Brownie Volcano!

The other day to celebrate summer ending, we headed to the Rainforest Café. During dinner we discussed their dessert – the Volcano. It looks something like this.

 

It was $15. With tax and tip, we’d be up to almost $20 for dessert. So, we decided to make one at home. Ourselves. Here’s how ours looked. Yup. We even put a sparkler on top. Or two.

Here’s how I made it.

Ingredients:

• Box of Brownie mix
• Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• Hershey’s Chocolate Sauce
• Sparkler. Or Two.

This is pretty self-explanatory, but here it goes. I made the brownies in an 8x8 pan. I let them cool and then sliced them in half. I put the two pieces on a plate in the freezer for about half an hour. or until they were a little firm. Then I took the 4x8 piece of brownie, set it on it’s side and cut in into 2 wedges by slicing lengthwise. I repeated this with the other side. Now, I have 4 brownie wedges. I put these back in the freezer for an hour until they were firm enough to work with.

When the brownie wedges were firm enough, I got out a plate and piled up 3 scoops of ice cream. One on top of the other.  Then I leaned three of the pieces against the ice cream, building the sides of the volcano. I put the thickest part down on the plate as the base. One more scoop of ice cream topped it off. Then I poured Hershey’s Syrup all over it and stuck in my Sparkler. We were ready to rock n’ roll!

Pass out spoons and enjoy!

I know the brownie cutting is hard to understand. Let me know if you have any questions.

Blueberry Popsicles

Mmmmm! Now that it's summer, it's popsicle time! These are so good. And why wouldn't they be? They are made with ice cream! They taste like a blueberry milkshake.

Here's the recipe (from Martha Stewart)

I bought a new popsicle maker to make these. Here's the one I bought, but any one would work.

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups blueberries
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 quart vanilla ice cream

Directions

1. Cook blueberries, lemon juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries release their juices, about 10 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve, pressing on berries to extract liquid. Discard solids.
2. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour. Transfer to a blender along with ice cream, and puree until smooth. Divide mixture among fourteen 2 1/2-ounce ice-pop molds, and freeze until hardened, at least 4 hours.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

I know, you are all shocked that I’m posting not only one, but two, count them 2, recipes on here.  Blown away, I know.
I found this on Pinterest and thought, why not.  It looked good and it got really good reviews.  I’m trying to branch out from our same 10 meals we eat over and over.  At first, Pat was like ‘you can try it, but I can’t promise that I’ll like it’.  But after we made it, he was all kinds of excited.  It was really tasty… and this is Pat, a really picky eater.   
I’m just posting the ingredients, but I’m also posting a link to her blog.  She has a great step-by-step, complete with pictures.  But here are the few changes we made. 
A little less sour cream, and a little less cheese.  Also, we made it with the onions, but since we aren’t really onion people, I don’t think we’ll put them in again.  And I don’t feel like the sauce need more salt.  While I did add it this time, I probably won’t next time.  It didn’t make it too salty, but I just think it was unnecessary.  
Anyway click here for the detailed recipe.  (and she was a hoot to read)
 
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded {or shredded rotisserie chicken…I used the breasts}
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 {4 oz.} can diced green chiles
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 {10 oz.} cans green chili enchilada sauce
2/3 cups red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheese {I used colby & monterrey jack}
1 cup sour cream
Penne pasta

Really you should try it.  It was good.  (and it made quite a bit)

Teriyaki Chicken

I know that you are all shocked and amazed that I’m actually posting on here.  Well, you should be.  I’ve decided to start cooking more, and Pat is being a good sport and letting me.  (well, sort of)
Anyway, today we made Teriyaki chicken for lunch.  It was SO good!!!  So I had to share.  I only took a picture of the finished meal, so sorry you don’t get a step-by-step.
First the sauce.

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 5 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 -2 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water

Directions:

1. Mix all but cornstarch and 1/4c water in a sauce pan and begin heating.
   
2. Mix cornstarch and cold water in a cup and dissolve. Add to sauce in pan.
   
3. Heat until sauce thickens to desired thickness.
   
4. Add water to thin if you over-thick it :).

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/restaurant-teriyaki-sauce-133751#ixzz1zE9Vsqk1
I love that there isn’t anything too crazy in it.  It’s mostly things you would already have. (except maybe the ginger).
Then we grilled some chicken, steamed some veggies and cooked some rice.  Yummy goodness.  I think it would also be really good over noodles, but, we are noodle folk. I took a picture in a bowl and on a plate, but after I took the picture of the plate, I just mixed it all up anyway.
Hope you like it as much as we did.

Chicken Florentine

I was talking to Jeska last night when I was making this, and she wanted me to post it on our cooking blog. Luckily, she mentioned it just in time to get lots of photos!

 

4 Ingredients:

Spinach

Chicken Breasts

Mushrooms

Parmesan Cheese

 

1. Cook your spinach! (If you have fresh spinach, which I used, just boil it in water until tender. If you have frozen, cook according to package.)

2. Poach your Chicken! Place the chicken in a saucepan large enough to hold the chicken pieces comfortably. Add enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to boiling on medium-high heat; reduce the heat. Cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F).Boil your chicken breasts in water until fully cooked. . But do not overcook. About 15 minutes. Ironically, cooking chicken in water actually dries it out. Continually check on it to make sure you get it out as soon as all the pink is gone.

 

3. Sauté your mushrooms in butter, or olive oil. Or leave them raw. You decide.

4. When everything is done cooking, layer it!

Spinach on bottom (add a dash of salt)

Then Chicken (I cut mine up for easier serving, but you can leave your breasts whole.)

Mushrooms on top of the chicken

Then Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Oh, and not that pizza, dried out cheese. I’m talking about the grated kind. It’s with all the other cheeses, like cheddar and mozzarella!

Then place it in the oven for about 10 minutes to let the cheese get melty and yummy!

Enjoy. You can sprinkle vinegar on your spinach like dad to add a little flavor to the spinach!

Want To Try Something Crazy?

Today I made this.

But this isn't a lime pie. Or a vanilla pudding pie with some green dye. It's an Avocado Pie. Yup. You read it right. Avocado. These babies:

And it was so yummy. Yup. Yummy. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! {Yes, I know it’s not April Fools Day. This really isn’t a joke.}

Here’s how you can take a trip to Crazyville as well. {This is a better photo than mine, since I have no sunlight at my house.}

 

Ingredients
2 peeled avocados
½ cup fresh lemon juice
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
9" graham cracker crust
whipped cream

Instructions
In a blender put the peeled avocado and ½ cup lemon juice. Pulse a couple of times. Add condensed milk and blend till creamy. Pour into the pie shell and refrigerate for 1 hour. Add whipped cream when serving.

Bread Bowls for soup or chile

I found this on youtube.com - take 4 Rhodes rolls and thaw. Shape into a large ball and allow to double. Brush with a beaten egg, mix with a little water. (i didn't do the egg part since I only made two bowls) Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes - depends on how brown you want them and how hot your oven is.

Then cut the top off and scoop out the inside bread - do not throw away cuz it is soft and yummy.

Then fill with soup or chile. I think it would be good with Taco soup or Brocolli Cheese Soup. Since I was just trying this out - I made Potato Soup by using 1 can of Campbells Cream of Potato Soup with 3 cups of milk and 2 cups of hash browns. simmer 10 minutes. then top with cheese and bacon. i buttered the top and served it on the side.

Peanut Butter–Chocolate Banana Pie

Since I made 2 of these this week, (I LOVE this pie) I thought I should share the recipe. I’ve shared it with you before, but now I have pics with my cute helper.

ingredients:

1 graham cracker crust

1 1/2 squares BAKER’s Semi Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 bananas, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into quarters

1 pkg Vanilla pudding (large 6 servings one)

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups whipped cream, divided

make it:

lay the cut bananas in the base of pie crust.

Take 1 chocolate square and grate it for a second. Just enough to get a desired amount of shavings for the top of the pie. Set aside shavings.

Place Peanut Butter and remaining chocolate squares in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave 1 more minute. Stir.

Pour chocolate mixture over bananas in pie crust. Try to cover the bananas as best you can.

Get a cute 4 year old to help you mix the pudding mix and milk.

Let her stir in about 1 1/2 cups whipped cream into the pudding.

Ignore her when she says that will make the pudding “disgusting”. Let her lick the bowl to prove her wrong.

Pour the pudding/whipped cream mixture over top of chocolate bananas.

Top with remaining whipped cream and some shaved chocolate.

Refrigerate for 3 hours . . . if you can wait that long.

Breadcrumbs

I know that I’m overly picky (I must get that from Pat) but I don’t like to eat the heel of the bread loaf. So I’ve come up with a way to keep them from going to waste. I make my own breadcrumbs out of them. This time I used about 8 slices of bread. I broke them up into little pieces and put them in my blender. (they seem to turn to crumbs better of you break them up first). Then I pulsed it a few times until it was all broken up and looked like this. (I blended about two slices of bead at a time.) After that I added some seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, But you can use what you like). I spread them into a thin layer on my cookie sheetand popped them in the oven on the lowest setting. My oven goes down to 170 degrees.I let them dry out in there for about an hour, until they were all nice and crisp. Then a put them in a Ziploc bag and stored them away in the pantry. While I probably wouldn’t make Chicken Cordon Bleu with these, they are great for meatballs or meatloaf. (or anything else were you put the breadcrumbs inside to soften it up a bit). Then I don’t have to buy breadcrumbs, and I don’t have to eat the heel of the bread. It’s a win - win.

Sloppy Joes {or Sloppy Jaysons}

Sloppy Jaysons {he's hoping the new name will catch on}

For every 1 lb hamburger:

3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1/2 onion (diced) *
1 1/2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs vinegar
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce (or BBQ sauce)
1 1/2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice

Brown hamburger. Drain fat. Stir in ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes on very low, stirring occasionally. {Yes, I am aware that you drain the fat and add more fat (butter). Most of the time we omit the butter.}
Serve on hamburger buns or toasted bread. Enjoy.
Serves 4
* you can omit onions if you have super-tasters in your house

Chicken Noodle Soup

3 cans chicken broth (not condensed)

carrots, chopped

celery, thick slices

1/2 onion, chopped

2 tsp oregano

dash of salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

2 or 3 boneless chicken breasts (about 2 cups cut up)

egg noodles

2 tomatoes (or 1 14.5 ounce can tomatoes, cut up)

Chicken Noodle Soup according to kenna:

In a large pan, I pour in the chicken broth, add the carrots, and celery. Then add the onions, and spices. (while I am doing this, I am usually defrosting my frozen chicken in the microwave). I bring the broth to a boil and cook the vegetables and spices, while cutting the chicken in to bite size pieces. When carrots are almost tender, I add the chicken (if I cook the chicken too long in the broth, it dries out. Darn chicken.) I cook the chicken in the broth for about 8 minutes, or until there is no more pink. Then I add the egg noodles (how much always depends on how many I want.) Cook until noodles are tender (as directed on package). Then I blend a tomato in my blender (just pulsed a couple times - not pureed) and add it to the soup (or add the cut up canned tomatoes instead.) I let it simmer just a couple more minutes and serve. This will feed my family full with leftovers, so you'll probably want to half this recipe. Nothing is really specific, I just add what I feel like ;)

sprouts ~ all this from 1 Tablespoon of seeds!

I am loving these sprouts, we have been putting them on our sandwiches, however they would be great on salads and in soups. Just take one tablespoon of seeds and add to a quart jar with the screen lid. Allow to set in water for 24 hours then drain. Every morning simply rinse with water. I leave mine in a widow and after 7 days I have a quart jar of sprouts.

gluten free... no problem

As you all know, I was very nervous about cooking for Laurie with her diet restrictions, so I did some creative cooking. We love our holiday pies, and I found a receipe for pie crust without flour. Here is a Banana Cream Pie with the new crust. I think this is a great option. Rice Krispy Treat Crust. This one was butter, melted chocolate chips and Rice Krispies. I also think the marshmellow treat kind would be a great option as well... maybe better. Just line your pie dish with the treat and add your pie filling.

Monkey Bread

INGREDIENTS

1/2cup granulated sugar

1teaspoon cinnamon

2cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1cup firmly packed brown sugar

3/4cup butter or margarine, melted

( I DOUBLED THIS)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large -storage plastic food bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.

2. Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan

3. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.

4. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm.