Sunday, December 12, 2010
Week Five Overview
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Over Thanksgiving....
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups persimmon pulp
- 2 1/2 cups white sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter one 9x13 inch baking pan.
- In a mixing bowl, combine persimmon pulp, baking soda, sugar and eggs. Mix well.
- Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, milk and melted butter. Stir to combine.
- Pour into baking pan and bake for 55 minutes. The pudding will rise but will fall when removed from oven.
Week Five
Monday, November 22, 2010
Week Four: Recipe One
Brussel Sprouts w/ Bacon and Red Potatoes
1 lb Brussel Sprouts - BOUNTY
2 lbs red potatoes - BOUNTY
1 sm Red onion - BOUNTY
12 slices bacon cut into 1/4" pieces (I used Turkey Bacon)
Sea Salt and Fresh ground pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
Clean sprouts, trim off ends and bad leaves and place in large pot. Wash potatoes and dice into bite size pieces. Add to pot with brussel sprouts. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil until potatoes are just tender. Drain. Cut brussel sprouts into quarters.
In a skillet heat olive oil. Add onion and bacon and cook until bacon is crisp and onions are tender. Add potatoes and sprouts and cook until sprouts and potatoes are seared. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
This was yum. I didn't cook the bacon right, so it was not crisp, but it was still good. Next time I will definitely cook it until it is super crispy before I add the other ingredients.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Week Four
Week Three: Recipe Four
Well, this isn't really a recipe, but it's what I cooked for dinner tonight!
Week Three: Recipe Three
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Week Three: Recipe Two
Corn Pudding?
I saw a recipe for something called corn pudding. It sounded good but the reviews made me think that I could come up with something better. I decided to come up with my own recipe. So this is what I came up with. It was really good.
3 cups of corn kernels - BOUNTY (I used my corn on the cob. Each cob was about one cup of kernels)
1 med zucchini quartered and sliced - BOUNTY (Italian Pack)
1/2 cup diced onion - BOUNTY (Italian Pack)
6 slices bacon cooked crisp and diced (I used turkey bacon & I cooked it in the microwave)
1 box Jiffy Corn muffin mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 1/4 cup shredded cheese
Since I used corn on the cob, I boiled the corn for 10 minutes then drained and ran under cold water until I could handle it. Then I sliced the kernels from the cob.
In a microwave safe bowl, cook onions sprayed with olive oil spray for 2 minutes until tender.
Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Combine the corn kernels, zucchini, onions and diced bacon in the dish. Stir in 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. In a small mixing bowl, combine the muffin mix, egg and milk. Stir until mixed. Pour the muffin mix over the vegetables and stir until mixed. Top with 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.
I didn't add salt or pepper until after, but you could definitely add other spices. I will have to experiment more in the future.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Week Three: Recipe One
Cajun Sausage & Veggies
16 oz Smoked Sausage sliced
15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 med zucchini sliced - BOUNTY (Italian Pack)
1 med yellow squash sliced - BOUNTY
5 med mushrooms sliced - BOUNTY (Italian Pack)
1/2 cup diced onions - BOUNTY (Italian Pack)
1 clove of garlic minced - BOUNTY (Italian Pack)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 Tbsp fresh parsley minced - BOUNTY (Italian Pack)
Warm olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and sausage. Sprinkle Cajun seasoning over mixture. Cook until sausage is browned. Add sliced veggies and diced tomatoes w/ juice. Cook until squash is softened. Serve over cooked rice.
I also made the cilantro lime rice recipe with a slight modification. Instead of cilantro, I used some of the parsley from my Italian basket. It wasn't as good as the cilantro lime rice, but it worked perfectly for this recipe.
Week Three: Italian Pack Extra
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Week Two: Recipe Four
1 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Week Two: Recipe Three
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Directions
- Combine sugar and oil; beat well. Add eggs and beat. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with water. Stir in sweet potatoes and chopped nuts.
- Pour batter into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan (or 2 small loaf pans). Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about one hour.
Week Two: Recipe Two
11-1/4 oz. (2-1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
6 oz. (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
6 oz. cold cream cheese, cut into 6 pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 oz. (1-1/4 cups) blackberries, halved
1 large Pink Lady apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbs. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 large egg yolk
Granulated sugar
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and cream cheese and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 pulses. Add the cream and pulse, pausing to scrape the bowl once or twice, just until the dough starts to come together, 8 to 10 pulses more. Do not overprocess. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface, gather it together, and pat it into a rectangle. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
When ready to bake, position racks in the bottom and top thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment.
On a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 13x18-inch rectangle. Be sure to loosen the dough several times and reflour underneath so it doesn’t stick. Trim the edges straight to form a 12x16-inch rectangle and cut the dough into twelve 4-inch squares. Put six squares on each baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, lightly toss the blackberries, apple, brown sugar, flour, allspice, and salt until combined.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk with 1 tsp. water. Brush the outer edges of each dough square with egg wash. Spoon 2 rounded Tbs. of the filling into the center of each square. Bring the points together into a triangular shape, pressing to seal the edges. Lightly brush the top of each turnover with egg wash and sprinkle with a scant 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar. With the tip of a paring knife, cut a steam vent in the center of the top crust of each turnover.
Bake until the turnovers are browned and the filling is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes, swapping and rotating the baking sheets’ positions about halfway through baking. (Don’t worry if juice leaks out.)
Transfer the baking sheets to racks and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then loosen the turnovers with an offset spatula and cool completely on the sheets. The turnovers are best the day they’re made.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Week Two: Recipe One
any type of pasta noodle (whole grain preferred)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
butter (optional)
McCormick Pizza Seasoning (spice grinder) or other Italian seasoning
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
I actually changed this a little. I cooked my squash on the stove with some olive oil instead of steaming or boiling it and I didn't add any italian seasoning I just added salt and pepper and the parmesan cheese. It ended up being really tasty and really easy.. It was light and just enough to fill me up!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Week Two
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Week One: Recipe Fifteen, etc
Some people made a salad and some made a burrito with these recipes. The Cafe Rio salad consists of the following ingredients:
Burrito Size Flour Tortilla - BOUNTY (Tortilla pack)
Cilantro Lime Rice
Black Beans
Cafe Rio Shredded Chicken Chicken
Romaine Lettuce - BOUNTY
Shredded Mexi-blend Cheese
Guacamole
Pico de Gaillo
Tomatillo Dressing
Corn Tortilla Strips
The burrito uses the above items without corn tortilla strips and with Cafe Rio Green Sauce.
Cilantro Lime Rice
4 cups water
2 cups white rice
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon
2 garlic cloves - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
1/2 onion, chopped - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
1 large lime - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped fine - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
Chop onion and garlic small. In a food processor, chop cilantro. Set aside. In a 4 cup measurer squeeze lime so that all of the juice is extracted. Fill the container with water until it equals 4 cups. (you only want 4 cups liquid total). Place liquid in a sauce pan, add boulion and bring to a boil. When liquid comes to a boil, add onion, garlic, cilantro and rice. Cover and cook 25 minutes, or as long as instructed on the rice package.
*If you can't find a large lime you may want to do 2 limes.
**I put all of this in my rice cooker and turned it on and let it go. Turned out great.
Black Beans
1 lb dry black beans
1/2 cup Onion, finely chopped - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
8 cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Cumin
2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
1/2 bunch cilantro, Chopped - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
Sort and soak black beans overnight. Drain and rinse. Place in pot with water covering and 1-2 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 - 60 minutes, checking every ten minutes for doneness. Add water, 1 cup at a time, if needed. When beans are at the desired consistency add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.
Cafe Rio Copycat Shredded Chicken
5lbs boneless chicken breast
8 oz Zesty Italian salad dressing
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Chili powder
3 cloves garlic minced - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.
Pico de Gaillo
4 Tomatoes diced small - BOUNTY
1 med onion - BOUNTY
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
1/2 bunch cilantro - (I had this in my BOUNTY, but I had to go buy extra)
2 limes - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
salt and pepper
Dice onion, tomato and jalapeno into small pieces. Chop cilantro and add to bowl. Squeeze lime juice into bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir and refrigerate for 1-24hrs.
Guacamole
4 Ripe avocados - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
Pico de Gaillo
Garlic salt
Smash avocados. Add as much pico de gaillo as you like. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Stir. Taste and adjust pico and garlic salt to fit your taste.
Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them) - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
½ bunch of cilantro - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
1 clove garlic - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
Juice of 1 lime - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
1 jalapeƱo - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
(Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green tobasco for the jalapeno.)
Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.
2 corn tortillas (sliced into strips) - BOUNTY (Tortilla pack)
Spray Olive Oil
Salt
Spray the corn tortilla with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Slice into narrow strips. Place on a cookie sheet covered in foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
These were actually better on day two after they had set out all night. They were crisper.
Cafe Rio Green Enchilada Sauce
2-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, minced - BOUNTY
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
2 green peppers, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and membranes removed if desired (and I desire. Always.) - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
1 1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered or halved - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped - BOUNTY (mexi pack)
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
4 c. chicken broth
2-3 Tbsp. sugar
In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender and fragrant.
While onions are sauteeing, combine tomatillos, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro in your blender or food processor. Process until smooth.
Pour the tomatillo mixture over the onions and garlic and add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cumin. Simmer 15 minutes-1 hour, depending on the consistency you want. The sauce can also be simmered in a slow cooker all day.