Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

Please see new posting here:


Thank you!!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Banana "Ice Cream"

Banana Ice Cream

2- 3 bananas, chunked and frozen for at least 2 hrs
1-2 Tablespoons natural peanut butter

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Grilled Baby Back Ribs with Whiskey BBQ Sauce

Low and slow in the oven is the way to start these ribs off right.  Slather on your own homemade sauce to complete them on the grill for the finishing touch.




Grilled Baby Back Ribs with Whiskey BBQ Sauce

1 slab of baby back pork ribs
salt and pepper

Sauce...makes about 1-1/2 cups
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup shredded onion
1-1/2 cups water
6 ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2-1/2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 Tablespoon molasses
2-3 teaspoons Jim Beam Whiskey
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper

Vegetable Marinara Sauce

Vegetable Marinara Sauce

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup each onions, zucchini, yellow squash (shredded)
2 - 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes (not seasoned)
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Salted Nut Roll Bars

Salted Nut Roll Bars

1 box yellow cake mix
2/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 bag mini marshmallows
1/4 cup butter
12 ounce package peanut butter chips
2/3 cup white corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
16 ounce jar lightly salted peanuts

Gluten Free Apple Crisp

Gluten Free Apple Crisp

6 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 pkts TRUVIA (or 2-1/4 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


1/2 cup PURE maple syrup
1/2 cup pecans (or more as you like)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups gluten-free old fashioned oats
1/2 c cold butter


1/2 - 3/4 cup craisins

 
Mix  together maple syrup, cinnamon, pecans and oats in medium bowl.
Cut in butter (you may have to use your hands...just break it up the best you can.) Put in fridge until apples are ready.
Add apples, water, cinnamon, and Truvia to large sauce pan with lid and cook for 10-15 minutes until nearly soft.
Looks delish enough to eat like this!  Don't go to far or you'll have chunky applesauce. Stir in vanilla.
Spread into bottom of 9x13" baking dish.
Sprinkle optional craisins here.
Top with oatmeal mixture (you made need to 'recrumble' a little.)
Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Careful your oatmeal doesn't get too brown.  If you find yours does I would suggest covering with foil for 1/2 of the time.
Serve right away with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  This crisp does not stay crispy overnight.  My family still loves it the next day anyway.  I plan to experiment with the flax seed powder after much luck with a granola and see if that helps.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Raspberry Bites


Raspberry Bites

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
6 oz fresh raspberries
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon almond extract.


DIRECTIONS




Heat oven to 400°F.  On lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry with rolling pin into 12-inch square. Cut square into 6 rows by 6 rows to make 36 squares. On ungreased cookie sheet, place squares 1/2 inch apart.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.  If you need to make the puff pastry squares a day or two ahead of time. Store at room temperature, lightly covered.
 
Reserve 36 of the smallest raspberries. In small bowl, mash remaining raspberries with fork. In medium bowl, beat whipping cream, powdered sugar (reserving 2 teaspoons of the powdered sugar) and the almond extract with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold mashed raspberries into whipped cream. 
 
Split each puff pastry square into 2 layers. Spread about 1/2 tablespoon of the whipped cream mixture on bottom layers; replace tops. Top each square with tiny dollop whipped cream mixture.  Top with raspberry. Squares can be refrigerated up to 2 hours at this point. Any longer and they will start to get mushy.  Just before serving, place reserved powdered sugar in small fine-mesh strainer, and sift over tops of squares.
 
So cute and so yummy! I am sure you could do this with other fruits.

Green Chili Cornbread Casserole


Green Chili Cornbread Casserole                                                        Printable Recipe

1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons cornmeal, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1 can creamed corn
1 cup milk 
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 to 2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained (I used 2 here)
Your favorite flavors like cumin, garlic, pepper, or taco seasoning.
1 - 4 oz can green chilies (you may want 2 cans instead of 1)
2 - 3 Tablespoons grated onion

2 cups shredded Mexi blend cheese or cheddar 


Optional: 8 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 to 1 can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Sprinkle 9"x 13" baking dish with 1 tablespoon of corn meal.  Set aside.

Mix together beef, chilies, and grated onion until well combined.  If you don't you will have hot and spicy parts!  Stir in the tomato sauce and beans here if you are using them.
In medium bowl add eggs, corn, milk, and oil.
 Combine.
Add pre-mixed dry ingredients (cornmeal 1 c plus 2 T) baking soda, and salt.  Stir just until combined.
 Pour 1/2 of the corn mixture into pan.  It will be quite runny.
 Add all of your beef mixture.
Top with cheese (I only used 1 cup here.)
Add remaining corn mixture pushing down on beef to cover.  I think coverage would be better if you only used 1 pound of beef but we wanted more meat to make it a main dish.
 Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and not jiggly. Let set for 5-10 minutes before cutting.


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Hash Brown Casserole


Hash Brown Casserole

8 eggs
3/4 cup milk (can sub rice milk for DF version)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
few dashes cayenne pepper
24 oz frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed
1 to 1-1/2 cups shredded Mexi blend or cheddar cheeese (or leave out for DF version)
1/3 cup diced onion
1/3 cup diced green pepper
(or any veggie combination you like...mushrooms, zucchini, squash, etc)
1 pound pork and bacon sausage (or any other combination of meat you like, bacon, ham, regular sausage)

Cook meat and veggies til done.  Drain as needed.
 In large bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
 Add potatoes, cheese, meat, and veggies.  Combine.
 Pour into greased 8" x 11" pan. 
Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 45 minutes or knife inserted  near center comes out clean.
Serve drizzled with ketchup.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Strawberries and Cream Mini Muffins


Strawberries and Cream Mini Muffins

1 cup strawberries, diced
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces low fat cream cheese
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add baking cups to mini muffin tins. Put strawberries in small bowl, toss with lemon juice.
 In medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, and baking powder.
In another small bowl whisk together oil, cream cheese, orange juice, vanilla, and egg.
Pour over dry ingredients, stirring just until combined with a spoon or spoonula. (If you don't switch you'll be digging the batter out of the whisk.)
  Fold in strawberries.

Scoop into mini muffin tins (I use small cookie scoop.) Bake for about 9-10 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool in the tins on a cooling rack for 5 mins. Take out the muffins and continue to cool. If serving right away, let them set for 5 minutes before dusting with powdered sugar. If serving later wait until you are ready to serve to dust.

Strawberries and Cream Trifle


Strawberries and Cream Trifle

8 oz cream cheese, softened
3 cups milk
2 pkgs sugar-free pudding (cheesecake or white chocolate flavor)
8 oz tub sugar-free whipped topping
Ladyfingers
Fresh sliced strawberries
1 to 1-1/2 cups milk with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat cream cheese until creamy. Add milk and pudding mixes and beat until thickened. 
Fold or mix in whipped topping. 
 These are the ladyfingers my HyVee carried.  They also come more crisp and cookie like (those need a little extra soaking.)
In separate bowl mix milk and vanilla. Dip lady fingers in milk mix and line trifle dish.  Top with almost half of the pudding mixture.
Then 1/2 of the fresh sliced strawberries.
Add more ladyfingers dipped in milk.
A little bit of the pudding just to coat ladyfingers.
 Strawberries...
Rest of the pudding...
Top it with the whipped topping.  You can also put it in a decorator bag to make the top fancier. Cover and put in fridge to set up.  Needs several hours for best results but if you can't wait you could dig in now.  ;-)

**I used a 6x9" baking dish here and only 1/2 of the recipe.