Strawberry Smoothie

I promised my good friend Claire that I would post a smoothie recipe for her. This is just a basic one, but I will try to post more recipes in the near future...

Strawberry Smoothie for Claire

1 c. milk
1 single-serving container of yogurt (any flavor)
1 c. frozen berries (any kind)
1 t. honey
optional: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Blend all ingredients on high until berries are no longer in chunks.
Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for Tom

I had a note in my list of "tasks" that said I needed to make oatmeal raisin cookies for our friend Tom. It was dated 11/2/08. I feel kinda bad about that. But the good news is that Tom finally got his cookies. Here's the recipe:

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2 1/4 c. flour
1 c. oatmeal
1 t. baking soda (I used a heaping teaspoon, because my spoon got caught on that cardboard flap inside the box and it all dumped into the bowl.)
1/2 t. salt
1 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. white sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
2 eggs
2 t. molasses
1 1/4 c. raisins
1/2 c. golden raisins

1. Heat oven to 300˚.
2. Combine dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, salt, and oatmeal—in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In a larger, deep mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars; beat with electric mixer until it looks about the color of peanut butter. (i.e. pasty)
4. Add eggs, and beat them in well. Beat in the molasses next.
5. Add about half the flour mixture and beat it as best you can with the mixer.
6. Then stir the rest of the flour mixture in by hand (I use a wooden spoon) and mix in the raisins.
7. Measure out dough by heaping tablespoon onto a cookie sheet (ungreased), and be sure to leave a little room in between; although, they won't spread a lot, not like chocolate chip cookies would.
8. Bake at 300˚ for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
9. Do not overbake—these are supposed to be chewy cookies! (the way Tom prefers them!)

Pear Cherry Pie

This recipe was assembled in pieces from other pie recipes, to suit my purpose. The combination is not a rampantly popular one, but, trust me, it's a doosie. Pulled from a childhood memory, this was inspired by a tv dinner, of all things. I think it might have been a cheap-o turkey & gravy dinner with sides of those dry mashed potatoes and over-cooked corn. But the "dessert" in the middle square was a compote of pear-cherry mixture. I loved it. I wanted the tv dinner just for that reason! LOL! Flash forward to now. Here's my interpretation of that flavor combo, made Saturday night:

Pear-Cherry Pie

1 can (29 oz.) pears, drained*, chopped
2 cans (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
1/4 c. corn starch
dash of cardamom
teeny dash of allspice
2 ready-made refrigerated pie crusts (hey, it was after 9pm, I wasn't about to roll out pie crust!)

1. Heat oven to 375°.
2. In large bowl, empty can of cherry pie filling; sift in corn starch and spices. Mix well with a spoon. Add diced pears and stir gently.
3. Flatten out packaged pie crusts—or make your own—and lay bottom crust into pie dish.
4. Spoon filling into crust. Dot with bits of butter.
   
5. Place top crust on and fold its edges under the edge of the bottom crust; press to flatten. Using a fork, press to seal the edge all the way around the pie. Cut slits in top to vent steam.
6. Bake at 375° about 55 minutes or until bubbly. Watch for crust to brown, but not over-brown. If you need to, cover the edges with foil for last 15-20 minutes of baking, to prevent burnt crust. (some people like that, though)
7. Cool on wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing, or else you'll have a soupy pie that does not make nice individual pieces.

*NOTE: I saved the liquid from the pears for another use. I think I might make sweet rice with it.

I'll post the photos later today...I don't feel like screwing around with my [stupid, hateful] camera right now.

random amusements

Why is there an expiration date on toothpaste?

Seriously.

What's going to happen if you use expired toothpaste? Will it just be ineffective in preventing tooth decay and gingivitis? Or does the fluoride create some kind of chemical reaction with the humidity, and other environmental factors, in your bathroom to form a fluorite compound which will melt your face off?

I suppose if you've had a tube of toothpaste for so long that it has expired, then you've probably got more serious problems than dental hygiene.

Band-aids are another one. What happens when a band-aid expires? The adhesive breaks down and will no longer cling to your skin? I find that hard to believe, because most band-aid adhesives rips my skin off. Then again, I'm allergic to a lot of things. Band-aid adhesive included.

I'm trying to think of some other things which I would not normally consider checking the expiration date before using...

Spaghetti and Meatballs

This was an excruciatingly yummy dinner. And I didn't realize it until Casey pointed it out, but I made the meatballs with ground beef instead of ground turkey. I had just grabbed a package of meat (one of those plastic sleeves/tubes) out of the freezer in the garage, cut it open, and dumped it into my glass bowl to thaw in the microwave, and I never even read the label.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground meat (beef or turkey)
1/2 c. corn muffin mix (just the dry mix)
2 eggs
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. oregano
a few dashes of salt & pepper

Sauce:
1/2 a small onion, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
4 T. butter (no substitutes!)
2 T. flour
1 c. milk +/-
1/4 c. Parmesan
2 T. bacon bits
1 jar marinara sauce (or your favorite spaghetti sauce)

1. In medium bowl, mix ingredients for meatballs. Set aside.
2. In large skillet, brown celery and onions in 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat.
3. Put on a pot of water for the pasta.
4. Stir in the bacon bits, then clear an area in the center of the pan and add the other 3 T. of butter.
5. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and quickly whisk it together with celery and onions. Allow this to cook for about 2 minutes, so the flour loses its "raw" flavor.
6. Begin whisking in the milk, a little at a time, allowing the mixture to thicken between additions. Add in the Parmesan, and stir it in with the whisk.
7. After the milk has been added, dump in the marinara sauce all at once and whisk thoroughly to completely incorporate.
8. Turn heat down to simmer, and begin dropping the meatballs gently into the sauce. Put a lid on the pot and set the timer for 10-12 minutes.
9. Carefully stir the sauce and turn the meatballs—which should be browned on top because you had the lid on the pan—and simmer for another 10 minutes or so.
10. Meanwhile, make your pasta. It should be done by the time the meatballs are done simmering. If you made large meatballs, you may want to "sacrifice" one and cut it open to make certain it is cooked through.
11. Serve with garlic bread or garlic toast.

random amusements

Here's Thumper relaxing in his kitty bed. It's half of a set of doll bunkbeds which belonged to my mom when she was a kid. I also played with them when I was little, then they turned into cat property.

I'll have to ask my mom where they originally came from, because now I'm not really sure. There's a story there somewhere...

Catfish Dinner

Somewhere recently, I had seen a recipe for a fish-sausage-tomato-bean stew. Or something. I can't remember now. It sounded yummy. This is my interpretation of that.

Fried Catfish and Sausage-Bean-Tomato Saucey Stuff

4 nice-sized catfish fillets
salt & pepper
1 c. buttermilk
2 c. seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 c. pecans, finely chopped
1/3 c. oil (for frying)
+++
1 section turkey kielbasa, cut into chunks
1/2 a small onion, minced
1 T. butter
1 can butter beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 t. marjoram
2 cloves garlic, pressed/minced

1. In a medium saucepan, sautee onion in butter; add sausage and allow to brown slightly. Stir in tomatoes, beans and seasonings.
2. Pour buttermilk into a shallow bowl.
   
3. On a rimmed platter, mix pecans with breadcrumbs.
   
4. Make sure your fillets are thawed. Salt them on both sides.
   
5. Dip them one at a time in a bowl of buttermilk, and then coat with bread crumb mixture.
   
6. Set them aside on another plate until pan is ready.
   
7. Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Test the oil by throwing a pecan bit into it, and see if it bubbles up. CAREFULLY place prepared fish fillets into oil.
   
8. Fry fish until breading begins to brown, then CAREFULLY turn them and continue to cook. Drain on paper towels, if desired.
   
9. Serve with Sausage-Bean-Tomato saucey stuff.
   

Raspberry-Espresso Bread Pudding

I have no reference for where this recipe originated. I've done searches online without finding this exact title, so it must have come from the cookbook library in my kitchen, I guess. No photos yet, as I intend to make this over the weekend, probably on Sunday. (the neighbors will be so happy!) And it was MY idea to add the mini chocolate chips!

Raspberry-Espresso Bread Pudding

1 bakery baguette –OR- 8 bakery croissants; cubed/torn
3 c. half & half (OR use a combo of milk and half & half)
3 large egg yolks
3 large eggs
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. instant-espresso powder (OR reduce milk by 1/4 c. and use 2 oz. shot of freshly brewed espresso, which I think I will probably do)
1 c. fresh raspberries
1 1/2 T. butter
1/4 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°.
2. Arrange bread in 2 layers in a buttered 2-quart (8-inch square) baking dish.
3. Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, yolks, sugar, and espresso powder, then pour over bread and let soak 20 minutes.
4. Sprinkle raspberries and chocolate chips over bread.
   
5. Bake, uncovered, until custard is set, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Serve warm. Allow for tears of delight as this is baking...
   

NOTES: I'm on this undeniable wild tangent with chocolate-raspberry combos lately. And I'm also wondering if you can make a bread pudding with eggnog? Don't see why not. Oh, and what if you were able to incorporate gingerbread somehow into a bread pudding? Somewhere I have an Irish whiskey-infused bread pudding recipe...
I think waaay too much...
Oh, here I go again...what if you made a combination of CAKE and bread into your bread pudding? Or! Ooh! What if you put Fig Newtons in the bread pudding?! With apples and, and, and...walnuts, maybe? Help me out here, folks..

Roast Beef Hash in a Bread Cup

This is Bob's fault. I only made these because he had made something similar and it got stuck in my brain.

Roast Beef Hash in a Bread Cup

6 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed
1 can Hormel Roast Beef Hash
some kind of cheese
garlic salt butter muffin tin

1. Prepare a 6-well muffin pan with butter. Set aside.
   
2. Heat oven to 375º.
   
3. Flatten a dough ball and fit it into the muffin pan.
   
4. Fill it halfway with the roast beef hash.
   
5. Press in a chunk of cheese.
   
6. Smile a little while thinking about the cheese...
   
7. Fill the rest of the way with roast beef hash.
   
8. Continue until they are all filled. Place pan on cookie sheet, in case it wants to overflow the cheese, and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until the edges of the bread cup look a little browned.
   
9. Smile again. But wait for these to cool a little before you try to eat them or else you will burn your mouth something fierce.
   

Yummy melty cheese center:









LINKYS:
Bob @ cookingstuff
Rhodes Bread
Hormel Roast Beef Hash

Chocolate Raspberry Coffee Cake

This was actually the result of an accident. Casey had not shut the freezer all the way, and the next morning I found a package of frozen raspberries to be no longer frozen. Being too delicate to re-freeze (which would result in a solid lump of goo) I looked through the pantry to figure out how to make use of them. Here's what happened...

Chocolate Raspberry Coffee Cake

1 Jiffy white cake mix
2 T. dark chocolate cocoa
1 pkg. frozen raspberries, THAWED

1. Mix the cake batter according to the package instructions.
   
2. Pour into a buttered 11x7 baking pan.
3. Sprinkle or sift cocoa on top of cake batter.
4. Swirl with a knife or spoon to sort of marble the batter a little.
5. Drop spoonfuls of raspberries around the cake, distributing as evenly as possible.
6. Bake according to instructions on package.
   
7. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

random amusement and a pork fajita

This is a quick dinner I made one night with the leftover unused portion of the pork tenderloin (which I had made into BBQ). I highly recommend pork tenderloin for fajitas. It's called "tender" loin for a reason. Sautee it with some onions and a little seasoning. Slap it on a tortilla and add tomato. Yum!

The yellow tomato was grown in my own garden. If you've never tasted a yellow tomato, you're missing out. They are a lot less acidic than your standard red tomato. And very sweet.

Thanks to Brenda who had given me several tomato plants at the garden party; plants which had no tags, so she didn't know what she was giving me. Very much appreciated!

BBQ Pork

I made this a few weeks ago, and just had not written up the recipe. Then I couldn't remember what I'd done. This is my best recollection of how it went. For some reason, I was afraid the sugar in the BBQ sauce would make my pressure cooker explode, so I added it after cooking the meat.

BBQ Pork in the pressure cooker

1 pork tenderloin, cut into cubes
salt (to season the meat)
2 c. baby carrots
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic pressed/minced
1/2 c. barbecue sauce

1. Brown onion and celery in pan with olive oil.
2. Add lightly salted meat and sear/brown for a few minutes. Add garlic and stir swiftly; drop in carrots.
3. Fill pot with enough water to just cover the meat, and turn up heat.
4. Bring to a boil, then place lid on pressure cooker. Bring up to pressure and allow to cook for 35-45 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, cool pot under running water until seal releases. Return pot to stove.
6. Open lid carefully and stir contents. Mix in BBQ sauce and break up chunks of meat with spoon.
7. Serve over rice, or on a hoagie roll.

Apple Bran Waffles

Aw, how sweet, huh? Heart-shaped waffles. I've had this waffle iron forever, and I love to use it. Recently, I made some waffles using a Bob's Red Mill muffin mix. Had to fudge the ingredient ratios, but this is what I eventually came up with:

Waffles using Spice Apple Bran Muffin Mix (Bob's Red Mill brand)

1 1/2 c. Spice Apple Bran Muffin Mix
1/2 c. flour
2 eggs
2 T. oil
2/3 c. water

Whisk all ingredients together. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.
Prepare waffle iron. Follow manufacturer's instructions, using the batter.




















http://www.bobsredmill.com/

random amusements

This made me actually LOL!

random amusements

OMG! I think I have to have one of these!

I love waffles, and Casey loves pancakes…if I had this pan, we could BOTH have our way!

Seriously, how cool is this pan?

Williams-Sonoma wants 40 bucks for one. Hmmm…is it worth it? Tough call…

I still want one, though.


LINKY:
Nordic Ware Waffled Pancake Pan

random amusements

I enjoy sitting in one of the brown living room chairs by the open window and reading a book...

Apparently, so does Thumper.

This is what typically happens when you get up to grab a cup of coffee: you lose your spot.

Notice how he has his front paws crossed in front of him, and he looks too cute to disturb?

You can *almost* see the outline of how I was lying kinda sideways a little bit in the chair, right where he is now! LOL!

When I'm there and I have the foot rest up (the chair is actually a recliner), he will sometimes sit by my feet and keep me company.

This time, he snuck in and took my seat while I was in the kitchen.

Enchilada Casserole II

The recipe is actually a repost, but I took photos this time, plus I made it big enough to share and took it over to the neighbors for dinner. We all had seconds, I think!!! It was awesome.

Enchilada Casserole II
This casserole can be assembled the night before, and allowed to set in the fridge overnight, which actually makes it better, I think!

1 large package corn tortillas (make sure they are corn and not flour)
3 lbs. lean ground turkey
6 cloves garlic, pressed/minced
1 medium onion, diced
2 pkgs. taco seasoning
1 large (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 large (28 oz.) can enchilada sauce
1 small (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
1 c. water
4 cups low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

1. Brown ground turkey in large skillet with onions and garlic. Drain and reserve liquid—the majority of which will be broth/water, and not fat. Add taco seasoning packets to the meat; stir to blend, adding the reserved liquid back in as needed.
2. Heat oven to 400º.
3. Cut corn tortillas into quarters, or tear into random pieces.
4. In LARGE casserole dish or baking pan (I used my big lasagna pan this time), spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce mixture. Set aside 1 cup of sauce, which will go on the very top of the casserole, later.
5. Place a layer of tortilla pieces, haphazardly, overlapping 2 or 3 pieces deep, to make a base for the casserole.
6. Top with half of the meat; then sprinkle with cheese.
7. Cover this with the tomato sauce mixture; layer with tortillas again.
8. Repeat layers: meat/cheese/sauce.
9. Top with tortillas and reserved sauce.
10. Bake for 45 minutes, or until you see it bubbling along the sides—this will ensure it is heated through. Top with shredded cheese and allow it to melt in the oven.
11. Serve with chips, sour cream, hot sauce, guacamole, and whatever else you typically want involved in your Mexican food dinner!

NOTE:
The layers should go like this:

1. sauce (just a little bit, on the bottom)
2. tortillas
3. meat
4. cheese
5. sauce
6. tortillas
7. meat
8. cheese
9. sauce
10. tortillas
11. sauce
12. cheese on very top.
    

Original post:
Enchilada Casserole

Gripe Of The Day

Hawks Lose First Pre-season game

Damnit.

Yeah, yeah...it's hockey season again. No, I'm not going to focus so much on Blackhawks games like I did during the Play Offs. But this was just sort of a let down. I'm kinda bummed out.

:-(

It's late right now, but I'm going downstairs to lift weights and try to get into a better mood. On a related note, one of these days I'll get around to writing up my "Strength in Numbers" posts. I have three outlines...I just need to flesh out the material and decide what to link to...

Anyways, I'm a little down because the Hawks ran around like a bunch of...whatever runs around, I can't even think right now...and lost the game with about 20 seconds left in OT.

I'm not mad...I'm just disappointed.

Easy Danish Rolls

"I'm a Danish, I'm a Danish...oh, oh, oh, I'm a Danish..." C'mon, sing it with me!


My house smells so good right now, it'd make you cry. Seriously. I don't think I even want dinner now.

Easy Danish Rolls

8 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
4 oz. (half a package) cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 T. flour
splash of half & half

Extra toppings: chocolate chips; sliced almonds; pecan halves; Nutella; jam or preserves; fresh or frozen berries; etc.
Glaze: 1 T. butter, melted; 1 t. honey; mix these together
Frosting: 1/2 c. powdered sugar; 2 T. milk; 1/2 t. vanilla

1. Thaw rolls in microwave by placing on plate and heating for 25 seconds; turn dough balls over; heat another 20 seconds. DO NOT OVER HEAT.
2. Flatten each roll and place on a buttered cookie sheet. Cover with waxed paper and allow to rise until doubled in size.
3. Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, flour and half & half with an electric mixer. By hand probably won't get all the lumps out, so just get the mixer, and don't argue with me, okay? Keep in fridge until dough is risen and ready.
4. Depress each roll in the center; brush each with honey-butter, using a pastry brush.
5. Spoon some of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each roll. If you choose, add extras such as chocolate chips, nuts, jam or fruit.
6. Bake at 350˚ for 15 to 18 minutes.
7. Drizzle with frosting, and enjoy!!!!

Concept adapted from the Rhodes Bread recipe:
Cream Cheese Danish

Monkey Bread in individual servings

Individual serving sizes is a great innovation for this recipe; borrowed from the Rhodes Bread website.

Mini Monkey Breads

12 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed but still cold
6 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon

Icing:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 T. butter, melted
1-2 T. half and half (or milk)
1/2 t. vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. Cut each dinner roll into 6 equal pieces.
3. In a bowl, melt butter in microwave.
4. In another bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon and mix well.
5. Dip each roll piece in the butter and then in the sugar mixture.
6. Place 6 pieces in each well sprayed cup of a 12 cup muffin tin. (or use individual custard cups, ramekins, or other small oven-safe baking dishes. Set them on a cookie sheet for ease in placing into and removing from oven.)
7. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let double in size.
8. Remove wrap and bake at 350° 15-20 minutes.
9. Cool 3-4 minutes before removing from pan(s).
10. Combine icing ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over monkey breads.

LINKY:
Rhodes Bread