I'm back!!!!!!!!! But, not full time yet. My family and I are moving into our house in Kailua, Hawaii this Tuesday. It is incredibly beautiful here, and I'm excited for what the future brings. I wasn't going to post anything until we got into our house and I could start cooking in a normal kitchen, but tonight I embarked on an amazing recipe. I didn't feel like making anything, and I originally was just going to make scrambled eggs. But, I thought, "ugh, I don't want plain old eggs!". So, I decided to make crepes. I altered a recipe I got online, and loved the way they turned out. Since my kids have a bunch of Halloween candy laying around, my husband thought it would be good to stick a Reeses Peanut Butter cup inside the crepe while it was still hot. So, I did, and it was TDF times 10! If I had whipped cream to go on top, that would just skyrocket this dessert. So, this would be good using any kind of candy bar, just cut it up into small pieces, and place inside the warm crepe...this is really a must. If you don't want to go the candy route, fresh fruit, or something savory inside like shredded chicken are really good too for this recipe.
Candy Bar Crepes
2 eggs 3/4 c milk 1/2 c water 1 c flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tbs sugar 3 tbs melted butter
Mix all ingredients thouroughly until there are no lumps. The batter should be like creamy soup. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium high heat, butter or spray if nessessary. Using a 1/4 c measuerer, pour crepe batter into the middle ofthe pan and turn the pan around and around until batter has formed a thin coating . Flip crepe over onto other side after about 4 minutes, cook another 3 mintues. Serve warm, and fill with whatever you would like! (The first crepe never turns out for me, so don't get discouraged on the first one)
A message to my followers... If you think that I will be neglecting my food blog in the near future, let me tell that there is good reason. My family and I are moving to Hawaii (Happy, happy, excited, thrilled...can't describe how I feel). Though I will have a computer and internet, I will be staying in a furnished rental for a month that does not have an oven and is quite cramped (think kitchenette style). I will also be living without ALL my favorite cooking utensils/items that make cooking so much fun and help my creative cooking juices flow. I'm hoping that when I get settled, I will have lots of ideas and recipes to share with you. But for now, ALOHA! Check back in a couple of weeks for a new post...I promise I will be back! Thanks for reading, and following!
Think apple toffee cheesecake without baking a thing! This is such a good appetizer/snack/dessert. This is such a crowd pleaser and looks really elegant when you display all the apples on a platter. I like to buy a variety of apples that are crunchy for this dip. I use Pink Lady's (my favorite), Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, and Honeycrisp. Use whatever is on sale, and arrange on a platter, they look fabulous. My trick to the apples not turning brown, is to cut them into slices, place them in a bowl, and squeeze fresh lemon juice or pineapple juice on them. (Fresh lemon juice tastes much better than bottled). Everything can be made in advance, and stored in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Toffee Apple Dip
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I use 1/3 less fat kind) 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/4 c. powdered sugar 2 tsp vanilla 1/2 pkg Skor toffee chips Carmel syrup (optional)
Beat softened cream cheese, brown sugar,vanilla, and powdered sugar together until creamy and fluffy. Stir in toffee chips, and chill for a couple of hours. Serve with sliced apples. Top with carmel syrup and more toffee chips if desired.
OMG! TDF is all I can say about these. I made them on Sunday for a family get together, and I loved how these turned out. They are moist, and fluffy and flavorful. The spiced cream cheese frosting just finishes the whole thing off. If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you could use cinnamon instead. I also used the nuefatchel cream cheese (1/3 less fat), and you could not tell a difference, it just allows you to eat 2 cupcakes because you are saving on calories and fat! (That's how I justify having 2....:))
These really are very good and should be made any time during the year. Some of my friends have said that pumpkin is not available at their grocery store yet. My advice is to buy several cans, and keep it in your pantry for the off season times. Who says it needs to be fall to enjoy the deliciousness of pumpkin? (Double the batch to make 24 cupcakes)
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin purée (8 ounces), not pie filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
1 lb powdered sugar (more or less)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 c butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined. Divide the batter among the prepared tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely. For the frosting, combined softened cream cheese, with softened butter, whip together until smooth. Add powdered sugar gradually, while beating. Add vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Adjust the sweetness of frosting you your taste, add more powdered sugar if needed. Spread frosting on cupcakes, be generous.
I LOVE this recipe. The combination of the bacon and broccoli pairs so well with the tangy, sweet dressing. The flavors are awesome, and it gets better the longer it sits in the fridge. I have this salad as a side or a main dish with some cut up fruit. It is very filling with the tortellini, and is a perfect meal if you do not want to turn your oven on. I ALWAYS use Marie's Coleslaw Dressing found in the refrigerator section of the store where they sell all the Shi-Shi dressings. It is high quality and tastes best. Or you could make your own....I'm sure there is a recipe online somewhere. This makes a large amount, but the joy of it, is leftovers are better anyways!
Tortellini, Broccoli, and Bacon Salad
2 bags (19 oz each) frozen cheese-filled tortellini 4 broccoli florets, chopped into small bite size pieces 2 c. cherry tomatoes cut in half 2 tbs green onion, chopped 1 c. coleslaw dressing 1 lb bacon, crisply cooked, and then crumbled
Cook and drain tortellini as directedon the package. Rinse with cold water, and drain, let cool. In a large bowl combine tortellini, broccoli, tomatoes, chives and dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to blend flavors. Just before serving, add crumbled bacon, and mix well.
