Rice Pudding

This recipe is quick and easy and oh so yummy! My daughter and I LOVE this stuff!

I've tried baked ones and different recipes but I usually just come back to this. I actually don't usually measure so I didn't know what to put down but found this similar recipe you can go by :) 

Found on Food Network HERE

Hope you enjoy. 

Ingredients

3 cups cooked rice (we use Jasmine)

3 cups milk

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup raisins

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Put the first 4 ingredients in a pot and stir to combined. Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally. Cook until thickened and milk has pretty much absorbed. Removed from heat add vanilla and cinnamon and stir. Cool slightly. You can serve with a little whipped cream and sprinkle cinnamon on top.

Lazy Daisy Cake

This cake was requested by a co-worker. I hadn't made it before but had seen it in the past and wanted to make it so I was excited when she asked me to make it. So the first time I made it I followed the direction exactly as given. You can see the original recipe Here from Taste of Home. 

I wasn't very happy with how high the cake was as the slices toppled over because the icing was so thick and heavy. So I talked to who the cake was for (a doctor at the clinic where I work) He makes this cake all the time apparently and said that he puts his cake in a cookie sheet and doubles the frosting! Genius! Well the next time I made it I didn't do it in a cookie sheet but I did bake it in an 11x14 pan which I thought was perfect with the double frosting. It would be good on a cookie sheet as well though. The co-worker I made it for the second time said she wasn't a big cake person but she loved this one...she had 2 pieces and one for the road after work ;) So there you go. I'm a big coconut fan and this cake is so good! Add a scope of ice cream and you are set!

(I have already double the frosting in this recipe.)

Ingredients

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup 2% milk

1/4 cup butter, cubed

Frosting

3 cups packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup half and half cream

4 cups flaked coconut (unsweetened)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until thick and pale yellow, about 4 mins. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to egg mixture and beat just until combined. In a saucepan, bring milk and butter to a boil. stirring constantly. Add to batter and beat until combined. 

2. Pour into a greased 11x14 cake pan or cookie sheet baking pan. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 mins or until the toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 

3. Combine frosting ingredients; spread over warm cake. Put in the oven on broil setting. Broil for approx 3-4 mins. Watch closely as it will burn fast it just needs to be a nice golden brown. Cool. 

Serve with ice cream. 

Frosted Orange Rolls

These are so seriously good. Serve warm with the frosting on top for ultimate deliciousness! I brought these to work and got rave reviews. So..on the blog it goes!  You can get the original recipe HERE at Stephie Cooks. 

Ingredients

1 pkg active dry yeast (2- 1/4 tsp)

3/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 cups warm milk

1/2 cup sugar, divided

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 1/2 cups flour, divided

1/4 cup butter, melted

For the orange frosting:

(I doubled this)

4 1/2 tbsp butter, softened

2 tbsp orange zest (or to liking)

3 tbsp orange juice (or to preferred consistency) 

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, 1/4 cup of the sugar and salt. Stir in 3 cups of flour. Mixture will be runny. Let rise a a warm place for about 1/2 hour. 

2. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and shortening. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour. Dough will be wet and sticky-this is ok, don't be tempted to add any more flour! Let rise until double, about an hour. 

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, cream butter for frosting. Add orange zest, juice and powdered sugar and beat until well incorporated. 

4. After second rise, dump dough onto a well-floured surface and divide in half. With a floured rolling pin, roll each half into a large rectangle, about 18 inches long. Spread each rectangle with 1/3 of the icing. Roll up into a log from the long side. Cut each roll into 9 sections (about 2 inches each). Place cut rolls into a greased 9x13 pan (my roll was only 16 inches long so I did 8 sections) It might be a little squishes but that's ok, you could use a larger pan or two small ones. Let rise until doubled. 

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

6. After final rise, bake rolls for 25-30 mins or until golden brown (the more squished they are in the pan the more time will be needed for baking). Allow to cool slightly before frosting with remaining icing. 

These freeze well. 

Chicken and Bacon Pasta

Was looking for a pasta dish I could put chicken and spinach in and came across this one...It had me at "bacon". I mean look at that  picture...yum! This was so good! I'll be making this one often!. Original recipe found HERE.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast (2 frozen Costco size defrosted)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp Italian herb seasoning (thyme, oregano, basil)

2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half (or you can use roma tomatoes cut up)  

2 cups fresh spinach

2 tbsp of minced garlic (5 cloves minced)

1 tbsp crushed red pepper (or less if you don't like things too hot)

6 bacon strips, cooked, drained and broken into pieces. 

1/2 -1 cup half and half

3/4-1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

10 oz penne pasta (I used Catelli gluten free)

grated parmesan and red pepper flakes for serving. 

Directions

1. Cook bacon however you like, drain and set aside. 

2. Cut up chicken breasts into strips (not too thin). In a large skillet, on high heat, heat 2 tbsps of olive oil until hot. Add chicken and cook on one side for about a min. Sprinkle uncooked side with paprika and Italian seasoning. Flip the chicken over and sprinkle more seasoning on the other side. Cook again for about a min. Keep flipping if needed and cook until no longer pink. Remove from pan and keep warm. 

3. To the same pan, add chopped tomatoes, spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper, 1/2 of the chicken and half the bacon pieces. Mix everything. Cover and cook for a bit until the spinach cooks down. 

4. Add half and half to desired consistency. Depending on how juicy your tomatoes are you may not need all the half and half. Bring to a boil. Once boiling add the shredded Parmesan cheese-immediately reduce to simmer and stir while simmering until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy, only about 1 min. Then, immediately remove from heat. 

5. In the meantime, cook pasta as directed on packaging. Drain. 

6. Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce and stir to combined.  Add remaining half of bacon. To serve, top with Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and chicken strips. 

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.