Sunday, April 26, 2009

Pastel de Tres Leches


WARNING: A LOT OF RAMBLING BEFORE THE ACTUAL RECIPE!

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo! Here is a cake I have been obsessed with lately! It's not my fault. It all started with a friend, Mindy. She was obsessed with it after having it at our friend Olga's house, so she suggested we buy one from the same place Olga did and serve it for Enrichment last week. So good! Then I told Jen about it and that I wanted to find a good recipe for it, and she became obsessed right along with us. She found quite a few recipes on the internet, and we looked at the ingredients on each one (comparing the milk mixtures, how many eggs - I picked the one with 8 eggs!) before settling on the recipe I would try. Crazy, huh? If you haven't had this cake, it is soaked in a mixture of 3 different kinds of milk. Of all the recipes we looked at, the combinations of milk included different mixtures of the following: sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, and plain old milk. The recipe I tried actually used 4 kinds - the fourth one being Crema Mexicana. (The person who made it didn't have enough cream on hand so added some Crema Mexicana to the mixture .)

I made this cake last night, but it actually tasted better today after soaking in the milk all night long. I took some to Olga this afternoon and she approved! She told me she usually takes a piece of thread and slices the cake down the middle (horizontally) to make two layers. She puts the milk mixture on each half, and then puts a layer of whipped topping mixed with chopped strawberries in the middle of the two layers.

And here you have wikipedia's explanation: A Tres leches cake, or Pastel de Tres leches ("Three milk cake"), is a sponge cake,—in some recipes, a butter cake—soaked in three kinds of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. When butter is not used, the tres leches is a very light cake, with many air bubbles (that's how this cake was). This distinct texture is why it does not have a soggy consistency, despite being soaked in a mixture of three types of milk.

One last thing from me - I didn't do the berry sauce. I've never had tres leches that way, but it sounds good. I just put strawberries on top. And looky here - we made it to the actual recipe!

Pastel de Tres Leches

INGREDIENTS:

For the Sponge cake:

Baking spray

2 1/2 cups all-purpose bleached flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

8 eggs, separated

2 cups extra-fine sugar, such as Baker's (I used normal sugar)

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lime juice

2 teaspoons vanilla

2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature

For the milk topping:

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 can (14 ounces) condensed milk

8 ounces heavy cream

1/2 cup crema Mexicana, or substitute heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla

For the Berry sauce: (if you try it, let me know!)

1 (16 ounces) package frozen blackberries, thawed

1/4 cup sugar

For the Whipped cream icing:

8 ounces heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon powdered sugar (I used 2 Tbsp)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Mist a 9 x 13-inch baking pan (I use a glass pan) with baking spray. Line bottom with parchment and mist.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.

In a large bowl of a standing mixer, or with a hand-held mixer, whip egg whites on medium speed to soft peaks. Slowly add the sugar; raise speed to high and continue whipping to stiff peaks.

Reduce speed to low, and beat in yolks one by one. Beat in the lime juice and vanilla.

Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, in two or three additions, ending with the flour. Stop the mixer when all the flour is just in. Use a spatula to quickly and gently finish folding in all the flour until it is just moistened and there are no dry spots. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.

Pour into the prepared baking dish. Tap on counter to release air bubbles. Bake for 30-35 minutes (oh yeah - I had to bake mine for about 50 minutes!) (exact time will depend on whether your pan is metal or glass), or until cake is golden and center springs back when touched.

For the topping: While cake is baking, whisk together evaporated milk, condensed milk, heavy cream, crema Mexicana and vanilla.

Cool cake on long baking rack for 10 minutes and then release along the sides with a thin knife . Place rack on top of dish and turn over to release. Allow cake to cool upside down for another 20-30 minutes.

Next turn cake right-side up onto a long, serving dish with a rim to catch the excess milk topping. Poke holes in the cake with a steak knife or skewer. Pour 1 cup of the milk topping over entire top of cake. Wait until it soaks in and then repeat. When the topping is absorbed, pour over another cup of topping.

You can keep pouring on the milk cup by cup until all of it is used up, or you can save 1/2 cup to serve along with the cake as a side since people seem to like it so much they want to lick their plates.

Cover the cake and plate well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Optional -- For the sauce: Meanwhile, puree thawed blackberries in food processor with the sugar. Pour into a wire strainer and tap edge so puree goes through leaving behind the seeds. Place sauce in covered container until ready to serve the cake.

For the icing: An hour before serving cake, whip the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread smoothly over the top of the cake. Put cake back in the refrigerator until serving time. Optional -- Cut cake in 4-inch squares and place each on a pool of berry sauce. Scatter raspberries and blackberries around the edge of plate and serve with any reserved milk topping.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Sweets


Look at this corn-on-the-cob! Last night our hilarious friends, Deanna and Cheryl, made these and brought them over. I had never seen cupcakes decorated to look like this before. They used jelly beans, laffy taffy for butter, and made dark sugar sprinkles to look like pepper. I think the kids are eating them right now as I type!




Next, just an idea for a yummy brownie. I sprinkled a 1/2 cup of toffee bits and some chopped pecans over the top of the brownie batter. Next time I would use 3/4 or 1 cup of toffee bits.

Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice


Here's a recipe I found on Picky Palate last year sometime. I have made it quite a few times because the kids all eat it, and because it is so easy to make.

Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
1 14oz can cream of chicken soup
1 14 oz can cheddar soup
1 14 oz can chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
¼ teaspoon garlic salt seasoning
1 Cup sour cream
6 Cups broccoli florets, lightly steamed, just fork tender
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese (I usually skip this part)

1. Place soups, chicken broth, salt, Cajun and garlic seasoning into a crockpot over low heat. Whisk until smooth. Place chicken in, pressing to the bottom. Cover lid and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.

2. When chicken is cooked, use 2 forks to shred into bite size pieces. Stir in sour cream and broccoli.

3. Serve over steamed rice and sprinkle with cheese.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Fish Tacos

Growing up, I disliked fish very much (I will blame that on my mother, she doesn't like it and therefore never cooked it). I married into a family that loves fish and seafood. Living in MA did me well. With a hubby that loves fish and because of it's nutritional value I learned to like it and sometimes crave it! That being said, I'm still not a seafood lover. I do not like lobster, crab, scallops, muscles, and some shrimp. I prefer white fish because it's not so fishy and if anything has a distinct fishy smell I will not eat it. Arizona doesn't quite have the selection or freshness that back East offers, but we make do. My number one fish thing I crave is Rubio's fish tacos. Ooooh yummy! I decided to make my own last night and they were delicious. I used a different sauce than is on their tacos, but I'll put both recipes here. It looks like a lot of work, but really isn't, especially if you make the green salsa and sauces ahead of time!

Fish Tacos (Adapted from Foodnetwork's Tyler Florence recipe)

White fish (last night I used tilapia, tonight I'm using Mahi Mahi)
1 egg slightly beaten with a little water added
flour
bread crumbs (I love panko bread crumbs, but didn't have any so I used regular, I also seasoned my breadcrumbs a little with garlic powder and Adobo seasoning)
Oil heated in pan on stove

Cut fish into small strips and dredge in flour, dip into egg mixture, and roll in bread crumbs then fry in oil.

Pink Chili Mayo Sauce (this is spicy, for us anyways)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonaise
1 chipotle pepper in Adobo sauce
1/2 lemon juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Rubio's Copycat Recipe Sauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
(You can add lime juice, jalapenos, cumin, ceyenne pepper, or any seasoning you want to it)

Green Salsa (This is a green salsa recipe that I make all the time, we LOVE it, but measurements are approx.) (I think this is what makes the taco, I use TONS)
15-20 tomatillios (depends on size)
1 white onion
2-3 serrano peppers (depends on heat, sometimes I just add one)
4-6 cloves garlic

Peel husks off tomatillios and rinse under water, put in big pot with quartered onion, peppers, and garlic. Add water to completely cover tomatillos. Boil until tomatillos change color and start to break like a tomato does.

Having waiting in blender
1-2 limes, juiced
3 T sugar (I use half of that sometimes)
1 teaspoon salt
a bunch of cilantro

Add tomatillos, pepper, onions, garlic to blender and blend until smooth. Be careful to hold the lid down tight with a washcloth or something, because it will want to explode because of the heat. Eat with chips, on a salad, burritos, make enchiladas, tacos, you name it!

How we assemble our fish tacos
Take one small flour tortilla
Put some sauce on tortilla
Add your fish

Fresh cilantro leaves (We love cilantro around here)
Lots of green salsa, I mean lots!Shredded cabbage and some fresh lime juice to the top!Enjoy!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Oven Potatoes


You have probably all made these, but just in case:


Peel, wash and dice potatoes, toss with a little oil and 1 packet of onion soup mix. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees til done and slightly crispy.


One of our favorites to go along with grilled chicken or pork chops, or any meat.

Blueberry Pancakes and Maple Syrup


Here's some yummy pancakes. I got the recipe from my friend Maranda Whittle.


Ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons oil
1 egg
1/2 cup blueberries

Directions
Mix together flour,sugar,baking powder and salt.
Beat egg well.
Add milk, oil and blend together.
Add wet ingredients to dry.
Mix together until all dry ingredients, wet do not over mix.
Add blueberries and fold into batter.
Use lightly oiled frying pan and heat.
Fry each pancake until cooked.

-Maranda Whittle


And for those of you that don't know our family favorite syrup-2 C. sugar, 1 C. water, boil til clear and add one capful of mapeline! Serve hot. Yummy-storebought syrup never tasted so bad after this stuff!

Love Cake




Jason (Cam's hubby) grew up with Love Cake. It was a Nelson family tradition. Now, he makes it for his family and we've all been the lucky ones to sample his cake for breakfast while visiting. We insisted Cam put his recipe in the Payne family cookbook. So here it is:
Love Cake
Jason Nelson

3 C. flour
½ C. margarine
½ tsp. salt
¾ - 1 C. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 1/3 C. milk
2 tsp. vanilla

Topping: (I like to double the topping! It's our favorite part)
1/2 C. margarine
1/2 C. flour
1/2 C. oats
1/2 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375˚. Cream margarine and sugar until light. Beat in the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients, then add to the creamed mixture. It should be very thick. Grease a 9x13 pan. Pour the mixture into the pan. For the topping: cut margarine into dry ingredients until crumbly then sprinkle over the cake mixture. (Do not melt margarine, but it can be slightly softened) Sprinkle over the top of the cake mixture.
Bake for 35 minutes. This is also great with a can of peaches, crushed pineapple, or other fruit dumped into the pan before the cake mix. (This time I put in a can of peach pie filling! We like cool whip and butter on top!)

Random Things




Here are some random things I have tried and loved this past week:




Sisters' Cafe Sweet Pork salad-so good! Shara was right, the sweet pork was delicious-I happen to like my sweet pork not as sweet as most, I cut the sugar in half-it was still PLENTY sweet! I made the whole meal and it was fabulous! Steve especially liked the rice. He said he doesn't usually like Spanish Rice, but this one was really good! I will definently make it again and again anytime I make Mexican food.
Here's the rice recipe:
Cilantro Lime Rice
3 c water
3 c Minute rice
4 cubes chicken bouillon
4 tsp garlic, minced
1 Tb canola oil
2 Tb fresh lime juice
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 onion
1 can green chilies

Blend cilantro, onion, and chilies in food processor. Bring water to boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked. *I hate Minute Rice and never buy it - you can substitute regular rice, just adjust the water to rice ratio accordingly.
I also tried Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas from Sister's Cafe. They were yummy, too. The chicken was sweet, and the sauce just right to with it. They were easy to make, too.
(Sorry, no picture)

Next, I tried Lace Cookies with Milk Chocolate Drizzle from Stephanie's Kitchen. These were so good. Hard to stop snitching in to. They were a hit around my house! (We ate them before I got a picture, Sorry!)

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Crepes and all the fixins



For Easter I had a big breakfast with crepes and lots of fillings. I planned for it to be outside, but rainy weather pushed us inside. It was so delicious and I think everyone got stuffed off of crepes, we were lucky enough to have leftovers the next morning. We had regular and chocolate crepes to choose from. The fillings included strawberries, Nutella, chocolate mousse, french vanilla cream cheese pudding, apple pecan filling, and lemon curd (AC's cousin Anne brought that), and whipped cream. Recipes will follow.

Chocolate Crepe
1 cup flour
2T cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups milk
Mix together until smooth (I blend my crepes in a blender, I find it quicker and less clumpy, I doubled this for a crowd)

Chocolate Mousse
1 large pkg instant chocolate pudding mix - make as directed - you can substitute cream for the milk to make it richer, but that's a lot of cream folks!
1 quart whipping cream (whipped with some sugar and vanilla until stiff) - fold into chocolate pudding. Chill until ready to serve

French Vanilla Cream Cheese Filling
1- 8 oz pkg cream cheese brought the room temperature
1- 8 oz container cool whip (can use 1 quart whip cream instead of cool whip, I used a little of both)
2 small pkgs instant french vanilla pudding
3 cups milk.

Mix cream cheese in blender until smooth. Mix pudding as directed using only the 3 cups milk instead of what is called for on the boxes. Mix with cream cheese. Fold in cool whip/cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Apple Pecan Filling
1 - 21 oz can apple pie filling
1/2 c. pecans
1/2 tsp cinnamon
splash of lemon juice
Mix and serve with crepes, I thought it was best warmed up!

Here's the good part about it, we had oodle of leftover (I got my mom's mentality I think, I always double the recipes just to make sure we have enough), with the chocolate and vanilla fillings, I made cream puffs the next day and used them as the fillings. If you have any leftover apple filling, put it in a dish add a crumble topping and bake it for an apple crisp! Ta Da!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

No Bake Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake/Rocky Road Chocolate Cake

I've had both of these chocolate desserts and they are yummy. I'll take pics. next time I make them.

NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE TURTLE CHEESECAKE
2 chocolate cookie crumb shells
60 pcs. caramels
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. chopped pecans
2 - 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese
1 c. sour cream
2 c. milk
1 (5.9 oz.) Chocolate Instant Pudding
1 c. Fudge Topping

1. Place caramels and evap. milk in a heavy sauce pan. Heat over med low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in 1 c. pecans. Pour into crusts.
2. In a blender, combine cream cheese, sour cream and milk. Process until smooth. Pour into large bowl. Add in pudding with whisk until well blended. Pour over caramel layer. Chill 15 min
3. Drizzle topping over top in decorative pattern. Sprinkle with remaining nuts. Cover and chill.



ROCKY ROAD CHOCOLATE CAKE (in a crockpot!) (Mom, I had a picture because I was planning on putting the recipe up sometime, so glad you did! The picture looks terrible, but the cake is soo delicious!)
This cake will look like it needs to cook just a little longer but by the time the topping is set, it's ready to serve. When it's done and still warm, top with marshmallows, pecans and chocolate chips before serving. Just keep the crockpot on warm after putting the marshmallows and stuff on and that speeds melting.
1 pkg. german chocolate cake mix
1 (3.9 oz.) pkg. chocolate instant pudding
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/3 c. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/4 c. milk - (divided)
1 (3.4 oz.) pdg. chocolate cook and serve pudding mix
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1 1/2 c. mini marshmallows
1 c. chocolate chips

Beat cake mix and next 5 ingredients and 1 1/4 c. milk at medium speed for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Pour batter into lightly greased (sprayed) 4 qt. slow cooker.

Microwave remaining 2 c. milk for about 2 minutes.

Sprinkle cook and serve pudding over cake batter - slowly pour hot milk over the pudding. Cover and cook on low 3.5 hours. (Some cookers only take 2.5 hours).
The top will bounce back when done and it looks dry on top.
Turn crock pot to warm or off and put toppings on - when the marshmallows are pretty melted it's ready to serve! Top with vanilla ice cream in the bowls.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Strawberry Salad


This was served at my friend, Jill's bridal shower last month. I had to get the recipe and then I made it for our Lunt fam. Easter picnic. My nephew says it's "chick-food". So I guess that's why it was at a bridal shower. It's good anyway, even though some of the guys wouldn't try it.


Romaine lettuce

(I also added spinach)

8 oz. grated Italian Four Cheese Blend (I used just parmesan and Monterey Jack)

Glazed Walnuts (I used glazed pecans since pecans are plentiful around here and walnuts aren't)

Sliced Strawberries


Dressing (combine in blender): Refrigerate until ready to serve.

1/2 C. red wine vinegar

1 C. salad oil

1/2 C. sugar

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. white pepper (I just used regular black pepper)

1/2 tsp. paprika

Sugar-Glazed Pecans


These are so yummy! My kids (and their daddy) can't stay out of 'em.


They were easy, too. I got the recipe from AOL food. I used these in a salad for our Easter picnic.


Ingredients:


4 egg, whites only
1/2 cup ginger ale
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups sugar
8 cups pecan halves


Cooking Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 250 F
2. Spray two (15x10x1-inch) baking pans with nonstick coating spray.
3. Separate eggs and in a large bowl whisk egg whites.
4. Add ½ a cup ofginger ale, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, sugar and
pecan halves.
5. Now fold this together until the nuts are evenly coated.
6. Spread the mixture out onto the baking pans.
7. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the coating is absorbed and the pecans
appear dry, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
8. Separate the pecans into a single layer with two forks.
9. When they are cooled store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Cornmeal Crepes and Homemade Enchilada Sauce


Jen made these flat enchiladas (corn tortilla, hamburger, onion, cheese, enchilada sauce, repeat!) with cornmeal crepes in place of corn tortillas about a week ago, so I had been craving them! The cornmeal crepe recipe is one we got from Camilee. They taste a lot like a corn tortilla, but more like the texture of a crepe - we loved them. The enchilada sauce is one that Amy has been making forever, and she got it from her mother-in-law. I think it is the favorite recipe of everyone in our family now. (Don't forget to eat a fried egg on top of your flat enchilada - yummy!)

Cornmeal Crepes

1/3 C. flour (wheat or white)
2 eggs
1 1/2 C. milk
1 Tbsp. oil
1 C. cornmeal
1/2 tsp. salt

In bowl combine all ingredients. Whisk or beat together until well-blended. Heat a lightly greased 6-inch skillet. Spoon in about 2 Tbsp batter (I think my skillet was a little bigger and we did about 3-4 Tbsp. batter). Lift skillet and tilt batter to spread evenly. Return to heat. Brown one side only then dump out of pan onto a plate. Grease pan between every few crepes. Stir batter frequently to keep cornmeal from settling. These work great for healthier flat enchiladas.

Enchilada Sauce

  1. Remove seeds and stems from 6 whole red dried chilies, then soak in hot water for 30 minutes (Jen told me to heat water to boiling, turn stove off, throw the chilies in to soak for 30 minutes - it worked great.)
  2. Pour off water, reserving 1 cup. Put chilies and the 1 cup water in blender and blend until smooth.
  3. In saucepan, combine . . . ½ C. flour and 6 Tbsp. oil or melted shortening. Cook and stir until browned
  4. Add . . . 5 C. water, 1 Tbsp. salt, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 Tbsp. dried onion or ½ C. chopped onion, and blended chile and water mixture.
  5. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened

Makes enough sauce for 2 dozen enchiladas. Extras may be frozen. May use less chilies for milder sauce.


Fresh Breadcrumbs

First of all - Amanda, I made your Au Gratin Sausage Skillet and EVERYONE here loved it! Everyone also gave 2 thumbs up to Amy's quiche. And the 3rd thing I have tried lately off of this blog is Shara's Baked Macaroni and Cheese, which brings me to these fresh bread crumbs. I would have rather used storebought ones like Shara did, but I couldn't bring myself to run to the store with the kids just for that. So I called Martha, or maybe I just looked at her website, and found a fresh breadcrumb recipe that turned out great. Only thing I did wrong was use regular salt in place of the course salt -- it turned out too salty but still edible. I did the garlic and parsley variation.

Fresh Bread Crumbs
  • 1 loaf (8 ounces) day-old bread, crusts removed and bread cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons), optional
  • 5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage, optional
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried, optional
  • 3/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, optional
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried, optional
  • 3 tablespoons very finely chopped garlic, optional

Directions

  1. Working in two batches, pulse bread cubes in a food processor to fine crumbs; transfer to a medium bowl.
  2. To make plain breadcrumbs, stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt and season with pepper. To make lemon-sage breadcrumbs, stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt, lemon zest, and sage; season with pepper. To make parmesan-oregano breadcrumbs, stir in 1 tablespoon salt, oregano, and parmesan cheese; season with pepper. To make garlic-parsley breadcrumbs, stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, parsley, and garlic; season with pepper. Freeze unused breadcrumbs in a resealable plastic bag for up to one month.

Ugly Cupcakes


Happy Late April Fools! I meant to post this sooner. These are actually little meatloaves with colored mashed potatoes on top. Nasty, huh? My kids came into the kitchen and I said, "Look what's for dinner!" They were so excited to have cupcakes for dinner until my oldest stuck her finger into the "frosting" and put it in her mouth. I should have taken a picture of her face. At least they didn't cry, I was kind of expecting one of them to have a melt down when their hopes of eating cupcakes for dinner were dashed.

Go here to see this idea that came from Family Fun (I know, I know. Mine look so gross and theirs look so pretty), and here's the meatloaf recipe I grew up on and love:

Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef
2 C bread crumbs (4 slices)
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. minced onion
1/4 C. bell pepper
2 eggs
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, mix well all ingredients. Spoon mixture into a 9x5 loaf pan, with spoon level top. Bake 1 1/2 hours.

Happy Easter!


Happy Easter to any blog readers out there! Here are some wonderful Easter Messages that you can enjoy.



Friday, April 10, 2009

Easter Cream Puffs


One Easter tradition that we have at my house is making these cream puffs the Saturday night before Easter Sunday. They are then ready on Easter and are very Yummy! I love how the recipe ties in with Easter, and I can't wait to make them tomorrow night again! The direction's aren't really that long, it just explains the parallels with Easter. They are really easy and WONDERFUL for the kids to help make!

Here's the recipe:

Easter Cream Puffs
¼ tsp. vinegar
½ cup margarine
1 cup water
1 cup flour
¼ tsp. salt
4 eggs
Pastry filling

Let children smell vinegar. Explain that when Jesus was on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink. Add ¼ tsp. to a 2-quart saucepan. Mix together water and salt. This represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Add to saucepan. Add the margarine and heat mixture until it boils. Remove from heat. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously. The color white represents the purity of those whose sins have been cleansed through the atonement of Christ. Preheat the oven to 375°. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until smooth. The eggs represent life. Jesus gave his life that we might live. Using a large spoon and rubber spatula, drop onto cookie sheets in 12 large mounds. Each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus was laid. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and cut a slit in the side of each puff. After Jesus had died, the soldiers took a spear and pierced his side. Put the puffs back in the oven to dry, then turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Jesus' tomb was also sealed. Go to BED. They may feel sad to leave the cream puffs in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were also in despair when Jesus' was gone. The next morning,(possibly Easter morning) open the door and give everyone a cream puff. Slice the top open and notice that they are hollow inside. On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb empty! Fill with your favorite flavor of pudding or custard and enjoy!

sorry, no picture, I haven't made them yet!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Egg Casserole




This is a recipe I got from my friend, Melissa Welker. She served it at a Relief Society brunch. It is so good. I actually made it for dinner because I don't seem to have a whole lot of time on school mornings.

Combine:
12 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Then stir in:

30 oz. thawed frozen hash browns
2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup ham, cubed

Put in greased 9X13 pan. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Vanishing Breakfast Rolls (or afterschool snack)


These were yummy!!! My kids were in heaven. And even better-they were easy. My friend, Melissa stopped by and ate a cold leftover that was sitting out on the counter. She liked it cold, too. These were hard to stop eating. The marshmallow melts all inside, so the middle is hollow.
I got this recipe from My Sisters' Cucina.

2 pkgs Refridgerated Biscuits (10 rolls per pack)
Marshmallows,
Big or Mini
3 Tbsp Butter, melted
Cinnamon & Sugar mix (1/2 cup sugar to 1/2 tsp cinnamon)
Seperate biscuits and smash down with the palm of your hand. If you have big marshmallows you are ready to roll marshmallow in butter, then into cinnamon & sugar. If you have mini marshmallows take a handful and roll them into a ball with your hands, then roll in butter and cinnamon & sugar. Place one buttery, cinnamon & sugar marshmallow on each flattened biscuit and wrap biscuit around and pinch to seal. Place in sprayed cupcake pan seam side down and bake at the degrees according to biscuit package directions. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and serve.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Lemon Cookies




Shara told us about these lemon cookies, but hasn't posted them yet, so I thought I would. I really liked them! There is the lemony taste that just makes it taste so fresh!




For Cookies
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp butter at room temperature
1 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest {about 1 lemon}
2 x large egg yolks
1 x whole large egg
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt




For Icing
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice {or more depending on desired consistency & tartness}
3 tbsp butter {if you want it to be thinner, then melt the butter}




To Assemble
For cookies, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and stir in lemon zest. Beat in egg yolks and whole egg until fully incorporated. Stir in sour cream until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir just until blended. Chill batter for 30 minutes, just to set butter a little.
Preheat oven to 325 °F. Spoon tablespoons of batter onto a greased cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, just until the bottoms of the cookies turn golden brown. Allow to cool before icing.





For frosting consistency: beat powdered sugar & room temp butter until mixed, then add lemon juice until you reach desired consistency. Then frost the cookies with a knife. For icing consistency: stir powdered sugar into lemon juice until smooth. Stir in melted butter (this will thicken the icing a bit). Let cookies set 1 hour before removing, and store in an airtight container, with layers of parchment between the cookies to prevent sticking.

Homemade Bread


I made homemade bread for the first time last week. I thought it turned out really good. My only complaint would be it goes moldy too fast!


Bread recipe:

5-6 cups of bread flour or wheat flour (I did half and half)

2 1/2 cups of warm water

1/8 cup of oil

1/3 cup of honey

1/2 Tbsp dough enhancer

1/2 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp SAF yeast


In your kitchen aid mixer, put water, oil, honey, dough enhancer, salt and half of the flour. Mix on low speed. Put in yeast and rest of flour (so that the dough is cleaning the sides of the bowl, it will be sticky). Let it knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Cover and let it rise for 15 minutes. Divide in half and shape into loaves on a cutting board that is greased with oil. Put into two well greased bread pans. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Brush with butter while still hot.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Garden Coleslaw


I just got a new Taste of Home magazine and it has a good recipe I tried out. It's called Garden Coleslaw. Here's the recipe.

3 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 C chopped green pepper
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 C. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 C mayonnaise
1/4 tsp salt

In a small bowl, combine the cabbage, pepper and onion. Combine the remaining ingredients; add to cabbage mixture and toss to coat.