Cream Puffs

I have made these several times over the years and filled them with many different things. Traditionally it would be a sweet filling of cream but you can use vanilla, lemon or chocolate pudding with that. Add raspberries or strawberries. Blueberry or cherry pie filling to top. You can also top shell with melted chocolate. You can make mini cream puffs for a smaller sweet treat. 

You could also put a savory Chicken a la King filling in it as well.

So many possibilities for these yummy treats.  

I thick I got this recipe in my grade 8 cooking class so I've had it for a while :)  

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

1 cup hot water

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sifted flour

4 eggs, unbeaten

1. Start heating oven to 400 F. In medium saucepan heat butter with boiling water, over high heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Then turn heat low, add salt and flour, both at once, and stir vigorously, over low heat, until mixture leaves sides of pan in a smooth compact ball. 

2. Immediately remove from heat, then quickly add eggs, one at a time, beating with spoon until smooth after each addition. After last egg has been added, beat until mixture has satin-like sheen. 

3. Drop mixture by tablespoonfuls, 3" apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, shaping each into a mount that points in the centre. You can also put in a pastry bag and pipe onto the cookie sheet using a large circle tip. 

4. Bake 50 mins-without peeking (or about 25 mins for mini puffs). Cream puffs should be puffed high and golden. Remove and cool on wire rack. Fill with cream or as desired and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This was yummy comfort food. A lower fat and calorie version but definitely did not lack in taste. So great for left overs the next day too!

This recipe comes from skinnytaste.com

Makes 6, 1-1/2 cup servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup flour (2 tbsp cornstarch to make gluten-free)

2 cups water

4 cups fat free milk (or 1%)

1 large celery stalk, chopped

1/2 medium chopped onion

8 oz sliced baby portabella mushrooms

2 chicken bouillons

fresh ground pepper

pinch of thyme

10 oz frozen classic mixed veggies (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed small

16 oz cooked chicken breast, diced small

salt

Directions

Create a slurry: combined 1/2 cup of the cold water with flour in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended. Set aside. 

Pour remaining water and milk into a large pot and slowly bring to a boil. Add celery, onion, mushrooms, chicken bouillon, thyme, fresh pepper, frozen veggies and return to a boil. Partially cover and simmer on low until vegetables are soft, about 20 mins. Remove lid, add potatoes and cook until soft, about 5 mins. Add chicken, and slowly whisk in slurry, stirring well as you add. Cook another 2-3 mins, until soup thickens, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve. 

Country Beef Stew

I made this stew for a staff Christmas party. You can get the original recipe HERE from South Your Mouth. I made a mistake cooking this as I couldn't get all the ingredients I wanted in my crock pot so I had to leave out the potatoes but then I ended I putting it all in a roaster and putting it in my oven on low...Well the meat cooked too much and started shredding (but still good) and the potatoes were barely done (but still tasted good). But I was trying to do a bigger batch...next time it will all cook the same and be so fantastic. I did change a couple of things with it but I think the flavor was so great and had some compliments on it. It's a great stew to have with homemade buns on a cold day. 

I have written it for the stove top method but can be done in crock pot.

Ingredients

1.5-2 pounds chuck roast, cubed or stew meat

1-1/5 pounds beef short ribs (optional but adds great flavor)

4 Tbsps olive oil, divided

Salt, pepper & garlic powder

2-3 cups diced carrots

2-3 cups diced celery

1 large onion, diced

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 cup flour (or 2 tbsp of cornstarch)

2 envelopes beefy onion soup mix (or beef broth crystals and onion flakes)

4 1/2 cups water

1 cup beef broth

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

4-5 med potatoes, peeled and cubed

Directions

Heat 3 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large pot. Season meat and ribs liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add beef pieces and ribs in batches to hot oil and brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl; set aside. Do in batches and just sear the meat, you are not cooking it. 

Add remaining oil to pot then saute carrots, celery and onion for 4-6 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add garlic and thyme and continue cooking 2 mins. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add flour to vegetables and stir well. Cook and stir for 2-3 mins more. 

Combine water with beefy onion soup, mix well then add to veggies and stir. Once broth is smooth and well combined, add beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Add meat, ribs and any pan juices back to the pot. Add bay leaf and potatoes then stir well. 

Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally. Do not let the pot come to a boil-just slowly simmer. Season with additional salt, pepper and garlic powder if needed. 

When ready to serve remove rib bones and bay leaf from pot. 

Note: 

If doing this the crock pot way after searing the meat just add meat and all the other ingredients to the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6. 

Thai Shrimp Noodle Soup

I had bought some rice ramen at Costco and was looking for a recipe to use it in and came across this one. I used less water (6 cups) and beef bouillon powder instead of the pre-packaged ramen noodles as indicated in recipe.  I altered it a bit but it was so tasty. You can leave out the shrimp as well if you want. 

Original recipe comes from Oxmoor House. Serves 6

Ingredients

8 cups water 

3 green onions, minced

2 carrots, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce

1 Tbsp Thai hot chili sauce

2 gloves garlic, finely minced (or 1 heaping tbsp minced)

2 Tbsp peeled and very thinly slivered fresh ginger

(I just used the kind you squeeze out of a tube)

1 tsp chopped fresh basil

4 packages oriental/beef/chicken flavor ramen noodles, slightly broken. 

8 oz medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach

1 cup sliced mushrooms

Juice and grated zest for 1 lime (I didn't add this)

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a soup pot. Add green onions, carrots, fish sauce, chili suace, garlic, ginger, and basil to pot. Add 2 ramen noodles seasoning packets (if you add al 4 packets, the soup will probably be too salty). Boil 5 mins. 

Add Shrimp, spinach, mushrooms and ramen noodles. Cook 5 more minutes. Add lime juice and zest. Stir well and serve. 

Caramel Apple Bundt Cake

So I made this for a work lunch and got lots of Mmmm's. One co-worker said it was one of her favorites I've made. (and I've made a few cakes). I think it's definitely one of my love languages to bake for people..haha.  It's not your traditional apple cake because of the cream cheese in it but it is so yummy and so .... not dry (aka moist). The caramel sauce is a must and served warm is the best! This recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. 

Ingredients

Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

3 medium apples, for about 3 cups chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp dark brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla, divided

1 1/4 cups vegetable or canola oil

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

Cream Cheese Layer:

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

Glaze:

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp white sugar

2 Tbsp heavy cream

1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla

Caramel Sauce:

4 Tbsp butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup half and half or whipping cream

pinch of salt

1 Tbsp vanilla

Directions

1. Generously grease and flour a 9 or 10 inch bundt pan. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. Peel core and dice 3 cups of apples. Toss the apples with the tablespoon of lemon juice to keep from browning. Add the dark brown sugar and 1 tsp vanilla and toss to combine. Set aside. 

3. Using a handheld electric mixer or in a bowl of a stand mixer, blend the oil, sugar and vanilla until well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the dry ingredients until just incorporated. The batter will be quite thick. Drain any excess liquid from the apples (if any) and stir the apple mixture into the batter. Don't over mix! Pour the butter evenly into the prepared pan. 

4. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese just until smooth. Add the 1/3 cup sugar, vanilla and egg and beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth. 

5. Using a spoon or butter knife, make a trench in the center of the cake batter (going around in the circular shape of the bundt pan) about 1 -inch deep (just scoop the excess batter to either side. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into the trench trying to keep the cream cheese mixture in a ring in the centre of the cake so it has cake batter on either side around the circle. Once the cream cheese mixture is in place, use a butter knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture into the surrounding cake batter. 

6. Bake the cake for 1 hour and 15 mins (checking often as you may need to decrease or increase time based on your pan and exact oven temp). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with only a few moist crumbs. 

7. While the cake is cooling, mix the ingredients for the glaze in a small pan over medium high heat. Allow the ingredients to come to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Pour the glaze over the cake while the cake is still in the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan before removing. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature, drizzling caramel sauce over each piece. 

8. For the caramel sauce, mix the butter, brown sugar, half and half or cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook while whisking gently for 5-7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until slightly warm. Drizzle on each piece. 

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I love snickerdoodle cookies so when I saw this recipe I had to try it. It's kind of a cross between the cookie and a churro, which I also love! I added more cinnamon to the batter (by accident actually and I liked it) I also made the cupcakes earlier so when I went to dip them in the cinnamon I took a pastry brush and just brushed on a little bit of milk around the edges first, then dipped around the edges with cinnamon/sugar before I put on the icing/frosting. I sprinkled a little cinnamon/sugar on top of the frosting as well. yum!

This recipe and photo comes from Urban Bakes. 

http://urbanbakes.com/snickerdoodle-cupcakes/

Ingredients - yields 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes

1 3/4 cups plus 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 (5oz) can evaporated milk

1 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 eggs, beaten

Frosting

6 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cup unsalted butter softened

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

2-4 tbsp milk or half and half

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Place paper baking cup into each of the 24 reg sized muffin cups; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp of the granulated sugar with 1 tsp of cinnamon; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, (I used my stand mixer) mix remaining 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar, remaining 1 tsp cinnamon (I added 2 tsp), flour, baking soda and salt.
4. In a separate med bowl, stir evaporated milk, sour cream, butter, vanilla and eggs. Pour this mixture into the flour mixture and mix until well blended.
5. Divide batter evenly among prepared baking cups, filling 1/2-3/4 full.
6. Bake 18-20 mins or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
7. Cool.
8 Meanwhile, in large bowl, mix powdered sugar and softened butter until blended. Initially it may be very crumbly.
9. Mix in vanilla and 1 Tbsp of milk at a time until desired texture is reached.
10. Dip the rim of each cupcake into the cinnamon-sugar mixture (As prepared in step 3). This will give the cupcake the snickerdoodle cookie effect.
11. Use a pastry bag and desired tip (2D shown in picture) and pipe frosting on cupcakes.
12. Sprinkle additional cinnamon-sugar onto piped frosting before it dries to give an extra finishing touch.

Dark German Chocolate Cake/Cupcakes with Frosting

I've made this recipe as a layer cake and cupcakes. The cake is so dark and yummy it is not your typical chocolate cake and partners so well with the extra delicious German Chocolate Frosting. (which my daughter argues that it really isn't a frosting but more of a topping.. hmmm, maybe) Whatever it is, I know this...it is so good! 

If you do cupcakes you can use a chocolate buttercream frosting around the edges or just drizzle some chocolate sauce on top of the German Choc frosting-I've done both. 

The recipes come from Allrecipes.com

Cake Ingredients

(makes approx 44 cupcakes, or 3- 9in rounds or a 14x17 deep baking sheet. 

3 cups white sugar

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/4 tsp baking soda

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups hot water

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cupcake holders or if using cake pans for layer line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper. I also spray with Pam and dust with cocoa powder. If keeping it in the pan (14x17) you don't need to line with parchment just spray. 

2. If using a stand mixer sift flour, 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder,into bowl then add sugar and salt together. Using the whisk attachment; whisk dry ingredients together on low. 

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract together in a separate medium bowl. Add to the flour mixture and mix at low speed until well incorporated scraping the sides often. Gradually add hot water on low speed just until combined. It will look pretty runny for cake batter but its going to be ok-don't be scared :)  Pour batter into the prepared pan or cupcakes only filling cupcakes to about 1/2-3/4 full. (don't fill too full as it almost doubles)

4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 25-30 mins. (check cupcakes at 20 mins) Let cake cool in the pan for about 1 hour. 

Frosting (or topping) Ingredients

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup white sugar

3 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp water

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup flaked coconut

Directions

In a large saucepan combine evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Remove from heat and stir in pecans and coconut. Spread on cake while still warm. Let cool a bit if using for cupcakes or layer cake. 

Taco Soup

This recipe comes from Paula Deen so you know it's good! Made this for a staff lunch and got lots of raves. Make sure you put all the fixins on top, it makes it all the more better. You could also use chicken in this instead of ground beef or no meat at all and it's still very good. 

This soup will definitely keep you warm on a cold night!

picture from food network.

12-16 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 cups diced onions

1 (15 1/2 oz) cans pinto beans

1 (15 1/2 oz) can red kidney beans

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomatoes with chiles

2 cans diced green chiles

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 package ranch salad dressing mix

(I also added a can of tomato sauce)

Toppings: sliced black olives, green onion, grated cheese, jalapenos, and corn chips. 

Directions

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the mean to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, taco seasoning, ranch dressing. 

Cook in a slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour on the stove. 

Serve with all the toppings on top. So good!

Sheet Pan Fajitas

These are so good! You can eat them in little flour or corn tortillas or even put them on rice. So easy and so yummy! Recipe adapted from Laughing Spatula. 

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut into thin slices. 

1 red pepper - sliced 

1 green pepper - sliced

1 yellow pepper - sliced

1/2 large onion - sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

pinch of chili flakes (or as much as you want)

1 package of Fajita mix

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a small bowl combine oil, chili powder, cumin, chili flakes, and 1/2 pack of Fajita mix

In a large bowl toss chicken and sliced veggies with the oil mixture together until well coated. 

Place some parchment paper on the bottom of a cookie sheet. 

Spread out the chicken veggie mix

Sprinkle the remaining package of Fajita mix on top. 

Back for 30 mins until chicken is cooked and the veggies are soft with crispy edges. 

Serve with warm tortillas (really good if you cook them in a pan until they brown vs the microwave), sour cream, avocado or guacamole and all your favorite fixins or serve over rice with some cilantro and fixins on top. 

No-Fail Buttery Flaky Pie Crust

So I've been trying different recipes for a good pie crust and just couldn't find one that I really liked until I came across this one. I really like it. It is easy to whip up and easy to roll out. Tastes great too!

Recipe from Kittencal@recipezazz Photo from chefgeorgehirsch.com

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups cake pastry flour 

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, cubed and partially frozen

1/4 cup Shortening, cubed and partially frozen

1 egg yolk

7 Tbsp ice water

1 tsp vinegar

Directions

1. Using a food processor whirl the flour, sugar and salt for a couple of seconds. 

In a small bowl mix the egg, vinegar and ice water together, set aside.

Add in the partially frozen butter and shortening cubes into the flour mixture; pulse until well mixed and grainy looking. Add in the water/egg mixture slowly as you are pulsing. 

Process/pulse JUST until pieces of dough starts holding together. Do not over process. 

Dump out dough onto a lightly floured surface (the dough could be still very broken up at this point and not really formed dough yet) Gather all together and kneed about 5 times to make a nice complete ball of dough. Divide into two balls and wrap with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least 30 mins. I do mine the night before I want to use it. 

When ready to use, take out of fridge and let sit for about 10-15 mins at room temperature. 

An easy way to roll out the dough is in between two sheets of parchment paper (you will have to use a little bit of flour on the dough as well)

Note: If you don't have a food processor go get one because it's way easier (just kidding). Just mix first 4 ingredients in a large bowl and using a pastry cutter (or two knives) cut in the very cold butter and shortening until it is like tiny peas. Mix liquids in a small bowl and slowly add this to the flour mixture and blend together until moistened and dough holds together. 

You can use the reserved egg white to brush over your pie crust for a nice golden brown finish. Also helps bottom crusts not become soggy with a cream filling. 

Another tip is cover the fluted part of the pie crust with tinfoil so it doesn't cook faster than the rest of the pie and get too brown when making filled pies like pumpkin or pecan. Take off about the last 10 mins of cooking. 

Banana Cream Delight

I made this for a co-worker who wanted a banana dessert for the doctor she works for..who loves banana cream pie. (I have a recipe for that too on here). This turned out very yummy. I couldn't find macadamia nuts in my area so went for the pecans. I would like to try it with the macadamia nuts though..sounds so good. I did another one without nuts due to allergies. Both crusts were very good. Each layer is very yummy and all together it is just so very good! You could use this recipe and do whatever flavor you want instead of the banana...chocolate, coconut cream, pineapple, pistachio ..whatever. I got the recipe off of someones blog but apparently the recipe comes from a cookbook called  Hawai'i's Best Local Desserts cookbook. 

So good, you will want to try this one! 

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups flour

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped fine (or pecans)

Preheat oven to 350. Blend flour and butter with pastry blender. (I used my food processor). Mix in 3/4 cup of the nuts, reserving 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top. Press into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. It may seem like a lot but once you press it down really good it's perfect. Cook in oven for 25 mins or until golden brown. Cool. 

Second Layer: 

1 package softened cream cheese (8oz)

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 container of Cool Whip (half of 12 oz) You can also use whipping cream if you prefer. 

4-5 bananas. 

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until blended and smooth. Mix in Cool Whip. Spread over cooled crust. Slice the bananas evenly over cream cheese layer. 

Third Layer: 

2 packages instant vanilla pudding (3oz each)

3 cups cold whole milk (makes it nice and creamy)

Whip pudding with milk until it is set a bit and then spread over bananas. Be sure to seal all edges. 

Finally top with remaining Cool Whip or Whipping Cream. 

Sprinkle with nuts. 

Korean Beef Bowl

This was a yummy find that I tried and it is so easy and so very good! I want to try it with strips of beef instead of ground beef sometime. Maybe it will be a little leaner. 

Recipe is from Damn Delicious (adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff)

Ingredients

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp crushed red-pepper flakes, or more to taste

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound lean ground beef

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Cooked rice, for serving

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and ginger. 

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 min. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 mins, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat. Stir in soy sauce mixture and green onions until well combined, allowing to simmer until heated through. 

Serve immediately with rice. 

So good! 

Saskatoon Berry Tarts

Yes these are as good as they look! My sister was over from Saskatoon and loves these berries so I decided to make Saskatoon berry tarts. I've made them once before and they are seriously so yummy! The orginal recipe and picture come from joinmefordinner. I did do some adaptations to it. 

You can use pre-made tart shells if you would like or use the recipe below. It whips up pretty fast and easy. You can also use a tart pan. The pastry recipe below will make enough for 2 crust pie or 8 4-inch tart pans or approx 20-24 tarts. (I use a small plastic container to cut out the pastry dough for the tarts..it's a 2 cup container)

Pastry Crust

2 C flour

1 tsp salt

1 C chilled butter

1 Tbsp vinegar

1/3 C milk

- Put flour and salt in food processor and pulse. 

- Cube butter, then add to flour in processor bowl and pulse until it resembles coarse meal. 

- Add vinegar to milk. Add all at once to flour mixture. Pulse until it just forms a ball. 

- Remove and divide into two balls. If you are not using both right away wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

If doing tart shells. Roll out the first round disc of dough on a slightly floured clean surface until 1/8-1/4 of an inch. Cut out rounds with plastic container. Carefully push work them into a muffin tin making sure they are all the way to the bottom. They will shrink about half their size so you want to make sure you have it all the way to the top. Do the same for the second disc of dough. 

Prick the bottom of each tart with a fork a couple times. Bake at 375 for about 15-20 mins or until nice and golden brown. Cool. 

Filling:

8 oz Cream Cheese (room temperature)

2 lemons zested 

1 lemon squeezed for the juice. (or 1 tsp lemon extract)

4 Tbsp sugar

4 Tbsp heavy cream. 

Blend the cream cheese well with a hand or stand mixer. Scrapping down sides often then blending again until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and blend well until nice and fluffy. Cover bottom of each tart shell with mixture. 

Topping: (This makes extra but it's really good on ice cream as well)

5 cups Saskatoons

1-1/2 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp corn starch

- Add 1 1/2 cups of berries to 1 1/2 cups of water in a saucepan. Simmer for about 5 mins mashing the berries as it simmers with a potato masher. 

- Strain the juice from the pulp reserving the juice and putting juice back into the saucepan. Discard pulp. 

- Combine sugar and cornstarch and add to juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thick and clear. 

- Add remaining Saskatoons to glaze and stir gently. 

- Cool, then fill tarts. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream if desired. 

Stone Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

These are seriously so good! I took it to a party one time and they all loved it. There is a lot of cutting but it is worth it, believe me. Such a great Summer treat! Thanks to the Cooking Channel for the recipe. 

Salsa:

6 cups chopped mixed stone fruit (apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines)

I also put in strawberries and mango. 

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp minced fresh basil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Cinnamon Chips:

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

6 (8-inch) flour tortillas

4 tbsp (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

Directions: 

For the salsa: In a large mixing bowl, combine the fruit, honey, basil, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt. Stir to coat the fruit evenly. Try not to stir too much as it may make the fruit mushy. Taste and season accordingly. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

For the chips: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Brush both sides of the flour tortillas with the melted butter. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over both sides of the tortillas. Cut the tortillas into 8 wedges. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 20 mins, flipping half way through. Serve with the fruit salsa.

Strawberry Cake

With Summer upon us and strawberries being the going thing I wanted to try a strawberry cake. Not too many don't love the yummy taste of strawberries. I did one for my dad's birthday which is not this recipe but it was from scratch and it just seemed very dense and dry to me although some said they loved it. I wanted to try a boxed version and this one turned out really soft and light -I'm trying to avoid saying moist but it's hard to describe it any other way...because that's just what it is..moist (sorry anti moist people)

You could do a lemon cream cheese frosting on this too which would be super good!

This recipe comes from www.callmepmc.com.

Ingredients

1 pkg white cake mix

1 (3oz) pkg strawberry jello gelatin 

1 cup mashed or finely chopped strawberries (I used thawed out frozen with some fresh added and blended in my food processor for a bit but not too much. you want some small chunks. 

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil - the original recipe called for 1 cup but I found it too much.

4 large eggs. 

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese

1/2 cup butter, room temp

3 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar or more to taste and thickness

3/4 cup fresh strawberries, mashed or chopped fine (I just used more strawberry gelatin to taste and garnished with strawberries)

Instructions

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray pans with non-stick spray. Line the pans with parchment paper on the bottom and spray again. 

2. Place the cake mix, jello, oil, milk and eggs in a large bowl and mix 3 mins stopping to scrap down sides of bowl often. Fold in strawberries. 

3. Divide batter evenly among layer pans or  pour into a 9x13 pan. Cook according to chart below. Cool on rack until almost completely cool.  Remove cake onto the racks and cool completely. 

4. For Cream Cheese Frosting: Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Sift sugar and add one cup full at a time to cream mixture. Add strawberries or jello powder and incorporate completely. Cover cake. 

Note: 

Cooking times for pan size

2- 9 inch round 28-31mins

2 - 8 inch round 30-33 mins

3 - 8 inch rounds 28-30 mins

9x13 28-30 mins

Rhubarb Custard Bars

Rhubarb season! I grew up eating it every Summer and love it. I usually did the same cake or crumble so I wanted to branch out this year and try a new recipe. This was so good! 

It got rave reviews from family and friends. I definitely will be making this one again and again. This recipe came from Taste of Home.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup cold butter

Filling:

2 cups sugar

7 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 eggs, beaten

5 cups finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained

Topping: 

Cream cheese 6 oz - 3/4 of a brick, softened 

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the flour and sugar; cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (I use my food processor for this with the blade). It will look somewhat dry. Press into a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for 10 mins. 

2. Meanwhile, for filling, combine sugar and flour in a bowl. Whisk in cream and beaten eggs. Stir in the rhubarb. Pour over crust. Bake at 350 for 45-60 mins or until the custard is set in the middle. Cool.

3. For topping, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth; fold in whipped cream. Spread over top. Cover and chill. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.

Funnel Cake

The first time I tried a funnel cake was at East Side Mario's restaurant and thought they were so good. Then we saw them at Lagoon Amusement park in Utah and tried them there. So delicious! Since East Side Mario's isn't there anymore and we are not in Utah anymore we figured we better do the next best thing and make our own. These were very yummy and you could put whatever topping you like on it. Traditionally it's powdered sugar, strawberries and whipped cream. Mmmmm!

Ingredients

(makes 6)

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (or coconut flour to make gluten free)

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

Canola oil , enough to cover the bottom of a heavy skillet. 

Powdered sugar for topping

Fresh Strawberries

Whipped cream

Directions

- Mix egg and milk in a medium sized bowl. 

- In another smaller bowl sift flour and baking powder and blend together.

- Gradually add the flour to the milk mixture beating until smooth with a whisk. 

- Preheat oil in frying pan to 375 F. 

- With your finger on the bottom pour batter in a funnel with a 1/2" or 3/4" hole. You can just use a large Ziploc bag or decorator bag with circle tip on the end. I did the Ziploc bag and snipped the end off to make a hole being careful not to let the batter out until ready. 

- When oil is ready, let the batter drizzle into hot oil. Spiral to create a circle and overlap a couple times to seal things together stopping the batter in between cakes. This is easier with two people if you do it this way. If you use a funnel you can just put enough batter to make one cake. About 1/2 cup. 

- Cook for about 1 min or until golden brown then flip carefully to cook the other side. 

- Remove and drain on paper towels. 

- Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with fruit and cream or whatever topping you wish. 

Acini De Pepe Salad

This is my daughters favorite salad and wants me to make it for every pot luck gathering. It`s like frog eye salad meets ambrosia salad. I got the recipe from my Aunt Marlene and not sure where she got it from but it`s so yummy everyone will love it!

The picture is not exactly how it looks like but could not find one. 

picture courtesy of jamhands.net

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 3/4 cups pineapple juice

2 Tbsp flour

3 beaten eggs

1/2 tsp salt

Cook over medium heat until slightly thickened, don`t burn! Set aside to cool. 

1 1/2  cups acini pasta

5 cups water

tiny bit of oil to prevent sticking

a little salt

Cook the acini 7 mins, then rinse in cold water. Add acini to sauce. Set in the fridge 8-10 hours. I usually do this the night before and leave it overnight in the fridge. 

1 large can crushed pineapple drained (you can do this the night before and use juice in first step)

1 can orange sections, drained

1/2 jar maraschino cherries (optional)

1 cup coconut

1 can fruit cocktail, drained

Strawberries, sliced 

Purple grapes, sliced in half

1 small Cool Whip

Mini marshmallows (optional)

Add all ingredients including acini sauce in a large bowl and blend well adding the fresh fruit last so it wont break them apart too much. 

This makes a pretty good sized bowl full which you`ll need because everyone will love it! 

Meatless Chili

Get your can opener ready because this recipe calls for many different canned items. It is so easy to put together and so yummy. Honestly I`ve done this recipe many different ways so I will give you options you can try. But let me tell ya this is a great dish to boost you up on a dreary day. 

Thanks to ezrapoundcake.com for the picture.

Ingredients

1 large can or 2 small diced tomatoes (I prefer Rotel Chili Fixin or Hot)

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can beans in tomato sauce or navy beans (not baked beans as they tend to have a BBQ flavor) 

1 can sliced mushrooms

1 can or frozen corn

fresh Jalapenos or green peppers (optional)

1 pkg of chili seasoning (I like McCormick Hot Chili)

If you don`t want to use the packaged seasoning you can add 1 Tbsp cumin & 1/4 cup chili powder

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp maple syrup (optional)

sour cream

shredded cheese

pickled jalapenos (cuz we like it hot!)

In a large pot add all the canned ingredients without draining and chopped fresh peppers if using and heat through on med-high heat. Add chili seasoning. 

Add the brown sugar and maple syrup if using. This can cut down on the acidity of the canned tomatoes and the heat of the chili seasoning if using a hot kind. 

Turn the heat to low and simmer with a lid for about 15 mins or more. 

Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese and pickled jalapenos if desired. 

Fry Bread & Indian Tacos

One of the great benefits of living next to the largest Indian Reserve in Canada is the fact that Indian Tacos are around all the time. I have learned however that there are many ways to make them depending on family background and personal tastes. The Navajo Tacos tend to be more flat and used like a taco in hand rather than on a plate eaten with knife and fork. They also tend to use refried beans with their meat mixture to give it a more Mexican taste with perhaps a saucy Mexican red sauce.

There are a few different ways to make fry bread as well. Some use milk while other just use water. Some use baking powder while other use yeast and some use eggs and some don't. This fry bread recipe came from my mom who got it from one of her Native friends that she use to work with and it has always been a hit when I serve it. 

You can add whatever toppings you like I'll give you a few suggestions. Hope you enjoy!

(thanks to Manly Kitchen & The Pioneer Woman for the pictures)

Ingredients

Fry Bread (makes approx 15 depending on size)

4 cups flour

4 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups milk (can use 2/3 cup of powdered milk and 2 cups water)

2 eggs 

Oil or Crisco

Taco Meat

Basic:

1-2 pounds of ground beef

1 pkg of taco seasoning.

water as indicated on pkg

Fry up the meat and drain off grease (I put mine in a colander and rinse with hot water then put back in frying pan)

Add taco seasoning and water and cook on low heat until ready. Add other ingredients below if you wish)

optional things you could put in your meat:

Can of Rotel "Hot" or "Chili fixin" tomatoes or just regular diced tomatoes

1 can kidney or navy beans

diced onion fried with hamburger

salsa added to meat

one time I had left over meatless chili in the fridge (on blog) and added that to the meat- so good!

Toppings 

Lettuce - chopped fine

Tomatoes-diced

Cheese - shredded

Sour cream

Jalapenos

Salsa

or whatever you like on your tacos

Directions

-In a bowl (I use my kitchen aid with bread hook) add flour, baking powder and salt. 

-In another small-med bowl add eggs and whip a bit. Add 2 cups of milk. If using the powdered milk method then add the powder then the water and use a whisk to blend then add the eggs and whisk again. 

-Add the milk to the flour and combined with either the kitchen aid or the tools God gave ya (your hands). The dough will be quite sticky. 

- Put some flour on a clean surface and dump the dough onto the flour. 

- Knee the dough just until blended still having a bit of stickiness you don't want too much flour to make it stiff, then mound the dough into a ball. 

-Brush the extra flour aside with your hands and get out the oil. 

- Rub the oil lightly onto the ball of dough, cover and let sit at room temperature for a bit. 

- Add about 1 inch of canola oil to a frying pan (you can melt Crisco in the frying pan as well if you prefer) and heat up on med high -high heat (about an 8 or 375 in electric pan). To test you can add a small piece of dough you don't want it too hot that it cooks too fast or too low that it soaks up too much of the oil as it cooks. 

- Pour some of the oil onto a clean surface (or somewhat clean from where you were kneeing) and rub some onto your hands as well.  

- Take a small piece of the dough and make into a ball. 

- Using your hands flatten out the dough on the oiled surface to make a nice round piece. Then gently pull it up and carefully add it to the oil. It's ok if it has some tiny holes in it as you pull it up they tend to cook together. 

Watch the dough carefully and turn over with tongues when golden brown. 

 Hold the fry bread over oil to let it drain a bit before placing on a paper towel lined plate.

These are very good with honey butter, jam or cinnamon sugar or use them for your Indian Tacos.