Breakfast Polenta with Warm Berry Compote

Happy Birthday Mom! and by the way, this compote is amazingly delicious, with polenta and on its own!

Breakfast Polenta with Warm Berry Compote from Cooking Light

Compote:

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Dash of ground cinnamon

1 (12-ounce) bag assorted frozen berries

Polenta:

3 cups 1% low-fat milk

1/2 cup dry instant polenta

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

To prepare compote, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add honey, juice, cinnamon, and berries; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Keep warm.To prepare polenta, bring milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly add polenta, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in sugar and salt, and cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Serve with compote.

Johnny Cakes with Cranberry-Crab Apple Jelly

These were a super easy snack that we made for J day.
Jumpin' for Johnny Cakes
1/2 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

2 tsp sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup hot milk

1 Tbls butter, for greasing skillet

1. Pour all the dry ingredients-flour, cornmeal, and sugar into a bowl.

2. Stir in the egg and milk. Do not overmix- the batter should be lumpy.

3. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat until hot and then grease it with

the butter.

4. Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the griddle. The cakes should be about the size of

a half dollar (mine were bigger)

5. Flip each cake with a spatula when the edges start to brown. Cook until both sides are golden brown.

Watermelon and Nectarine Salad

(photos updated July 2009)

This is, hands down, the absolute best fruit salad I have ever tasted. I am not the only one who thinks so. My family loves it, my brother won a recipe contest with it, and I will make it over and over again, now that watermelon is here. The lime syrup adds a little zing to the fruit and wow, is it good. Just make sure to follow the directions and chill the syrup, don't stir in the zest or add the nectarines, until right before serving and refrigerate the watermelon so it is nice and cold.

WATERMELON AND NECTARINE SALAD
1/3 cup sugar
2 T fresh lime juice
2 tsps freshly grated lime peel
6 cups seedless or seeded watermelon chunks
3 ripe nectarines

1. Put sugar and 3 T water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice. Refrigerate until cold. Refrigerate watermelon in serving bowl.

2. SHORTLY BEFORE SERVING: Cut nectarines in wedges; add to watermelon. Stir lime peel into syrup, drizzle over fruit and toss to mix and coat.

Island Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Rice

This is another recipe passed on to me from my sister. Wow! That is all I can say to describe the fusion of flavors that happen in this pork with the coconut rice. I served it when some friends came over and we all we very pleased. I sliced the pork loin and put it on a broiler pan and spooned some of the leftover sauce from the skillet on the slices, after it was at about 140 degrees, just to make sure that the meat was cooked all the way through. The rice was so good with the pork but great alone as well. I see a repeat in the future.

ISLAND PORK TENDERLOIN(adapted from Epicurious.com)

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 LB total)

2 TBS olive oil

1 cup packed dark brown sugar I used light brown sugar

2 TBS finely chopped garlic

1 TBS Tabasco I didn't measure this, just dashed some in

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat pork with spice rub. Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Leave pork in skillet. Stir together brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat onto top of each tenderloin. Roast in middle of oven until thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140°F, about 30 minutes. Let pork stand in skillet at room temperature 10 minutes. (Temperature will rise to about 155°F while standing.)

Serve warm or cold with coconut rice.

COCONUT RICE adapted from Natalie Heath
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups coconut milk
1/3 -1/2 cup sugar
¾ cup mik

First rinse the jasmine rice with cold water until your water is clear and not white. Put the rinsed rice in a medium pan and combine with sugar, milk, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and then turn to low. Cover and cook for about 25-35 minutes. Stir rice and milk every 5-10 minutes. Rice is done when milk is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat and let cool. Serve warm.

Asparagus-Tip Tea Sandwiches with Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

First of all, don't be scared by the sound of this treat. You will be amazed and love it! Once again, my sister (check out her blog ya'll- Bella and Piekna, for great tips about food, books, kids, plants, etc.) told me about this one and since we were doing G day, it was our green treat. It was delicious! Lucky for us, we had some fresh whole wheat bread, that we toasted up and it was great! I think this asparagus butter would be good on a wrap or with crackers or whatever. Yum! And the pics turned out great!



Asparagus-Tip Tea Sandwiches from Wondertime Magazine

16 asparagus stalks with bottoms snapped off (a great job for a kid), cooked*

1 tablespoon salted butter, softened

1 tablespoon extra- virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 slices of bread, toasted, halved (Whole Wheat Bread)

Cut off the tips (top 2 inches) of the cooked asparagus and reserve. Cut the remaining stalks into 1/2-inch pieces and put in food processor along with butter, oil, and salt. Blend until mixture is smooth and spreadable. Spread 1 tablespoon of asparagus butter on toast, then line up tips side by side on top.
* how to cook it: Boil asparagus in salted water until the stalks are just tender, about 4 minutes, then chill them.

Whole Wheat Bread from Fleischmann's Bake-n-easy Yeast Book pg. 40

5 1/2 to 6 cups unsifted white flour (used 4 cups)

2 cups unsifted whole wheat flour (I used 4 cups)

3 Tbls sugar

3 tsp salt

2 pkg Active Dry Yeast

2 cups milk

3/4 cup water

1/4 stick margarine or butter

Combine flours. In a large bowl mix 2 1/2 cups flour mixture, sugar, salt, and undissolved yeast.

Combine milk, water and butter in a saucepan. Heat over low heat until liquids are very warm. (120 degrees to 130 degrees). Butter does not need to melt. Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add 1 cup of flour mixture. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes, scraping down sides. Stir in enough additional flour mixture to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, then a towel. Let rest 20 minutes.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half to a 14 by 9-inch rectangle. Shape into loaves. Place in 2

greased 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pans. Brush with melted butter and cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.

When ready to bake, remove from fridge. Uncover dough carefully. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Puncture any gas bubbles which may have formed with a toothpick.

Bake at 400 degrees about 40 minutes, or until done. Remove from pans and cool on racks.

Homemade Frozen Yogurt

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS or Mormon) we are lucky to have multiple magazines published monthly that have great articles and The Friend, which is for children, always has a Kitchen Kraft. This was the June recipe and it was alot fun to make with the kids and it tasted great, especially on a hot day. I froze it in little plastic cups and we went for the Strawberry Mango variation. I know we are going to be making this again!

Homemade Frozen Yogurt
Whip up yummy homemade frozen yogurt in your own kitchen. Mix together 16 ounces of fat-free or regular vanilla yogurt with your favorite fruits, and spoon the mixture into serving-size freezer containers with lids. Store the containers in the freezer. To serve, remove the lid and soften the yogurt in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Here are some examples of flavor combinations you can try.

Converting ounces to grams:
16 ounces = 454 grams
8 ounces = 227 grams
4 ounces = 113 grams

Cherry Vanilla
Use 16 ounces fresh or frozen pitted cherries

Strawberry Mango
Use 8 ounces of fresh or frozen sliced strawberries and 8 ounces of fresh or frozen chopped mangoes

Berry Berry Good
Use 4 ounces each of fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, and blackberries.

Peachy Walnut
Use 16 ounces of fresh or frozen chopped peaches and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Tropical Pineapple
Use 8 ounces of fresh or frozen chopped pineapple and 8 ounces of fresh or frozen chopped papaya.

Tangy Treat
Use 16 ounces of fat-free lemon yogurt instead of vanilla; 2 oranges, seeded and chopped; 4 tangerines, seeded and chopped; and 2 kiwi, peeled and chopped.

Nasi Goreng and Spinach Soup

This is a light version of something that my dad used to make for us all the time growing up. He served as a LDS missionary for 2 years as a young adult, in Holland and brought back with him, a love of the foods he ate there. When I saw this dish in Cooking Light, I sent it to him and we have both been making it ever since. Fry up some eggs on the side and make the spinach soup and you have a great dinner!

Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice) from Cooking Light
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/3 cup minced shallots (about 3)
1 to 2 tablespoons minced serrano chile
1 tablespoon sambal oelek (chile paste with garlic)
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
2 cups diced cooked shrimp (about 12 ounces)
3 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced tomato



Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and chile to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until the shallots are lightly browned. Add chile paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, salt, and garlic to the pan; cook for 1 minute or until the sauce becomes fragrant. Add diced chicken, shrimp, and rice to the pan, stirring to coat with sauce. Cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Place about 1 1/2 cups rice on each of 4 plates, and sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons cucumber and 2 tablespoons tomato.





Spinach Soup (also from Cooking Light)


Heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1 minced garlic clove to pan; saute 2 minutes. Add 4 cups chicken broth and 2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed. Bring to a boil, cook 10 minutes. Add 1 6-oz pkg fresh baby spinach, cook until wilted.

TWD-Honey Pecan Sticky Buns

Okay, I know I am a day late and I made the wrong recipe, but I have good reasons. Today is H day (We are doing a letter a day for Alphabet Days) and I wasn't able to make these before because I was in the process of moving. Everyone else at Tuesday's with Dorie made Peppermint Creme Puff Ring this week, which was chosen by Caroline of A Consuming Passion, so go check those out, but don't forget that Madam Chow of Madam Chow's Kitchen chose these scrumptious Honey Pecan Sticky Buns- click here for the recipe.
I was a little intimidated to make the brioche dough because it seemed like alot of people had trouble with it, but it was a cinch. The Bosch Mixer only had to mix for 5 minutes, and it wasn't even tired. The rest of the recipe came together in a pinch and these were ready to eat!
They rose in an hour and came out of the oven looking pretty. Delish! And don't worry I will make up the creme puff ring soon!

Rachael Ray's Fish Tacos

I love fish tacos. I try them whenever I have the chance at restaurants and have made them once before at home. I have been wanting to make this version ever since I saw RR make them on her show. They were so delicious! The seasoning on the fish was wonderful and everyone raved. I will definitely make these again!

Fish Tacos with Quick Slaw, Avocado Sauce and Green Rice adapted from Rachael Ray's Daytime Show
Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus additional for drizzling
2 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 1/2 cups rice
3 cups chicken stock, divided
4 firm white fish filets, I used Cod
Zest and juice of 3 limes, divided
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander (I couldn't find any)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons hot sauce (I used a couple dashes)
1/2 small head red cabbage, shredded
1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
3/4 pound baby spinach
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 ripe avocados
1/2 cup sour cream (I used plain greek yogurt)
1 clove garlic, grated
12 6 to 8-inch flour tortillas
Yields: 4 servings
Preparation
Preheat broiler, grill or large, nonstick skillet – whichever you prefer.

Place a medium-size pot over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Toss the jalapeños into the pan and cook until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add in the rice and cook about a minute (you’re toasting it, so it's ready when it starts to smell nutty). Add in 2 1/2 cups stock and bring up to a bubble. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer the rice until tender, about 20 minutes.

While the rice is working, season the fish filets on both sides with the lime zest, grill seasoning, cumin and coriander. Lightly drizzle some EVOO over the filets and cook: If you're broiling, the fish should take about 6 minutes to cook (3 minutes per side); if you're grilling, the filets should take about 8 minutes to cook (4 minutes per side); if you're cooking them on the stovetop, they should take about 8 minutes to cook (4 minutes per side). Once the fish is cooked, transfer the filets to a plate and cover them with aluminum foil until you're ready – just don't let them sit too long here!

Once you've got the fish cooking, prepare the quick slaw by mixing together the juice of 2 limes, honey, hot sauce, some salt and freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of EVOO. Add the cabbage and red onion, toss to combine and set aside.

Make the "green" part of the rice by pureeing together the baby spinach, cilantro and remaining vegetable stock (about 1/2 cup) in a food processor. Dump the mixture into a dish and reserve it until the rice is finished cooking. Rinse out the food processor bowl and make the avocado sauce by pureeing together the avocado, sour cream, garlic and the juice of the remaining lime. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and set aside.

When the rice has finished cooking, stir in the green sauce and transfer the rice to a serving bowl or platter.
Assemble the fish tacos by shredding the fish filets (each one should give you enough meat for 3 tacos) and place some meat into each tortilla. Top them off with a little of the quick slaw and some avocado sauce. Serve each person 3 tacos and some green rice, and enjoy!

French Breakfast Muffins

Here is another recipe that my sister told me about. She told me they tasted like donuts and we served them up for F day. I thought that they tasted better after they had cooled down.

French Breakfast Muffins from Family Fun Magazine
2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon-Sugar Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Step 1 Heat the oven to 375°. Butter the bottoms (only) of 12 standard-size muffin cups and set the pan aside.

Step 2 Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl and combine them with a whisk.

Step 3 In a medium-size bowl, whisk the egg until it's frothy. Blend in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture.

Step 4 Using a wooden spoon, mix the batter just until it's evenly blended, then spoon it into the muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.

Step 5 Bake the muffins on the center rack for 15 minutes. Then rotate the pan and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack until the muffins are cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes, then remove them from the cups.

Step 6 Before the muffins lose their warmth, prepare the topping. Mix the sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter and transfer it to a separate small bowl. Set both bowls next to the muffins.

Step 7 Working one muffin at a time, quickly dip the tops in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, rolling each muffin in all directions to cover the entire top. If you'd like more topping, roll them in the cinnamon sugar for a second time while they're still warm. Serve immediately. Makes 12 muffins.

Garden Party Cupcakes

Here is our cupcake creation for Father's Day. It is taken from Hello Cupcake! by Alan Richardson and Karen Tack. It is also online at Womans Day magazine. We did our own version because everyone wanted to get in on the decorating. It was fun.


Below is how it looks in the book and online
2 whole graham crackers

1 stick mint chewing gum

1/4 cup white chocolate melting wafers

6 thin pretzel sticks

1 cup vanilla frosting

Green, red, orange and blue gel or paste food color

1 can (16 oz) chocolate frosting

2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (Nabisco Oreo or Famous Chocolate Wafers)

24 vanilla cupcakes baked in white paper liners

1 cup corn flakes

9 green fruit chews (Jolly Rancher)

1 vanilla fruit chew (Tootsie Roll Midgee, AirHeads)

4 red fruit chews (Jolly Rancher)

8 orange fruit chews (Starburst)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

20 green M&M’s

Green apple and watermelon AirHeads

2 tsp multicolored chocolate-covered sunflower seeds (see Note)
PREPARATION

1. Seed Packs and Shovels: With a serrated knife, cut graham crackers in half crosswise. Cut two 3/4-in.-long triangles from gum to make shovel blades. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Put white chocolate melting wafers in a ziptop bag; do not seal. Microwave 10 seconds to soften. Squeeze, return to microwave and repeat until smooth. Press out air and seal.

2. Snip a small corner from the bag and pipe an outline around each graham cracker. Fill in with more chocolate and spread into a smooth, thin layer to cover cracker. Place on baking sheet and refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.

3. Turn each cracker over and pipe a line of melted chocolate down the center of the uncoated side. Place a pretzel stick on top of the line of chocolate, leaving about a 2-in. overhang; refrigerate until set. Cut the remaining 2 pretzel sticks into two 2-in. and two 3/4-in. lengths. Pipe a small dot of melted chocolate on one end of a 2-in. pretzel stick and attach the smaller pretzel piece crosswise to make the shovel handle. Attach the gum shovel blade to the other end of the pretzel with a dot of melted chocolate. Place on baking sheet and chill until set, about 5 minutes.

4. Tint 1/2 cup of the vanilla frosting green, 1 Tbsp red, 2 Tbsp orange and 1/4 cup blue. Spoon each color, including the remaining 1 tablespoon vanilla frosting, into separate ziptop bags, press out excess air and seal. Spoon 1/4 cup chocolate frosting into a ziptop bag, press out the excess air and seal. Snip a tiny corner from each of the bags. Pipe the vegetable names in chocolate frosting and the vegetable shapes in the colored frostings on top of the chocolate-coated side of the graham crackers. Pipe a blue line of frosting around the border of each sign.

5. Place chocolate cookie crumbs in a medium bowl. Spread remaining chocolate frosting on cupcakes. Roll tops of cupcakes in crumbs to cover. Arrange in 4 rows of 6 on serving platter.

6. Lettuce: Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Put cornflakes in a small bowl. Spoon remaining green frosting into a small microwavable bowl. Microwave until smooth, stirring often, 5 to 10 seconds. Pour over cornflakes, toss well to coat, and spread the cornflakes onto baking sheet. Chill to set, about 10 minutes. Cut 2 green fruit chews in half and shape into balls. Place 1 green ball on top of each of 4 cupcakes and arrange 8 to 12 cornflakes around balls to make the leaves. Secure with a dot of green frosting, if necessary.

7. Radishes: Cut the vanilla fruit chew into quarters. Roll 1 red fruit chew together with 1 vanilla piece, keeping colors separate, and shape into a ball. Pinch the white end to form the radish root. Place 1 radish on top of each of 4 cupcakes, and add green-frosted cornflakes for leaves.

8. Carrots: Cut 2 of the orange fruit chews in half; shape each piece into a small carrot. Shape remaining 6 fruit chews into 6 large carrots. Score the sides of carrots with a knife and rub with cinnamon for “dirt.” Use a toothpick to make a small hole in the large end of each carrot. Cut 2 of the green fruit chews into thin strips and roll each strip between fingers to look like carrot tops. Press 4 or 5 strips into the hole in the top of each carrot. Arrange carrots on top of 5 cupcakes.

9. Peas: Roll out each of the remaining 5 green fruit chews into a 3 x 1-in. oval 1/8-in. thick. Press 4 green M&M’s onto one side of each oval. Fold the other side over to cover the candies slightly. Pinch the ends and place 1 pea pod on top of each of 5 cupcakes. Cut thin strips from AirHeads and arrange around the pea pods as vines.

10. Insert the pretzel end of each sign into tops of 4 cupcakes. Place at the head of the rows. Insert the shovel blades into frosting of 2 cupcakes; scatter sunflower seeds around shovels. Place in rows with radishes and lettuce.

Cheesecake Pops (again) and Cheescake Cups

Don't get me wrong when I say this, but, when my husband actually requests that I make something, I jump at the chance. (He loves, I mean loves McDonalds. He might single handily keep them in business). He loved the Cheesecake Pops I made back in April for my first Daring Bakers challenge and requested that I make them again for a work BBQ. I agreed and this time made my own little creation with all the leftover cheesecake and let my husband clean out the pan. I used a springform pan this time and it worked better than a cake pan. It was easier the 2nd time as well and here they are!

What to do with all the leftover cheesecake? Make mini cheesecake cups! (recipe below)
Cheesecake Pops (adapted from Jill O' Conner's Sticky, Chewy, Messy Gooey)
Makes 30 – 40 Pops
5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream
Boiling water as needed
Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan or springform pan ( I found this worked better), and pour the batter into the pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes (mine took alot longer, probably at least an extra 30 minutes- wait until it is slightly golden- you want it firm). Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature.

Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.
When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate.

At this point I use Bakers dipping chocolate or Chocolate flavored Almond Bark, because it is already in a little tub and ready to go.

Dip your pops into the melted chocolate and then cover with sprinkles. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Now, after you scoop all your pops, there will be alot of gooey cheesecake left. This time I decided to make Cheesecake Cups - you will need 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 6 Tbls melted butter, and a couple Tbls of sugar. Mix these ingredients and press into the bottom of 18 cupcake liners in cupcake pans. With you hands, grab some of the leftover cheesecake and press it onto the graham cracker crust. THIS IS GOING TO BE VERY STICKY! I had to wash my hands after doing 2 or 3 and start again. Freeze until cheesecake is firm. Spread melted baking chocolate or candy coating over cheesecake and decorate with sprinkles. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cheesiest Cheese and Macaroni

I have tried making homemade mac and cheese before and it wasn't very good. I tried again and voila! it was delicious. This is a very heavy dish, so don't look at the ingredients, just make it and share it with a large crowd of people! It is sooo good~!

Cheesiest Cheese and Macaroni from My A to Z Recipe Box by Hilary Shevlin
Karmilowicz
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk ( I used 2%)
1/2 tsp salt
8 cups water
2 cups dry macaroni (I used whole wheat)
2 Tbls bread crumbs (I used seasoned)
2 Tbls butter, cut into tiny pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 1. In a large bowl, combine all the cheeses and stir until well mixed. 2. Add the cream, milk and salt to the cheese. Mix well. 3. Boil the water in a large pot, add the macaroni, and cook for 8-10 minutes. Drain the macaroni. 4. Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir well to coat. 5. Pour the mixture into a 9*12- inch baking dish, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and dot all over with the butter. 6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the pasta is bubbly.

Curried Carrot Spread

I thought this sounded interesting and we needed a snack for C day. Good and healthy.

Curried Carrot Spread from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
Ingredients
3 cups sliced carrots
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can white kidney(cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 teaspoon salt
Thinly sliced green onion (optional)
Directions
1. In a covered medium saucepan, cook carrots in a small amount of boiling water about 15 minutes or until very tender. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook onion and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in curry powder and cumin. Transfer carrots and onion mixture to a food processor; add white kidney beans and salt. Cover and process until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl; cover and chill for 4 hours to 3 days.
3. If using, garnish with green onion. Serve with crackers, melba toast, toasted French bread slices, or vegetable dippers. Makes 3 cups spread.

Caramel Crunch Bars

This is the recipe in Dorie Greenspan's Baking: from my home to yours, that caught my husbands eye. I finally got around to making it and it was delish!
The batter looked like chocolate chip cookie dough
I tried to make the very cute ice cream bars that Dorie pictured in the book, but my ice cream was melting way to fast! I put them back in the freezer and wow! that was a real treat.

Caramel Crunch Bars (adapted from Baking:from my home to yours-Dorie Greenspan)

For the base:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 ounce bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

For the topping:

6 ounces milk chocolate chips

3/4 cup Heath Toffee bits

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9*13-inch pan with foil and lightly butter the foil.

Whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon.

Beat the butter at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until light and creamy. Beat in vanilla.

Add all the dry ingredients and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Turn the mixer on and off quickly a few times and take off the towel when the dry ingredients are mixed in a bit. Mix, on low speed until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated and add the chopped chocolate. Mix until dry ingredients disappear and if chocolate isn't evenly mixed, finish the job with a rubber spatula. Scrape the dough into the buttered pan and with the spatula and your fingers, press it gently into a thin layer.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the base is bubbly. You will be able to hear it popping. It will be pulling away from the sides of the pan a tad. Transfer the pan to a rack and turn off the oven.

Scatter the chocolate chips evenly over the top of the hot base and put the pan back into the oven for 2-3 minutes, until the chocolate is soft.

Remove the pan from the oven and spread the chocolate with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the toffee bits over the melted chocolate and press them down lightly. Place the pan on the rack to cool to room temperature.

Once cool, carefully lift the foil out of the pan, and cut into small squares.

If you want make ice cream sammies but hurry because the ice cream will get soft fast.

Homemade Play-dough

I finally made the Homemade Play-dough that my sister has been raving about. It was soooo super easy and really fun. I didn't mix in the colors until after it was done cooking and I had food coloring all over my hands. I used some gel paste as well to get a few different colors. It was fun!

Homemade Play-dough

Combine in saucepan:
5 cups water
2 1/2 cups salt
3 Tablespoons Cream of Tartar
and food coloring (1 tsp for pastel color and 3 Tablespoons for vivid color)

Warm over low heat and stir with a wooden spoon. As the mixture heats up, stir in:
10 Tablespoons oil and then
5 cups flour slowly
Keep stirring until the mixture starts to look dry and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Remove the pan from the heat at this point. Pinch a piece between two fingers, If it is not sticky, it is done. Otherwise, continue stirring over heat.
Place the dough on the counter and knead until smooth. Store in a plastic bag and enjoy!