Oktoberfest Dinner Date

October is here, and I knew I just had to do an Oktoberfest dinner date! My husband and I went to Germany a few years ago, and on our last night in the Bavarian Alps we had the most amazing dinner. Just thinking of it now can send us both into fits of drool. My Oktoberfest dinner date was an attempt to recreate that dinner (though on a slightly smaller and less sausage-intensive scale!). The wienerschnitzel nuggets and savory green beans were a huge hit with the kids!

Wienerschnitzel Nuggets

1 pork tenderloin (1-1.25 lbs)
4 cups fresh bread crumbs (not dried, and white bread works fantastically)
salt & pepper
3 eggs
olive oil for pan frying

Slice the pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Toss the bread crumbs with some salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Beat the eggs with a fork in a separate shallow bowl. Dip the pork tenderloin slices into the egg and coat with the bread crumbs.

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Fry breaded pork slices for 3-5 minutes per side, until a golden crust has formed and the nugget is cooked through.

Savory Green Beans

1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
3 slices bacon, chopped small
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp canola oil
salt & pepper

In a large pan, fry bacon and shallot together over medium heat, until bacon is starting to crisp and shallot is translucent and tender. Add 1/4 cup water and the green beans. Cook, stirring, until water is evaporated and beans are crisp-tender.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and vinegar. Add salt & pepper to taste. Pour over the green beans, tossing to mix.

Black Forest Cupcakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup dried cherries

1 pint heavy cream

fresh or frozen cherries, pitted, for decorating the tops

Prepare enough muffin tins for about 24 cupcakes (either grease or line with cupcake liners). Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer for one minute. Add sugar; beat well till combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each (scraping the bowl if necessary). Beat in the chocolate and the vanilla. Alternate adding the dry flour mixture and the water, beating after each addition. Stir in the dried cherries.

Fill each muffin cup 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool.

When the cupcakes are cool, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer until peaks form. Top each cupcake with a dollop of whipped cream and a cherry.

* * * * * *

Now of course, we all know what Oktoberfest means....

But, if you're pregnant like Celeste, or under 21 like the girls, or just generally not a drinker, I cannot recommend this Virgil's root beer highly enough! I found it at Trader Joe's, so it doesn't have all the icky artificial stuff. And it was GOOD.

The girls hated it, but Celeste and I don't allow them to have carbonated drinks as a rule, so they were appalled by the fizz. But Celeste and I thought it was tasty!

Crockpot Raspberry Applesauce and Apple Pickin' Pork Chops

I'm a HUGE fan of autumn which, incidentally, officially begins TODAY! That means its apple picking time again! We usually go 2-3 times each fall and that means lots of apple inspired recipes! My husband makes the world's best apple crisp. I'll have to get him to write a recipe for me so I can share it with you. It seems to be very free form though so I'm not sure he even knows any exact amounts.

Last night I opened my fridge and stared blankly at the sack of fresh picked apples...what to make? I had bought pork chops on sale yesterday and I love pork chops with applesauce so I decided to try my hand at some homemade applesauce! Upon further fridge digging I came across some raspberries that needed to be used up asap or they were on their way out so I took a chance and threw them in with the apples! Great risk...homemade raspberry applesauce is a WINNER, especially over pork chops!

Crockpot Raspberry Applesauce

(makes approx 5 cups of sauce)

Ingredients:

6 cups apples, washed, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (I used 2 large yellow delicious and 4 small macintosh)

2 cups raspberries, washed

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tsp. vanilla

2 Tsp. cinnamon

1/4 c. water

3 Tbsp. agave nectar (or sweetner of your choice)

Instructions:

1. Put all ingredients except agave into crockpot. (If you are using sugar or brown sugar put it in now. I use agave because it is unrefined and low glycemic however when COOKED it loses those properties so I added it at the end.)

2. Cook on LOW for 5 hours.

3. Using a potato masher, mash until applesauce is the consistancy you like.

4. Let cool. Stir in agave nectar. Serve!

Apple Pickin' Pork Chops

(forgot to take a pic...sorry!)

Ingredients:

Pork chops (thick cut)

Salt

Pepper

Raspberry Applesauce

Instructions:

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Pat porkchops dry using a paper towel.

3. Salt and pepper both sides of pork chops.

4. Put chops on broiler pan and put in broiler.

5. Cook for 8 minutes.

6. Check to see if top of chops have browned. If so, flip and cook an additional 8 minutes.

7. Test internal temperature using a meat thermometer. Temp should be 155 degrees F.

8. When temp. has been reached, remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes.

9. Top with raspberry applesauce (or serve in a small bowl on the side). Serve!

I hope to use my remaining applesauce to make some muffins tomorrow so check back soon for that recipe! Also, don't forget last year's Apple Pickin' Chicken! That should give you 4 recipes for using those fresh picked apples so get pickin'!

Kara's Birthday Dinner Date!!

My super duper blogmate and friend Kara celebrated a milestone birthday this week and to honor the occasion I planned a dinner date full of her favorites! I asked her what she wanted and she told me that she often had spaghetti and meatballs and/or hummus on birthdays past so I decided to give these a go with some Itty Bitty Bistro flair!

Sicilian Hummus Dip
(serves 8)

So what makes this dip Sicilian? Nada. I just thought it made it sound extra Italian. Did it work? I've never even been to Sicily. My friend Jen has though. Maybe she could tell us if there is anything Sicilian about this dip. ;o)

Ingredients:
1 can of garbonzo beans
1/2 c. lowfat cottage cheese
1/4 c. fresh parmesan cheese, shredded
1 bunch of fresh basil
3/4 c. cherry tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
pinch of salt

1. Add all ingredients to food processor. Process until smooth. Serve with crudite or toasted baguette rounds.

Kara's Birthday Spaghetti and Meatballs
(serves...many)

I did my best to channel my inner Italian Grandmother for the spaghetti and meatballs (even though I'm Scandinavian and not Italian whatsoever.) When in doubt I would ask myself "What would Giada do?"

Ingredients for the sauce:
1 med or large sweet yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 green peppers (i used small ones), seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 roma tomatoes, diced
2 cans of tomato sauce
2 cans of tomato paste
2 cans of tomato juice (soda sized cans)
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. italian seasoning
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 bunch of fresh basil, chopped
salt to taste

1. In a large saute pan, saute the olive oil, onions and green pepper over med-high heat until the onions begin to be translucent.
2. Add the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes.
3. Add the diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Transfer the mixture to a crockpot. Add the tomato sauce, paste, juice, brown sugar, baking soda and salt (just a few shakes to start).
5. Cook allllllllllll day. :o) I put mine in the crockpot at 10:30 am and served it at 5 pm.
6. Add the meatballs (recipe below) and fresh basil an hour before you plan to serve.
7. Check the taste of the sauce. Salt if necessary.

Meatball ingredients:
1 lb. 'meatball meat' (I found this in my Shaws. It was a blend of beef, pork and veal.) You could, of course, use just one of these or even ground turkey or chicken
1 c. italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper (couple dashes of each)
1/8 c. fresh parsley, chopped
olive oil
1/2 cup warm water

1. In a medium bowl combine all ingredients, except water.
2. Slowly add the water until the mixture is moist but still a consistancy to roll into meatballs.
3. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat.
4. Using your hands, roll 1-2" sized meatballs. Add them to the pan as you make them.
5. Cook for about 7 minutes or until cooked through.

Ok, this next one I'm pretty proud of...I also got to showcase the Valencia one last time...so here we go....

Kara's Cara Cara Chocolate Citrus Cupcakes
(makes 12 cupcakes)

Cupcake ingredients:
1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
zest and juice from 1 Cara Cara orange
1 c. lowfat vanilla yogurt
4 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 squares bitersweet baking chocolate, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Spray the insides of the liners with Pam for baking or the like.
3. Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and whisk or beat until well combined.
4. Fill each liner half full with batter.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Frosting ingredients:
1 box of powdered sugar (16 oz)
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp (or more) of milk
zest from 1 lemon
2 Tbsp lemon juice
zest from 1 valencia orange
2 Tbsp orange juice

1. Combine all ingredients exept milk and juice in a mixer. Mix until a thick paste forms.
2. Add the milk, zest and juice. Mix on high until fluffy adding splashes of more milk if necessary.
3. Spread on cupcakes and garnish with a little more zest if you'd like. Serve!

THIS FROSTING IS SERIOUSLY GOOD. No joke. (Toot toot goes my own horn.)

Happy Birthday Kara!

Easter Leftovers Dinner Date!

First, I want to thank Kara for all her work taking care of our blog for the past month. I recently had a close family member pass away and just haven't had the wherewithal to think creatively for blogging purposes. I am very appreciative to Kara for keeping our blog active in my absence but also for being a wonderful, supportive friend to me during this hard time. You're the best! I'm back now though and have had some good ideas rolling around in my brain that I can't wait to share with you.

So speaking of playing catch up...

I had planned this dinner date to go up on the blog the week of Easter (before all your Easter dinners had been cooked) but Kara and Co. had the bad stomach flu that has been going around so we postponed it for the following week (and I'm only getting around to posting it now).

The idea was to come up with a creative way to reinvent and use up Easter leftovers. I decided to give my leftovers a Japanese spin and the result was delicious and actually pretty well received by the toddlers!

The meal...

Ham and Pineapple Skewers
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
Pre-cooked ham (I actually used a non-nitrate ham steak) cut into bite sized chunks
1/2 large fresh pineapple cut into bite sized chunks
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. spicy brown mustard
1 tsp. sesame oil
wooden skewers, pre-soaked in water

1. Assemble alternating ham and pineapple chunks onto skewers
2. Line a broiler pan with heavy duty foil and turn the oven on broil
3. Combine the honey, mustard and oil in a small bowl
4. Put all the skewers onto the broiler pan and brush the sauce evenly over all the skewers.
5. Broil until the glaze on the ham starts to brown. Serve! Easy as can be!

Rice Balls
(serves 4)

These rice balls, also called onigiri are often found in those fun bento box meals. I hope to explore these little boxed meals soon on IBB as they are super cute and fun for kids!

Ingredients:
Sushi rice (must be sushi rice because the rice for these needs to be sticky)
2 stalks of asparagus
1 large carrot, peeled
2 tsp hoisin sauce
Gomasio
soy sauce for dipping

1. Cook sushi rice according to package directions. I made the 4 serving size.
2. While the rice is cooking, steam the carrot and asparagus for 5 minutes in a steamer or in a covered saucepan that has about an inch of water in it). Remove from steamer and let cool for 10 minutes. Dice both the asparagus and carrot into small pieces.
3. Mix the vegetables with the hoisin sauce. Set aside.
4. Line a small tea cup (or something similar) with a sheet of saran wrap. Scoop enough rice into the cup to almost fill it.
5. Using the end of a wooden spoon, make a hole in the center of the rice. Spoon in about a tablespoon of the veggies.
6. Bring up the sides of the saran wrap and, holding the ball of rice in the palm of your hand, twist the saran wrap closed.
7. Finish with the rest of the rice. Put all the rice balls onto a plate and refrigerate for at least one hour.
8. When ready to serve, remove rice balls from the saran wrap and sprinkle a little Gomasio on the tops of each ball. Serve with soy sauce for dipping.

Bunny Bars
(makes 8 servings)

So after Easter I had leftover sun drops from Neko's Easter basket, leftover marshmallows and coconut from a coconut lamb cake I made (see below!!) and leftover Annie's Organic Fruity Bunnies cereal that I used in some plastic eggs for her egg hunt. I decided to throw all these things together and boy was that a good idea!

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. butter
3 c. mini marshmallows
5 c. Annies Fruity Bunnies cereal
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup sundrops candy

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan.
2. Add the marshmallows and cook over low heat until melted.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
4. Press into a square pan. Cut and serve!

I meant to use those leftover plastic eggs to shape these into egg shapes but am trying to potty train Neko and she decided that she wanted to try a go on the potty right as I was stirring ingredients together. These things set up fast so I quickly pressed them into a pan and ran to the bathroom. Gah!

I hope you enjoy this little japmerican meal as much as we did! :o)

P.S. The lamb cake!

Spanish Dinner Date!

My husband brought me home a Spanish cookbook from one of his trips to the library for Itty Bitty inspiration. There were lots of delicious ideas to choose from. I used the book loosely to come up with toddler friendly versions of things.

Solomillo de Cerdo Adobado (Honey and Orange Pork) with Lombarda Rehogada (Sauteed Red Cabbage)

Solomillo de Cerdo Adobado

2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1-1/2 c. orange juice (I used fresh squeezed)
1 Tbsp. orange zest
2 Tbsp. honey
1 stalk of rosemary, stem removed
2-3 5oz. pork loin chops
salt
pepper

1. Combine the garlic, juice, zest, honey and rosemary to make a marinade.
2. Put pork in a shallow dish and cover with the marinade. Marinade in the fridge for 7 hours turning over once an hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Put the pork in a foil lined baking sheet and pour the marinade over the top.
5. Bake for 50 minutes, occasionally basting with the marinade.
6. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
7. While the pork is resting, reduce the marinade over med. heat on top of the stove.
8. Slice the pork and spoon marinade over the top. Serve!

Lombarda Rehogada

1/4 head red cabbage, chopped
1 green apple, peeled, cored and sliced into chunks
1 Tbsp. butter
salt

1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the cabbage and boil for 3 minutes. Drain.
2. In a medium saute pan melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apples and saute until they begin to brown.
3. Add the cabbage and saute for 3 minutes more. Serve!

(Note: The original version of this recipe also had garlic and toasted pine nuts. My husband and I had it this way for dinner and it was fabulous!)

Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding)

2 c. medium grain brown rice, cooked and cooled (I made mine in the morning, threw it in the fridge and took it out when I was ready to make the rice pudding)
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 - 1/4c. milk
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 agave nectar (or sugar)
1 tsp. lemon zest

1. In a medium saucepan combine all the ingredients. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes stirring frequently.
2. Pour into a bowl and cover with saran wrap.
3. Chill in refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
4. When ready to serve, divide into smaller serving bowls and sprinkle each serving with cinnamon. Serve!

I cannot stress how easy and delicious this was! Yuuuuuum!

Pork with Mandarin Oranges

This was simple and fast - and Abby loved it! I used Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame dressing, but if you are concerned about HFCS, try any other sesame seed dressing (Newman's Own sesame ginger dressing is yummy and HFCS-free).

Pork with Mandarin Oranges

Prep time: 5 minutes
Bake time: 35-45 minutes

1 pork tenderloin (1 - 1.5 lbs)
2-3 Tbsp sesame salad dressing
1/2 tsp Thai red curry paste
1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Preheat oven to 425F. Place pork tenderloin on a foil-covered rimmed baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together the salad dressing and curry paste. Brush all over the top and sides of the tenderloin. Bake for 30 minutes; scatter mandarin oranges around the pork and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, until pork is cooked through.

Green Eggs and Ham Dinner Date

My husband and I share an alma mater with Dr. Seuss, and we have kept Abby's library well-stocked with his works. Green Eggs and Ham is one of her current favorites, so what better theme for a dinner date?

Pesto-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Spinach Scramble

Pesto-Crusted Pork Tenderloin
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 45 minutes

3 oz fresh basil, rinsed, stems removed
1/4 cup walnuts
3 Tbsp ground Parmesan
1-2 cloves garlic
pork tenderloin (1 to 1.5 lbs)
olive oil spray

Preheat the oven to 425F. In a food processor, grind together the basil, walnuts, Parmesan, and garlic until a smooth paste forms. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly spray the pork with olive oil and set it on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, press the pesto mixture onto the top and sides of the pork, forming a crust. Spray the top of the pesto with a little more olive oil spray; roast the pork for about 45 minutes, until done.

Spinach Scramble
Prep time: 15 minutes

1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 eggs
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt & pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk together the spinach, eggs, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat; add egg mixture and cook, stirring to scramble.

Grasshopper Brownies

Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 30-35 minutes

1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 oz white chocolate (or white chips)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp mint extract
green food coloring (optional)
1 cup extra white chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8x8" pan with foil.

In a small bowl, combine the butter and white chocolate; microwave for about 1 minutes, until butter is melted. Whisk to melt the chocolate chips. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Add the vanilla and mint extract. Whisk in the melted chocolate and butter. Add green food dye*. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined; gently fold in the extra chocolate chips, if desired. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center is set.

* about the food dye - I used all-natural vegetable dyes, and though my mixture turned a vile dark green, when it came out of the oven - there was no green left! I don't know if this was because I was trying these all-natural dyes or if I really just didn't have enough. I'm going to make these again with artificial green dye because they were tasty, but I wanted them green, darnit!

* * * * *

The whole dinner went over really well with the girls! Neko had seconds, and Abby finished the leftover spinach scramble for breakfast this morning. My husband finished most of the pork for dinner last night - it was really yummy!

Cuban Dinner Date!

Total disclaimer: I know nothing about Cuban cuisine. As part of our project, I've been checking lots and lots of cookbooks out of the library, looking for inspiration. One Cuban-American cookbook had so many dishes that intrigued me and seemed like they could become toddler-friendly, so I just knew I had to do a Cuban night. Experimentation paid off - this was a yummy dinner!

Sweet Baked Pork and Beans
with Fried Plantains

Sweet Baked Pork and Beans
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes
1 Toddler Smile (2 Mommy smiles!)

1 Tbsp oil or butter
1 cup baby carrots, chopped
3 cups canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 c brown sugar
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp ground ginger
3 Tbsp cide vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 lb pork chops (or pork tenderloin)

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a small pan, heat the oil or butter over medium heat. Add the chopped carrots and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until carrots are crisp-tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a bowl, combine the beans, brown sugar, molasses, ginger, vinegar and dry mustard. Stir gently until well combined. Pour the beans into an 8x8" baking dish. Sprinkle the carrots over the top of the beans.

Cut the pork into bite-sized pieces and scatter on top of the carrots and beans. Bake for about 30 minutes, until pork is cooked through and the sauce is bubbly and thickened.

Fried Plantains
Total time: 15 minutes
2 Toddler Smiles!

2 large, ripe plantains
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
lemon juice
salt

Slice the plantains diagonally into rounds. Melt the butter and olive oil together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the plantains and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until crispy on both sides. Sprinkle lemon juice and salt over the plantains and serve.

Papaya-Raisin Bread

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 55-60 minutes
2 Toddler smiles!

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk (or soy milk)
1 cup chopped ripe papaya
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a loaf pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, and milk until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Gently stir in the papaya and raisins. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

* * *

Dinner went over pretty well! Abby would not try the sweet baked pork and beans, which hardly surprised me (beans are, after all, Abby's arch nemesis), but Neko and Celeste and I all really liked it. Both girls liked the fried plantains, though the plantains that I had were not quite ripe enough. Everyone enjoyed the papaya-raisin bread - I made up a coconut cream cheese frosting to make it more dessert-like, but although tasty, the frosting did not have the right consistency so I'm not listing it here. The bread would be an excellent snack and breakfast bread as well.