It's Beverage Week!! Chai Tea!!!!

There is even a brisk chill in the air in Florida this morning so this week we are going to do yummy beverages that will surely warm you up!

First on the list today, Chai Tea!



1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
1 cup French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer
2 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla flavored creamer, sugar and instant tea. Stir in ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. In a blender or food processor, blend 1 cup at a time, until mixture is the consistency of fine powder.

To serve: Stir 2 heaping tablespoons Chai tea mixture into a mug of hot water.

This could be made into a gift as well. Make the mix and display in a pretty jar with a label. The holidays are upon us!! Less than 12 weeks until Christmas!

Happy Monday!

Salsa Verde

So Sunday evening I tried my hand at making Salsa Verde. I'm not one who likes tomatoes so anything I can make without them in it, I'm game! Low and behold it turned out really well and I thought I would share! I am starting to believe I have some Latino in my heritage somewhere down the line. :)

Salsa Verde



2 pounds tomatillos, husked
1/4 cup sliced jalapenos
2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 dash black pepper
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

Place tomatillos in a large pot. Pour in just enough water to cover the tomatillos; they will float, so press them down with your hand as you measure the water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the color of the tomatillos lightens to a yellow color, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the tomatillos from the pot of water. Place into the bowl of a food processor; add the cloves, garlic, jalapenos, cumin, pepper, and chicken bouillon. Puree until smooth.

The guys that were at the house were my guinea pigs, such a tough life they have. They ate it with tortilla chips. Then that night for dinner I grilled chicken breasts until cooked through, put the chicken breasts on a baking sheet, topped with the Mexican blend shredded cheese and some salsa verde and put it under the broiler until the cheese was melted. It was delicious!!!

Happy Tuesday!

500 calorie dinner deliciousness!

We are turning over a new leaf at the Bierbaum household... With that being said we had our inaugural 500 calorie dinner tonight, and if I must say, it was doggone good!!!

Here is what we had...

Chicken with Mushroom Sauce



2 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and tenders removed (see Tip)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
2 tablespoons dry vermouth, or dry white wine
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or scallion greens

Season chicken with pepper and salt on both sides.

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

We also had:

Fresh Cut Green Beans



2 cups fresh cut green beans, rinsed and trimmed
1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup diced white onion
1 Tbsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Steam the green beans for 10-15 minutes until tender. Melt butter in a skillet and add onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes and add the green beans. Add oregano, salt and pepper. Continue to saute for another 3-4 minutes and serve.

Skinny Mashed Potatoes

**Please be advised, these are no where near as good as my other mashed potatoes! Then again, that's why they are skinny!**



baby red potatoes (minis- about 9, large- 4-5)
1/4 cup non-fat buttermilk
1 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and mash with a fork. Add butter and buttermilk and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Happy Monday!

Sauted Shrimp Rice

Haven't been on in a couple of days, we've had a big weekend and I'm just now getting caught up. We went to Atlanta over the weekend and went to watch the Cardinals and Braves play. LOVED it being the Missouri girl that I am! Here's a snapshot from that!

Love me some Albert Pujols!

Today my recipe is for Sauted Shrimp Rice



1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature
2 cups parboiled long-grain rice, such as Uncle Ben's
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pounds small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 cup whipping cream
Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium nonstick saucepan, heat 1/2 of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes until aromatic. Add the shrimp, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Stir in the cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a fork, fluff the rice and arrange on a platter. Spoon the shrimp cream sauce over the rice and serve.

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Friday!! Herbed Green Beans

War Eagle! It wasn't a slaughter session, but we pulled it out.

Herbed Green Beans



1-1/2 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
3 Tbsp. sesame seeds
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. dried basil
3/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1/3 cup butter

Place beans in a steamer basket, over 1" of water. Bring to a boil, cover and steam for 7-9 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the onion, celery, sesame seeds, garlic and seasonings in butter until vegetables are tender. Add the beans and toss to coat.

Cupcake Wednesday!!

I am busy, busy, busy today making cookies for a shower. (I will post pictures later.) I have a crazy week to finish out. Cookies, painting to finish, packing to do, and last but not least, baseball to watch!! So since I'm making cookies today, I'm going to keep my brain in sweet mode. :) Today's recipe is for Bananas Foster Cupcakes!

Bananas Foster Cupcakes



For the Bananas Foster:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ripe, but still firm bananas quartered (halved crosswise, then lengthwise)
2 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon dark rum
Banana mixture already prepared
3/4 cup sour cream

For the frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon dark rum

Bananas Foster:
In a saute pan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook until butter melts and sugar is dissolved (4 to 5 minutes). Add the banana slices and cook until tender, turning once for 1 to 2 minutes per side.
Stir together rum and vanilla. Turn off the burner and add the rum mixture to the pan.
Using a long match, light the alcohol by placing the flame just in the outer edge of the pan. Stand as far back as possible. The flame should extingish in a few seconds.
Gently shake the pan from side to side to coat the bananas with the sauce. Spoon the bananas into a bowl and set aside.

Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, vanilla, rum and banana. Mix well.
Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream; blend thoroughly but do not overmix. Pour into prepared cupcake pans. Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool for 1- minutes in pan on rack. Remove and cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
Beat together cream cheese, butter, cinnamon and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add about half the powdered sugar and beat until mixed well. Then gradually add the remaining powdered sugar until you reach a spreading consistency.

Happy Wednesday!

French Onion Casserole

Back to the grindstone! I had a fabulous full holiday weekend! I had a fantastic photo lesson on Friday with a special cousin who was patient with me. This is the product of that, is she not cute!!?



Then yesterday, I had another photo shoot with Miss Riley. Is she not a baby doll??



So getting back in the swing of things, today's recipe is French Onion Casserole. Since fall is quickly upon us, this French Onion Soup inspired recipe is great for cool fall evenings!

French Onion Casserole



8 medium onions, sliced
5 Tbsp. butter, divided
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Dash pepper
3/4 cup beef broth
1/4 cup sherry or additional beef broth
1-1/2 cups salad croutons
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, saute onions in 3 Tbsp. butter until tender. Stir in flour and pepper until blended; gradually add broth and sherry. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until thickened. Transfer onto an ungreased 9" square baking pan.

In a microwave, melt the remaining butter. Add the croutons; toss to coat. Spoon over the onion mixture. Sprinkle with cheeses.

Broil 3-4" from heat for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Happy Tuesday!!!