Happy Birthday Oreo!

America's favorite cookie turns 100 this year.  That is cause for celebration.  To honor the milestone they created a birthday cake flavor Oreo.  To celebrate the new flavor I made cookies.  I know some people don't like Oreos.  It doesn't actually taste like chocolate and I don't really want to know what the center is made out of.  But, that's not what it's about.  Oreos are fun.  That's what they are supposed to be.  Just like my creation.  It isn't fancy or upscale, but fun.  

This recipe is based on what I found here.  I just adapted for birthday cake Oreos

Birthday Cake Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

10 birthday cake flavored Oreos

1/2 C. butter, room temperature

3 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1C. granulated sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

1 C. all purpose flour

1/2 C. rainbow sprinkles

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Take Oreos and crush or chop by hand or in food processor.  Set aside.

3. In medium bowl cream butter and cream cheese with sugar.  Beat in vanilla and then flour, just until combined.  Stir in sprinkles.  Set in refrigerator for 15 minutes to make dough easier to handle.

4. Form 1" balls, about 1 rounded tablespoon.  Coat with crushed Oreos and place on cookie sheet.

5. Bake 12-15 minutes, until edges are lightly golden and cookie is puffed.  You don't want to over cook as Oreos will burn.

How to: Roast Red Bell Peppers

For my first "How to" post I'll be showing you how to roast your own red bell peppers.  You should try it.  Besides not having the vinegary/briny taste of the bottled variety you also save a ton of money.  Especially when you get them 3/$1.00 like I did the other week.  I hadn't seen the ad, but when I walked through the produce department the sign made me stop in my tracks.  Growing up red bell peppers were a fancy vegetable- one we only had on occasion because they cost so much money.  It took me awhile to figure out it's okay to pay $1.00 for a pepper, but now we eat them often.  Still, 3/$1.00 is super cheap and deserves a little attention.  So, I put five in a bag. I thought that more might be a little ridiculous because I really had no purpose for them.  A few days before we left town I still had three and decided to roast them.  They will be put to good use when we return.

How to Roast Red Bell Peppers

1. The Actual Roasting

Preheat your broiler.  Set rack to highest setting.  Place peppers on sheet tray and place in oven.  Broil until black.  Like really black.  The more black the easier to peel.  It might smoke or ruin your pans (see above), so you can line with aluminum foil.  Alternatively, if you have a gas range, you can roast in the fire.  

2. Steam

 Place peppers in bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  This helps release the skins.  Let rest until you can handle with bare hands.

3. Remove skins

Using your hands (it's messy but the best way), remove the blackened skin.  It should come off pretty easily.  

 4. Chop

Remove the tops, membranes, and seeds.  At this point you can freeze for later use, chop, slice, or leave whole.  Enjoy!

Leftovers

This Friday C and I are leaving for 4 weeks.  My husband, S, is working in Phoenix for the month and we didn't want to be without a husband and dad.  So, off we go.  The problem is emptying our refrigerator and cupboards.  We can't just leave the box or crackers or the couple of apples.  Although, apples might last.  Anyways, my point is this week is leftover week.  Usually I have every meal scheduled.  I have the recipes decided, even down to the snacks we'll eat.  This week it's more like what can I get rid of.  Nothing has been planned.  For lunch we had bread salad.  I finished the romaine, Italian bread, and grape tomatoes.  I thought that was pretty good.  But, we still have lots to get through.  One thing is stumping me: radishes.  I love the idea of radishes.  I buy them on occasion thinking they will  be good to put in a salad or something.  Then they sit there and although I do put them in salads it's hard to eat them all before they go bad. One radish goes a long way.  I'm sure there are lots of people out there who know exactly what to do with fresh radishes, but I'm not one of them.  Maybe one day I will be.  Yesterday they got put in a pulled pork wrap.  I'm thinking I can use others for a rice salad.      

The one good thing about leftovers is that it makes you think about food combinations you might otherwise overlook.  Like these wraps.  I usually put chicken or steak or pork chops inside a tortilla.  But, all I had was pulled pork.  I never thought to pair  it radishes, but it was a very nice combination.  This is how I put my wrap together, but this is leftover week: use whatever you have!

1 whole what flour tortilla
A squirt of ranch thickened with a small spoonful of mayo
About 1/3 C. pulled pork
3 Slices from a roma tomato
1 radish thinly sliced
A handful of spinach

Lay the tortilla out.  Spread ranch in middle.  Top with pork, tomato, radish, and spinach.  Wrap up and enjoy!

*Please note, I'm not a good photographer, but I'll try.  Maybe one day.  The pictures always do it for me, but hopefully you'll forgive my amateur attempts and still enjoy the food.

Tomato Stains

The combination of leftover pasta, wearing a church dress, and not using the high chair tray should have  been enough of a red flag to make me change something- nope.  I think I have way too much optimism when it comes to these things.  Sure enough, after a few bites there's a red splotch on C's tights and I'm blotting and wiping and wishing she owned another pair of white tights.  From that moment on I was on guard.  I added the tray and wiped her mouth every few bites.  I cleaned her hands off whenever she touched the food or her face. We left for church and I felt pretty good about things.  Only one drop of tomato sauce- not bad.  Then, I reach down to pick C up.  There it is- right in the middle of her dress- a bright red smudge.  A good mom probably would have dragged her back inside, put on a new dress or at least tried to clean up the stain.  But, we were late.  And besides, she needed something to match the stain on her tights that I apparently didn't clean off.

Baked pasta is kind of a wonderful thing.  I like the added dimension it gives to the ingredients- just a little bit of caramelized goodness.  I decided to try bumping it up a step and roasting some cauliflower before mixing it in. The result was fabulous.  

Roasted Cauliflower Baked Pasta

About 1 1/2 cups of cauliflower florets

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 lb. Italian sausage

4 oz. pasta- use any shape, cooked to al dente or a little before

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

4 oz. mozzarella, shredded and divided

Preheat oven to 375.  Take the cauliflower and place on the rimmed cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, just enough to coat well.  Stir to coat and sprinkle with kosher salt to taste.  Bake until dark golden brown.  Stir occasionally for even browning. 

Saute red bell pepper and onion with Italian sausage until sausage is cooked through.  

To the cooked pasta add the sausage mixture, cauliflower, pasta sauce, and 3 oz. mozzarella.  Stir to coat everything in sauce.  Pour into 9x9 glass baking dish.  Cover with remaining cheese.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheese has melted and is starting to turn brown.

A Little Perk of Valentine's Day

I like Valentine's Day.  I like the hearts and chocolate.  But, I mostly love a day to celebrate love because let's be honest- we all need a little more in our lives.  The world needs more love.  So, I think it's great to really celebrate love.  Love for my kid, my husband, family, neighbors, random people I come across, those who don't like me.

But, I understand that not all share my opinion.  The hype, the stress, the expectations.  Why not just say "I love" you every day?  For those people, I've thought of one perk you can't be mad about.  Strawberries.  The week of Valentine's Day strawberries are cheap.  They aren't the best, but most produce isn't.  And, they work.  I got mine this week for $1.29 a pound.  I bought them on Monday, served them with heart shaped pancakes on Tuesday, and C and I have had them every morning since.  It's thrilling.

I like to think that this week is the beginning of strawberry season, the time when I don't feel guilty buying them.   I always say I'm going to find fantastic recipes for tarts and cupcakes, but I usually just end up slicing them and eating them plain, or with a small spoon full of sugar.

So, for everyone who didn't have a love filled Valentine's Day, have a bowl of strawberries.