My 1st Wedding Cake

Well, I finally broke down and did it. I made my first ever wedding cake. It was sort of a last minute thing - I go to the bank every day for work and one of the teller's I talk with mentioned he was getting married in a few months and needed a cake. Well one thing led to another, I got in touch with his fiance (now wife!) and I ended up doing their cake! At first I was rather stressed (mainly about trying to cover the big bottom layer in fondant without it cracking) but I was really pleased with how it turned out!

And the best part about the whole experience was that the bride and groom loved the cake - how it looked and how it tasted! They've even referred me to some of their friends who are engaged!

So all in all, my 1st wedding cake was a success and I'm so glad I did it!

Hi!

Hi! Remember me? I'm Kristen and I'm a blog slacker.

Although Le Petit Pierogi has been severely neglected, it's not been forgotten. But you see, back in April I got a promotion at work! yay! But as we all know, promotions always equal way more work. I definitely haven't stopped cooking/baking (I've even done my 1st wedding cake!) but it's been hard to find the time to post my pictures/recipes because, truth be told, the last thing I want to do when I get home at night is stare at the computer after staring at it all day at work. But the good news is, I work in a seasonal industry where spring and summer are the busiest months of the year.

So things are finally slowing down, and I thought it might be time to dust off the ole' blog again. Hopefully some of you (any of you?) are still with me! And if you are, THANKS! But I've got lots of great recipes to share and lots of CAKES!!! I can't guarantee I'll be as active as I once was, but I do hope to continue blogging and sharing recipes!

It feels good to be back. :)

Zucchini "Fries"

As soon as I saw these on Two Peas & Their Pod, I decided to make them that night! I had fresh zucchini in my fridge and these looked too great to wait another minute on.

I was NOT disappointed with these! These were amazing - even my husband ate them and said I could make them any time! During the summer I plant zucchini and always have a TON of them on hand from my garden, so I will definitely remember this recipe for the summer!

These are great for a side on many different main courses. Sandwiches, burgers, meat, etc...these fries will go with a lot! I used marinara sauce to dip them in which was great. I absolutely loved these and will absolutely make them again and again!

Ingredients
Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

1 zucchini, cut into sticks
2 eggs
splash of milk (about 2 tbsp)
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
marinara sauce for dipping

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and line a large baking dish with foil and spray with non stick spray.

Set up a breading station. On one plate, add flour. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and milk together with a fork. On another plate add panko and cheese and mix together. Season zucchini sticks with salt and pepper.

One by one, dredge zucchini sticks in flour, then dip in egg mixture, then press into panko until completely coated. Place on baking sheet side by side, until all zucchini sticks are breaded.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown - flip after 10 minutes and serve hot with marinara sauce.

Zucchini

Creamy White Bean Soup

I absolutely love making soup. Soup recipes tend to make a lot, so not only do I get to enjoy it for dinner, I also get to enjoy it for subsequent lunches at work. This is a healthy soup that is easy to make.

This soup is flavorful, healthy and hearty. The beans create a wonderful creaminess to the soup, especially when blended. The kale adds so much color and flavor, that I seriously load this soup with it! I really love this recipe and will definitely make it again and again.

Ingredients
Adapted from The Daily Green, originally published in Good Housekeeping

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cans (15 1/2 to 19 ounces each) white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2-3 springs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 cups water
1 head fresh kale
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Optional - aprox. 1 cup cooked small pasta (I used little stars)

Directions
In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add beans, broth, pepper, thyme, and water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim tough stems from kale and discard; thinly slice leaves.

With slotted spoon, remove 2 cups bean and vegetable mixture from soup; set aside. Blend the rest of the soup with an immersion blender and puree until smooth.

Stir in reserved beans, vegetables and pasta (if using). Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in kale and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat. Serve with Parmesan, if you like.

Shrimp Farfalle

I've been eating a lot of shrimp lately. It's quick, easy and makes for a perfect weeknight protein. I've been eating less meat (especially red meat) so for me, shrimp is a great alternative. I feel like like I'm eating a meat, and shrimp is always such a treat.

This was one of those "clean out your pantry" type of meals. I just mixed up a bunch of things that I had on hand, and it worked out REALLY well! This pasta dinner was so flavorful, light and healthy. I really loved this and will certainly make it again.

Ingredients
1/2 12 oz. box farfalle pasta
1/2 head fresh broccoli, trimmed and chopped into medium pieces
8-10 precooked shrimp, thawed and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
1.5 cups chicken stock
aprox. 2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 fresh tomato, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2-3 fresh thyme sprigs, chopped
salt
pepper
fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. During the last 3 or 4 minutes of cook time for the pasta, add fresh broccoli to the pasta water (keeping the pasta in the pot). Cook until pasta is done and broccoli is bright green and slightly softened. Be careful not to cook the broccoli too long - 3 minutes is about all you'll need. Drain pasta and broccoli and set aside.

In a large saucepan sprayed with non stick spray over medium-high heat, add shrimp. Cook until seared, about 2-3 minutes then flip shrimp to their other side and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add chicken stock, lemon juice and thyme leaves and whisk in corn starch until well combined. Cook until thickened, and season with salt and pepper. When sauce has thickened sufficiently, add pasta, broccoli and tomato to the saucepan. Toss everything together and serve hot. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Irish Soda Bread

As part of my Irish St. Patrick's Day meal, I knew I had to make Irish Soda Bread! I didn't know if I liked soda bread or not, but in Florida we ate it at one of the great restaurants we went to and we all really loved it.

This bread is so easy to make and is sweet, hearty and airy. The texture is spot on and the sweetness is just perfect. This paired with our Steak and Guinness pie wonderfully and is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I honestly don't know if this is "traditional" or not, but we sure thought it was good! The only downside is that it goes bad pretty quickly, but trust me, it won't be around for very long!

Ingredients
Source: Epicurious - Originally from Bon Appetit, February 2005

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup raisins (I omitted)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch-diameter cake pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Make well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk. Gradually stir dry ingredients into milk to blend. Mix in raisins if using.

Using floured hands, shape dough into ball. Transfer to prepared pan and flatten slightly (dough will not come to edges of pan). Using a sharp knife, cut a large X in the loaf. Sprinkle dough with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake bread until brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool bread in pan 10 minutes. Transfer to rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Salmon En Papillote

Salmon en Papillote is something that I've been meaning to make for a long time, but just haven't gotten around to. I definitely thought the hardest part about making this was trying to get the parchment paper to stay folded around the salmon! So, it was pretty easy. Perfect for a weeknight.

The result of this recipe was a super flavorful, very moist salmon fillet with a decidedly Mediterranean feel. Also, with the addition of fresh veggies and herbs, you have yourself quite a nice dinner all in one "Papillote."

Ingredients
Adapted from RecipeZaar

1/2 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small carrot, julienned
1/2 lemon
1 tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
5 tablespoons white wine
1-2 (3 1/2 ounce) salmon fillets
light feta cheese
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the onion, garlic, tomato, carrots and thyme in a bowl with the wine. Lightly squeeze lemon half over the onion mixture and mix together. Slice 2-3 thin pieces of lemon and set aside. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place in a bowl and pour over the marinade. Leave for 5 minutes.

Lay out 1 large sheet of baking parchment on a baking tray and put a piece of salmon in the center. Spoon over the marinade and cover the fish, top with lemon slices and fold the paper to make a packet. Place in a dish and bake for 15 minutes or until fish is opaque in the center and flakes easily. Open the pouch, sprinkle feta cheese over the fish and serve.