I am not a procrastinator on all things, but there are some things that I procrastinate with until the last minute. Writing my freelance articles is one. It seems like my best written articles come to me when I have waited until the very last minute to write them. I do my best work with a tight deadline. Unloading the dishwasher is something else I am great at procrastinating on. It isn’t like unloading the dishwasher is a hard task and it only takes a few minutes to complete, but I always procrastinate to the very last minute on that chore!

When I was growing up my mom would leave my older sister and I at home during the days of summer. She was getting her Masters degree and took classes during the day. Each day, she would leave us a list of chores we would have to get done while she was gone. It never failed that I would start my chores at 4pm and she was expected home at 4:30. I mastered the art of procrastination at a young age, and that art still sticks with me today!

This recipe I am about to share with you… I made in December, right around the holidays. I have been meaning to share it with you for some time because it is sinfully good, but kept procrastinating about it. Something else comes up to write about, or I would push it aside meaning to do it later and then forget. Now, it is the end of February, and the magazine I got this from is no longer in print. It was a Better Homes and Gardens special interest publication called Christmas Baking. It is a magazine stuffed full of wonderful dessert recipes for the holidays or any time of the year. Twenty-five amazing cakes, pages and pages of chocolate desserts, wonderful pie recipes… this cooking magazine is a keeper that I know I will turn to again and again.

If you stumble across this magazine or the magazine it was previously published as (Simply Perfect Holiday Baking 2005) I highly recommend it! You’ll open it up and won’t procrastinate at all on finding favorites that you want to make. Now, writing about them may be a totally different story!

Colorado Chocolate Pieces

Cupcakes:

1 1/3 cups hot water

2 tablespoons instant coffee crystals

1 box (18.3 ounce) chocolate fudge cake mix

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

20 soft caramel candies, unwrapped

Filling and Topping

1 container (16 ounce) chocolate frosting

1 jar (7 ounce) marshmallow crème, chilled

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 20 cups in two 12 cup muffins pans. For the cupcakes stir the 1 1/3 cups hot water and coffee crystals in large bowl until crystals dissolve. Let cool. Add cake mix, oil, and eggs to coffee in a large bowl. Beat 2 minutes or until well blended.

2. Fill each muffin cup halfway with better. Place one caramel in center of each. Pour remaining batter over caramels. Bake for 12 minutes or until cakes puff. Cool cupcakes in pans on racks for 15 minutes. Carefully remove cupcakes from pans.

3. To assemble, cut off tops of cupcakes; reserve tops. Frost cupcake bottoms with chocolate frosting. Spoon 1 tablespoon of chilled marshmallow crème on each frosted bottom. Replace cake tops. Dust with cocoa powder, sprinkle with coconut, and serve. Makes 20 cupcakes.

You all are probably starting to think that I should change my blog name to Dine and Whine instead of Dine and Dish, aren’t you? Have I been crabby the past couple of posts or what? Sorry to bring you all down, but thank you for pulling me back up. The comments on my last post about the restlessness I am feeling really put things into perspective for me. The post struck a chord with many of you and your personal accounts and advice are so appreciated.

I do not have a lot to say today (first time for everything, isn’t there?) but I have been holding on to this recipe for so long and keep forgetting to post it. This is a Recipezaar recipe… and was a spur of the moment try for me. We always have a lot of minute steak in our house and finding creative things to do with that type of steak can be difficult. This recipe for The Ultimate Steak Sandwich has to be the best use of minute steak that I have found. If you try it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Oh - and PS… Adopt a Blogger 2 bloggers… I haven’t forgotten about you!  I promise we’ll get the second batch up and running in March. Please encourage the veteran blogs that you visit to participate because right now we are at about an 80 to 20% ratio, with new bloggers being on the heavy side. Can’t wait to get started with you! Adopt a Blogger 1 bloggers, I’d love to hear how things are going with your match-ups. If for some reason you haven’t heard from your match or things aren’t going as you had hoped, please send me an email. Give me a few days as I work from home and my inbox is always flooded…but I will reply!

The Ultimate Steak Sandwich

I am a person bounded to my life by circumstances. I was born and raised in a small Kansas town. Altamont, KS was a town of 1,000 people and it really was a great place to grow up. It is the kind of place where, as a kid, we could walk the streets past dark, ride our bikes out of the view of our parents eyesight and they would not worry, sit outside the post office and chat with the strangers who walked by, and more. I did not appreciate it growing up nearly as much as I do now.

Now, I am married to a wonderful man whom I met in Kansas City, have a great family, and live in… Kansas… still. I have moved from the small town to the big city (Kansas City) but I am still in Kansas. I really do have a great life… we live in a neighborhood surrounded by some of the best neighbors you can find. I have some great friends. Our school district is one of the best in the state. The crime rate here is very, very low. My husband has a very good and stable job, that he just happens to come home griping about every single day, but all in all he is committed and is treated well.

So, why is it that I am feeling so restless? Why do I want to leave Kansas so bad? I have always longed to live in the south. Charlotte, North Carolina to be exact. I long for the adventure of picking up everything and starting new…an adventure with my family that we can do together and grow from.

I look at the weather reports for my favorite locations every single day. I read the newspapers from my favorite locations every single day. I go to www.findyourspot.com and dream of moving to the places that it recommends. Interestingly enough, the town that I live in now shows up as an option each and every time.

I have friends picking up and moving… not looking forward to it and I long to trade places with them. To carry on on the journey they are about to embark on.  I often wonder if once I got there, if it would be all that I dreamed of, or if I would finally realize that Kansas is not the wrong place for me after all. I think it is a situation where you don’t know what you have until it is gone, but I have a feeling I won’t realize that until I can experience it for myself. Someday…. someday.

In the meantime, I fill my time making those recipes that I consider to be truly Southern. Southern Buttermilk Biscuits is one of those recipes that, when it is snowing outside and the sky is gray, takes me to a place down south where the weather is more mild and the beach is near.  Where sitting out on the screened in porch and drinking sweet tea is a normal, every afternoon occurrence…. and Sunday’s after church, Grandmother’s everywhere are baking up a batch of buttermilk biscuits to feed to their family for brunch.

I am a person bounded to my life by circumstances… and when I really sit down and think about it, those circumstances aren’t so bad. Nothing like a delicious breakfast, in a warm home, surrounded by your own family, to change your perspective some. 

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits (from Recipezaar.com)

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.
3. Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal.
4. If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.
5. Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined.
6. If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk.
7. Turn the dough out onto a floured board.
8. Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it’s about 1/2" thick.
9. Use a round cutter to cut into rounds.
10. You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones.
11. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.
12. If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.
13. Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom.
14. Do not overbake.

Have you ever purchased a cookbook that you absolutely had to have
right that very minute? Nothing at all could sway you from not buying
it. I do that with cooking magazines all the time, but rarely is it
that a cookbook catches my attention so much that I buy it immediately
without running home to read the reviews on it. The Rachael Ray 365 No Repeats
cookbook was that way for me. I saw it and immediately had to have it.
It is not like I am a die hard Rachael Ray fan or anything. For some
reason, the thought of 365 days of recipes seemed like such a brilliant
idea to me that apparently I thought I needed that cookbook….right then, right now.

Well, I didn’t deprive myself and I purchased the cookbook.
That, my friends, was over a year ago and that cookbook has not been
used… until now. Now, I’m making up for the fact that it has been
sitting on my shelf gathering dust for the past year. In fact, I sat
down to make my menu plan the other day and half a months meals were
from this book.  

I think that when I purchased that cookbook, I
fantasized about all of my menu planning being forgotten. I could
simply open the Rachael Ray 365 No Repeats cookbook and voila… what
fell on that day was what we would have! Not so in a house full of
picky little (and big) people! Either way, I did manage to do a couple
of weeks of Rachael Ray and each recipe I tried got high marks from my
family.  So far the “Italian Shrimp and Pasta” and the “Couple of Minute Steaks and Potato Ragu”
have been high on the ratings list. There is one recipe, however, that
after the first night of making it my son asked my to make it again…
the very next night. That recipe was for her Chicken Tortilla
Soup with Lime. What a wonderful, hearty recipe to serve this time of
year! Even if you have your “go-to” Tortilla Soup recipe, you should
give this one a try. It is different enough that I bet you will add it
to your rotation.

If you have had 365 No Repeats
in your to try pile, make sure to move it up towards the top. There are
a lot of simple and delicious recipes that are sure to surprise you!

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP with LIME

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 pounds chicken tenders (not breaded)
Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper
3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 large Onion, chopped
1 Jalapeno pepper minced (don’t touch your eyes after cutting pepper until you have washed your hands)
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 cups yellow corn tortilla chips (about 4 handfuls)
2 teaspoons hot sauce such as Tabasco
1 quart chicken stock or broth (store bought works fine unless you want to make it homemade)
1/2 cup sour cream, for garnish
Zest and juice of 2 limes combined
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (chopped)
4 scallions (green onions) thinly sliced (use both the white and green parts)

1.
Preheat a medium soup pot over medium high heat and add the olive oil
… a couple times around the inside of the pan should be fine.
2. Chop the chicken tenders into bite size pieces.
3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the hot soup pot.
4.
Lightly brown the chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes, then add the
garlic, bell peppers, onions, jalapenos, celery, cumin, coriander, salt
and pepper. Continue to cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
5.
While that is cooking place the tortilla chips in a food processor and
process until well ground. I f you don’t have a processor place the
chips in a sealable plastic storage bag and crush with a rolling pin.
6. Add the ground tortilla chips to the soup pot and stir to combine.
7. Add the chicken stock and bring the soup to a simmer.
8. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes
9.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the sour cream. Pass the
lime zest, chopped cilantro, and sliced scallions for each person to
add to taste.

Makes 4 servings

Dates sneak up on me these days. Is it because time is just flying by too fast or is it that I have really become that unorganized? Either way, I think I’ll lean towards the first excuse. Life is zooming by at lightening speed!

Two of my favorite food bloggers, Peabody and Tartlette are hosting a calorie inducing blogging event where they asked everyone around the food blogosphere to make doughnuts and send them the results. If the blogs I’ve peaked at who have turned in their submissions already are any idication, I can bet that once this roundup hits the internet, we will all gain at least five pounds by just looking at the photos!

I have never made doughnuts. I mean… I’ve made those Pillsbury fried bread dough "doughnuts", but I have never made real, honest to goodness fresh doughnuts at home. My mom told me that once I did make doughnuts at home, I would know right away why people go out and buy doughnuts!

I found a recipe on Recipezaar where you could create the dough in the bread machine, cut them out, let them rise and then fry ‘em. Sounded easy enough to me, except I don’t have a deep fryer. Still, assuming I could just use a deep frying pan to do the job, I set out to make the doughnuts.

The hardest part of making these doughnuts was regulating the temperature of the oil in my frying pan. Everything else was simple… the dough was very easy to work with, the doughnuts rose beautifully and they tasted so light and airy. Delicious doughnuts right from my own kitchen!

My son gave me two thumbs up, claiming that "Now we don’t ever have to go out for doughnuts, mom! These are the best tasting doughnuts ever!" I don’t know about that, but these are very tasty! It looks like a fry daddy may be needed in my near future.

Oh - and if you are looking to gain a little weight (seriosly… who ARE you people??), make sure to check out Peabody and Tartlette’s roundup on their blogs on the 15th!

Bread Machine Doughnuts - from Recipezaar 

I was contacted by Hotel Chocolat a couple of weeks ago asking if I would be interested in reviewing one of their chocolate products. (Again, new bloggers…one more reason to have a place for your readers to contact you on your blog!) You may have remembered a post last week telling you how one of my readers could win the very same thing! I hope you got your story turned in… I can’t wait to see which of my readers is selected.

The Chocolate Dipping Adventure is what showed up on my porch, and I decided to patiently wait for a couple of days to open it up. I was heading out of town to visit my sister and I knew that she deserved to indulge in a little chocolate luxury!

At close to 10pm on Saturday night, armed with chocolate, items to dip, and wine, we decided to gather the troops and start our Chocolate Dipping Adventure. We woke up my eleven year old niece and my sister, her best friend, my aunt and uncle and I had some pure indulgence.  Hotel Chocolat’s Chocolate Dipping Adventure is a perfect way to celebrate with friends or to experience a romantic evening with your Valentine. The chocolate is rich and creamy. The items to dip our unique and tasty (except for the sesame crackers… not my favorite) and the experience of experimenting with the chocolate is a lot of fun. We got creative with our items as well, adding bananas, doughnuts, graham crackers and of course… strawberries!

If you are looking for a lovely gift for a special someone, make sure to head over to Hotel Chocolat and check out their variety of luxury chocolate gifts. Your sweetheart will not be disappointed, I guarantee it! 

I had the opportunity to go to a half day retreat at our church this past weekend. Sister Charlotte White was the retreat leader and the retreat was entitled "Stardust and Pig Wallows." This retreat came at such a good time for me. I was feeling slightly overwhelmed by life, gloomy because of the winter weather, and was in need of a good "pep talk".

As the tiny little Catholic nun stood in front of us sharing her wisdom, she asked a question… "What makes plants and flowers grow?" Well, the obvious answers were thrown out there… water, sun, soil, etc. She then said "Anything else?" Everyone looked around perplexed and then someone in the front said "Fertilizer". "Exactlly!", exclaimed Sister Charlotte. "Fertilizer…which is also known as sh*t. Just like plants, it is the sh*t in our lives that make us grow." The room burst out in laughter, shocked to hear a little Catholic nun use such language, but the point hit home like nothing else. In order to grow, we have to go through the sh*t. We are challenged during those times, we are put to the test, and when we survive those struggles, we grow and become the individuals we are meant to be.

How do we get through those times though? It is one thing to be in the thick of the sh*t, but how do we survive and come out of the sh*t feeling like a beautiful rose? One thing that I think is important to have is a good friend or confidant to talk to.  Just having someone to vent to…someone to share your struggles with can help you to get through the tough times a little easier. I am lucky to have always had that in my mom, and I can tell you that just having a sounding board really does help to make times seem a little less tough.

The other thing that I think is important is chocolate. Seriously, have you ever gone through a rough patch in life while you were dieting? It isn’t fun, is it? I think not having the chocolate makes the patch all the more bumpy. Chocolate is like good therapy… sit down and savor some the next time you are down on life and I guarantee you that for even just a minute you’ll feel a bit better!

Mark over at Culinate informed me this week that one of my readers had nominated Dine and Dish for the Death by Chocolate contest. Thank you, whomever you are! A trip to Napa Valley would cure my winter blues and what could be better than going to a Chocolate Festival? Seriously… I never knew there was such a thing! Details from Culinate: The winner among readers will be chosen at random from all entries. Readers will vote for their favorite blog posts, and the winning food blogger will be selected by a panel of judges from the top 10 reader favorites.

So, head over to Culinate.com and enter to win a trip to Napa as well as some other great prizes! I’ll be submitting my "Fertilizer of Life" post as my Death by Chocolate entry…. if you feel so inclined to vote, please do! I’m sure there will be some great chocolate therapy to choose from!

Brownie Trifle