09 Thursday Apr 2015
Posted in belle-icious, healthy belle
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From the blog, how sweet it is, this Spring Green Salad with Candied Meyer Lemons and Fried Goat Cheese is to…die…for!
We’ve made this countless times, always to rave reviews! (Any leftover lemons make a sweet, crunchy, refreshing snack…bonus!)
Photo and recipe from http://www.howsweeteats.com
Perfect for the spring dinner table, don’tcha think, belles??
a&a
30 Friday Jan 2015
Posted in belle-icious, friday friend 1-1
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Over the holidays one of our dear belle friends, Lindsay, was kind enough to deliver her homemade roasted pecans as gifts. We are ever so grateful we made the cut because these nuts are worth fighting for!!! In fact, these belles took to squirreling away these nuts so they wouldn’t be eaten in one fell swoop!!
Spicy Pecans
Makes about 4 cups
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/4 t salt
1 1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 t ground red pepper
1/4 t mace (if you can’t find, substitute nutmeg)
1 pound pecan haves (4 cups)
Stir together first 7 ingredients in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir until butter melts and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, add nuts, and toss to coat. Place pecan mixture in a single layer on an aluminum-lined, rimmed cookie sheet. (spray lined pan with Pam)
Bake at 250 for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack, separating nuts with a fork.
Store in an airtight container up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 month.
The perfect snack for commercial watchin’ and ball debatin’ on Sunday night.
Y’all will go nuts over these!!
a&a
08 Thursday Jan 2015
Posted in belle-icious
Our dear friend, Kathryn, is quite the belle-chef. If she shares a recipe, which she is most gracious about, you can be assured that it will be to. die. for.
Her latest share in the gourmet department is a soup that is easy, delicious, and super-family-friendly. It is also football and guest-friendly. Perfect for the cooler days we are facing this time of year…and perhaps a Super Bowl party? We shall see…
The fact that it’s a dump-and-pour sort of soup only enhances it’s belle-worthiness.
Buffalo Chicken Soup
Zee ingredients:
1 whole rotisserie chicken, remove meat and shred
1 onion, chopped
1 T butter
32 oz can chicken broth (you may find you need a tad more , especially the next day as the beans absorb a lot of the liquid)
2 14.5 oz cans navy beans, drained
2 14.5 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 pkg frozen white corn
1/4-1/2 cup wing sauce (we used Franks and ended up putting closer to 3/4 cup…belles are saucy)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz cream cheese
Chopped cilantro
Sauté onion in butter for 5 minutes. Add other ingredients EXCEPT cream cheese and cilantro. Simmer for ’bout 30 minutes. Add cream cheese and cilantro and cook until cheese melts.
Another belle-friend made a similar version and she put blue cheese crumbles on the top as a garnish. Brilliant belle addition in our ever-so-humble opinion….just sayin’
Buffalo, blue cheese and belles. A magical concoction!
a&a
13 Saturday Dec 2014
Posted in belle-icious
Imagine, if you will, coming home one afternoon, dog-tired, running low on sense and steam…when, lo and behold, wafting from the kitchen…could it be the smell of fresh-baked cookies? An aroma mirage, surely!
To the delight of tall, blonde belle, it was actually a reality just the other day when one of our beloved junior belles decided to try Janice’s Mountain Top Chocolate Cookies from Glamour magazine.
Well, it couldn’t have been better timing! This belle propped right up with a hot cup of coffee and a warm cookie…with a rolo in it!! Shut the front door and give us just the sugar rush we need to make it through the rest of the day.
Junior belle earned extra points that day, at least enough for us to forgive the mess in the kitchen. She is still a work in progress, bless her heart.
Behold the best cookie recipe for a cold day….oh, who are we kidding?? Any day, really!!
Janice’s Mountain Top Chocolate Cookies
5 oz. salted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 bag mini Rolos
2 tbsp coarse salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.
2. Add flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; beat on low until just combined.
3. Pour powdered sugar into a small bowl. Using your hands, scoop about a tablespoon of dough and press a Rolo candy into the middle. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top, and roll dough into a ball in your hands, then coat in powdered sugar until completely covered.
4. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each cookie. Bake until tops begin to crack and cookies are firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool on a rack.
Makes about 10-15 cookies. Store in airtight container.
So go tell it on the mountain…and, hint, hint…Santa might just enjoy this little nibble as he sets about his work. Just sayin’…
a&a
11 Thursday Dec 2014
Posted in belle-icious
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Allegro, Barefoot Contessa, Beef, Char Crust, recipes, tenderloin
Beef tenderloin…whether served for Christmas or other special-occasion dinner, served sliced with rolls for a cocktail party, or devoured as a leftover…is the ultimate hit for the meat-lover. However, we belles are often at a loss as to the best, most foolproof way to prepare this beefy delicacy…and at the price of an arm and a leg per pound, we certainly don’t want to risk ruining it! (one belle in particular is pretty famous among her family for being very good at ruining dinner…it’s that adult-onset ADD kicking in…).
So…we went on a search about a year ago for a no-fail way to prepare a tenderloin to suit all tastes (super-rare to over-done) and came up with what we have found to be the gold-standard prep. We have prepared it this way time after time with surprising success, and…not to brag…to rave reviews! We feel guilty taking any credit…we just follow the directions and the rest takes care of its tender, juicy self!
The Belles’ Foolproof Party Tenderloin
1 beef tenderloin, trimmed (about 5 pounds)
1 bottle Allegro marinade
1 package Char Crust roasted garlic peppercorn rub
Marinate beef overnight in bottle of Allegro (we use a giant ziploc bag…works perfectly)
Almost as early as you wish on serving day, heat oven to 475 degrees, with one rack set in the center. Remove tenderloin from marinade and seer all sides on a hot grill or griddle, giving it a quick coat of color.
Place tenderloin in a shallow roasting pan, then sprinkle evenly and thoroughly with the Char Crust seasoning, making sure to rub it in to coat completely.
Now, for the most important part…get a timer and follow step-by-step:
– once oven is heated, place tenderloin in to roast for 15 minutes
– without opening oven door, turn off the heat
– let stand in the oven for another 15 minutes
– remove pan and place on rack
– cover loosely with foil and let stand at least 30 minutes before slicing
At this point, we have left the tenderloin “resting” for a couple of hours…plenty of time to shower, set the table, put out fresh flowers, etc…
Just slice when ready to serve and bask in the accolades!!
We recently served this at a dinner party with The Barefoot Contessa’s Spinach Gratin (not a proper dinner party without Ina’s touch), goat cheese mashed potatoes, and a delish green salad. An excellent and belleicious way to spend an evening with friends…
Get cookin’, belles
a&a
10 Thursday Jul 2014
Posted in belle-icious
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Lettuce wraps…a sneaky little way to get the kids to eat something green…can be THE answer to “what’s for dinner” in oh-so-many ways! As we have noted before, we tend to watch the unnecessary carbs…so when we started thinking outside the bread box, the lettuce wrap options seemed to come from all corners of the world! Today, we want to share a Greek version…but pay attention, belles…we have a couple of other wraps up our sleeves (think Far East as well as South of the Border) that will have ’em scrambling to the table…just sayin’!
First, we must say…the “little gems” (baby romaine heads) from Costco fit the bill for these recipes to a tee. Just the right single-serve size, these baby leaves hold up to the hardiest of fillings…and the flavor doesn’t interfere with even the mildest of seasonings. Pretty much perfect in our book!
And now for the ideas abondant…
To wrap it up Mediterranean-style, start with these quick and easy Lamb Meatballs courtesy of Diners Journal…the New York Times Blog on Dining Out:
and for a couple of hints to make this even easier:
– if you want to skip mixing up the sauce, grab a container of the “Hannah’s Tzatziki Yogurt Dip” or a container of hummus (or maybe both…remember, belles love options) right there in the refrigerator case at Costco. These are excellent with the lamb!
– and to deconstruct the recipe even more…you could skip the forming of the meatballs altogether! Use the seasoning instructions, then brown the ground lamb on the stove-top!
Now, set up a “wrap bar” for the family (and/or guests) to build-their-own…
– baby romaine leaves
– meatballs
– yogurt dip/sauce
– hummus
– tomatoes, chopped
To round out the meal, serve our Cucumber, Tomato and Feta Salad from the “Cool as a Cucumber” post (Thursday, June 19, 2014).
That’s a wrap, belles!
a&a
16 Friday May 2014
Posted in belle-icious, friday friend 1-1, healthy belle
As summer approaches, we can’t help but think of fresh veggies and interesting (yet easy…who wants to spend all day in the kitchen!) ways to prepare them. Okra is one of our favorites at the moment.
Now, southern tradition dictates that the okra either be chopped, battered and fried, or stewed into slimy, gooey, over-cooked spears. Both of these options fall short of the main goal in eating your veggies in the first place…a typical southern folly…by taking something quite good-for-you and creating a southern-fried treat or zapping every last nutrient out in the cooking, and cooking, and cooking. (granted…stewed okra, corn and tomatoes is worth every last bite!)
So what’s a belle to do with her okra to get the most out of the nutrients and summer-fresh flavor?? Our quick and easy answer…roast it!
Starting with fresh, tender pods, rinse thoroughly and dry.
Next, make length-wise cuts…either right down the middle or, if you want them a bit more “crispy”, slice each spear into 3 or more thin “chips”. Place in a bowl (or ziploc bag) and drizzle with your favorite (best quality you have available) olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Turn them all out onto a cookie sheet, spreading them out, cut-side-down, making sure to get them in a single layer
Place in a 400 degree oven, and watch the masterpiece come to life! 15-20 minutes should do it, but you can be the judge. A nice, browned, slightly crisped edge is what we like to see…
Be sure to get your share early…these babies will disappear in a snap!
a&a
17 Thursday Apr 2014
Posted in belle-icious
We are here to tell you, it’s true, we simply can’t get enough of the stuff. We jumped on the kale train and we are all on board.
This version we are sharing with you is from Joy the Baker. If you haven’t visited her blog yet, it is about time you did. We find ourselves getting lost in her recipes and the photos will tempt your taste buds.
Just a few ingredients and a little time and you will be thanking your lucky stars (and us) that you made this tasty salad with an Asian spin.
You will need:
A fresh bunch of kale (curly) stems removed, cut into the thinnest chiffonade you can manage.
1/3 cup roasted almonds coarsely chopped
In a bowl whisk together:
1 small clove garlic minced
Generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch of salt
2 T soy sauce
4 T rice wine vinegar
2 T sesame oil
2 t honey
Pepper to taste
Now toss the kale , almonds and dressing and try to restrain yourself from eating it with your bare hands.
The original recipe calls for sesame seeds but in our eagerness to create this we neglected to notice we didn’t have any in the larder. We also doubled the recipe because we just KNEW this salad was going to cause a ruckus if there wasn’t enough to go around.
In a word: scrumptious
a&a
09 Thursday Jan 2014
Posted in belle-icious
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…as in baby, it’s cold outside! Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, has the best recipe to warm us up from the inside out…for the full recipe, click here http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/11/chipotle-chicken-chili 
the RARE belle 