April 17, 2011

Carol hosted the Gourmet Gals for a delicious Easter dinner. She not only hosted but she picked out the menu and prepared all the dishes with assistance from her sous chefs!

Everything was delicious!!

Appetizers were arranged on the side table, decorated with beautiful yellow and blue flowers.

Deviled Eggs in adorable bunny holders.

Rosemary Skewers

Makes 20 servings

20 3/4 inch wide strips of prosciutto

20 1 inch cubes of pepper jack cheese (we thought 1 inch was too large, you want it bite size)

20 firm rosemary springs, trimmed to 4 inches, bottom 2 inches of leaves removed

20 large pitted black olives

Wrap prosciutto around pepper jack cheese cubes. Using rosemary sprigs, skewer olives to cheese cubes. Serve immediately.

Bunny shaped cream cheese and dried cherry spread from HEB (adorable AND delicious) with assorted crackers.

Appetizer plates and napkins.

Beautifully decorated table (as always!)

Carrot and Ginger Soup with honey cream.

Asparagus salad with strawberries and oranges with a simple vinaigrette.






Ham with carrots, buttered pecan brown rice, green beans, apricot raisin hot cross buns, and Pepperidge Farm Chicken. And not shown...pistachio jello salad and bunny butter! Carol shaped butter pads int0 the shape of bunnies. So very cute!

Pepperidge Farm Chicken

Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts
Wondra Flour
Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing (not the cornbread one)
1 can Campbell's Chicken - Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup butter, melted

Crush stuffing (as suggested by Tonya, use a food processor) and place in a separate bowl.

Mix soup with 1/2 can water (Carol adds milk, not water) until it is a smooth, not clumpy, and a good consistency for dipping. Place in a separate bowl.

Put 1 cup Wondra flour in another bowl.

Drench each piece of chicken in Wondra Flour. Then dip in the soup mixture. Next, dip in the stuffing mix until coated.

Grease baking dish with butter. Place chicken in dish. Drizzle 1/2 c melted butter on top. You may need a little more....the crumbs work best when they are fairly drizzled in butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes until golden brown.

Holiday Lime Jello Salad

Ingredients

• 1 can crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved (I used 2 small cans of pineapple)
• water and reserved juice to make 1 cup
• 1 (3 ounce) package lime flavored gelatin mix
• 1 8 oz. package softened cream cheese
• 1 cup small curd cottage cheese
• chopped pecans (optional)
• 
  

Directions

1. In a large measuring cup, mix reserved pineapple juice and enough water to yield 1 cup. Pour into a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add the lime jello and stir until completely dissolved.
3. Stir cream cheese into the gelatin mixture until completely blended. Mix in the crushed pineapple, cottage cheese, and pecans (if desired). Pour the gelatin mixture into a serving bowl. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight until set.

Carrot cake muffins.

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

This cake, strawberry shortcake cake, was the most complicated cake I have ever made! And I even cheated! I realized as I began baking that I was out of sour cream, so I used a yellow cake mix and baked 2-8-inch round cakes. I let the cakes cool over night and the next day started with the strawberries and letting the butter and cream cheese (8 oz) come to room temperature.

The strawberries did not break down with a fork as easily as I hoped. The icing was easy to prepare, and tasty. When sliced, the cake was very pretty with the white frosting and red berry layers. My parents and I thought it was delicious and "blog worthy". I think I would only make this again for a special occasion as it was time consuming, if only for the hour of waiting for the strawberries to break up.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

I made this recipe for Snickerdoodle Muffins, from Tasty Kitchen, last night. It is a VERY simple recipe. And despite a pretty thick batter, the muffins are light, airy and delicious. I made 24 mini-muffins and 6 full size.

I made the following modifications:

1. Used 1.5 sticks of butter. As noted in the reviews, people who used 2 sticks had melted butter in the bottom of the cupcake liners. I did not have that problem.

2. I did not roll the dough in the sugar, though my dough was a good consistency for doing so. Instead I filled my cupcake liners, then spooned the sugar mixture on top. I used the spoon to press it down and made sure there was no batter showing through.

3. I do recommend using the liners as the muffins are delicate.

March 27, 2011

Janet hosted all of us this month for an Indian themed dinner. It was a great idea to introduce all of us to some new recipes and spices. Tonya provided an appetizer of Samosas and Crispy Spinach Pakoras, served with Cilantro Yogurt Dip and a tamarind/date sauce purchased at an Indo-Pak grocery. Carol's daughter Jennifer was visiting from Korea this month, so she and Carol both prepared a Marinated Cheese-Topped Salad, along with some crostini with herbed cheese spread. Janet's main course was Chicken Tikka Masala, along with Aloo Gobi (Cauliflower and Potatoes). Janet's friend Davi joined us for the evening and prepared jasmine rice to compliment the meal. The kitchen smelled amazing as everything was being prepared. Our dessert queen Mary found the perfect recipe to complete our meal: Goodnight Rose Cupcakes (Pistachio Cardamom Cupcakes with Rosewater Meringue Buttercream Frosting). It was a fitting end to a delicious dinner.

Next month we are looking forward to an Easter dinner at Carol's home.

Peanut Butter Swirl Banana Bread

YES. Peanut Butter Swirl Banana Bread. I found this recipe through facebook and had to try it. I make banana bread a few times a month and I am always looking for a new take on it. This bread is an ode to Elvis and his love of peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

The bread itself is very tasty and easy to put together. The peanut butter on top looks beautiful when cooked - the light brown swirls of peanut butter amongst the dark brown bread. I did not notice the peanut butter swirled in the middle of the loaf, so next time I may put it all on the top and use a knife to mix it in.

Happy PI Day!

Today is March 14, 2011. Or, 3.14.11 The first three digits (3.14) is PI, hence Happy Pi Day!!

I made this coconut custard pie called Impossible Pie yesterday and it was SO EASY and so good....if you like coconut and custard. Which I do! If you do not, do not make this pie. There is no crust, so I have to think that makes this a HEALTHY pie!

Healthy, delicious muffins

Every week it seems I have bananas ready to be put to use in a new recipe. I also have whole wheat flour that is taking up space, occasionally used as an under-study to supplement all-purpose flour. I googled "whole wheat banana" and found this wonderful recipe for Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins. They are delicious!! So very moist and tasty. I added a generous amount of cinnamon and walnuts and used three bananas to make 12 muffins.

I have been eating two a day, one for breakfast and one for an afternoon snack. In the morning I heat it up for 20 seconds and put on a dab of butter. In the afternoon I eat it at room temperature on the ride home to ward off the I AM STARVING feeling I normally have when I walk in the door after work.

This is now my go-to muffin recipe. I think the cinnamon and nuts are a must (pecans or walnuts). I also think these could be made with apples, shredded carrot or zucchini and with golden raisins. The batter IS a little bland and "healthy" so the nuts and fruits are what makes it delicious.

The recipe creator, A Messy Cook, states that:

"These muffins are delicious and have a great texture, and they are 100% healthy! No refined flour or sweeteners....To make the muffins lower in fat, replace half of the oil with unsweetened applesauce. I also use "white whole-wheat" flour, which is softer than that made with red wheat (but has the exact same nutritional value)."