Trifle

Trifle is an awesome dessert. It can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. Essentially it is layers of cake, whipped cream, custard/pudding and fruit/cookies/candy. You can make it by scratch or buy it premade. You can use whatever flavors you want. And you can make it pretty in a trifle bowl if you have one. I used chocolate cake, vanilla pudding, strawberries, whipped cream and some peanuts on top.

Trifle

Cake (angel food, pound cake, chocolate cake)
Pudding or custard
Fruit/cookies/candy (berries, bananas, oreos, heath bars)
Whipped Cream

Cut cake into cubes and layer bottom of bowl. Spread half the custard or pudding on cake. Layer fruit, cookies or candy next. Then spread whipped cream. Repeat. Sprinkle top with more crushed cookies, candy or nuts.

Asparagus with Sesame Citrus Sauce

I love asparagus. I ususally cook it on a baking sheet with olive oil and salt and pepper. Sometimes you need to shake things up a little. This was just as easy and pretty good--from Food Network's Paula Deen. It has a nice balance of sesame and citrus.

Asparagus with Sesame Citrus Sauce

1 bunch asparagus
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus a splash
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt
Prepare the asparagus. Snap off bases of spears and discard. Bring a small amount of salted water to boil in a saucepan, add a splash of lemon; add asparagus and cook until tender. Remove asparagus and shock in an ice bath to stop the cooking and to keep its bright green color.

Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and cook, stirring 2 to 3 minutes over moderate heat, until lightly browned. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoons orange juice, drizzle with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Whisk to make sure it's fully emulsified. Add salt, to taste. Add asparagus to sauce, and toss until coated. Serve hot and garnish with extra sesame seeds, if desired.

Santa Fe Chicken Casserole

I told my husband that he needed to find a recipe for our leftover rotisserie chicken. He found this recipe. I thought it was very good despite the sour cream.

Santa Fe Chicken Casserole

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
9 oz. pkg. frozen fully cooked diced chicken
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
24 oz. jar thick and chunky salsa
1 cup taco sauce
8 corn tortillas
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded Cojack cheese

In medium microwave safe bowl, cook onion and garlic in olive oil on HIGH for 2-3 minutes until tender. Stir in frozen chicken, black beans and salsa. (If freezing, cool onion and garlic mixture before adding frozen chicken.)

In 2 quart glass baking dish, pour taco sauce. Lay four corn tortillas over sauce. Top with half of chicken mixture. Spoon on half of sour cream in small dollops. Sprinkle with half of cheese. Top with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, sour cream and cheese. Cover with foil. At this point, you can wrap the casserole well and freeze up to 3 months.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes until bubbly. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer until cheese is melted. If frozen, thaw casserole overnight in refrigerator, then bake covered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until bubbly; uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer until cheese melts. Serves 6

Source: About.com

Cheese Ravioli with Toasted Walnuts

This is a really easy dish and it is very tasty. It's from Cooking Light magazine. It's also really easy to change it to your own taste. I used mushroom and cheese ravioli and sage instead of parsley. You can pick your favorite pasta, nuts or herbs.

Cheese Ravioli with Toasted Walnuts

1 14- to 16-ounce package cheese ravioli (frozen or fresh)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 cup (2 ounces) walnuts, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Cook the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the cooking water.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and walnuts. Cook, stirring, until the nuts are lightly toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the parsley, and the reserved cooking water. Add the ravioli and toss to coat. Divide among individual plates and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

I made my favorite sister some vegan strawberry shortcake for her birthday. Of course I was having trouble finding vegan soygurt at my area grocery stores. My Frys has vegan cream cheese, sour cream, etc. --but no soygurt. Even the soygurt I found at the Super Target had milk cultures in it. So I didn't use my sister's yougurt pound cake recipe. I found a new one. It was okay. A little sweet. Of course, somebody left it at home and it had to be delivered the next day so she was the only one to taste the dessert in it's entirety. My husband was a sweetie and helped me out since I was sick. He made the whipped cream. He also didn't check to make sure it was sweet enough. Oops. I assume everyone knows how to make the strawberry part. Slice your strawberries. Add sugar to taste (sugar creates juice, so make sure you use it if you like the strawberries juicy). So I can't judge the finished product, but my sister said that as a whole it was really good.

Vegan Pound Cake

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened (I like Earth Balance)

1 1/2 cups granulated or raw sugar (I use granulated)
6 ounces (one half of a box) plain or low fat Silken firm tofu (blending or processing first assures no lumps)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons baking powder


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 5 x 9" loaf pan. Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in tofu until well combined. Add 1 cup flour and, with mixer on low, mix just until incorporated. Add water and extracts and do the same. End with remaining cup of flour and baking powder. Increase speed to medium and beat for 1-2 minutes. Spoon mixture into pan and lightly smooth the top. Place on the center rack of the oven and bake for 55 minutes.

Source: The Blooming Platter

Whipped Coconut Cream

1 cans worth of coconut cream- the white part, not the clear- chilled for a couple of hours.
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tsp powdered sugar

Freeze mixing bowl and whisk attachment prior to adding in coconut cream. Beat on highest setting until soft peaks are formed- usually about 6 minutes. The colder the temperature of the cream and the utensils, the better the chances of forming these nice peaks. ( As this is a first attempt at whipping coconut cream, mine turned a bit soft as I neglected to pay too much attention to the whipping process. But, I threw it in the freezer for a few minutes and then in the fridge, and the taste and texture is pretty darn similar to the animal variety. But I won’t lie, mine came out more the consistency of regular whipped cream left to sit out a bit too long. I could hardly even notice the coconut flavor though)

Once peaks have formed, add other ingredients and immediately chill in refrigerator.

Source: Manifest Vegan

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Truffle

I think these little truffles taste a lot like Tagalongs. The crunchiness of the pretzel bits are like the crunchiness of the cookie in the Tagalongs. I used Skippy natural no-stir peanut butter and stored them in the fridge. I also doubled the recipe. I think that the peanut butter that you pick will affect the consistency of the truffle. Of course, if you keep them in the freezer or fridge that can also change the consistency. I thought mine were good just refrigerated. Yum.

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Truffle

1/2 cup crunchy natural peanut butter
1/4 cup finely chopped salted pretzels
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, melted

Combine peanut butter and pretzels in a small bowl. Chill in the freezer until firm, about 15 minutes. Roll the peanut butter mixture into 20 balls (about 1 teaspoon each). Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and freeze until very firm, about 1 hour. Roll the frozen balls in melted chocolate. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

Make Ahead Tip: Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Tip: To melt chocolate, microwave on Medium for 1 minute. Stir, then continue microwaving on Medium, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted. Or place chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water. Stir until melted.

Pickle Showdown

When I got some of those little pickling cucumbers in my produce basket, I just had to try a pickle recipe. I didn't want to do the recipe that requires several days of fermentation. I found 2 different recipes for the overnight sweet pickle variety. Two of my favorite Food Network chefs, Tyler Florence and Alton Brown. I have to say, Alton's are much more flavorful. I think he is the winner of the pickle challenge. Next time, dill pickles!

AB's B and B's
(Alton Brown)


1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 cup water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon pickling spice

Combine onion and cucumber slices in a clean spring-top jar. Combine the remaining ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 4 full minutes to wake up the flavors of the spices. Slowly pour the hot pickling liquid over the onion and cucumber slice, completely filling the jar. Allow the pickles to cool to room temperature before topping off with any remaining pickling liquid. Refrigerate.

Quick Sweet Pickles
(Tyler Florence)


6 kirby cucumbers or 2 regular cucumbers
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 cup water
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1 bay leaf

Wash and dry the cucumbers. Using a sharp knife or a mandolin, slice the cucumbers thinly and place in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat. Place the colander over a bowl and allow it to sit, covered, for about 1 hour. Rinse off the salt and dry the cucumber slices well. Place them into a sterilized quart jar.

In a small saucepan add the remaining ingredients. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. Pour the brine over the cucumbers in jar. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Will keep, refrigerated, for about 2 weeks.