Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Baby Shower Food




I threw a baby shower last Saturday for my friend Anna. I completely forgot to take pictures of the food during the shower, so these pictures are of the leftovers in the fridge. Oops! I made a chocolate chip cheeseball (look at pic from previous post), a quiche recipe from allrecipes.com, a farmers breakfast casserole from the Better Homes and Garden cookbook, fruit salsa with cinnamon chips (salsa pic below) from allrecipes.com, my moms German pancake recipe, the black bottom cupcakes from a previous post and regular spinach dip from the back of the Knorr vegetable soup box. The farmers casserole was completely gone, so no pics of that one. Matt said that was his favorite thing. It was really good. The quiche was really good too. I ended up adding a few more eggs and milk to the mixture and made 3 quiches. There was way too much filling for just 2. The fruit salsa and cinnamon chips is really unique and delicious. The German pancakes are something I grew up eating & have always loved.

Annie's Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
Submitted by: Ann Page
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 2127 members Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 45 Minutes
Yields: 10 servings
"This delicious salsa made with fresh kiwis, apples and berries is a sweet, succulent treat when served on homemade cinnamon tortilla chips. Enjoy it as a summer appetizer or an easy dessert."
INGREDIENTS:
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples -
peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar 3 tablespoons fruit preserves,
any flavor

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Clark's Quiche
Submitted by: Clark Hamblen
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 349 members Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 25 Minutes
Yields: 16 servings
"This recipe is excellent served for breakfast with fruit, or at lunch or dinner with a salad. This recipe makes two 9 inch pies. The reason for this is because if you only make one you will hate yourself the next day when there are no leftovers. Bacon, ham, and spinach and mushrooms are layered with 3 cheeses in this rich delicious egg dish."
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound thick sliced bacon
1 (10 ounce) package frozen
chopped spinach, thawed
1 (8 ounce) container sour
cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms,
finely diced
2 cups finely diced smoked ham
8 ounces Monterey Jack
cheese, shredded
8 ounces Cheddar cheese,
shredded
4 ounces Parmesan cheese,
grated
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Cook spinach according to package instructions. Allow to cool, then squeeze dry.
2. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until soft and translucent. Stir in mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes, or until soft. Stir in ham and cooked bacon. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, combine spinach, sour cream, salt and pepper. Divide, and spread into pie crusts. Layer with bacon mixture. Mix together Monterey Jack, Cheddar and Parmesan, and sprinkle over pies. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over pies.
4. Place pies on baking sheet, and bake on middle shelf in preheated oven for 40 minutes. The top will be puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.


Farmer's Casserole
Prep: 25 minutes
Bake: 40 minutes

Farmer's Casserole
Ingredients

* Nonstick cooking spray
* 3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
* 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers or shredded cheddar cheese (3 ounces) (I used half jack and half cheddar)
* 1 cup diced cooked ham, cooked breakfast sausage or Canadian-style bacon (I used sausage)
* 1/4 cup sliced green onions (2)
* 4 beaten eggs or 1 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
* 1-1/2 cups milk or one 12-ounce can evaporated milk or evaporated fat-free milk (I used regular milk)
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Coat a 2-quart square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheese, ham, and green onions.

2. In a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture in dish.

3. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

4. Make-ahead directions: Prepare as above through step 2. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

5. Farmer's Casserole for 12: Prepare as above, except double all ingredients and use a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 12 servings.

German Pancakes
8 eggs
1 1/4 c milk
1/4 t salt
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1 cube butter

Place butter in 11 x 15 pan, or 2 9 x 13 (I prefer this). Place pans in 425 degree oven. Blend the rest of the ingredients together in a blender. After pans are hot, but not burning, pour the batter into the pan(s). Bake 30 mins or so, until golden and firm. Serve with powdered sugar.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Chocolate-Chip Cheeseball


I made this chocolate-chip cheeseball for cooking club this week. It tastes like a cheesecake. It's super easy and really delicious! It's a nice twist on a cheeseball.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter (no substitute), softened
¼ tsp vanilla
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
¾ cup miniature semi sweet chocolate chips
¾ cup pecans, finely chopped

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars, beat until just combined. Stir in chips. Cover & refrigerate for 2 hours. Place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap & shape into a ball. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, roll cheese ball in pecans. Serve with graham crackers.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Apple Pie


I have never been able to make a good pie crust, so I usually just buy store bought. I saw this recipe for apple pie on Home Based Mom's website & knew it was a recipe for me. For one thing Matt LOVES apple pie & you don't have to roll this one out or worry if it's too dry. It's incredibly easy & super delicious. Matt said he usually doesn't like pie crust, but he loved this one. Definitely a keeper.

Apple Pie
from Home Based Mom

2 C flour

1 C sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp baking powder

Mix and add.

2 cubes butter, melted

Press 1/2 of dough into a glass pie plate. Being sure you have an even layer on bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. (no holes!)

7-8 apples - sliced, cored and peeled. I prefer a crisp, tart apple.

Afer pressing 1/2 of pie dough into pie plate, pile apples onto crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon (sorry, no exact measurement - I just sprinkle until it looks like enough, probably a Tablespoon or two) and 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar (or more if you like it sweeter!)

Crumble remaining dough on top by breaking it into small pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes - 1 hour (Time will vary depending on how thick you slice the apples, you want them tender but not mush! I just stick a fork in to see how tender they are.)