Eggnog pie, oh my!

This dessert can be summed up in 1 word . . . YUMMY!!! At least that's what I'm told, not being a fan of eggnog I made it for DH and the kids who LOVE it. The pie never had a chance, lol. The recipe is simple enough and can be semi-homemade.

Ingredients
1 large box vanilla pudding, cook and serve
3 c. eggnog
1 c. heavy whipping cream, whipped with 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar and ½ tsp. vanilla

Directions
1. Combine the pudding mix and eggnog in a sauce pan. Stirring constantly, cook until thickened (about 10 minutes) then cool.
2. Fold the whipped cream into the eggnog pudding mix and put into a baked pie shell of your choice (pastry, graham cracker, gingerbread cookie…)
3. Bake for 15 mins at 350 degrees, let cool and then refrigerate.

I added the #3 to the basic recipe provided by Jamie @ Everyday Art. :)


Marie @ Make and Takes has a wonderful semi-homemade donut recipe that we also made yesterday. We made them in cinnamon and sugar and in glazed.

Basic Glaze Recipe

2 tbsp melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat until smooth and creamy, adding a little more milk if necessary.
Drizzle over a cooled donuts.

Enjoy!

Home-made Hot Fudge Sauce

Too good not to share. The SpruceHill blog is one of todays featured recipe posters on PW's Tasty Kitchen with her delicious fudge sauce recipe. Check it out.

Recipe Renovation: Macaroni and Cheese

POINTS® Value: 5
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 18 min
Cooking Time: 40 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy


This rich, creamy mac and cheese was a shoo-in for this week's "Family-Friendly" recipe series.



Ingredients

12 oz uncooked macaroni, elbow-type
1/2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
8 oz low-fat cheddar or colby cheese
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ºF.


Cook pasta according to package directions without added fat or salt; drain and transfer to a large bowl. While pasta is still hot, stir in sour cream; set aside.


Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear just around the edges (known as scalding). Reduce heat to low, add cheese and simmer until cheese melts, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, about 2 minutes; remove from heat and stir in mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg.


Add cheese mixture to pasta; mix well. Transfer to a 4-quart casserole dish.


Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over pasta.


Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes. Yields about 1 cup per serving

Recipe Courtesy of Weightwatchers online. Looks yummy enough to give it a try :)



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The best mistakes

I requested coconut milk from the store but instead he brought home coconut cream. Having already sauteed the onions and started cooking the curry powder I was not pleased. Deciding to go with it, I pour it in and continued on. Imagine my surprise to taste this wonderful mistake and realise that it tasted just like chutney, lol. I call it Faux-conut Chutney, lol, which is a delightful addition to any curry.

Ingredients
1 can coconut cream
1 pot spoon of green seasoning
1/2 onion
3 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp of curry powder
1 tbsp of vegetable oil

Heat oil, sautee garlic and onion and add curry powder. After 2 minutes, add coconut cream and green seasoning. Stirring occasionally, allow to thicken. This makes a wonderful addition to any curry. Enjoy :)

Sarah's Shrimp Wontons

Sarah's Shrimp Wontons

1 package of wonton wrappers (100)
2 - 3 cups of oil. I prefer sesame, but if I don't have enough, I put half vegetable oil and half sesame, to still get the flavour,
1 egg white mixed with 1/4 cup milk to thin it out (for sealing wontons)

(For filling)
1/2 lb. of finely chopped de-veined & peeled shrimp
1/2 lb. of ground pork
2 tbs. grated garlic
1 tbs. grated ginger
2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
1 egg yolk

Gather all ingredients for filling in a large bowl and combine till fully mixed. It should clump together reasonably well at this point. As a tester for the flavor, I just take a tiny bit and cook it in a small frying pan to ensure that the flavour is right. If not, then just add a little more of whatever may be missing, in my case it is usually salt. Just be careful that there isn't too much salt if you'll be serving them with soy sauce...
Once this is ready, get some flat surfaces to lay them once you have formed them. I recommend sitting at a table to do this....
Take one wrapper, and place it flat on your working surface so one of the corners is pointing towards you. Take a teaspoon (or a teeny bit less) of the filling and place it a little bit below the middle of the wrapper. Brush on some of the egg white mixture around the filling and the up to the other corners. Take the corner that is closest to you and pull it over the filling to meet the top corner. As you are doing this, seal around the filling and flatten the base of the wonton by pushing up and apply slight pressure over the wrapper to ensure that the filling is fully sealed in. Once you have done this, it should be triangular in shape with a flat base that is parallel to you. Put some of the egg white mixture along that same base, and draw the edges in towards one another, sealing them. Ensure that your fingers are as dry as possible when doing this so that the two sides stick together. Lay it flat on the platter and then continue. It sometimes takes a few funky looking ones before getting it right. When you are done, heat your oil up to about 350 degrees and fry them six at a time (turn 2 or 3 times wile they are cooking) until they are golden brown. Do a tester to ensure that it cooks all the way through...if not, turn the heat down a little and cook them for a little longer. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Teriyaki Chicken - How to video

Chicken: How To Make Chicken Teriyaki

This looks so delicious. :)

Chicken Pelau

The recipe is the simmilar to the Pork Pelau. So here are the pics to help you through :)

Ingredients:
light brown/white sugar
vegetable oil
2 cans of pigeon peas/gandules
4 cups of rice
salt
black pepper
garlic
onion
tomato
3-4 lbs meat (chicken, beef or pork)
Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce
coconut milk/chicken stock/water

Directions:
1. Season the meat with the Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire Sauce , salt and black pepper.



2. cover the bottom of the pot with a small amount of oil, then add just enough sugar to absorb the oil. I use a medium high heat to then "brown" the sugar - (refers to the caramelization).






3. Quickly add the seasoned meat to the caramelized sugar and stir properly to coat each piece. Then cover and let the meat cook.

4. Add pigeon peas, tomatoes, habanero pepper (do not let it burst if you do not like very spicy food) and other desired veggies can be added here.



5. Add rice a few minutes later and either coconut milk or water to cook the rice. Remember that there is already liquid in the pot, so estimate and adjust the amount of liquid to be added based on rice package. (Do not use instant rice).

6. Once the rice has cooked the dish is done. Enjoy :)

Curry + Crockpot = Can it be?

I was here and saw this recipe and she raves about it so I am going to give it a try.


The Ingredients.

- 1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
- 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 4-6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 1 T tomato paste
- 2 T curry powder
- 1 t ground coriander
- 1 t ground cumin
- 1 inch peeled and grated ginger
- few dashes of hot sauce
- 1 yellow onion. chopped
- 2 or 3 cloves of smashed and chopped garlic
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 of an eggplant, chopped
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

The Directions.

Assemble all of your spices, coconut milk, tobasco sauce, and tomato paste. Combine the sauce ingredients in the bottom of your crockpot. The sauce will be a lovely yellow.

Add the chicken, flipping it over a few times to coat it nicely. Pour in the garbanzo beans.

Wash and chop all of the vegetables, and then add to the Crock-Pot. Don't worry about stirring them in the sauce. Let them sit on top of the chicken and steam away.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-6. I cooked our dinner on high for almost 6 hours. The chicken was fully cooked, but still had shape, and the vegetables were soft and quite nice.

Stir carefully to mix flavors. If you stir too rough, the sweet potato will fall apart.

Serve over rice.

Cheap wine tutorial, lol.

I found this video and thought everyone should know how to do this. Enjoy :)

Here is the link to the recipe using US measurements.

I dub thee . . .

CORNED BEEF HASH FAUX FRITTATA



Ingredients
6 Medium Potatoes
1 medium Onion
1 can of Corned Beef
3 eggs
Salt and Black pepper to taste

Directions
Print this Recipe
1. Grate potatoes and onion.
2. Mix the potatoes, onion, salt and black pepper in large bowl.
3. In a buttered dish place half of the mixture to form the base.

4. Mix the corned beef into the remainder of the mixture.
5. Place half of the corned beef mixture on the base.

6. Beat 1 egg (seasoned to taste) and pour over the mixture in the base.

7. Add the remaining 2 eggs to the last of the corned beef mixture in the mixing bowl and mix well.
8. Pour into the baking dish.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and let stand for 5-10 minutes.



Enjoy! :)

The time is now :)

I haven't had a lot the last few weeks to get everything for the macaroni pie, but we were blessed to get eggs and cheddar cheese from some friends and so all I had to buy were the noodles :)

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup cream (milk/evaporated milk work too)
2 lbs shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer white cheddar but regular sharp cheddar works)
1 lb penne noodles
1.5 tbs butter
salt to taste

Directions:
1. boil noodles till tender.
2. blend eggs, cream, cheese (use 3/4 of the cheese), butter and salt till they are fully combined and creamy.
3. mix with noodles, make sure every piece is coated with the sauce.
4. pour into a buttered pan and sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the top.
5. bake in preheated oven at 350 for 35 - 40 minutes or until golden.

NB: I would normally use a big baking pan for this but since I haven't had a chance to fix the oven, I used 3 pie pans.

For the last 2 I had stuffing left over from the thanksgiving chickens so I used some as a bottom layer (my ode to Sheppard's pie) and the other I mixed with the noodles :) Not sure I'm willing to give you my mother's stuffing recipe just yet but I'm still mulling it over :) lol.

Here are your pics of this whole process:









Here is a quick look (pre-bake) at the stuffing (this was the bottom layer) and the other is the stuffing and noodles mix. :)

Amish White Bread

Here is the original recipe from allrecipes.com:

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

I made only 1 substitution to the ingredients and that is that I used milk instead of water, since I had no bottled water on hand and tons of fresh milk :) The website allows for the flexibility to increase or decrease the quantity desired, a nice little feature, I opted for 36 servings as my mom's old Kenmore mixer is big enough to handle that much dough.

I was really tired over the weekend so I actually allowed this bread to rise overnight and then I mixed it once more with dough hook leaving it to rise for a few more hours. I called dh 2 hours before I left work and he put the 3 in the oven.

The kids and dh really loved this bread, it was very easy to slice and makes a great sandwich loaf. I am on the look out for bigger loaf pans, I got 3 as part of a lot I bought off of Craigslist but 2 seem rather small.

A taste of home: Pork Pelau

For me Pelau should be the national dish of Trinidad and Tobago, but I don't get to make that call :) This one pot wonder is an excellent way to get lunch/dinner on the table in under an hour. Recipes being what they are are excellent guides but to get this just right, you will need to experiment a bit - no two pelau are alike and there is rarely a bad one to be found. :)

Ingredients:
light brown sugar
vegetable oil
2 cans of pigeon peas/gandules
4 cups of rice
salt
black pepper
green seasoning
cumin
3-4 lbs cubed meat (chicken, beef or pork)

Optional:
Coconut milk
habanero pepper
tomato

Directions:
1. Season the cubed meat with the green seasoning and let sit for at least 20 minutes. (I use a Ziploc bag for this)

2. cover the bottom of the pot with a small amount of oil, then add just enough sugar to absorb the oil. I use a medium high heat to then "brown" the sugar - (refers to the caramelization).

3. Quickly add the seasoned meat to the caramelized sugar and stir properly to coat each piece. Then cover and let the meat cook.

4. Add salt and black pepper to taste and pigeon peas, tomatoes, habanero pepper (do not let it burst if you do not like very spicy food) and other desired veggies can be added here.

5. Add rice a few minutes later and either coconut milk or water to cook the rice. Remember that there is already liquid in the pot, so estimate and adjust the amount of liquid to be added based on rice package. (Do not use instant rice).

6. Once the rice has cooked the dish is done. Enjoy :)

I had the benefit of using our home grown pork for this recipe (pictured above) and it was delicious. AR had thirds and Fourths, lol. It was a big hit, I have some more pre-seasoned meat in the freezer so I will make it again. :)

Homemade Laundry Soap Recipes

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)


Powdered Laundry Detergent- Top load machine

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

Recipes courtesy of the Duggar website :)

For a step by step (With pics) see here, their recipe is very similar. :)

Crokpot Yogurt

I mentioned that I was trying out the crockpot yogurt the other night, it was delicious. The kids loved it. I got a little 2 qt crockpot and halved the recipe but wanted to share a few thoughts. They neglected to mention the skin that forms on the top of the milk while it is "sitting" and then the skin that forms on the top of the yogurt. The consistency is closer to slime and it is surprising when the taste gets to your mouth because it is definitely yogurt at that point. I'm not the adventurous type so I taste nothing until my testers have approved it, and it was a very clear 2 thumbs up all around. I will try the thickening methods recommended and get back to you. AR commented that it was similar to the Dannon Danimals yogurt drinks, I may get the blender and capitalise on that :) I added 1 table spoon of sugar and almost 24oz of sliced strawberries in sugar. That seems to have been the perfect mix as it provided the best taste. Try it let me know what you think. :)

The tastes of home - or at least a close second

I was sitting writing yet another paper when the kids declared that we had nothing to eat. They're so dramatic. Anyway, I've been dying to try the Amish White bread recipe but it was not to be. I had everything ready to go when I realised that I only had a bag of self rising flour. I was crushed. I began to scour the internet for any bread recipes I could find using self-rising flour and was not too encouraged to find page after page of beer bread and/or soda bread. I was not impressed.

Finally I found a forum that said that I could substitute the flour into any recipe that called for baking powder but I would need to omit the salt, baking powder and baking soda components. That seemed simple enough and now my search was more refined, I was looking for yeast free bread recipes. I stumbled upon this recipe. The result was a cross between a bread and a bake - bake was a daily staple of my youth. It is heavier than bread but oh so yummy. Here's my modification:

Ingredients
3 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions
1 Mix dry ingredients.
2 Mix liquids and add to dry.
3 Stir until there is no more dry flour. The dough should be moist but not sticky. Add additional flour as needed.
4 With oiled hands, Place on clean baking sheet.
5 Bake for 40 minutes at 400F.

I would have posted a pic of the bread but the cheese attacked and made delicious sandwiches :) Don't fret, we'll be making more of this very soon :) Though tonight we will be working on the crockpot yogurt and some cream cheese.

Brown Sugar Chops

6 pork chops
6 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons margarine
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Cooking Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place the chops in a 9x13 inch baking pan. Place 1 tablespoon of brown sugar on top of every chop. Place 1 tablespoon of margarine on top of the brown sugar. Sprinkle chops with soy sauce.
Cover pan with foil and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until browned.
Yield: 6 servings

Brown Sugar Chops Recipe on Yahoo! Food

Nutrition InfoPer Serving

Calories: 246 kcal
Carbohydrates: 13 g
Dietary Fiber: 0 g
Fat: 14 g
Protein: 14 g
Sugars: 13 g

Chorizo Recipe

In a large bowl place:

2 Lb. ground pork.
3 1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbl. pure ground red chile
6-20 small hot dried red chiles; tepine, Thai dragon, pico de gallo or the like, crushed
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbl. dry leaf oregano
2 tsp. whole cumin seed, crushed
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
4 Tbl. good cider or wine vinegar
2 1/2 Tbl. water


Have everything cool. Break up the meat, sprinkle evenly with the rest of the ingredients, cut in with two forks until evenly mixed, then knead a bit with your hands until well mixed. At this point the chorizo will keep for at least a couple weeks in your refrigerator, or let it season for a couple days in your refrigerator, then wrap it in small packages, (3-4 oz. is about right for two people), and it will freeze fine for months. It can also be stuffed into casings and smoked like any other pork sausage.

Recipe Courtesy Bruce Moffitt of Eating Well is the Best Revenge
Image Courtesy of tastingmenu.com