Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas

When I worked at Cheesecake Factory a zillion years ago, I tried every single item on their 40 page menu. And, yes, it was all delicious. 

One of my favorites, though, was their Roasted Vegetable Quesadilla. It's one of those dishes that messed with my head a little. I mean, it's a quesadilla, but then it has smoky gouda cheese and roasted vegetables. So, it's a little different. But then! You drizzle ancho-chile mayo and bbq sauce on the top and oh, man! It's a crazy combination of flavors. Trust me, I really don't even like mayonnaise. But here it just works. It does!

Roasted vegetable quesadillas are really, really good. And really, really easy to make at home. You should probably make them. No pressure or anything, but you probably should.

I don't remember where I originally found this recipe, and I'm pretty sure I changed it a little over the years, but it's very close to the quesadillas they used to serve at the ol' CCF. I hope you like them!

Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas

Quesadillas:

4 8-inch flour tortillas

4 oz can of diced green chiles

1 eggplant, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced  

1/2 red onion, diced (I skipped it on this one)

8 oz mushrooms, sliced (not in CCF's recipe at all - but really good)

8 oz Gouda cheese, grated

1 T olive oil

Toppings:

Ancho-chile sauce

BBQ sauce (any kind)

Garnishes:

Guacamole

Salsa

Sour Cream

Ancho-Chili Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 T sour cream
1/2 ancho-chili, minced

1 t white vinegar

1 t granulated sugar

1 t paprika
1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder
Pinch salt

Combine in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

Make the quesadillas:

Arrange vegetables on a baking sheet (lined with foil for easy clean up). Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until tender.

Lay two tortillas on cutting board. Place an equal amount of cheese over each tortilla. Be sure to leave a 1/2-inch open border around the edge of the tortilla so the cheese doesn’t drip out while cooking.

Sprinkle equal amounts of chiles, eggplant, zucchini, roasted pepper, red onions, and mushrooms evenly over each tortilla.

Sprinkle on more Gouda, because, really, why wouldn't you?

mmm.... Goooouda...

Cover with a second tortilla and place onto a lightly oiled nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until the tortillas have turned a crispy golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Remove them from the skillet and place onto the cutting board. Cut in quarters.

Drizzle the ancho-chile sauce and bbq sauce over the quesadilla. I do mine in a spiral, because I think it's fannnnncy! Oh! You've probably heard this trick before, but just in case you haven't, pour the ancho-chile sauce in a ziplock, seal it, cut a little tiny corner off the bottom, and squeeze the sauce out through the hole. If you want it fancy. Or you can smear it all over the top with a spoon, whatever makes you happy.

Serve with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. 

Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Rainbow Cake

So last year, on the last day of school, I made The Rainbow Cake. And then my kids and my husband and I all decided that Rainbow Cake should be a new Last Day of School tradition.

The end of this school year was amazingly busy. School was busy, my craft kit business was busy, we were all busy busy busy.

And then the last day of school came. And went. And no Rainbow Cake magically appeared.

Fail.

But! We're an easy-going tradition kind of family. And since we had planned on a day of camping this weekend, we decided to Rainbow Cake It Up.

Rainbow Cake is made with yellow cake mix. I used it for last year's Last Day of School Cake,

and Peyton's Birthday Cake,



and Ella's Birthday Cake.



You know what? I don't love yellow cake mix. And since I'm the one making all these dang cakes all over the place, I think I can make a decision every once in a while.

I'm a'gonna make a lemon cake! And blueberries were on sale, so... why not? But when I say lemon cake, don't be thinking that I'm making it from scratch - forget it - this kind of cake takes enough time as it is - I'm box-caking it all the way.

Also, and I've mentioned this before, two tubs of frosting is not enough. I'm okay with that. I could use three, but really! Three tubs of frosting? It might make my cake look awesome, but that is a lot of freakin' frosting. I'm not going to do it. I'm going to use two and call my cake "rustic" instead. 

Why, yes, that is a fire pit in the background. Why, no, I don't think this is an acceptable dessert for camping. For the record, I've never brought a cake camping before, but just this once, I think it's okay.

So here's what I did, I followed the regular directions that you can find here, except, of course, I used lemon cake mix and frosting.

I don't use food coloring drops, I use food coloring gel, but imagine adding one drop of blue to one layer, then two drops to the next layer, then three... you get the idea. Except they're not really drops, because it's gel, so... one glop, then two glops, then three... Totally sexy. Glop.

Fire pit in the background!

Did you notice how nicely the original Rainbow Cake and this Lemon Blueberry Cake is sliced? I mean, compared to the crazy-Birthday-Party-oh-my-Lord-feed-the-hungry-masses-of-party-children-before-they-attack-Cakes. 

I'm only totally afraid of my children some of the time.

Anyway, after I had come up with the idea of the lemon blueberry rainbow cake, and before I actually made it, I pinterested (as that should totally be a verb by now) blue rainbow cake to see if anyone had done something similar. If you want to see something REALLY beautiful, go see what I found. Aim for that one, end up with this one...

be happy.

It was delicious! Tradition crisis averted.

And I Was Kung Fu "Pin"spiiiiring!

So I have 3 "Pin"spired projects(-ish) I just completed, wanna see?

1. Hanging Jars

So I pinned these, knowing full well that I would never make them exactly like Good Housekeeping did. Because I currently have no babies in my house, and therefor no baby food jars, and there was no way I would buy baby food just for this project. And I would have to attach wire and I really, really dislike working with wire. 

And then I saw the cutest little hanging jars in the Target Dollar Bins. $2.50 for 3! They're sweet, right? All rocking the Fleur de lis, and colorful, and already equipped with hanging wire. I bought 6. I should have bought many, many more. But when I went back to Target they were sold out and I haven't seen them since. 6 will have to do! I filled them with super colorful springtime flowers from my garden that I grew myself (read: I went to Michael's, bought some cheap fake flowers and added them to some Dollar Tree fake flowers I already had). 

I strung them with ribbon and hung them from white hooks. I did not hang them from the bright green tack you can see on the right hand side down there. Because the jars were too heavy. What!?! Doesn't everyone leave their bright green tacks stuck into the wall randomly around their homes? Well, they should.

I hung them in my dining area. Because you KNOW I like to hang crap there. Like these Stained-Glass Hearts and these Snowflakes and Paper Hearts. I'm a sucker for crafty, inexpensive window treatments. They catch the light and they're so happy and Spring-y. I love them! And they don't die and I don't have to replace the water when it gets old and nasty and has little tiny bugs floating it it like I would have to do if they were real flowers. So there.

2. Makeup Vases

I pinned this cute little makeup brush holder. I used dollar vases from the Dollar Tree and dollar rocks from the Dollar Tree. And now I'm fancy as All Get Out - not like the Dollar Tree.

The vases in the back are a little taller than the front vases. I really like that they are not all the same. The back vase on the left holds face makeup. The back vase on the right holds eyeshadow. The front vase on the left holds mascara and eyeshadow brushes. The front vase on the right holds foundation and blush brushes. I don't feel like I have a lot of make-up supplies. Do you have more? Less? I don't even store my lipstick here because I own exactly 3 shades and I keep them all in my purse. So I guess I'm not all that fancy, but when I look at this, I feel very glamorous.

I put all the vases on a mosaic tray I made long, long ago. Along with some Ikea bamboo, my favorite body spray of all time - Cucumber Melon, and a gold bird from Hobby Lobby.

I'm slowly redoing my master bath in a spa-like theme - white, black, bamboo-light-brown, green, and gold. The rocks and clear vases are perfect. And the tray makes it all seem more deliberate. 

I love this!

3. Enchilada Casserole

I pinned this recipe because I love All Things Mexican Food. I changed only a couple of things. I used ground turkey instead of ground beef. I hate doing that, but I do it anyway because it's more healthful. And boring. But the casserole was still yum yum delicious! Oh, and I also used corn tortillas instead of flour because I disagree with flour tortillas in casseroles. That's right. I said it.

Oh, and it definitely isn't in the directions, but having a Storm Trooper spatula definitely adds to the happiness factor while serving the casserole. I know. He's awesome.

Serve away, Storm Trooper. Serve away.

And then I had to smother that thing with all my favorite Mexican Food toppings - cilantro, shredded lettuce, green onions, avocado, tomatoes, sour cream, and Tapatio! I like the extra freshness and texture it all adds. Plus, this way I don't have to serve a salad or vegetable on the side. As if I would ever do that anyway. 

And, just as a side note, you can't just say Tapatio in my house, you have to yell it. Like this: TAP A TIOOO! Do it. You'll like it. It's totally fun. 

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Don't forget the jalapeños!

Seriously delicious.

3 projects down, 5,000 to go. Take that! And that! And that! Yes, I do still have the karate skills from the class I took when I was 5 years old.

Way to go, Pinterest. I love you.

Morning Glory Muffins

Yeah. So ummmm... Morning Glory Muffins.

Have you heard of these things? Because I saw them on pinterest and when I googled them to investigate a little further it turns out that everyone AND their grandmothers have been making these muffins since the dawn of time. How have I never heard of them? I like muffins! I want to eat muffins! Why am I not in the MORNING GLORY FREAKIN' MUFFIN LOOP? WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND HERE? I guess I'm a gonna have to find my own way around from now on. I feel so ALOOONE! That's okay. I don't need anything! Except this! All I need is this ashtray. And this paddle game. And this remote control... That's all I need! Not one other thing! Not one...I need this!

And I need these these carrots. And this apple. And this crushed pineapple. And this coconut. And these walnuts.

Anyway. Morning Glory Muffins. I made them. I loved them. I changed the recipe a bit to make them a little more healthful. I STILL loved them. And there you go.

Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cups white sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

1 large apple, cored and chopped (peel it or not, who cares?)

1 cup (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

3 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

A note about the ingredients:

If you don't like something, leave it out. They'll still be really good! Unless you don't like flour. Or eggs. You kind of need those things. Or baking soda. Or...

You get the point. Most of the Morning Glory recipes I found had raisins. I don't like raisins. Mine don't have raisins because I like to boss my muffins around.

Maybe this is why no one ever told me about Morning Glory muffins. Because I'd start messing with stuff. 

Oh, and I ran out of vanilla last time I made these, so I subbed in rum extract instead. Delicious. 

Hand grating carrots takes FOREVER. So if you decide take the trouble to bring out your food processor with the grater attachment to speed up the grating, you might as well use it to grate the apples, too. No one will know!

Make It:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

Stir in coconut, apple, pineapple, carrots, and walnuts. 

In a small bowl whisk together eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.

Spoon batter into muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.

Makes 18 muffins.

Seriously. How cute are those cupcake liners? I KNOW! I got them at Michael's. For cheap. 

Ooh! Do you want to see the inside? See that huge walnut piece? Fantastic!

Might as well do it the right way. 

With butter.

OH TO THE YUM.

Enjoy!

Vegetable and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

I LOVE these sandwiches. They're super easy, really flavorful, and you can change them up however you wish.

Oh, Giada, you had me at goat cheese. The original recipe is here, but, as usual, I changed it to make my life easier. And I think my version is just as tasty! Go over to her recipe if you want to be all proper and exact with the ingredients. But, c'mon! It is just a sandwich. Put on what you like, however much you like, top it with bread, eat it, done. Delicious.

Vegetable and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 Ciabatta - or baguette - or whatever other kind of bread you like

1 cup goat cheese, at room temperature (I buy a little extra for Snacking Step One)

1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

Olive oil
2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
1 10 oz package sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced

Some herbs - fresh or dried - whatever kind you like

Salt and pepper

2 cups baby spinach

Make it:

Toast the ciabatta lightly in the oven. Slice it open lengthwise.
(Snacking: Scoop out some of the warm ciabatta bread from the top layer and help yourself to a goat cheese and ciabatta snack with a glass of wine while you assemble the sandwich. You work hard. You deserve it.)
Spread the goat cheese on the bottom layer of ciabatta. Add the sun-dried tomatoes.

Cook some veggies. Giada grills hers, but I don't have a grill pan, so I sauté mine with a little olive oil. During the last few minutes of cooking, add the garlic and herbs and salt and pepper. Layer the vegetables on top of the sun-dried tomatoes.

Top with baby spinach.

Top with the top half of the ciabatta. Cut into four or six or eight pieces. I make mine into four huge sandwiches. We always have some left over, but they taste great cold the next day.

I just had these last night, but looking at these pictures makes me want them all over again! They are SOOOO YUMMY! Too bad the hubs already ate all our leftovers. For breakfast.

Enjoy!

Oatcakes

* * * * * * BREAKING NEWS * * * * * * *

I just found out that a Hobby Lobby is going to be opening LESS THAN 10 MILES from my house!!! In May. Which happens to be my birthday month. I have to believe this is no coincidence. Happy Birthday to me! YAAAAAY!!!

(When I lived in Iowa, I discovered Hobby Lobby, and really, it helped me start Smart-Bottom Kids. I spent hours wandering the aisles, brainstorming, planning, decorating - it became my happy place. It's like Michael's. Only One Thousand Times bigger and better (okay, maybe not One Thousand Times, but I'm just so excited, I can't help it!). And then I moved back to California. And I've had to have a private moment of silence and mourning every time I need a craft supply or home decoration or fabric or party supply or jewelry supply or train set or religious cross or .... I don't actually ever need a religious cross, as I'm not all that religious, but let me tell you! If you ever find yourself in need of a decorative cross, Hobby Lobby is the place to go! They have a hilariously exorbitant amount of crosses.)

I cannot tell you how seriously excited I am about this. Happy Happy Happy!

 * * * * * * * END BREAKING NEWS * * * * * * *

OATCAKES!

They're like oatmeal cookies, except not so sweet and much more healthful. And they are really good!

I use this recipe from One Golden Apple. I had never even heard of oatcakes before discovering them on her blog. When I googled them - oh man! - turns out there are bunches and bunches of ways to make them and lots of different countries have their own version. Now I feel like such a culinary smarty pants! Oh, internet, you have so much to teach me.

The only change I make from the original recipe that I don't use cookie cutters to shape mine. But only because I'm really lazy and flouring, rolling, cutting, and repeating is a series of steps that I have never loved. I hand roll and flatten mine old school style.

No matter how you shape 'em - they're yummy and easy! You can eat them plain, or serve them with sliced cheese and apples to fancy the situation up a bit. Rustic deliciousness!

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds (I like sliced)
3 tablespoons butter
1/8 to 1/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grind the oats and almonds in a food processor or immersion blender until it looks like coarse meal (or even a little chunkier - it's up to you). Add butter and blend to incorporate. You can also use your fingers to mash the butter in until it is incorporated. Blend in salt, baking soda, and brown sugar. Add water and pulse until you get a dough ball.

Roll into balls and flatten into 1/4" to 1/2" thickness. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden.

Enjoy!

Walnut and Dried Cherry Bars

So we're going to be eating a little more healthful over here. We definitely weren't bad before, but I'm upping the ante this year. As in, I bought my first box of quinoa. I have no idea what to do with it quite yet, but it's there, in the pantry, staring at me every single day. That ought to count for something.

Anyway. If you're looking for a super sweet cookie bar, feel free to walk away now. This is not that type of bar. 

This kind of bar is a cross between a chewy, nutty granola bar and a sweet and tart and dense breakfast bar. They definitely have a healthful vibe, but Oh My Yuminess, I love them! The original recipe is from Ellie Krieger, it's over here, but I changed it up a bit, and I also added mini chocolate chips, and extra nuts, and extra fruit preserves, sooooo... you know they're gonna be scrumptious! To compensate for adding all that extra not-perfectly-good-for-you-stuff, I omitted the oil she uses and added more applesauce, so I'm pretty sure it all evens out. Yep. Pretty sure.

I really like the recipe in general because you can totally make it your own - choose your dried fruit, your nut, your all-fruit spread - no matter what, it's going to be great!

Oh, I usually double the recipe below because they go fast in our house! My husband and I can't stop eating them. And they are really delicious with a hot cup of tea.

Walnut and Dried Cherry Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup oats (quick-cooking or regular)

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ (or you can skip it and add 1/4 cup more whole wheat flour)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup if you run out like I sometimes do)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 egg, beaten 

1 egg white (when I double the recipe, I just use 3 whole eggs total and it works out fine)

1 cup chopped dried tart cherries (or any other dried fruit)

1 cup chopped walnuts (or any other nut)

1 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Cooking Spray

1 cup "all-fruit" apricot preserves (or any other preserves)

Make It:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the vanilla, honey, applesauce, and eggs. Stir into the oatmeal mixture until well combined. Add the cherries and walnuts and chocolate chips.

Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. 

Put the preserves in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the bars come out of the oven, brush with the preserves. Cool completely and cut into squares or bars.

Happy and Healthy Eating!

3 Things

1. New Blog Header

Did you notice? Did ya? Did ya? I did it all by myself!!! I used this awesome tutorial (just liked I used to make this header) and it was really easy! I find myself checking my blog just to look at its beauty and happy colorfulness.


2. Rainbow Cake

Do you remember when I first made a Rainbow Cake and it totally rocked it out?

The holiday season is crazy for everyone, of course, but it's a little extra crazy for us because Peyton's birthday is December 17th (he turned 8) and Ella's birthday is January 9th (she turned 6). Oh, and our wedding anniversary is December 15th (we made it 10 years!), but that's beside the point.

The point being: Rainbow Cakes are awesome!

Usually we do cupcakes for our birthday parties because they're so easy, but ever since The Rainbow Cake came into our lives, things have changed for the better. Peyton wanted a rainbow cake for his party, Ella wanted a rainbow cake for her party, and we were Rainbow Caking it up all over the place this winter!

The best part ever is when you cut into the otherwise-normal-looking-cake and suddenly everyone realizes that there's something special going on in there. Oh man! Kids are amazed, parents are amazed, it's all kinds of awesome. And I loved watching my kids bask in the glory when their friends saw the uniqueness of the cakes. Peyton and Ella LIT UP when they got to tell everyone how they picked their own colors. I loved that!

But really, what I wanted to do here was to peer pressure you into making a Rainbow Cake of your own. And this is why: No matter how imperfect your Rainbow Cake is, people will still think you are a Rainbow Caking Rockstar.

Example 1 - My first Rainbow Cake - Didn't even have enough frosting to cover all the sides. See all that side-cake sticking out? Didn't matter - Rockstar! (When I said side-cake did you think of side-boob? Admit it - you totally did!)

Example 2 - Peyton's Rainbow Cake:

Not even a real Rainbow Cake. He wanted blue and green stripes. Look at how uneven the frosting layers are - fail! Doesn't matter - as soon as the party kids saw the inside...

Rockstar!

You'll notice these pictures are a little messier than my First Rainbow Cake. It's one thing to carefully slice a cake when you're at home. You can make your family wait on the sidelines for five minutes while you get a good photo. It's a completely different situation when bunches of loud and crazy party kids are sitting around a table at a bowling alley or Chuck E. Cheese's waiting impatiently for their fair share of sugar intake.

Example 3 - Ella's Rainbow Cake

She chose her colors, too, and she wanted them in a very specific order. Look at that huge layer of frosting in between the purple and blue layers - fail! I didn't actually cut this one, the host from our Chuck E. Cheese party did. As soon as she cut into it, she said, "Whoa! Is this rainbow striped!?! Cool!" And you know she cuts into all sorts of homemade cakes for a living, soooo...

Rockstar!

What I'm saying is this: I'm not a baker, I've made lots and lots of Rainbow Cake mistakes, but it doesn't matter!

So, go! Go forth and make a Rainbow Cake! If I can do it - ANYONE CAN DO IT!


3. Family Portrait

Yesterday, I gave Ella a canvas, some paint, and paintbrushes. She grabbed some paper craft hearts that I was working on and some glue. Then she disappeared for a while to create her masterpiece.

She's obviously very talented - I mean, C'MON with the mixed media fantasticalness! - but just in case you have a hard time recognizing us, from left to right we have: Peyton, Ella, Mommy, and Daddy.



Seriously, I love it so much!!! Drawing with actual paintbrushes rather than markers or crayons is difficult - I think it's pretty impressive for a just-turned-6-year-old!

I framed it and put it on our Valentine's Day mantel and I'm going to keep it forever and ever.

Happy Valentine's Day decorating!