Top Ten Tuesday

 

This is my first time doing a Top Ten Tuesday, hopefully I can find ten foodie things to put on my list.

01.  Need to figure out what to do with the leftover chicken for dinner.  The last couple times we had roast chicken I made a pot pie with the left overs and I don't want to do that every week.

02.  Need to figure out what fun foods to serve at Miss V's Halloween party this weekend.  Going to be a bit more difficult since fridge space is very limited.  Our kitchen fridge died yesterday and we moved the garage fridge into the kitchen.  It is a much smaller fridge, but at least we have one!

03.  I found the perfect Frankenstein cupcakes to make and Miss V loves them.

04.  Need to hit the grocery store tomorrow, I am making desserts for Miss V's Harvest Party at school.

05.  I am going to make Pumpkin Crunch Parfaits for Miss V's class party.

06.  I think I might make some cookies too for her party.

07.  Need to find a good gruesome drink for Miss V's Halloween party, have any ideas???

08.  Must take a picture of the Chocolate Banana bread that just came out of the oven when it cools off.

09.  I also need to make a menu plan for the rest of the week.

10.  I have some left over pumpkin that needs to be baked into some yummy treats, off to scour the internet.

Corn Salsa

I also made this corn salsa for our Deadwood party.  It too was very yummy.

2 cups fresh corn kernels (or frozen kernels, thawed)
4 oz. can green chilies
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
½ green bell pepper, seeded and diced
¼ cup green onions, chopped w/tops
2 TBS White Vinegar
1 TBS Vegetable Oil
¼ tsp. kosher salt
Mix all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Black Bean Salsa

I made this on Saturday for our Murder at the Deadwood Saloon.  It was incredibly yummy.

2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
16 oz frozen corn, thawed and drained
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 medium red onion, diced
3 TBS chopped fresh Cilantro
3 TBS Lime Juice
1 TBS Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 TBS Olive Oil
Sprigs of fresh Cilantro

Combine black beans, corn, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil in a large bowl and mix well. Chill covered for 1 hr. before serving. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Yields 6 cups.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Deadwood Tea

This is what we served last night at our Murder at the Deadwood Saloon party.  We found the recipe on a display at a liquor store.

1 part Mailbu Passion Fruit
2 parts iced tea
1 part lemon lime soda

Serve over ice in a tall glass. Garnish with lime

We still have some Passionfruit syrup left over from our Mardi Gras Party so we subbed white rum and added some of the syrup. 

Pumpkin Patch Pancakes

Victoria was looking through her favorite cookbook last night. She wanted to make Pumpkin Patch Pancakes in the morning. Of course this morning she ready to make her pancakes. She read the ingredients as I pulled them from the cabinet, pantry and fridge. We didn't make the Yogurt Cream that goes with this recipe. I didn't have any vanilla yogurt so Victoria just ate them with syrup.

Ingredients
2 apples (I used one granny smith)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup of fat free milk (I used whole)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 tbs canola oil

1. Make the yogurt cream. Save until step 8. Put the apples on the cutting board with stem sides up. Use the sharp knife to cut each apple into quarters. Cut the core out of each apple quarter and throw away the cores. Cut the apples into 1/2 inch sticks. Save until step 6.

2. Put the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt into a medium bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix.

3. Crack the egg into a small bowl. Beat with a whisk until yolk and white are mixed. Add the milk, pumpkin, and oil to the egg. Beat with a whisk until ingredients are well mixed.
4. Add egg mixture to the flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until dry ingredients are wet. The batter should be somewhat lumpy.

5. Lightly coat a nonstick griddle or heavy skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Put the griddle or skillet on a burner. Turn heat to medium and let griddle get hot.

6. For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the hot griddle and use a rubber scraper to spread the batter into a 4 inch circle. Put one apple stick in the circle of batter so that the apple stick goes over the edge of the pancake. This will be the pumpkins stem. Cook over medium heat until pancakes have a slightly bubbly surface and the edges re slightly dry, about 2 minutes.

7. Turn the pancakes over with a pancake turner. Cook until bottoms are golden brown, about 2 more minutes. Remove pancakes from the griddle and put on the serving plate. Cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat until all the batter is used. Turn off burner. Remove griddle or skillet from the burner.

8. Serve warm pancakes with yogurt cream and any left over apple sticks.

Yogurt Cream: Put on 6 - 8 oz carton of vanilla low fat yogurt and 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice into a small bowl. Stir with spoon to mix. Makes about 2/3 cup.

Aren't they cute??

Victoria gave them a two thumbs up for taste and said she would make and eat them again!

This was also posted on her blog and copied here.  For her own protection, I did remove the pictures with her in them.

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Rolls

I wanted something fallish breakfast and something of a treat. I found this recipe on the King Arthur Flour site.

Dough

1 cup canned pumpkin or squash
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup lukewarm water*
1/4 cup soft butter
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 3/4 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, optional
3 tablespoons brown sugar, light or dark
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast

*Adjust the amount of water by the time of year or your climate. For summer, or in a humid enivronment, use the lesser amount of water. In winter, or in a dry climate, use the greater amount. It's always best to start with the lesser amount; you can

Filling

3/4 cup Baker's Cinnamon Filling*
3 tablespoons water

1/2 cup minced crystallized ginger, raisins, or dried cranberries, optional

*Substitute 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon for the Baker's Cinnamon Filling and water, if desired. If you use sugar and cinnamon, DO NOT ADD THE WATER.

Glaze
1 cup glazing or confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoons milk, or enough to make a "drizzlable" glaze

Dough

Directions
Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients together — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until you've made a soft, fairly smooth dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 hours, until it's almost doubled in bulk.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface. Roll it into a 14" x 22" rectangle; the dough will be thin.

Mix the cinnamon filling and water. Spread a thin layer over the dough, leaving one short edge free of filling.

Sprinkle with crystallized ginger or dried fruit (or both), if desired. (I skipped  this part of the filling)

Starting with the short end that's covered with filling, roll the dough into a log.

Cut the log into nine 1 ½"-thick rolls.

Place the rolls into a lightly greased 9" x 9" pan that's at least 2" deep. Set aside, covered, to rise for 1 hour, or until the rolls look puffy.

Bake the rolls in a preheated 375°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until they're lightly browned and feel set. Remove them from the oven, and set them on a rack. Turn them out of the pan, and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes. Towards the end of the cooling time, make the glaze.

To make the glaze: Heat the butter and milk together till the butter melts. Whisk into the sugar.

Drizzle the warm rolls with the warm glaze. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if desired.

Yield: 9 rolls.

I ended up by cutting mine smaller into 12 rolls instead. 

Pumpkin Scones

I had about 1/2 a cup left over canned pumpkin from making the cinnamon rolls.  So I went in search of another breakfast item that I could make.  I settled on Pumpkin Scones and they are from that "other" coffee shop, the one that I will not go to, because...well I am a Dunkie's kind of gal.  Anyway I made these, but they were way to sticky.

2 cups all-purpose flour (I had to knead in about 1/2 to 3/4 cup more flour)
7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (use fresh please...)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half (didn't have any so I used light cream)
1 large egg

Powderered Sugar Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (again..use fresh please)
1 pinch ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

TO MAKE THE SCONES:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly spray a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a food processor, pulse butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet. (These a HUGE and I really should have cut them smaller, no wonder people have portion distortion)

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

TO MAKE THE PLAIN GLAZE:

Mix the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp milk together until smooth.

When scones are cool, use the back of a spoon to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.

As the white glaze dries, make your spiced glaze:

Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A ziplock bag works great for this.  I mixed it right in the bag until smooth then snipped off a corner.

I must say the scones are HUGE!!! I should have cut them even smaller.

Candy Corn Cookies

So this morning on my Facebook News Feed this recipe popped up from FoodBlogs.  I knew I had to make some TODAY!  They are so cute!!!  I did have to change a couple things from the original recipe.  I did not have orange juice or zest.  So I subbed clear vanilla extract and lemon extract since that is a favorite flavor of Miss V's.

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp clear vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
orange gel food coloring
lemon yellow gel food coloring

Sanding Sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and extracts. Mix well. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl.  Add to they wet ingredients.

Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Add orange food coloring to the first part and blend well.

Add the lemon yellow food coloring to the second part and thoroughly blend. Use plenty of food color gel.  You want to have nice bright colors.  They do fade a bit in the baking process.  Leave the third part plain.

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. (I ran out of parchment and had to use plastic wrap.  It is a bit harder to get out.)  My glass loaf pan is 8.5 inches.  Press the yellow dough evenly onto the bottom of the pan. Then you will press the orange dough evenly over the yellow dough, and press the plain dough on top. Wrap the parchment paper over the dough and refrigerate for a few hours.  I made the dough around 9:30ish.  And baked them at 4:00 pm.

Preheat your oven to 375.

When you are ready to slice and bake the cookies.  Remove the dough from the loaf pan and remove plastic wrap or parchment.  With a sharp knife cut the dough into 1/4 inch slices.  Then cut into triangles.  Then put onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Miss V then sprinkled the sanding sugar on the cookies.

Bake cookies for approximately 8 minutes, be very careful no to over bake them.

Blogger is having an issue uploading pictures, so I needed to upload them to photobucket.  Hopefully you can still view them.

Chicken & Corn Chowder (or as I say with my New England accent, Chowda)

I had some chicken that needed to be cooked up and really didn't know what to do. Since it has been feeling fallish I figured on a soup. I just came up with this recipe based on other soups that are here there and everywhere on my blog.

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt and pepper
4 cups chicken stock
4 Tbs unsalted butter
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
1 can condensed cream of potato soup
3/4 cup onion chopped
4 large baking potatoes peeled and diced
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1 tsp thyme
1 cup half and half or milk

Season the chicken with the salt, pepper and thyme. Brown in a skillet then place in a warmed crock pot. Make a roux with 4 tbs butter and flour. Add 2 cups of stock and whisk until smooth.

Pour the cream of potato soup over the chicken, add the potatoes and onions.

Pour your skillet gravy into the crock pot and add the rest of the stock. Stir until well mixed. Taste to check your seasonings. You may add a bit more salt, pepper and thyme.

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or until chicken is no longer pink in the center.

Add the frozen corn and cook on low for one more hour.

Stir in half and half or milk turn to high, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Ground Beef Pot Pie

Yum this is what I made for dinner.  It also comes from the Pillsbury Pot Pies and Casseroles magazine.

Crust

1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 cups frozen southern-style diced hash brown potatoes (from 32-oz bag), thawed

3 medium carrots, sliced (1 1/2 cups)

1 jar (12 oz) beef gravy

Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie, using 9-inch glass pie plate. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef, onion, garlic salt and pepper over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.

Stir cornstarch into beef mixture until mixed. Stir in potatoes, carrots and gravy. Cook 5 to 6 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until hot. Spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust; cover edge of crust with foil.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

October Food Holidays

Can you believe it is October 1st already?   Lets just see what food we can celebrate this month.

Eat Country Ham Month

Fair Trade Month
National Apple Month
National Applejack Month
National Caramel Month
National Chili Month
National Cookie Month
National Dessert Month
National Pasta Month

National Pickled Peppers Month
National Pizza Festival Month
National Popcorn Poppin’ Month
National Pork Month
National Pretzel Month
National Seafood Month
Vegetarian Awareness Month

October 1: World Vegetarian Day

October 1: Pudding Season Begins
October 1: Homemade Cookies Day
October 2: National Fried Scallops Day
October 3: National Caramel Custard Day
October 4: National Taco Day
October 4: National Vodka Day
October 5: National Apple Betty Day
October 6: National Noodle Day
October 7: National Frappe Day
October 8: National Fluffernutter Day
October 9: Moldy Cheese Day (we presume they mean blue cheese mold)

October 9: Submarine-Hoagy-Hero-Grinder Day
October 10: National Angel Food Cake Day
October 11: National Sausage Pizza Day
October 12: National Gumbo Day
October 13: National Yorkshire Pudding Day
October 14: National Chocolate-Covered Insects Day
October 15: National Chicken Cacciatore Day
October 15: National Roast Pheasant Day
October 16: World Food Day
October 16: National Liqueur Day
October 17: National Pasta Day
October 17: Four Prunes Day
October 18: National Chocolate Cupcake Day
October 19: National Seafood Bisque Day
October 20: National Brandied Fruit Day
October 21: National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day
October 21: Caramel Apple Day

October 22: National Nut Day
October 23: National Boston Cream Pie Day
October 23: National Canning Day
October 24: National Bologna Day
October 24: Good and Plenty Day
October 25: National Greasy Foods Day
October 26: Pumpkin Day
October 26: Pretzel Day
October 26: Mince Meat Pie Day
October 27: National Potato Day
October 27: American Beer Day
October 28: National Chocolate Day
October 29: National Oatmeal Day

October 30: National Candy Corn Day
October 30: Buy a Doughnut Day
October 31: National Candy Apple Day
October 31: Trick or Treat for UNICEF Day

So what are YOU going to celebrate this month?

Three Cheese Panini

I kept trying to figure out what I would make for a sandwich that would be good with the Butternut Squash soup.  Then it hit me!  Food Network Magazine has a pullout this month with 50 Panini recipes.

I looked through and found #15 which is the Three Cheese Panini. 

Brush the inside of a split ciabatta roll with pesto.  Fill with a few sliced each of mozzarella, fontina and asiago.  Add a few basil leaves.  Press and cook until golden.

I had to do it a little differently.  I skipped the pesto.  On the bottom section of the roll, I layered the cheese and put it in the microwave for about 45 seconds until the cheese started to melt.  Then I put a couple basil leaves on top of the cheese.

I don't have a panini press so I used our very old George Forman and had Marcel press down on the lid until the rolls got nice and crusty.

They were very good and very filling!

Butternut Squash Soup

So I had two large Butternut squashes that needed to be cooked up.  It would be to much just to roast and use as a side dish so I jumped out of my comfort zone and looked up recipes for Butternut Squash soup and found one by Alton Brown.  I really enjoy AB and his recipes make a lot of sense.  I did have to make some changes.

6 cups (about 2 large squash) seeded 2-inch wide chunks butternut squash
Melted butter, for brushing
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used chicken stock)
4 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon minced ginger (I used my microplane)
4 ounces heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


Brush the flesh of the squash with a little butter and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper. On a sheet pan lay the squash flesh side up. Roast for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the flesh is nice and soft. (I peeled it and then cubed it and roasted it for about 45 minutes.)
Scoop the flesh from the skin into a pot and add the stock, honey, and ginger. Bring to a simmer and puree using a stick blender. Stir in the heavy cream and return to a low simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. (I don't have a stick blender, so I put 1 cup of stock in the blender and then 1/3 of the squash and blended.  Repeat 2 more times.)

I didn't take a picture yet, I don't have any pretty white bowls.  Not sure how it will look in a colored bowl, but it sure is YUMMY!  Miss V even loves it!  She had Butternut Squash and Acorn Squash confused in her mind and was yucking it.  If you know Miss V she doesn't yuck anything.

I am going to make a three cheese grilled cheese to go with the soup.


I snapped a quick picture

Pumpkin Muffins with better pictures.

I noticed this morning that my stash of muffins in the freezer is gone.  I decided to make some of my favorite Pumpkin Muffins and this time I added 3/4 cup of chopped pecans. 

I also wanted to add some better pictures and a little tip.  When using nuts, raisins, chocolate chips in a recipe, I like to save some of the flour and gently toss the ingredients in it.  By flouring the raisins, nuts or chocolate chips, they stay suspended in the batter and they will not sink to the bottom of the muffin.

Enjoy!!

You can see some of the nuts and golden raisins throughout the muffin.

Skeleton Gingerbread Men and Cats

I found this recipe on Disney's Family Fun site the other day and knew right away that we had to make some!

I used the Wilton Gingbread dough, I did not have molasses so I used corn syrup and added some brown food color.

I used the Wilton Cookie Icing and not happy!  I was extremely runny and I cooled it off and it still spread.  Next time I will just make some royal icing.

They are still cute and very tasty!

Happy Fall!

I can't believe the calendar said that it is officially fall.  Here is SW Florida we really don't get "fall" weather until the end of November where it is comfortable to wear jeans.  I love baking in the fall, I just have to crank up the air conditioner.

I would like to know what are YOUR favorite fall recipes feel free to link them up below!

Kid Pleasing Potato Nugget Casserole

I made this last night and totally forgot to snap a picture, so the pictures is from the Pillsbury site.  The recipe came from the Pot Pies & Casserole magazine.  It was super yummy!!

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup (I used cream of potato)

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

2 cups cut-up cooked chicken (I just cut up 2 chicken breasts and sauteed them)

2 cups Green Giant® frozen mixed vegetables (from 1-lb bag), thawed

1 bag (16 oz) frozen potato nuggets

1/2 cup shredded American-Cheddar cheese blend (2 oz) (I used finely shredded cheddar)

 

Heat oven to 375°F. In ungreased 2-quart casserole, mix soup, milk, dried onion, chicken and vegetables. Arrange frozen potato nuggets over top.

 

Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted.  (I let the cheese get a little crispy)

Potato Casserole

The Great Food Truck Race?

Did anyone else watch the series, The Great Food Truck race on Food Network? 

I watched it the first night and was hooked.  I was surprised at the finale  that Nom Nom didn't win.

Nacho Pie

I found this in my Taste of Home, Southwest magazine.  It came out really well!!! 

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
1-1/2 cups crushed nacho tortilla chips, divided
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, separate crescent dough into eight triangles; place in a greased 9-in. pie plate with points toward the center. Press onto the bottom and up the sides to form a crust; seal perforations.

Sprinkle 1 cup chips over crust. Top with meat mixture. Carefully spread sour cream over meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining chips. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.
 
Yield: 6-8 servings.
 

I think it would be even better with some chunky spicy salsa on top too.

Candy Corn Roll-up Cookies

I found this recipe in the Betty Crocker, Fall Baking magazine.  Let me just say, the dough is not easy to work with, for me at least.  I didn't have an orange, so I added some clear vanilla extract.  The cookies do not have much flavor.  I think I would use maybe a lemon extract next time.

1 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 egg
1 to 2 tablespoons orange zest
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Orange and Yellow gel food color

In a large bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar, egg and orange zest with an electric mixer on medium speed.  Stir in flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.

Divide dough into thirds.  Tint one portion orange and one portion yellow; leave remaining portion plain.  Flatten each portion into a disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 20 minutes.

On a separate sheets of lightly floured waxed paper, roll each portion of dough into 12x9 inch rectangle.  Place orange rectangle on top of the yellow rectangle, using waxed paper ends to help flip dough over.  Top with the plain dough.  Starting on a long side, and using waxed paper as an aid.  Roll dough into a cylinder.  Wrap in plastic; refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 375.  Cut dough into 1/4 inch slices.  On ungreased cookie sheet, place slices about 1 inch apart.  Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are set.  Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

I made this on Friday and the recipe comes from my Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casserole magazine.  It was really good and thick.  Like I have mentioned before, my little section of SW Florida is not a foodie mecca.  I checked a few different grocery stores for the gnocchi.  I did not get a chance to go to the Italian market in Venice.  So for a substitution for the gnocchi I used a frozen egg noodle that I defrosted in the fridge while the soup was cooking in the crock pot.

1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (I used chicken breasts)

1 cup julienne carrots (1 1/2x1/4x1/4-inch pieces)

1/2 cup chopped celery (1 medium stalk)

1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 carton (32 oz) Progresso® chicken broth (4 cups)

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom with roasted garlic soup (I used cream of chicken soup and added some sauteed garlic)

1 package (16 oz) gnocchi (not frozen)

1 package (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen baby sweet peas, thawed

 

In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook chicken 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned and no longer pink in the center.

 

Spray 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix chicken and remaining ingredients except gnocchi and peas.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.

Increase heat setting to High. Stir in gnocchi and peas. Cover; cook about 30 minutes longer or until gnocchi and peas are tender.

Duh....since we had to run out the door after dinner, I forgot to snap a pictures.  Here is the picture from the Pillsbury site.

Foodie Blog Roll

Hey I am now an approved blog on Foodie Blogroll!!!  Woo Hoo, check out the new widget on the right side of my blog..

Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

This also comes from my Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casserole magazine.  This came out really well!!

1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine, softened

2 unpeeled red baking apples, sliced

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

4 bone-in pork loin chops, 3/4 inch thick (about 2 lb), trimmed

1 cup apple juice or apple cider

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups stuffing mix for pork or chicken (from 12-oz box or 8- or 12-oz canister)

1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven to 375°F. Brush 1/2 teaspoon butter in bottom of 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Spread apple slices in dish. In small bowl, mix flour, brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Sprinkle seasoned salt on both sides of pork; place pork over apples.

In 2-quart saucepan, heat apple juice and 2 tablespoons butter to boiling over medium-high heat. Stir in stuffing mix and cranberries. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff mixture with fork. Scoop 1/2 cup stuffing onto each pork chop.

Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; place sprayed side down over baking dish. Bake 40 to 50 minutes. Uncover; bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until pork is no longer pink in center and meat thermometer inserted in center reads 160°F. Sprinkle with parsley. To serve, lift pork chops with stuffing to serving plates; serve apples on the side.

Chicken Tortilla Soup (another version)

This also comes from my Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casseroles magazine. 

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons dried minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 carton (32 oz) Progresso® chicken broth (4 cups)

4 corn tortillas (6 inch), cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Garnishes, if desired

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix all soup ingredients except cilantro.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.

Stir in cilantro. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 15 minutes longer.
Garnish each serving with cheese and sour cream

I also added about a cup of frozen corn.  I garnished mine with cheese and avocado.  It was a bit bland so I squeezed in some fresh lime juice.  It tasted better, but not as good as the recipe that my neighbor gave me. 

Green Bean and Chicken Casserole

This recipe came from my Pillsbury Pot Pies and Casserole magazine.  I made this for dinner last night and totally forgot to snap a pictures, so I am borrowing their picture.  It was very yummy!!!

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup milk

1 cup herb-seasoned stuffing crumbs

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb), cut into 1-inch-wide strips

2 cups Green Giant® frozen cut green beans, thawed

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 11x7-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix soup and milk until well blended. In another small bowl, mix stuffing crumbs and melted butter.

In baking dish, layer chicken, green beans, soup mixture and stuffing mixture.

Bake uncovered about 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and mixture is hot and bubbly.

Beef Enchilada Stack

I made this for dinner on Saturday night.  It comes from my Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casserole magazine.  It was simple to put together. It was very good, but mine wasn't very pretty.

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2cup Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ Niblets® frozen corn
1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso® 40% less-sodium taco seasoning mix
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes in sauce, undrained
1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso® enchilada sauce
9 corn tortillas (6 inch)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
1/2 cup sour cream
3 medium green onions, sliced (3 tablespoons)

Heat oven to 350°F.

Spray 9-inch glass pie plate or 9 1/2-inch glass deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray.

In 12-inch skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in bell pepper, corn, taco seasoning mix, tomatoes and enchilada sauce. Heat to boiling; remove from heat.

Spread about 1/4 of beef mixture in thin layer in pie plate. Top with 3 tortillas (tortillas will overlap), 1/4 of beef mixture and 1/3 of cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times, starting with tortillas and ending with cheese on top. Pie plate will be very full but should not overflow.

Bake about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Top each serving with sour cream and green onions

Bow Ties with Ham and Asparagus

This recipe came from the Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casserole magazine that I picked up earlier this week.

3 cups uncooked bow-tie (farfalle) pasta (6 oz)
1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo pasta sauce
10 medium asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil and herbs, drained, chopped
1 cup diced (1/4 to 1/2 inch) cooked ham
1 cup shredded Havarti cheese (4 oz) (I used Swiss)

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, heat Alfredo sauce over medium heat, stirring frequently, until hot. Gently stir in cooked pasta, asparagus, tomatoes and ham. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour into casserole.

Cover; bake 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbly. Top with remaining cheese.

It was pretty good, but I think I would have chopped the sun dried tomatoes into smaller pieces and under cooked the pasta a little.

Chocolate No Bake Cookies

I just made these and they are now cooling on the island.

2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons cold coffee
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal

Parchment paper
 
In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter, milk and cold coffee. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of parchment paper, drop mixture by a medium cookie scoop, until cooled and hardened.
 

Winter Pork Roast Dinner

This recipe is one from my new Pillsbury Pot Pies and Casserole magazines.

1 rolled boneless pork loin roast (1 3/4 to 2 lb)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 large dark-orange sweet potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, sliced, separated into rings
1 1/2teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1quart (4 cups) apple juice

Sprinkle pork roast with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper; place in 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. Place sweet potatoes around and on top of roast. Top with onion; sprinkle with thyme and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour apple juice over onion.

Cover; cook on Low setting 6 to 8 hours.

With slotted spoon, remove vegetables from slow cooker; place on serving platter. Remove roast from slow cooker; place on cutting board. Cut roast into slices; place on platter. If desired, drizzle some of cooking liquid from slow cooker over vegetables and roast.

When it was done, I strained about 3 cups of the liquid and set it aside.  I made a roux and added the liquid and made a nice gravy and seasoned it with a bit of salt and pepper to taste.  This one is certainly a keeper!!

Home Made Blueberry Pop Tarts

I found this recipe on Cake Spy. Makes 6-8 tarts, maybe even more, depending on size; adapted from wonderful, wonderful Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

For the crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened and cut into cubes
3 tablespoons cold water
For the filling

Jam, about 1 heaping teaspoonful per pastry (your choice of flavor; I used blueberry)

For the icing

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
milk, to thin

Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set to the side.

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and blend with a fork, pastry cutter, or your impeccably clean hands. Blend until the mixture is fairly coarse. Add the water, bit by bit, gently mixing the dough after each addition, until the dough is cohesive enough to form a ball. (I used my food processor)
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut out rectangles approximately the size of index cards (3x5 inches), or smaller if you prefer a more modest portion (I didn't). Make sure you have an even number of cutouts. I think that mine might have been a little thicker than 1/8 an inch, but I ended up with 12 rectangles (for 6 pastries).

On half of the rectangles, place a small spoonful of the jam of your choice in the center. You don't want it to be too thick or the top crust will mound on top of it.

Place the remaining rectangles of dough on top of the ones with jam. Crimp all four edges by hand or with a fork to ensure that your filling won't ooze out. I also poked the top of each with a fork, to vent them.

Place the tarts on your prepared baking sheet, and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until light golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely.

While the tarts cool, prepare your icing; make sure it is fairly thin but not so thin that it will just drip off. Once the pop tarts are cool, drizzle it on top. Garnish with sprinkles.

As you can tell Victoria wanted heart shaped pop tarts.

All rolled and cut out.

Covered with the top crust, crimped and poked holes for a vent.

Added some blueberry preserves.


Baked and cooling.
All done!
  Mmmm look at all that blueberry goodness...



I made these back in February and posted it in Miss V's blog.  I copied it here and took out the pictures of Miss V, for her privacy.

September menu planning

I am not so good at planning a whole month of dinners.  I can do a week at a time without a problem.  I like to see what is on sale and plan around that.

So I just went through my new Pillsbury Pot Pies & Casseroles magazine and picked out four dinners for the next few days.  There are only three of us home now with our son off to college.  So now there are more leftovers and trying to remember not to make huge meals is challenging.

The recipes that I plan on making are;
Winter Pork Roast (crock pot)
Green Bean & Chicken Casserole
Beef Enchilada Stack
Bow Ties with Ham and Asparagus

I can wait to hit the grocery store tomorrow!  I know I am not like 90% of people, I LOVE grocery shopping.  Miss V loves to go with me and our "quick" trips end up being at least an hour.  When we are in the produce section she likes to look at everything, smell and feel the different fruits and veggies.  She will ask what an item is and how would we cook it or prepare it.

Someone once asked me how do I keep all my recipes organized on my computer.  Well the simple answer is that I have MasterCooks version 9.  I absolutely love this program!!!  It comes with a wide selection of cookbooks and recipes and gives you the option to make your own books.  When I find something that interests me, I add the recipe to my book.  From there you can add it to a shopping list.  The shopping list feature is great!  I usually end up printing the whole list then cross off stuff that is already in my pantry, fridge or freezer.  I had a problem once when my hubby redid my computer and the software wouldn't register.  Their technical support was very quick and helpful.

Who else out does meal planning?  I would love to hear what you have planned for the next week and beyond if you are that ambitious.

Edited on 9/13 to add three more dinners for this week.  They are all from Pillsbury's Pot Pies & Casserole Recipes:

Pork chops with apples and stuffing
Chicken and Gnocchi
Low fat Chicken Tortilla Soup

As I make them I will link the recipes to the list.

Giada's Lasagna Rolls

I wanted to make something a little different than regular lasagna yesterday.  I looked high and low online and found a recipe from Giada for her lasagna rolls.  I had most of the stuff already in the pantry.  I ran into Sweetbay and picked up the last few ingredients and made a dozen lasagna rolls.

Sauce:


2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg


Lasagna:

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles (I used whole wheat noodles)
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Directions

To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.

 

Here are mine all rolled up.

All set and ready for the oven!

All done and ready to eat with a couple small slices of Herb Bread.

From the side you can see all the yummy goodness!!

September is National Breakfast Month

Our neighborhood has a monthly newsletter and lately the content has been the same boring thing.  One neighbor suggest that I put some recipes in it.  I gave it a little thought and decided to start doing a monthly article about what else?  Food and some fun food holiday info.

I looked on one of my favorite sites, The Nibble and saw that September is National Breakfast Month.  So I wrote up a little article and included three of our favorite recipes.

Apple Cinnamon Waffles

Chocolate Waffles

Gingerbread Pancakes

I did also include Miss V's favorite pancakes, they are called Pumpkin Patch Pancakes.  Sorry no link as her blog is private.

So.....

Lemon Graham Squares

I made this yesterday, the recipe comes from my new Taste Of Home, Fall Baking magazine.

1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter, melted

In a small bowl, combine the milk and lemon juice; set aside.  In a large bowl , combine the cracker crumbs, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.  Stir in butter until crumbly.

Press half of the crumb mixture into a greased 9 inch square baking dish.  Pour lemon mixture over the crust; sprinkle with remaining crumbs.

Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on a wire rack.

Yield is 3 dozen.

They are really good and very twangy.

Taste of Home Southwest

While wasting time this morning at Walmart, I was going through the magazine section and noticed a new Taste of Home magazine.  I had to pick it up!!!  Oh it looks like it has absolutely wonderful recipes and I can't wait start trying them.