Blog Feed

Peanut Butter and Butter Toast

Peanut butter and butter toast is a meal I’ve eaten since I was young. I usually would have this as a Saturday breakfast before we’d be out of the house for sports or activities. Not only is it filling and healthy, but you can easily make it healthier. You can also have this as a snack during the day or as a late night snack before bed. It’s quick if you are on the run, and 2 pieces of toast are enough for even an adult.
I used crunchy peanut butter, but you can pick any texture or brand you want. I used standard salted butter, and used it as a pen to cover the toast, then cut off the last 1/4 Tbsp butter, so the stick isn’t covered in crumbs. You can easily use margarine or coconut oil instead. I also used white sandwich bread, but you could also use wheat, whole grain, or seeded rye.

  1. Toast bread. While hot, smear with butter, then add a thin layer of your favorite peanut butter. Eat as a snack or as a quick breakfast.
0

Stromboli with Salami

I’ve made a post once about stromboli, but last night we tried one with salami and a few other tweaks to the recipe. I didn’t grease the pan this time, and that made no difference. I rolled out the dough on the thinner side, and as long as it’s not too thin, it turns our just as well, if not better. I added more banana pepper juice to the stromboli, and that was a very good choice. It gives the stromboli extra moisture for when it’s cooking. I closed the edges by folding the bottom dough up over the top layer of dough, and that sealed very well. These are also 1/2 sheet pans, just for reference.

  1. Into a bowl, bloom 3 1/2 tsp of yeast (1 1/2 packets) with 1/2 cup of warm water.
  2. Add 3 Tbsp oil, 6 cups of flour, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Mix into a dough, then let rest covered until doubled in size.
  3. Punch down dough, remove from bowl, and split in half.
  4. Preheat oven to 400 F
  5. Roll out dough into rounds about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. They should have a diameter of over 12 inches.
  6. Place half of your dough on the sheet with half hanging off. On the half that is on the sheet, place 8 oz of salami, 8 oz of shredded mozzarella cheese, and 6 oz of Mild banana pepper rings with some of it’s juice (2-3 Tbsp) sprinkled over top. Fold dough in half and pinch the edges shut. Add vent holes on the top with a knife or a fork.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes. The top should have a nice crisp sound when tapped.
  8. Repeat step 6 and 7 for second round.
  9. Brush each stromboli with melted butter (or rub hot stromboli with a stick of butter till coated) and sprinkle with parmasean, and oregano.
  10. Wait 5 minutes before cutting into strips and serving.
0

Bathroom Transformation

Josh and I hadn’t been able to do too much with the bathroom since we moved in. We had big plans, and the bathroom is the smallest room in the house, so why not refinish it a bit? We decided we were going to paint, so we went out and picked paint colors and came home with 2 gallons of paint and a primer.

Before painting, we had to remove everything from the bathroom. We decided to paint behind the toilet, so that came apart. Then, we found mold. So, we mixed up several buckets of hot water and Ajax and we scrubbed all of the walls and the baseboards. Once that was done, we taped off the baseboards, the tile, and the ceiling.

We painted all of the walls, starting behind the toilet, so we could put on a second coat and assemble the toilet that night, since it’s our only bathroom. We picked the color “Courtly Purple” by Behr. The color went on pinker, but it dried to this beautiful light purple. I also primered the cabinet with 2 layers of 1-2-3 Zinsser primer. This primer is mold resistant, which is very important so close to our shower.

Finally, I painted the cabinet, inside and out, “Anonymous” by Behr. It’s a fully gray that seems dark, but it adds a boldness to the room, and ties together the tiling since where is some gray in them. Once I finished painting them with 2 layers, I attached the doors and replaced the handles. I also reorganized our bathroom. I was able to finally utilize the space under the sink well, and I was able to clean up the clutter that was accumulating on our wooden shelf.

We have a few more plans for our bathroom. We plan to install a wall mounted shower curtain rod, buy a new shower curtain, get a new mirror that can be mounted easily to the wall, adding wall outlets (since there are none), and installing a vent fan.

1

Potato and Mushroom Packet

My post yesterday explained some of my background with grilling, which was a love hate relationship. I’ve since researched and watched some videos about grilling, and I’ve learned the basics for cooking on a grill. These foil packets are one of the easiest ways to cook a side on your grill or over your fire. The packet makes it so your food steams/bakes safe from the flame until your ready to serve. As if you were baking this in a 400 F oven, this will also take 45-50 minutes to cook.

  1. Take an 18 inch long piece of aluminum foil. Rinse, scrub, and dice 4 medium potatoes (2 cups). Place on foil. Open and strain 1 can (4 oz) of sliced mushrooms, add to foil.
  2. Begin to fold up sides, add 2 Tbsp of oil, 1 Tbsp of salt, and 1/4 cup of Speedie Sauce. Carefully mix, seal, and add an additional 2-3 layers of foil to seal packet fully.
  3. Preheat grill to 400 F. Once in the 400 – 425 F range, place the packet over low/ indirect heat. Cook for 50 minutes before serving.
1

Grilled Steak

Grilling is a science that I have very little experience with. Grilling has always been one of those things that work good in concept, but bad in execution, at least for me. I used to grill with the top open and without a working thermometer, and since learning the way a grill works, it has been remarkably easier to grill. Temperatures are just as important as they are for ovens. They tell you if you are hot enough to cook your food. The lid also helps maintain the oven aspect of the grill, maintaining a temperature for reliable cooking time. The lid is also a quick and easy way to drop the temperature if it’s getting too hot. If you want to smoke on your grill, which I will be doing this summer, you’ll want the temperature to be low, the low 200 F range. One way to keep it that low is to prop the door open slightly. I wasn’t able to get my grill as hot as I wanted because of wind and outdoor temperature, so I had to cook them a bit longer. I also had to rotate them when I flipped them on the grill, since the back of my grill was hotter than the front. If you aren’t sure about if it is done, use a thermometer and take into account the temperature will continue to climb another 5-10 degrees after you remove it from the flame.

  1. Heat your grill and get it to stay around 430 – 450 F. Prepare your steaks, thaw, and place each on it’s own piece of foil.
  2. Once the grill is heated, place the steaks and foil onto the hottest part of the grill. Cook the steaks with the lid closed. Once it gets back up to temperature, cook for 6 minutes.
  3. Flip your steaks. Add 1/2 Tbsp of butter to each. Close the lid, let it get back up to temperature, cook for an additional 6 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
1

Website Powered by WordPress.com.

Up ↑

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started