Peach Mango Sorbet

This sorbet was a delicious blend of peaches and mango. It's a little thicker than the raspberry one I love, but so refreshing!

Peach Mango Sorbet

2 cups peaches (can use frozen peach slices or 4 peaches)
1 fresh mango, cut into chunks
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Cut up fruit and put into the blender. In a saucepan, mix water and sugar on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour water/sugar mixture (simple syrup) into blender with fruit. Blend until smooth. Use a strainer and strain fruit/water. Put strained fruit into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator 2 hours. Pour into an ice cream maker and enjoy!

Lemongrass Pork Bowl

This has become one of our family's favorite dinners, and I thought I'd share the recipe! (Also, I'm putting it here for safe keeping.) Also, it's not really a recipe, so much as a gathering of foods in a bowl.

Lemongrass Pork Bowl (Modern Market copycat recipe)

Combine the following ingredients into a bowl. Drizzle the rice vinegar dressing on top and toss. 

• Pork Roast (cook in the crockpot and then shred. Add a little salt for flavoring, if desired)
• Pickled Red Onions (homemade recipe here)
• Shredded Carrots (steam)
• Cilantro
• Thin Cucumber Slices
• Jalapeños (optional)
• Toasted Peanuts
• Rice (We use Seeds of Change, Brown & Red Rice, which you can find at your grocery store and Walmart. It's already cooked, so it takes only a minute to microwave it.)

 
Rice Vinegar Dressing: (2-3 Tbs of dressing per person. Recipe below is for 6 people.)

• 1 cup rice vinegar
• Squirt of sriracha
• Squirt of lime juice
• Minced garlic

Photo credit

Au Jus from Scratch

Making lunch meat French Dip sandwiches is so nice and easy, but sometimes I feel guilty about using the au jus from a packet. So, I found this delicious au jus from scratch! It's easy {takes a little time}, not as salty as the packet, and super yummy!

Easy Au Jus Ingredients:

• olive oil, just enough to saute
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced (I use jarred)
• 1/8 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon flour

Easy Au Jus Directions:

1. Caramelize the onions in a small amount of olive oil. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two more.
2. Deglaze the pot with white wine, then add Worcestershire sauce and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
3. Add beef broth and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
4. Strain broth and then return it to pot. Add flour and simmer an additional 5 minutes.
5. Enjoy!

*You can leave out the white wine, or substitute apple juice, vinegar or lemon juice.

Peanut Butter Sauce

Just because you need another delicious topping for ice cream! This peanut butter sauce was unbelievably good!
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add peanut butter and stir till smooth. Stir in evaporated milk. Serve warm over ice cream. Sprinkle with peanuts if desired. Cover and store leftovers in refrigerator.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Chicken Coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup oil (Olive or veg)

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar
4 TBS ketchup
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

preheat oven to 325

cup up chicken and dip in eggs and then into the cornstarch mixture,

heat up oil in pan and cook your chicken till browned but not cooked through

Place chicken in 13X9 greased pan and pour sweet and sour sauce over the top. bake for one hour. Stir chicken half way through while in oven.

***Jessica Notes:
I like the sauce so I make extra. Just kind of eyeball it or sometimes I will double it. I feel like this amount does not really make enough for the rice as well. 
I also sometimes do all the steps except the cooking part in the oven and I will put the 13X9 pan in the fridge and then an hour before dinner throw it in. Makes the meal seem easier. I don't ever cover with foil.

Enjoy!!! love you

Buttermilk Syrup

We first had this syrup 9 years ago when we were visiting some friends. It's so yummy, but I rarely buy buttermilk, so I rarely make this. The most fun part of making it is adding the baking soda, because the syrup fizzes up like a volcano science experiment. It's best served immediately.

Buttermilk Syrup

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda

Melt 1 cube butter (no substitutes) in a large saucepan. You can cook the butter longer for a stronger caramel taste, but just be careful not to burn it. Stir in 1 cup sugar. Add 1/2 cup buttermilk. Cook until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1/2 tsp baking soda. (Look out! It will bubble and foam.)

Serve immediately over waffles!

Candy Cinnamon Almonds

I could eat these all day!  They are so easy to make. 
1/4 Cup water
1 Cup Sugar
1 T Cinnamon
3 Cups Almonds
Mix the water, sugar, and cinnamon in a pan.  Toss in the almonds and cook over med heat, stirring the whole time.  We halved the recipe and it turned out fine.  (But we did make two batches.)  Pat wanted the almonds to have more of a toasted flavor so he broiled them after.  This is a BAD idea.  It re-melted the sugar and it hardened when it cooled.  Here are some pictures of them cooking.  They turn fast, so don’t walk away!

Banana Nut Bread

• 1/2 cup Miracle Whip
• 1 egg
• 1 1/3 cup mashed bananas
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat egg, dressing and bananas in large bowl with whish until blended.  Mix remeaining ingredients. Add to banana mixture; stir until just blended.
Pour into 9x5 loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove to wire rack and cool completely.

One Pot Wonder Tomato Basil Pasta

This was so easy to make and tasted fantastic! What else could you want in a dinner recipe? I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. The best part was the freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top (the kind you find in the refrigerated cheese section). It definitely brought just the right flavor. I highly recommend making this. I am definitely adding this to my rotating meals.

ONE POT WONDER TOMATO BASIL PASTA

Serves 4 to 6 as an entree

12 ounces linguine pasta
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid ( I used zesty red pepper flavor)
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.

Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired .

Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

Crockpot Minestrone

I love this recipe, although it is more like a vegetable soup than a minestrone, in my opinion. Don't leave out the zucchini, they are the best part.

Also, thank you for putting up with a ton of food posts from me.

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
• 3 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
• 1 oz chunk of good Parmesan cheese rind
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• salt and fresh pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach
• 2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente)
• extra Parmesan cheese to top (extra pts)

Rinse and drain beans. Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.

In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, Parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper.Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra Parmesan cheese.