Candy Pops

Last year I made cupcake pops for Madeline's birthday (http://kerstinskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/07/maddies-birthday-cupcake-pops.html). They were really cute, but I didn't think they tasted like anything super special. So I decided to see if I could make them with a peanut butter truffle/buckeye thing I like to make & I think they turned out pretty cute. I just covered them with candy coating & put pre-made flowers on them that I found at Hobby Lobby today.

Peanut Butter Truffles/buckeyes modified

This is one of Matt's favorite things. I just took a recipe for buckeyes and modified it.

1/2 c butter, melted
1 1/2 c peanut butter
4 c powdered sugar

Combine all the ingredients. (I use my hands) Roll the mixture into 1/2 T balls. Refrigerate them for about an hour. Coat them with melted chocolate almond bark and let them set on parchment paper.

Thick Crust Pizza

We made this thick crust pizza last Friday & it was a big winner! It was crusty on the crust and soft and chewy in the middle. It's really good! I got the recipe from a blog called frugal girl. She has some beautiful pictures & great directions on her site if you want to check it out: http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/?p=1164

Deep Dish Pizza

Ingredients

1 medium baking potato (about 9 ounces), peeled and quartered
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 3/4 teaspoons table salt

tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and whatever toppings you desire

Heat 1 quart of water to boiling. Add the potato, and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until tender.

When potato is cool, grate on the large holes of a box grater. Measure 1 cup of lightly packed potato(save any extra for another purpose).

Combine 3 cups of flour, yeast, and salt in a mixer bowl.

Add warm water and two tablespoons oil(the rest is for oiling the pans), and beat for 1 minute. Add grated potato and beat for another 2-3 minutes. Add enough remaining flour to make a manageable dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Place dough in a bowl, cover with a wet tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for one hour.

Pour two tablespoons of oil into each of two round 9 inch cake pans. Tilt the pans to ensure even oil coverage.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Press each half into a 9 inch round, and gently place into the oiled pans. Cook’s says to let the dough rest for 10 minutes and then pat the dough up the sides of the pan. I have never been able to do this successfully(the oil makes the dough slide right back down!), but the pizzas have been fine. I always try(see below), but the dough just ends up looking sort of messy.

Cover the dough with a wet tea towel, and let it rise for 30 minutes, or until soft and puffy. Meanwhile, place a pizza stone on the lower rack of the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can instead place a rimless baking sheet on the lower rack of the oven.

When the crusts have risen, poke them all over with a fork, and place them in the oven on top of the pizza stone or baking sheet, and bake for 5-10 minutes(I usually do 10 minutes), or until lightly browned. This will help the dough to develop some structure so that the toppings won’t make it fall and go flat.

Take the pizzas out of the oven and add tomato sauce, cheese, and desired toppings. Bake on pizza stone or inverted baking sheet for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese melts. I sometimes move the pizza stone to the middle rack of the oven for this, because I have problems with my crust getting too brown if I leave it near the bottom of the oven(my oven tends to be hotter at the bottom than at the top).

Move the pizzas to the top rack of the oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese turns spotty brown. Use a knife to loosen the pizzas from the pans, and turn out onto a cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve.

Garlic Chicken & BBQ fries

I made this chicken from allrecipes.com for dinner last night. I seriously can't tell you what amazing aromas were going all throughout my house as the chicken was cooking. It smelled like pure deliciousness! Matt was outside reading a book and he came in and said I can smell that from outside, it smells awesome! I forgot to take a picture of the BBQ fries. They were seriously gobbled up so fast. I've made these fries many times since my sister-in-law Laura gave it to me awhile ago. It's one of our favorite potato recipes.

The only change I made on the chicken recipe is that I cut the breasts in half thickness wise and then pounded out each half. Then I grated the cheddar and mixed it together with the cream cheese. Then I spread the cream cheese cheddar mixture all over the chicken & roll it up.

Garlic-Lemon Double Stuffed Chicken


oil, for greasing pan
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into
1/2 inch slices
1 (8 ounce) package Cheddar cheese, cut
into 1/2 inch slices
1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (I used parmesan)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a large, shallow baking dish with oil.
2. Butterfly each breast by slicing in half horizontally through the center, cutting almost but not completely through. Place one slice each of Cheddar and cream cheese in the center of each breast. Close again as if placing between the pages of a book. Set aside.
3. Pour milk into a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs and Romano cheese. Carefully dip each breast first in milk, then in breadcrumb mixture, patting lightly to firmly coat. Place breasts side by side in a single layer in pre-oiled baking dish, tucking edges under to seal.
4. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in lemon juice and garlic, and drizzle evenly over chicken. Season breasts with garlic salt and paprika, if using.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

Barbecue Fries

4 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons barbecue sauce (we use Rudy's BBQ sauce)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
6 to 8 potatoes cut lenthwise into wedges or strips


Heat oven to 450. Use cooking spray to coat a large, rimmed baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, the barbecue sauce, black pepper, paprika, cumin and garlic salt. Add the cut potatoes to the bowl and toss to coat. Spread the potatoes in a singe layer on the prepared sheet. Bake, turning once, until golden and tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

BYU Brownies

I was looking for something fun to make for St. Patrick's Day for Madeline's nursery leaders when I came across this recipe for these BYU mint brownies. They turned out really good. Matt said the brownies at BYU are thinner, maybe only an inch or so. These were thicker, but still good. Of course, I've never eaten one of these at BYU, so I can't really compare them. I will have to try them next time we're in Utah.


BYU Brownie

http://alumni.byu.edu/about/traditions/brownies.cfm
MAKES ONE 9-BY-13 PAN OF BROWNIES.
PREP AND COOK: 90 min. COOL: 1 hr.

1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting. You can also search the Internet for chocolate icing recipes.)
MINT ICING

5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

(For the chocolate frosting on top I just did a ganache. I boiled 1 cup of heavy cream and poured the cream over 1 1/2 c choco chips and stirred until glossy, let it cool a little & then poured it over the top of the cooled mint frosting.)

Egg Enchiladas

A couple of months ago Matt and I went to one of our favorite local places called Grumpy's and had some Egg Enchiladas. They were SO SO good. I decided to re-create them for breakfast for our anniversary last week. I think they're a really good match for the one's at Grumpys. I will be making them many more times!

Egg Enchiladas

6 corn tortillas
8 eggs, scrambled
1 c cheddar cheese, grated
Kerstin's Ranchero Sauce (recipe below) (Ranchero Sauce is like a combination of salsa and enchilada sauce)

Preheat oven to 350. Put tortillas in a paper towel in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften. Roll some of the scrambled eggs into the tortillas and put side by side in a small casserole pan. Once they're all rolled, top with ranchero sauce and cheese and bake until bubbly (about 15 minutes). I served this with hashbrowns, bacon and fruit.

Ranchero Sauce

2 T olive oil
1/2 c diced yellow onion
1/2 c diced multi-colored bell peppers
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t cumin
1-2 t chili powder (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 can rotel
2 c vegetable broth
1 small can tomato paste

Saute the onion, peppers and garlic in olive oil. When the veggies are soft add the cumin and chili powder to taste. Add can of rotel and let the mixture simmer for a couple of minutes. Add vegetable broth and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and let the mixture simmer until thick and creamy. Taste and add garlic powder, salt, cumin, or chili powder to your liking.

Good-bye Party

One of Matt's friends and co-workers is moving to Rackspace's London office, so we had a little good-bye dinner for them at our house. We're sad to see them go. Their beautiful daughter is close to Ty's age, they had a fun time playing together at the party. We had some yummy food. I made beef tenderloin, salmon, duchess potatoes, salad, nutela cheesecake (already on the blog) and a double chocolate trifle.

Beef Tenderloin With Roasted Shallots



Submitted By: Christine L.


Ready In: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
3/4 pound shallots, halved lengthwise and
peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups beef broth
3/4 cup port wine
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 pounds beef tenderloin roast, trimmed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 slices bacon, diced
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 sprigs watercress, for garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In 9 inch pie pan, toss shallots with oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until shallots are deep brown and very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
2. In a large saucepan, combine beef broth and port. Bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until the volume is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Whisk in tomato paste. Set aside.
3. Pat beef dry; sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. In a large roasting pan, set over medium heat on the stove top, saute bacon until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Add beef to pan; brown on all sides over medium high heat, about 7 minutes.
4. Transfer pan to oven. Roast beef until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 125 degrees F (50 degrees C) for medium rare, about 25 minutes. Transfer beef to platter. Tent loosely with foil.
5. Spoon fat off top of pan drippings in roasting pan. Place pan over high heat on stove top. Add broth mixture, and bring to boil; stir to scrape up any browned bits. Transfer to a medium saucepan, and bring to simmer. Mix 1 1/2 tablespoon butter and flour in small bowl to form smooth paste; whisk into broth mixture, and simmer until sauce thickens. Whisk in remaining butter. Stir in roasted shallots and reserved bacon. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cut beef into 1/2 inch thick slices. Spoon some sauce over, and garnish with watercress.

(Note: I pureed all the gravy ingredients in the blender and then used a mesh colander to get all the big chunks out and it was perfect.)

Alaska Salmon Bake with Pecan Crunch Coating
Submitted By: Christine L.
*****


INGREDIENTS:

* 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 3 tablespoons butter, melted
* 5 teaspoons honey
* 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
* 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
* 3 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
* 6 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
* salt and pepper to taste
* 6 lemon wedges

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, butter, and honey. In another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
2. Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with mustard-honey mixture. Cover the top of each fillet with bread crumb mixture.
3. Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until salmon just flakes when tested with a fork. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

Jamie's Cranberry Spinach Salad


(This is the highest rated green salad recipe on allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite
-size pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.



DOUBLE CHOCOLATE TRIFLE PIE – Diane Larsen

3-1/4 cups heavy cream, divided

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate baking bar, chopped

4 oz. white chocolate baking bar, chopped

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Assorted cookies and/or lady fingers

Fresh raspberries

Jam glaze

Microwave ½ cup cream at high 30 seconds until hot, but do not boil. Pour hot cream over bittersweet chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Repeat procedure but use ¼ cup cream and white chocolate (in a separate bowl). Stir ½ tsp. vanilla into each chocolate mixture. Cool 20 minutes.

Let 2-1/2 cups cream stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Beat 1-1/2 cups cream until medium peaks form. Gently fold ¼ of whipped cream into the bittersweet chocolate. Repeat procedure with remaining whipped cream.

Beat remaining 1 cup cream and fold into white chocolate, using same procedure as above.

Crush 6-7 cookies to equal ½ cup crumbs. Sprinkle on bottom of lightly greased 9-inch springform pan. Spread half of the bittersweet chocolate over crushed cookies. Arrange other cookies around sides of the pan. Spread white chocolate mixture over bittersweet layer. Spread remaining bittersweet chocolate on top layer. Cover and chill 8-24 hours. Remove sides from pan, mound with raspberries and drizzle with glaze.

Glaze: Heat 3 Tbsp. fruit jam in microwave about 20-25 seconds. Stir til smooth, drizzle over trifle pie.
(Note: Instead of doing fresh berries and jam, I cooked a bag of frozen raspberries with about 1/2 c sugar and simmered it until it was a nice thick consistency. Then you have to cool it completely and then spread it on the top of the trifle.)

Mini-heart attacks

This is my Aunt Kim's recipe. She calls these mini-heart attacks. I've made them tons of times for brunch and showers. They're super super easy and always a hit. I just made them yesterday for a primary inservice meeting.

Cream cheese stuffed biscuits



16 oz cream cheese

1 c cheddar cheese, shredded

½ c green onions diced

½ c ham diced

4 tubes jumbo flaky biscuits



Mix the first 4 ingredients until well mixed. Spray a muffin tin with Pam. Put half of a flaky biscuit in the bottom of each muffin tin. Put a 1-2 T dollop of cream cheese mixture on the biscuit half. Poke a hole through the other half of the biscuit. Put the top half on top of the cream cheese dollop. Make sure you seal the sides of the biscuit so the cream cheese mixture doesn't come out. Bake according to the directions on the biscuit tube.

Aloha Chicken and Cabbage Salad

My friend the Schoen's gave me the Aloha Chicken recipe a long time ago. It's SO SO good. This time I cooked bone in thighs. The cabbage salad is one my mom's been making for a long time. This time I put half cabbage and half spring mix. It turned out great.

Aloha Chicken

2 c Aloha Soy Sauce (any Hawaiian brand soy sauce will work.
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (it really needs to be thighs)
1 c sugar
1 T garlic, minced
2 t ginger, minced

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 45 mins. I put mine in a crock pot on low for about 6-7 hours.

Ramen – Cabbage Salad



1 head cabbage shredded (I like to use a mixture of green cabbage & red just for color)

4 T almonds slivered 4 green onions sliced

1 T sesame seeds 2 pkgs ramen noodles (I use either beef or oriental)

½ c oil 4 T sugar

1 t pepper 1/3 c rice vinegar

2 t salt



Shred cabbage (or better yet buy pre-shredded) and toss with onions. Roast seeds and nuts in the oven for a few minutes. Crumble the ramen noodles and set them aside. Combine the oil, sugar, pepper, salt, vinegar and ramen seasoning packet. Put all the ingredients together and add dressing just before serving. Toss.