Becca Groves Header
 photo home_zps1cc7d3c8.png photo start_zpsa2c6c1a1.png photo motherhood_zps5b7bd8a5.png photo grovestead_zpsa872b0de.png  photo bees_zps9cbb22f2.png  photo contact_zps6de91cd9.png
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts

olympic party

I am so sad the Olympics are over! For me, the Olympics are basically a two-week joyful holiday that I anticipate with as much enthusiasm and excitement as my birthday. This time around, I was shocked by how many people didn't realize they were going on. The way I see it, this would be like being unaware that it is Christmastime.

Naturally, we celebrated big. We have friends who love and appreciate the Olympics like I do, and so we had them over for a closing ceremonies party. The moment this party got on the calendar my head was spinning with Olympic-themed ideas. Like a Doritoes Torch. And Olympic Ring cupcakes.

Our friends are Adam and Jordan.

The menu was diverse and delicious. We feasted and then we sat and watched the closing ceremonies. The closing ceremonies were a bit off the wall, sort of goofy and in the words of the announcer guy, "campy." Campy! I'm not sure what that means, but I think I agreed...

The first item on our Olympic menu represented France. Brie cheese with raspberry jam wrapped in crescent roll dough. Baked for 20 minutes at 350, this was delicious and easy. Serve it with crackers and you've got a crowd pleaser on your hands.

Jordan and Adam brought Cuban sandwiches. Wowza. Pork tenderloin on wheat buns with mayo, mustard, swiss cheese, ham and pickles. All baked together to perfection. I had two.
Chex mix for the Czech Republic. I kill myself.

Store bought egg rolls and sweet and sour sauce.

I went with meatballs, though it was pointed out to me that I could have added Sweden to the smorgasbord if I had really thought through this menu item. They weren't really all that Italian either. I used equal parts grape jelly and chili sauce, and even though you can see the pool of grease on the spoon, they were yummy.

Hungary was my catch all country. This flag could have gone on anything, but we chose these fabulous bars Jordan brought. Could have made a Switzerland flag for Swiss chocolate too, though...

Mexico was represented with this carne chip dip I got from taste of home. It wasn't the favorite on the table, so there is not need to post the recipe :)

And finally, the United States came through with this football of goodness filled with velveeta, beef and hormel chili (no bean) sauce. I do believe it was this American cuisine that cemented us to the couch for the next few hours as we discussed the competitive events we had brewing in our tummies.

I had two weeks to plan for this party, and will be planning for my Summer Olympic Opening Ceremonies party for the next 2 1/2 years. Bring it on London!!!

ode to pioneer woman

Last week our lunchroom conversation was over how we learned how to bake and cook. I told a story about how at some point in middle school I tried making cookies from The Immanuel Lutheran Church cookbook. This cookbook is comprised of classic recipes gathered from the female icons in my grandma's home town. I followed the recipe word for word and cried when the cookie dough turned into a rock. My mom said, "did you cream the sugar and butter?" I replied,"what do you mean cream the sugar and butter?" "Well, did you beat the butter, add the sugar and then the eggs one at a time?" "No! I did what the recipe said! I just put all the ingredients in the mixer together!"

My mom laughed and I was mad, "Why don't they write step-by-step instructions! How are you supposed to know to cream the sugar and butter?! Why didn't Hazel Linder write out how to make her cookies?!" And then we had a calm conversation about how this is how everyone learns how to bake...

There were other stories shared and then I brought up the brand new Pioneer Woman Cookbook my sister got me for Christmas (pure joy when I unwrapped this unexpected gift.) On every page of this cookbook, Ree (Pioneer Woman), shows in photographs every step of every recipe. Some pages have 12-20 pictures. And I adore it. Because I am a visual learner. Pioneer Woman Cookbook is quite the opposite from the ladies of Immanuel Lutheran who assume everyone knows what temperature bread bakes at. Though I must say the ladies of Immanuel are the actual, true Pioneer Women in the world, baking their bread, cookies and swedish tea rings each day because it wasn't an option to buy these things.

My friend Deb (regarding the Pioneer step-by-step cookbook) said, "that's what we need for that cheeseburger soup recipe!"

Hold the phone. Did you just say cheeseburger soup? Because this is my favorite soup of all time. Made by our wonderful friend Julie, Rory and I salivate frequently as we talk about this delicious cheesy soup. I have always wanted the recipe and never remember to get it from Julie. It's from Taste of Home, a personal favorite anyway, but in my mind, it's from Julie. I was overjoyed when Deb told me she had the recipe and would bring it for me.

And then she threw out the challenge. "Becca! You should document your cheeseburger soup making like Pioneer Woman! Just break it down and show pictures on your blog, step by step."

The recipe appeared on my desk on Monday. I went to the grocery store immediately after work and kept my camera handy.

So here it is: The recipe, and then the pictures. Long live Pioneer Woman.

Cheeseburger Soup
1 lb ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 ounces process American cheese cubed (I think regular cheddar would be better)
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

In a 3 quart saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside.

In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 tablespoon butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt remaining butter. Add flour; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce head to low.

Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from the heat; blend in sour cream. Yield 8 servings (2 1/4 quarts)

















Clearly it's not the healthiest of all soups...but it is worth every single calorie. Enjoy!

oh. come. now.

Behold, my own fruit leather. Blueberries, Raspberries and honey for sweetner. It was pure joy getting to use my dehydrator, lovely thing that it is. And the fruit leather would have been perfection. Except that when I took this final picture it was 11:30 pm, and if you look closely, the very middle of the fruit leather needed a bit longer in the dehydrator.

So I went to bed, thinking that if I wake up in the night, I'll just unplug it.

But I didn't wake up. Instead, I left my dear fruit leather to dry another 7 hours. And when I woke up, I had made something very brittle. Rory was very kind and tried it first. His words: "You know it's not that bad. Honestly, if it wasn't crunchy on this one side it would be amazing."

Chocolate Oreo Truffles


My sister-in-law, Lisa, went to a cookie swap a few years ago at her neighbor's house. When the neighbor brought out her own cookies she said boldly, "These are the best expletive-expletive cookies you'll ever eat!" She then proceeded to reveal the Oreo Truffle. Lisa is hysterical when she tells this story; she was so shocked that such words would be used at a ladies neighborhood Christmas cookie swap!

But, after trying one bite of these babies you're going to want to be the one who brings these fabulous truffles to your next cookie swap. Just watch your potty mouth.

one package Oreo Cookies
one 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
one 24 oz package chocolate almond bark
white almond bark for drizzle design

Crush oreos in food processor or a plastic bag. Blend cream cheese with Oreo until all pieces are covered and creamy...I used my kitchen aid. Using a one inch cookie scooper create balls onto a cookie sheet and then freeze these cookie balls for an hour or two. Dunk frozen balls into melted chocolate. Place on wax paper until hardened. Drizzle white almond bark on top. Let set. Store in refrigerator or freezer (I HIGHLY recommend freezing these things!)
Makes about 4 dozen one truffles.

Sugar and Spice.


I have been baking today. I love baking. I was baking cookies. I LOVE cookies. I was baking sugar and spice cookies filled with good things like molasses, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Our house smells divine.

My sistah, Lisa, throws a cookie swap every year. It is larger than life. Last year, I realized that the date she had picked for the cookie swap we were supposed to be at Disney World. And honest-to-goodness, I changed our flight. We did Disney in a half day, because I didn't want to miss the cookie swap. When I realized this conflict, there were tears followed by a very confused husband, "so what you're trying to say is that you would rather go to Lisa's cookie thing, more than Disney World?!!" "yes, Rory, (sniff sniff) I am saying exactly that..."

My first year at the cookie swap I brought peanut butter buckeyes, sort of cheating because they are a no bake, and being that everyone must bring TWELVE DOZEN cookies, I ended up feeling badly that I didn't actually bake like everyone else. However, when year two rolled around, I again took the easy way out and made my mom's apricot-coconut balls. Another no bake. I love these babies, but they're hit or miss, depending on if others like apricot, coconut and dark chocolate. (if you like those three things though, you'll flip over these things...)

Last year I made oatmeal cranberry cookies and this year, I made these sugar-ginger deals. They smell and taste fantastic. And the best part? The dough isn't actually that delicious, so this is like the first time in my life that I made cookies and don't have a tummy ache from eating so much dough. It seriously is a perk! But the cookies, once they are baked, are my absolute favorite. A classic, Christmas cookie.

So here's the recipe. The cookie swap isn't until next Monday, so the cookies are safe in freezer bags for a week until I get them out to package them up beautifully for an event that tops Disney World. And I LOVE Disney World.

Sugar and Spice Cookies
3/4 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
(beat above together)
Dry Ingredients (mix together and add to butter mixture)
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp cloves
3/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat over to 350. Form into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place two inces apart on baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes for a chewy cookie. Makes four dozen. Enjoy!
We had a Healthy Breakfast Potluck at our last staff meeting. This actually was sort of a tricky challenge...bacon and waffles and egg bake don't really fit in at a "healthy" breakfast. So I thought for a while and remembered this recipe I had written down somewhere while we were on our road trip last year. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try it out.

My review: they didn't turn out anything like the actual Starbucks granola bars that I love. But they turned into their own special granola bars and I will make them again and again. I think part of the difference between the kind they sell and the kind I made was that I used smart balance peanut butter (trying to make them extra healthy for our Healthy Breakfast) and it changed the flavor a bit, but they were FABULOUS and Rory loved them and so did the Carol Joy Holling staff. Enjoy!

Makes 48 servings (for real!)
Chewy, nutty good to go bars.

Ingredients
2/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup walnuts
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup almonds
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup flax seed
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Combine dry goods.
Melt butter, corn syrup and sugar over medium heat till near boiling.
Combine everything including peanut butter.
Set oven 350. Spray pan. Spread in pan.
Bake for 30 minutes (mine were done after 15-20 minutes) or till outside begins to brown.

Scrambled Egg Brunch Bread



I have been cooking since we moved to Nebraska. Every night. No kidding. This is HUGE for me...and I have one book to thank: The Taste of Home Cookbook. It's incredible. Every recipe has pictures. Every recipe is filled with ingredients that when I read them I think, "I know what that is. And I know where that is at supertarget!" This cookbook has filled me with confidence.

So I made this recipe last night and when it came out of the oven it was so pretty I had to get my camera. And then when we ate it, it was so amazingly delicious, I had to post the recipe for all to enjoy.

2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
4 oz. sliced ham
4 oz. cream cheese softened
1/2 c milk
8 eggs
1/4 t. salt
dash of pepper
1/4 c chopped orange pepper (or your favorite color pepper)
2 T. chopped green onion
1 t. butter
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1. Unroll each tube of dough (do not separate rectangles). Place side by side on a greased baking sheet with long sides touching; seal seams and perforations. Arrange ham lengthwise down center third of rectangle.

2. In a large bowl, beat cram cheese and milk until smooth. Separate one egg, set egg white aside. Add the egg yolk, salt, pepper and remaining eggs to cream cheese mixture; mix well. Stir in red pepper and onions.

3. In a large skillet, melt butter; add egg mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat just until set. Remove from the heat. Spoon scrambled eggs over ham. Sprinkle with cheese.

4. On each long isde of dough, cut 1 inch wide strips to the center to within 1/2 inch of filling. Start at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across the filling. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under.

5. Beat reserved egg white, brush over dough. Bake at 375 for 25-28 minutes or until golden brown. Yeild: 6 servings.