Island Cherry Crumbles with Creamy Lime Whip

My neighbors go cherry-picking once a year with their grandkids, and afterward they always give us some of their harvest. I've never cooked/baked with cherries - they've always just been a bit too strong of a flavor for me, so last year I totally let them go to waste. This year I was feeling a bit more ambitious. I found this recipe here. Seriously, these are amazing. Even if you're not THAT into cherries.

Yield: 6 individual crumbles

Ingredients for the filling: 
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
4 c. pitted fresh dark sweet cherries, left whole
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

for the crumble topping: 
1/3 c. shredded coconut
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
5 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature (do not melt), cut into 1/2" pieces

for the creamy lime whip:  (do NOT skip this part - the lime balances everything perfectly)
1 c. whipping cream
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

optional garnish:
1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 c. coconut, toasted
fresh lime slices

Preparation 
Preheat oven to 425°. Place six 1-cup ramekins or half-pint canning jars on a large rimmed baking pan. Set aside.

for the filling: 
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in cherries, lemon juice, and vanilla. Set aside.

for the crumble topping: 
In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut, flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter until you have large pea-size crumbs. Stir the cherry filling well and then divide between the six ramekins. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the cherry filling and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crumble topping is golden and the cherry filling is bubbling. Remove to wire rack to cool.

for the creamy lime whip: 
Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Then remove the whipped cream to another bowl and set aside. Using the same bowl and beater(s) as you used with the cream, beat the cream cheese until completely smooth and creamy (no lumps!). Add powdered sugar, lime zest, and lime juice. Beat again until smooth. Gently fold the whipped cream back into the cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated.

to assemble the island cherry crumbles: 
I like to eat these while they are still just a bit warm from the oven. Add a dollop of creamy lime whip to the tops of each crumble and then sprinkle with toasted almonds and coconut. Finish with a fresh lime slice.

Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter Cookies

These are my family's favorite cookies.  We normally make them with peanut butter because nutella is $$$.  Nutella isn't the secret anyway- it is absolutely, the browned butter.

• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 jar of Nutella, chilled in refrigerator
• Coarse sea salt for sprinkling (again, or regular salt if you want to do it Western Virginia style)

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam. Make sure you whisk consistently during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan; continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined. Gently fold in all of the chocolate chips.

Chill your dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator, or place in freezer for 30 minutes if you are super eager, although I cannot promise the same results if you do this.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once dough is chilled measure about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the dough ball very thinly into the palm of your hand. Place 1 teaspoon of chilled nutella in the middle and fold dough around it; gently roll into a ball — it doesn’t have to be perfectly rolled! Make sure that the nutella is not seeping out of the dough. Add more dough if necessary. Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart and flatten with your hand VERY gently. (Really only the tops need to be flattened a bit!)

Bake the cookies 9-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but will continue to cook once out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the sheets at least 2 minutes. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets after a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

No Time to Slave "potroast"

I made this for my brother and Jennifer the day they brought home Alyssa from the hospital.  It was mother's Day AND Alyssa's coming-home day, so I wanted to make something delicious and comforting.


Sautee small mushrooms till browned, in butter- If you only have large mushrooms, that is fine, just slice them.  Add one chopped onion, one green pepper, one red pepper and cook until the peppers are very bright in color.

Put it all in a crock pot.

Add one envelope of brown gravy.

I really dont like pot roast because of the irregular veins of cartilidge and fat (this is why I actually don't eat red meat more than 3/4 times a year. Cartiledge).

London Broil was $4 for a pound, so I got that, trimmed all fat, and cut into thin strips that would be manageable for 3 year old Taylor.

Throw into pan to give it a little color along with Thyme, basil, parsely, Cavendar's seasoning and a little pepper.  Deglaze pan, after there is some color on the steak (I hate saying meat, there is this one lab we run for the nursing students... shudder) with some beef stock or water.

Throw that into the crock pot.

In the pan heat carrots, celery and 3 sliced potatoes till they have some color.

Throw that into the crock pot.

Add 2 cans beef consumme soup

Add a bay leaf on top to fool everyone that you are making pot roast.



Let it cool all day on low.

I told my brother to make egg noodles or instant potatoes to serve this atop.  He did the potatoes and they said it was divine.

I also made yeast rolls and nutella-stuffed cookies for them.

It made Jennifer cry.  No lie.  THAT is a good meal.

Dulce De Leche

This is AMAZING!!

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel (or make it Western Virginia-style and use iodized salt)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup water

Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly oil parchment.

Bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.

Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel.

Carefully stir in cream mixture (mixture will bubble up) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 248°F on thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour into baking pan and cool 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting 2 ends to close.

It made 2 8 oz canning jars- one, I promptly used on top of PW's Tres Leches cake in place of whipped cream/cherries.

Camping Food

David and I went camping last weekend, and I wanted to go beyond our standard lazy camping food (heating up a can of stew, for example).  So I asked Google, and here were the things I found and tried - all of which I'd recommend.

Diced Chicken and Veggies Foil Dinner (I got this one here.  We had an extra one of these when we got home, so I just dumped everything in a pan and cooked it that way.  Still fantastic.)

Ingredients: – per meal

1. 1 boneless/skinless chicken breast – diced chunks
2. 2 – 3 thick Red onion slices – per taste *1 lg. Red onion will do about 3 meals
3. 1 cup Red potato chunks – approx. 1″ skin-on, (about 2 “normal” med-size Red potatoes)
4. 1 whole carrot – 1/2″ slices
5. 1 cup assorted sweet peppers, (Red, Green, Yellow), – sliced approx. 1/4″ thick
6. 2 tsp. Campbells Cream of Chicken condensed soup – straight from can (I used a lot more than that)
7. Salt & pepper – generous, but to taste

Cooking marinade Ingredients: *makes enough for 4-6 meals

1. 1/2 cup canola or olive oil
2. 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3. 1 tablespoon garlic powder
4. 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 1 teaspoon dried basil
7. 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Mix all marinade ingredients and set aside.

Start with a layer of Red onions, the add the diced chicken. Top the chicken with the potatoes and carrots, then add the sweet peppers. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the cooking marinade over everything, (make sure marinade is well-stirred), then add 2-tbsp. dollop of the cream of chicken soup – top – center.

Wrap carefully with folded closures, (2-layers of foil), and cook in mature coals for 30 – 45 minutes.
Slice open and enjoy!

Apricot-Glazed Pork Chops Foil Dinner  (This one is much less prep, and it was David's favorite.  I got it from here.)

• 1 boneless pork chop
• 1/3 cup apricot preserves
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ package frozen stir-fry vegetates
• garlic powder, salt, pepper

Mix together the apricot preserves, the soy sauce, and any seasoning you’d like to add. Place the pork chop in the center of the sheet of foil (I chopped mine up beforehand). Spread half of the apricot sauce on top. Put the veggies on top/around the pork chop. Pour the rest of the sauce over the whole thing. Wrap in foil. Place on hot coals and cook for 20 minutes.

Muffins in an Orange Shell

True confession: we didn't get around to making these while we were camping because we never felt like building a fire in the morning.  But since we went to all the trouble to gather the whole entire two ingredients (one of them from our backyard), we did this one when we went home.  Could we have just baked muffins in a pan, like normal?  Yes, but as they say on the website, this way is infinitely cooler.

• 6 oranges
• 1 package of just add water muffin mix

Mix up the muffin mix as instructed. Cut off the quarter top of the oranges. Carefully scoop out the pulp; do not break the skin. Pour the muffin mix into the oranges. Wrap the oranges in foil, crimping the foil around the hole at top of the shell, but leaving it open.

Place the oranges upright in a stable position on hot coals and cook for about 10-15 minutes.

Makes six servings. Well, if you’re someone who can stop at one muffin.

And finally, a nice snack for while you're out and about:

Gooey Almond and Coconut Chex Mix (from here.)

Ingredients:
1 (14 oz-17 oz) box of Rice OR Corn Chex cereal
1 (7 oz) bag of sweetened coconut
1 (5 oz) bag of almonds (about 1 1/3 cup)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) margarine or butter
1 1/4 cups light corn syrup (like Karo syrup)
Dash of salt

Directions:
Spray a LARGE bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Pour in the entire box of Chex cereal, coconut, and almonds. Gently mix together.

Mix together the sugar, butter, light corn syrup, and dash of salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a full boil, turn heat down to medium, and cook for three minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over the cereal mixture in the big bowl and stir evenly.
Spread cereal evenly on wax paper and let cool (even though it’s delicious to eat while warm, too!).

Once it cools, you can store it in an airtight container or Ziploc bag and it lasts for a couple of days.

Happy camping!

Breaded Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce

I've got a basil plant, so I'm constantly looking for recipes that call for fresh basil (and also because I really love basil, a lot).  I found this one on realmomkitchen.com.  I love everything I've tried from that website, and this is the favorite so far.  When we made it, we ran out of sauce (the sauce is sososo good), so you might want to make more sauce than this calls for.

Chicken:

• 4 chicken breasts
• flour (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• salt
• black pepper
• 3 Tablespoon butter (can use 1 Tbsp more if needed)

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 (4.0 ounce jar) sliced pimento peppers, drained
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I used 1 Tbsp. dried)
• black pepper

1. Place eggs in a shallow bowl. Place flour in a shallow bowl.  In another shallow bowl, combine both bread crumbs with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Coat chicken with flour.  Then dip in egg, then coat with breadcrumb mixture.
3. In a skillet over medium heat, fry chicken in butter, on both sides, until the juices run clear, about 15 minutes. Remove from skillet and keep warm.
4. Add the broth to the skillet; bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir and scrape to loosen browned bits from pan.
5. Stir in the cream and pimentos (If using dried basil add this now); boil and stir for one minute. Reduce heat; add the Parmesan cheese, basil and black pepper to taste. Simmer and stir until heated through. To serve, pour the sauce over the chicken.

Vegetable Dip

This is a delicious, easy dip

1cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1T each:  Bon Appetit, dill weed, minced onions( I use dry), parsley..

Mix and serve.. Does not have to sit overnight, or at all.

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

Prep time 20 mins
Cook time 30 mins
Total time 50 mins  
Author: Erin Alderson
Recipe type: Dinner
Serves: 2-4

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 T. Curry Powder:
- 1 1/2 Garam Masala
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small head cauliflower
-2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1-2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup chickpeas (drained and rinsed if using canned)
- red pepper flakes (optional)

Serve with:
-Brown Rice or Quinoa
- Cilantro
- Greek Yogurt
- Chutney
- Chapati

Instructions:
Combine spices in a bowl. Stir until well combined, set aside. Cut cauliflower into bite-size floret equalling 3-4 cups. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat and add minced garlic. Saute for 1 minute and then add cauliflower, 3 tablespoons of the curry powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and pinch red pepper flakes*. Stir until well combined and then add 1 cup coconut milk, 1 cup chicken broth and chickpeas. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let cook for 20-30 minutes, adding more vegetable broth as need to keep a desired consistency. Serve with brown rice and favorite toppings.

*This dish is vegetarian but high on protein, because of the chickpeas. However, Alex said it would have been better with chicken. :-)

Spaghetti Casserole

This casserole is seriously amazing. Comfort food at it's finest. The recipe calls for spaghetti but I have been making it with spaghetti squash and it is sooo yummy! Plus lower in calories and carbs, and higher in fiber.

8 oz uncooked spaghetti or 1 spaghetti squash
1 lb ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 tbsp butter
1/2 c chopped green pepper
1/2 c chopped onion
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp milk (I leave this out if I'm using spaghetti squash, it makes it less watery)
Grated parmesan cheese
French Fried Onions

 Preheat oven to 350.

Cook spaghetti or spaghetti squash and set aside. (For spag squash, cut in half, scoop out the seeds, put face down in a 9X13 pan with a little water. Either bake in the oven, 350 for 1 hour, or I usually microwave it for 15-20 min and it turns out great.) I let the spag squash cool while I prep the rest so it will be easier to scoop out.

Brown ground beef, add spaghetti sauce and heat. (I usually use a marinara but any kind would work.) 

Combine green peppers, onions, and butter in a bowl and microwave for 4 minutes until tender.

Add cream cheese and milk to the veggies and stir until smooth.

Put the spaghetti in a 9x13 baking dish, or scoop out the spag squash into the baking dish and even it out.

Put the cream cheese/veggie mixture on top of the spaghetti/spag squash and spread evenly.

Put the spag sauce/meat mixture on top of the cream cheese.

Sprinkle parmesan cheese, however much you want, on top. Bake at 350 for 25 min.

Take out and sprinkle with french fried onions (I don't always have these, it's still awesome) and bake for 5 more minutes.

ENJOY!!

15 minute homemade Macaroni and Cheese that rules the world

I made the most amazing macaroni and cheese (I am a please-dont-say mac' and cheese snob)

We all love it, but Asher eats it really well, so we do tend to make it once a week or so.  I LOVE Debby's crockpot recipe, but it is soooo naughty.

So.  I tried my own brain recipe because it was 8 pm and I needed to make dinner

1 box macaroni

While that is boiling to al dente, melt 3 T butter in saucepan.  After melted add 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder or one crushed clove garlic, 3 Tablespoons flour. Mix, Mix, Mix till smooth.


Then I added 1 and 1/2 cup water + 1/2 cup powdered milk (1 and 1/2 cup milk would be fine too, but we are on a budget, baby).  Place back on heat and when it is super hot, but not quite boiling, add 1 and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, a bit at a time.  White sauce needs to be hot enough that cheese instantly melts.

Stir until all glorious and combined, pour over drained macaroni.

I had a little cheese left that I did not want to wipe out of my cheese grater bowl, so I tapped the bowl over the pan and let that fall on the macaroni and cheese, and...

IT IS ABSOLUTELY DIVINE.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I found this when I was perusing my friend's family recipe blog, and I concur with her description: MIND BLOWING. Probably because of all the cheese and cream. :)

Courtesy Linda Peterson courtesy of Krysta Whitmore courtesy of Paola Jellings courtesy of The Sisters Cafe.

6 tbl honey
5 tbl lime juice (or 1 medium lime)
1 tbl chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb chicken, cooked and shredded (about 3 small breasts; I boiled them with salt, pepper, and another 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
8-12 flour tortillas (soft taco size, not burrito size - we made ours, thank you to Alex for showing us how!)
1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy whipping cream (ohhhh yeaaahhhh)

Mix first four ingredients and toss with the shredded chicken in a plastic bag. Let marinate for at least a half hour.
Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.
Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving 1 cup cheese to sprinkle on top. Place filled tortillas in the 9x13 pan. It might be a tight fit!
In a bowl, mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade, if any. Pour mixture on top of tortillas, then sprinkle with cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a little browned and crispy on top.

Panang Curry with Chicken

I figure the best place to start is with what I had for dinner tonight.  I dub this my Amazon meal, simply because I had to order most of the ingredients from amazon.com (we suffer from a shortage of legit Asian markets in our area).  If you don't like spicy food...don't make this.  Or just go light on the curry paste.  If you do like spicy food...you're welcome.

Recipe is courtesy of wiley from allrecipes.com. (Click link to see original - there are some helpful comments with substitutions in case you aren't feeling all purist like I was with the ingredients.)

You will need:
5 T panang curry paste
Cooking oil
4 cups coconut milk
2-4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cubed
2 T palm sugar
2 T fish sauce, or to taste
6 kaffir lime leaves, torn
2 fresh red chile peppers
Thai basil

Fry the curry paste in the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat until fragrant.  Stir the coconut milk into the curry paste and bring to a boil.  Add the chicken; cook and stir until the chicken is nearly cooked through, 10-15 minutes.  Stir the palm sugar, fish sauce, and lime leaves into the mixture; simmer together for 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust the saltiness by adding more fish sauce if necessary.  Garnish with sliced red chile peppers and Thai basil leaves to serve.