October 27, 2015

Wine and Junk Run | October 24th, 2015

October 24th marked my friend Sara’s first Wine and Junk Run hosted by her shop SW Iowa Primitives, Antiques and Furniture.

What exactly is a Wine and Junk run you ask? Similar to a Poker Run where you pay an entry fee, receive a flyer of participating stops where you either draw a card or receive a stamp to mark your attendance and slowly make your way back to Stop 1 where there is typically food, drink and prizes. They are a great way to fund-raise money typically for a great cause and always a guaranteed good times with friends and new friends you make along the way. This particular run consisted of vehicles and stops at various Primitive and Antique shops/boutiques and a few wineries.

Jessica and I made our way down from Omaha at 10am to catch the 11am signup and were well on our way by 11:30am. Oh what a day we had.

Stop #1 – Wabash Wine Co. Shenandoah

This location has been open for 10 years and now includes a restaurant. We stayed for wine sampling of 5 different wines, all of which were either sweet red or whites. No dry for me! Jess bought a bottle of sweet red, we signed the guest book and made our way out to Stop #2!

Stop #2 Ray ‘s Shabby Cottage, Shenandoah, IA

A lot of neat furniture pieces and many other goodies can be found at Ray’s. Definitely check out their facebook page (linked above) or stop in if you are near Shenandoah!

Stop #2.5 Emerald Isle and a random school house.

Because we wanted a beer and a bite to eat. As for the school house stop, don’t ask. Does there need to be a reason other then we are just a bunch of kids at heart with random ideas for entertainment?

Plus, Hunter is Jessica’s niece. We thought it was fitting.

Legit study sesh…

Stop #3 Sugar Clay Winery & Vineyards, Thurman, IA

We definitely had the most fun at Sugar Clay Winery in Thurman, IA. Beautiful location, friendly and accommodating owners, fairy-tale like setting. The perfect package for an afternoon with girlfriends.

Because who doesn’t love a good tree huggin’?

We sat around an imaginary camp fire and enjoyed everyone’s company, despite the looks of pure un-enthusiasm from this crew. 😉 They were having a great time, I promise.

Ms. Sara, Jess and I.

Janice, Erin and Ardie (Three Generations)

We spent a solid amount of time here, proof in the off the wall photos.

And then it was time to move on to Stop #4.

…but not before we paused briefly for some senior photos.

Again, don’t ask. We do what we do and that’s reason enough for us.

Perhaps wine had something to do with it as well…

Stop #4 Mitzi Mo’s Boutique, Glenwood, IA

She has TONS of cute stuff in her store. From chalk paint, to jewelry, to baked goodies and a little of everything in between. Definitely worth your time to swing into this quaint little store off the town square in Glenwood, IA

Stop #5 Vine Street Cellars, Glenwood, IA

Vine Street Cellars in Glenwood is located right on the town square and is a very clean, fresh and sophisticated winery. We liked our visit, as did Janice, Erin and Ardie. 🙂

Stop #6 SW Iowa Primitives. Emerson, IA

The last stop took everyone back to Emerson for some delicious food cooked by Troy and Sara as well as prizes and fun for all involved. Jessica and I were unfortunately unable to make the stop due to a Halloween party and costume change I had on my agenda, however, the entire day was a success!

Rumor has it Sara is making next years run even bigger and better with more stops at shops and wineries. Make sure to join in on the fun next year!

Cheers!

October 1, 2015

Holy Desserts

For Pirtlefest 2015 I made 11 pans of desserts.

E…LEV…EN…

It took me from 9pm on Thursday night to 4pm Friday afternoon to get them done, but I got them done. And boy were they yummy!

I will share the links with you for three of the recipes:

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Caramel Mallow Brownies
- I altered my original recipe by melting the caramel bits with a little milk, poured it over the brownie base and then added the mallow and frosting. It was the BEST idea I have had yet!

I LOVE to bake, as long as it isn’t cookies. Those little bastards take forever. But, after almost 24 hours of baking, my Kitchen Aid Mixer was happy to see me go.

For now. 🙂

Cheers!

September 16, 2015

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

While they aren’t exactly appealing to the eye, they most definitely appeal to the belly. These cabbage rolls are stuffed full of heartiness that screams fall with ground beef, black beans, mushrooms and corn. Add this recipe to your cool weather lineup. It’s bound to be a hit.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1 medium head green cabbage
1 pound ground beef
1 can black beans (drained)
1 cup frozen corn
1 package fresh mushrooms
1/4 – 1/2 cup feta cheese (any flavor that floats your boat)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 can (16 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions

Heat oil in a skillet, add chopped onions to tenderize. Add ground beef and cook through.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Using a knife, cut in a circle all around the stem of the cabbage and remove the core. Place the cabbage in the boiling water. After about 2 minutes an outside leaf will come loose–pull it off and out of the water using tongs and place on a clean dish towel to soak up the water. Repeat until you have 8 to 10 leaves. Cut out the thick part of the rib from the bottom of each leaf, but don’t cut too much.
Back in your pan with the ground beef and onion add black beans, mushrooms, corn, feta, chicken broth, tomato sauce and paprika. Allow to simmer. Reserve a little bit of the liquid for later.
Begin stuffing and rolling the cabbage leaves into a lightly greased 9×13 pan. Pour reserved liquid over the top, cover in foil and bake for one hour at 350.

Enjoy!

September 8, 2015

Apple Pie Bars with Salted Caramel Drizzle

Say hello to these little slices of Heaven, recipe compliments of Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Buttery shortbread base underneath a juicy layer of cinnamon coated apples topped with a struesel topping is enough to have you singing…

and then you gotta go and add a SALTED CARAMEL topping?

I’ve Died.

Oh me, oh my. Come to mama.

The list looks a little daunting. Don’t be scared. It really was no big deal to whip up three batches of these beauties.

Wait, what?

THREE?

I sent one over to our neighbor, Carol, who fell and broke her leg a few weeks back. I sent another one over to neighbor Harold, who if you read my blog last night, you know is one of the coolest old cats you could meet.

The other one got snacked on by myself and the hubs before disappearing from my work break room this AM.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Ingredients:

SHORTBREAD CRUST

1/2 cup butter, melted (I used salted, but my disclaimer is to leave out the 1/4 tsp, salt below if you do)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt (only if you used unsalted butter)
1 cup all-purpose flour

APPLE FILLING

2 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I used fresh picked apples, which were fairly small. Make sure to double up in size)
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

STREUSEL

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

HOMEMADE SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

1 cup granulated sugar
6 Tablespoons salted butter, cut up into small chunks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt (careful to not overdo it)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300. Grease an 8-inch baking pan and set aside.
Crust: Stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir until everything is combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling and streusel.
Apple filling: Combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until all of the apples are evenly coated. Set aside.
Streusel: Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
Remove the crust from the oven, and turn the oven up to 350. Evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust. Sprinkle the apple layer with streusel and bake for 30–35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature
Caramel topping:
1. Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a high heat resistant rubber spatula.
2. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown liquid as you continue to stir. Stir, stir, stir! Do not burn!
3. Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Watch out! The caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.
4. Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Very slowly, drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream while stirring. Again, watch out!
6. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.
7. Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to cool down before using.
Once bars are cool, cut to desired size, pour cooled salted caramel sauce on top. These apple pie bars can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or even cold.

Harleys and Heels

Living Life in the Moment

Food

Wine and Junk Run | October 24th, 2015

Cheers!

Holy Desserts

E…LEV…EN…

Cheers!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls