Lemon Freeze

This recipe is from my mother-in-law. She often made it as the perfect cool and creamy dessert for summer barbecues.

LEMON FREEZE:

1 half gallon of vanilla ice-cream

1 (12oz) can of frozen concentrate lemonade

2 pre-packaged 9-inch graham cracker crusts or make your own* (you can also make a 9x13 graham cracker crust, doubling a 9-inch pie crust)

TOPPINGS:

fruit--you can use a can of cherry pie filling, fresh or frozen berries (sweetened with a little sugar), thawed frozen berries in syrup, etc.

fresh cream or cool whip

1. Let the ice-cream soften a bit and mix the ice-cream and frozen lemonade until well blended. I usually use my stand mixer and the paddle attachment on low.

2. Spread the lemon freeze into the pie crusts, dividing equally between the two crusts. (Note you can make this in a 9x13 pan and serve it cut into dessert bars. This recipe makes one 9x13 pan).

3. Cover with wax paper and aluminum foil or the inverted lid of the prepackaged pie crusts. Freeze until firm at least several hours. Can stay frozen for up to about a month.

4. Before serving, let sit for a few minutes to soften slightly. Top with fruit, and whipped cream as desired.

Caramelized Onion & Prosciutto Pizza

We LOVE this pizza.  It's definitely a grown up pizza.  But since Curly likes making her own little pizza, and Little Red devours a whole little pizza herself...it works quite well to make one medium grown up pizza and two smaller kid-friendly pizzas.  The recipe is adapted from Pioneer Woman.

INGREDIENTS
1 whole Pizza Crust (parbaked)
Olive Oil, For Drizzling
1 whole Large Red Onion, Halved And Thinly Sliced
2 T Brown Sugar
Kosher Salt To Taste
Parmesan Cheese, Grated
10 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Thinly Sliced
4-6 slices Prosciutto (you can substitute bacon, but the flavor is more salty.  I also partially cooked it)

Make pizza crust.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and brown sugar and toss/stir for several minutes, or until onions are brown and cooked and soft. Set aside.

On half-baked pizza crust if using "My Favorite Pizza Crust" drizzle on olive oil, sprinkle on a little salt, followed by a little Parmesan.  If using a pizza dough recipe that does not parbake the crust, roll out the dough and then drizzle on the oil, add the salt and Parmesan.

Lay slices of mozzarella evenly over the top of the crust. Arrange caramelized onions over the top of the mozzarella. Randomly lay slices of prosciutto over the onions.  If you prefer you can cut the prosciutto slices into smaller pieces so they are more evenly distributed over the pizza.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the lower half or middle of the oven, or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and cut into squares. Serve immediately.

Caramelitas

This recipe is one of my all time favorite desserts, but it's so addicting! From Sarah Silva

INGREDIENTS
2 Cups flour
2 cups oats
1 ½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ cup soft butter

12 oz. Mrs. Richarson's Butterscotch Caramel topping (or similar topping)
3 Tbsp. flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Mix 2 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and butter together in stand mixer. Reserve ½ of the mixture. Press remaining ½ into a 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°. While crust is cooking, combine the caramel and flour.

Pour over hot crust. Sprinkle 1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips over the caramel layer. (you may also add ½ cup chopped nuts).

Top with remaining crust mixture by crumbling over the top of the caramel. Bake for 18-22 minutes at 350. Allow to cool 1-2 hours before cutting into bars and serving.

Black bean, Corn, and Quinoa Salad

My friend put this recipe on her food blog that she adapted from here.  Below is my take on it.  It is delicious!    This is the perfect side dish to any Mexican meal.  But I also LOVED it as a filling with our tacos/burritos.  I would choose this anytime over rice and beans.  It's so good and good for you!

1 Tbl. oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1  1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
1 c. frozen sweet corn
1 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir in onions and garlic and saute until lightly browned.

Add quinoa and cover with broth. Stir in cumin, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes (or until all the liquid is absorbed).

Stir in frozen corn and black beans until heated through. Remove from heat and add chopped cilantro. Serve warm, room temperature or cold (I liked it just barely warm).

Cashew Ginger Sauce and Steamed Veggies, Savory Crepe Recipe

From the web

INGREDIENTS:

Steamed veggie(s) of choice

Sauce:
2 C toasted cashews
1 C water
2 T minced fresh ginger (NOT powder)
1 T soy sauce
1 T honey or sugar (white or brown)
2 T plus 1 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
cayenne pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Puree everything together in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Best served warm.  (You can make it in advance, just reheat on the stove).    I just served the sauce on the side along with rotisserie chicken and steamed veggies.  We also had out berries, bananas, cream, nutella, etc for a make your own crepe bar.

But you can also make a large batch of just these veggie crepes with the sauce in the oven.  For that method do the following assembly:   Place a few tablespoons of the steamed vegetable in your crepe. Top with a tablespoon or two of sauce. Roll and seal with a drop of sauce. Arrange in baking dish. Once all the crepes are arranged, spoon some sauce of the top of all of them. Heat through and serve.

Basic Crepes

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.  Yields about 16 crepes.

Quinoa Chili

So yummy and filling.  The flavors just blend together perfectly.

3 cans kidney beans, rinsed & drained (or whatever beans you like)
1 T canola or olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced (or 2 small/medium onions)
2 sweet green or red peppers, chopped
3 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup quinoa, rinsed in warm water &amp drained;
1-1 1/2 cup frozen corn
16 oz of tomato sauce
2 cups water

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onions, and sauté until tender and starting to caramelize 5+ minutes. Add salt, garlic, pepper and spices; sauté for 5 more minutes. Add rinsed quinoa and stir in. Add corn, tomato sauce, and water.  Simmer together 20 minutes. Add beans to the pot and simmer another 10 minutes. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, sliced avocadoes or whatever else you like to put on chili.  Makes 6-8 (1 Cup) Servings.  From Feed Your Family.  Excellent served with corn chip dippers or corn bread.

Chocolate Monkey Smoothie

This is one of Curly's favorite snacks.  It sounds a bit strange, but it's totally good!  It's also a great way to get kids to eat a LOT of spinach!!!


1-2 ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups of milk (I like to use vanilla soymilk)
3+ Tablespoons of Hershey's chocolate syrup
1 cup of fresh baby spinach (I usually just put in a big handful but you can adapt to taste)

Put all the ingredients in a blender.  Blend until smooth (ideally until you no longer see little green flecks from the spinach and everything is well incoprated) about 2 minutes.

Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie

A super coconutty and creamy pie that will definitely be making frequent appearances on our table if Baldy has anything to say about it! Makes a 9 inch pie. From My Kitchen Cafe.

INGREDIENTS
1 can coconut milk
Half-and-half or heavy cream (enough to add to the coconut milk to make 3 cups)
3 egg yolks
¾ cup white sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut, toasted*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 recipe graham cracker crust
Fresh Whipped Cream, lightly sweetened (1 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract).

In a medium saucepan, combine half and half, coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Bring to a boil over medium to medium-low heat, stirring frequently at first, then constantly as mixture starts to thicken and begins to simmer, 8 to 10 minutes. Once mixture simmers, continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute longer.  Mixture will become very thick. Remove from heat, and stir in ¾ cup of the toasted coconut, coconut extract and the vanilla extract. Pour into baked and cooled graham cracker crust and chill 2-4 hours covered with plastic wrap. Top with whipped cream and the remaining ¼ cup of toasted coconut.

*To toast coconut, spread coconut on rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake at 325 degrees, tossing often, until lightly toasted, about 5-10 minutes. Watch closely it will turn golden quickly, lower oven to 300 degrees if using a dark non-stick pan.

Baked Manicotti

This really is an amazing recipe. It's innovative because it uses no bake lasagna noodles to roll up the cheesy yummy filling instead of trying to stuff the tricky manicotti tubes. The homemade tomato sauce is amazing.  We love it so much that we have also used it for plain spaghetti or on pizza.   Serves 6 to 8 Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen and My Kitchen Cafe.

INGREDIENTS
Tomato Sauce
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (in juice)
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried basil

Cheese Filling and Pasta
3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil (I usually use 1/2 teaspoon dried basil)
16 no-boil lasagna noodles (I use the Barilla brand – apparently they are supposed to be the most similar to homemade pasta and I love them, both in this and in lasagna)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil, garlic, and pepper flakes (if using) in large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan chese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs; set aside.

To assemble, pour 1 inch boiling water into 13 by 9-inch baking dish, then add noodles one at a time. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water in baking dish and dry baking dish.

Spread bottom of baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Using soupspoon, spread 1/4 cup cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll into tube shape and arrange in baking dish seam side down. (You should be able to fit 8 manicotti in each row, allowing all 16 to fit in the dish). Top evenly with remaining sauce, making certain that pasta is completely covered.

Cover manicotti with aluminum foil. Bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes, then remove foil. Sprinkle manicotti evenly with remaining 1 cup Parmesan. Bake until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

The manicotti can be prepared right up until the baking step then covered with a sheet of parchment paper, wrapped in aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. (If frozen, thaw the manicotti in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.) To bake, remove the parchment, replace the aluminum foil, and increase baking time to 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Graham Cracker Crust

INGREDIENTS
Graham Cracker Crust
9 graham crackers , broken into rough pieces
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and warm


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In food processor, process graham crackers until evenly fine, about 30 seconds (you should have 1 cup crumbs). Add sugar and combine. Then add warm melted butter in steady stream; stirring until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer crumbs to 9-inch glass pie plate; form crust using 1/2-cup dry measuring cup to help pack down and mold crumbs to the pie plate. Bake crust until fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes; transfer to wire rack and cool completely while making filling.

Chinese Chicken Salad

A yummy entree salad recipe from Jill Hunter.  This recipe feeds 6 adults as a full meal (aka it makes a lot).  Excellent served with a side of pot stickers.

SALAD INGREDIENTS

3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 head of iceberg lettuce, torn

1 head of redleaf lettuce, torn

1/2 package of wonton wrappers, cut into strips (about thirds) and fried*

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of canola oil (or less, Jill often uses about 3/4 of a cup)

3/4 cup of seasoned rice vinegar (found in the Asian food section)

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

1/2 cup of sugar (or less to taste)

4-6 green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces (Jill usually doesn't cut them)

Put all the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Then toss the lettuce, chicken, wontons in a large bowl.  Right before serving add the dressing.

*To fry the wontons, warm up oil over medium high heat.  Place a couple in and let them puff up and brown on one side for about a minute.  Watch that they don't burn.  Then flip them over with tongs and cook the other side.  Remove and let cool on paper towels.

Buttermilk Cornbread

This is our favorite cornbread--super moist with just the right amount of sweetness.  Definitely my go-to recipe if I have buttermilk (it really does taste better with real buttermilk).  It stands on its own or is excellent with soup, chili, honey, butter, or honey butter.  From Favorites, Ivory Family Recipes.

1/2 cup butter, melted

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup corn meal

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir together and pour into greased *9-inch square pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Original recipes calls for an 8-inch pan and baking for 30 minutes.  I just prefer it a little less tall and a little less baking time.