my wish come true

she longboards
she plays the ukulele
she is confident and brave
she writes spoken word poetry
she is strong
she has a witty sense of humor
she wears skate shoes

she is pretty much everything i want to be. she is my little sister. my little sister who i've grown (or rather not grown) to look up to. my little sister that i spent four years of my life hoping for. my little sister who has become my friend and my escapade accomplice. we've seen the whole united states from the back seat of the van, we've climbed mountain tops, and we've been half way around the world together.

she turned seventeen last week. seventeen years sounds so long ago, but feels like just yesterday. i can still remember the ride to the hospital. the whole way there my three older brothers were trying to convince me that our new sibling was going to be another brother. i loved having brothers, but inside i was desperately hoping for a sister. i still remembering rounding the corner and walking into my mom's hospital room hearing, you have a sister. "i knew it, i knew it, i knew it was going to be a sister." she was my wish come true. happy birthday Rachel! here's to many more years of memories and exciting adventures.

she asked for a key lime pie for her birthday. i found this old recipe from Taste & Home. i've never made key lime pie before, but figured with fresh limes and hand whipped cream how could it go wrong? it went very, very right. it had great taste and texture. the recipe is a bit time consuming, but fairly simple. two of the best factors for a cooking adventure

Key Lime Pie

Yields: 8 Servings

Ingredients:  

Crust:

1 ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs

2 Tablespoons sugar

5 Tablespoons butter

Filling:

2 14oz. cans sweetened condensed milk

2/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 8 small limes)

1/3 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons grated lime peel

Topping:

½ pint heavy whipping cream

¼ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.      Heat oven to 325°F. Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add melted butter and stir until evenly moistened. Press mixture into bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate to form crust. Bake 10 minutes or until crust begins to brown. Cool 15 minutes on wire rack.

2.      Whisk sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and sour cream in large bowl until blended. Stir in lime peel. Pour filling into crust. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until tiny bubbles begin to form on surface of pie. Cool completely on wire rack.

3.      Beat cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in large mixing bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until stiff. Top pie with whipped cream. Chill at least 1 hour before serving. Best served the same day.

perfect pancakes

well according to food network that is. back in high school when i started this blog, i had a subscription to Cooking Light and Food Network. they were my go to for new, adventuresome, but not too adventuresome, recipes. as a result, i have a two inch binder chalk full of glossy magazine clippings with notes scrawled across them. i pulled this one for pancakes out to use up my leftover berries from my cantaloupe bowl. it's a simple recipe that is easy to add fun ingredients to the batter like oats, berries, chocolate-chips, nuts, granola, or cinnamon chips. the pancakes are fluffy and thick, but not too thick, and just about as quick as using a box mix. how could you go wrong? they are the perfect pancake after all.  

Perfect Pancakes
Yields: 6-8 pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup 2 Tablespoons milk
4 Tablespoons melted butter
1 egg

Directions:
1. Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl whisk milk, butter, and egg together; fold into flour mixture until just combined. (lumps are encouraged)
3. Brush a large skillet with butter and heat over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cupfuls of batter and cook until bubbly on top and golden on the bottom. Flip and cook until golden on the bottom.
4. Serve with your favorite toppings and warm maple syrup.

how to 'properly' eat a cantaloupe

i still can remember the first time my dad showed me how to 'properly' eat a cantaloupe. he had just come home from with a cantaloupe in tow. i was very curious and watched with wide eyes as he explained it to me. it's simple. you slice the cantaloupe in half, scrape out the insides, take half of the cantaloupe, and hold it like a bowl. my dad handed me my half and gave me a spoon. i watched as he dug into his cantaloupe, enjoying the juicy fruit. i carefully did the same. it tasted so good. something about scooping the cantaloupe out of the rind was so satisfying and delicious. he explained that it is very important to consume all of  the cantaloupe, scooping as close to the rind as possible, to achieve as much satisfaction of the juicy cantaloupe as possible. this was the first of many proper cantaloupe eatings with my dad.

i had just finished a long morning of cleaning, feeling exhausted and hot. i quick stopped by the grocery store on my way home to pick up a few things. earlier i had seen a cantaloupe breakfast bowel on pinterest that had caught me eye. when i walked past the cantaloupes at the grocery store and saw that berries where on sale, i couldn't resist. i took my groceries back to my apartment and cut open my cantaloupe. i filled it with yogurt, honey, granola, and berries. i dug my spoon in and enjoyed the sweet satisfaction of scooping out my cantaloupe. i was instantly taken back to memories of sitting on the kitchen counter top with cabinets for my back rest and my dad across the room leaning against the counter top. our small talk interupted by repated,  "mmm...this is just so good," as we devoured the insides of our cantaloupe bowls.

Cantaloupe Breakfast Bowel
Yields: 2

Ingredients:
Cantaloupe
Greek plain yogurt
Honey
Granola
Berries

Directions:
1. Cut cantaloupe in half. Scoop out seeds.
2. Fill center with yogurt. Drizzle honey over yogurt. Sprinkle granola on top. Finish with berries.  

late night cooking adventure

it had been a full day. a day of cleaning, an evening of worship, and a late night of office cleaning. when i walked through my door, the first time that i didn't having to quick turn around and run back out, i realized i had never eaten dinner. it was past ten and i was hungry.

"got to bed, eat something quick, or make that recipe i've been wanting to try," my mind went back and forth trying to decide. a surge of energy hit me as i realized that my first client for tomorrow had canceled. excited, i went with the latter of my thoughts.

i am a night owl, something i got from my mother. real life though has made me somewhat of morning person, like my father. i realize college life doesn't quite qualify as 'real life,' but at least give me credit that it is more 'real life' than highschool life.

so, there i was at ten-thirty cooking my pappardelle. earlier in the week i had gotten a fun surprise package. in it was several different fun ingredients (including the pappardelle) with a note that said, "a few of my favorite things." i had found this recipe that i though would be fun to try the noodles out on. i had never made pappardelle before. they may have just become my favorite kind of pasta. pappardelle is are large, broad, flat noodle, similar to fettuccine, but much better in my opinion. the name stems from the Italian verb pappare, which literally means to gobble up. it is exactly what i was doing at eleven at night.

i stayed up late that night cooking and working on a few things that had been piling up. it felt good to work late into the night and sleep in the next day. i had missed it.

wink to the sender who inspired this fun late night cooking adventure. i am excited to try more of your favorite things :)

Sun Dried Tomato and Mushrooms Pasta with Garlic Basil Sauce
Adapted From: Julia's Album

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3.5 oz sun-dried tomatoes, diced
2 cubes chicken bullion
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 pound pappardelle pasta

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add sliced mushrooms and garlic. cook for about 3 minutes. Add diced sun-dried tomatoes. Reduce heat.

2. Dissolve 2 cubes of chicken bullion in 2 cups of boiling water. Carefully add the broth to the skillet. Cook the vegetables in the chicken broth on medium heat until the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes absorb some of the broth and the broth reduces somewhat.
3.Add half and half, heavy cream to skillet. Bring to a boil for a short moment. Add Parmesan cheese, stirring, for a couple of minutes, on low-medium heat until the cheese melts. Add basil.
If your sauce is too thick add more half and half as needed. 
4. Cook pasta al dente according to the package instruction. Add pasta to the sauce, toss, and serve. 

it was 1979.

 a young man, working his way through college, was a cook at one of the well known cafes in Champaign. little did this young man know that the culinary skills he would learn at Greater Downtown Champaign Food and Beverage Company would be added to his repertoire of talents. this young man is my dad. my dad is a man of many talents. it was at the Greater Downtown Champaign Food and Beverage Co that he mastered the art of omelet making, (if you have ever tried making an omelet before, you will know it is an acquired art). i have many fond memories of watching my dad, in his iconic black sweats, on late weekend mornings make my siblings and i omelets. they quickly became a family favorite. whenever a sauder member of our household makes his or her way back home, omelet's are one of the desired requests. i give to you my dad's instructions of proper omelet making. below is short clip to view exactly how the omelet is to be made.


Omelet

Crack two eggs and whip them up. A lot of people put milk in their omelets, but what you want to do to get a fluffy omelet is to beat air into them and a little bit of cold water. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat and grease a small skillet. You have got to get your pan hot (medium-high heat). If you don't get it hot, you've got problems. You know when it's hot when you drop water on the skillet it and it sizzles. Keep in mind that second omelette will always turns out better than the first, kind of like pancakes. Pour your beaten eggs into the hot skillet. Swirl the egg so it goes up on to the sides of the pan and cooks on the sides of the pan. You want to build up ridges. By cooking the eggs on the sides of the pan you will be able to pull the sides back and then move the uncooked egg to the bottom. Pull the sides down with a spoon to create thicker edge. Lift up the bottom and let the egg run underneath to cook all of the egg. As soon as the new egg is cooked on the bottom, flip the egg. Add your chosen ingredients to half of the omelette. Flip the omelet over in half and add some garnishes to the top. Viola, you have a omelet.

Another iconic element of my dad's famous omelets is that he always lines up all of our plates and garnishes them with fruit. 

hot and fresh

hot and fresh, right out of the oven, glazed, and eaten warm with the accompaniment of coffee. there a few things better to experience in a kitchen than this. in the Sauder household we are a big fan of sleeping in, brunches, and dad's famous omelettes. this past saturday we did just that. it was a full house as my brother and his family were visiting. a few of us, those considered the 'early risers' at 9am, were chatting over coffee waiting for the rest of the family to wake up. we needed a little pre-brunch appetizer, so i decided to make some scones. i had just made them earlier in the week for an event and i was wanting to make them again to eat them fresh. turns out the proverb is right, the early bird does get the the worm. or in this case cinnamon scones hot and fresh, right out of the oven, glazed, and eaten warm with the accompaniment of coffee.

stay tuned for next weeks post on my dad's famous omelettes 

Cinnamon Sugar Scones
Adapted from:  12 Tomatoes 

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, frozen and grated
2/3 cup heavy cream or buttermilk
1/3 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling on top
2 eggs, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus additional for sprinkling on top
Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt.  
3. Add grated butter to the flour mixture and use a pastry cutter or two forks ton incorporate. 
4. In a small bowl whisk together 1 egg, heavy cream, and vanilla extract.
5. Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Mix until a rough dough comes together, then gently kneed into a 8-inch circle.
6. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Cut dough (like a pie) into 12 pieces.
7. Brush dough with remaining egg and generously sprinkle with cinammon sugar.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through.
10. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving. Re-cut scones. Mix glaze together and drizzle across the top.

because...

...there is nothing better than the sweet taste of freedom. because ever celebration is a reason to eat cookies. because, let's be honest what is better than cookies and milk? because, let's be really honest what is better than peanut butter and chocolate? here's to another school year done. here's to 1.5 years of school left to go. here's to thank goodness for summer break. happy summer, cheers!


Peanut Butter & Nutella Cookies
Yields: 3.5 dozen cookies
 Adapted From: The Sisters' Cafe

Ingredients:
1 cup butter (2 sticks) room temperature
⅔ cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2⅔ cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
heaping ⅓ cup Nutella

Directions:
1. Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla together until smooth.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt and add to butter mixture.
3. Add Nutella in dollops over the top of the dough.
4. Use a butter knife to swirl the Nutella through the dough.  Do not over mix.
5. Chill the dough in fridge for 15 minutes before spooning onto cookie sheet to firm the nutella.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Bake until slightly brown at edges.
7. Let cool a few minutes on cookie sheet before transferring.

leftover cookies? these make amazing ice cream sandwiches as well! spread softened vanilla or chocolate ice cream between to cookies, freeze sandwich until ready to eat. 

mindless in a worthwile way

“Oh, I adore to cook. It makes me feel so mindless in a worthwhile way.”

 -Truman Capote, Summer Crossing

i do not know who Truman Capote is nor what Summer Crossing is, but i do know that this quote came up on some page the claimed to to have the best quotes about cooking. instead of creating a clever story (i'm in the middle of turning in all my final projects for the end of the semester) i decided i would take the time to find a meaningful quote. if there is one thing that college has taught me, it is that everything appears to be five times better when you begin with a meaningful quote. (don't worry, i am learning a lot more worthwhile lessons). i think one of the reasons why i love cooking is that it does provide an avenue to craft something that requires just enough focus to enter into a 'zone' but little enough focus to where i am able to clear my mind, think, and meditate. sometimes i cook to think through a particular problem, sometimes i cook to avoid thinking about said problem, sometimes i cook to collect my thoughts, sometimes i cook meditate on scripture and truths, and then sometimes i cook just because i do need something to eat. 

here's a good recipe for Parmesan Crusted Chicken. i ate it a top of spaghetti and a marinara sauce. i wish i could say the pasta and sauce were homemade, but sadly no time for that in the midst of these last few weeks, or should i say days, of school. summer is coming. just have to keep reminding myself that.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup flour
1 egg beaten
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings together, place in shallow dish. 
2. Cut chicken in half horizontally. Pound each piece until 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet
5. Dredge chicken in flour, dip into egg, and coat in bread crumbs. Add to skillet.
6. Cook chicken 2-3 minutes on each side or until gold brown and cooked all the way through.
7. Serve on top of your favorite pasta and sauce, or serve alone.

déjà vu

remember several tuesday night adventures ago when my roommate, kristy, and i had the grand idea of bringing the story of Stone Soup to life? well, last night was like déjà vu back to that night. i don't know if it was the fact that it involved kristy, or beef stew meat, or maybe just the combination of both. but, here we were again in one of those moments where we had a great idea on whim, went through with it, and then remembered that ideas made on whims are not always successful.

how did we end up here again? 
well first of all, confession, we may have not put in as much beef stew meat in the stone soup as our 'recipe' called for. it was just so expensive (okay not really, but comparing it to our college budget it was) so we decided to keep out 1 pound of meat and freeze it for another time. fast-forward to a couple weeks ago when we bumped into each other at Aldi's (you would have thought we would have communicated better and planned or trips together) and had the grand idea of "hey, lets make beef stroganoff with that stew meat we have." the genius in me googled a recipe and found that we only needed to buy a package of gravy mix and egg noodles. the genius in me did not save the recipe.

fast forward again to last night when we spontaneously decided to make our stroganoff. we went to find my hand dandy recipe, searched the whole web, and could not find it anywhere. that is when the déjà vu feeling began to hit. not only could we not find the recipe, all the other recipes for beef stroganoff we found called for a whole list of ingredients we didn't have.

so, there we were, do we chance it and either it works or we are stuck eating something gross for the next week? or do we fast and save the meat for another day? we chose the former. 

déjà vu feelings can also be good feelings sometimes. i am happy to say this second whim happened to be just as successful as the first. i'm learning that ideas made on whim sometimes turn out to be small miracles. i don't know how it happened, but the few things we did have on hand turned out to make a delicious stroganoff. this whim represents a significant moment in my cooking adventures. the creating of my first truly original recipe. (my being kristy and i's) i know stroganoff is a pretty basic thing to make, but hey it starts somewhere right?

adaptions made to original recipe:
-swapped out beef stew meat for round steak, as the stew meat was a bit tough
-added mushrooms

Beef Stroganoff  
Yields: 4 Servings

Ingredients:
1 pound cubed round steak, cut into thin strips
Salt
Pepper
2 Tablespoons butter
1 small onion thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves
8 ounces mushrooms thinly sliced
1 package brown gravy mix
1 cup water
1/4 cup sour cream
Cooked egg noodles

Directions:
1. Season meat with salt and pepper to taste. Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet and brown steak. Remove steak from pan.
2. Meanwhile, add onions, garlic, and mushrooms to the pan drippings and saute until crisp tender.
3. Add brown gravy mix to pan and combine.
4. Slowly whisk in water. Stir frequently until gravy comes to a slow boil. 
5. Add steak. Reduce heat and allow gravy to thicken stirring occasionally.
6. Add sour cream, heat through.
7. Salt and pepper to taste as needed and serve over cooked egg noodles.