blog series – Barnwood and Baked Goods

Ham and Broccoli Quiche

We started some Easter prep tonight blowing out 16 eggs for decorating later this week. Once cleaned out we had a surplus of eggs that we thought about freezing for later (always an option if you don’t want to eat them right away) but instead decided to make dinner with them!

Instead of regular breakfast options I decided to make a savory delicious and simple quiche!

This recipe is super simple to make and it turns out so pretty.

Here is what you need:

18 eggs

1c. Heavy cream

1c. Cheddar cheese shredded

2 small heads of broccoli chopped

1/2 lb small cubed ham

2- pie crusts

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place pie crusts into pie pans and set aside. In a large bowl stir together all of the other remaining ingredients. Split filling evenly between the two pie shells.

I rolled the crust down toward the filling and placed in the oven for 25-30 or until filling is firm and top is brown.

Allow to cool for a couple minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!!

Garlic Parmesan Surf and Turf!

It’s been really tough to plan meals with the stores being low stocked on staple items that I use a lot of. So I’ve had to improvise.

Chicken was on short supply at my last visit to the local grocery mart. But they had tons of sirloin and this immediately made me think of surf and turf! So a quick trip to frozen foods and I was in business! Plenty of frozen uncooked shrimp in stock!

I already new I had a few essentials in my pantry. I picked up some parmesan cheese shreds, and a few fresh veggies for a sauteed side dish. The result was a delicious meal with very few ingredients that were super easy to find, or that I already had on hand!

Here’s what you need:

1lb chopped sirloin, stew meat will work too

1lb frozen medium shrimp uncooked and peeled

*unpeeled shrimp is cheaper if cost is an issue you can peel them and devein them at home if needed

3 large cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tbsp salted butter

1/2c parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley garnish if desired

Thaw shrimp under cool water.

Turn a large skillet onto medium high heat add oil, and sirloin. Cook for 2-3 minutes add garlic.

Cook until meat is almost cooked to desired doneness and add shrimp, salt and pepper, cook through and add butter and parmesan cheese. Stir until melted. Garnish with parsley.

Serve hot! You can put this over pasta or rice if you’d like, or like we did eat it on it’s own with some simple sauteed veggies! Enjoy!!

Keeping things light!

Hey Gang! If your in need of a distraction for the next few weeks give me a like save share! I’m about to fill this feed up with some new recipes, crafts, and great Spring gardening info! Who’s ready?!

Klavon’s Pizzeria and Pub

Amber and I are kicking off the 2019 tour with a visit to Klavon’s! The Vandercook Lake location opened it’s doors in 2014, and has become a “go-to” location for locals and visitors alike!

Justin Klavon started his career in pizza as a teenager and quickly found that he had an aptitude in business as well as in the culinary space. His first venture Justin Tyme Pizza opened in Clark Lake MI, and quickly spread to three locations before he conceptualized Klavon’s. Klavon’s began as a small sports bar concept in Rives Junction MI, and has since brought Chicago style stuffed pizza to the forefront in Jackson County. But Justin wasn’t done yet! His concept took on a new look and feel when he developed the Vandercook Lake location. The restaurant is much more high end sports bar than pub and pizzeria. Justin credits his staff for the success of his restaurants, and would eventually like to create an available franchise model for loyal employees looking to be part of the companies growth. Klavon’s looks forward to opening it’s Mason MI location later in 2019, and to be honest I can’t wait to see how Justin’s vision grows and changes with each addition!

@Tour_the_Town got permission from store manager Marissa, to take some photos and share our experience with you. We want to thank her and the Klavon’s staff for being so lovely to us and allowing us to share your story! Because it was an incredibly busy Saturday night we made our visit quick, snapped a few pics, and got our pizza to go. One of the many perks of this location is the drive up window, however anytime we can we visit and stay to watch a game on the tv chandelier, or hangout with friends we do. The vibe and atmosphere are outstanding.

Spring and summer bring new opportunities to enjoy Klavon’s as they open the patio for additional outdoor seating. Large groups are welcome, and reservations making seating availability a breeze. Need space for an event? No problem! Klavon’s “K-Lounge” seats up to 25 guests with private servers for your convenience. They have literally thought of everything!!

Now let’s talk about what’s really important here… THE FOOD! Klavon’s offers a full menu from appetizers, soup and salads… to burgers, wraps and of course their famous pizza! They haven’t forgotten the most important details offering dessert menus, and specialty drink menus all presented on I-pads when you’re seated for a convenient way to browse and choose your favorites.

We selected the hand- made tortilla chips with their specialty peach salsa, pepperoni pinwheels, a small “Detroiter” pizza, and a specialty barbecue chicken stuffed pizza, a personal favorite of mine! We were feeding 5 adults and two teenage girls and there was more than enough to go around, we even had some leftovers.

The tortilla chips were restaurant made, thin, crispy, lightly salted, and totally addictive. Couple with the handmade peach salsa it was a perfect starter. The peach salsa is just what you would expect, very fresh, lightly sweet, with a little heat. A nice light way to start a meal.

The pepperoni pinwheels will get your mind turning about that delicious pizza that’s one it’s way! Pepperoni, and Mozzarella wrapped in a yeasty handmade dough the bottom of the pinwheel is coated in a delicious crust of parmesan, and romano cheese. So Yummy!

And on to the main event! The pizza!!! The Detroiter is a new menu addition and I my husband couldn’t eat it fast enough lol. This authentic Detroit-style pizza is topped with pepperoni, Italian sausage, peppadew peppers and a blend cheeses. It’s finished with a signature tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, oregano and pecorino. It has some spicy notes, but is a deeply satisfying pizza unlike anything I’ve tried before.

My all time favorite pizza from Klavon’s though is the barbecue chicken Chicago style stuffed pizza. This monstrously sized pizza starts two layers of crust filled with chicken, bacon, mozzarella, red onion, and topped with a sweet barbecue sauce and parmesan cheese. One slice fills me up and it’s so delicious!

If you’re interested in a fun night out with some delicious, and uniquely creative dishes. Visit Klavon’s pizzeria and pub. You can peruse their menu by visiting their website http://www.klavons.com or follow them on twitter @klavons or find them on facebook! Thanks for following along! Behind the scenes pics will be shared all week on instagram @Tour_the_Town

Apple Cider Cookies-Fall Cookie Series

Another fabulous fall flavor, apple cider! There’s always a little nostalgia with cider, visiting the orchards in he fall, warm cider on a cold day…so good!

These cookies can be made a few different ways. I tried several versions before adapting my own. I found that incorporating cider itself into the dough didn’t transfer enough of that yummy apple flavor, and even when boiled down it made the cookie dough loose and the cookies would spread too much. So I thought long and hard and came up with using instant spiced cider! It worked like a charm great flavor and texture!

Here’s what you’ll need!

1c softened butter

1/2c granulated sugar

2 Tbsp spiced cider mix

1 tsp vanilla

1/4tsp salt

2 c all purpose flour

2-3tbsp sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350F. Blend together butter, sugar, cider mix and vanilla. Add salt and Flour mix well. Roll into balls, roll that in sugar and flatten onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10minites or until edges are browned.

While the cookies bake make the glaze.

1Tbsp cider mix

1c. Powdered sugar

1-2tbsp milk

Mix until thin glaze consistency. Pour into cookies after you remove them from the oven.

Enjoy!!

Fantastic Fall Cookies for the WIN!

So after polling my various social media outlets, email subscribers, and getting some feedback right here on WordPress.com, it looks like this fall I will be hosting a blog series on Fabulous Fall Cookies!

I’ve already started to compile a list of favorites, and can’t wait to get in the kitchen and get things started! I will include a couple of sugar free options as well, so stay tuned! I promise there will be a little something for every taste… Happy Fall Baking Y’all!