Muffuletta's for the Mom I love so much!

I have two wonderful parents...that have been working VERY hard to build us a beautiful new deck. Since they were coming to work over Mother's Day weekend, I wanted to make some extra special meals for my mom.
My mom is one of my very best friends. We talk on the phone at least once a day...sometimes four or five times! She is an amazing mom and grandma. I had a wonderful childhood and learned so many of my passions from my mom. Cooking, gardening and mothering my own child are all special things my mom taught me. I seek advice, comfort, adventure and friendship in our relationship...and I am met with an abundance of love. So in honor of my mom...a Mother's Day Muffuletta!
Of course, this recipe began with the bread!! I searched the internet for the perfect Muffuletta recipe. I'll be honest, I was excited about a lot of them. BUT I don't care how traditional it is, I don't want carrots, celery or pickled vegetables on my sandwich. This is a combination of several recipes as well as some of my own influence. The bread recipe came from this site: http://cookingfortwo.about.com/od/soupssaladssandwiches/r/muffalettabread.htm It begins with yeast, water and sugar. Add in AP flour, Bread flour, olive oil and salt. This recipe involved a lot of rising!!! Form the dough into a ball and allow to rise for 90 minutes.

After the dough has doubled in size, you knead it for two minutes and form it into two balls.

Allow to sit for 15 minutes and then press into an 8 inch disk and transfer to a baking sheet. Prick the top with a fork all over.

Allow to rise for ANOTHER 90 minutes until doubled in size again.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

I made the olive salad and the bread the day before. I wanted the flavors of the olive salad to have time to combine. I used green olives, black olives, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini, red wine vinegar, olive oil and one clove of garlic. Chop finely and cover with plastic wrap.

The bread...oh the bread. It came out so beautiful!!

Slice the loaf in half making the bottom half much thicker...just slicing off the top.

Pull out as much of the center as possible, leaving the base of the bread intact.

Begin layering the meat and cheese. A traditional Muffuletta has Mortadella, Salami, Ham, Mozzarella and Provolone. I couldn't find Mortadella, so I swapped in some roasted chicken.

Keep alternating layers of meat and cheese, pressing each layer as you go. I used 3/4 lb of meat and 3/4 lb of cheese.

Fill the lid of the sandwich with the olive salad.

Place the halves together and wrap VERY tight with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Slice into wedges and enjoy!

Look at all those tasty layers! The olive salad made the sandwich. It was super delicious and we didn't have any leftovers :)

Happy Mother's Day to a wonderful mom. Thank you for everything you do for me!

~ Love, Kathleen

Who knew I loved Black Beans so much??

I've been looking for "healthy" meals I can eat during the week, that can be easily prepared for just me when Mark is working. I've eyeballed this recipe several times and decided to take a stab at it...and I'm glad I did!! Tonight's feature- Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers.

First- the ingredients:

Bread Crumbs
Black Beans
Onion
Garlic
Green Pepper
Carrots (I added this)
Hot sauce
Cumin
Chili Powder
Egg
And I added a dash of salt

Throw all the veggies in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.


Drain and rinse black beans and dry on a few paper towels.


I drained my veggie mixture to get rid of the extra moisture. Stir into the mashed black beans.


Add bread crumbs, spices and egg. I needed a little more bread crumbs than the recipe called for.

I used a lid with a little plastic wrap to shape these. They were pretty soft.


I doubled the recipe so I would have a stash in the freezer. It made 9 burger patties.


I also made a little chipotle mayo to but on top. 1/2 cup light mayo, 3 chipotles, 1 spoonful of adobo sauce and 1 clove of garlic, plus a pinch of salt.


After completing my project, the quickest option was to cook one up on the stove top. I used a little cooking spray and it browned nicely on both sides.


Served on a whole wheat bun with a little pepper jack cheese, lettuce and tomato. Spicy and delicious!!


I will make this recipe again, but they are pretty soft. I would like to try adding some flax meal or oatmeal in place of the bread crumbs...but the taste was great!

I've Fallen in Love with Fondant!

I wanted to do a fairly intricate cake for Robyn's birthday this year. I didn't see how I could possibly pipe all the decorations, so I got brave and decided to try Marshmallow Fondant. It was awesome! Not only was it easy...it produced beautiful results that taste good!

Can you say, simple? Melt one bag of mini marshmallows and slowly add in 1 bag of powdered sugar, using butter to knead it into a soft dough.


Once the dough forms, I rubbed it with butter and wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap. Throw it in the refrigerator overnight at least, or until you are ready to use it.


On a side note...I wanted to do a large cake for this, but didn't want to buy a fancy pan. Instead, I lined a regular 9x13 with cooking spray and parchment paper. I was able to easily lift out my cakes. I made one white and one chocolate.


I placed both cakes on a piece of foam board from the craft store ($1) and used butter cream frosting to seal them together. I did a crumb coat, refrigerated and then applied my final coat of frosting. Set aside...


I used butter and gel colors to tint my fondant. I kneaded until the color was even (couldn't get a photo because my hands were a mess!!!!). Then place each color on a surface coated in powdered sugar.


Roll out to desired thickness. I used a sharp knife and cut all my shapes free form...except the 9 million hearts :) I used a mini cookie cutter for those.


Check out these bright colors! They came out just the way I was hoping. And note to self...don't start with red. My hands were pink for 2 days!

I adhered the cut-outs to the cake while the butter cream was still soft.

The finished product!!

And since I made this for Robyn's party and not her actual birthday, I needed to make a second treat for after dinner tonight!! I read about this in another blog, and it was perfect. To achieve the same consistency of a Great American Cookie Company Cookie, mix one tube of refrigerated cookie dough with 1/4 cup of karo syrup. Super healthy...I know! I'm all for homemade, but this is really yummy!


This makes enough for a 9 inch cake pan. Spray well and leave a little room around the edges for the cookie to expand.


I let the cookie cool and used my leftover butter cream and fondant to decorate. It was even easier to do a second time after I had learned to work with the fondant. I can't wait to use it again. What an amazing recipe :)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Robyn!

My Little Monkey, I love you!

Today was Robyn's 2nd birthday party. Her birthday is Cinco de Mayo, but we celebrated today with our closest family and friends. Wonderful company and beautiful weather, paired with yummy food!


The margarita bar...crucial for a Cinco de Mayo fiesta! We served Beer Margaritas, my favorite!


The decorations, themed after Robyn's favorite book, My Little Monkey. She knows all the words!


The presents! In addition to all this loot, she also got a new slide and picnic table for outside. And an awesome water activity table!


More decorations :)


The food!!! We served tacos, nachos, guacamole, salsa and chips...and the star, Simple Carnitas!

Robyn's boyfriend, helping her with her presents!


Custom made wrapping, by one of her Grandmas.


A monkey lunch box, from her other grandma- perfect for summer picnics...filled with bubbles and a monkey book!


The kids eating dinner on the new picnic table!


Blowing out her candle.


This was as good as a family photo got today :)


And my cake...I'm so proud of how it turned out. It will be getting it's own blog later this weekend. My first experience with Marshmallow Fondant. Awesome!

Happy Birthday, to My Little Monkey!

My Little Monkey, I love you.
For all that you are, and all that you do!
You're magical. And sweet.
Your smile makes life a treat.
You're playful, and such a delight.
You make me laugh, all day and night.
Whether you're glad, sad, silly or spunky...
You'll always be, my little monkey!

- book By Sandra Magsamen
http://www.sandramagsamen.com/whats_new.html