Sweet and Salty - Mint Stout Cupcakes

Do you like the combination of sweet and salty?   The addition of a little salt to a sweet dessert creates the perfect combination of flavors.  Tim got me this dessert and baking salts sampler for my birthday this year.

My favorite cupcake at the local cupcake bakery is a Sweet and Salty.  Having also read recently about using a stout beer in cupcakes, I decided to add a mint stout to a devils food cake mix.  The combination was delicious, adding just a hint of mint to the dark chocolate cake.  After topping with a basic chocolate buttercream frosting, I sprinkled the top with the espresso salt.  The addition of just a little salt, tempers the sweetness of the frosting.

I sent these to work with Tim and was quick to remind him to tell his coworker the "dusting" on the top was salt.

Mint Stout Cupcakes 

1 box devils food cake mix
1 1/4 cups Mint Stout Beer
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
Finishing Salt - I used Espresso Salt

Directions

• 1 Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease bottoms only of three 9- or 8-inch round cake pans. Make cake batter as directed on box, using cake mix, beer, the oil and eggs. Pour about 1 1/2 cups batter into each pan.
• 2 Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool completely. 
• Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting. 
• Garnish with sea salt, if desired.

Watermelon Radishes in Sherry Vinegar

 What's your favorite season?  For me, it's a toss up between Spring and Fall.  Spring has just a slight edge because Spring brings us the Farmer's Market.  When you live in the cold Midwest like we do, fresh vegetables are pretty sad in the Winter time.  Our Farmer's Market began the first weekend in May.  It was obvious Omaha residents were ready for the fresh veggies of Spring, you could hardly walk around at the market because it was so crowded.  The first week, we picked up beautiful asparagus, nothing out of the ordinary but oh so delicious.  The second weekend, we found a new type of radish, the watermelon radish.  I wish I had taken a picture of the radish itself, it was a beautiful green on the outside and pink on the inside.  The flavor of a watermelon radish is mild but still has the wonderful hot bite flavor normally found in radishes.

 Watermelon Radishes in Sherry Vinegar

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Kosher salt, to taste
½ pound watermelon radishes (about 3 large radishes)
A few cilantro sprigs, for garnish
In a large bowl, combine the sherry vinegar, sugar, oil, and salt. Add the radishes, and toss well to coat. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then serve garnished with cilantro.

Old Fashioned Rhubarb Pudding Cake

Rhubarb is a sign of Spring at our house.  There's those traditional rhubarb desserts, like the Rhubarb Pie I always make for our friend the landscaper and this rhubarb dessert, recipe courtesy of Tim's mom. Looking for something new for this year,   I was intrigued by the look of this Old Fashioned Rhubarb Pudding Cake.  The topping looked crunchy and delicious.This could be my new favorite rhubarb dessert. easy to make but nice enough for when you have guests. 

Served alongside ice cream or whipped cream, this dessert is a keeper!  One thing to note, it doesn't keep well.  Although, still delicious, it was dry within a day or two of baking. 

 

 

Old Fashioned Rhubarb Pudding Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped rhubarb
• 1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup sifted flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2/3 cup boiling water

Directions
Cover the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch square pan with fruit. (I prefer an 8 inch or 9 inch square glass baking dish.  You could also use a deep dish glass pie plate.)

Mix 3/4 cup sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, extracts, milk and flour together (add a little more milk if it is too thick to pour); pour over fruit.  Mix remaining sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over mixture in pan.  Pour boiling water over the top.  ( I know this sounds strange, but trust me, it works to create a pudding around the rhubarb in the bottom of the pan.)

Ready to go into the oven

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  Yield:  9 servings.

You can see that the sugar topping creates a glaze on the top of the cake, something like a creme brulee, as well as creating the pudding at the bottom.  You can serve warm in a bowl with ice cream, or let it cool a bit, slice and invert on your plate to show off the pudding. 

Banana, Chocolate Chip, Granola Muffins

Does anyone know what time it is?  You guessed it!  It's time for Secret Recipe Club.   Want to know more about SRC and join in the fun?  Check it out here! 

This month I was assigned the Kitchen Witch.  Rhonda a.k.a. Giggles, a middle-aged blogger, culinarian, photographer and avid motorcycle rider.  Drop by and give her blog a look, you'll find beautiful photographs and delicious recipes!

After making my way through Rhonda's recipes, I settled on Banana, Chocolate Chip, Granola Muffins.   No granola in the pantry?  No problem, I used coconut and quick oats.  I found these to be done after 15 minutes.  I always set the timer on muffins for less time than the recipe calls for because muffins tend to be dry when overcooked! 

Banana, Chocolate Chip, Granola Muffins

• 1 1/2  cups plus 2 tbs. all purpose flour, divided
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 or 3 bananas)
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 plus 2 tbs. butter, melted and divided
• 1 1/2 cups granola, divided
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375F.  Lightly grease 12 muffin cups or line with muffin paper liners.  In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter.  Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until moistened.  Then stir in the  granola, and chocolate chips.  Do not over mix.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tbsp. flour, cinnamon and melted butter.  Then stir in 1/2 cup granola.  Sprinkle topping over muffins and gently press into batter.
Bake in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of muffin comes out clean.

An InLinkz Link-up

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

When I was a kid, the only options for Rice Krispie Treats were the original ones.  I always thought they were too sweet.  Today it's fun to see all of the different recipes.  There's one's made with red hots,  a salted caramel variety, this one using cake batter and a recipe made with everyone's favorite biscoff. 

With hot chocolate season over,  left with a few extra packets in the fridge, this recipe caught my eye.  Fun how it uses the hot chocolate packets in the recipe.  These are yummy and you could substitute almost any kind of chips.

Just a little recipe note on this one...the next day I was planning to send these to Tim's office and tried to cut them.  They were hard as rocks.  Have you ever had this happen with Rice Krispie Treats?  I did some reading and apparently my marshmallows got too hot which results in very hard Rice Krispie Treats.  Note to self, don't let the marshmallows get that hot ever again!!  I'm so glad we enjoyed a couple of them the night we made them.  

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate Rice Krispy Treats

Recipe Courtesy of A Kitchen Addiction

Serves: 24

Ingredients

• ¼ C butter
• 1 (10 oz) bag marshmallows
• ¼ C creamy peanut butter
• 2 packets dry hot chocolate
• 3 tbsp unsweetened baking cocoa
• 6 C crisp rice cereal
• chocolate chocolate chips, for garnish
• peanut butter chips, for garnish
• mini marshmallows, for garnish

Instructions

1. Butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large saucepan (I used a 6qt.), melt butter over low heat. Stir in marshmallows until melted. Stir in peanut butter, hot chocolate mix, and baking cocoa until smooth.
3. Add crisp rice cereal and stir until coated.
4. Gently press mixture into the bottom of prepared baking dish. Do not press too hard or bars will turn out hard.
5. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, peanut butter chip, and mini marshmallows. Gently press down.
6. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars and serving.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

3-Ingredient No Bake Toffee Bars

I would love to write a cookbook featuring nothing but quick and easy recipes.  How many times do you need a dessert but don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen?  Or how about someone is coming over and you need a quick appetizer?  Don't get me wrong, I love to cook when I am in the mood and have the time.  Unfortunately, that's not as often as I would like.  I either am out of time or too tired.  So when I find an easy but yet delicious looking recipe, I'm there.

One of my favorite blogs is Dine and Dish.  Kristen lives in KC and often features something from my home town.  Besides that, she's an amazing writer and has a wonderful blog. If you don't follow her, you should.  She shared this recipe as one that her kids can whip up, quickly and easily.  For me, these were what I made for the monthly birthday treat day at Tim's office.

 

3-Ingredient No Bake Toffee Bars

• 2 sleeves Ritz Crackers
• 1 14 ounce can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 8 ounce package Heath English Toffee Bits (found in the baking aisle)

Instructions

1. Spray a 9" square pan with Pam cooking spray
2. Place Ritz crackers in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Remove the air and seal tight. Using a rolling pin, roll the crackers into fine crumbs.
3. Pour cracker crumbs into a medium bowl. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and toffee bits.
4. Press firmly into prepared square pan. Store in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
5. Cut into small squares and serve.

Brown Sugar Balsamic Roasted Carrots

Roasting any vegetable makes it sweeter.   By adding balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, these carrots were almost like candy!!!

Brown Sugar Balsamic Roasted  Carrots

Recipe Courtesy of Let's Dish

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 4 - 5 carrots, washed, dried and sliced on the diagonal
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Coarse salt, to taste
• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper, or line with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Place carrots in a medium bowl.
4. In a small bowl whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like your carrots).
5. Pour the balsamic and brown sugar mixture over the carrots and toss to coat well. Arrange in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until carrots reach desired tenderness.
7. Remove from oven and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with coarse salt and chopped fresh parsley

Old Fashioned Banana Pudding

 Do these months just keep going faster and faster or is it me?  Hard to believe it's April and my third month cooking with Secret Recipe Club, Group C!  If you'd like to learn more about how Secret Recipe Club works, check it out here!  I look forward to seeing who had my blog each month, it's such a fun surprise!!

This month,  I was assigned Angels Homestead.  April, the woman behind the blog is a dedicated wife and almost empty-nest, mother of five, as well as Mamaw to two adorable grandbabies. She resides in Southern Indiana, along with her husband Joe and daughter Melissa, and enjoys the quite life on their 3 acre homestead. She enjoys blogging about her adventures in frugal allergy-free cooking, gardening, household tips, and her family.  Stop by her blog, you'll find some delicious recipes and great household tips!!

I must admit I have never made any type of pudding from scratch.  Recalling my childhood, I don't even remember my mother making pudding from scratch.  It's always been the box of Jello pudding.  When traveling in the south, I have enjoyed a bowl or two of  banana pudding.  April's recipe for Old Fashioned Banana Pudding caught my eye.  After all it was time I make a scratch pudding.

I cut the recipe in half and it made enough for two delicious dishes for Tim and I.  I don't think I did the best job of tempering the eggs when combining them with the custard.  When I was assembling the pudding, I did see a few streaks of what may have been scrambled egg.  Be careful when mixing, slowly is the key. 

Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding
Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups milk
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ounces (1/2 stick) butter
3 medium bananas, sliced
Vanilla Wafers

Directions

Mix together sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and slowly add milk.
Stir constantly until it thickens. Slightly beat egg yolks and temper with a small amount of the hot custard; stir well.
Add egg mixture to custard and cook 2 more minutes.
Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter, stirring to combine. Let cool.
In a 9 x 9 serving dish, alternate pudding, bananas, and wafers, beginning with pudding and ending with pudding.

An InLinkz Link-up

Smoked BBQ Glazed Meatloaf with a Bacon Weave

Earlier this year when Tim and I were on our cruise, we met Rick and Nancy, a wonderful couple from Canada.   When discussing things we do in our spare time, we discovered both Rick and Tim liked to BBQ with their smokers.  We shared one of our favorite recipes, Smoked Mac and Cheese.  Rick shared their recipe for this Smoked Meatloaf.

One of the nice things about the smoker is most recipes are pretty simple, glaze or rub the meats and place them on the smoker.  This recipe, not so much.  It requires lots of steps but the end result is well worth the effort.  I'm going to share the link to the original post which goes into detail on how to prepare the meatloaf for smoking.  Needless to say, this is moist and delicious!!!

SMOKED HONEY BOURBON-GLAZED MEATLOAF with a BACON WEAVE

PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 1 hour 45 minutes
RECOMMENDED PELLETS: Hickory or Oak
SERVES: 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
1 carrot, peeled and diced or grated
1 stalk celery, finely diced
4 oz. mushrooms, finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, grated or diced
Olive oil
3 to 4 fresh sprigs of thyme, leaves only
1 egg, beaten
6-8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup bread crumbs
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup condensed tomato soup
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 lb thick-cut bacon
Traeger Honey Bourbon Sauce or favorite barbecue sauce

PREPARATION
Start the Traeger on Smoke with the lid open for 4 to 5 minutes or until the fire is established.
Mix together the carrots, celery, mushrooms, and onions in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for about 2 minutes just to soften the vegetables a little.
Let the vegetables cool and then mix them in a large bowl with the ground beef, garlic, thyme, egg, crumbled cooked bacon, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, bread crumbs and tomato soup.

Form the mixture into a loaf and place on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet.

Make your bacon weave using the thick-cut bacon, weaving it on a large piece of parchment paper.

Gently flip and lay the weave on top of the meatloaf so that the parchment is on top and peel off the parchment paper.

Put the meatloaf on the Traeger and smoke for 45 minutes.

Then take the meatloaf off and turn the heat up to 300 degrees F and allow to preheat, lid closed for 10 to 15 minutes.

Place the meatloaf back on the Traeger and cook for about an hour or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
During the last 15 minutes (once the meatloaf reaches about 140 degrees/145 degrees F) brush the meatloaf with the barbecue sauce to let it caramelize and for the exterior turn into bacon candy gold!

After you take it off the Traeger allow the meatloaf to sit for 15 minutes before you slice into it.

Easter Eggs to Egg Salad

Paxton and I colored Easter Eggs.  We had so much fun and he did a great job.  I was a bit concerned though about how we might react to the fate of these eggs.  I wanted to make egg salad but he seemed a bit attached to his eggs.  The morning after we made them, he got up and asked to see them.  I got them out and sat down and said you know what we normally do with eggs, right?  He said, yes we eat them?  I said okay, we had fun making these but now it's time to say good bye. I'd like to make egg salad with these eggs.  Satisfied with that answer, he said goodbye.  I closed the carton and put them back in the fridge.  Hopefully when he's here this week, he remembers our conversation!!

I was lucky enough in my last job to get to travel most of the major golf events.  The company I worked for sold merchandise in the merchandise tents at these events.  Despite the 12 hour days, on your feet, it's a experience I wouldn't trade for anything.  Thank goodness, I was younger.  I certainly couldn't do it today!  The only major golf tournament we did not work was The Masters.  The Masters is on my bucket list, some day I hope!

If you've been or you read about The Masters, you know unlike many other major sporting events, the food is very reasonable.  One of the items The Masters is known for is their Egg Salad Sandwich.
I hardly ever make egg salad, Tim doesn't care for anything with hard boiled eggs.  Yes, that's right no deviled eggs either.  In honor of this week's Master's Tournament, here's my version of egg salad.

Egg Salad
6 hard-cooked eggs, diced
1/2 c diced celery
2 1/2 Tbsp Ranch Dressing
1 Tbsp vinegar
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Easter Basket Mini Cheesecakes - Fifteen Cheesecakes

My blogging friend Camilla is celebrating her wedding anniversary with the blogging event, Fifteen Cheesecakes.  You see she's been married 15 years and served cheesecake at her wedding!  How fun is this!!!  I love cheesecake and paired with a celebration ...  it doesn't get any better than this!!  Happy Anniversary Camilla.  Thanks for sharing it with me!!

Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts.  There's so many delicious varieties of this creamy dessert.  Personally I am a big fan of mini desserts.   Mini desserts are great when you just want a little something sweet!  Also, perfect for family dinners or parties.  Everyone can serve themselves!!

I found so many cheesecakes I thought about making but settled on a regular cheesecake recipe, decorated for the upcoming Easter holiday.  These would be a fun one to make with the kids.  They can help color the coconut and put the jelly beans on top.  You could also use malted milk eggs.  Fun and easy!!

 Easter Basket Mini Cheesecakes

12 vanilla wafers

2 pkg.  (8 oz. each)  Cream Cheese, softened

1/2cup  sugar

1/2tsp.  vanilla

2 eggs

1-1/2cups  coconut, tinted green

36 small jelly beans

HEAT oven to 350°F.
PLACE 1 wafer in each of 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add eggs; beat just until blended. Spoon over wafers.
BAKE 20 min. or until centers are almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 2 hours.
TOP with coconut and jelly beans just before serving. 

Today we are helping Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla celebrate her 15th wedding anniversary with waaaayy more than #fifteencheesecakes.



Here's what everyone brought to the cheesecake table, listed in alphabetical order. Enjoy!

Berry Cheesecake Bars by Baking and Creating with Avril

Cherry Cheesecake Bites by Cookaholic Wife

Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake by Dancing Veggies

Chocolate Cheesecake by My Hobbie Lobbie

Chocolate Topped Peppermint Cheesecake by Amy's Cooking Adventures

Classic Cheesecake with Strawberry Puree by Making Miracles

Cookies & Creme No-Bake Cheesecake by Hapa-tite!

Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars by Tara's Multicultural Table

Easter Basket Mini Cheesecakes by Little Bit of Everything

Everyday Cheesecake by Things I Make (for Dinner)

Irish Cream Cheesecake by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Layered Cinnamon Streusel Cheesecake Cake by
Famished Fish, Finicky Shark

Lowfat Blackberry Cheesecake by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Matcha-Yuzu Cheesecake with a Meyer Lemon Glaze by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Mini Churro Caramel Cheesecake by Cheese Curd In Paradise

Mini Maple Pecan Cheesecakes by Join Us, Pull up a Chair

Mudslide Cheesecake by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Neapolitan Cheesecake by PicNic

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake by Angels Homestead

Ricotta Cheesecake with Shortbread Crust by Living the Gourmet

Samoa's cheesecake by Goodie Godmother

Skinny Vanilla Bean Cheesecake by Renee's Kitchen Adventures

Twix Cheesecake Brownie Torte by Making Memories With Your Kids

Baked Macaroni and Goat Cheese - SRC

It's my second month participating with Group C in Secret Recipe Club.  If you want to learn more about Secret Recipe Club, take a look here!

This month I was assigned the blog Rainstorms and Love Notes.  Don't you just love that name?  Who doesn't love rainstorms and love notes!!  Ashley is the creative blogger behind Rainstorms and Love Notes!  She says, "Rainstorms and Love Notes is where I share new recipes, write about life and love, and talk about my obsession with binge-watching TV shows, our 3 cats and the Pittsburgh Steelers."

Ashley has some great recipes on her site, it was hard to choose just one.  Since we're big Mac n Cheese fans at our house, her Goat Cheese Mac n Cheese spoke to me!!  I've never had goat cheese mac n cheese before and wasn't sure what to expect.   The tang of goat cheese makes a delicious mac n cheese.  I love the crunchy addition of panko on the top!!  If you're looking for a new Mac n Cheese recipe, give this one a try!!!

Baked Macaroni and Goat Cheese 
Recipe Courtesy of Rainstorms and Love Notes
Serves 4
ingredients:
2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour, plus 1 tbsp
4 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 pound macaroni
6 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
olive oil, for drizzling
instructions:
Heat the milk in a pan over medium heat just until it starts to bubble, or about 5 minutes.

In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Meanwhile, boil the macaroni according to package directions.

Add the flour into the melted butter and whisk constantly, until the mixture is slightly thick.

Remove the butter mixture from heat and slowly add in the milk, whisking constantly. Once the milk has been added, set back over medium heat and continue to whisk until the mixture is silky and thick, about 3 minutes.

Add the goat cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and green onions to the milk mixture and melt over low heat, just until the goat cheese has melted.

When the macaroni has finished boiling, drain and stir in to the goat cheese mixture.

Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and top with the Panko breadcrumbs.

Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs have started to brown.

Drizzle with olive oil and enjoy!

An InLinkz Link-up

Spaghetti with Brussels Sprouts

We love brussels sprouts at our house.  Unlike the brussels of our childhood that were overcooked and a soggy mess, today's brussels are crispy and delicious.  Normally brussels are a side at our house.  This recipe is our hands down favorite!  When I saw this recipe in Food and Wine featuring brussels as a main dish, of course I pinned it for a future dinner.

We liked the flavors in this dish but found it a little dry. I think next time, I would combine a little pasta water with the pasta, brussels and sausage, toast the panko and toss them on top. 

Spaghetti with Brussels Sprouts and Sausage Breadcrumb Topping

1/2 pound spaghetti 

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling  

1/2 pound brussels sprouts, thinly sliced (about 3 cups) 

1/2 pound loose pork sausage  

1 cup panko 

2 tablespoons snipped chives  

Kosher salt 

Pepper  

Lemon wedges, for serving

In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the brussels sprouts and sausage and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the sausage is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the panko and cook until crisp, 3 minutes. Stir in the chives and season with salt and pepper. Drain the spaghetti. Top with the brussels sprout mixture, drizzle with olive oil and serve with lemon wedges.

Sweet Corn, Gouda and Farro Risotto and Celebrating a Blogging Milestone!

Six years ago this weekend, I posted my first Little Bit of Everything blog post.  Wow, where has the time gone?  In 2009, I began blogging as a way to work through recipes in my extensive cookbook and magazine clipping collection.  There aren't nearly as many cookbook recipes on here as I would like because of all of the recipes found on the internet.  Pinterest has replaced the magazine clippings and although I still use my cookbooks occasionally, many more recipes are inspired by the internet and all of the fabulous bloggers I follow.  I'm not blogging as much as I would like but very much enjoying the hobby when I do find the time.  Thanks to those of you who follow my Little Bit of Everything and take the time to post a comment, it means a lot!  Here's to another six years of blogging!

One of the things I love about blogging is discovering new foods, new to me that is!!!  Have you tried farro?  Farro is "a type of hulled wheat, especially spelt or emmer, typically used in salads, soups, and side dishes."  I had a hard time finding farro.  My regular grocery story only had farro mixed with something in box, like a rice mix.  I'm sure it's readily available at Whole Foods but Whole Foods isn't close to me.  I found a bag of 10 minute farro at Trader Joes.  

I bookmarked this recipe last summer when there was lots of fresh corn on the cob available.  Even though, fresh corn on the cob is no longer in season,  I decided to give this recipe a try with frozen corn.  Feeling rather lazy on a Sunday night, I wondered if I could make this in my rice cooker.  Having made risotto in the rice cooker before,  why not give it a try?  Score, the farro cooked beautifully in the rice cooker. I love that little appliance, one of my favorites!!

Of course, I knew Tim would be a little apprehensive about this Sunday night meal ... no meat.  He said it was good for a change but would be better with chicken or shrimp.  Actually, shrimp might be  a great addition.  I loved this dish, it was meaty even without meat and the nutty flavor of the farro is amazing!  Farro may be replacing quinoa on our dinner table!

Sweet Corn, Gouda and Farro Risotto
Inspired by this Foodie Crush recipe

Serves: serves 3-4 as a main, 6-8 as a side dish
¾ cup farro
1 1/2  - 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, small diced
1 small carrot, small diced
1 stick celery, small diced
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup smoked gouda cheese, shredded
¼ cup butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a  10-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté until transparent. Add the sweet corn and stir. Add the farro to toast for a few minutes.
Place the farro mixture into the rice cooker and add the chicken broth.  Stir well and turn on or set your rice cooker to the cook cycle.  When the rice cooker cycle is complete, stir in the butter and gouda.   Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Sea Salt Caramel Carrot Poke Cake

Nothing beats a good Poke Cake, moist, delicious and easy. Does it get better than that? Add in flavors of caramel and sea salt?  Amazing!!!  Terrible for the waistline but delicious!!!

 

Sea Salt Caramel Carrot Poke Cake

Recipe Courtesy of Living Better Together

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 box Carrot Cake Mix
• 1 package Instant Vanilla Pudding
• 4 Eggs
• ½ cup Milk
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• ¾ cup Vegetable Oil
• 1½ cups Chopped Pecans (Optional)
• 14 oz. can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Frosting:

• 2 cups Heavy Cream
• ⅓ cup Instant Cheesecake Pudding
• ½ cup Confectioners’ Sugar

Topping:

• Stonewall Kitchen Sea Salt Caramel Sauce
• ½ cup Chopped Pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat 350 F.
2. Combine cake ingredients except for Sweetened Condensed Milk and mix until combined.
3. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
5. Let cake cool completely. Do not remove cake from pan, it cannot stand on its own.
6. Once cake has cooled, use a skewer to evenly poke the cake about 25 – 40 times.
7. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the cake and let set over night.
8. Once cake has set, whip together frosting ingredients until light and fluffy, evenly spread frosting over the cake.
9. Heat opened Sea Salt Caramel Sauce jar in the microwave for 20 – 30 seconds.
10. Pour Sea Salt Caramel Sauce over the frosting and top it with chopped pecans.

Butterscotch Banana Bread - SRC

I have two exciting things to share today!  First it's Secret Recipe Club reveal day, seems like it's been forever.  Second,  I am now a member of Secret Recipe Club Group C!  I've been in Secret Recipe Club since  May 2011 and have always been a member of Group B.  When our leader said she was looking for a few volunteers to change groups, I volunteered.  I loved my fellow bloggers in Group B but change is always good!!  If you're not familiar with Secret Recipe Club, you can find out all about it here!  SRC is so much fun, one of my favorite things about blogging.  

This month I was assigned, Steak N Potatoes Kinda Gurl.  Desiree describes herself as " indecisive, messy, a night owl, emotional, guarded at times, an introvert, shy, impatient, stubborn, sarcastic, and pessimistic at times, yet loyal, detailed, empathic, silly, intelligent, hard working, friendly, humble, mature yet a kid at heart, open-minded, and thoughtful. " Sounds like qualities for a great friend.  She writes poetry and has some great recipes on her blog.  Check it out!!


The recipe that really caught my eye was her Butterscotch Banana Bread.  I love banana bread!  No matter the flavor, it's a delicious treat with morning coffee.  Have you ever made French Toast out of leftover bread (if there is any)?  Delicious!!!


When I began gathering ingredients, I realized I did not have any butter.  I substituted 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Also, her recipe called for melting the butterscotch chips, I chose to stir them in instead!!

I love the addition of butterscotch to this moist and delicious banana bread.  If you're looking for a new version of banana bread, give this one a try!!!

Butterscotch Banana Bread

*Makes 1 loaf

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butterscotch chips, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and cook 3 minutes, whisking frequently until butter foams and turns golden brown. Whisk in mashed banana and cook for 2 minutes, stirring until creamy.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter-banana mixture and brown sugar until combined. Then whisk in the eggs and vanilla until combined.

Sift the dry flour mixture into the wet banana mixture, folding in and combining until well mixed, like a batter.

Pour batter into greased pan. Swirl the melted butterscotch into the batter using a knife or any other appropriate utensil. Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. A toothpick should come out clean when inserted into the loaf. Cool completely before slicing.

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Ham & Cheese Mini Breakfast Pies

If you're looking for an easy, delicious breakfast recipe for your family, give this one a try.  You could easily change up the ingredients to be meatless or add additional vegetables.  These mini piesrefrigerate or freeze well, making for a quick morning breakfast!  Pop them in the toaster oven or microwave and go! 

Ham & Cheese Mini Breakfast Pies
 

15 ounce box refrigerated pie crust

1 1/2 cups ham, diced

8 eggs

1/4 cup 2% milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Use a 4" round bowl or cup (I use a coffee mug) to measure 12 circles on the pie crust (6 circles on each crust), and cut them out with a sharp knife. Press the circles into the muffin pan, and prick the dough on the bottom of the cups with a fork. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and set aside. Add about 2 tablespoons of the diced ham to each muffin cup. Carefully pour the egg mixture into the cups until almost full. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of each cup and bake pies for about 30 minutes or until the eggs are set and the crust is golden. Let pies cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes and serve warm.

8 Minute Mini Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing

Nothing better than a warm cinnamon roll (or two or three or four) straight from the oven.  I love homemade cinnamon rolls but they are a lot of work or at least more work than I am usually up for on a weekend.  When I saw this easy recipe, I decided to give it a try.  You should do the same, these are delicious and easy!!

 

8 Minute Mini Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing

Makes 16 mini cinnamon rolls
Ingredients:
1-8oz tube crescent roll dough
2 Tablespoons butter
cinnamon
brown sugar
For the maple icing:
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 Tablespoon skim milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
Directions:

1. Preheat oven according to crescent roll dough package directions. Layout half the dough (4 triangles) and pinch all the seams together. Flip over and pinch the seams on the back side together too.
2. Using a rolling pin, smooth the seams and roll the dough into a square about 1/4″ thick. Brush with half the butter, and sprinkle with as much cinnamon and brown sugar as you want. Roll into a log and cut into 8 pieces.
3. Place mini cinnamon rolls into a non-stick sprayed mini muffin tin. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other half of the crescent roll dough. Bake according to package directions.
4. Meanwhile whisk together maple syrup and milk in a bowl. Add in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls.

Perfection!

Tim and I just returned from an eight day Caribbean cruise.  We enjoy cruising!  With cruising we can visit multiple locations and only pack and unpack once! On this year's cruise, we enjoyed 3 relaxing days at sea, two of which were perfect deck weather.  The third day, not so much, no breeze and HOT!  We visited St. Barts, St. Croix, San Juan and the cruise line's island of Labadee.  We met Rick and Nancy, a wonderful couple from Canada.  We enjoyed touring and dining with them most of the week.  We plan to keep in touch and hopefully travel to visit them in Canada sometime in the future. 

On our sea day in St. Barts we did something we never do when traveling outside the US .... we rented a car.  St. Barts is very expensive, taxis are costly.  We decided to make the most of our day and take the plunge and rent a car.  With Tim as the driver and Rick as the navigator, we set out to explore the island.  We'd read about the beaches and were trying, with a not so great map, to find Marigot beach.  We never did but we did find Petite de Cul de Sac beach.  Amazing, untouched beauty. 

We're back refreshed and ready to head back to the grind tomorrow, looking forward to when will do this again next year!

Pear Cranberry Crisp

  My son Justin and his girlfriend Lily sent us a beautiful box of goodies for the holidays.  One of the boxes contained the most beautiful pears.  Desserts are one of my favorite ways to use pears.  They're flavor is so delicious and not too sweet.  Combined with cranberries this was a tasty holiday dessert.

 

 

Pear Cranberry Crisp

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 8 ripe pears (about 2 1/4 pounds), cored and sliced
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• Slightly rounded 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• Crème fraîche or whipped cream to serve

Procedures

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 375°. Toss the cranberries, pears, vanilla, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar together in a bowl with 1/4 cup water.
2. 2
   In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Drizzle in the butter and stir with a fork until the mixture is crumbly and all the flour is incorporated. Do not allow the mixture to come together into a ball.
3. 3
   Spread the fruit in a 9x13 baking dish (or in eight 8-ounce ramekins). Use your fingers to sprinkle the crumb topping over the fruit, breaking up any large crumbs (crumbs larger than 1 inch will not cook through). Bake until the filling is bubbling and the topping is browned, about 40 minutes. The juices should bubble thickly; otherwise the fruit will be soggy. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature with crème fraîche or whipped cream.

Butter Dips

I love biscuits or all things bread.  I'm always disappointed when I go out to dinner and they don't serve bread before dinner.  That said, I'm sorry I tried this recipe.  I think I pinned it about a year ago and just tried it for Christmas dinner.  These are delicious and so easy.  No rolling, no cutting, just whip up the dough and press it into a baking pan with melted butter in the bottom.  Perfect for Sunday dinner or breakfast!

Butter Dips

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2/3 - 1 cup buttermilk or milk (I used skim milk)

Heat the oven to 450°F.   Cut the butter into pieces and place them in a 8-inch square microwave safe baking dish. Put the dish in the microwave and melt the butter.  You can also put the baking dish in the oven to melt the butter as it pre-heats.  (The dish in the microwave is just faster.)

While the butter is melting, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in 2/3 cup buttermilk; continue to add more buttermilk until a loose dough forms. (I used about 2-3 Tbsp more than the 2/3 cup)

Remove baking dish from the microwave/oven and press biscuit dough in the pan over the melted butter  (It helps to put a little flour on top of the dough or your fingers). Using a knife, cut the biscuits into 12 squares. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden.

Drunken Pumpkin Bread

I make pumpkin bread every year for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  It reminds me of my mom, making it was one of her holiday traditions.  Normally I make her recipe but this year, I opted for something a little different.  With dried cranberries that needed to be used up, this was the perfect recipe to try!  I was a little tentative, spiced rum?  I'm so glad I gave this recipe a try, this bread is delicious.  There's a nice hint of spice and a deep pumpkin flavor. I used my mini loaf pan,  perfect for Christmas giving!

Drunken Pumpkin Bread

Author: Anne Papina

• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup spiced rum
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp cloves
• ¼ tsp ginger
• 3½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Mix together wet ingredients in mixer bowl.
2. Add sugars, baking soda, salt, and spices and mix thoroughly.
3. Mix in flour 1 cup at a time until thoroughly blended.
4. Stir in raisins.
5. Divide batter equally into 2 greased 9-inch loaf pans.
6. Bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool before slicing.

Notes

Makes 2 loaves.

Brownie and Oreo Trifle

 There's a chain of recipes on my blog right now, using leftovers from previous blogged recipes!  I made brownies to use for these cookies and had leftovers.  What to do with the leftover brownies?  With lots of holiday cookies in the house, I needed to find something to do with them besides eat them.  I also had some Trader Joe Joe Joe cookies on hand.  If you haven't had them, they're like an Oreo, only peppermint.  Sounds like a perfect combination for a trifle.  Trifles are an easy but great dessert for a dinner party!  Instead of making them in a trifle dish, I made mine in individual glasses. 

Brownie and Oreo Hot Fudge Trifle

Yield: Serves 12-14

Brownies:
• 9X13 pan of brownies, cut into small cubes (see note - you only will use about 3/4 of the pan of brownies)
Cream Cheese Whipped Cream:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Oreos and Hot Fudge:
• 25 mint Oreos, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup fudge sauce, warmed slightly

Directions

1. For the whipped cream, in a large bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese with about 1/2 cup of the whipping cream until the mixture is smooth. Add the powdered sugar and the remainder of the whipping cream gradually. Mix on high speed until the cream is whipped and the mixture is very thick and creamy.
2. In a glass trifle dish (or large glass bowl), place in 1/3 of the brownies then 1/3 of the whipped cream, spreading evenly to the edges. Next sprinkle in a little more than 1/3 of the Oreos (about 10 chopped) and finally drizzle with 1/3 of the hot fudge sauce.
3. Repeat that same layering process two more times
4. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Happy New Year!!!