Cupcakes

This post isn't so much a specific recipe, as it is a great idea for a kid's birthday party. Here is an idea which has dual purpose: set up a cupcake bar! Party attendees will still enjoy their cake, and, in addition, is another means of keeping children occupied during the party. First, prepare ready-made cake mix in advance and ice them; display on a decorative trays, cake stands, or cupcake stands. Remember to insert the candles into each cake and have your guests sing ‘Happy Birthday’ prior to the decorating frenzy. Second, set out various toppings such as glitter sprinkles, sugar-shapes, gummy bears and chocolate candies; the possibilities are endless and all items are readily available at your local bulk store. Third, have a fabulous time decorating your custom cupcakes, you’ll find adults gravitating to the bar also. Please note, toothbrushes should be included in loot bags; otherwise, parents may be cursing their dental bill!

Smokey Stuffed Onions

4 small to medium yellow onions (white or videlia are nice substitutes)
1/2 c reduced sodium chicken broth
4 slices smoked bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces*
1 slice grain bread, torn into small pieces
1 c Gruyere or Swiss cheese, shredded
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley (or 1 tbsp dried)
coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper

-Peel and core onions: Carefully cut bottom off of onion in order for it to sit flat. Do not remove much of the onion itself, otherwise it will fall apart during baking. Cut onion approx 1/4 1/3 from top, discard to composter. Hollow the onion by using a melon baller to remove the core, leaving 1/4-1/2 inch wall on sides and bottom. (usually 2-3 layers of the onion.) Chop 1/2 the insides for use later in this dish, save the other portion for another meal. *** this is not a s difficult or time-consuming as you may think!***
-Preheat oven to 450F. arrange onions cored side up in a baking dish. Pour both in bottom of pan. Cover with foil or lid and bake until tender, about 20 mins. Remove onions from pan, draining any liquid from cores, then from pan; return onions to pan, cored side up. Set aside.
-In skillet, cook bacon oven medium heat until crispy. Add the reserved chopped onions and cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized. Let cool.
-Add bread cheese, parsley and S&P to cooked bacon mixture. (I prefer to let the bacon and onion mixture cool prior to added cheese etc, otherwise it becomes too gooey when stuffing the onions.)
-Fill hollowed onions with the above mixture, using the back of a small spoon to pack tightly. -Bake uncovered until golden, about 20-25 mins.
-Upon serving, garnish with more shredded cheese.

* Make-life-easy tip: Keep a good quality pair of scissors in kitchen, solely reserved for cooking purposes. Easily "chop" bacon directly into frying pan! Pop scissors into dishwasher`s cutlery tray, ensuring they are in the open position.

Roasted Herbed Potatoes

-Preheat oven to 450F.
-In a roasting pan or glass casserole dish, toss 1.5 pounds scrubbed small new potatoes with 1 tbsp olice oil and 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence. Season with 1 tsp coarse sea salt and 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper.
-Roast, turning occasionally, until tender with pierced with knife or fork, approx 30-40 mins.

*Tip: for a twist on presentation, use a combination of mini white and mini red potatoes; upon serving garnish with sliced green onions.

Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan

-Preheat oven to 450F
-Trim ends from 2 bunches asparagus.
-Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet or oven proof dish with olive oil*
-Spread veggies and spray lightly with more Olive oil; season with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
-Sprinkle with 1/4 c fresh, finely grated Parmesan cheese.
-Roast until asparagus is tender and cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately.

* Make-life-easy tip: Fill a small cosmetic bottle sprayer, one labelled with olive oil, one with vegetable oil. Keep them handy in your cupboard for coating skillets or baking sheets as it is much easier to control the amount used, and is less waste than pouring out too much from the conventional big bottle! Easily spread it across the baking sheet using a silicone basting brush...easy to clean up in the dishwasher, and more hygienic than a traditional bristle brush. (Spray bottles and silicone brushes are both available at the dollar store.)

Almond-Apricot Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (approx 6 oz each)
1/2 c sliced almonds
2 oz goat cheese
4 dried apricots, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/3 c breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp olive oil

-Preheat oven to 375F
-cut a slit in one side of each chhicken breast to creat a pocket about 4 inches long
-In a small bowl, combine 1/4 c almonds with the goat cheese, apricots and season with salt and pepper. Stuff each breast with 1/4 of the mixture.
-on a plate, combine breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 c almonds. Dip each breast into egg then dredge in breadcumb mixture.
-Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until golden, 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to oven; bake until cooked through, about 30-40 minutes. You can check by carefully opening a pocket on the largest chicken breast.

Frozen peach Shortcake Squares

We hosted some friends for dinner last night, and recipes were requested. Here's the menu: Apricot stuffed chicken breasts, roasted asparagus, herbed roasted potatoes, and smokey bacon onions. Dessert was as follows...

Frozen Peach Shortcake Squares
2 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping
2 cups Vanilla ice cream, softened (I used Nestle "Real Dairy" ice cream)
1 pkg. (85 g) Peach Jelly Powder
4 cups Prepared pound cake cubes (1 inch cubes)
1/4 cup Kraft Pure Red Raspberry Jam, warmed (I used the seedless variety)
2 small fresh peaches, each cut into 6 slices
12 fresh raspberries
fresh mint-optional

MIX first 3 ingredients in large bowl until well blended. Stir in cake cubes. Spoon into 8-inch square pan.

FREEZE 3 hours or until firm.

DRIZZLE with jam. Cut into squares; top each with 1 peach slice and raspberry. Garnish with mint if desired.

Rice Crispy Chivada

This recipe was given to me from Emily during a "Secret Santa" gift exchange. Not your usual snack mixture; has a great Asian flair!

5 c Rice Crispies
1/2 c unsalted peanuts
1/2 c almonds/ cashews (or both)
1/4 c raisins
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander powder
10-15 curry leaves (optional)
salt, to taste
2 tsp icing sugar
2 tbsp canola oil

Heat canola oil in a medium size pot, add nuts and curry leaves, roast well.
Remove from heat and add rice crispies and other remaining ingredients, mix well.
Store in air tight container, or divide into decorative jars for gift-giving.

Raspberry Layered Dessert

As requested from my MIL.

Crust*
2 c Graham crumbs
1/2 c margarine or butter, melted
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Cake:
1 pkg(brick) light cream cheese, softened
1/4 c icing sugar
3 c light whipped topping, thawed
1 c boiling water
2 pkg Raspberry flavour no-sugar gelatin
3 c frozen raspberries

Crust: mix crumbs, margarine and cinnamon. reserve 2 tbsp for topping. press remaining into a 13x9 inch pan. *Next time I may try a premade crust to save time, or a chocolate crust!

Cake: beat cream cheese and icing sugar until blended. Stir in 1 cup whipped topping and spread over crust, refrigerate. Add boiling water to jelly mixes, stir until dissolved (about 2 mins.) add berries, and stir until slightly thickened. pour over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate 30 mins, or until set but not firm. Cover with remaining whipped topping and then reserved crumb mixture. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Transportation: do not make the mistake I did...put on a cover with 2 ice packs on top. When the lid gets taken off, the whipped topping peels right off and stays on the lid!

Tuna Melts

I've never made tuna melts before, and I loved these!

1 can of tuna, drained
1/2c or more of Gaucamole, or Victorian Epicure Gaucamole, prepared
1 apple or 2 ribs of celery, diced
4 pitas*
3/4 grated cheese

combine first 3 ingredients, and spread over pitas, top with cheese. Heat in oven at 350 for 10-15mins. Enjoy! Recipe easily doubles for a larger family. Serve with tossed salad.

*I used the new D'Italiano Foccacia buns (opened), which were tasty, and the tuna mixture fills the holes in them.

Asian Crunch Salad

Not your usual cabbage salad!

Dressing*:
1 c canola oil
1 c white sugar
1/2 c red wine vinegar
2 tbsp soya sauce
> mix together in a leak-proof container.

Crunch:
2 pkgs "mr. Noodles" (throw out flavour packet)
1/2 c almond slivers
1/4 c pine nuts
1/2 c sunflower seeds
1/4 c butter
> heat butter on low in non-stick pan. Break up noodles while in their package, then empty into pan. Brown lightly and add nuts and seeds. Watch carefully as it is easy to burn. Cool in a separate container.

Salad:
1 head napa cabbage, cut, sliced or shredded
6 green onions, green part only, cut into 'rings'
OPTIONAL: add 2 tbsp Victorian Epicure 3-onion dip mix (straight from the jar)

>>>Combine all components just prior to serving.
*1 full dressing recipe lasts for 2-3 salads-easily reduce mixture by 1/2 or 1/4 for a single salad batch. You can keep the components separated and take some each day for lunch!

www.epicureselections.com

THE BEST Banana Bread!

Hands down, no other recipe can hold a torch to this one!

1/2 c butter
1 c sugar, 1/2 white and 1/2 brown (packed)
1-2* eggs, beaten
2-3* creamed bananas
1 1/2 c white flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c chopped walnuts

>Preheat oven to 350F.
>mix wet ingredients in one bowl, and dry in another. Add wet ingredients to dry, mix thoughly.
>Pour into greased pans: loaf pan 1hr, mini loaf pans 40-45mins, bundt pan 40-45 mins, muffins 30-35 mins.
> For ultra-decadent results, brush top a few times in baking process as it also helps prevent the top from cracking. If you have a hot oven, turn down temperature for larger loaves to prevent burning and under-cooked center.

*if using 2 bananas only use 1 egg, 3 bananas-2 eggs.

Bananas are best if they are brown; throw in freezer and wait until you have time to use them! Get them out of the freezer, thaw for a few hours and peel. Do not wait until completely thawed, otherwise they are messy to peel...now they mash very easily!

Easy Strawberry Pie

1 frozen Pie Shell
2 1/2 qts Strawberries, washed, stems removed
1 c sugar, or Splenda equivelant
1 c boiling water
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 pkg strawberry gelatin

-cook shells according to package directions.
-mix sugar and cornstarh, add boiling water and cook on stovetop till thick.
-add gelatin, mix, let cool.
-place whole strawberries top side down in cooked shell.
-pour gelatin over berries and chill.

I was using up strawberries that were slighly off, so I sliced up the good ones for this pie. Likely makes it easier to slice, although the presentation of the whole berries would be very pretty :)

Slow-Cooker Baked Beans

Great recipe to feed a crowd...just ask a few of the blog followers, they've had this recipes before!

3 cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 pkg bacon, cut into peices and cooked (or try turkey bacon)
1/2 white onion, chopped small (I like a whole onion)
1/2 c brown sugar, or equivalent measurement brown sugar splenda
1 c brown sugar bbq sauce (Kraft has one, but not as easy to find, can use Bullseye sweet & sticky)
1/2 c molasses

Combine in slow-cooker and bake on high for 3 hours. Enjoy!

Trail Mix Cookies

As mentioned in the previous post, this is the recipe in which you can use the slow-cooker applesauce. Original recipe calls for 16 cookies, but I found they turned out very large, and would recommend about 20-24 cookies.

2 medium bananas, mashed
1/4 c honey
1/2 c molasses
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c applesauce
1/4 c water
>mix these items in a large bowl.

Mix the following in a separate bowl:
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3 c quick oats
1/2 c raisins
1/4 c chopped walnuts
1/4 sunflower seeds
1/4 c slivered almonds
1/2 c dried cranberries

> Heat oven to 350F. Lightly coat baking sheets with vegetable spray. Combine wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mix well, using hands if necessary. Batter will be very thick, heavy, grainy consistency. Form into 20-24 balls, flatten and shape into large round cookies. Bake for 12-15 mins.

Nutrition Facts/ 24 Servings/ Amount Per Serving


Calories 138.5

Total Fat 2.9 g

Saturated Fat 0.4 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4 g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.8 g

Cholesterol 0.0 mg

Sodium 130.7 mg

Potassium 232.8 mg

Total Carbohydrate 26.9 g

Dietary Fiber 2.7 g

Sugars 12.3 g

Protein 3.2 g

Vitamin A 10.9 %

Vitamin B-12 0.0 %

Vitamin B-6 19.8 %

Vitamin C 2.0 %

Vitamin D 0.0 %

Vitamin E 5.6 %

Calcium 8.1 %

Copper 7.5 %

Folate 10.3 %

Iron 15.9 %

Magnesium 10.7 %

Manganese 31.9 %

Niacin 11.4 %

Pantothenic Acid 3.2 %

Phosphorus 8.0 %

Riboflavin 7.7 %

Selenium 10.9 %

Thiamin 14.0 %

Zinc 3.4 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Slow-Cooker Applesauce

A great way to use up apples which are slightly bruised, but would feel guilty about throwing away!

8 apples-peeled, sliced and cored
1/2 c water

>Cook on low in slow-cooker for 6-8 hours, until mushy. Then add:

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 c brown sugar or equivalent measurement Brown Sugar Splenda.

>turn off slow-cooker and let sit for 30mins to incorporate. If a thicker consistency is preferred, stir in 1 tbsp quick-cook pearl tapioca.
>serve hot or cold...Enjoy!

P.S. watch for my next blog in which you'll be able to use this recipe!