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Valentine's Day Round-Up!

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In case you're anything like my family, we usually celebrate Valentine's Day a few days later. Josh and I cook a nice family dinner for us and the kids, sometimes we'll have something special for breakfast too, and we always finish our day of celebrating with dessert. So I thought I would round-up some of my favorite recipes from our blog  and share them with you in case you were still on the hunt.

Let's start with...

Breakfast

Dinner

Desserts

So there you have it! A complete round-up of some tasty dishes that are sure to make your Valentine yours!

Cherry Cream Cheese Pie

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So about dreams. Are you guys the type that thinks every dream means something or are you the type that says your mind went to the far corners of your brain and pulled stuff out of it and made a dream about it? I don't really know which category I fall into. Maybe a little bit of both. Sometimes I love my dreams. I'll wake up and it's like WHHHYYYY DID I HAVE TO WAKE UP! And sometimes I'm relieved to wake up.
Between Josh and I, I'm usually the one that has to rescue him from nightmares. But occasionally, I have to be rescued as well. Last night was one of those nights. I won't tell you what the dream was about because it still makes me kind of freaked out, but it was not fun. I hate those kinds of dreams. I hate them even more when it involves one of my kids, like it did last night.

Thanks goodness for Josh because he managed to pull me out of it. He had to shake me a bit and I was like," Why are you shaking me." And he's all like," You were breathing really heavy and panicky." (Creepy right?) So we talked about the dream a little bit and it is so much of an Inception thing ya know. You remember the details so perfectly in the dream, then once you're pulled out, it's like your grasping for information. Anyways, I had to trick myself into falling back asleep after that. I had to play word games or word associations to get myself to stop thinking about the dream. Like, I was hungry because I had woken up in the middle of the night, so my stomach started grumbling (rumble, rumble) and I started thinking about different foods that sounded good to me and I was really really wishing that we hadn't eaten this entire pie because IT sounded really good to me.

You get everything you love about a cheesecake but in the form of a pie and it's easy. Oh, so easy! Sweet cherries, creamy cheesecake, and a buttery graham cracker crust! This is the stuff real dreams are made of and perfect for you and your sweetheart to share for Valentine's Day.

Cherry Cream Cheese Pie

Cherry Cream Cheese Pie

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes

A creamy cheesecake center, sweet cherries, and a buttery graham cracker crust, it's everything you love about cheesecake but in the form of a pie and the perfect dessert for you to make for your Valentine.

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, room temp
  • 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
  • ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (9-inch) pre-made pie crust or homemade
  • 1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling, chilled

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl using a electric mixer or stand mixer with the beater attachment, cream the cream cheese until light and fluffy about 5 minutes.
  2. Slowly add the milk on a low speed until well combined.
  3. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla and pour into the crust.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight until the pie is set up and well-chilled.
  5. Top the pie with the cherry filling before serving.

Notes

Adapted from Paula Deen

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 148Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 118mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information isn't always accurate.

© Catz in the Kitchen
Category: Pies

Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Chunk Muffins

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raspberry chocolate muffins
These muffins. Do you know how long I've been meaning to make them? I came up with the idea back in January because raspberries and chocolate are kind of a dreamy match and I thought they would be perfect for Valentine's Day, but I just could not get my act together long enough to create the recipe. I knew what I wanted it to look like and taste like, but I seriously lacked the motivation to ever see it through. So the idea, just sat there...scribbled in my recipe idea notebook, laughing at me. It took a snowstorm, my last stick of butter, and Josh's upcoming overnight trip to get me in the kitchen to make these.

raspberry chocolate muffin recipe

Let's talk about the snow for a minute. It started coming down Thursday and basically, the state of Oregon came to a halt. Or at least, that's what it felt like. Josh went to work as planned Thursday morning and went with some colleagues to a business meeting and by the time they got out of the meeting which was around 11:45am the snow was here and sticking and Portland drivers were freaking out. To make a long story short, it took Josh 5 ½ hours and the help of my parents for him to get home to me. Needless to say, Friday, he worked from home. And I spent the entire weekend baking since I don't own a shred of any kind of snow attire except for scarves, hats, and gloves. The only normal coat I own (that isn't a dressy/formal-ish coat), the zipper had magically stopped working and I only discovered this as the snow came in. Joy!

raspberry chocolate recipe

While my kids played outside for hours, Josh worked, and Christian napped, I baked. That was until Sunday morning came along and I wanted to bake yet another treat, I realized I had used my only stick of butter and I was out. I had long ago used up the butter reserve I kept in my freezer, my Smart Balance butter I used for every day food wasn't going to cut it, and I was snowed/iced in because we had freezing rain the night before. I begged Josh all morning to get me to the store so I could get my grocery shopping done or at least load up on more butter!

By 2pm, it had warmed up enough outside to get in the car and get my groceries! I loved being cooped up in the house all weekend. I loved baking in the kitchen while I watched the snow fall. I know the snow brought some inconvenience to our metro area, but it forced my little family to slow down and hang out and relax without the constant errand running we oftentimes do on the weekend. And I finally had the chance to make these muffins and they are fabulous. Completely soft and moist. With sweetness from the berries and bitter (in a good way) from the dark chocolate. They are heaven!

raspberry chocolate

 

Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Recipe by Chelsia Rief
These light, airy muffins provide little surprises of raspberry and chocolate (such a natural combination!) every few bites that simply melt in your mouth. Try them. You'll like them.

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 15 min

Total time: 30 min

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 2 cupsflour
  • 1 tbspbaking powder
  • ½ tspsalt
  • ⅔ cupssugar
  • 1 stick (8 tbsp)butter, room temperature
  • 1egg
  • 1 cupmilk
  • 1 cupdark chocolate chunks
  • 1 cupfrozen raspberries
  • 1 tspvanilla

Cooking Directions

  1. Preheat to oven to 400 degrees. Add muffin liners to a 12-muffin capacity pan.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined, then set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Pour half the dry mixture into the butter mixture, beating until just combined. Add half cup milk, beating until just combined. Repeat with remaining milk.
  5. Gently fold in raspberries and dark chocolate chunks, being careful not to streak the batter with red juice from the raspberries.
  6. Fill liners about ⅔ of the way full. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
  7. Cool on a wire rack completely.

Tuesday's Tidings for February 11, 2014

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1. My snow bunnies! They played outside in the snow for HOURS!!! Josh and I thought they would last 10 minutes, but nope! They were out there all afternoon. And then Grace and I took a nice, snowy walk around our neighborhood. It was beautiful and fun to spend a little bit of time with just my oldest. It doesn't happen often enough.


2. Downton Abbey Season 4- Episode 6: It was a heart-warming, heart-wrenching, gut turning episode. I adored the scene with Mary and Charles Blake getting water for the pigs and in the kitchen. It was great to see her let loose and she did it so well. Lady Edith...well...I'm so glad she had a change of heart. I really do want things to work out for her for once, but she seems to have a knack for being her own worst enemy sometimes. The storyline with Rose and and Jack Ross is very fascinating. I love that she could careless about the color of his skin or the simple fact that he is only a jazz singer and she is very privileged. She's a bit like Sybil isn't she...but maybe a little more spunky and reckless. I adored the scene near the end where The Dowager Countess and Isobel Crawley were playing cards. I think their personalities together are so funny to watch and how adorable that they were having so much fun playing cards. They could be really good friends to each other if they could allow themselves to stop being so critical of each other. Lest not forget about the whole Daisy/Ivy'Alfred love triangle! Wow...those three! And last but not least, poor Anna again. This girl cannot get a break and with the way things are going, the whole house is going to know what happened soon enough. I knew that slime ball was going to come back for another episode sooner than later. And now Bates KNOWS!!! Watch out world...Bates is gonna show some anger. My favorite quote of the evening was spoken between Robert and Mary. Robert-" Don't be vulgar. What do you know of such matters?" Mary-"I've been married. I know everything."

3. Josh left this morning in San Francisco. He'll be back in Portland tomorrow, but I won't see him until the evening. :( Business trips are never fun. Unless I get to go along too.

4. Favorite event of the Olympics? Mine, I'm a sucker for ice skating. Always have been and always will be.

5. I've begun drinking my tea without sugar. Not as hard as I thought the transition would be. But I can't do it with my coffee. But I've been cutting back to a teaspoon of sugar the last few days and it's acceptable. I'm just trying to train my tastebuds.

6. Christian's first experience with snow. He liked catching the snowflakes on his tongue and thought the snow was shockingly cold (duh). New things he's begun doing, he is incredibly fast crawling up the stairs...OMG-thank goodness for baby gates. AND he has started feeding himself with his fork at dinner! He then proceeds to drop the fork on the floor, but he's getting there.

7. Anyone else think it's kind of funny that JC Penney is back to store coupons and sales again. Yeah, I didn't think their little stunt was going to last either.

8. I got Josh to eat a Garden Burger last night. And I think he kind of liked it! Go me! I happen to love them.

9. I need this shirt in my life.

10. One last thing about the snow. I love it and now that it's melting, I'm incredibly sad about it. It was so pretty and so much fun to play in and the birds loved it, our rabbit loved it, Noel was very curious about it and now that it's all melting, everything is returning to normal. :( Thank goodness, my normal is something I love or I would really be in a tizzy. Yes, I said tizzy. #nojudgement

Weekly Menu 2/10-2/16

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Thursday, we got snow. A lot of snow! Basically our whole state shut down because of it. Josh worked from home, I baked goodies, and we let the kids play in the snow of hours. It was wonderful. Sadly, the snow is on its way out. I'm sure a lot of people are #overit but I'm not! I love it. I love that it halts everything. I love looking out the windows and seeing how beautiful everything looks with the white powder blanketing everything. Plus, being stuck indoors with my family, not a bad thing. Bring on more snow #snowpocolypse2014

Josh is headed out of town for the night on Tuesday which completely bums me out. We hate being away from each other but, such is life. He'll be back on Wednesday, though I won't see him till the evening. As far as our Valentine's Day plans go, I have no idea what we're doing. I'm not even sure Josh knows, but I planned for cooking at our house for seven days anyways.

Monday
(Meatless)
Garden Burgers and Fries
Tuesday
(Taco)
Turkey Tacos with Mexican Roasted Potatoes
Wednesday
(Crockpot)
Chicken and Broccoli with a Side Salad
Thursday
Friday
Pizza Night with Salads
Saturday
Chicken Parmesan with Pasta and Roasted Asparagus
Sunday
Fried Egg Sandwiches and Smoothies

Citrus Salad

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citrus salad
I'm not sure if anyone but me would ever notice this, but if you have been paying attention to the pictures in my post this week, you will see that they all have one thing in common. Do you know what it is? If you guessed that the same white plate is in all THREE pictures, then you would be correct! Yes, it is the same plate. What does that tell you? That I either washed this plate a lot for all of those pictures OR these are the only white dessert/salad plates I own. The last assumption would be correct.

I've been on the hunt for a set of white plates forrreeevvver! I don't want to just buy a set from the store when I could pay half the price at Goodwill or other thrift shops. The problem is it is hard to find a set that doesn't have black marks on it, isn't chipped, has nice detail, and doesn't have one of those tiny little circles in the middle of the plate that looks like it will only hold a teacup instead of a slice of cake. But, a few weeks ago, I finally found a set of four at Goodwill and they were only $3.99 and HALF OFF! Christian and I celebrated with a high five because he just learned how to do it not that long ago, lol!

citrus salad recipe
This salad is one we made (and ate) at my monthly cooking class. Speaking of my monthly cooking class, I was supposed to be at it tonight, but Portland has gotten slammed with a bizarre amount of snow and people have forgotten how to drive and well, it just wasn't safe, so Lisa cancelled the class. I almost cried I was so sad, but then I started worrying about Josh who had been trying to get home since about noon and was stuck in traffic and to make a long story short, after FIVE hours of fighting traffics, Max Trains, and Buses, he finally got home, but only with the help of my parents who drove out to get him from the country where they live to town where I live. A very long day indeed!
But this salad! So simple. So beautiful. So delicious! Seriously! I think you should serve this alongside whatever dish your making for Valentine's Day because of how lovely and good it really is. You can prep the ingredients ahead of time (except the avocado) and then toss it together right before you're ready to eat and Presto! You've got a salad that you would pay $6 for easily in a restaurant for half the price! This is my new favorite salad to eat!
citrus salad

Citrus Salad

Citrus Salad

Yield: 6-8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

This bright, cheerful salad is the result of a uncommon combination of relatively common ingredients - you will love every bite.

Ingredients

  • 1 can baby mandarin oranges, drained
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced
  • 1 bunch green onions
  • 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
  • 1 large head red leaf lettuce

Instructions

  1. Prepare ingredients and toss in a large bowl.
  2. Dress with your favorite salad dressing (we used ranch).

Notes

Recipe by Lisa Pearson

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 80Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 16mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information isn't always accurate.

© Catz in the Kitchen
Category: Salad

Julia Child's Chocolate Almond Cake

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In my opinion, Valentine's Day is incomplete without chocolate cake. A few years ago I made a Red Wine Chocolate Cake that had such a beautifully deep and rich flavor that I thought it would be only fitting to celebrate this Valentine's Day with another chocolate cake. But not just any chocolate cake, Julia Child's Chocolate Almond Cake.

This is my second month featuring a Julia Child recipe from her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and I'm on the hunt for next month's recipe as we speak. But, we're talking about this recipe right now. This cake was briefly shown in the movie Julie and Julia. It's a rather quick scene in the movie where Julie is shown making several dishes, while the song," I love you a bushel and a Peck" is playing in the background. The scene in which this cake is featured shows Julia and her husband digging into it with their hands! I always thought how good that cake looked and I always wanted to make it.

I'm so glad I did make it because it is fabulous! My daughters went a little nutty (no pun intended) for this cake, taking bites and slices whenever they could! The cake disappeared pretty dang fast in our house, which is always a good thing because when desserts linger, it makes the temptation to sneak bites here and there that much harder! This cake is going to WOW your Valentine so much that they'll have to give you a foot rub since you slaved away in the kitchen making it!

Julia Child's Chocolate Almond Cake

This classic French chocolate almond cake is bold, smooth, and decidedly different. If you find traditional cakes, shall we say, a bit on a the mellow side, the flavor in this one will be just your speed.

Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 hr, plus cooling time
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients

  • 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2 tbsp rum extract or coffee
  • 1 stick (½ cup or ¼ lb) butter, softened
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 3 egg whites
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • ⅓ cup almond flour
  • ¼ tsp almond extract
  • ½ cup cake flour, sifted

Cooking Directions

  1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Butter and flour an 8" cake pan.
  3. Using a double boiler, set the chocolate and rum (or coffee) in the bowl over simmering water and stir while allowing the chocolate to melt. Set aside to cool.
  4. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes or until it forms a pale, yellow, fluffy mixture.
  5. Beat in the egg yolks until blended.
  6. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until soft peaks form.
  7. Sprinkle in sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
  8. Using a rubber spatula, blend the melted chocolate into the butter/sugar mixture, then stir in the almond extract and almond flour.
  9. Stir in ¼ of the beaten egg whites to lighten the batter.
  10. Carefully fold in ⅓ of the remaining whites, and when partially blended, sift in ⅓ of the cake flour and continue folding.
  11. Alternate rapidly with more egg whites and more flour until all egg whites and flour have been incorporated.
  12. Pour the batter into the cake pan, spreading it evenly around the pan with the spatula.
  13. Bake for about 25 minutes. Do not over bake.
  14. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
  15. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and carefully turn the pan upside down to release cake onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 1-2 hours. Frosting recipe follows.

Chocolate Butter Icing


Ingredients

  • 2 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate
  • 2 tbsp rum extract or coffee
  • 5-6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • ½ cup slivered almonds

Cooking Directions

  1. In a double boiler, with simmering water, place the chocolate and rum (or coffee) in a bowl and allow to melt, stirring often.
  2. Once melted, remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth. Beat in butter one tablespoon at a time.
  3. Allow mixture to cool an additional 15 minutes, or until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
  4. Spread the icing over your cake with a spatula or knife.
  5. Sprinkle almonds over the top of the cake.

Whole Wheat Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce

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Whole Wheat Pancakes with Strawberry SauceEditor's note: This recipe was originally published on Catz back in 2010. We've brought it back from the archives for several reasons. First, it's a wonderful recipe that you should all try! Second, we've recently re-shot it, with better results. Third, the recipe needed a bit of tweaking, and we've finally gotten around to doing that. Lastly, it's almost Valentine's Day, and this wonderful brunch certainly looks the part! Try it! You won't regret it!

I love breakfast...but I like yummy big breakfasts...not cereal or yogurt. Those plain meals just don't hold much excitement for me. But let me be very clear here...I am never the one to make the "Big Breakfasts." My husband takes much joy in preparing those meals. He loves to get in there and experiment.  I however...don't do a lot of experimenting...I make the things I know how to make. [Read more...]

Tuesday's Tidings for February 4, 2014

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1. This past Sunday we went to our annual brunch with my family. We take a picture in the same spot every year. The only thing that ever really changes with these pictures is the kids grow and more babies enter into the family, lol! Left to Right- Josh, Me, Christian, Dustin (my brother) and his wife Kayla, Destiny and Serenity. My Dad and Mom with Eden and Grace. Grandma Betty, Krista, my brother Byron and their daughter Lacey! Pretty good-looking family!


2. Downton Abbey Season 4-Episode 5: Good for Daisy to overcome the sheer shock and misery of Alfred's exit. It takes a strong woman to still say," Good luck" after he hands you your heart on a platter. I love the Jazz scene, but Rose is headed for hot water with Mr. Ross, so she better be careful. I love how Lady Grantham (Cora) helped Anna and Bates out at the hotel for dinner. I sure hope she and Mary get to the bottom of what happened with Anna. And Edith! Gasp! (Not). Lady Rosamund gave her little lecture a bit to soon I think. I feel bad for Edith, she always gets the short end of the stick, but this time it was of her own making. Favorite scene of the night was the one in the nursery. It was so so touching to see all of them reminisce about their lost loves. Am I the only one who wouldn't mind seeing Tom and Mary try and make a go of it in the future. They seem awfully fond of each other and he respects her and also understands her.

3. I'm so sad about the news of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. It's a tragic loss to the acting community as he was so talented and what a sad loss for his 3 young kids. Addiction is such a terrible thing. It ruins lives.

4. I had two {New} recipes flop on me this week. And then last night, I made cookies and they baked flat and I have no idea how that happened! It has never happened to me before! I hope this cooking streak doesn't continue.

5. This weekend we watched with the kids, Akeela the Bee and The Rescuers Down Under. The kids hadn't seen either one and they were both excellent family movies! I think Grace is scared we're going to enter her into a Spelling Bee now.

6. Christian was pretty excited about the Broncos one and only touchdown!

7. For Valentine's Day, do you usually go out for dinner or cook at home? I usually cook a nice dinner for all of us at home.

8. I'm still getting over a cold. It's a very mild cold, but it's not one I want to have while I work out at the gym. So I'm stuck working out from home until my lungs can bear the equipment.

9. It's snowing right now and I'm so excited! My kids are just hoping it snows enough to cover the ground.

10. Christian is cruising all over the place and moving all of my decorative around. Blah!

Weekly Menu 2/3-2/9

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Hi there! The weekly menu is a day behind in it's posting. Last Sunday was Crrrrazy! We had brunch in Washington with my family and then came home for the briefest of periods and ran over to my Father-in-Love's to celebrate his birthday and watch the game. When we got home, I just didn't have any energy for the computer. Then Monday turned out to be a Crrazy day too, and here we are.

Who's thrilled about the Super Bowl? It was a good game. I think it was awfully sweet of the Seahawks to allow the Broncos to get their one and only touchdown. True sportsmanship right there I tell ya!

Monday
(Meatless)
Fish Scampi, Garlic Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli
Tuesday
(Taco)
Wednesday
(Crockpot)
Rosemary Orange Chicken, with Baked Sweet Potatoes, and Peas
Thursday
I have my cooking class
Friday
(Pizza Night)
Pepperoni and Olive Pizza with a salad
Saturday
Pork Chops, Cheddar Potato Bake, and Green Beans
Sunday
Fried Egg Sandwiches and Smoothies