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. 

No Bake Cookies

I do have the healthier version of these on this blog but sometimes ya just want the original so here they are. I've had this recipe for years so I'm not even sure where it came from. It's just a yummy classic in my household and so simple to make for a quick treat. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

3 Tbsp cocoa

1/8 tsp salt

3 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup walnuts

1 cup coconut

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In a medium saucepan add butter and melt then add next 3 ingredients. Bring to a boil on med-high heat. Take off heat and add the rest of the ingredients stirring to combined. 

On a parchment lined cookie sheet drop cookies by the spoonfuls into mounds. Place in the fridge to cool and to firm up. 

Enjoy this yummy chocolaty treat. 

Greek/Mediterranean Salad

Such an easy and yummy salad. There are many ways you can do a Greek/Mediterranean salad. I'll give you some other option ingredients you can try as well. I also have no idea the amounts I just chuck stuff in until it looks good.  

                                             Photo: Rachel Vanni; Food styling Barrett Washburne

Ingredients

1-2 long English cucumber

1 pint cherry tomatoes or 3 Roma tomatoes

1/2 Red Onion, cut in quarters and slice thin

Feta Cheese

Kalamata Olives

Optional: 

Garbanzo beans

Romaine lettuce chopped 

Red or Green Pepper

Couscous or Quinoa 

Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp minced garlic (optional)

Mix the dressing ingredients together. Add the sliced onion and toss leaving them in to marinade while you do the rest. Chop and mix all the vegetables, crumble or chop feta and add to salad. Add olives and lastly the onions drizzling as much or as little of the dressing over top as you would like. Mix well. Enjoy with some yummy bread sticks! 

Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake

This recipe comes from Driscoll's (the company that sells strawberries etc) I made this for a church auction and it sold for $130 which I thought was pretty good AND the buyer said it was really worth it! This is a no bake cheesecake which makes it nice and light for summer. It is so great having the strawberries all throughout the cheesecake and that yummy shortcake bottom! Mmmm.

Seems like lots of steps but it's worth putting this yummy dessert together!

Ingredients

Cheesecake Filling and Whipped Topping:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 pkgs (16 oz each) Strawberries

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided

3/4 cup powdered sugar, divided

1 3/4 tsp vanilla extract, divided

24 oz cream cheese (3 bricks) room temperature and cut into small cubes.

Strawberry Sauce:

1 Tbsp water

1/2 pkg Strawberries, about 7-9 strawberries (I used frozen cut up strawberries for this part)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 tsp cornstarch

Shortcake

5 Tbsp unsalted butter (1/4 cup +1 Tbsp)

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream

Directions

Shortcake:

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place a circle of parchment paper into the bottom of a 9 inch springform cake pan and grease the sides. 

 - Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a food processor. 

 - Add butter and mix in food processor until combined and mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

 - Slowly add heavy cream and pulse in food processor until just moistened. 

 - Gather dough into a ball. Mixture will still be crumbly and loose. 

 - Gently knead dough on a non-stick surface until just smooth, about five turns. 

 - Press dough into an even layer in the springform pan. 

 - Bake for about 20 mins or until edges are golden. 

 - Remove cake from oven and remove from cake pan. Allow to cool on cooling rack. 

Cheesecake filling and Whipped Topping: 

 - Put metal bowl and whisk (or beaters) in freezer for about 15 mins to get nice and cold, then remove. 

 - Add 1 cup of heavy cream and whip on med high speed until cream just starts to thicken. 

 - Add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. 

 - Continue whipping until soft peaks form. Set aside. 

 - In another bowl add cream cheese and beat until smooth, scrapping sides several times as you go. 

 - Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and the granulated sugar and beat again until smooth.

 - Fold in whipping cream until well blended and set aside. 

 - Place another metal bowl with beaters in the freezer for 15 mins until cold. 

 - Whip remaining 1/2 cup whipping cream as done before adding 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract. (You can do the whipping cream all at once if you really wanted to and just kinda eyeball how much cream you want in the cream cheese and how much you want to save for the topping, generally heavy cream doubles when whipped in volume - I didn't measure the topping part I just threw a bunch in a bowl and whipped it up.)

Strawberry Sauce:

 - Put strawberries in a blender and blend up well to make a puree. (This is where you would add your Tbsp of water but I used frozen strawberries thawed them a little bit so there was lots of juice.)

 - Add sugar and cornstarch and blend a little bit more. 

 - Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a boil. 

 - Allow to cool. 

Assembly:

 - Wash and dry strawberries well. 

 - Slice about 6 strawberries into thin slices to use around the outside edges. 

 - Cut the tops off of about 18 - 20 strawberries to use in the middle. 

 - Line the same springform pan just used for baking with parchment paper on the bottom.  Also cut a strip to go around sides having the parchment sticking above the edges of the pan about an inch or two. 

 - Place the shortcake in the bottom of the pan. (I turned mine upside down so I had a smooth surface to work with on top)

 - Line the sides of the pan with the slices strawberries, using the prettiest slices. 

 - Add about 1/2 cup of the cheesecake filling on top of the shortcake and spread into a thin layer, filling any gaps around the shortcake and slices berries. 

 - place the whole strawberries, thick side down, on top of the cheesecake. Leave some space between each of the strawberries so that they aren't touching and cheesecake can be added to fill in the space. 

 - Drop remaining cheesecake filling on top of the strawberries in spoonfuls, making sure it fills in all the spaces. Spread the remaining cheesecake evenly over the strawberries. Depending on the size of the berries , they might poke through the top of the cheesecake a bit. 

 - Spread whipped cream topping on top of the cheesecake. 

 - Cover loosely and refrigerate until firm, about 4-5 hours. 

 - Once firm, remove cheesecake from springform pan and top with remaining strawberries, cut into quarters. 

 - Drizzle with strawberry sauce and refrigerate or serve. 

YUM!