham, smothered in Alfredo sauce, and baked until lightly browned and bubbly. What else would you call it?

Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad w/Grapefruit Vinagrette

Salads are a staple in our house, but sometimes we get bored with the standard lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. This salad uses cooled roasted vegetables as well as fresh greens and juicy grapefruit. The addition of radish provides a little crunch and a tangy flavor.

Chef's Day Off #6

For this week's day off, I feel like being lazy. Sometimes I just need to sit back, relax, and enjoy a little time with the family. But we still need to eat, so this Herb and Onion No Knead Bread from Joy over at Yesterfood is perfect for a lazy day. A few minutes mixing, 45 minutes of rising time (just long enough for an episode of Psych), and an hour in the oven (time for another episode) for made from scratch yeast bread. Sounds like a good day off to me.

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

This morning I woke up and came downstairs to find five bananas that needed to be used immediately or thrown away. Since everyone else was still asleep, I decided to wake them all with the smell of banana bread baking in the oven. Sure enough, thirty minutes later my wife and both kids came down the stairs, sniffing out the wonderful smells coming from the oven. The hardest part was making them wait for the bread to cool off enough to cut it without burning myself.

Mediterranean Frittata

Sometimes I open the fridge and know exactly what I want to make. Other times, I stand there looking at what I have and hope for inspiration. This recipe comes from the second scenario. How do I make dinner with leftovers from the night before when there's not enough for everyone? After about a minute, I looked up a shelf and saw the other ingredient that would become the base of our dinner, a carton of eggs. At that point I knew what we were doing for dinner. We were having a frittata.

Chef's Day Off #5

Another week has come and gone, and it's time for another day off. I look forward to these days because it means I can sit back and enjoy the tasty dishes coming out of other peoples kitchens. In our house we LOVE pasta, so this week we'll be enjoying some delicious Cavatelli with Chicken Sausage and Kale, thanks to Angela over at LeMoine Family Kitchen.

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Catfish Nuggets w/Spicy Tartar Sauce

Growing up in Indianapolis, it seemed like there was a fish fry somewhere in town every Friday. There was nothing like freshly fried fish and hush puppies to satisfy your hunger prior to heading off to some form of entertainment for the evening, whether it be a baseball game or a trip to the skating rink. It was at these fish fries that I developed a taste for catfish breaded in cornmeal and cooked until golden and flaky. Nowadays, if I want that flavor, I can recreate it at my house for my family.

Chef's Day Off #4

It's Wednesday again, which means it's time for another day off. As we prepare for a little bit of snow here in the Central Plains, I was looking through the recipes posted up last week and one jumped out and grabbed my attention. These White Chocolate Macadamia Magic Bars from Kaylee over at Couponing and Cooking. These will taste absolutely amazing with a cup of coffee while watching the snow fall...and after shoveling out from under a huge pile of the white stuff.

Spinach, Pea, and Mint Risotto

Risotto is a very versatile dish, and we like it a lot. When I say I'm going to make risotto, everyone seems to perk up and listen. I make a lot of different varieties of risotto, depending on what I have in my refrigerator at the time. This risotto was simply a way to use up what was left of a bag of frozen peas, some fresh spinach, and a few leaves of fresh mint.

Grandma's Buttermilk Biscuits

If you grew up in the southeastern part of the United States, you are very familiar with homemade biscuits. Everyone's mother or grandma had a recipe that made them light and fluffy, yet still firm enough to hold up to the homemade jams and jellies that were slathered on top of them. Smothering them with sausage gravy was the stuff dreams were made of. No matter what the occasion, if these biscuits were being made, you knew it was going to be special.

Chef's Day Off #3

With the arrival of Wednesday, it's time to sit back, relax, and take the day off. Last week's recipes looked tasty, but one recipe just caught my eye (more specifically, my wife's eye). Thanks to Jovana over at Taste of August, we'll be enjoying some tasty Reese's Brownies with Peanut Butter Frosting.

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

BBQ Meatballs

When I say I'm going to make meatballs, it usually gets my family's attention. Usually I make my Italian style meatballs with marinara sauce, but this weekend I decided to reach into my bag of tricks and replace the marinara sauce with a homemade barbecue sauce. Meatballs roasted in a hot oven, then finished in barbecue sauce. My eight year old son was a bit skeptical at first, but then he gave them the best compliment he could; he cleaned his plate.

Chef's Day Off #2

It's Wednesday again. Time for another day off. Today, I will enjoy a nice slice of Mocha Swirl Bread with Espresso Glaze thanks to Ali over at Jam Hands. Looks absolutely amazing!

Now it's your turn. Link up your recipes to inspire me for next week.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Chicago Style Supreme Pizza

With the Super Bowl this weekend, I needed a big pizza recipe. Well, this is a big pizza. This is a Chicago style deep dish pizza loaded to the top with amazing toppings. And unlike the deep dish pizza you get from a lot of chain pizzerias, this one is not mostly crust. This is traditional, walking-distance-from-Navy-Pier, deep dish pizza. Thin crust, lots of toppings, and a mountain of cheese, all topped with tomato sauce and baked to perfection.

Breaded Onion Rings

Burgers and fries. Nothing is more American than a greasy burger and a mound of fries to go along with it. There's a reason why burger joints are so popular. People love their burgers. And fries. Sometimes, though, we want the burger without the fries. Maybe it's the fact that we want something crunchy, maybe we are sick of potatoes, maybe we're just plain bored and want something different. Whatever the reason, the typical answer is to turn to the onion ring.

Cinnamon Pie

One of our favorite shows on television is Psych. Everyone, even my eight year old son, can appreciate the humor of a fake psychic working with the police department to solve more murders than ever thought possible in a small town. Somehow, this show always manages to stay in the top five slots in the "Recently Watched" category of Netflix for us. A couple weeks ago, we were watching an episode called "Dual Spires", an episode were Shawn and Gus go to a small town that is hosting a cinnamon festival. While there, they enjoy many slices of cinnamon pie. Which got me thinking....

Chef's Day Off #1

Every chef needs a day off. For me, that day off is Wednesday, but I still need to eat. That means on Wednesdays, I'm going to need your help figuring out what to have for dinner. Link up any recipe on your blog to inspire me on my day off. Since this is my first week taking the day off, I do not have a featured recipe. Starting next week, I will be featuring the recipe that catches my eye and inspires me the most. 

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Philly Cheese Steak Pizza w/Jalapeno Popper Crust

This weekend brought a break in the NFL playoffs as the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers prepare for the Super Bowl. While they readied themselves for the championship game, the all-stars from the other thirty teams in the league gathered in Hawaii to play in the Pro Bowl. When I initially starting planning this series of pizzas, I considered doing a Hawaiian pizza, but that seems too easy and too predictable. Instead, I decided to go a different route and select some of my favorite foods to combine and make an all-star pizza of my own.

Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Growing up, green bean casserole was a staple at our holiday table. I'm talking the stuff on the back label of a can of Campbell's cream of mushroom soup. A can of soup, some milk, a couple cans of green beans, and some canned French fried onions. It is still a taste that reminds me of dinner at grandma's house.

Orzo w/Roasted Vegetables

Anyone who has read this blog for any period of time knows my family and I like our vegetables roasted (click here, here, or here for examples). So when I came across a recipe online for a mixture of orzo and roasted vegetables, I was pretty excited. I quickly browsed the recipe, then moved on to other things, forgetting to bookmark the site to be able to go back later for a better look.

Firebomb Pizza

In our house, there is one thing we usually agree on. We love spicy foods; anything from hot wings to spicy chili to jalapeno poppers is good with us. So when I told my wife I was planning to do a series on pizza for this blog, her only request was a spicy pizza. Well, this one's for her. Spicy pizza and the Patriots losing to the Ravens. Now that's my definition of a perfect Sunday.

Pumpkin Muffins

According to my wife, pumpkins are only good for two things: pumpkin bread and Halloween decorations. I personally like pumpkin a little more that, and try to work it into the rotation whenever possible. I like everything from pumpkin pancakes to pumpkin ravioli, but these are for her. These muffins are very similar to her beloved pumpkin bread, and are a great accompaniment to a cup of coffee.

Chicken w/Tarragon and Mustard

Quick dinners are essential in our house. Weeknights are especially hectic. Between work, school, and extracurricular activities, dinner needs to be on the table as fast as possible so as not to interfere with anyone's schedule. This dish is perfect for those nights when food has to taste good and be ready in a short amount of time.

White Pizza w/Spinach and Garlic

This weekend was the divisional playoff round for the NFL, which meant one thing for me. Four football games in two days. What a way to spend the weekend.

Apple Cranberry Chutney

Chutneys are a group of condiments common in Indian and other southern Asian cuisines. Most chutneys are a blend of fruit and spices, and many typically feature a vinegar base. The number of chutneys is virtually unlimited, and can use many different varieties of fruits or vegetables, along with multiple different kinds of spices.

Stuffed Thin Crust Pizza

This pizza is the first a series of five pizza recipes in five weeks, set to coincide with the NFL playoffs. When I sat down to plan out this series, I decided I wanted to start with a thin crust pizza for the first week and work my way though pizzas with thicker and thicker crusts.

Basic Pizza Crust

Pizza is a much loved food in our household. Since my wife and I have been together we have lived in eight different places in five different states, and one of the first things we do when we move is find the best pizza in the local area. We have tried all different types, from crispy thin crust to thick Chicago style pizza. We've tried lots of different toppings, from traditional to exotic. I guess you could say we are pizza connoisseurs.

When I make pizza at home, this is the basic recipe I use for the crust. It can be adapted to fit whatever type of pizza you wish to make. For example, if you wish to make an herbed crust, stir two teaspoons dried basil into the flour with the salt. This recipe makes multiple pizzas depending on the type and style of pizza you want to make. For thin crust pizzas, this will make four 12-14 inch pizzas. For hand tossed, this will make three 12 inch pizzas or two 16 inch pizzas.

Sweet Potatoes Anna

Potatoes Anna is a classic French dish that consists of two ingredients, potatoes and butter. The potatoes are very thinly sliced and layered into a casserole dish with butter and baked until soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. The original is amazing, but not very healthy for the body.