Month: March 2016

048

Almost in New Orleans Beignets

Published by [email protected]

 

New Orleans is my favorite place to vacation. Ever. I am lucky enough to have a husband who indulges me and has been willing to take me to my favorite southern city twice. The second time, I think it was for the beignets!

If you have never had a beignet, let me tell you, you are in for a treat! These soft pillows of magic are like a mixture between a funnel cake and a doughnut. They are amazing! However, before you put on that beautiful, slimming, black shirt, consider wearing something lighter in color…the powdered sugar coating will probably end up on you, no matter how hard you try to lean away as it rains down on your plate. 🙂

044

Because my sweet husband and I loved the beignets in New Orleans so much, we decided to try to make them at home. After much trial and error, we ended up loving this recipe. Originally, I found this recipe online several years ago and it was called “Tatiana’s Beignets,” after The Princess and the Frog, I believe. These taste pretty close to Café du Monde’s famous beignets. If you are ever in NOLA, you MUST go to the original Café du Monde. It is a true experience, and the chicory coffee is a must-try.

However, if New Orleans is hours (or days) away, don’t fret. You can whip up a batch of these beignets in thirty minutes or less. And your family will love you!

This recipe is basically the biscuit method. Mix together the dry ingredients, mix together the wet ingredients, add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mix, roll out, cut, and fry. You will also need simple pantry stables like flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, (freshly grated) nutmeg, an egg, and vanilla extract. This recipe also calls for one cup of buttermilk, but if you don’t keep this on hand, you can substitute 1 T. lemon juice mixed with 1 c. milk. Just mix together and let them sit for five or so minutes before using.

Here’s the recipe:

008

Ingredients

3 c. flour, plus more for kneading and rolling out

⅓ c. sugar

2 t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

½ t. freshly ground nutmeg

1 c. buttermilk (or 1 T. plus 1 c. milk)

⅓ c. water

1 egg

1 t. vanilla extract

1  (48 oz.) bottle Canola oil

Powdered sugar

014Instructions

  1. Place oil in large (6 qt.) dutch oven. Attach a candy/frying thermometer to the pan and heat over medium high heat until oil reaches 380℉.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 ¾ c. flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
  3. In a 2 cup glass measuring cup, beat together the buttermilk, water, egg, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and stir until combined.
  4. Use the remaining dough to dust your work surface. Need the dough gently, adding extra flour until the dough no longer is sticky. It should be soft, but not stick to hands.
  5. Roll the dough into a large square about ¼ inch thick.
  6. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 2 inch squares.
  7. Once oil is near 380℉, place three or four of the beignets in the oil to fry at a time. When the beignets puff up and are golden brown on one side, flip carefully to finish cooking on other side. Be sure to keep oil between 370-380℉ so beignets are not greasy.
  8. Using a slotted spoon or spider, remove the beignets from the pan and drain on paper towels. Sift powdered sugar over beignets or roll in powdered sugar while still warm and serve.

026For a printer-friendly copy of the recipe, click here.

I hope you enjoy these little gems from the south! My family frequently requests beignets for special weekend breakfasts, and I am only too happy to make them. I can’t wait until our kids are old enough to take to New Orleans! Along with all the history, I look forward to taking them to have a true NOLA beignet. Until then, this is the recipe we’ll be making. Have a blessed week!

Almost New Orleans Beignets

 

012 (2)

Creamy Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles for Easter (or anytime)

Published by [email protected]

 

Easter is coming! What an amazing holiday that celebrates the sacrifice and love of Jesus Christ! Without His selflessness, we would all be lost, with no hope of spending eternity with our heavenly father. That is the best of gifts and the biggest of blessings!

This year for Easter we are not giving our children the traditional Easter baskets filled with purchased candy and toys. Instead we will be giving fun, useful, items. But, what would Easter be without chocolate?! So, I developed the following recipe for our kids. We love them to pieces, and I figure what better way to show that love than with handcrafted candy eggs.

Now, you will need a candy mold for this recipe. The filling is a lovely, velvety texture, but it doesn’t take well to hand-rolling. I tried. 🙁 Sadly, it was a huge mess and not very pretty. On the plus side, you can use whatever candy molds you might have. Here are some truffles that I “painted” the flowers using melted almond bark before filling the cavity with chocolate.

006 (2)

We preferred the eggs (Yes, we tried them before Easter). My official taste-testers approve and have asked for a taste every day since I started making these little bundles of joy. They are waaaaay better than purchased candy and have a nice, dark, chocolate flavor. My preference is for darker chocolate, but these would be equally good with milk chocolate or even the colored candy coatings. The snap of the chocolate shell is offset nicely by the velvety chocolate filling. These are yummy! If you’d like to see the recipe or print it, please click here.

This is not the quickest of recipes, so you’ll need to plan ahead a bit. It takes time to let the chocolate shells harden, pipe in the cheesecake filling, and then cover with a bottom layer of chocolate. The final product, though, is drool-worthy! I’m considering keeping a bowl of the chocolate cheesecake filling in my refrigerator at all times. A spoonful can do wonders for a chocolate craving. It really is a good thing that most of the filling from this recipe is now trapped within a hard chocolate shell!

Truly, this recipe is one that makes me happy, and I know our kids will be asking to eat these before Easter breakfast. (I’ll probably let them.) 🙂 This is a truffle I can serve my family and friends that is low in crazy additives but full of rich flavor. What a special treat for a special holiday!

Creamy Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles

041

The Fastest and Yummiest Mac ‘n Cheese! You must try this!

Published by [email protected]

There was a time in the not-so-distant past that our children would not eat macaroni and cheese unless it was one of those out-of-the-box, add-the-premade-cheese-stuff. It hurt me. It really did! I LOVE homemade mac ‘n cheese. For me, it is the ultimate comfort food. I didn’t want to serve the processed stuff to my kids. (I don’t really know what makes that powdered cheese look florescent orange!)

Fast-forward a few years. I developed a mac ‘n cheese recipe to use for my foods’ students classroom labs. I loved it, plus it taught my students the difference between a roux, a béchamel, and a mornay sauce. (Fancy, oui?) Our daughter and son don’t know the difference between these, but I’ve finally found a mac ‘n cheese recipe that they like and I don’t mind feeding them. It’s creamy, satisfying, and just plain wonderful!

The best thing about this recipe is that you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry. So, you can whip up a batch within fifteen minutes of reading this post. 🙂

022You will need 1 T. butter, 1 T. flour, 1 1/2 c. macaroni, 1 c. milk, and 1 c. shredded cheese. (I prefer cheddar, but you can use whatever cheese makes you happy!)

First, get that macaroni cooking in a saucepan. This takes the longest. Boil your water, add the macaroni, and cook for 9-11 minutes. I tend to go toward the 9 minute end.

In a second saucepan, melt the 1 T. of butter. Add the flour and cook for several minutes to remove the raw flour flavor. However, stop before the flour mixture gets dark. You will have made a blonde roux! Good!

Slowly whisk in the milk, making sure to beat all the lumps out. You want a smooth sauce. Cook until thickened and bubbly. That’s your béchamel. Woo hoo! Almost there!!!

Finally, stir in your cheese. (You just accomplished a mornay.) By this point, your macaroni should be done, you can drain the water off the noodles, and then add the noodles to the cheese sauce. (Or add the cheese sauce to your drained noodles.) Now, season as you like and enjoy! If you would like a printer-friendly copy of the recipe, please click here.

041

Hopefully, your family will fall in love with this easy dish and it can save you precious time in the kitchen. For some added nutrition, throw in a handful of frozen peas and cook a few extra minutes. Or, serve with a lovely spinach salad. Either way, it will be a hit that you should feel good about serving your family. Be well! 🙂

DSC_0269

Four Minute Hot Cocoa–Really!

Published by [email protected]

The wind is really howling here today, and a big mug of hot cocoa sounds really, really good! We aren’t getting any snow, but there are places not that far away under winter storm warnings. Goodness, it’s the end of March! I love the excitement of living in the Midwest!

I’ve been working on this recipe since my mom mentioned she wanted to get my hot chocolate recipe about a week ago. (Um, not sure what recipe she thought I had…) Mom read that drinking hot chocolate is supposed to be good for us. (I have no idea where she read it, but I’m good with thinking that this homey beverage is healthy!) 🙂 Yay for chocolate!!!

For the record, hot cocoa and hot chocolate are not the same thing. I tend to use the terms interchangeably, but that is incorrect. Hot chocolate is made from unsweetened solid chocolate whereas hot cocoa is made from cocoa powder. I promise I won’t correct your verbiage if you excuse mine.

DSC_0252This recipe has some interesting ingredients, but I like the combination of the earthy cinnamon with the spicy cayenne. Adding both to chocolate really adds a nice warmth. I’ve made this with both white sugar and brown sugar. I like the brown sugar a little better because it has a few more nutrients. Use whatever you have handy. Just pick out your favorite book and whip up a cup. It only takes four minutes! Get ready, get set, GO!

Ingredients

1 ½ c. milk

1 T. dutch processed cocoa powder

1 T. brown sugar

¼ t. cinnamon

Dash cayenne

⅛ t. vanilla extract

Directions

  1. In a two cup glass liquid measuring cup, combine all ingredients.
  2. Cook on high in microwave for one minute; stir.
  3. Cook on high in microwave for one more minute; stir.
  4. Heat in microwave on high for another 30-45 seconds; stir.
  5. Serve in favorite mug. Top with whipped cream and extra cinnamon, if desired.

See…super easy! If you’d like a printed copy for your recipe binder, please click here.

I hope you enjoy this warm treat as much as I do! It makes a great evening snack/dessert. For me, there’s nothing like snuggling under my fuzzy blanket, drinking this hot drink, and watching videos with my family. I think I’ll plan on this tonight! Have a great evening with those who are special in your life.

Four Minute Hot Cocoa

025

Zesty Spanish Rice

Published by [email protected]

Zesty Spanish Rice is a great recipe that I received from a cooking pal, though I modified it a bit from the original recipe he gave me. During the work-week, sometimes only a fast, one-pan meal will do. At our house, it seems like I rely on these a lot to get dinner on the table with little fuss. With kids’ activities, work, and just trying to fully participate in life, it’s nice to have recipes like Zesty Spanish Rice. With a healthy spinach salad, it makes a full meal.

The best thing about this recipe is that you make it and basically forget it for 45 minutes. That gives me time to help with homework, exercise, or (gasp) blog! The smoky flavors of the paprika and the bacon are a huge hit with our crew, and the added veggies with the onions, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic sneak in a few extra nutrients. This is a homey dish that warms you to the core. I think you’ll really like it!

001To make Zesty Spanish Rice, you’ll need the following ingredients:

8 slices bacon, fried and crumbled

1 lb. hamburger, browned and drained

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. smoked paprika

1 t. Kosher salt

½ t. garlic powder

1 c. basmati or other regular rice (do not use instant rice)

14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with garlic and basil, undrained

4 c. tomato juice

After locating all the ingredients, you will want to get that oven preheated to  350℉. I then cook the bacon in the microwave between paper towels. (This removes more grease.) While the bacon is cooking, I work on browning the hamburger. Be sure to drain this after cooking…I think that any extra fat is undesirable and gives a greasy texture to the finished casserole. Next, add minced garlic to the hot hamburger and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

Next, mix together all the ingredients and place in a greased 9×13 pan. (It will be a little soupy, but don’t worry. The rice will soak up the liquid.) Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. After the 45 minutes have gone by, remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes. The liquid will be mostly absorbed. Now is the fun part…dish it up and eat it!

Zesty Spanish Rice

If you would like a printer-friendly copy of the recipe, please click here.

With a few simple ingredients, you can be a dinner super star! By mixing up Zesty Spanish Rice, you’ll have more time for the important parts of life. Enjoy time with your family, go for a walk, or just sit down and read. Whatever you decide, let those 45 minutes of freedom be something you enjoy. Have a great day! (And thanks, John, for a winning recipe!!!)

056

Coconut Cream Pie for Pi Day

Published by [email protected]

I don’t teach math. I have no desire to teach math. However on Pi Day, the mathematician in me comes out. Yes, I use my Family and Consumer Science skills and integrate math. In the education world we call this cross-curricular or interdisciplinary. I call it tasty!

With just a little time and good ingredients, coconut cream pie can become a part of your pi day celebrations. (Honestly, we don’t celebrate pi day…my kids are too young to know what pi is. I just like a reason to eat PIE!)

This recipe was modified from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I received over twenty years ago. With a little tweaking, it has become a family favorite. When my husband got home from work tonight, our son told him we were having pie for supper. Well…not quite. For dessert…definitely!

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

one pre-baked pie shell–use your favorite recipe

4 large egg yolks, beaten (save the whites for another use)

¾ c. granulated sugar

¼ c. corn starch (or ½ c. all purpose flour)

3 c. milk

1 T. vanilla extract

1 T. butter

1 ⅓ c. sweetened, shredded coconut

 

032Directions

  1. In a 2 quart saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch.
  2. Slowly whisk in milk and cook over medium high heat until thickened. Cook for two more minutes.
  3. Taking one cup of the milk mixture, whisk it slowly into egg yolks to temper. Slowly add egg mixture to larger amount of milk mixture, whisking to combine well. (Not whisking well will lead to scrambled egg in the cream filling).
  4. Bring the mixture to a slow boil and cook for two minutes. Remove from heat.
  5. Stir in vanilla, butter, and coconut. Be sure butter melts completely.
  6. Add cream filling to pre-baked pie crust, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until set.

For a printer friendly version of the recipe, click here.

If you’d like, you can toast a little coconut in a skillet over medium heat. The trick is to stir the coconut every so often and make sure you watch it. It will go from toasty to burnt in a very short amount of time.

We absolutely love pie at our house, and March 14 is a great day to celebrate this delicious pastry. It is sweet, has some texture from the coconut, and topped with whipped cream, it is heavenly. I might just skip supper and go straight for dessert tonight! Happy Pi[e] Day!

coconut