Cheesecake dip-dip-dip-dip-dip-dip-dip-dip-DIP!

We were invited to a friend's place for hang outs and dinner a few weeks back so I said I'd bring some dessert.  I stumbled across this 'recipe' on Pinterest (of course, thank Kee-rist for the big P) and thought I'd test it out.  I was NOT disappointed, but be forewarned that the recipe makes TONS of it so it's a great idea for a large pot luck or gathering of sorts.  You could probably get away with halving the recipe (I'll likely try that for next time). 

Here's what you're gonna need to make this heaven in a dish (well if you like cheesecake).

Two cans of Cherry pie filling (or berries, whatever, use your imagination)
1 1/2 bricks of cream cheese
1 large tub of marshmallow cream (I use two smaller tubs as I couldn't find a large tub)
2 tubs of Cool Whip

Vanilla wafers
Graham Crackers

Mix the cream cheese, marshmallow fluff stuff and cool whip with your mixer until completely blended and smooth.  Pour into a rectangle dish (or triangle or circle but make sure it's large enough to hold it all), then spread your cherry pie filling all over the top.  Take a vanilla wafer or graham cracker in you hand and scoop it through that fluffy goodness then place it in your mouth.  Enjoy.  (Since it's a dip and not a cheesecake don't expect it to firm up, OK?)

Here's a picture I thought to take only after we had already started to dig in, sorry.

Bird's Nests

It's supposedly some sort of spinach lovers month so it would be fitting to post an awesome and tasty recipe utilizing said vegetable.  But I'm going to go ahead and buck the system on this one simply because I'm not that big a fan of cooked spinach and well...being predictable can get boring.  I will say I do love me a good spinach salad but that's an easy enough recipe for most people to figure out.  So today I'll share with you a recipe that I made for breakfast this morning that went over well with all three of my boys, and me too!!  (Frankly, I'm the most important part of that equation.)  And for that I am thankful (which is appropriate because it's the Canadian Thanksgiving). 

Breakfast Bird's Nests

Ingredients:
3 cups of frozen hash browns (shredded or cubed)
2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
4 Tbsp of oil (vegetable or olive)
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and a little extra
Bacon bits
Eggs (depends on how many you want to make, 1 egg per bird's nest)


Directions:

Blend your hash browns, salt, pepper, oil and cheese.  If you let them thaw a little it's easier to mold them once in the muffin cups.   Take some of the mixture and add it to each cup, filling at least 2/3 of the way full.  Push down in centre to make a little pocket.  Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. 

After 15 minutes add one egg to each cup (I broke each yolk, but that's a personal choice), sprinkle in some bacon bits (we used the 'fake' bacon bits because we have a vegetarian in the house) and some of the extra cheddar cheese on top.  Drop the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees and put the pan back in for another 15 minutes. 

The above amounts yielded us 6 over sized muffin/nests.  You can easily adjust the amounts depending on how many you wish to make. 

Serve with toast or cinnamon buns, etc.  These were tasty, hearty and filling.  You can obviously change out the meat to sausage bits or ham, or just make veggie ones. 

 

 

Enjoy! 

 

Campfire Goodness...

Without the actual campfire!

I found a recipe that I've been looking for for what seems like an eternity and now that I've found it I want to smack myself upside the head because it is so ridiculously easy a monkey could have figured it out.  Yup, I'm a tool.  I tweaked it a teeny tiny bit and it still turned out magnificent!  That doesn't normally happen for me.  If I tweak a recipe I usually screw it up. 

Ever since I can remember, starting as a small child, my favourite cereal in the world was Golden Grahams.  Still is, with Special K with red berries coming in as runner up  (ooooh, I should make these with Special K with Red Berries next!).  So a few years ago when they put Golden Graham Crispy Treats (like Rice Krispy squares but using Golden Grahams) out on the market, I was in heaven.  At first it didn't occur to me to make them myself but after paying the exorbitant amounts of money they were asking for for said treats, it just makes sense to do it at home. 

So here's the recipe in case you were looking or in case you feel inspired after looking at the photos.  I kind of wish they would come up with a computer where you could taste a photo.  Ya know? 

6 tbsp of butter or margarine
1 bag of mini marshmallows
1 tsp of vanilla
1 box of Golden Grahams
1 cup of milk chocolate chips (or mint chips, or butterscotch chips, or peanut butter chips or semi-sweet chips, or white chips, you get the drift)
1 cup of white chocolate chips (I added these as they weren't in the original recipe)

Melt the butter on medium/low heat and stir in marshmallows.  Once the marshmallows are melted and you have a smooth, creamy mixture stir in the vanilla.  Then fold in the entire box of Golden Grahams ensuring they are all coated in marshmallow mixture.  Fold in 3/4 cup of each chip (don't worry, they will melt some).  Take mixture and put into a buttered square baking pan.  Pour remainder of the chips on top and press down lightly with your hands to ensure they are stuck to the treats.  Place in fridge for 10 minutes to firm up. 

Once cool and firm, cut up into squares and ENJOY!  One square pan yields about 12 bars (if you cut them like a normal human being). 

These were actually so much better than the store bought ones.  Everyone in my house loved them (and that's an accomplishment because Roan is uber picky, even about desserts).  They only lasted one evening.  Definitely on my must make again list! 

Yummy in My Tummy!

Today I walked into my office to find a lovely basket of the freshest, sweetest smelling peaches I've seen in an uber long time.  I was puzzled because when I left work yesterday I did not leave any peaches on my desk, but lo and behold here they sat!  I'm kinda digging the food fairies.  Turns out they are a gift from a family I took care of in January.  The gentleman who died tragically ran a hobby farm and while his brothers are cleaning it out to ready it to sell, the fruits of his labour are coming to harvest.  It was so kind of them to think of me (of all people) and go out of their way to bring me some.  I decided since I had this extra ingrediant lying around I'd make some peach cobbler.  But not before making some crustless broccoli and cheese quiche and some crispy balsamic brussel sprouts and carrots.  It was a delicious and seasonal meal, since I used all Ontario fruits and veggies! But the best part was capping it off with some fresh, sweet, Ontario peach cobbler.   Here are the recipes if you are so inclined to try them.  I never post recipes unless they're amazing. 

Crustless Broccoli and  Cheddar Quiche
Ingredients

Butter, for pan

Salt

2 cups broccoli florets

6 large eggs

1/2 cup half-and-half

Ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a square glass or corningware pan and set aside. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli; cook 1 minute. Drain well and chop coarsely.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in broccoli and cheese.
3. Pour broccoli mixture into pan. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and a mixed-green salad, if desired.

Crispy Balsamic Brussel Sprouts and Carrots

Ingrediants

1/2 pound Brussel Sprouts

3 Carrots

2 tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbsp of Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

 

Preheat the oven to 400 and line a cookie sheet with tinfoil.

 

Cut the brussel sprouts in half and and slice carrot into chunks.  Toss all the ingrediants into a bowl ensuring everything is adequately covered.  Spread onto the cookie sheet and place in over.  Bake for 30 minutes making sure you flip them at least twice to avoid burning. 

 

 

Peach Cobbler

Ingrediants

 

1 cup of Bisquick

1 cup of Milk

1/2 tsp of nutmeg

1/2 cup of melted butter or margarine

1 cup of sugar

3 cups of fresh sliced peaches

 

Heat oven to 375.  Mix dry ingrediants with milk and add melted margarine.  Once combined, pour into ungreased corningwear dish (Square or round).  Blend peach slices with sugar (adjust sugar if your peaches are already really sweet) and pour on top of batter.

Bake for 40 - 50 minutes until golden brown.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!  Yet another reason to love summer. 

Bon Appetite!

 

 

 

 

 

4 Ingredient Dessert

Like to have baked goods in your house?  Work full-time and can't be bothered to bake most days?  I've got the solution for you.  A four ingredient dessert that's easy peasy!

1 instant cake mix, any flavour.  (I happened to use marble as that was what was in my cupboard.) 
A can of fruit pie filling.  (Any flavour)
3 eggs
1/2 brick of cream cheese

Mix the dry cake mix with the eggs.  Add in the can of fruit bit by bit while mixing on high speed.  Pour cake mix in a rectangle greased baking pan. 

Cut up cream cheese into small cubes.  Push cubes into the cake mix so they are buried sporadically throughout the pan. 

Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.  Use a toothpick to test doneness if you are uncertain.

Once cooled, ice with an appropriate icing that suites the cake.  I happened to use cream cheese icing for this particular cake.

**Some combinations might be Chocolate or Devil's Food Cake with Cherry filling, or Spice cake with Apple filling, lemon cake with Raspberry filling, Vanilla cake with Strawberry/Rhubarb filling.  My suggestion is, of course, to try them all!  You kids will love you for it. 

Enjoy!!

Mac and Cheese done right!

Lately, besides finding craft ideas and unique things to make my house more like me, I've been using Pinterest to come up with new dinner ideas using less meat.  While I've not gone vegetarian I have made a huge and quite successful attempt at reducing the amount of meat in my life.  I have had great success in the recipes I've attempted thus far with the exception of a couple of duds.  Nothing outright gross, just meh.  Perhaps I just need to tweak the spices a bit, who knows.  Anyway, the one I thought I'd share with you came from a night of both success and dud.  I made homemade Mac and Cheese Bites and Falafel Burgers (as shown in the photo below). 

Mac and Cheese to the left, Falafel Burger step to the right!

So here's the recipe for the Mac and Cheese Bites (the original appears to have been taken from the Deen Bros.)

Mac and Cheese Bites

Ingredients:

12oz of elbow macaroni noodles
2 cups of bread crumbs
3 cups of shredded old cheddar cheese
6 tbsp of butter or margarine melted
1 package of herb and garlic cream cheese
2 tbsp of cold butter or margarine
2 large eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of sour cream ( or plain greek yogurt for less calories)
1/4 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (for a little kick but not too spicy)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Cook the elbow noodles so they are just shy of 'al dente'.  Drain well.  During this period, lightly grease a metal muffin/cupcake pan with margarine or cooking spray.  In a medium bowl mix together the bread crumbs, 1/2 a cup of cheese and melted butter.  Mix together with a fork until crumbly.  Spoon a bit of the mixture into the bottom of each muffin basin.  Tamp it down with the bottom of a small cup or your fingers. 

Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add it to a large mixing bowl with the remainder of the cheese, the cream cheese and cold butter/margarine.  In another bowl combine the eggs, milk and sour cream.  Whisk together.  Add the liquid mixture to the bowl with the pasta and mix together stirring in the salt and red pepper flakes.  Make sure everything is evenly combined. 

Divide the macaroni mixture into the muffin pans.  Sprinkle any leftover crust on top of the mixture if you like extra crunchiness.  Leave out if you don't.  Bake until golden, approximately 20 -25 minutes depending on your oven and how crunchy you like things.  It's best to let them sit in the pan for 5 minutes or so before trying to remove them. 

This recipe makes approximately 18 Mac and Cheese Bites. 

As you can see, we had ours with the burgers and a salad.  They were filling enough to have them with some fresh bread and only a salad.   So if you're looking for a new twist on an old comfort food that you're pretty sure your family (kids) will eat, give these a try.  I am pretty sure you won't be disappointed.  They were pretty  stellar. 

Tuna Tasties!

So for the past month and a half while I've been on this meat free diet, I've been forced to come up with dinner ideas to satiate my hunger.  It has basically been me, perusing Pinterest around 3 p.m. every day to determine what I'll be making for dinner that evening.  For the most part I've been quite lucky in my selections.  A few duds here and there, but mainly amazing dishes.  The following has to be my absolute favourite one to date.  I could eat these just about every single day.  They are so good.  So if you like tuna (and I absolutely do!) then you'll probably dig these.  I don't eat mine on buns, I just eat them on my plate with a salad or side dish.  I've also poured balsamic salad dressing on my plate and dipped them in it too!  I'm a dipper, what can I say. 


Thai Tuna Burgers
(adapted from Crazy Plates, by Janet & Greta Podleski)

1 cans of tuna drained
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs or panko
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tbsp. red chile pepper (use fresh, dry or pickled)
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup grated carrot
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 egg
1 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Flake the tuna apart in a large bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients.  Mix well. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes (I admit to skipping this step more often than not, but it does help them set up a little firmer).  Form mixture into 6 patties, about 1/2 inch thick.  Cover the bottom of a frying pan with vegetable oil and heat.  When hot, fry the patties for about 4 minutes per side.  The burgers should be cooked all the way through, but do not overcook.  They should be someone crispy on each side.  Serve and enjoy!  It's really that simple!

Brrr, that's frosty!

Hot damn folks, this girl made homemade strawberry jam this weekend.  I know, I know freezer jam is so much easier than normal jam but you know what?  I have to start somewhere and frankly my grandma's strawberry freezer jam was my absolute favourite.  And since she moved into the senior's home, we don't get it anymore.  So I thought (after seeing different recipes on Pinterest) that I'd make the attempt and see if I could replicate a childhood memory.  And since we are heading into strawberry season and locally grown strawberries are my absolute fave what better time than now? 

So here's the recipe I went with. I was a little worried that it wasn't firming up as much as I'd have liked, but my mom did remind me that freezer jam never really does.  But the consistency is alright so for a first time attempt I'm pretty happy.  It didn't yield as much jam as I would have liked, but since it was a total breeze to make I am going to grab a slab of strawberries this week and make some more this weekend.  I should then have enough stock to take me through the winter.  And I scored a box of mason jars (for a completely separate Pinterest project) a couple of weeks ago at a garage sale for $5 that have now come in even more handy than I was originally anticipating!  Double win. 

Freezer Strawberry Jam

2 cups of crushed strawberries (locally grown, in-season berries are the tastiest)
4 cups of white sugar
1 package of Pectin
3/4 cup of water

Clean and chop up strawberries, wash thoroughly as no one likes the green leafy stuff in their jam.  Use a hand blender to crush them even further and mix in sugar.  Let stand.  In the meantime,  mix the pectin in the water and bring to a slow boil on medium heat.  Boil for 1 minute.  Mix sauce in with sugared berries and let stand for a minimum of 5 minutes before filling containers.  Leave containers to sit on the counter for 2 hours or so before placing in the fridge or freezer.  Should last in the freezer for 8 - 10 months.