Frozen Fruit Cup

I had Frozen Fruit Cups the very first time I visited Dunlap, Iowa.

Jeff and I had been married for almost 6 months, but we had been living in different countries.  He was in Ft. Benning, Georgia and I was in Wiesbaden, Germany.  Early Christmas morning in 1995, I flew from Germany to Omaha, Nebraska.  By the time we finally got to Dunlap, it was evening and we had presents to open!  What a LONG day!  It was a Christmas to remember...a lot of firsts!  A few days later, we had a wedding reception for friends and family who couldn't make it to our wedding, which was in Maine.  My parents even came to the reception!  After spending the holidays in Dunlap, Jeff and I drove to Columbus, Georgia and began our married life in the same country!

Back to the Frozen Fruit Cup.  After they sit at room temperature, the fruit cups are slushy, refreshing and so good!  They are great for a brunch, a snack, or dessert!

Frozen Fruit Cups
1 large can crushed pineapple (undrained)
1/2 jar Maraschino cherries, cut in half (also add 1/2 of the cherry juice)
4 bananas, sliced
2 liters, soda (7-Up, Spite; diet or regular)
1/4 c. lemon juice
1-12 ounce can of orange juice concentrate, undiluted
2 cans Mandarin oranges, undrained


In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together.  Spoon into small plastic punch cups, making sure the cups are not filled more than 3/4ths full.  Place in the freezer and freeze until solid.  Once the fruit cups are frozen, cover each cup with tin foil.  


Tip:  Place the cups in an empty 9x13 inch pan or a cup cake tin.  This will contain any spills (in the freezer or on the counter!) and will allow for easier transport!

Summer Corn Fettuccine

Amanda and her husband

Last night, my friend Amanda posted a message on my Facebook page.

Jen, I made this for dinner tonight and thought of you. It was DELICIOUS! I used corn from the farmer's market. I love reading your blog and seeing what you are cooking up! :)  It isn't that hard to make! I actually made it while attempting to light the grill, which proved to be the harder of the 2 tasks.

I read the recipe and wished that I hadn't already made supper.  I wished that I had been to the Farmer's Market and that I had fresh corn in my refrigerator (along with other ingredients!)  Holy Cow, it looks DELICIOUS!  I can't wait to make this!  The recipe review has 5 stars.  YUM!

Summer Corn Fettuccine

Rachael Ray

This pasta tastes like corn chowder, a summer favorite of mine. Bring home a bushel of corn at summers end and cook, scrape and freeze summer fresh flavor by making your own frozen corn kernels.

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound fettuccine
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 6 slices smoky bacon, chopped
• 6 ears corn on the cob, shucked
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup half-and-half or cream - whatever you put in your morning coffee
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• A few dashes hot sauce or 1 or 2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
• 1/2 cup torn sweet basil leaves or 1/4 cup chopped tarragon leaves

Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium heat. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook to al dente.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook a few minutes until rendered and crisp. Put a small bowl inverted into a large bowl, steady the corn cobs on the smaller bowl and scrape the ears. Add 3/4 of the scraped corn and any corn liquid to the pan with the bacon. Add the shallots and red pepper and liberally season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the remaining corn and half-and-half to a food processor and puree until smooth.
Pour the stock or wine into the corn and vegetables, and simmer over low heat for a minute to reduce. Stir in the thyme and corn-cream mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken. Add the hot sauce or cayenne and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Drain the pasta and add it to a large serving bowl. Pour in the sauce, add a couple of handfuls of cheese, about 1/2 cup and toss. Top with torn basil or chopped tarragon and pass the remaining cheese at the table.

P.S.  If you don't know Amanda, she's a really cool friend, a fun Bunco player, an awesome teacher and she has a boat named "The Dollar General," which I find really funny...especially since she and her husband paid $1 for their boat!  :)  

Mothers, Bake Sale Goodies... or goodies to have any time!

Today I'm writing about my Mothers.  I have three:  

My step-mother, Joannie.

Joannie, my Dad, JP and my nieces on New Year's Eve

My mother-in-law, Helen.

My father-in-law, Leonard, mother-in-law, Helen and JP

My mum, Lois.  

My mum, Lois, my nieces and JP on Christmas night

They are all very important to me and I love all three of them!  I'm so blessed to have three wonderful women in my life! (They are all good cooks, too!)

 

My step-mother, Joannie asked me today if I had any good recipes for Bake Sales.  And I do...  I love Bake Sales...there are always tons of goodies and they all look soooo good.  Usually the prices are reasonable, but even if they're not that reasonable, it's for a good cause (whatever the cause may be!)

I have two recipes I'm going to share.  Both are easy to make, both transport well and both sell like hotcakes.  And both are super YUMMY!  The first is from my mother-in-law, Helen.  Chocolate Brownies.  (Why isn't there a chocolate brown on the color wheel??) Three words describe these brownies:  To Die For.  Yes, they are that good.  If you make them for yourself, they are especially yummy warmed up in the microwave for a few seconds and topped with vanilla ice cream.  Again:  To Die For. 

The second recipe is from my mum.  I'm not sure where she got the recipe...but I know I copied it from one of her recipe cards.  The 3x5 card that it's written on is splattered with batter, the ink is smeared and it was written in my hand writing circa 1983 (or so...give or take a few years...so I was in 5th or 6th grade...I think.)  Anyways...  Apple Cake.  Sweet Goodness.  And hey, there's fruit in this...it's healthy, right???  (On a side note, I've tried many times to lighten up this recipe, and it just doesn't work.)  There is a delicate crust that forms on this cake that is just out of this world!

Oh, and by the way...the best news of all:  NO CALORIES.  That's right, no calories.  HA!  Gotcha!  Just take a sliver of each and give the rest to the bake sale!  It's for a good cause!  :)

Helen's Chocolate Brownies


4 oz. unsweetened chocolate 
2 sticks of butter or margarine
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 t. vanilla
1-1/4 c. flour
1/4 t. baking powder
3/4 c. walnuts (optional)


In a large sauce pan, melt the chocolate and butter together.  Remove from heat and cool.  Add the sugar and vanilla.  Mix until combined.  Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each egg.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Spray a 12x17 inch sheet pan with cooking spray.  Pour the batter into the pan and bake in a 300* oven for 25 minutes.


Frosting:
1 c. sugar
6 T. butter or margarine
6 T. milk
1/2 c. chocolate chips


In a sauce pan, bring the sugar, butter and milk to a boil.  Boil for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add chocolate chips.  Stir until melted.  Pour over cooked brownies.  Let the brownies/frosting cool completely before cutting.  



Apple Cake

1-1/3 c. oil
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
3 c. peeled and chopped apple (Granny Smith's work well)
1 c. raisins
1 c. shredded coconut
1 c. nuts (any kind, optional)
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3 c. flour
1 t. cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350*.  In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar and eggs.  Add apples, raisins, coconut and nuts.  Stir thoroughly.  Add baking soda, salt, and vanilla.  Stir in the flour.  The batter will be very stiff.  Bake in a greased and floured bundt pan for 1 hour.  


Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before turning it onto a plate.  Once the cake is completely cool, dust with confectioners sugar. 

Chicken Rice Bowl

JP and I had Chicken Rice Bowl for supper last night.  It was pretty darn good!  It was so good, that I completely forgot to take a picture!  I had several similar recipes and decided to create my own marinade/sauce.  Enjoy~

Chicken Rice Bowl
serves 4

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs with visible fat removed


1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. white wine
1/4 c. frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 c. honey
1 T. sesame oil
4 green onions, sliced (white and green part)
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 inch piece ginger, shredded

2 c. cooked rice, any type
2 c. steamed broccoli 


In a large Ziploc type bag, combine the soy, wine, OJ concentrate, honey, oil, green onions, garlic and ginger.  Mix well.  Add the chicken thighs.  Squeeze most of the air out of the bag and seal.  Refrigerate for 2-24 hours.  Preheat oven to 350*.  Remove from the refrigerator.  Spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray.  Pour the chicken and marinade into the pan.  Make sure the chicken is all bone side up or bone side down...it doesn't matter, as long as all the pieces are the same.  Cook for 20 minutes, remove from oven and turn the chicken over.  Bake for 15-20 more minutes, making sure the sauce doesn't burn.  Remove from the oven.

In 4 pasta size bowls, spoon 1/2 c. of cooked rice into each bowl.  Add 1/2 c. of steamed broccoli.  Place 2 chicken thighs on top and pour cooked sauce over it all.  Enjoy~

You can substitute other steamed veggies rather than broccoli, or even use a veggie mixture.  You could also substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but if you use them, the chicken won't be as flavorful or juicy. 

Tip:  Ginger...fresh ginger is awesome!  An easy way to peel ginger is to use a spoon (just a regular teaspoon!) just like a potato peeler.  A spoon gets into those little corners and just takes off the thin skin.  I use a Kycera grater.  Watch out, those spikes are sharp and will cut you!

Egg Rolls

They look good, don't they??

 JP and I decided to have sushi (aka California roll) and egg rolls tonight for supper.  I love egg rolls.  They are so yummy, but oh so loaded in fat and calories.  But not these!  They are made with turkey and are baked!  They taste a little different from ones that are fried, but they are very good in their own right.  I'm not going to post the recipe I used for the California roll.  The picture looks better than they tasted.  They were very bland and chewy, not at all like what we buy in the store.  Almost a TLS recipe but not quite.

On to the Egg Rolls!  This is not a quick recipe...it will take 30-40 minutes to make them, and another 10-14 minutes to bake.  But don't let that stop you!

Baked Egg Rolls

1/2 pound ground turkey breast
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 inch piece of ginger, grated
4 green onions, thinly sliced (use the white, pale green and some of the green part)
1 can of bean spouts, drained or 8 oz. fresh bean sprouts
1/2 bag of shredded cabbage (made for cole slaw) or 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
1 small bag of shredded carrots or 4 carrots, shredded
2 T. sesame oil
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. fish sauce
2 T. oyster sauce
1/4 t. pepper
2 T. corn starch
2 T. cold water

1 package egg roll wrappers
1 small dish of cold water


In a large pan, brown the turkey.  The meat needs to be in small pieces, so break up any large pieces.  Add the cabbage, carrots, green onions, garlic, ginger and pepper.  Cook for 3 min on medium heat.  Stir the soy, fish and oyster sauce together.  Add the corn starch and water and mix well.  Push the meat mixture to one side in the pan.  Pour the liquid into the free area of the pan.  Stir well until thickened.  Turn off the heat and stir all of the thickened liquid and meat mixture together.


Preheat the oven to 400*.  Spray a baking pan with cooking spray.  Moisten 2 paper towels with cold water.  You will use 1 moistened paper towel to cover the egg rolls you make, and the other one will cover the stack of egg roll wrappers.  This will keep the egg roll wrappers pliable.  


Follow the directions on the egg roll wrapper package to fill the egg rolls.  You will need to use a scant 1/3 cup of the filling for each egg roll.  Use the small dish of cold water to seal the egg rolls.  


One they are all rolled, remove the damp paper towel and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray.  Place in the oven and cook for 10-14 minutes.  The egg rolls should be lightly browned.  Enjoy!

Awful Waffles (they're not really awful at all, I just like how awful rhymes with waffle!)

So once every few months, JP gets a "Rule Day."  When it's Rule Day, he gets to make the rules and decide what to do, where to go, what to eat, what to watch on TV, etc.  All within reason, of course.  When he was planning his Rule Day, immediately JP thought of skydiving.  Um, no.  I nipped that one in the bud.  (Which, is one of my favorite sayings...if you don't know what it's from, watch here!  Even if you know Barney, you should watch this video.  It cracks me up!)  I also put the kibosh on a few other things like visiting grandparents in Maine (sorry, 1 day is just too short to make the trip!)

So what did JP decide to do?  We went out to eat for lunch at JC's 1950's Diner (instead of Smash Burger...we're waiting for Papa to come home from Iraq to go there!)  We also rented a Muppet Movie and the Ghost Buster's Wii game.  We're planning a trip to the playground...the "train park" on Ft. Riley and for supper tonight, guess what we're having??  That's right, Awful Waffles (but they really aren't awful!)

I think it was my dad was the one who came up with "Awful Waffles."  Update:  I now know why my dad nicknamed them "Awful Waffles."  I guess I'd forgotten this...  It is a pain in the A&& to clean the waffle iron...it's an awful mess.  But don't let that stop you from making these!  They are soooo gooood!  Awfully good!  :)

So here's the recipe for Waffles.  It's from adapted from "The King Arthur 200th Anniversary Cookbook."

Hearty Waffles

1/2 c. wheat germ
1/2 c. oat meal
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. whole wheat flour
1-3/4 c. unbleached flour
1/4 c. Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal (if you don't have this, you can use 1/4 c. cornmeal instead)
1 t. cinnamon
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda


5 T. honey
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 T. vinegar
scant 2 cups skim milk (put vinegar in measuring cup and add milk to equal 2 cups)
2 cups plain, fat-free yogurt
1/4 c. applesauce
1/4 c. olive oil


2 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)


Stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture.  Stir until just mixed.  If using fresh blueberries, fold the berries in.  


Prepare a waffle iron.  Preheat, spray with cooking spray (remember to spray top and bottom!) and use an ladle to spoon batter onto waffle iron.  If using frozen blueberries, sprinkle a few on the batter once you spoon it onto the waffle iron.  A waffle usually cooks in 2-4 minutes.  

You can also make these into pancakes if you'd rather not have "Awful Waffles."   Also, this recipe makes A LOT of waffles (or pancakes.)  Feel free to half the recipe to make a smaller amount.  I usually make the full amount and freeze the waffles in small packages.  That way, it's really quick and easy to have a healthy breakfast...pull them out of the freezer and pop into the microwave or toaster oven!  Enjoy~

I'll post pictures tonight, after we've make the Awful Waffles!

Update:  Here are some pics of our "Awful Waffles."  I made about 32 waffles with my waffle iron.  Don't they look awfully good???

Spicy Chicken Taco Salad

Spicy Chicken Taco Salad
Serves 4


3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. Southwest Seasoning (like my Southwest Seasoning found here)


1 head romaine lettuce, sliced and chopped
2 Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 can corn, drained
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
4 T. sour cream
2 2-ounce bags of Doritos chips, crushed 

Optional:
Catalina or Russian salad dressing
Salsa 
Chopped black olives
Chopped avocado
Black beans


Place chicken breasts in a small crock pot.  Pour the Southwest Seasoning over the raw chicken and stir around to coat.  Cook on high for 4 hours.  Shred the chicken and turn off the crock pot.  You can serve the salads with warm chicken or cold chicken...it's up to you!


To make the salads, assemble the ingredients in bowls or plates.  Each bowl/plate will need 1/4 of the chopped lettuce, 1/2 of a chopped tomato, 1/8th of the chopped onion, 1/4 of the corn, 1/4 c. shredded cheddar, 1 T. sour cream and 1/2 of a bag of crushed Doritos.  Spoon 1/4 of the shredded chicken onto the prepared salad.  Top with salad dressing, salsa, avocado, black beans, olives if desired. 

Review:  This salad is very easy and yummy!  You can mix up the ingredients according to your tastes.  We enjoy using a little Catalina or Russian dressing to top the salad.  Since the chicken is cooked in the crock pot, it doesn't heat up your kitchen on a hot day.  This is also easy to prepare ahead of time for a quick meal.  I find that using the small bags of Doritos helps with portion control.  Enjoy~