Peanut Butter Eclair Cake

Hello all!  It is Secret Recipe Club time once again.  Its been so fun poking around my assigned blog this month!  Melissa's Cuisine is a fantastic site!  Even though I'm almost old enough to be Melissa's mother, we are kindred spirits food-wise.  We seem to have very similar tastes and I found so many yummy recipes that it was really hard to choose what to post today.  In fact, I prepared an entire meal from her blog one night then let my kiddos decide what I posted.  I tried the Roasted Pork Loin, which was delish, the Cucumber Tomato Salad, also yummy, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and the Peanut Butter Eclair Cake.  All the recipes were really good, and it really shouldn't have surprised me that my kiddos picked the dessert as their favorite.

This was a really great twist on regular eclair cake.  The addition of peanut butter was genius and made it so much more memorable than plain old pudding ever could. It was a flavor you just didn't expect when you bit into it.  I also love that it didn't heat up my kitchen.  We are still in the grips of summer so this dessert was the perfect treat on a warm evening.


Peanut Butter Eclair Cake
Serves about 12

1 box  graham crackers
2 (3-1/4 ounce) boxes vanilla instant pudding
1 cup peanut butter
3-1/2 cups milk
1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
1 (12 oz.) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Line the bottom of a 9x13" pan with whole graham crackers.   In bowl of your stand mixer, mix pudding, milk and peanut butter. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Fold in whipped topping.

Pour half the pudding mixture over the graham crackers.  Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer.  Pour over remaining half of pudding mixture and cover with another layer of graham crackers.

In the microwave or in a pan over medium low heat, melt the chocolate chips and cream together.  Whisk until smooth and silky then pour over the top of the graham crackers.

Refrigerate for at least 12 hours before serving (We couldn't wait that long to taste it, 6 hours is good too). 

Enjoy!

SRC: Fried Banana Fritters a la Mode

It's Secret Recipe Club time once again!  I haven't posted much the last little while with everything that's been going on in life, but now that things have slowed down and gotten back to normal I'm happy that this is my first post back.  I was assigned the most awesome blog!  Simply.Food is written by Nayna who lives in the UK.  I had such a great time snooping through her recipes.  They are fantastic!  I scrolled through her blog for over an hour before I realized that everything is vegetarian.  I don't think there is a higher compliment than that.  I totally forgot there wasn't any meat anywhere.  Coming from a T-Rex like me, all I can say is wow!  I was stunned by the creativity and the mixes of spices used.  I never thought vegetarian food could be so interesting and diverse.  Nayna also has a ton of international recipes.  Everything from French to Middle Eastern to South African.  Her blog is a fantastic resource!

Now this blog also provided some challenges for me.  A lot of the ingredients I needed for what I wanted to make weren't available to me unless I drove 45 minutes each way to the store or ordered from Amazon, so that limited me on what I could make.  My other obstacle was my kitchen.  I swear it's only 2 degrees cooler than Hades in there and I couldn't stand the thought of heating it up even more.  Then I saw these golden little beauties and thought "Fried bananas, caramel and ice cream.  What could be more perfect?"  So Fried Banana Fritters a la Mode was born.  And I was right, it was perfect.  The bananas were hot and crunchy, the caramel sweet and gooey and the ice cream cool and creamy.  It was the perfect snack on a hot day (we're talking 104°).

I am so excited to have another resource for our meatless meal nights and I can't wait to try some more of the recipes. 

Fried Banana Fritters a la Mode
Serves about 6

3 sweet  firm medium bananas (Do not use over ripe bananas)
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. flour
1/4 cup Corn flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
water to make batter
oil for deep frying.
Icing sugar to sprinkle
Caramel ice cream topping
Vanilla ice cream

 In a  bowl add the flours and salt and gradually add the water to form a  thick batter that coats the back of a spoon.(It should be fairly thick so that it coats the banana and doesn't drop off)

Peel and slice the bananas into two lengthwise .Cut each slice into two pieces and keep aside

Heat the oil and when it is hot, dip the  banana pieces into the batter and drop them gently into the hot oil.

Deep fry the banana fritters on medium heat  until golden brown , remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Serve over ice cream and drizzle with caramel.  Sprinkle some icing sugar over the bananas.

SRC: Chocolate Fudge Brownie Parcels

It's Secret Recipe Club time once again.  This month I was assigned the coolest blog.  Lavender and Lime is written by Tandy, who lives in South Africa.  I have to say, I had the best time reading her blog.  For one thing, her life is so different from my own.  I loved reading her stories and tidbits about her daily life.  But best off all, I learned a ton from her!  I spent the past few weeks with 2 windows open whenever I read her blog.  One was Lavender and Lime and the other was Google.  There were so many ingredients I'd never heard of  and methods I wasn't familiar with (at least I wasn't familiar with the terms she used for  them).  So this month was a bit of a challenge for me.

I wanted to use an ingredient I hadn't worked with before, but that was available in my area.  So as I went through her mouthwatering recipes, I decided on her Chocolate fudge Brownie Parcels.  And let me say, they were delicious!  I loved learning to work with Phyllo dough.  I've always been a little intimidated by Phyllo because I've heard how hard it is to work with.  But this recipe helped me over come my fears and I won't skip over a recipe just because Phyllo is an ingredient like I have in the past.

I did have to make a change or two.  Her original recipe called for fudge.  I wasn't sure what kind she used.  The only kind of fudge I know of besides the stuff I make at Christmas (that wouldn't work in this recipe at all) is hot fudge.  I know it probably isn't remotely like what Tandy uses, but it added a great fudgy quality that my family loved.  Other than that, I kept things as close to Tandy's recipe as possible. 

As we sat around the table eating these little beauties for dessert, we all decided that they were screaming for strawberries, and wouldn't you know, I didn't have any.  They are so rich and chocolaty that a nice tart berry would have been perfect perched on top of the sweet cream. 

So thank you Tandy for a wonderful dessert and for teaching me so much about cooking in South Africa!  I can't wait to see what amazing dish you come up with next!

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Parcels
Makes about 8

4 oz. unsalted butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs. flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot fudge sauce (I used it straight out of the jar.  Don't warm it.)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 pkg. phyllo pastry
Melted butter for brushing

Melt the butter and chocolate over a hot water bath and mix until smooth.  Add the hot fudge and stir until smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and sugar.  Add the melted chocolate mixture and stir well.

Add the eggs and mix until it is smooth and silky.  Set aside to cool.

To assemble the parcels:

Heat the oven to 350°.  Work with only one sheet of Phyllo at a time, keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel.  Make sure the plastic wrap is between the dough and the wet towel.  Cut each sheet of dough into 4 rectangles.  Place 1 rectangle into a well greased muffin tin.  Use a pastry brush to spread with melted butter.  Add another sheet of pastry dough to the same muffin cup and spread with butter.  Repeat until you have 4 layers of phyllo in the muffin tin.  Repeat with the remaining muffin cups, spreading butter over each layer of dough. 

Fill each cup about 1/2 full of brownie batter.  Bake for about 15 minutes.  The brownies will be slightly doughy and the phyllo will be golden brown.  Allow to cool completely.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream.  Enjoy!!

SRC: Nectarine and Blueberry Cake

It's Secret Recipe Club time once again.  And like every other month, I was assigned the BEST blog!  Cookin' with Moxie is written by Jamie.  She is an Italian girl living in Boston and loves to be surrounded by food, family and friends.  She has such a fun personality and really lets it show through her writing.  Her excitement about her recipes shows too.  I had a really hard time deciding what to post today partly because Jamie is so passionate about her recipes and life in general.

I actually made several recipes this month and they were all big hits with my family.  And at my house, that's saying a lot because no matter how hard I try to make my kiddos not be picky, they still are.  And if you ever hear me saying they aren't, then I'm lying.  So it was a real treat for my entire family to find a blog full of such great recipes.  I tried the Meatloaf with Creamy Onion Gravy, and the Lemony Cucumber Salad both of which were delicious.  And still on my "must try" list are Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars and Avocado Fries with Cilantro Citrus Dipping Sauce (goodness that sounds good, and avocados are on sale this week!).

For this month's SRC, I made Nectarine and Blueberry Cake.  I have been so anxious for spring and summer to finally get here it's ridiculous.  And I've been looking for lighter more summery (is that even a word?) recipes.  This cake really fit that bill.  Now I realize there isn't a decent nectarine to be found anywhere in the northern hemisphere right now, and we won't even talk about the state of fresh blueberries from the grocery store.  So I had to resort to frozen fruit.  Which actually turned out really well.  I can only imagine how much better this will be in July or August when fresh fruit is available.

This cake doesn't have much in the way of spices, but that is totally okay.  The flavor of even frozen fruit really shined.  Then add the cream cheese frosting and it was amazing.  Thank you Jamie for your awesome blog!  I had such a great time snooping around and I'm your newest follower.

Tutti Mangia!

Nectarine and Blueberry Cake
Serves about 12

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large nectarines, coarsely chopped  (You can use frozen fruit.  Only thaw partially before chopping and mixing into the batter)
2 cups fresh blueberries  (You can use frozen berries, do not thaw before adding to batter.)
Garnishes: sliced nectarines, fresh blueberries, lemon rind

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears. Add vanilla, beating just until blended.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat batter at low speed just until blended. Gently fold in nectarines and blueberries. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Spread or pipe the Cream Cheese Frosting evenly on top of cake. Garnish, if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
4-5 cups powdered sugar 3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, alternately with milk, beginning and ending with powdered sugar. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in grated lemon rind and vanilla.

SRC: Molasses Gingerbread with Lime Cream

Oooh!  I love the Secret Recipe Club!  Every month I'm assigned the most amazing blogs.  This month, I got to snoop around 365 Days of Baking.  Lynne started her blog with the goal to bake everyday for 365 days.  (Hence the name.)  We must be kindred spirits because I started blogging with a goal to cook outdoors in my dutch oven everyday for a year.  So I know how hard it is to keep up with life and still bake and blog everyday.  My hat is off to her!

There were so many great recipes on Lynne's blog to choose from.  My Pinterest secret board is filled with great stuff.  Things like Banana Tres Leches Cake, Pineapple Bread, Root Beer Float Cake and Baked Strawberry Waffles.  But interestingly, the first recipe that caught my eye was the one I couldn't stop thinking about trying.  It really didn't matter what else there was, I only had eyes for Molasses Gingerbread with Lime Cream.

And, ooh, ooh, ooh this gingerbread is unbelievable!  I'm the kind of gal that doesn't eat gingerbread just at Christmas.  I love it year round.  But unfortunately for all the other gingerbread out there, I only have taste buds for this one now.  The gingerbread itself is fantastic with a rich molasses flavor, but the lime cream....  There aren't even words to describe what it does for this cake.  It's a miracle that there was any left to serve with the cake because I was eating it by the spoonful.  Y.U.M.  This is a definite must try recipe.  Trust me!

Just a note or two to make this easier to make.  First, be very careful when you add the baking soda mixture to the molasses mixture.  If you like uber sticky stove top, then by all means use a small pan, add it quickly and don't stir.  And lastly, there is no way on earth-- no matter how much butter or shortening and flour you prepare the pan with-- that cake is coming out of the pan in one piece.  It ain't happening, so just be prepared to serve it out of the pan it is baked in.  I mean really, it has a full cup of molasses in it, what else can you expect?

Now on to the amazing deliciousness!

Molasses Gingerbread with Lime Cream
Serves 9

     ¼ pound (1 stick) butter, plus more for buttering the pan
     1 cup sugar
     3 eggs
     2 cups flour
     1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
     1 teaspoon ground cloves
     2 teaspoons baking soda
     1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger (or ½ teaspoon ground ginger)  
     1 cup unsulfured molasses
     2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
     Lime Cream

     Preheat oven to 350ºF, and butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.

     Melt the stick of butter, pour into a large bowl, and allow it to cool slightly.  Beat the sugar and eggs into the butter.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and grated ginger.

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan.  Using a wooden spoon, stir the molasses and soda solution into the water.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the sugar and the eggs, then stir in the molasses mixture.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, testing for doneness with a wooden toothpick in the center of the cake (it should pull out clean and free of batter).

Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Run a knife around the rim of the pan to loosen the cake, invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.  Cut into squares and serve with Lime Cream.

 Lime Cream

     2 eggs
     ½ cup sugar
     1/3 cup fresh lime juice
     Zest of 1 lime, grated (about 1 tablespoon)
     4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, cut into small pieces
     1 cup heavy cream

     In the bowl of an electric mixer, use the whisk attachment to whip the eggs and sugar at high speed until double in volume and light in color.  Lower the speed and blend in the lime juice and zest.

Pour the egg mixture into a medium metal bowl placed over a pot of simmering water (or a double broiler).  Cook over high heat, whisking often, until smooth, very thick, and custard like (about 20 minutes).

Remove from the heat and use a wooden spoon to stir in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until it is fully incorporated.  If the final mixture is lumpy, strain though a fine sieve.  Otherwise, cool to room temperature.

Using an electric mixer or a wire whisk, whip the heavy cream into soft peaks.  Gently fold a fourth of the whipped cream into the lime curd.  Then fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Ice Box Strawberry Pie

It's time for February's installment of the Secret Recipe Club!  If you remember, SRC is a little like secret Santa.  We are assigned a blog every month and get to secretly snoop around and make and blog about a recipe from the site.  This month I was given Eat, Laugh Love.  If I had to describe the blog in 3 words, I would use healthy, creative and delicious.  There are so many great recipes.  And such a variety of spices and flavors.  There is no need to be bored with healthy eating with recipes like these.  I made a few different recipes including Southwestern Chicken and Veggie Roll Ups, which were delicious by the way.  My hubby took them to work and was sure to let me know that they were a keeper.

The recipe I chose to share with you is the Icebox Strawberry Pie.  In my neck of the woods it has been a terribly cold winter.  We endured several weeks of sub-freezing temperatures with lows reaching as little as -20°.  We really enjoyed the 10 days we spent without water in the kitchen thanks to frozen pipes.  I'm so sick of being cold I could barf!  I have Spring fever something terrible and I really needed something to remind me that I haven't moved to Siberia.  And I love strawberries.  Plain and simple.  If there is a recipe with strawberries in it, I'm going to make it.

And this strawberry pie is fantastic.  I really love the method this recipe uses.  Imagine 2 pounds of fresh strawberries simmered on the stove until it is thick, gooey and jam like.  Add to that sliced fresh berries and you have yourself a winner.  It has just the right amount of the sweet tart flavor that make strawberries so delicious.  Next time I make this I think I may try using frozen mixed berries and stir in fresh sliced strawberries just to give it a twist. 

Icebox Strawberry Pie
Serves 8

2 pounds strawberries, fresh or frozen

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin

1 cup sugar

 Pinch salt

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thin

1 9-inch pie shell, baked and cooled, either pastry or graham cracker crust

Cook berries in large saucepan over medium-low heat until berries begin to release juice, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and jam like, about 25 minutes. Measure the mixture to no more than two cups. If it’s more than two cups, continue cooking longer.

Combine lemon juice, water, and gelatin in small bowl. Let stand until gelatin is softened and mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir gelatin mixture, sugar, and salt into cooked berry mixture and return to simmer, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Fold fresh berries into filling. Spread evenly in pie shell and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. Filled pie can be refrigerated for 24 hours.

Secret Recipe Club: Pavlova

I am so excited for this month's edition of the Secret Recipe Club!  First, I was assigned a blog that I have drooled over for a long time, Manu's Menu.  The photography is stunning, and the recipes mouthwatering!  I especially love the regional Italian recipes.  Italy is my dream vacation. Someday, I'm going to spend 2 weeks eating fabulous Italian food and seeing the beauty and history that Italy has to offer.  But until then, I have to settle for what I can make at home, and Manu's Menu is a great resource.

I had a terrible time trying to figure out what to make this  month.  The short list ended up being very long.  I'm putting Focaccia di Recco on my Christmas Eve menu, along with my homemade ravioli, and the Apple Strudel is so rustic and looks so yummy that I'm making it as a dessert for Thanksgiving. 

So as you've probably already noticed, I chose Pavlova this month.  I was so excited to see this recipe.  It's something I've wanted to make forever, but was too intimidated.  It's also something that was on my culinary bucket list.  Notice I said "was".

Now, I'm not going to say this dessert came out perfect, because it isn't the easiest thing to get right.  I had some cracks and part of it was hollow in the center, but it was delicious and beautiful and gave me enough confidence that I'm going to make it again soon.  I'm also going to use these great tips for getting it right.

Pavlova
Serves 10

For the meringue base
 
6 egg whites, at room temperature
1 ½ cups caster sugar (I used granulated sugar)
3 tsp cornstarch
 2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

 For the topping
 
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar
Sliced fruit of you choice.  I used strawberries, bananas and kiwi.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.  Draw an 8 disc on the paper and turn it ink-side down.  Tracing an 8 inch dinner plate works great.  Set it aside.

 With an electric beater, beat the egg whites just until firm peaks form.  Then, gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is thick and glossy.  Add the corn starch, vinegar and vanilla and beat for 1 minute more.  NOTE: if you over beat the egg whites, the meringue is likely to collapse and crack during baking

Spoon the meringue mixture onto the disc and shape it into a “cake” with furrows using a spatula.
Bake it in a preheated oven at 300°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 230°F and bake it for 1 extra hour or until the meringue is crisp and dry.  When ready, turn the oven off, but leave the meringue in the oven with the door closed, to cool completely.

Whip the cream with the 2 tbsp of sugar until firm peaks form and spread it on the top of the pavlova.  Decorate it with the sliced fruits.

SRC: Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

It's time for another edition of the Secret Recipe Club!  For those who don't know, the Secret Recipe Club is an awesome group of bloggers.  Each month we are secretly assigned a blog.  We get to choose a recipe to try and post on our own blog.  It is a lot of fun!

This month I was given Thrifty Veggie Mamma.  Jamie is a busy stay of home mom of 3.  Her blog is amazing!  I never cease to be amazed at the creativity of those who follow a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle.  The variety of the recipes on her blog is astounding.  I'm quickly figuring out that vegetarian doesn't equal boring.  I had a hard time choosing what to make!  The short list included BBQ Meatball Sandwiches (vegetarian of course), and  Spanish Chickpea Balls.  In the end, I decided to make the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie.

Now, I don't mind telling you that this recipe made me face one of my fears.  Tofu.  I have to admit that I've spent my entire life saying how much I don't like tofu when I had never actually tried it.  I've sounded a little like my kids.  I've used my "dislike" as an excuse not to try it.  Since this was my first experience with tofu, I thought it would be best if I disguised it as chocolate and peanut butter.

I'm still chuckling about my family's reaction to this pie.  I didn't tell anyone there was tofu in it, and I went to the trouble of throwing the packaging away in the neighbor's garbage can (sorry Doug!).  Every one of my kiddos scarfed this down like it was their last meal and were begging for more!  I wonder what they would say if they knew there was tofu in it?  I'm definitely going to try the tofu BBQ Meatball sandwiches now!  This tricking them into eating healthy stuff is pretty fun!  ;)

So now I can say that I am a FORMER self proclaimed tofu hater, and I really don't know why I made such a big deal about "hating" it.  It is super versatile and doesn't really taste like anything except what you mix it with.  I think I'll be visiting Jamie's blog often for our once a week meatless meals!

**The only changes I made were to use a graham cracker pie crust since the original called for nuts and we have nut allergies at our house, and I did use dairy milk and whipped cream.**

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
Serves 8

1 graham cracker pie crust  

For the Peanut Butter Filling:

1/2 block extra firm tofu
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbs. honey, agave, or maple syrup

For the Chocolate Layer:

1/2 block extra firm tofu
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup honey, agave, or maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
Pinch of sea salt

Place 1/2 block of tofu, peanut butter, honey and milk in the food processor and blend until smooth.  Add more milk if necessary.  It should be silky and smooth.  Spread in the bottom of your prepared pie crust.

Clean the bowl of the food processor and add the other half of the tofu, cocoa powder, milk, honey, salt and vanilla.  Blend until smooth and silky, adding more milk if necessary.  Spread over the peanut butter layer.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight to allow it to thicken.  Top with whipped cream if desired.

Strawberry Fudge Torte

 

Looking for something simple to make, but so rich and sinful that you're guilt ridden for days?  Well, this is it.  Rich doesn't even begin to describe this dessert.  It was so sweet and fabulous.  Mine actually served closer to 15 because all you need is a tiny piece to satisfy your sweet tooth.  Between the chocolate chip cookie crust, the hot fudge filling and cream cheese topping, all I can say is "WOW"!  You've got to try this!

Strawberry Fudge Torte
Serves 12

1 (16 1/2 oz.) tube refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
1 (6 oz.) carton strawberry yogurt
1/2 cup spreadable strawberry cream cheese
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. almond extract
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups whipped topping
1 cup hot fudge, warmed, divided
1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Let the dough stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften.  Press into an ungreased 9 inch springform pan.  Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool completely.

In a small bowl, beat the yogurt, cream cheese, lemon juice and extract until smooth.  Beat in powdered sugar.  Fold in whipped topping.

Remove the sides of the springform pan and place the crust on a serving plate.  Spread 3/4 cup of fudge topping over the crust to within 1/2 inch of the edge.  top with cream cheese mixture.  Arrange strawberries on top and sprinkle with almonds.  Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.

Drizzle with remaining fudge topping and serve immediately.

Source:  Taste of Home  

Secret Recipe Club: Cinnamon Ice Cream with Cinnamon Chips

Well, hello you gorgeous bowl of creamy goodness!  And when I say creamy, I mean creamy.  Today is another edition of the Secret Recipe Club.  This is always my favorite post of the month.  I love stalking another blog for a delicious recipe to try and share.  I'm also always excited to see what recipe of mine has been chosen.  It's a little like having Christmas every month!

This month, I was assigned The Boys Made Me Do It.  Cara is the mother of 3 boys, so I know she does a lot of cooking to keep them satisfied.  If her boys are anything like mine, they have hollow legs that are impossible to fill.  There is a nice mix of recipes on her blog, along with her weekly menu plan (I need to be better at updating mine, but lets be realistic, I've only been home 2 full days all summer long, we're lucky we eat!).

I really had a hard time narrowing down what recipe to make.  So many of them looked mouthwatering or were things I'd never tried before.  In the end, it was my new ice cream maker and our heatwave that made the decision for me.  I've never made homemade ice cream before, but I've always wanted to.  So I bought the least expensive ice cream maker I could find to learn with.  Then I just needed to find a great ice cream recipe.  And this Cinnamon Ice Cream fit that category.

This ice cream was amazing!!  And steeping the cinnamon sticks in the warm cream--genius!  It had such intense cinnamon flavor, but it was never to much.  And it was so creamy.  All the homemade ice cream I've ever had hasn't had the greatest texture.  Not so with this!  It was silky smooth and unbelievably delicious!  It was a perfect treat with my hubby's birthday cake and really cooled us down when it was 105° outside.  I served mine with cinnamon chips.

Cinnamon Ice Cream with Baked Cinnamon Chips
Serves 4-6

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
pinch of salt
10 cinnamon sticks, broken up
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks, and heavy cream. Warm through but don't allow to boil, and then cover and let steep off the heat for one hour.

Combine the rest of the milk and the cinnamon with the cream mixture and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, before freezing, remove the cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon.

When ready to freeze, place into frozen ice cream bowl and make ice cream according to directions on your ice cream freezer. Enjoy!

Raspberry Patch Cream Pie

What do you think of as the ultimate summer fruit?  For me it's raspberries.  Sweet and tart simultaneously, they just burst with flavor.  I've got about 150 feet of raspberry plants that have finally started producing, and we are thoroughly enjoying every last glorious little berry.

This is the first year I've had enough raspberries to actually cook with, so I've been looking for a lot of ways to use them.  So far this pie is my favorite.  Cool, creamy and refreshing, this didn't last even 5 minutes after I took it from the fridge.  Even Boey, my little 4 year old ate every bite.  In fact, I made this 2 days in a row.  It's that good!

I found this recipe (and many other delicious recipes) in my new Taste of Home Contest Winning Annual Recipes cookbook.  I don't usually buy these cookbooks brand new (I usually get them used off ebay or half.com), but this one had so many recipes that looked good that I forked out the full purchase price.  Unheard of for me, but it was worth it.  I'll be sharing more from this cookbook soon.

**Just a note, this post is not sponsored by Taste of Home.  I just happen to love the cookbooks and the variety of recipes they have.**

Raspberry Patch Cream Pie
Serves 8

CRUST:
 
 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 
1/2 cup sugar 
5 tablespoons butter, melted 

FILLING: 

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar 
2 teaspoons 2% milk 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

TOPPING: 

3/4 cup sugar 
3 tablespoons cornstarch 
1-1/3 cups cold water 
1/4 cup raspberry gelatin powder  
3 cups fresh raspberries

In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.

For filling, in a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla. Carefully spread over crust.

For topping, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in gelatin until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until slightly thickened.

Arrange raspberries over filling. Spoon gelatin mixture over berries. Refrigerate until set.

Source:  Taste of Home

Secret Recipe Club: Baked Bananas and Chocolate

 It's Secret Recipe Club time again!  One of my favorite days in the month!  It's when I get to snoop around an amazing blog and cook up one of their creations.  This month, I was assigned We Heart Vegan.
I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by Brittney and Julie's blog.  Being the exact opposite of vegan (I'm as carnivorous as a T-rex) I wasn't sure what to expect.  But I was pleasantly surprised!  I'd always wondered what kinds of foods vegans ate and if they could even eat anything "normal".  I was completely blown away at the variety of recipes on the blog.  Who knew you could make that many dishes without using any animal products.

I do have to say one thing about this blog.  These girls are dedicated.  I've never even considered how difficult living a vegan lifestyle can be.  But after reading this blog, I have new found respect for the time, research and dedication it takes.  We aren't just talking about cutting out meat.  That would be relatively easy, but animal products are in everything.  It takes a lot of work to learn to live and cook without them.

I chose to share two recipes.  The Baked Bananas with Chocolate I made because I've been on a bit of a banana kick lately.  I must be low on potassium or it could be that this recipe pared bananas with melted chocolate and chopped nuts.  I also added some strawberries in for good measure.  It was fabulous! 

The second recipe I made was a Pita stuffed with summer veggies, quinoa and guacamole. My hubby has diverticulitis thanks to the intestinal problems he brought home after two years in the Philippines so we always eat a high fiber diet.  He had a flare up and we spent a night in the ER last week, so we are taking the high fiber diet very seriously right now.  Not only did this fit that bill, but it tasted great!  It was so good that I made a second batch to save for lunch the next day.

**I did substitute what I had available for the vegan items.  For the  original recipes click on the links above.**

Baked Bananas and Chocolate 
 Serves 4 

3 bananas
1-2 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips
 2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. peanuts, processed in the food processor briefly, or chopped finely
1 Tbsp. shredded, unsweetened coconut, for garnish
1/4 cup chopped fresh strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Peel the bananas and slice off the tips; cut in half the long way, then slice each half in half to make 4 long slices.

Pour the flour onto a plate and dredge the banana pieces in it. Line a baking sheet with parchment and place the dredged banana on. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes, flip, then bake another 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate sauce. In a double boiler or in the microwave, combine the chocolate, vanilla, milk, and peanut pieces. Stir to combine.

When the bananas are done, carefully move them to a serving plate then drizzle with the chocolate sauce, garnish with the coconut flakes and strawberries and serve.

 Summer Vegetable Saute
 Serves about 4


2 medium zucchini, diced
2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red or yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ears corn, kernels sliced off (I used frozen corn)
1 large tomato
1 Tbsp fresh basil, minced
1⁄2 to 1 cup drained and rinsed black beans, depending on how much you want.
1/4 to 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (depending on how much you want)
1 avocado, diced

To help drain the water from the zucchini, place in a colander and set over a bowl. Sprinkle with salt; toss and let stand 20 minutes.

Transfer zucchini to a kitchen towel and pat dry before cooking.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté 3 to 5 minutes until soft.

Add zucchini and corn. Saute 6 to 7 minutes until vegetables are almost tender.

Add diced tomato; sauté 2 to 3 minutes until softened and zucchini is tender.

Add basil and saute for 1 minute.

Add black beans and quinoa and allow everything to get heated.

Remove from heat, add the avocado and stuff inside a pita or roll up in a whole wheat tortilla.  This can be enjoyed hot, or put in the fridge and enjoyed cold later.

Secret Recipe Club: Caramel Apple Marshmallow Dip

Good morning all!  It's my favorite time again.  Yep!  Secret Recipe Club time!  It's almost like waiting for Christmas every month!  I always look forward to trying a recipe or ten from my assigned blog, seeing who had my blog and drooling over all the delicious food from everyone in the group.

This month, I was assigned Steak N Potatoes Kinda Gurl.  And just let me say, awesome blog!  There is a great variety of recipes and restaurant reviews.  But my favorite thing about Desi's blog is that there isn't anything too gourmet for my family!  Some fancy stuff, sure, but it's all the kind of food I'd make with ingredients that I always have in my cupboards.  Love it!

Now for the recipe!  I chose to make Caramel Apple Marshmallow Dip.  See, I was invited to a get together at a friend's house and I offered to bring something to help out.  She is on a diet (swim suit season is right around the corner) so she requested something "semi-healthy".  I can't tell you how glad I am the she added the "semi" in there.  Because I can't think of one healthy appetizer/dip recipe.  But since it only needed to be "semi" healthy, I  figured a dip filled with cream cheese, marshmallow cream, caramel and toffee bits would qualify since you dipped apples in it.  (Are you lovin' my logic?)  Needless to say, my friend had to start her diet over again because, lets face it, I took a dip with cream cheese, marshmallow cream, caramel and toffee bits in it.  And regardless how many apples you dip in it, there's nothing healthy about this stuff!  But there is something very sinful about it!

Don't let apples have all the fun with this dip though.  Because the strawberries will be very angry if you leave them out.  Thanks goodness I thought to include them, because they were delicious!  But lets be honest here, I'd dip celery in this stuff.  It's luscious!

Caramel Apple Marshmallow Dip
 Serves about 20


8-oz block of cream cheese, softened 

1 cup marshmallow cream 

1/3 cup caramel topping plus more for drizzling 

1 tbsp dark brown sugar 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 cup heath toffee bits (or however much you want to cover the dip)

2 granny smith apples, sliced 

2 honey crisp apples, sliced

Blend cream cheese and marshmallow cream in a medium mixing bowl until creamy. Add 1/3 cup caramel, dark brown sugar, and vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to a decorative bowl, or the center of a platter. Drizzle more caramel topping on top and sprinkle generously with toffee bits. If using bowl, place it in the center of a platter and surround with the sliced apples.

Frozen Strawberry Delight

I let this one sit out on the counter for a few minutes to soften just a bit.  It was warmer than I thought and it started to melt!  Still yummy though!

 Is there anything better than fresh strawberry ice cream?  I'm here to tell you that yes, yes there is someting better than strawberry ice cream, and it's this dessert.  It is so creamy and sweet with just a hint of tartness from the berries.  It is really light and refreshing.  

This is such an easy dessert to make.  I had a double batch put together and in the freezer in about 10 minutes.  I can't wait to eat this on a hot July day.  My little kiddos went nuts over this.  My 4 year old, Boey, was stealing it off other peoples plates when they weren't looking.  She thinks she's just hilarious!  This is going to be a summertime staple around here!

Frozen Strawberry Delight
Serves about 12 

4 cups Fresh Strawberries, Divided  
2 medium bananas, sliced
1 can (14 Oz. Size) Sweetened Condensed Milk  
¼ cups Fresh Lemon Juice  
1 tub (8 Oz. Size) Cool Whip Whipped Topping, Thawed, Divided  
12 whole Oreo Cookies Finely Chopped Or Crushed

Line an 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with foil and set aside. (Or you can use an 8×8 or 9×9 pan.)
Mash or thinly slice half of the fresh strawberries. Combine the strawberries, bananas, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and 2 cups of Cool Whip in a large bowl. Stir the mixture well and pour into the prepared loaf pan.
Top the strawberry mixture with the crushed cookies and press into the strawberry mixture. Cover the loaf pan with foil and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.
To serve, remove from the loaf pan, discard the foil and place the dessert, cookie crust side down, on a platter.
Top the dessert with the remaining whipped topping and sliced strawberries. Slice the loaf into 12 servings and enjoy! (Or, if using the 8×8 or 9×9 pan, cut into either 9 squares or 16 squares.)

Strawberry Cheesecake Salad

Today's strawberry recipe is another delicious salad that could also double as a dessert.  It is light and sweet and creamy.  I served this as a dessert after a bar-b-que one evening and my kids ate every last drop.  I think I'll take it to our Mother's Day potluck this weekend.  

One note about this recipe.  The the bananas and marshmallows should be added right before serving, but the remainder of the salad can be assembled earlier in the day.

Strawberry Cheesecake Salad
Serves about 10

12 oz. whipped topping
1 small package of cheesecake pudding (just the powder, don't add the milk)
3 (6 oz) strawberry yogurts (I used Yoplait)
1 lb fresh strawberries, sliced
3 bananas, sliced (add just before serving or they brown)
miniature marshmallows (add just before serving)

Thaw whipped topping and in a large salad bowl stir together whipped topping, yogurts, and pudding powder. Let this set up in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Wash and slice strawberries. You can add strawberries to salad or wait to add them with sliced bananas and marshmallows just before serving. Keep refrigerated. 

 Source:  Time for Supper

SRC: Oreo Cookie Brownies

I love the Secret Recipe Club for so many reasons, but this month I love it because I got to snoop around Rhonda's blog, The Kitchen Witch. I've actually been reading her blog for a while. And I'll bet she doesn't realize it, but we've even conversed through email. You see, I also write a dutch oven cooking blog (that I've neglected lately) and Rhonda is a budding dutch oven chef! She shared a hilarious dutch oven cooking experience with me.  You'll get a kick out of her experience and storytelling abilities here!

I have to say, The Kitchen Witch has something for everyone.  From the gourmet to simple but delicious recipes, I know you'll find something you'll love!  I chose this dessert because I needed something quick and kid friendly.  My oldest daughter wanted to have some friends over for a party and I needed a dessert to serve after the BBQ.  These Oreo Cookie Brownies was a huge hit.  I had no idea that 6 teenage girls could eat an entire pan of brownies!  This is what was left after they got through with it.  I'm glad they saved me a small piece!

 I did make one small change to the recipe.  The original calls for store bought frosting, and I have a hard time eating it because it's so sweet.  So I substituted vanilla pudding mixed with whipped topping as the frosting.

Oreo Cookie Brownies
Serves 15
 2 cups Cookie Crumbs (about 1 package of Oreo cookies)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 box brownie mix (plus ingredients listed on the box to prepare the mix i.e. eggs, oil and water)
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups milk
1 (8 oz.) container whipped topping
Mini Oreo cookies or cookie crumbles

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Mix the cookie crumbs and the melted butter.  Press into a 9×13 pan.  Prepare the brownies according to the package directions.  Pour the batter over the prepared cookie crust, spread evenly.  Bake according to the package directions.

Let the brownies cool completely.  While the brownies are cooling, mix the pudding with the milk and stir well.  Carefully fold in the whipped topping and spread on top of cooled brownies.  Top with mini Oreo cookies or cookie crumbles and enjoy!  Store any leftovers (if there are any) in the refrigerator.

Strawberry Cheesecake Sandwich Cookies

Pinterest strikes again!  Home of every good idea on the Internet, Pinterest has given me a ton of good recipe and decorating ideas, but so far, these cookies are my favorite.  It's not very often that I find something I'm so excited to make.  I love it even more that I got to make up the recipe myself.  It makes me feel so creative, even thought I'm really not.

These rich and delicious cookies are so simple to make but look so beautiful.  They use mostly prepackaged items, and you could even use a soft and chewy bakery chocolate chip cookies if you wanted. I love how the strawberries balance out the sweetness and richness of the chocolate and cheesecake.  I'm going to make these for my niece's bridal shower this summer.

Strawberry Cheesecake Sandwich Cookies
 Makes about 18 sandwich cookies

1 lb. strawberries, sliced thick

For the cookies:

1 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 (12 oz.) bag chocolate chips

  Heat oven to 350°.  Cream the shortening and sugars until creamy.  Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each addition.  In a separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together then add to the shortening mixture and mix well.  Add the chocolate chips and mix again. 

Place the dough on a baking sheet using a cookie scoop to ensure the cookies are all the same size.  Bake for 9-11 minutes.  The cookies will look undercooked.  Remove from the pan immediately and allow to cool completely.

For the cheesecake frosting:


1 small box cheesecake pudding (you can use any flavor you like)
1 cup milk
~1 to 1 1/2 cup whipped topping


Mix the pudding and milk together until partially set.  Fold in the whipped topping.  Use more or less whipped topping depending on the flavor you want.


To Assemble:

Spread a layer of  cheesecake frosting on the bottom of 2 cookies.  Add thick slices of strawberries then sandwich them together.  Store in the refrigerator.  Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.

Source:  Cookie recipe from my dear friend Amy S.
Inspired by Pinterest

Secret Recipe Club: Sticky Gingerbread

 It's Secret Recipe Club time again!  I've had a lot of fun preparing this month's recipe.  For those of you who don't know what it is, the Secret Recipe Club is basically secret Santa for bloggers.  We are assigned a blog and choose a recipe to try and blog about it.  Then on the same day, we all post our recipes and their results.  Its fun to see who got your blog and what they made.

This month, I was assigned the blog Foodness Gracious.  And let me tell you, I had a hard time narrowing it down to just one recipe.  Between the Pumpkin Panna Cotta and the Macaroons, it was tough!  But when I saw the post for this Sticky Gingerbread, I knew I was a gonner.  I absolutely adore gingerbread.  To me it is the ultimate Christmas treat.  Gingerbread, hot cocoa, a warm fire and a good book and I'm a happy girl.   

Now normally, I take gingerbread sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with a lemon cream sauce.  But that is too much for these simple loaves.  There's no need to mask those wonderful Christmas flavors with anything.  This is best spread with a little butter and eaten by the slice.

In fact, this turned out so good that I made 36 mini loaves and gave them to the neighbors for Christmas.  And, I might add that out of 2 large loaves and 36 mini loaves I was lucky to have 1 measly mini loaf to take a picture of.  It's that good!

Sticky Gingerbread

Makes 1 2# loaf or 6 mini loaves 

1 1/2c ups AP flour

2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

4oz butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar (I used light brown)

4 Tbsp molasses

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

Preheat the oven to 300°. Grease and flour a 2 lb loaf pan. Melt the butter, sugar, and molasses in a pan over low heat. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, ginger and cinnamon. Then stir in the melted butter mixture with the beaten egg and mix well.

Warm the milk to room temp and add the baking soda to it, mix well and add to the main mixture.

Dump the mixture into the loaf pan and bake for about an hour or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Best served the day after covered in good butter!

For mini loaves bake for 20 minutes.

The Pie Curst Chronicles: Never Fail Pie Crust #1

I'd like to welcome you to a new feature here at Mommy's Menu. I'm calling it The Pie Curst Chronicles. Why, you ask? Because I make the absolute WORST pie crust on the planet!! I call mine pie curst (cursed--I'm clever, I know) instead of pie crust. You will never find a thicker, drier, more dense and less flaky pie curst than mine. I kid you not!

I consider myself a better than average cook. I improvise, make up some of my own recipes and tweak other people's recipes until they're my own. But I can't, for the life of me make an edible pie.

That being said, I'm determined to figure it out. I'm going to unravel every pie crust secret on the Internet. I refuse to buy another frozen/refrigerated pie shell. At some point, I'm going to get it, even if I have to try every recipe on the planet.  I do realize that making pie crust is a lot like making bread in that it takes a lot of practice, so be watching for my progress a couple of times a month.  Any more than that and it will take a crane to get me up off the couch. :)

So for today's pie, I thought I'd just throw one out there and see how it turns out. This pie dough recipe came from a church cookbook. So here goes! Try not to laugh too hard.

The dough rolled our

Transferring the dough to the pie pan.

In the pie tin

Trim off all but 3/4" of the overhanging
dough

Fold the remaining dough under to
make a nice smooth edge.

Flute the edges of the crust.

Banana Cream pie!

Now that you've seen my first attempt, I'll tell you how it all worked out.  First, I think I put too much water in.  Next time, I'll put it in a tablespoon at a time so the dough doesn't end up being too sticky.  Second, my shortening was a little gooey.  I think it needs to go in the fridge to harden up before I cut it into the pie crust.  That may also help with the flakiness factor.  I also left the crust too thick.  I got two pie shells out of this, but really, I should have made 3.  It was pretty dense.  Its too bad they didn't taste as good as they looked.  But really, flavor wasn't the problem, it was texture.  Thick and dense when it should have been light and flaky.


Never Fail Pie Crust #1
Makes 2-3 single crust pies

3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups shortening
1 tsp. salt
1 egg, well beaten
5 Tbs. cold water
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

Cut the shortening into the flour and salt using a pastry blender until it is about the size of small peas.  Mix all the liquids together and pour into the flour mixture all at once.  Blend with a fork until the flour is all moistened.  Form into 2 or 3 balls of dough, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.  Roll out thin.  If making a single crust pie bake the shells at 425° for 10-15 minutes.