Chewy, Chunky Blondies

Usually when I make a cookie or something I try to tweek it to a healthier version.  Halfing the sugar, adding stevia, using whole wheat flour ect...  I ate really well last week so I decided to go for the kill and do the real thing on Sunday.  I accidentally added an extra cup of sugar and didn't realize it until it was too late.  Let's just say I was on major sugar overload after two of these babies.  Won't be doing that again.  EJ was excited, he said it's about time you bake some "real cookies".  


Chewy, Chunky Blondies
from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
makes 32 blondies


2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chunks
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut


Directions:


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and butter a 9x13 inch baking pan.  Set aside.


In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.


In large bowl with electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.  Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until well incorporated.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then add in the vanilla.  Reduce mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.


Stir in chocolate chunks, butterscotch chips, pecans, and coconut with a spatula or wooden spoon.  Scrape batter into prepared pan and use spatula to even out the top as best as you can.


Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.  Dorie notes that the blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown.  Cool for 15 minutes on a rack, before turning the blondies out onto the rack to cool completely.  Enjoy

Creamy 5-Cup Fruit Salad

Creamy 5-Cup Fruit Salad

*Serves 4-6 as a side dish

1 (10-ounce) can pineapple chunks (about 1 cup), drained
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges (about 1 cup), drained
1 medium apple, cored and chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup sour cream, light or regular
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Combine the fruit in a large bowl, tossing well so the apple (and other fruit that likes to brown) can get coated in the pineapple and orange juice to prevent browning. Stir in the sour cream and coconut, gently tossing to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve chilled. You might notice that after a day or so of sitting in the fridge, quite a bit of liquid from the fruit pools at the bottom. If eating the leftovers, I like to gently pour some of this off before eating.

Zucchinni Lasagna

Zucchini season is now upon us.  I get really sick of eating it, so I am always looking for new recipes to cook with it.  A lady in my ward said that she made a zucchini lasagna.  So I decided to give it a whirl and come up with my own recipe.  Feel free to change it up to however your taste prefers.  You can pretty much take your favorite lasagna recipe and exchange the noodles for the zucchini.

1 pound of ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
1 huge zucchini sliced into strips
16 ounces of cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup of whatever cheese you want or have on hand (preferably mozzarella)
1/4 cup of oregano
1/8 cup basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
I also threw in optional:
1 fresh diced tomato from the garden
1 medium diced summer squash
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
2 eggs
2 more cups of cheese.

Brown and drain your beef, then add your onion until cooked, then add your summer squash and tomato
then add your jar of spaghetti sauce.  In another bowel add your cottage cheese, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of cheese, with your 2 eggs.

Pour 1 cup in your lasagna dish then layer your zucchini like you would lasagna noodles.  Then another cup of sauce and then half of your cheese sauce.  Repeat layers, with your final layer top with the rest of sauce and cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Adding the diced tomato and summer squash added a lot of flavor but also made it a little bit runny. So you may not want to add it.  It still turned out really good.

Skillet BBQ Chicken Pasta

So I have decided to try to post every recipe that I try, so that I can just come back and find it here on my own recipe blog when I need it.  Here's own we did tonight for dinner, everyone liked it including Corbin.  This is rare that he likes something new,  bbq is always a hit at our house.

Skillet BBQ Chicken Pasta


1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
1 red onion, diced
3 cups water
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces penne pasta
2/3 cup barbecue sauce
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat (you could also use a large pot if you don’t have a skillet this big). When hot, add the chicken and onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken and onions to a plate and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the water, chicken broth, penne and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the liquid is almost absorbed, the pasta is tender and the mixture is thick and syrupy. Stir in the barbecue sauce and sour cream. Once mixed, add in the reserved chicken, onions and shredded cheese. Stir to combine and cook until everything is heated through.

Serve immediately and garnish with additional red or green onions and shredded cheese.

Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

*Note: This fruit salad is best served right away (or at least within an hour of making) because the strawberries tend to stain the light colored fruit. It doesn’t affect the taste at all but is a slight bummer for presentation.

*Serves 4

1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained well
1 can mandarin oranges, drained well
2-3 ripe kiwi, peeled and sliced into thick half moons
1 cup green grapes, halved
1 cup strawberries, quartered
Zest from one lime, about 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)

Combine the fruit in a medium-large serving bowl. Add the lime zest and poppy seeds, if using, and gently toss. Drizzle the honey over the fruit and again, gently mix until the fruit is evenly coated with the honey. Serve.

Strawberry-Lime Cream Cake

I made this cake for EJ and Jamies B day.  It was very good!

Strawberry-Lime Cream Cake

*Note: this recipe looks like it has a lot of steps, and it does, but each can be made in advance and the cake assembled later. Plus, none of the steps are very difficult. The end result is worth it, trust me!

*Serves 12

White Cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add buttermilk, butter and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping the bowl as needed. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add the egg whites and beat for 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour the batter into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. (I lined the bottom of mine with a parchment circle and greased the top of the parchment circle.) Bake the cakes for 28-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs. Don’t overbake or the cakes will be dry. Cool the cakes on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a butter knife and remove the cakes from the pans to cool completely.

Strawberry Syrup/Puree:
1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Lime Cream:
*Note: you can substitute 1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberry jam for the strawberry puree
4 limes, for 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Zest and juice the limes into a medium bowl. You should have about 1/2 cup lime juice. Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix well. Add the whipping cream and beat until medium-stiff peaks form. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

Whipped Cream Frosting:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 envelope (about 2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
4 tablespoons water

In a small bowl, place the water and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let the mixture stand for 3-4 minutes until the gelatin has thickened. Microwave for 20-30 seconds until the gelatin dissolves and the mixture is warm. Remove from the microwave and let the mixture cool to room temperature (don’t let it set up!). In a large bowl, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until slightly thickened. While beating slowly, gradually add the cooled gelatin to the whipped cream mixture. Whip at high speed until stiff peaks form.

To assemble the cake, slice each cooled cake round in half horizontally to form 4 cake circles. Place one cake layer on a cake plate and spread an even layer of strawberry syrup over the top. Spread a thick layer of lime cream over the jam, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge as the top cake layers will press the cream out toward the edges. Repeat the same layering process with the next two layers. Top with the final cake layer and frost the entire cake with the whipped cream frosting. Garnish with fresh limes and strawberries, if desired. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving to let the cake set up.

Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna

Printable Version with Picture
Printable Version

*Note: this lasagna isn’t super heavy on the sauce, just enough to plump up the pasta noodles perfectly and help everything hold their shape (not dry…just not overly saucy). I split all the ingredients (sauce, cheese, noodles) into three layers but feel free to simplify and just halve everything and do two layers only. Less noodles, more sauce. It’s up to you. Also, the ingredient list looks long, but it comes together quickly, especially with the no-boil lasagna noodles.

*Serves 6-8

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
dash of ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ cup frozen corn kernels, white or yellow
1 (6 ounce) can olives, chopped
9-12 no-boil lasagna noodles (I love the Barilla brand), or boil and drain regular lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream, light or regular
8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan and set aside.

In a large 12-inch skillet, brown the ground beef or turkey and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the grease. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste. Stir to combine well and cook for about a minute. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, oregano and salt and pepper. Mix well. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Add the black beans, corn and olives. Mix well and heat through, about 5 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer three (or four, depending on the brand of noodles you use) noodles over the sauce. Spread 1/3 of the sauce over the noodles. Dollop 1/3 of the sour cream and 1/3 of the cream cheese (just pinch off chunks and toss them on top) across the sauce. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheeses. Repeat the layers two more times until all the ingredients are used.

Cover the lasagna with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes more, until the lasagna is hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into and serving.