Kabobs

With all the fresh vegetables that are being harvested right now it is a great time to put them to use. Kabobs are a quick and simple way to get great way to get dinner done fast but still have it taste great. You also have a lot of options when it comes to making kabobs because you can choose anything you like and stick it on.

Kabobs:

First choose what meat you would like to use-
Chicken or Steak (We used steak and marinaded it in BBQ sauce for 1 1/2 hours or so. But any marinde would taste great.)

Next choose you vegetables-
Bell Peppers
Onions
Mushrooms
Cherry Tomatoes
or any other vegetable of your choice

Last but not least-
Stick everything on a stick alternating the meat and vegtables. Cook it on the grill at 350. Make sure you rotate them every few minutes so that the meat cooks throughly. When they are cooked all the way through take them off and ENJOY!!!

The Bruce Bogtrotter Cake

Have you ever seen the movie Matilda? If you have then you know what we mean when we say it is a Bruce Bogtrotter cake!!! We found this recipe in the World Wide Mothers Day Cookbook and it is actually called The Closest Thing to Heaven on Earth cake, but after it was made the only thing we could think was how much it looked like the Bruce Bogtrotter cake.

This a huge, three layer, nothing but chocolate cake!! It was not to hard to make, but it is beautiful once it is done. It feeds quite a few people and would be great for a large party. We hope you love it as much as we did!!



The Bruce Bogtrotter Cake

Cake:
2 dark chocolate cake mixes
2 small boxes instant
chocolate pudding
8 eggs
2/3 C. vegetable oil
1 1/2 C. sour cream
1 1/2 C. water
2 12-oz. bags semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions for Cake: Preheat oven to 350. Spray 3 round 10-inch pans with nonstick spray and dust lightly with flour. Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips for 2 minutes on low. Fold in both bags of chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until the cake tests done. Remove the layers from the oven and cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 C. butter, at room temperature
4 C. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 6.7-oz. milk chocolate bar

Directions for Cream Cheese Frosting: Blend all ingredients except chocolate bar together until light and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixture bowl so no clumps of cheese remain. Melt chocolate bar in the microwave. Blend the melted chocolate bar into the frosting.

Simple Syrup:
1 C. sugar
1 C. corn syrup
1 C. water

Directions for Simple Syrup: In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a full boil. Allow to cool before using. Brush a generous amount (about 2 Tbsp.) of simple syrup on each cake layer. Be sure to get the edges extra well.

Chocolate Chunks:
Chop 4 1.55-oz. milk chocolate bars into chunks. Set aside.

Chocolate Curls:
Using a swivel-blade vegetable peeler, shave small curls from the side of a large milk chocolate bar. Shave enough to cover the top of the cake completely. Set aside.

Assembling the cake:
1 16-oz. bag mini chocolate chips

Assembling the cake: Place little squares of waxed or parchment paper on the platter you are going to place your cake on; tuck them just under the edge of your first layer of cake so that you can pull them out easily when you are done decorating the cake. This will keep your platter clean as it collects all the chocolate that falls while you are decorating the cake. Place first layer of cake on platter. Frost the top with Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkle with one of chopped chocolate bars. Repeat with second layer. Place third layer on cake. Frost the remaining cake. While frosting is still moist from spreading on cake, push mini chocolate chips into the frosting on the sides of the cake. It works best if you pour some in your hand and lightly press them into the frosting starting from the top of the cake sides and moving to the bottom. Sprinkle chocolate shavings on the top of the cake. Carefully side out the wax or parchment paper that is under the bottom cake layer. Makes 24 servings. Note: If desired, you can give your cake a more finished look by piping the top and bottom edge of the cake with chocolate frosting using a star-shaped frosting tip.

Stir-Fry

We recently started to get the Food Network magazine and let me tell you it is totally worth it!!! They have some great gourmet looking recipes that are so easy and simple.
This recipe is great because you can add, subtract, or replace about anything you want. For instantce if you would rather have chicken instead of shrimp. Then go right ahead! Get creative and change it up. Make sure you leave a comment though and let us know what you changed so we can try it!

Stir-Fry
adapted from Food Network Magazine

3/4 pound medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Marinate:

Whisk 1 egg white, 1 tablespoon Chinese rice vinegar, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Toss with shrimp (or meat of choice); cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Any vegetabels you want we use:

snow peas

scallion pieces

edamame

Clear Sauce:

Mix 3/4 cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar,1/2 teaspoon seame oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon sugar.

Directions:

Drain the excess marinade for the protein. Place your sauce, vegetables and protein near the stove.

Heat 1/4 inch peanut of vegetable oil in wok or skillet over medium heat. Add teh protein; slowly stir until almost opaque, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to a plate; discard the oil and wipe out the pan.

Heat the pan over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons oil, then 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 to 2 tablespoons minced ginger, 2 minced scallions and a pinch each of salt and sugar; stir-fry about 30 seconds. Add the vegetables, starting with the ones that take the longest to cook; stir-fry until crisp-tender.

Add the shrimp (again, or whatever meat you want) and sauce and stir until the sauce is thick and the vegetables and protein are cooked thorugh, about 3 minutes. Thin with chicken broth if, needed. Garnish with sliced scallions, peanuts, sesame seeds, sliced jalapenos and/or cilantro.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

While looking at other food blogs I can't help but want to make everything I see because they all look so good!!! This is one of the recipes, so I decided to give it a try. I found this recipe on Cafe Zupas!

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
makes 48 cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 cups oats
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 well-beaten eggs
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Grease a cookie sheet; set aside. Preheat oven to 375F.

In a medium saucepan combine butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined. Add eggs; mix well. Stir in white chocolate chips and cranberries.
Drop batter by rounded teaspoons 3 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet, stirring the batter often.

Bake for 6 to 7 minutes or until edges are firm. (The first batch always seems to take a little longer so make sure you check them before you take them out.) Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

White Chili

We love soup in our house!! During the winter we have soup at least once a week. We found this recipe in Community Magazine last week and decided to try it. It turned out to be pretty tasty!!

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 can (11 ounce) white Shoepeg or whole kernel corn, drained

1 can (15 to 16 ounces) great northern beans, drained

1 can (15 to 16 ounces) butter beans, drained

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

Heat oil in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, Cook onions and garlic in oil, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender.

Stir in remaining ingredients except chicken. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. stir in chicken; simmer until hot.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bites

It has been a long time since we have posted but, we promise or at least we will try to be better at posting. This recipe would be great for a New Years Eve party or any dinner party that you are planning during the holidays! They are great served as a main dish or as and appetizer! They are made of ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen already! Try them out and let us know what you think!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bites

12-20 chicken breast tenderloins

4 pieces of Swiss cheese ( cut in to slices about 1 inch wide)

4 pieces of ham (also cut these about 1 inch wide and as long as the tenderloin)

12-20 sturdy toothpicks (make sure they are thick so we could hold the chicken together)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Egg Wash- 3 eggs whisked with 2 tablespoons water

Flour Mixture-

2 cups flour

1 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Bread Crumbs-

2 cups Panko crumbs (If you use Italian crumbs then you do not need to add the next 2 following ingredients)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Dipping Sauce-

1/2 cup Dijon Mustard

1/2 Cup Yellow Mustard

2 tablespoons Mayo

1/4 cup honey

Combine all the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a bowl.

Place chicken tenderloin between two pieces of wax and beat with tenderizer for a few seconds. After you have tenderized all of the pieces place a strip of ham and then a strip of cheese on top of each tenderloin. Also add a dot of honey mustard on one end of the each strip. Then begin to roll your strip, once it has been rolled stick a tooth pick through it.

Make egg wash by whisking 3 eggs with 3 tablespoons with water.

In pan combine flour mixture and in another pan put bread crumbs in it.

After chicken is rolled up roll it into flour mixture then dip in egg wash. Last roll into the bread crumbs. Lay the Cordon Bleu bites on a oiled pan, lightly brush butter on to the tops of the bites or spray with Pam lightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until they are golden brown and the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Serve with Dipping Sauce and Enjoy!!

No-Bake Peach Pie!

Last week a friend of ours had a piece of this pie that her neighbor had given her, she let us try it and we loved it. We told her that she needed to get us the recipe, sure enough that night she called us with the recipe and we could believe how easy it was!!

No-Bake Peach Pie

2 cups gramham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

6 slices peaches

Whipped cream

Chopped nuts (optional)

Mix Graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into 9x13 the pan. In another bowl mix sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice. Put half of this mixture on top the the crust. Cut peaches and place on top. Put the rest of the sweetened condensed milk mixture on. Put in refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour. After chilled and just as you serve it add whipped cream and chopped nuts of your choice (optional, you could also put more crushed graham crackers on it if you would like). Then it's time to eat!!