Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne

A couple of weeks ago, a friend asked me if I wanted to get together and make this lasagne with her. I thought that cooking together sounded like a blast, so I quickly agreed to come over later that week with all my supplies to put this lasagne together. I usually avoid recipes that have tons of cheese and milk, since we have some lactose intolerance issues with certain members of my family, but not this time. My friend had tried this recipe before and loved it. She said that lots of the comments on epicurious said it took forever to put together, but we didn't think it was so bad. I prepped my squash, herbs, nuts, cheese, etc., before I went to her house, so we just cooked the squash, made the sauce and then assembled the lasagne.

It was so nice to have this made and waiting in the fridge, so that when dinner time rolled around, all I had to do was put it in the oven. This made a ton of lasagne! I know the recipe said that it serves 6, but in order for that to happen, someone would have to eat a ton of this. We did even eat half of it that night. The butternut squash, sage and hazelnuts go perfectly with the cheese and sauce. All we had on the side was a huge salad of mixed baby greens and it was a filling meal. I ended up freezing the leftovers, so we could enjoy them later.

Here is the recipe for Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne

Summer Squash and Corn Chowder

I wanted to do something different with the last batch of summer corn that we had a couple of weeks ago and I remembered this chowder recipe from Cooking Light Magazine. I decided to give it a try, even thought I don't really like creamy based soups or chowders- I prefer broth based soups/stews. But, I'm always up for giving things, especially foods, another chance.

I really felt like potatoes might have been a better building block for this chowder, rather than summer squash, because there really wasn't anything to give this chowder a hearty bite. Chowder seems like it should have a hearty component. (Maybe I am wrong?)
We ate this, but it definitely wasn't a favorite. I share it simply because I know that not everyone has the same taste buds as we do, so maybe somebody out there will give it a try and love it. It has lots of really good reviews, so there are lots of people out there who liked it more than we did.

Here is the recipe for Summer Squash and Corn Chowder
* I used cubed pancetta instead of bacon, but I think this was a mistake- I think it changed the way the flavors would have melded together

Strata with Swiss Chard

I love growing swiss chard in my garden. It is so pretty and it has really done a great job producing lots of chard. I hadn't picked it for a couple of weeks, so when I went to harvest it, I ended up with more swiss chard than I have ever seen. I also had two whole wheat baguettes in the freezer that I wanted to thaw and use, so I somehow found this recipe and threw it together.

I love these types of recipes because you don't have to follow them to a tee. You can sub different veggies, according to what you have on hand and the results are still fabulous.
This was a really tasty strata that we all enjoyed.

Here is the recipe for Strata with Swiss Chard
* I used green bell peppers instead of mushrooms because I had them
* I used mozzarella and parmesan
* I added about a cup of cooked, shredded chicken to the bread, veggie, milk/egg mixture before cooking

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

For this month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club, Sandi decided that we should get out of the kitchen and have a BBQ!

Sandi started us off with Scallops Grilled on Rosemary. Sounds like a pretty great way to get the menu going to me. We have a few appetizers to add to that- Roz picked Grilled Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms and Val decided on Barbeque Chicken Sliders with Pickled Onions.

We've got some great sides to round out the rest of the meal as well. Jerry prepared a Grilled Vegetable Salad with Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing and Jamie made Thyme Potatoes.

Once again, after looking at this menu, I am trying to decide which of these dishes I want to try next. They all look and sound amazing!

This time I chose a dessert. Ice Cream is something that I associate with summer and grilling out. I have many memories of having special homemade ice cream to go along with something that my dad would fix on the grill. I decided to finish off our meal this month with Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. Blueberries are in season and really, who doesn't want something as decadent as ice cream and cheesecake combined into a lighter dessert?

This ice cream has a few steps that require the stove top, but they only take a few minutes. They you can churn your beautiful purple custard into creamy, dreamy ice cream.

A few thoughts about this ice cream. I didn't really think that it had a strong cheesecake flavor, so if you don't like cheesecake, don't let that scare you off.
I also felt like it was just a little bit too sweet- next time I would reduce the amount of sugar that goes into the cream cheese/sugar/egg yolk mixture. I think you could take out about 1/2 cup and probably still be ok. Other tasters thought it was perfect, as is. But my preference would be to make it a little less sweet. It was still mighty delicious. The perfect afternoon treat to cool us down after day at the pool.

Make sure you check out what the other members of the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club prepared for this month's BBQ and get inspired to step out of the kitchen!



Here is the recipe for Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream from Cooking Light

Creamed Corn with Pancetta and Leeks

This is a recipe that I have been wanting to try for quite some time, but somehow it never fit into my menu. I never tried creamed corn until I moved to the South and it took some time for me to grow to like it.

I decided to make this for our Christmas dinner, since I did a southern dinner, and used grade A fresh frozen corn. I really wanted to make this with fresh corn, but it fit our Christmas dinner, so I went ahead and made it. I didn't use a cast iron pan and it still worked out great.

This was a little bit spicy (as in- onion spicy) from the leeks, but I think they gave a nice level of flavor. This recipe came together quickly and was really delicious.
I wish I could've gotten a beautiful picture, but it just didn't work out that way. Please look at the Cooking Light picture to have a feast for your eyes.
I'm excited to make this again during the summer with fresh cobs of corn.

Recipe for Creamed Corn with Bacon and Leeks
* I used some chopped pancetta instead of bacon
* I used fresh frozen corn instead of corn right off the cob

Candy Corn Ice Cream

Happy Halloween!!!


Recipe for Candy Corn Ice Cream
from
Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

French Fridays with Dorie- Gougeres

Today is the start of a brand new cooking group- French Fridays with Dorie. The wonderfully talented Dorie Greenspan has come out with a new cookbook, Around My French Table and Laurie, the founder of Tuesdays with Dorie, along with the help of a few other talented people, has put together a group that will be cooking our way through this gorgeous cookbook.
I feel like Dorie's recipes
have taught me so much about baking and given me the opportunity to bake things I never would have thought to make and I have TWD to thank for that. Dorie's recipes are always fantastic and delicious.

At first I was unsure as to whether I wanted to join in, simply because I like cooking and choosing for myself what I am going to make for dinner.
But, when I looked through this cookbook, I realized that joining this group and cooking through these recipes would push me to try new and fun things. I haven't ever really cooked french food, so I thought it would be an adventure. I absolutely love trying new recipes.

Plus, there are lots of things that I love in this cookbook, like lentils, beets, fish, green veggies, eggs, and of course desserts, so I decided to go for it.

Dorie chose this month's recipes and started us off with Gougeres-cheese puffs, that are made with pate a choux dough, the same dough you use to make sweet cream puffs, eclairs, or profiteroles. Dorie says that these are made everywhere in France and calls them one of France's "national treasures".

The dough comes together quickly and if you follow the recipe directions, these are a really easy thing to make. They puffed up beautifully.

My only regret is that I didn't buy the more expensive Gruyere cheese to use in these Gougeres. I used sharp cheddar because it was much more affordable, but the cheese flavor wasn't as pronounced as it should have been in these lovely cheese puffs.

The recipe makes a lot of gougeres, and Dorie said they bake up well if you freeze the little mounds of dough and bake them straight from the freezer.
I only baked up 5 of these, so that we could taste them and froze the rest for later- they would be a great appetizer at a party, filled with some sort of savory deliciousness.

If you want to see who else joined in on these tasty little cheese puffs, check out French Fridays with Dorie!

Dorie has posted this recipe HERE or you can find a pdf copy of October's recipe HERE!

Oatmeal Pancakes

I have been wanting to try these pancakes ever since I saw them on smitten kitchen
back in May.
I finally got around to it a couple of weeks ago and they were fantastic!
I love making pancakes, muffins & waffles with whole grains and the fact that these have a double dose of oatmeal in them made me very happy.
You grind up some oats in the food processor to make oat flour and also use cooked oatmeal in the batter.
I used skim milk because that is what I usually have on hand unless I am making pastry cream or ice cream.

My kids loved these. I like having leftover pancakes and waffles, so that I can freeze them for another day. This time they were all eaten. Some at breakfast and some for snacks later in the day.
They really had great texture and flavor. Winners!

Recipe for Oatmeal Pancakes
* I used skim milk

CEiMB- (rewind) Mom's Turkey Meatloaf

This week for CEiMB the recipe was Confetti Chili and was chosen by Lauren over at I'll Eat You.
I did not make chili, obviously. Mainly because I made this pumpkin bean chili a couple weeks ago and my hubby is not a big fan of chili.
Instead I am posting Ellie's recipe for her Mom's Turkey Meatloaf.

Going back and making this recipe, which was the first recipe that was chosen for CEiMB, was Kayte's idea. She was working on making all the CEiMB recipes that were chosen before she joined the group. She mentioned she was making this on twitter and I already had ground turkey breast in my fridge, so I decided to jump in and make it too.

I have only made meatloaf once before in my life. It was when I was a newlywed and my husband was not a fan. I remembered that all these years, so I never made it again. Not to mention I am not a huge meat fan, so it has never really appealed to me.
I made a 1/2 recipe of this meatloaf and it was a big hit with my family.
I didn't have any tomato sauce, so I topped it with ketchup. I thought this made it just a little bit too sweet and I think it would have been better topped with tomato sauce.
My son really loved this. He asked for the leftovers in his lunch for school.

I thought the onion should have been diced thinner- it was too prominent. I do think this was a great way to get some oats into a meal, a real secret ingredient.

While this was ok for me and definitely a crowd pleaser for my family, I don't think I will be making it regularly- too many other exciting dishes to make.
But, if you make meatloaf regularly, this is a really nice way to lighten it up.

Check out the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone thought of the chili!


Recipe for Mom's Turkey Meatloaf

Giada's Mini Chicken (Turkey) Meatballs

These are the little meatballs I used to bribe my family a couple of weeks ago.

I saw them this summer in Redbook Magazine, when Giada De Laurentiis was featured and she shared some of her favorite recipes. I ripped out the page and put it in my 3-ring binder and tried to work it into our menu.

I decided to serve these alongside the Farmland Vegetable Pie, to round out the meal.
The kids used toothpicks to eat these and they were really flavorful.
I don't usually measure the ingredients that accurately when I make meatballs. I just throw all the ingredients in a big bowl and I can usually tell when the consistency is right.

I changed a couple of things- like I only used 1 egg instead of 2, I used 93% lean ground turkey, I used skim milk instead of whole and grated Parmesan cheese in the meatballs.

These turned out really great.
They were bite-size, which made them perfect for toothpick stabbing.

My kids really liked them and so did my hubby. I liked them too.

Giada's Mini Chicken Meatballs adapted from Redbook Magazine

1/4 cup	plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup	chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 large	egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon	skim milk
1 tablespoon	ketchup
3/4 cup	freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon	salt
3/4 teaspoon	freshly ground black pepper
1 pound	ground turkey, 93% lean
2 tablespoons	olive oil
1 1/2 cup	low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup	chopped fresh basil, for garnish (I omitted this)
1/2 cup	freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish (I omitted this)

1. In a medium bowl, stir together breadcrumbs, parsley, egg, milk, ketchup, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Add the turkey and combine well. Use a melon baller (or a teaspoon measure) to scoop the mixture; roll the seasoned chicken into 3/4-inch mini meatballs.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and cook without moving until brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn the meatballs and brown the tops, about 2 minutes longer. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

One Year Ago-Roasted Red Pepper Soup and Tomato Edamame Grilled Cheese Sammies

Lime Curd Ice Cream

Here is the delicious ice cream that we used to make our ice cream sandwiches.
Nancy shared the link for this recipe and since I had leftover lime curd, I decided this was going to be the way I used it up.

This ice cream is custard based- egg yolks and milk- and when you take it off the heat, you stir in the lemon/lime curd. The custard then chills overnight and the next day you whip cream to soft peaks, and stir it into the custard. Then, it is ready to churn!

The recipe has all the measurements in grams and ml- instead of being particular and using a kitchen scale- I just kinda estimated the amounts needed (not a great thing to do necessarily, but in this case it worked out fine for me).
I didn't even bother measuring my lime curd- I just used all that I had left, which was more than the estimated amount the recipe called for. I also did not strain out my lime zest.

The flavor was fantastic and the texture was perfect. This was really great ice cream.


Recipe for Lemon Curd Ice Cream

Recipe for Lime Curd

One Year Ago-Blackened Tilapia

TWD- Honey-Peach Ice Cream

This weeks recipe, Honey Peach Ice Cream, was chosen by Tommi over at brown interior. You can get the recipe by visiting her blog.
I didn't know if I would have time to make the recipes for June, since we were about to move across the country, but I made time for them.
My friend wanted me to make her ice cream before I moved, so this was the perfect opportunity. Except for the fact that peaches aren't ripe in Utah until about August.
My parents have a peach tree in their backyard and boy, did it produce gorgeous, delicious, beautiful, juicy, huge peaches by the bushel last summer. We had so many we didn't know what to do.
I made peach pie, Dorie's Dimply Cake with peaches, peach ice cream, smoothies, chiffon cake with peaches as the filling- I mean, you get the idea.
We had so, so many and so, we froze a bunch of them too.
I used those delicious frozen peaches for this ice cream.
I followed Dorie's instructions and pureed half the peach-honey mixture and left the other peach mixture in chunks. Having the peach chunks in there, didn't really bother any of us.
The only thing that most of my tasters noted was that this ice cream tasted much better after it had ripened in the freezer for 24 hours.
I made it in the morning and it had time to sit in the freezer for a couple of hours, but it tasted much better the next day.
Go see what the other TwDer's thought about this fabulous frozen treat by checking out the TWD Blogroll!

Coming Tomorrow- Overnight French Toast Mini Cups

TWD- 4 Star Chocolate Bread Pudding

This week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe, 4- Star Chocolate Bread Pudding, was chosen by Lauren. You can find the recipe on her blog- Upper East Side Chronicle. I have to admit that this was one of the recipes that was on my list of things I wanted to choose when it was my turn to pick the recipe. I made bread pudding last year for the first time because I found an interesting recipe in a magazine and we all really liked it. Except my husband thought the name sounded gross, so we called it French Toast Pie instead. Anyway, I knew that I was going to like this recipe.
I used challah bread and made 1/2 of the recipe. My bread was stale, but I toasted it anyway, to make it crisp and ready to soak up the yummy custard. I ended up using 2 eggs in the custard because I didn't feel like halving an egg. I also used skim milk because that is what I had in the fridge and used a little bit extra heavy cream to thicken it up.
I thought this recipe was super easy. I made it in 5 little ramekins.
I liked the chocolate in the custard. I sprinkled raisins on top of some of them and chocolate chips on top of the others. I sprinkled raisins and chocolate chips on one. Daring, I know.

This definitely isn't a pretty dish and it isn't very photogenic, but it tastes good and that is what really matters. My daughter digged into one warm.

I thought they tasted better cold. I didn't serve them with any topping or anything else. Delicious. Go check out the TWD Blogroll to see if everyone else loved it as much as we did!

p.s. I know all my pictures look exactly the same, but they are different angles. I was really trying to get a good looking pic of this one, because it tasted wonderful......

Coming Tomorrow- Asparagus with Chopped Egg and Vinaigrette

2 more Rice Puddings- Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding and Ellie Kriegers Rice Pudding

We have a rice pudding problem around here. We love it. My younger brother requests it daily. When I find a new recipe and try it, the stuff just doesn't last very long. I found the Vanilla Bean recipe in a recent issue of Bon Appetit. It is actually from a section of the magazine that is written by a food blogger, Molly Wizenberg- her blog is Orangette (I am sure most of you already knew that). She recounts her fathers love for this pudding. Just one look at the recipe and I was in.
This is a delicious rice pudding. Plus, don't all those little vanilla bean flecks look cool? This recipe is going in the remake pile.
The second recipe is from Ellie Krieger and it is a lighter version of rice pudding that gets some vanilla flavor from soy milk. It was good too, considering it was lightened up, but if you put these two head to head- the vanilla bean recipe wins out.
Now, I just need to make Dorie's rice pudding again and see who the real winner is.
Not a problem. I know the stuff will be devoured.

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding Bon Appétit March 2009
by Molly Wizenberg
This rich, creamy pudding is delicious served warm or cold. If you feel like dressing up the dessert a bit, add a cinnamon stick while the rice is cooking, or top the finished pudding with a sprinkling of raisins and a little freshly grated nutmeg just before serving.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup basmati rice

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Bring 1 1/2 cups water, rice, and salt to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add milk, cream, and sugar. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Increase heat to medium; cook uncovered until rice is tender and mixture thickens slightly to a soft, creamy texture, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.
Remove pudding from heat and discard vanilla bean. Divide pudding evenly among small bowls. Serve warm or press plastic wrap directly onto surface of each pudding and chill thoroughly.

DO AHEAD: Pudding can be made 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated

Rice Pudding 2006, Ellie Krieger
2 cups water
1 cup Arborio rice
3 cups vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bring the water to a boil in a medium sized, heavy, ovenproof saucepan. Add the rice, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, until rice is nearly cooked. In a large bowl, whisk the soymilk, sugar, and salt. When the rice is cooked and still hot, add the soy milk mixture and cinnamon stick. Cover, place in the oven and cook for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven, uncover, and remove the cinnamon stick. Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pudding will be slightly liquidy; the liquid will continue to absorb into the rice and thicken as the pudding cools. Dust with cinnamon and nutmeg, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.



Coming for Easter- Asparagus Salad

Three-Grain Risotto with Asparagus Spears

Okay- I confess. I am obsessed with risotto. You probably already know this if you ever look at my blog. I have tried it with all types of grains, vegetables, seasonings, spices and everytime I love it.
This Cooking Light recipe uses arborio rice, quinoa, and instant barley. A nice combination of grains. I love all of those grains and I was excited to see how a combination of the three would turn out.
I also really like asparagus, as do my kids and it was perfect with this risotto.
This recipe was a little bit creamier than some of the others that I have tried-I think because of the milk and cheese that is added near the end, but the extra creaminess was very delicious.
I ordered risotto at a restaurant recently and was very disappointed by the taste. It was practically soup. Does anyone have any recommendations of a good place to order risotto? Even if you do, I will probably just keep making it at home. I tend to think you can make almost anything at home that will be just as good or better than eating out. But that is just me.

Three-Grain Risotto with Asparagus Spears from Cooking Light

1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed (I omitted this)

1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots (about 2 medium)

1/2 cup uncooked Arborio or other short-grain rice

1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa

1/2 cup dry white wine ( I used chicken broth)

1 cup water

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

2/3 cup 1% low-fat milk

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

12 asparagus spears, steamed

1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted

Bring saffron and broth to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil).

Keep warm over low heat.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 3 minutes. Add rice, barley, and quinoa; sauté 2 minutes.

Add wine; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed. Stir in 1 cup water; cook 5 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.

Add broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total).
Remove from heat; stir in cheese and next 4 ingredients (cheese through pepper). Top with asparagus spears, and sprinkle with pine nuts.

Up Next- Craving Ellie- Salmon and Lentils and Barefoot Bloggers- Chinese Chicken Salad

Pan-Seared Oatmeal with Warm Fruit Compote and Cider Syrup

Here is a great breakfast recipe that can be made the night before and then rewarmed and thrown together in the morning. The star of the show is steel-cut oats.
You make a big batch of oatmeal and then put it in a dish and let it set overnight in the fridge. The next morning it is firm enough to cut into triangles and you pan-fry them in a tiny bit of butter and then add a wonderful syrup and a fruit compote.
I used a dried cranberry and apple mix for the dried fruit and that was my 2-year olds favorite part of this breakfast.
I made this on a weekend morning and it was a really great way to start the day.
It is also a nice twist on the normal bowl of oatmeal. My family really, really liked it and were fighting over the last plate.

Pan-Seared Oatmeal with Warm Fruit Compote and Cider Syrup adapted from Cooking Light

Syrup:

2 cups apple cider

Compote:

2 cups water

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (7-ounce) package dried mixed fruit bits (I used a dried cranberry and apple pieces mix)

Oatmeal:

3 cups water

1 cup fat-free milk

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups steel-cut (Irish) oats

Cooking spray

1/4 cup butter, divided

To prepare syrup, bring cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 20 minutes); set aside.

To prepare compote, combine 2 cups water, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and dried fruit in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until thick.

To prepare oatmeal, combine 3 cups water, 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; stir in oats. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Spoon oatmeal into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; cool to room temperature.

Cover and chill at least 1 hour or until set. (I let my set overnight)

Using a sharp knife, cut oatmeal into 8 equal rectangles; cut each rectangle in half diagonally to form 16 triangles.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 8 oatmeal triangles; cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from pan; keep warm.

Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons butter and oatmeal triangles.

Place 2 oatmeal triangles on each of 8 plates, and top each serving with 3 1/2 tablespoons fruit compote and about 2 teaspoons syrup.

Coming Tomorrow- Pork Strips with Peanut Sauce and Rice Noodles

TWD-Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was chosen by Stefany over at Proceed with Caution , so go to her blog for the recipe of click HERE to get it from an earlier post. These cookies were a great choice. Chock full of tasty ingredients, everyone loved them. I was able to take them as a dessert to a small gathering and luckily we all tried them before I took them, because they were gone quickly. I really liked the combination of chunky peanut butter with the oatmeal and the chocolate chips just made them that much better. Go to the Tuesdays with Dorie Blogroll to see all the other delicious cookies!

Blueberry Papaya Smoothie (Milkshake)

Growing up my mom would always make us milkshakes, only they weren't really milkshakes because they didn't have any ice cream in them. We just called them milkshakes, but now I realize they were really smoothies. They were never too sweet, just a combination of skim milk, frozen fruit and maybe a little sugar. Sometimes she used yogurt and now we always have frozen sliced bananas, just in case. My husband does not like it when I make these and call it a milkshake, but I still do. This one was just a combo of some of the frozen fruit we had in the freezer at the moment and it was yummy! The measurements are just a guess because I was just adding it as I went.

Blueberry Papaya Smoothie
2 cups skim milk
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen papaya chunks
1 banana, sliced and frozen
3/4 cup frozen Cool Whip
a dash or sprinkle of sugar
Combine milk and fruit in blender. Blend until smooth. Add Cool Whip and sugar, if desired. Add more fruit or milk until the desired thickness is reached.

Oatmeal Horchata

Oatmeal Horchata
Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk (I use fat free)
1 can evaporated milk (I use fat fee)
3 cups quick-cooking oats, instant
Sugar to taste
4 or more cups Fat free milk (depends on the texture and thickness that you like)
Ice cubes
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon


1. Mix condensed milk,evaporate milk, and oats in the blender. Blend until everything is liquid the best that your blender can. Put the mixture in a big pitcher.
2. Mix milk, cinnamon, and ice cubes in the blender until liquid; add to the pitcher
3. Stir together and add sugar to taste and more milk or cold water if desire. Put in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

You can use whole ingredients if you like
If you like to make rice horchata, replace the oats with 2-3 cups of cooked rice