Poppy Seed Waffles with Lemon Cream

I made these for breakfast this morning and we were all fans of them. Carrie and I especially enjoyed the lemon. :) Jeremy didn't love the lemon, but he put maple syrup on them and said they tasted just like a poppy seed muffin with syrup.

Poppy Seed Waffles with Lemon Cream

Lemon Cream:
1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest

Poppy Seed Waffles:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs, separated
4 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp almond extract

For the Lemon Cream, in medium sauce pan, whisk together egg, yolks, and sugar. Slowly add cream, whisking until well blended. Heat over medium heat, whisking the entire time, until mixture thickens (about 8-10 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and zest. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until cool (you can also put it in the freezer now and it should be cool by the time the waffles are ready).

For the waffles, in a medium sized bowl whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Stir in poppy seeds. In another medium sized bowl, whisk the sour cream, milk, egg yolks, butter and almond extract. Pour mixture into dry ingredients and mix just until wet batter is formed (lumps are okay). Meanwhile, in a small bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Cook according to manufacturer's instructions on waffle iron. Top with lemon cream.
Yield 8 - 10 waffles

**These were not difficult, but they were a bit time consuming. It also makes quite a bit of the lemon cream. I think next time I do these I'll double the waffle recipe and then freeze the extras along with the extra lemon cream.

Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce

This is so yummy! I haven't made it in a while so I'm glad that Becky asked me to track down the recipe for her so I know where it is now! I use a gingerbread recipe from Pillsbury and a lemon sauce from Betty Crocker. As a side note, gingerbread is also really good with whipped cream!

Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce

Gingerbread
1 1/3 c. flour
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. boiling water
1/2 c. molasses
1 egg, slightly beaten

Lemon Sauce
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
3/4 c. water
1 T. grated lemon peel, optional
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 T. butter

Heat oven to 350.  Grease bottom only of 9-inch round pan.  In large bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Add remaining gingerbread ingredients; blend well. Pour into greased pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the sauce: Mix sugar and cornstarch in a 1-quart saucepan.  Gradually stir in water.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil and stir1 minute; remove from heat.
Stir in remaining ingredients.

Serve warm with the gingerbread.

Choco-Berry Tarts

We found this recipe in Family Fun over Thanksgiving and decided it sounded rather tasty! We're thinking that it would be good with other berries too. Our raspberries were huge so we cut them in half. Since it only uses some of a can of sweetened condensed milk, you could use the rest to make Escamochas! So buy some extra fruit!

Choco-Berry Tartlets

Crust:

1/2 C butter, softened

3/4 C sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 2/3 C flour

1/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Filing:

3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 C sweetened condensed milk

1/2 C seedless red raspberry jam

36 fresh raspberries

Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350°.  LIghtly grease 36 mini muffin cups. 

Crust:

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the egg and vanilla until well blended, about 1 minute.  Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and beat on medium-low speed until just blended, 1-2 minutes.

Transfer dough to a clean work surface and divide it into 36 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a 1-inch ball and press it evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared muffin cups.

Filling:

In a medium saucepan over low heat, stir together the chocolate chips and condensed milk until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes.  Remove it from the heat and stir in the jam until well blended, about 2 minutes.  Place a raspberry in each cup, then cover it with about 2 teaspoons of the chocolate mixture.

Bake the tartlets until the crust is set, about 15 minutes.  Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes then transfer each tartlet to a rack to cool completely.  Once cool, sprinkle tartlets with powdered sugar.

For maximum freshness, store in the refrigerator.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This is a lower fat version of this yummy dip and we were all pleasantly surprised with the results - in fact it disappeared rather rapidly! You can see our beautiful table decor consisted of Black Friday ads before dinner. :)

Spinach Artichoke Dip

2 C (8oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

1/2 C fat free sour cream

1/4 C (1oz) grated fresh Parmesan

1/4 tsp black pepper

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 (14oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 (8oz) block reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1 (8oz) block fat free cream cheese, softened

1/2 (10oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons parmesan, and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Serve with baked tortilla chips, veggies, or assorted crackers.

Recipe from Cooking Light.

Goat Cheese Pistachio Ball

This is a sweet cheese ball that we had for Thanksgiving yesterday. It would be pretty for Christmas with all those green pistachios!

Goat Cheese Pistachio Ball

4 ounces plain goat cheese, room temperature

8 ounces low fat cream cheese, room temperature

2 Tbsp honey

1/2 dried thyme leaves

1/2 C pistachios, chopped

Blend cheeses, honey and thyme with a mixer until combined. Form into a ball - you can use a spatula to try to do this but as is often the case your hands work best!

Place chopped pistachios on a plate or cutting board and spread them out. Put cheese ball on the nuts and carefully roll around to cover the ball with nuts. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour until firm.

Plate and serve with assorted crackers, sliced baguette, or fruit slices.

Recipe altered ever so slightly from Family Circle magazine.

Mint Chocolate Ganache Cake

We've just been having all sorts of cooking adventures around here lately!  Becky, Avery and I had this one together. After Becky perused the Lion House Cakes and Cupcakes book, we all agreed that we should just make the cake on the cover because it looks and sounds fabulous. Chocolate and mint, right?  Ganache, to be more specific (i.e. really, really good chocolate).  For starters, our cake, uh, didn't exactly look like the one on the cover:

Apparently we missed something.  Our mint frosting part was a little lacking in the stiffness and there was waaay more than you actually needed.  Maybe we should have watched the bonus dvd that comes with the book to get some tips because here's what our cake did after we had cut it up to serve everyone:

I turned back to look and the top layer had just slipped and flipped right off onto the counter!  Ha! :)  Really, we weren't impressed with the taste so much either.  So why am I posting this?  Becky is going to remake it sometime and make all the corrections we talked about and make it fabulous, right Becky?
I'll post the original recipe, but tell you here that we decided that it doesn't need the whipping cream and the cool whip.  It just makes too much and things get runny with all that extra mixing.  We would just try the whipped cream and maybe use a stabilizer.  We also only made 3 round and used the rest of the batter for mini cupcakes.  Also, the mint flavoring is so not enough.  Definitely add more than it calls for.  In fact, you'll need more than 1/4 tsp, which wasn't enough either.

Mint Chocolate Ganache Cake

Cake
2 chocolate cake mixes, any flavor

Ganache
1 c. heavy cream
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Whipped Mint Frosting
3 c. heavy cream, whipped until stiff
1 8 oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/8 tsp mint flavoring (or more according to taste)
1-2 drops green food coloring
1 (7 oz) semisweet chocolate bar, chocolate molding chocolate, or chocolate bark, for chocolate curls
Mint leaves, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour four 9-inch round cake pans.

For cake: Prepare and bake both cake mixes according to directions on box.  Allow to cool completely or freeze to make it easier to frost and assemble.

For ganache: Place cream in a small saucepan and heat on medium heat until bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan.  Remove from heat. Pour chocolate chips into cream and stir until smooth. Set aside.

For frosting: Gently fold together whipped cream, whipped topping, mint flavoring and food coloring.  Do not beat.

Trim the tops off 3 cake layers where they start to round from the side to the top. Place 1 layer on serving plate, cut side up.  Place one-third of the ganache on that layer and spread it so it will slightly run down the sides.  Place one-third of the frosting on top of the ganache and spread just to the edge of the cake.  Place second cake layer on top of frosting and repeat with ganache and frosting.  Repeat with third cake layer.  Garnish with chocolate curls and mint leaves.

For chocolate curls: Warm chocolate bar 10 seconds in the microwave and then peel with a vegetable peeler.

Fizzy Caramel Apples

I saw this quick and easy recipe for caramel sauce that stays soft even in the fridge so I whipped it up to use for dipping apples.  Wow!  What a surprise!  We ate them with Granny Smith (i.e. tart) apples and when you combined the two there was some sort of chemical reaction that made them taste fizzy!  The caramel doesn't taste that way on it's own, so there must be something going on there with the apples. Really kind of funny.
So, if you're up for a bit of a caramel apple adventure, give this a try!

Caramel Sauce
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. buttermilk (or soured milk)
2 T. corn syrup

Combine in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Continue boiling for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and add:

1 T. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

Mix well.  Cool and store in the refrigerator.

Turkey Chili

We made this chili for our ward's Trunk or Treat dinner and it was delicious. I think this is Jeff's favorite chili now, and of course it's just the right thing on cold snowy evenings. : ) The original recipe called for 6 medium zucchini halved lengthwise and sliced, but I didn't have anymore zucchini and Jeff probably wouldn't have wanted them in there anyway. The recipe also says, "If you like beans in you chili, garbanzos right out of the can are great in this". I added one can of Great Northern beans, but I bed the garbanzo beans would be good, too. This makes a large batch - you can easily cut the recipe in half, or freeze half of it for later.

Turkey Chili

1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more if needed
3 lbs ground turkey
2 medium onions, finely chopped (I only used about 1/2 of a medium onion)
2 bell peppers (green, orange, yellow or red)
2 (1 ounce) packages taco seasoning mix
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/4 C. tomato paste
2 (14.5 ounce) cans beef broth
2 (7 ounce) cans salsa
2 (14.5 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (7 ounce) cans chopped green chili peppers
Optional:
2 bunches green onions, chopped
2 C. sour cream
2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble turkey into the pot, stirring with a wooden spoon to break apart the turkey. When the turkey is close to done, add the onion and bell peppers. Add a little more oil, if needed. Continue browning turkey, onions and peppers until turkey is cooked through and no longer pink. Season with the taco seasoning, coriander, oregano chili flakes and tomato paste. Stir until everything is evenly coated with seasonings. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes more. Pour in the beef broth, and simmer to reduce liquid slightly, about 5 minutes. Add salsa, tomatoes, and green chilies, and continue cooking at a moderate simmer for ten minutes.
Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Top with sour cream, green onion and cheddar cheese, if desired, and serve.
Serves 12

Recipe altered from allrecipes.com

Balsamic Chicken Pasta Salad

Even though it's not summer anymore I still wanted to post this recipe! You can be pretty versatile with the veggies you put in.  I'm sure it would be good with all kinds of garden fresh ones.

Simple and Delicious Magazine

Balsamic Chicken Pasta Salad
3 c. uncooked bow tie pasta
4 c. cubed cooked chicken breast
2 c. chopped tomatoes
1/4 - 1/2 c. chopped green onion
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c. feta cheese
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. minced fresh basil, or 1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse in cold water; transfer to a large bowl.  Add the chicken, veggies and feta cheese.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, other than the Parmesan.  Drizzle over the salad and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with Parmesan if desired.

Yield: 8 servings

Recipe adapted from Simple and Delicious.

Frosting Update

Since I posted the recipe for that really yummy frosting back in March, I've seen it in a few other places.  Our Best Bites calls it Whipped Buttercream and the Lion House Cakes and Cupcakes cookbook calls it Baker's Frosting.  There are a few alterations here and there between the recipes but they are mainly the same.

I tried making this for some cupcakes for a bridal shower.  It totally failed.  Twice.  So I brought some yummy looking ones made with a different kind of frosting, and some that looked like I spread curdled milk on top of them.  I was desperate though because I had to leave!!

Later, I searched Our Best Bites and I found out a few things.  The big thing apparently is that you have to use name brand butter.  Most especially, not Wal-Mart or Sam's Club butter.  I think I probably used Smith's or Western Family butter the first couple of times I made it and it turned out ok, but these last times it was Wally World's.  Others on their website had trouble with that brand too.  Weird.  Maybe their butter is made with lower quality stuff.

One last thing - don't put it in the fridge!  It separates and you get chunks of butter... bleh!

Anyway, just thought I'd pass that along.  If you're planning on trying the recipe, you may want to splurge on the costly stuff.  Otherwise, just stick with regular buttercream!

Mahi Mahi with Zesty Peach Salsa

Mmmm...mm! This is a tasty combination. I used crushed red pepper in the salsa instead of jalapenos and I used a lot to give it a good kick....but you can use as much or as little as you like. :) The recipe for the salsa originally called for 1 tablespoon of minced fresh cilantro, but I left that out.
I think this would be a great salsa for many kinds of fish, and also for chicken.

Mahi Mahi with Zesty Peach Salsa

MARINADE:
1/3 C. orange juice
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp grated lime peel
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
4 (6 once) mahi mahi filets

SALSA:
2 C. chopped fresh or frozen peaches
1/4 C. chopped sweet red pepper
1/4 C. chopped onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (or crushed red peppers to taste)
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; mix well. Remove 1/4 cup for basting; cover and refrigerate. Pour remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the halibut. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 2 hours. In a bowl, combine salsa ingredients; cover and refrigerate until serving.
If grilling the fish, coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill. Drain and discard marinade from fish. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat or broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork, basting occasionally with reserved marinade. Serve with peach salsa.

Slightly adapted from Allrecipes.com

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple Filling

This recipe caught my eye because Josh loves pumpkin baked goods as do I AND they have maple filling and maple is truly one of the flavors of heaven :o)
Tiernan was my frosting helper - he loves to help in the kitchen!

Filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
2 teaspoons maple extract (or mapeline)

Cake:
3 cups flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground cloves
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Cake:
In a medium bowl blend together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves. Using mixer, beat butter and both sugars until blended. Gradually beat in oil. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in pumpkin. Add dre ingredients alternately with milk, beating to blend between additions and ossacionally scraping down sides of bowl. Cover and chill batter at least 1 hour .

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment; spray lightly with nonstick spray. Spoon a large rounded tablespoon of batter onto baking sheet to form cakes and space several inches apart.
Bake cakes about 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Slide parchment paper onto cooling racks and cool cakes completely.

Filling:
Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add marshmallow creme and maple extract; beat until blended and smooth.

Spoon desired amount of filling on flat side of 1 cake. Top with another cake, flat side down. Repeat with remaining cakes and filing.

Tiernan also enjoys eating what he makes. Unless we let him help with vegetables - then he won't try them ;)


Mia was also enjoying her giant cookie and milk. I told Tiernan these are like a cupcake with the frosting on the inside.


This is Josh. He was not interested in trying the treat I made especially because I knew he'd like them!! He wouldn't even look at the camera! But we can all see how cute his curly hair is from the side :o)

Chocolate Krazy Cake

I got three new cookbooks from the good people at Deseret Book for loaning them my husband to help with the 17 Miracles promotions this summer!  Cool!  One of them is Lion House Cakes and Cupcakes.  Avery and I were drooling over several photos in that one.

Avery decided that she wanted to make one of the cakes so she chose the Chocolate Krazy Cake, also known as Eggless Cake.  She made the whole thing entirely by herself!  I must say that she chose a good one to do on her own too because you just have to dump it all together and mix it up.  Nothing complicated at all, so it's a great starter one. The cake is moist and dense, which I like much more than light and airy!

She was pretty excited too that there are no eggs in this recipe because that means you can lick the beaters!  She shared the beaters with Brayden and Kelton and she and Cameron each took one side of the spatula - gross!

Chocolate Krazy Cake (Eggless Cake)
2 c. sugar
3 c. flour
6 T. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. oil
2 c. water
1 T. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and beat until well mixed.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  Frost with your choice of frosting.

Can also make 28-30 cupcakes.

Zucchini (Tastes Like Apple) Crisp

We had a dinner with friends last night and I was assigned to bring dessert. I made 2 Nutella pies but one of our friends is lactose intolerant so he couldn't have the cream cheese or whipped cream in the pies. I wanted to try a Zucchini-used as apples-recipe so I decided this would be a great time to try it! I didn't tell anyone who ate it that it wasn't apples until later in the evening and they were all shocked that it was zucchini - no one could tell the difference! Although our lactose intolerant friend claimed that he didn't really get a dessert - he only had vegetables and would have to stop on the way home to have a "real" dessert! :o)

So if you have a lot of zucchini this is a fun way to use it.


8 cups sliced zucchini (peeled and seeded)
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Topping:
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup butter, softened
Whipped cream or ice cream, optional

Place zucchini and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir the 1/2 cup sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon together and add to zucchini in the saucepan; blend until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Pour into a buttered 13 X 9 inch baking pan.

For topping, combine brown sugar, flour, oats and butter until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over zucchini. Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream if desired. Yield: 12-16 servings

Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwiches

This is my favorite chicken salad recipe right now. It's simple and soooo gooood!!

Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwiches

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 C chopped salted cashews

1 C chopped red apple

1 C chopped, peeled cucumber

1 C mayonnaise

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/8 - 1/4 tsp pepper

Kaiser rolls, split

In a large bowl combine everything except lettuce and rolls. Stir gently until well combined. Pile the bottom of the roll with chicken salad and replace roll tops.

Makes 6-8 sandwiches

Zucchini Torte

We had this for dinner tonight and both Jeff and I thought it was really good. The kids refused to even try it, surprise, surprise. The original recipe called for tarragon and marjoram, but Jeff doesn't like either of those, so I used parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. However, I didn't measure them, so if you want to use tarragon and marjoram, use 1 teaspoon crushed marjoram and 1/4 teaspoon crushed tarragon. I also got ahead of myself and sprinkled the second half of the cheese on the second layer of veggies instead of doing the eggs and tomato first, so I just added some additional cheese on top of the tomatoes when it was all assembled. Extra cheese never hurts....am I right or am I right? : ) You could probably substitute olive oil for the butter and make this even healthier.

Zucchini Torte
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter or margarine
1 C. saltine cracker crumbs (from about 30 crackers)
3/4 C. regular wheat germ
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 pound (2 medium) zucchini, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
parsley, rosemary, thyme, to taste
1 small pinch of sage
1 1/2 C. Monterey jack cheese
1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/3 C. milk
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400°. Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter. Mix with the crumbs and 1/4 cup of the wheat germ. Press n bottom and 1 inch up sides of an 8-inch spring form pan or a 9-inch pie pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet. Add onion and zucchini. Saute until zucchini is crisp-tender. Add remaining 1/2 cup wheat germ, salt, pepper, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Mix well. Turn half the mixture into crumb shell. Sprinkle with half of the Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheese. Top with remaining vegetable mixture. Beat eggs with milk. Pour into center of the vegetable mixture. Arrange tomato slices on top. Sprinkle remaining cheese over all. Set on baking sheet to catch any drippings. Bake at 350° 40-45 minutes or until set.

Mexican Rice

O.k., so this is another recipe that calls for cilantro that I actually liked. That makes a grand total of 3, because once when I was pregnant with one of the kids I made some rice dish w/ cilantro that I really liked. I think the key is that it's cooked. ANYWAY, this rice is really good. And I even ruined it a little! Yes, I was in a hurry, and I forgot to turn the stove down to let the rice simmer, so the bottom was burned. So we just ate the rice on top and we thought it was quite tasty! I used a little less onion, for Jeff's sake, and I used an orange bell pepper because we like them better than green AND they were on sale.

Mexican Rice

1 C. white rice
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 C. chicken broth
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/ 2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 can diced green chiles, or 1 fresh jalapeno, finely diced
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cube chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

In a medium sauce pan, cook rice in oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in onion, green pepper, green chiles or jalapeno and diced tomato. Season with bouillon cube, salt and pepper, cumin, cilantro, and garlic. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Garlic-Lime Cornish Game Hens

Tiernan and Amelia were so excited to have their "own small chickens" for dinner. And we all really liked these. They were juicy and flavorful. And I'm not usually a big fan of cilantro, but this recipe sounded so good, so I thought I'd give it a try and I actually liked it! Who knew?
You could also make this with a whole chicken, I'm sure. Oh, and it says it takes about 30 minutes to cook - mine looked done after 30 minutes, but I wasn't exactly ready with the rice and other sides, so I tented these with foil and left them in for about another 20 minutes and they were still nice and juicy and delicious.

Garlic-Lime Cornish Game Hens

4-6 cloves garlic (depending on your personal taste)
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. lime zest
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Cornish game hens, thawed and patted dry
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1 1/2 - 2 C. chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 450°.
Combine the garlic, cilantro, lime zest, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in a small bowl. Slide your fingertips under the skin of the hens to loosen. Spread half of the herb mixture under the skin of each hen. Season hens with coarse salt and pepper and rub the remaining herb mixture all over the hens. Drizzle with butter.
Place hens into shallow roasting pan.
Roast the hens until golden and cooked through (when an instant read thermometer registers 170° - 175° at the thickest part of the thigh), adding broth after 10 minutes, and basting twice throughout the cooking time, about 30 minutes. Transfer the hens to a platter and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve with Mexican rice, if desired.

(Recipe from cookingontheside.com)

Ambrosia Sorbet

This is a nice change of pace from ice cream... not that a change of pace is needed when you have ice cream, but, ya know. :)

I didn't have 12 oranges so I just used bottled orange juice. Much quicker. :)

Ambrosia Sorbet

11-12 navel oranges

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 cup cream of coconut

Grate enough orange rind to equal two teaspoons. Cut oranges in half and squeeze enough juice to equal 3 cups.

Bring water to a boil and add sugar. Cook until sugar dissolves then remove from heat. Add oranges, orange zest, and cream of coconut.

Chill for at least 2 hours then freeze according to manufacturer's instructions with ice cream maker.

From Southern Living

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

This recipe is sooo yummy! I don't know if it's entirely guiltless, but it's good! We have used it for grilled pizzas and I mixed the leftover sauce with a can of tomato sauce and Italian seasoning and it made a good creamy marinara.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk

1/3 C (3oz) cream cheese

2 T flour

1 tsp salt

1 T butter

3 cloves garlic

1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Combine milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in a blender. Process until smooth then set aside. In a sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Saute until fragrant. Add milk mixture to pan. Stir constantly for about 3-4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Cook until thickened then remove from heat. Add cheese and stir immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes.

**If you have leftovers that turn solid in the refrigerator, just reheat with a little extra milk to get the right consistency again.

Recipe from ourbestbites.com

Italian Baked Tortilla Chips

In the Better Homes and Gardens magazine this month (I'm still getting them from Grandad's old subscription) they had a page with ideas for baked tortilla chips. I was gone, but Jeremy wanted a snack so he decided to try some. We didn't have some ingredients for the ones they suggested so he baked his own and they turned out quite tastey!

Italian Baked Tortilla Chips

smallish tortillas (not burrito size)
olive oil
garlic salt
Italian seasoning
Italian blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tortillas on baking sheet. Brush tortilla tops with olive oil. Sprinkle on garlic salt, Italian seasoning and a small amount of Italian blend cheese (you still want to see the tortilla under the cheese). Bake for about 10 minutes or until crisp or semi-crisp.

These were really quick and really yummy. The magazine suggested doing a Southwest one with olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika and coarse salt. Another combo that sounded good was a pepper-lime one: mix some green hot pepper sauce with olive oil and then sprinkle lime zest on top. We haven't tried these other ones yet, but they sounded good so I thought I'd pass them along.

Bobby's Philly Burgers

This is our version of Bobby Flay's Philly Burgers. We made these for Becky's birthday dinner tonight.

Bobby's Philly Burgers

1 1/2 Ib (80/20) ground beef

Canola oil

Salt

Pepper

8 slices provolone cheese

1 red bell pepper

1 green pepper

1 Onion (Bobby suggests a Spanish onion, I used white cause I didn't know what a Spanish onion is and you know, it's not like Waldemort ever has anything out of ordinary...)

Sliced peperoncini peppers

Hamburger buns

Divide hamburger into 4 equal portions and gently shape into patties, no more than 3/4 inch thick (don't overwork the meat). Make a depression in the center with your thumb so the burger won't bulge, the indent will rise as the patty cooks. Heat the grill to high. Brush the burgers with canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown and slightly charred, turning once (7 minutes for medium-rare). Avoid pressing with a spatula! Add cheese the last minute of grilling and close the lid so the cheese melts.

Meanwhile, slice the peppers into thin slices and slice the onion into rings. Saute the peppers and onions in a little oil until soft and delicious.

Top burgers with peperoncini (to taste) and peppers and onions and of course the bun!

Thanks Bobby Flay!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This is a rich and delicious cake and so easy to make! Even better, the kids had no clue that there was zucchini in it and they loved it! I left out the walnuts because I knew they wouldn't eat it then but I'm sure walnuts would be just lovely in the cake. And, the picture I took last night didn't work so I'm gonna have to take another one right now so I guess I'll have to have cake for lunch. Shoot!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2 C all-purpose flour

2 C white sugar

3/4 C baking cocoa

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

4 eggs

1 1/2 C vegetable oil

3 C grated zucchini

3/4 C chopped walnuts, optional

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the eggs and oil; mix well. Fold in the zucchini and nuts until evenly distributed. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a knife in the center comes out clean.

Cool completely then frost with whatever kind of frosting you like or sprinkle top with powdered sugar.

Original recipe found on allrecipes.com.

Spinach Herb Twists

We loved these and Jeremy even gave them a 10!



Spinach Herb Twists

for the dough:
3 c. flour, plus more for kneading
1 pkg yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. warm (105-110 degrees) water
1 tsp sugar
 
for the filling:
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
4-6 oz asiago or parmesean cheese, grated
1 clove garlic
1 tsbp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
 
for the dough:

PLACE sugar, water and yeast in a bowl and allow the yeast to proof (get foamy)
add flour, salt and oil and mix in the bowl until it begins to form a sticky dough
place onto a well floured counter top and begin to knead, adding flour a little at a time until the dough is no longer tacky, then knead until the dough is smooth and elastic – about 7-10 minutes

place into an oiled bowl and let rise about 1/2 hour. Meanwhile, steam spinach and squeeze dry. In a medium bowl, mix spinach with remaining filling ingredients.

Punch down and divide into two pieces

roll out to about 1/2 inch in thickness – a rectangle about 6 X 15 inches
brush with two tablespoons of melted butter and add one half of the filling, spreading evenly

using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips about – 1 1/2  inches wide – about 10 of them -

twist and place onto a cookie sheet

do the same to the remaining half of dough and filling – allow to rise for about 20 minutes

bake at 400 for 8-11 minutes, or until lightly browned

Tortellini with Peas, Broccoli and Pancetta

I thought this was delicious.  I kept the vegetables separate from the tortellini so that I didn't have to hear my kids lament about having them mixed.  I also didn't use any meat, but I'm sure you could if you don't have a husband who dislikes ham!

Tortellini with Peas, Broccoli and Pancetta

1 T. olive oil
3 oz pancetta or ham, finely diced, optional
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. salt
black pepper, to taste
1 pound cheese tortellini
1 c. frozen peas
1 1/2 c. broccoli, cut into small florets (not bigger than the tortellini)
1/4-1/2 c. pasta cooking water
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add pancetta; cook until beginning to turn crisp, about 10 minutes.  Add onion, garlic and broccoli, cook 2-3 minutes.  Add a tablespoon or two of water and cover the pan to steam the broccoli for a few minutes.  Uncover and cook until the water is absorbed.  Add salt and pepper. Add peas and toss together gently.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, reserving 1/2 c. cooking water.  Add pasta to the broccoli mixture and toss together.  Add 1/4 cup or more of reserved cooking water ((just enough to keep it from being too dry).  Sprinkle with cheese.  Serves 6.

Recipe altered from relishmag.com

Tomatillo Salsa

Sorry I took so long to get this one up Mom!

We made this salsa when Mom and Dad came for a visit and everyone liked it. Ava loved it, but when we made it today she took one bite and spit it out. Story of my life right now! All she will eat is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese (as long as she doesn't get any onions in her bite) and sometimes spaghetti, although that ones seems to be on its way out. Anyway, back to the salsa....

Tomatillo Salsa

8 tomatillos, husks removed

1 medium tomato

1 small onion

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded

3 Tbsp cilantro leaves

5 garlic cloves, peeled

1 Tbsp lime juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cumin, heaping

1/8 tsp pepper

In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add tomatillos and reduce heat. Simmer for 5 (not 15... ask Mom hehe) minutes. Drain.

Place all ingredients and drained tomatillos in blender and process until blended. Serve with tortilla chips.

Spinach Salad Wraps

These are very quick and so very tasty! I melted my cheese on the tortilla before adding everything else, but it's probably good without melting it as well.

Spinach Salad Wraps

2 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/8 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 5-oz. pkg. fresh baby spinach (about 5 cups)
8 medium flour tortillas (not burrito but not taquito sized)
8 slices mozzarella cheese
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
12 slices bacon, crisp cooked and drained
4-5 hard-cooked eggs, sliced


For dressing, in a small bowl whisk together vinegar, sour cream, sugar, parsley, salt, garlic, and dry mustard until combined. Whisk in the olive oil; set dressing aside.
Divide spinach among flour tortillas. Top with cheese, mushrooms, bacon, and sliced eggs. Drizzle with a good amount of dressing.
Roll up tortillas. If necessary, secure with toothpicks. If desired, wrap in waxed paper and cut in half to serve.

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

There is a bit of prep work for this recipe, but you can make the filling (minus the strawberries) and even the batter the night before to speed things up a bit. Make sure you stir the batter every now and then or all your spices will sink to the bottom... I might know this from experience. :)


Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Filling:
5 ounces cream cheese, softened
1-2 tsps sugar
2 Tablespoons strawberry preserves or jam
1 1/4 cup diced strawberries
1 loaf French or Italian bread
Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Egg Batter:
6 large eggs
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk

Breading:
2 cups crushed Cornflakes
1 cup sliced almonds

In a medium bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of butter and the cream cheese until combined. Add the strawberry preserves and mix until incorporated. Fold in the diced strawberries into the cream cheese mixture.

Cut bread into thick slices (about 1 inch thick). Make an incision on the crust side of the bread about 3/4 of the way through. You're creating a pocket to stuff the cream cheese mixture into. Gently spoon 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture (the small white spatuala that Mandy introduced us to works great for this!) into each of the 4 slices of bread and gently close the pocket. Refrigerate the stuffed slices while you prepare the batter and breading.

For the egg batter, add the eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, vanilla, and milk to a medium shallow bowl and mix well. Set aside.

Prepare the breading by adding the crushed cornflakes and almonds to a sheet pan or a shallow bowl. Dip the bread slices in the egg batter making sure to let each side soak for about 20 seconds. Next, dip them into the cereal mixture.

Heat a griddle to about 325 degrees. Cook each side of the french toast for about 2-3 minutes or until medium brown. Serve with maple syrup on top.

Pronto Pastitsio

This is from Avery's Southern Living Kids Cookbook.  Chad and I thought it was so good.  Avery said so-so, probably only because it was from her book.
I actually had the tomato and basil spaghetti sauce on hand, surprisingly, but I'm sure it would work with other flavors too.  I also just used mozzarella and Parmesan for the cheeses.  You can prepare it and refrigerate it ahead of time.

Pronto Pastitsio

6 oz uncooked elbow macaroni
1/2 -1 lb ground lamb or beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. tomato-and-basil pasta sauce
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 (10 oz) container Alfredo sauce
1 1/2 c. shredded Italian blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease an 11x7-inch pan.  Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook ground lamb, onion and salt in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Drain, and stir in pasta sauce and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon half the macaroni into baking pan; top with meat mixture.  Spoon remaining macaroni over meat mixture.  Spread or pour Alfredo sauce over macaroni, and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings.

Cinnamon Bread

This is such a yummy bread which shouldn't be a surprise since the recipe is from King Arthur Flour. :) We've been able to find cinnamon chips at Safeway at Christmas time so we stock up then. You can also order them from King Arthur if you can't find them anywhere right now (but they'll be more expensive...)

A word about the cinnamon, this calls for Vietnamese Cinnamon which I purchased at the Savory Spice Shop in downtown Littleton. It's stronger than regular cinnamon so if you use regular cinnamon in the recipe you'll want to increase it just a little.

Cinnamon Bread

3 C flour

1/2 C sugar

2 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 C warm milk

1/4 C butter, melted

1 large egg

1 C (6 oz) cinnamon chips

Cinnamon sugar for topping

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, and egg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, beating until smooth. Stir in the cinnamon chips. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour, covered.

Stir the batter down, then spoon into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until tests done (a cake tester inserted in center will come out clean). When done, let bread rest in pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: Don't slice bread while it's hot! It'll slice much better and taste better when it's completely cool!

Recipe from King Arthur Flour catalog.

Twice Grilled Potatoes

We made these for our bbq yesterday and it was a nice change of pace. The original recipe calls for 2 Tbsp of dijon mustard but we only had honey mustard or yellow mustard which would have given very different flavors so we left it out completely. You could certainly add in whatever you like though when you mix the filling.

Twice Grilled Potatoes

4 russet potatoes

Vegetable oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Filling:

1/2 C whole milk

1/2 C grated provolone cheese (we just cut up sliced provolone into small pieces)

1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

1/2 C cooked crumbled bacon

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 C sour cream to garnish

Wash the potatoes really well and cut in half lengthwise. Generously brush cut side with oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Prepare grill for direct grilling at low heat. Oil the grill well* and place potatoes cut side down. Close the lid and cook for 30 minutes, turning once until soft and flesh side is caramelized. Remove from grill and cool slightly.

Scoop out the insides leaving a 1/2-inch border all around the potato so that it won't fall apart on the grill. Place scooped potato in a bowl and add milk and cheese and mix until well blended. Add chives, bacon, salt, and pepper and stir until well combined but still chunky. You can sprinkle a little cheese on top if you'd like. (And who wouldn't like?)

Fill the potato shells with stuffing. Place back on grill at medium low heat. Cook until warmed through and cheese has melted and caramelized, about 7-10 minutes. Remove and top with sour cream.

Makes 8 potato halves.

*Grill oiling tip: (I originally learned this from Steve Raichlen's BBQ tips.) Fold a paper towel up, hold it in tongs and dip it in vegetable oil then brush the oil over the grill grates. Just do one section at a time and watch out for any flare ups. This works fabulously and I do it every time I grill now. Amazing how things don't stick to the grill if you oil it. haha!

Altered from More Grilled to Perfection by Chris Knight.

Whole Wheat Waffles with Maple and Pear

These are not super dense like you'd imagine they would be and but they are quite filling. The batter is thick so it doesn't make many waffles... I think we got 5 or 6, but, again, they're really filling.

Whole Wheat Waffles with Maple and Pear

1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/4 cups milk
1 (15 oz) can pear halves
maple syrup

In large bowl, whisk eggs until thick and light-colored. Whisk in melted butter and milk. In a seperate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Pour into egg mixture. Mix until batter is moistened and smooth. Pour 1/2 cup batter into center of waffle iron and bake until golden brown.
Meanwhile, drain pear halves and mash to near applesauce consistancy. Top waffles with pear and maple syrup.

Tropical BBQ Chicken

3-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or legs and thighs - what ever you like)
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons corn starch
1/4 cup water

Place chicken in a 4-qt crock pot. In a bowl, combine the ketchup, orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, oil, Worcestershire saude, garlic salt and pepper; pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Remove chicken to a serving plate; keep warm. Pour juices from the crock pot through a strainer into a saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into chicken juices in the pan. Bring to a boil while stirring with a whisk; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve sauce with chicken over rice.

Dad liked this but he likes everything so the true test was Carrie. She liked it and hoped I would post it on the blog because she said "Everyone is always looking for new crock pot recipes."

Freshly Squeezed Strawberrry Limeades

These are soo delicious! We had them when we had a pool party/picnic out on our deck.



Fresh Strawberry Limeade

1 tall glass
Sprite, chilled
1 1/2 limes
3-4 tablespoons Strawberry Sauce, chilled

Squeeze the juice of one lime into the glass. Fill the glass halfway with Sprite. Add 3-4 tablespoons of strawberry sauce. Top the glass off with Sprite and add more strawberry sauce if desired. Stir the strawberry sauce with a straw to really get it mixed in before you drink it. Garnish with lime wedges (which you can also squeeze into the glass before drinking. Definitely best when served with a straw.



Strawberry Sauce
1 pint strawberries
1/3 c. white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract


Combine berries, sugar, and extract in medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for five minutes, stirring/breaking strawberries up with a wooden spoon constantly.
After five minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly (if you have a glass blender jar) and a lot (if you have a plastic blender jar). When cool enough, transfer mixture to blender and pulse until desired consistency is reached.

Recipe slightly altered from Our Best Bites

Holstein Crinkles

Mmm, chocolate goodness!

Holstein Crinkles

2 C sugar

1/2 C vegetable oil

4 squares (1 ounce, each) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

2 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

2 C flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C mini chocolate chips

3/4 - 1 C powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil, chocolate, and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to chocolate mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or until easy to handle.

Working in small batches, shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool 1-2 minutes on tray then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 6 dozen.

From Taste of Home.

Crescent Zucchini Quiche

This is another yummy zucchini recipe for when you have zucchini up the wazoo;);) this summer! It's slightly altered from a past Simple and Delicious issue.

Crescent Zucchini Quiche
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 smallish zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped onion, heaping
4 tablespoons butter, cubed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Separate crescent dough into eight triangles and place in a greased 9-in. deep-dish pie plate with points toward the center. Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of plate to form a crust; seal seams. Spread with mustard.
In a large skillet, saute zucchini and onion in butter until tender. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cheeses, seasonings and zucchini mixture. Pour into crust.
Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cover edges loosely with foil if crust browns too quickly. Yield: 6 servings.

German Chocolate Pie

I made this for Father's Day dessert since dad likes German Chocolate cake but prefers pie to cake. It's simple and it's yummy!

German Chocolate Pie

1 pie crust, prebaked

Filling:

1/3 C sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 C milk

4 ounces German sweet cooking chocolate, chopped

1 Tbsp butter

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

1 egg, beaten

1 (5oz) can evaporated milk

1/2 C sugar

1/4 C butter

1 1/3 C sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 C chopped pecans

Filling:

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan, then stir in the milk, chocolate, and butter. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Turn down the heat to medium and continue to whisk another 2 minutes. Gradually stir about 1 cup of the mixture into the egg yolks, then pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan. Return to a boil over medium heat and cook and whisk another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour the filling into the crust.

Topping:

Combine the egg, milk, sugar, and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until just thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut and pecans, then spread the topping evenly over the chocolate filling.

Cool to room temperature on a wire rack, then chill in the refrigerator for several hours before slicing and serving. Keep any leftover pie in the refrigerator.

This delightful recipe is from Mrs. Rowe's little book of Southern Pies.

Sun-kissed Orange Pancakes

These pancakes are fabulous! The batter is very thin - almost crepe-like so you might want to double the recipe. They are a bit reminiscent of orange rolls, so you know they'll be good! I tried one with some strawberry jam on top and it was good, but I loved them with maple syrup on top.

Sun-kissed Orange Pancakes

1 egg
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup orange juice
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground flax seed

Preheat griddle to about 300-350 degrees. In blender, combine egg, butter and orange juice. Blend for about 20 seconds or until smooth. Add flour, salt and baking powder; process until smooth. Mix in flax. Pour enough batter on the griddle until pancakes are about the size of your fist. Turn once top is bubbly. Serve warm with maple syrup.

**I tried cooking these in a skillet on the stove and they didn't turn out at all, but when I switched to the griddle they were perfect.

Mint Oreo Ice Cream

Jeremy's favorite ice cream is mint with oreo pieces, but we can usually only find mint chocolate chip - soooo not as good! So we decided to try our hand at making our own and it turned out wonderfully! If you have leftovers and you freeze it overnight, the ice cream will actually have the consistancy of store-bought ice cream.

Mint Oreo Ice Cream

4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp mint extract
2 cups half and half
1/3 pkg mint creme filled oreo cookies, broken into bite-size pieces

In large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick. In saucepan over medium heat, bring the half and half and mint extract to a simmer, without letting it come to a full boil. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan while beating continuously. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until cream coats the back of a spoon (it should be about 170F on a candy thermometer). Let cool completely and refrigerate until cold. Mix in oreo cookies and pour mixture into ice cream maker.

Zucchini Alfredo

This is a nice change of pace when you have zucchini up the wazoo this summer.

Zucchini Alfredo

1 (12 ounce) package uncooked egg noodles
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup milk
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (I substituted with dried)
salt and pepper to taste
shredded Parmesan cheese

1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2.Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic, and cook 2 minutes. Mix in zucchini, and cook 10 minutes, until some of the moisture has evaporated.
3.Pour the milk into the skillet, and stir in cream cheese until melted. Mix in basil. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve over the cooked pasta.

recipe from allrecipes.com

Country Style Grilled Ribs

I made these last night for the J who is a big rib fan. He and his friend both thought they were go-od! They're easy to make but ribs do take time so you just have to plan ahead a little.

Country Style Grilled Ribs

3 lbs country style pork ribs

Salt & pepper

1/2 C water

1 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)

1 C water

1 C ketchup

1/4 packed brown sugar

1/4 C cider vinegar

1/4 C Worcestershire sauce

1/2 Tbsp celery seed

1 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce

Dash black pepper

Rub ribs with salt and pepper to taste. Put 1/2 cup water and the garlic in shallow roasting pan, add ribs to pan. Cover and bake at 325˚ for 1-1/4 hours or until meat thermometer reads 160˚.

Toward the end of the cooking time, combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove meat from oven and discard water. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over ribs, turn to coat and let sit for 15 minutes.

Grill ribs over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, basting with remaining sauce and turning occasionally. Serve with any remaining sauce.*

*There’s not too much sauce left with this so if you want sauce to serve on the side you might want to make an additional half recipe or so.

Ravioli Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

Another yummy pasta dish!

Ravioli Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

Recipe altered from Our Best Bites

12 oz bag Cheese & Spinach Tortelini
4 oz bacon or pancetta, (about 4 strips bacon)*
3 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press or finely minced
2 Tbs flour
2 C milk
¾ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 medium lemon
2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 C grated mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil.  Add ravioli and cook according to package instructions.
Place bacon in a medium sized skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat.  Cook until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain.  Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest.  Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute.  Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth.  Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.
While sauce is heating, use a microplane grater or a fine-holed cheese grater to zest lemon.  Then cut lemon in half and remove juice.  Add 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to sauce.  Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat.
Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture.  Add spinach, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  Add sauce and gently stir to combine.  Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozarella and 1/4 cup parmesan.
Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle bacon pieces on top before serving.

Creamy Cajun Pasta with Blackened Chicken

This recipe is really tasty! We had it with the missionaries and they even asked for the recipe haha. I didn't measure out my Cajun seasoning, I just sprinkled the chicken with a good amount of it before cooking it.

Creamy Cajun Pasta with Blackened Chicken

1-2 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves, sliced into thin strips
2-3 Tb Cajun seasoning
1 Tb canola or olive oil
8 oz. gemelli or penne pasta
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes with onion and garlic
1 tsp dry basil1tsp sugar
2/3 cup cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (plus more for garnish)


1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and keep warm.  Pour tomatoes into a small sauce pan and add dry basil and sugar.  (*If using fresh basil, stir in at the end.)  Reduce the tomatoes over medium-high heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. 
2. While tomatoes are cooking, rub chicken breasts with desired amount of Cajun seasoning. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat (careful not to burn the oil).  Add chicken and cook 7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear when pierced. 
3. Once the tomatoes have thickened, reduce heat and stir in cream. Heat through but DO NOT BOIL!  Toss with pasta and parmesan cheese. 
4. Serve sliced chicken on top of pasta and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Cinnamon Swirl

This is a really quick substitute for homemade cinnamon rolls that tastes just like them but takes much less time.  A & B thought it was fun to help with poking the topping into the batter.

Cinnamon Swirl

Batter:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 T. yeast (or 2 pkgs)
2/3 c. very warm milk (120-130)
2 T. butter, melted
2 T. oil
1 egg

Cinnamon mixture:
3 T. butter, softened (or melted)
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Icing:
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 -1 T. milk
1/2 T. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, mix all the batter ingredients.  Pour and spread into a greased 8-inch pan.  Let rise 10-15 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine cinnamon mixture in a small bowl mixing with a fork. 
Top batter evenly with cinnamon mixture.  Using fingers, poke topping thoroughly into batter.
Bake by placing in a COLD oven; set temperature to 350.  Bake 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned and firm in center.  Cool 10 minutes.  Combine icing ingredients and drizzle over warm cake.
Yield: 9 servings

Recipe slightly altered from Fleischmann's

Hominy Taco Chili

This makes a big batch so you can freeze half and eat half - very efficient. This chili has a good flavor and for those of us who don’t care for beef I think it would be great w/o the beef (and with onion powder not icky onions, of course).

If you have never tried hominy before, don't let it scare you. It looks like giant corn, has a mild taste and it makes a nice addition to soups, chilies, etc. You can use either white or yellow hominy in this chili.

Hominy Taco Chili

1/2 lb ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 can (15.5 oz) hominy

2 cans (14.5 oz each) petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn (or a can if you’re not a corn snob)

1 can (15 oz) chili beans, undrained

1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 C water

1 envelope taco seasoning (or 1/4 C from a Costco sized jar...)

1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Optional Toppings:

Corn chips, sour cream, guacamole, shredded cheese

In a large Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients (except toppings). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve half of the chili with toppings for dinner. Cool the remaining half and freeze it for dinner on one of those crazy nights when you have no time for anything else!

To use frozen chili: Thaw in the refrigerator. Transfer to a large pan; heat through, adding water if needed. Serve with toppings.

Each batch serves 4-6.

Altered from a recipe in Taste of Home.

French Almond Cake with Berries and Cream

We had this tasty confection for dessert on Easter. Mmmmmm...mmm! It was really good. A very nice combination of flavors here....but how can you go wrong when berries, almonds and cream are involved? :) The leftovers (if there are any) also make a great breakfast the following day. Or, uh, so I've heard. hee hee.
(We couldn't find raspberries anywhere so we just doubled the blackberries.)

French Almond Cake with Berries and Cream

Almond Cake:
4 ounces almond paste
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3 large eggs
1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Cream Cheese Topping:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. confectioner's sugar
1/2 C. heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp almond extract

Sweetened Berries:
1/2 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 C. raspberries
1 C. blackberries
2 Tbsp confectioner's sugar
1/4 C. seedless raspberry jam

Prepare the almond cake: Preheat oven to 375°. Grease and flour 9-inch round non-stick cake pan. Crumble almond paste into food processor fitted with blade attachment. Add granulated sugar and pulse until almond paste is finely ground. Add butter and process until smooth. Add eggs and process until combined, occasionally stopping processor and scraping down sides of bowl. Add flour, baking powder and salt, and process until blended. Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread out evenly.
Bake 20 minutes or until cake is browned and top springs back when lightly pressed with finger. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes then invert pan onto cooling rack to remove cake. Cool completely.
Meanwhile, prepare cream cheese topping:
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese at low speed until smooth. Add confectioner's sugar and beat on low speed until blended. Add cream and extract; increase blender speed to high and beat mixture until thick and fluffy. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Prepare sweetened berries:
In a large bowl, combine berries with confectioner's sugar. Toss gently to combine. Let stand 10 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve and flavors to blend.
Place cake on serving plate. Spread jam on top of cake to 1/2 inch from edge. Spoon cream topping over jam, spreading to cover. Spread berry mixture over cream. Serve immediately.


Recipe from Good Housekeeping