Author Archives: Stef

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About Stef

Family: Husband (Tom) and little man Lincoln James. Dwelling: A 1967 Ranch home that changes every day. Homemaker tip: Don’t be afraid to fail. A bad meal can always be fixed with a frozen pizza, a dead plant can be replaced and paint can cure a room. I consider my style: Contemporary with a vintage flair. I love a sleek piece of furniture with the contrast of an old vase or a stack of old used books. I cannot live without eating: Italian Beef sandwiches. I am Chicago-bred and love a good beef with sweet peppers. Pizza is a close second. Three foods you will always find in my pantry: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Crushed Tomatoes and Chicken Broth. My cooking mantra: Even foods that were destined to be bad for you can be recreated in a healthy way.
by | March 11, 2011 · 8:07 am

Guinness Float

This beer and ice cream marriage has been years in the making. It all started back in college when my good friend Greg and I tried to make a beer float. Much to our chagrin, Miller High Life Lite and vanilla ice cream DO NOT go well together, no matter how many Miller High Lifes you imbibe before taste testing.

Fast forward some years.

Greg and I were playing Rock Band on the Wii and drinking Guinness when it came to us: Guinness and ice cream! Better yet, Guinness and vanilla frozen custard! We high tailed it over to Murf’s, ordered up some custard and mixed our newest concoction. We were onto something.

This year, I perfected the Guinness Float. The creaminess of the custard, the thick, bold taste of the Guinness and the smoothness of Bailey’s Irish Cream make for one delicious Irish treat.

Guinness Float

2 small scoops vanilla frozen custard or vanilla ice cream
1 bottle or can Guinness
1 shot of Bailey’s Irish Creme
Dash of nutmeg

Scoop frozen custard or ice cream into a pint glass. Pour one shot of Bailey’s over the ice cream. Slowly pour Guinness in the glass until full. Top with a dash of nutmeg.

So let us raise our glasses: “May the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends beneath it never fall out.”

Slainte!

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by | March 4, 2011 · 9:06 am

“M is for Mallory” Block Party

By a strange twist of fate, my sister and I were lucky enough to both have babies last year. A mere nine days separate our darlings, so February was a fabulous fete-filled month for our family. My niece Mallory gathered her closest friends and family members for an “M is for Mallory” Block Party. This cute play on words was sprinkled throughout the party, complete with gingham table clothes, ants, ladybugs and of course, blocks. It was quite a refreshing party when you are suffering from the winter doldrums like myself.

I helped my sister by designing this invitation as well as a few other party printables.

Rice Krispie treats were shaved down and iced to look like blocks.

Mallory enjoyed her own “M is for Mallory” smash cake.

Paper ladybugs were placed throughout the room as well as these ladybug initials placed on the treat table.

Each family was given an M&M cookie mix in jars topped with alphabet block fabric.

Each of the kids received a bag of party mix along with a special note from the birthday girl.

Pictures of little Mallory from week 1 to 52 were placed on a poster board near the gift table to see just how much she grew in a year.

Mallory donned a ladybug tutu from Crazy 8 and a personalized ladybug onesie created by Lois Jean’s Linens.

Wishing our little ladybug a very Happy 1st Birthday!

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by | February 25, 2011 · 7:57 am

Little Peanut Party: A First Birthday

I can’t believe our little peanut is already one year old. Time sure flies! To commemorate the anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, we threw our man a Little Peanut Party. As a child, I was obsessed with elephants (and still am). We often refer to Lincoln  as “Peanut,” so the theme just came together. This party was fun and very cost effective, as a large bag of peanuts costs, well…peanuts.

I came across this Debbie Mumm fabric at JoAnn’s and couldn’t resist. With the help of my sister who freehanded the letters on card stock, the cheap and easy Happy Birthday sign was strung on ribbon and pinned to the fabric and table. I designed the invitation (which is available on my Etsy shop, Morning Star Designs).

Guests were treated to an array of themed homemade goodies, from Peanut Butter Swirl Cupcakes, to Elephant Ears, to Peanut Brittle.

Lincoln tore into a piece of Mommy’s labor of love elephant cake. The cake was baked in a Wilton cake form using the Wilton recipes for butter cake with buttercream frosting.

Guests drank from elephant toe cups, silver cups with cut labels to resemble toenails.

Peanuts were strung from the chandelier in the dining room tagged with pictures of Lincoln throughout his first year. Vases of peanuts and stuffed elephants were placed on the table as centerpieces.

The kids received bubbles as party favors, while the adults each received a bag of roasted peanuts with a special note from Lincoln.

The birthday boy was very excited for his party! Thanks to everyone for making it such a special day!

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by | February 18, 2011 · 7:46 am

Heart Healthy Beef and Broccoli

February is National Heart Health Month and today we are joining up with Sodium Girl, a fellow Homies nominee, for a recipe rally in the name of healthy tickers. The USDA recently announced new dietary recommendations, cutting the daily average of sodium intake by over 50% to 1,500 mg daily.

Take a look at your labels. Sodium is everywhere, in copious amounts. So the challenge of the day is to recreate a typically sodium-packed meal into a low to no sodium meal. When I think sodium, I think Chinese take-out. Can you really recreate a Chinese meal, like saucy savory Beef and Broccoli, with no sodium and still have it taste like Chinese food?

Challenge accepted.

I’m not going to lie. I made this dish twice. The first dish was okay, but nothing to share. My husband and I both agreed it was missing what I didn’t add – soy sauce. Why not just add a dash of soy sauce?  Even lower sodium soy sauce is packed with a quarter of your daily sodium intake in just one tablespoon! So I embarked on a mission to evade the almighty soy sauce.

Heart Healthy Beef and Broccoli

1 lb. thin sirloin tip steak, cut into strips across the grain
2 C fresh broccoli florets
8 oz water chestnuts
1/2 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 TBSP grated fresh ginger
1 TBSP peanut oil
1/4 tsp Chinese Five Spice
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 TBSP white balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1 TBSP honey
1/2 TBSP corn starch

Heat peanut oil in a wok or deep skillet on high heat.

Whisk together balsamic vinegar, rice wine, honey, pepper, corn starch and Chinese Five Spice. Set aside.

Toss beef into the oil, searing on both sides, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, saute for 1-2 minutes. Add broccoli and water chestnuts, cooking until broccoli is softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add vinegar mixture and toss until well-coated, about one minute.

Serve over a brown rice.

The second time around, this dish was quite a success! Juicy, flavorful, I hardly missed the soy sauce. I hope you enjoy it too.

Here’s to healthy hearts!

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by | February 11, 2011 · 7:58 am

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice: A Baby Shower

My family and I recently hosted a baby shower for my cousin’s wife Christy and their little girl on the way this April. There is no better time of year than Valentine’s time to celebrate all things sugary! With bold colors and sweet treats all around, this Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice shower brought smiles to the hearts and tummies of all the guests, especially the mom-to-be!

Jars filled with bold colored candies and cupcake stands with homemade Red Velvet and Coconut cupcakes sat atop scrapbook paper table runners. Tags with words like baby, girl, pretty, sugar and spice were placed in the cupcakes.

Silverware was rolled in bright pink napkins and tied together with scrapbook paper napkin rings and name tag place cards for each guest.

These little signs, similar to the cupcake tags, hung from the chandelier above the table in the dining room.

Vases were filled with everything from Sweetarts to Gummy Worms to Rock Candy to Chocolate Balls.

Guests were treated to homemade caramels made by a family friend as a favor for attending the shower.

Raspberry Dream cocktails were served as guests entered. To make: take one cookie dough scoop full of raspberry sherbet and top with champagne. For a sweeter taste, use a variety like Asti for a sharper texture and taste, use and Extra Dry Brut.

Guests were asked to bring a one-year or younger photo of themselves. Photos were collected at the door and placed on a poster board. Throughout the party, guests were able to view the board and make their guesses on a worksheet. The winners received candles in the shape of lollipops.

All guests were given baggies at the end of the shower and were able to scoop up and bring home some of the candy from the vase centerpieces.

We had so much fun and we look forward to meeting this little darling in the near future. We are sure she will be as sweet as this shower!

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by | February 4, 2011 · 7:52 am

Rising to the Challenge: Bacon Artichoke Souffle

I recently teamed up with my friend Erin from Hot Dinner Happy Home to tackle the much-feared souffle. And today, we share our experience with you.

Erin: Wimp.  Yellow-belly.  Coward.  Fraidy-cat.

I consider myself all of the above. I refused to ride a roller coaster until I was 13, and even then it required incredibly strong peer pressure. I cried when my husband tried to coerce me down a slightly steep ski slope. And, unfortunately, this character trait has crept into my kitchen. There are things I deliberately avoid making because, well, I’m scared. I shudder when I read “yeast” in an ingredient list. And deep-frying? Oy. Dangerous.

Stef: A natural competitor lurks within. It started as a very small child. A crib couldn’t confine me, I’d crawl out of it. I read 116 books as a second grader to ensure I won the Bubble Gum Book Report Award. Anyone can walk on their feet, so I decided I would walk on my hands. While my inner daredevil may have been tamed a bit over the years, my competitive nature will never die.

I’ve been cooking for quite some time now and occasionally step out of my comfort zone. But recently, I got the urge for a challenge. So I enlisted a friend to embark on a culinary adventure.

Erin: Yes, and I was that lucky friend! Stef was willing to drag me out of complacency to try something new. Armed with room-temperature egg whites and a powerful stand mixer, we were ready to tackle the (nearly) impossible. We, Stef and Erin, regular gals on a cooking crusade, would make a souffle.

Bacon Artichoke Souffle

unsalted butter for greasing
5 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese
4 1/2 TBSP unsalted butter
3 1/2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C whole milk
6 large egg yolks
10 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, squeezed of excess water and finely chopped
4 ounces cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 tsp salt

Cook bacon according to directions. Crumble and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the souffle dish by thoroughly greasing the bottom and sides with a stick of unsalted butter. Once coated, spoon in 3 TBSP grated Parmesan and coat the dish. Set aside.

In a large sauce pan, make a modified blonde roux by melting 4 1/2 TBSP unsalted butter and slowly whisking in flour, until fully dissolved. Continue to whisk as it bubbles, about 20 seconds. Do not allow it to brown. Slowly whisk in milk, continuing until the  mixture comes to a simmer and thickens. Remove pan from heat.

One at a time, whisk in egg yolks, creating a smooth mixture. Continually whisk to avoid making scrambled eggs in the still hot mixture. Next, stir in bacon, artichokes, dill, pepper, nutmeg and 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese. Whisk until combined. Set aside.

With an electric mixer on high-speed, making sure your bowl is fully clean and dry, add room temperature egg whites and salt. Beat mixture until whites are smooth and shiny and create stiff peaks. The mixture should increase about eightfold in volume.

Delicately fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the sauce pan with a rubber spatula. Next fold the sauce pan mixture back into the egg white mixture, turning over the egg whites with the sauce until combined.

Once combined, gently spoon (do not pour!) the mixture into your souffle dish. Place in oven, close the door, and immediately decrease the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for 35-45 minutes. Do not disturb the souffle by opening the oven door. When complete, the top of the souffle should be browned and crusted. Take out of the oven and serve immediately, as souffles deflate once they lose steam.

Stef: Success. That souffle had nothing on us. Airy, fluffy, crispy on top and bursting with bacon-y goodness. With a kitchen victory under our belts, we indulged in our culinary delight with a glass (or two) of crisp white wine. Even the baby gobbled a healthy serving of souffle. Who knew souffle was family friendly?

Erin: In addition to being delicious, it wasn’t even that hard.  Stef, thanks for showing me that it’s worth it to step outside your comfort zone!  Now, about that packet of yeast that’s been languishing in my cupboard…

What is your biggest cooking fear or challenge? We’d love for you to share!

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by | January 28, 2011 · 8:11 am

Cranberry Orange Sunrise Muffins

I happen to be quite famous for my muffin baking. Every Monday night in the later years of college, I would bake muffins and bring them over to my friend’s house for muffins and Mario Kart.  I’ve tried a lot of recipes over the years, but this one tends to be a favorite. These beautiful burst cranberries make a festive plate for the winter months or for a Valentine’s Day breakfast in bed.

Cranberry Orange Sunrise Muffins

1/2 C unsalted butter, softened
2 C all-purpouse flour
1 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/2 C milk or heavy cream
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 C fresh whole cranberries
zest of one orange
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray and coat a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick spray. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. Place cranberries in a small bowl. Take one tablespoon of flour mixture and coat cranberries. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, mix together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add vanilla.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until combined. Slowly add milk, until combined. Fold in cranberries and orange zest. Divide batter amongst muffin cups. (I use an ice cream scoop for even measurement). Sprinkle top with extra granulated sugar if desired.

Bake for 30 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown. Allow pan to cool. Remove muffins and place on wire cooling rack.

These treats are extra scrumptious when served warm and when served on a Monday night while playing Mario Kart…

*photos courtesy of Michael G. Coates, from the latest HAP photo shoot. More to come!

GIVEAWAY WINNER!

Thanks to everyone who entered our recent giveaway! We were blown away by all the mouth-watering cheesy recipes you mentioned. Congratulations to reader, James & Katie, for winning the Wisconsin artisan cheese basket giveaway! We hope you enjoy rooting for the Packers with your cheese platter.

We have more giveaways planned for the next few months so be sure to check back for another chance to win!
The winner was chosen at random using random.org.


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by | January 27, 2011 · 8:45 am

We’ve been nominated!

Thank you to our loyal readers for submitting Haute Apple Pie for the 2011 Homies awards from Apartment Therapy – we’ve been added to the ticket! We are one of ten nominees for Best Food Blog. Voting is open through February 3rd. Click here to vote!

And don’t forget to comment for your chance to win a fabulous cheese basket. Today is the last day to enter!

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by | January 21, 2011 · 8:07 am

Bears v. Packers: Nacho Typical Rivalry Fare

While most of the people in this state will shout a resounding chorus of “Go Pack Go” on Sunday, I will be singing “Bear Down.” I am a displaced Bears fan in a land of Cheeseheads. It truly is a hard life. But the glares at the grocery store when I carry my Bears reusable grocery bag, the trash talking from my friends and the jeers from neighbors when I walk to the mailbox in my Bears jersey are all well worth it, for I am not ashamed. The Bears hold a very special spot in my heart.

The Bears have not played the Packers in the NFC Championship since 1941. (Sidebar: Bears won) So this rivalry game of epic proportions deserves the fare to back it up. For Sunday’s game, I am dishing up some rivalry nachos and football treats. All these dishes are a cinch to put together so you can focus your energy on the game.

Monsters of the Midway Nachos


Ingredients:

blue corn tortilla chips
sharp cheddar cheese
chorizo, de-cased and chopped
orange pepper, diced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small non-stick saute pan, cook chorizo on medium-high heat, approximately 8 minutes. Lay tortilla chips on a baking pan. Sprinkle with peppers, chorizo and cheese. Heat on top rack of oven for 5-6 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Green and Gold Nachos


Ingredients:

yellow corn tortilla chips
sharp cheddar cheese
bacon
green onions, diced
green pepper, diced
fresh or picked jalapeno, seeded and chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook bacon according to package directions. Cool and chop. Lay tortilla chips on a baking pan. Sprinkle with bacon. Next, sprinkle with cheese, green onion, green pepper and jalapeno. Bake on top rack of the oven for 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted.

If you are looking to get even more festive, these iced Twinkies are an easy dessert and look great on a table. Guests can enjoy a throwback to their childhood with this little treat. Using gel icing, simply draw football lines and the logos of your favorite teams. For an added touch, lay them on a plate topped with green colored coconut and draw white icing yard lines.

Some other fun ideas: have a food rivalry with the Wisconsin brat and the Chicago-style hot dog. I’ve also seen this football stadium cake pan that is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Here at HAP, we are two to one, Packers to Bears fans. We hope you enjoy the game this weekend and may the best team win! And by the best team, I mean DA BEARS!


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by | January 14, 2011 · 8:08 am

{Haute Pie} Chorizo Cheeseburger Pie

Move over cupcakes, move over macaroons, move over cake balls, we’ve got pie. Here at HAP we like to believe that pies will be all the rage in 2011. Pies don’t have to be sweet, they can be spicy, savory, rich, creamy or whatever your palette desires. Today I am bringing you the first installment of Haute Pie of the Month with my Cheeseburger Chorizo Pie. As a child, my mom used to make us Cheeseburger Pie, so a bite of this is automatic comfort for me. I spiced up the recipe a bit by adding a little bit of chorizo and spice. The recipe is simple, quick and a crowd pleaser.

Chorizo Cheeseburger Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. chorizo, casing removed, chopped
1/c C chopped yellow onion
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 package Pillsbury crescent dough
2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Brown ground beef and chorizo in large skillet. Remove grease and return meat to skillet.* Add onion and cook through until translucent. Mix in tomato paste, chili powder, garlic salt and pepper. Heat thoroughly, approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Open and unroll crescent dough. In a pie dish, lay crescent dough, pressing to create a pie crust. Pour meat mixture into pie crust. Top with cheddar cheese.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

*A quick tip for draining grease from your beef. When I buy the lean ground beef, I find there is not too much grease in the pan, so I used the butt of my bread to soak up the grease. This way you do not have to deal with draining the beef and returning it to the pan. Who likes the butt of the bread anyway?

We hope you like pie as much as we do! Have you indulged in any innovative pies?

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