Tenderloin, Cranberry and Pear Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

I saw this recipe on Living Locurto. I just knew you'd all want to make it, so please do. And then bring me some!



Tenderloin, Cranberry and Pear Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients

•4 beef tenderloin steaks, cut 3/4 inch thick (approx. 4 oz. each)
•1/2 tsp. coarse grind black pepper
•1 package (5 oz.) mixed baby salad greens
•1 medium red or green pear, cored, cut into 16 wedges
•1/4 cup dried cranberries
•salt
•1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
•1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)
Honey Mustard Dressing

•1/2 cup prepared honey mustard
•2-3 Tbsp. water
•1-1/2 tsp. olive oil
•1 tsp. white wine vinegar
•1/4 tsp. coarse grind black pepper
•1/8 tsp. salt
Instructions

Season steaks with 1/2 tsp. pepper. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Place steaks in skillet; cook 7 to 9 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally.

Meanwhile, whisk Honey Mustard Dressing ingredients in small bowl until well blended. Set aside. Divide greens evenly among 4 plates. Top evenly with pear wedges and dried cranberries.

Carve steaks into thin slices; season with salt as desired. Divide steak slices evenly over salads. Top each salad evenly with dressing, pecans and goat cheese, if desired.

MaLM - Organize

Make a List Monday -- What to Organize
There are MANY things that I would like to organize, starting with my life, ha ha!

Let's see.

1. My life
2. my bedroom
3. my closet
4. my laundry room
5. my paperwork
6. my pantry
7. my garage
8. my storage room
9. my scrap/craft/exercise room

Okay, I could keep on going. . .

But let me just say that no matter how organized my pantry is, it will never look like this.

And it's a shame, too, because it is beautiful! But for one thing, I would never stencil all that on the walls. For another thing, my pantry shelves are all REALLY deep, so it won't ever look this good.

But if you want to see more of this beauty, check it out at House of Smith's.

Lunch time

During my many baby feeding times, I sit on my couch and play on my computer. I have found a few new interesting blogs. Like this one, Another Lunch.


It is all about packing cute, fun lunches for your kids in a quick, efficient and healthy way! And don't miss this cute post with these free printable notes!


I really wish I wasn't a lazy mom, then I'd make my kids healthy, cute lunches for school every day. Instead they eat school lunches, Friday pizza, chocolate milk and all! Maybe someday I'll change.

Gingerbread Houses for Mugs

Aren't these so adorable? They are from Not Martha. Someone make them and tell me how it goes, would you? Better yet, bring some to my house!

Pumpkin Muffins

It's time for the pumpkin recipes to start flowing. Here's my first one of the season. Very easy and tasty!

Pumpkin Muffins
Adapted from the American club, in Kohler, Wisconsin via Gourmet Magazine

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil*
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar**
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups.

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

From Smitten Kitchen

Candy Buffets

My little sister is getting married in August. She is thinking of having a candy buffet. They are all the rage right now, and why not? They are so pretty and fun!

Decor 8 recently featured an Event planner who specializes in high end dessert tables, Amy Atlas. I just had to share. Aren't they beautiful?




You can check out her blog and website for more stunning photos. (I especially like the Halloween spread!)

Spring Snow

Snow cones that is. I know spring is here when the snow cone machine comes out and the sign goes up.

P.S. This picture is obviously not from today; it's 2 weeks old. Today it really was all spring snowy, at least 4 inches!

Jewelry Box Cake

Who can find a a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

A few weeks ago I made this cake for a Relief Society birthday party cake decorating contest. It was a nightmare. It looked easy, but the lid kept falling apart, the sides kept tipping over, blah. I'm glad it's over.

Can you believe I won? I did, out of two entries! Ha ha. At least I won a fabulous prize! a gift certificate to Panda Express.



Then, as a double bonus, I gave it to my friend and her sweet new baby, Anne.

What's going on

Not much is happening around here. Well, that's not exactly true.

Andrew had a mean runny nose which migrated to a nice ear infection.

Matt built and raced a sweet Pine Wood Derby car last Saturday.

We swept fall and winter off our back patio, put out a new rug under our table, moved and restocked the sandbox (which Charity has already acquired a taste for, literally).

Matt and I tried a new restaurant, the Blue Lemon, in Highland--very good! We had fiery fish tacos, cussabi shrimp salad and sweet potato fries with blue lemon sauce. It was so different and delicious, beautifully presented and fun (not cheap). Highly recommend it. Then we tantalized our spring fever with a walk around Thanksgiving Point's small, free gardens (the big ones open on March 28!).

Yesterday I planted lettuce, mesclun, onions and sugar snap peas in my little peat pots. When they send up their little shoots, they will have a new home in my garden.

But today it is snowing. Bluhhhhhh!

Dump truck cake

Remind me to make this for Andrew's next birthday.


Instructions here.

MaLM - My Month of No Treats

Make a List Monday (on Tuesday)

What I got for my month of no sweets.

1. An appreciation for the sweetness of fruit
2. Realization that Cheerios are sweeter than I ever thought
3. Several new muffin recipes
4. Distraction or replacement help
5. Three less pounds
6. A conviction that date nights and Sunday afternoons are meant to include a little something sweet.

May I say that a box of See's Chocolates is about the best way I can think of to break a treat fast! Happy Valentine's Day Sweetie!

Our No-Shopping Experiment -- Part 4

Our No-Shopping Experiment -- Part 4

Otherwise known as I Have to Shop so Maybe I'll Not Eat Sweets for a Month Experiment

I realized that I really don't do much extra shopping. Sure I bought new towels to replace old ones that could still function, but they were 10 years old. Sure I occasionally buy scrapbook supplies that I could do without, but I don't have a whole store's worth of supplies. So while I try to be frugal (like with my craft/exercise/guest room redo) I'm just going to shop as normal.

So, I decided to not eat sweets for one month. I will end over Presidents Day holiday weekend. Matt did join me for this one with only a few reservations, unlike the shopping experiment which he kind of sabotaged.

He only wondered

1. if bread pudding was a dessert, how about without the streusel topping
2. if he could still have honey on his toast
3. if pancakes and waffles were okay
4. If maybe date nights we could have a treat

So we are on our way. Why don't you join us?

Sweet Cupcake Stand

This is most darling. I might have to splurge if they were ever available again.



From Whitney Smith Pottery

Beautiful glasses

I was looking at a cute blog (that I will be going back to again, I'm sure) and I found this great picture from Flickr of a Thanksgiving table setting. I love the glasses in the shot! I think I'd buy these if I knew where to get them (and they didn't cost a bajillion dollars:). What do you think? Do you ever use stemware?

My meal planning just not working

A couple weeks ago I posted a new meal planning schedule. Well, it's not working. I don't think I've done it once.

Here are the problems.
1. Too many of my regular recipes didn't fit into the categories.
2. Too much Mexican food.
3. Matt's night doesn't work on Tuesday.
4. I don't plan it well.

So here is the new plan.
Sunday - nothing
Monday - crock pot or soup (still works well)
Tuesday - Italian or Mexican
Wednesday - Chicken meal (or other meat)
Thursday - Matt's night
Friday - Date night
Saturday - leftovers, grill or something cheesy (always an easy out for our family, cheese sandwiches, tortillas, super nachos etc.).

As for the planning trouble, I'll just have to work on that. Hopefully this will go better. Have any of you been using a schedule? Has it been helping?

The best chocolate chip cookie

I really think warm chocolate chip cookies are the best dessert out there. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I'd rather have a fresh strawberry pie or a smooth and rich cheesecake, but I am always up for a chocolate chip cookie. The New York Times has a great article about this classic cookie. Read it here.

I, like my family before me, have always been a follower of the classic Toll House recipe. But I think I'll give this one a try, especially the tips on how to make them.


2 cups minus 2 tablespoons

(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)

Sea salt.


1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

MaLM - Meal planning

Make a list Monday -- My meal planning of joy and love and organization

This plan has been rattling around in my head for some time. I'm going to try it this week. The plan is to assign each day a food category so when Thursday comes around, I'll be able to pick a dinner without so much stress. I really am terrible at planning meals. I hope this helps.

Sunday-- I don't cook, we piece and pick to keep things low key
Monday-- crock pot meal or soup (so I can work, work, work all day and have dinner planned from the beginning)
Tuesday-- Matt's night (recently Matt and I have worked out Tuesdays so that he makes dinner and I get the whole night off to do what I will, in or out and about. Love it! This is by far the best meal category.
Wednesday-- Mexican
Thursday-- Italian (We do love pasta)
Friday-- kids meal (Matt and I try to eat out on a date each Friday)
Saturday-- free day, lets eat whatever (I may change this to the meat night, we'll see)

I am torn about this schedule. I toyed with the idea of a meat night or new recipe night. I'll try this for a while though. What categories would you use?

Howies Rootbeer Reigns as Champ

This summer our very discerning family did a blind root beer study. We compared 5 brands of root beer and ranked them.

The contestants were:

Barqs
Howeies, a locally made and distributed root beer.
IBC (from a bottle)
A&W
Shasta

We were going to include homemade, but we ran out of pep and time amidst all the fun.

And the big winner was. . .


Howies!

Howies had a great smooth vanilla flavor. A&W was a close second, followed by Shasta, IBC and Barqs in last place. No one really liked the Barqs; it was the most bitter. We were also surprised by the low placement of IBC which some favored before the test.

Of course any root beer is improved with a big scoop of ice cream in it, so have one for me today.

Marshmallow animals

Wouldn't these be cute party favors/table decorations? Instructions and more animals at Kitchen Retro.

Yeast measurements

I always forget this, but never again!

2 1/4 tsp of yeast = 1/4 of an ounce of yeast (one packet)

Or just get this fancy measuring spoon that is 2 1/4 tsp.


From Lost Button Studio