Asian Cole Slaw - Secret Recipe Club

There's a Wednesday night Farmer's Market in the area where Tim works.  A few weeks ago, he was were given a coupon for $5.00 off at the market.  Tim used his to purchase two beautiful heads of cabbage.  That means cole slaw at my house.   I'd just received my Secret Recipe Club assignment for the month, Morsels of Life.  One of the first recipes I found was for Asian Cole Slaw.  We prefer non mayonnaise based cole slaw's at our house, so this was a perfect recipe to try.

We really enjoyed the flavors in this dressing.  Mine came out a little thick. When I make this again, I think I will add a little olive oil to thin it out just a bit.  You can find a series of cole slaw recipes at Morsels of Life.  Next time we have cabbage, I can't wait to try the Cranberry Walnut Slaw.

Asian Cole Slaw
Recipe Courtesy of Morsels of Life

8 oz cabbage, shredded
2/3 cup carrots, grated
1/8 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp ginger, grated
2 tsp peanut butter
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. lime juice
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/8 c peanuts, chopped

Combine cabbage and carrots.  Whisk remaining ingredients together.  Pour over cabbage and carrot mixture.  Combine well.  Sprinkle chopped peanuts on top, just prior to serving.

Not Your Mama's Banana Bread

One blog I never miss reading is Tomatoes on the Vine.  If you haven't been to Velva's blog, stop by she takes beautiful pictures and has delicious recipes.  I am always intrigued by banana bread recipes because I have one that I consider THE BEST!!  It's not my mama's but one of my best friends mama's and it is delicious.  When Velva said if you have a family favorite recipe, you'll like this one better, I knew I had to give this recipe a try.    I've tried a lot of banana bread recipes the past 30 years and none have replaced my favorite but let's take this one for a spin and see where we end up.

In fairness the recipe calls for bourbon and we didn't have any.  I used brandy instead.  I was going to throw in a few chocolate chips because they make everything better but I forgot.  That's probably good because it wouldn't be a true test of the recipe with the addition of the chips.  I think my pan was a little large than what the recipe called for so I reduced the baking time to 40 minutes.  Checked it and it was done.  The brandy added a delicious flavor profile to this bread.  Is it going to replace my favorite banana bread recipe?  Probably not but I will add it to the recipe box!

 

 Not Your Mama's Banana Bread

Recipe Courtesy of Tomatoes on the Vine

Ingredients:

3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted salted butter

3/4 to 1 cup light brown sugar (depending on your level of sweetness, that your prefer)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon bourbon (optional)

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

1-1/2 cups of flour

Directions:

 Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.  With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the sugar, egg vanilla and bourbon, then the spices.  Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.  add the flour last, mix.  pour mixture into a buttered 4x8-inch loaf pan.  Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean.  Cool on rack.  Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Enjoy!

Red Hots Rice Krispy Treats

I've been making desserts as long as I can remember but never a lot of Rice Krispy treats.  Until recently that is!  Like a lot of older desserts, Rice Krispy treat recipes are receiving some updates.  There's even a blog, devoted to nothing but Rice Krispy treats.

 When Tim told me the coworker who's birthday they were celebrating with treat day liked  Red Hots, I wasn't sure I was going to find a recipe including the little hot candies.  I should have known better, you can find a recipe for almost anything with just a google search!

Rice Krispy treats are quick and easy to make and almost everyone likes them.  It's fun trying different flavors for a this classic treat.  The toughest thing about this recipe is smashing the red hots.  I ended up using my meat mallet out on the front porch, in a baggie of course. 

Red Hots Rice Krispy Treats
Recipe Courtesy of Mallow and Co
4 Tbsp butter
6 cups marshmallows 
1/2-3/4 cup crushed red hot candies (really smash them down to a powder)
1 tsp vanilla extract
 6 cups rice krispies
red food coloring (optional, I didn't use this)
4 oz (2 squares) Vanilla Almond Bark (I didn't do this step)

Pour the rice krispies in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Once it's melted add in the marshmallows. Stir until they are mostly all melted (this will take a few minutes--low and slow is key for perfect texture) then stir in the vanilla, crushed red hots, and a few drops of red food coloring.

Once fully melted, take them off heat and pour over the rice krispy mixture. Stir lightly to combine, then dump into a greased 9x9 pan (I made mine in 9 x13 pan). Allow to cool 5 minutes, then press into pan with greased hands. While they finish cooling, melt the almond bark in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between each one until fully melted. Drizzle the bark over the treats. Enjoy!

Grilled Romaine

There's almost always a package of romaine lettuce in my refrigerator. We enjoy the flavor and it seems to keep well. Now that summer is here, I wanted to grilling the romaine. Pretty confident you just brush them with olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and pepper before grilling them, I wasn't sure I needed a recipe. However, I wasn't sure how long to leave them on the grill. I ran across this recipe and was intrigued by the use of the red wine vinegar granita.

If you haven't tried grilling romaine, try it soon!  We love it!  The combination of the char and red wine vinegar granita give the lettuce a nice smoky tang!

  Grilled Romaine

Recipe Courtesy of Alton Brown

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 hearts of romaine, rinsed and patted dry
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
Vegetable spray, for pan

Directions

Place vinegar in shallow pan and place in the freezer. Allow the vinegar to freeze, approximately 2 hours. Once frozen, scrape with a fork to create a shaved ice texture. Return the vinegar to the freezer until ready to use.

Cut each heart of romaine in half lengthwise so that the root keeps each piece together. Lightly brush the cut side of the romaine pieces with olive oil. Season with the pepper. Place the cheese in a shallow pan large enough to lay the romaine in and press the cheese firmly onto the cut side of the romaine until it adheres.

Spray a nonstick griddle or saute pan with vegetable spray and preheat over medium-high heat. Place the romaine in the pan and cook until the cheese turns golden, approximately 1 to 2 minutes Place the romaine, cheese side up onto plates and sprinkle with the vinegar ice. Serve immediately.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday!

Butterfinger Cake

Do you try new recipes before you serve them to company or take them to an event? Normally I do! There's nothing worse than making a dish for a dinner party and having it be a flop. We were having friends over for dessert and I was debating whether or not to make a tried and true dessert recipe or try a new one. Browsing the dessert recipes, I'd pinned on Pinterest I saw this Butterfinger Cake. Looks easy enough and doesn't use too many ingredients, I decided to give it a try.  Oh my gosh, what a great choice, simple to put together and so good!  This may become my new go to for dessert.  I am going to try it next time with a chocolate cake and Heath bars!!!

Butterfinger Cake
Recipe Courtesy of Plain Chicken

 1 box yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to make the cake
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar Smucker's caramel ice cream topping
 1 (8oz) tub Cool-Whip 4 regular sized Butterfinger candy bars, crushed

Bake cake according to direction on the package.

 While cake is baking, mix milk and caramel topping until well blended. When the cake is done and while it's still hot, poke holes in it with a fork. Pour milk mixture over the cake. Allow cake to cool completely. If you don't want it quite as sweet, add half the can and half of the jar. Sprinkle two candy bars over cake. Spread (refrigerator temp) Cool Whip over the top, then sprinkle the remaining candy bars on top. Chill.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday!!!

Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats - Secret Recipe Club

Can you believe it's the second week of June?  Crazy!  The second week of June means two things Secret Recipe Club and here in Omaha,  the College World Series.  This month my assigned SRC blog is No Reason Needed.  I am not sure whether my favorite part of SRC is browsing my assigned blog or finding out who had my blog and what recipe they chose.  Either way, SRC is fun.  You can find out more about SRC here.

It's always hard to decide which recipe to choose but when I saw the recipe for Cake Batter Rice Krispie treats, the decision was easy!!  I love cake batter!  I know it's risky  because of the raw eggs.  I've been eating it for years and have never gotten sick, so it's a risk I am willing to take.  Over the past few years the blogsphere has been filled with cake batter recipes.  I've made a couple of them Cake Batter Muddy Buddies and Cake Batter Ice Cream.  

I've always thought Rice Krispie treats were just okay,  almost too sweet for my taste.  Although it may sound strange, the addition of cake batter seems to tone down that sweetness.  I will never make the original Rice Krispie treats again.  Maybe it's that cake batter obsession but it's Cake Batter Rice Krispie treats for me from now on!

 Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. butter
1 (10 oz) bag marshmallows
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup yellow cake mix (I used 3/4 cup cake mix)
6 cups rice krispies cereal
assorted sprinkles

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until the begin to melt and mix in vanilla. Add in cake mix one spoonful at a time and stir until combined. Stir in cereal so it is completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray (I like an 8x8 or 9x9 to make them thicker - I used a 9x13 pan) and top with remaining sprinkles. Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday!

Five Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Five ingredients? This recipe caught my eye immediately! I love a good cookie but don't bake drop cookies very often because they take so much more time than bar cookies. These are a creation of Emily's, she at Sugar Plum. If you don't follow her blog, you should. She has the best recipes and they're all her own.

These cookies are quick and easy to make.  Emily suggest grinding the coconut in the food processor until it's fine.  My coconut seemed to just whirl and whirl around, never seeming to become fine.  No worries, it still worked great in the recipe.   Five Ingredient cookies are delicious and crispy.  I will be making these again!  Next time I may try nutella or biscoff spread instead of peanut butter!!

Five Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Recipe Courtesy of Sugar Plum

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup egg whites or 1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups finely ground unsweetened flaked coconut

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together peanut butter, sugar, and egg and until well combined - about 1-2 minutes.  Beat in baking soda until combined.  Beat in coconut until combined.

Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls.  Place on baking sheets, spacing about 3/4-inch apart.  Flatten balls making a criss-cross with a fork.  Sprinkle with a little sugar, if desired.  Bake 12 minutes or until cookies are golden around the edges, and crisp.  Cool 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Makes about 1 dozen cookies depending how big you make them.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday!

Peaches and Dream Pie

Happy Memorial Day!  I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend with friends and family!

I know it's not quite peach season but the first official weekend of summer has me thinking peaches! This is a recipe I made almost a year ago.  Last summer produced some the best peaches I'd experienced in years. I believe I read somewhere the hot summer produced a sweeter fruit?

 Pie crust and I just don't get along.  So I must confess, the crust for this was a boxed pie crust.   Isn't the color of these peaches just beautiful?  In reading the reviews of this pie, it received more nays than yeahs.  It's much different than what we all expect when we think of pie.  At our house, it was a yeah.  It reminded us of a custard pie. 

Peaches and Dream Pie
Recipe Courtesy of Baked Explorations

Ingredients
1 ball Classic Pie Dough
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter

 In a medium bowl, whisk the flour,sugar and salt together. In a measuring cup,stir 3/4 cup water with several ice cubes until it is very cold Cut the cold butter into cubes and toss them in the flour mixture to coat. Put the mixture in the bowl of a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the butter pieces are the size of hazelnuts. Pulsing in 4 second bursts, slowly drizzle the ice water into the food processor through the feed tube. As soon as the dough comes together in a ball, stop adding water. Remove the dough from the food processor and divide it in half. Flatten each piece into a disk and wrap each disk first in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 1 hour. (The dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before proceeding with your recipe).

 For the Peaches and Dream Filling
10 canned peach halves, or about 2 1/2 cups fresh diced,peeled peaches
 2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
 2 tablespoons honey
 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

 For the Pie Topping
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter,cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Make the Crust
Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Roll the dough ball out into a 12 inch round. Transfer the dough to a pie dish and carefully work it into place, folding any overhang under and crimping the edge as you go. Cover the crust in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
 Make the Peaches and Dream Filling Arrange the peach halves cut side up on the bottom of the pie shell or spread the diced fresh peaches in the pie shell. In a medium bowl,whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and honey until they just come together. Sprinkle the mixture with the salt, brown sugar, and flour, and whisk until just combined. Pour the mixture over the peaches. Make the Pie Topping Place the sugar, flour, and butter in a bowl. Use your hand to work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mix looks like coarse sand. Assemble the pie. Sprinkle the pie topping across the filling, and bake for 45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly (place a sheet pan on the oven rack directly below the pie to catch any filling that bubbles over ). Let the pie cool overnight before serving.

 BAKED NOTES:
At least 90 percent of the peaches and cream recipes that crossed Matt and Renato's path specified the use of canned peaches. Perhaps they were written in an era when fresh peaches were difficult to locate, or perhaps the sugar content of a canned peach was an added plus, but they tested fresh peaches in place of their canned counterparts in several recipes without any problems.

I am linking this to On the Menu Monday and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday!!!

Super Smoked Sweet and Spicy Wings

A few weeks ago I shared this recipe for Smoked Mac and Cheese, prepared in Tim's smoker. We are loving this smoker, you can make just about anything in it. The flavors in these wings are a nice combination of smoky, sweet and spicy. You can adjust the sweet and spice to your own taste.

 Super Smoked Sweet and Spicy Wings
 Recipe Courtesy of John McLemore

2 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
5 pounds chicken wings, rinsed and dried
1 cup honey
 1/2 cup hot barbecue sauce
3 tablespoons apple juice
Suggested wood for smoking Apple wood chips 1. In a small bowl, mix together the black pepper, onion powder, chili powder, garlic powder, and seasoned salt. Place the chicken wings in a large Ziploc bag. Pour in the dry rub and shake to coat the wings well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes (at room temperature) or as long as 24 hours (in the refrigerator). 2. Preheat smoker to 225˚F. Place the wings on the top rack of the smoker and cook for 20 minutes. Turn wings and cook for another 25 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165˚F. 3. While the wings are cooking, mix the honey, barbecue sauce, and apple juice together in a small saucepan.Cook over medium heat until warmed through. Remove the wings from the smoker and place in a disposable aluminum foil pan. Pour the warm sauce over the wings and toss to coat evenly. Return to smoker on second rack and cook for another 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the smoker and serve immediately.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I love a good muffin. I love sweets and always enjoy a delicious muffin for breakfast. When browsing, Jenny's Cookbook, my assigned blog for Secret Recipe Club this month, I found this recipe for Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. This recipe was just what I was looking for, a quick recipe using ingredients I had on hand.

These are a moist, delicious muffin with a crunchy top.  A half recipe made 9 good size muffins.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
 Recipe Courtesy of Jenny's Cookbook
Makes 18 muffins
Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
 3 ripe bananas, mashed 1/2 cup margarine, melted and cooled
1/2 cup 2% milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla oats and sweetened shredded coconut
 Directions Preheat oven to 350F. Line 1 and 1/2 muffin trays with paper liners (18 muffins). In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients and chocolate chips together. In another bowl, combine bananas, margarine, milk, eggs and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir until just combined. Use an ice cream scoop (about 1/3 cup) and divide the batter between the paper liners. Sprinkle on some oats and coconut. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

Cacio e Pepe with Lemon

We recently finished a five week wine and cheese class at our local Hy Vee store. What a great way to learn about wine and cheese.  It's so interesting to see how tasting the wines and cheese together enhances the flavors of one or both of them.  During the class on "The Kings of Cheese" we tasted one called Grana Padana. Not only did I love the flavor, what a fun name!!! I bought a piece and was looking for a recipe to use it in when I ran across this recipe. Perfect, I also just happened to have a Meyer Lemon from my plant that needed to be used. Cacio means cheese and pepe, pepper. For those of you who enjoy a simple yet delicious pasta, this is for you! If you're looking for a pasta recipe that is easy yet elegant enough for a dinner party, give this one a try.  We'll be having this one again, soon!!!!

 Cacio e Pepe 
Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart Living

 Ingredients
Coarse salt 8 ounces
Thick spaghetti or bucatini
 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, softened 3 ounces
Grana Padano cheese, grated (1 cup)
 2 teaspoons freshly cracked pepper (use a mortar and pestle or the coarsest setting on a grinder), plus more for garnish
3/4 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
1 small lemon (preferably Meyer)
High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than called for in package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
Transfer pasta to a 12-inch skillet (preferably nonstick). Add butter and 1/2 cup pasta water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. The heat helps the starch in the water meld with the fat from the butter, which prevents the Grana Padano from becoming stringy in the finished dish.
Reduce heat to low, and mix in Grana Padano and cracked pepper. Grana Padano is softer than Pecorino Romano; it will melt into the buttery water, creating a sauce as the pasta finishes cooking. Toss pasta with tongs to thoroughly coat it with sauce. Keep everything at a gentle simmer just until cheese melts and sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.
Remove from heat, then stir in Pecorino Romano. (Always add Pecorino off direct heat; it clumps when cooked.) Zest lemon over the pasta. Any type of lemon will do, but a Meyer is particularly nice in this dish: It's sweeter in flavor and aroma, with back notes of orange and lime.
If pasta looks dry, toss it with a bit more pasta water until it has a glossy coating. Divide between 2 warm bowls. Drizzle each with oil and lemon juice, and garnish with more cracked pepper. Serve immediately.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday!!

Lemon Olive Oil Banana Bread

Seems there's a wide variety of banana bread recipes available these days.  Having tried many recipes,  my favorite still remains Mrs. Flint's.  Mrs. Flint was my good friend Larry's mother. Something about a recipe that's been around for probably a hundred years, just makes it hard to beat.

When I ran across this recipe,  I was intrigued by the use of lemon and olive oil, so I decided to give it a try.   I love the flavor lemon adds to the bread and the chunks of chocolate give it an extra richness.  If you're looking for a new take on banana bread, give this recipe a try,  it's delicious. 

Lemon Olive Oil Banana Bread
Recipe courtesy of 101 Cookbooks

1 cup / 4.5 oz / 125g all-purpose flour
1 cup / 5 oz / 140g whole wheat flour
3/4 cup / 4.5 oz / 125 g dark muscovado or dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup / 4 oz / 115 g coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup / 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups / 12 oz / 340 g mashed, VERY ripe bananas (~3 bananas)
1/4 cup / 60 ml plain, whole milk yogurt
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1/2 cup / 3 oz / 85 g sifted dark muscovado or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup / 2 oz / 55g confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350° F, and place a rack in the center. Grease a 9- by 5- inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan, or equivalent.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the chocolate pieces and combine well.
In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, eggs, mashed banana, yogurt, zest, and vanilla. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes. You want to get that beautiful color on the cake, but at the same time you don't want to bake all the moisture out of it. So the minute you're in that zone, pull it. Erring on the side of under-baking versus over.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out of the pan to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. In a bowl, whisk together the sugars and the lemon juice until smooth. When the cake is completely cool, drizzle the glaze on top of the cake, spreading with a spatula to cover.

I am linking this to On the Menu Monday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday.
 

Smoked Mac n Cheese

Tim recently purchased an electric smoker.  Foods prepared on the smoker are delicious but with a charcoal smoker they require so much tending!  An electric smoker is a breeze, you still have to check the wood and keep an eye on the temperature but it's not a project like with charcoal.  There's a great site, Dadgum That's Good,  hosted by John McLemore of Masterbuilt Smokers.   Looking for the ins and outs of smoking, we found this recipe for Four Cheese Smoked Mac n' Cheese!  Mac and cheese kicked up with bacon, four cheeses and the added flavor of smoke, well I just can't resist saying it "Dadgum That's Good!".

Four Cheese Smoke Mac n Cheese
Recipe courtesy of Dadgum That's Good

1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1/4  cup butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 cups milk
1 (8 ounces) cream cheese, cut into large chunks
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups Gouda cheese shredded
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Directions
1. Load the wood tray with one small handful of wood chips and preheat the smoker to 225° F.
2. Cook pasta according to package instructions. In a medium saucepan, melt butter, and whisk flour into the butter. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, until sauce is bubbly and thick. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil.  Cook 5 minutes until thickened. Stir in cream cheese until mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper.
3. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup Cheddar, 1 cup Gouda cheese, Parmesan cheese, pasta, and cream sauce. Spoon mixture into an 11 by 9 ½-inch aluminum roasting pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.  Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese and Gouda cheese.
4. Place in smoker and cook 1 hour at 225° F, until brown, bubbly and delicious.

I am linking this to On The Menu Monday and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday!

Morning Glory Muffins - Secret Recipe Club

It's Secret Recipe Club (SRC) reveal day!  I was assigned The Tasty Cheapskate, as she says "where tasty and cheap eat together (and hopefully remember to write down the recipe)".

In my quest to continue to choose something besides a dessert recipe for SRC, I chose Morning Glory Muffins.  One of my favorite restaurants in town has a fabulous selection of muffins and Morning Glory is one of my favorites.  Never having made Morning Glory Muffins or even looked at a recipe for them, this month's choice was made!!!

These muffins have fruit and vegetables in them, so as muffins go, they're better for you.  If you adapt the recipe to reduce the sugar and the oil, they would be even better for you.  I didn't have whole wheat flour, so I used all purpose and substituted dried blueberries for the cranberries or raisins.  These muffins are delicious, very moist with a nice crunch!!! 

Morning Glory Muffins
Recipe Courtesy of The Tasty Cheapskate

Makes about 20 muffins
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Cost: $3.60 with nuts. About $1.00 less without
(whole wheat flour: .20, flour: .10, sugar: .15, coconut: .25, raisins: .25, apple: .30, pineapple: 1.00, walnuts--I didn't use, but I'm guessing 1.00, eggs: .20, oil: .15)

1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
1 C all-purpose flour
1 C sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C shredded, sweetened coconut
3/4 C raisins or cranberries (optional)
1 large apple, peeled and grated
1 C crushed pineapple, drained (about on 15 oz. can, drained)
2 C grated carrots
1/2 C chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
2 eggs
1 C vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and line your muffin tins.

Whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

Add coconut, raisins, apple, pineapple, carrots, and nuts. Stir to combine. (I shredded my carrots and apple in the food processor, which was speedy. If you've got a food processor, you could probably use fresh pineapple too and just sort of puree it in the food processor before you change it to 'shred.')

Add eggs, oil and vanilla. Blend well.

Spoon batter into muffins tins. Bake about 17-25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

I am linking this to On the Menu Monday and Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday!

Smoky Blue Cheese Potato Soup and Beautiful Wine Glasses

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Wine Enthusiast wondering if I would like to receive a set of wine glasses.  Anyone who knows me knows I love a glass (or two) of wine, so of course I said Yes!!!  Next question, would I prefer white or red?  Normally a white wine drinker,  I chose white.  Wine Enthusiast sent me these beautiful Fusion Whirl wine glasses.  They're designed for the ultimate swirl.  I love swirling my wine!  Not necessarily for the reasons wine aficionados suggest you swirl your wine, just because it's fun.  If you're a red wine drinker, Wine Enthusiast has a great selection of red wine glasses, too!  Thank You, Wine Enthusiast!

Tim and I are attending a series of wine and cheese pairing classes at our local HyVee store.  It's so interesting to see how the different cheeses affect the taste of the wine.  Perfect timing to try a recipe using a cheese we tasted and enjoy a glass of wine in the new glasses.  One of our tastings was a smoky blue cheese and a white wine.  One our favorite restaurants in town serves a fantastic blue cheese burger.  I picked up some smoky blue to use in burgers.  Knowing the burgers wouldn't use the entire package of cheese, I began searching for another recipe to use the rest of the smoky blue.  I settled on this recipe for Smoky Blue Cheese Mashed Potato Soup.  A little smoky blue goes along way, so be careful with the crumbles for the top, you don't want to over power the delicious creamy mashed potatoes! Paired with a sandwich or salad, this makes for a comforting meal!

Smoky Blue Cheese Mashed Potato Soup

Recipe Courtesy of Wisconsin Cheese Talk
Serves 4
4 bacon slices
1 medium onion, diced, about 2 cups
2 cloves garlic, minced
Two 14.4-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth or 3 1/2 cups homemade broth
3 cups mashed potatoes (see recipe below)
1/2 cup Blue cheese, crumbled, about 3 ounces
Garnish
4 scallions, minced
1/4 cup smoke-flavored Blue cheese, crumbled, about 1 1/2 ounces
Cook bacon in heavy, large pot over medium heat until brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels. Crumble bacon and set aside to use as a garnish.
Spoon off all but a tablespoon of bacon drippings from pot. Add onion, celery and garlic, season with salt.  Sauté over low heat for 10 minutes or until onions are golden, but not brown.  Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Blend in the mashed potatoes and Blue cheese. Puree soup in batches in a blender or use an immersion blender directly in the pot. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each bowl with Blue cheese, bacon and scallions just before serving.
Mashed Potatoes
2-3 large potatoes, about 1 1/2 lbs
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Peel the potatoes and cut into small chunks, place in a pot, cover with cold water. Boil until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the water, then add the butter and milk and mash with a potato masher in the pot. Season with salt.

I am linking this to On the Menu Monday, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday!!!

Wine Enthusiast sent me a set of Fusion White Wine glasses!  All opinions expressed are my own!