Rice Pilaf

Rice Pilaf is one of those nice side dishes that goes with lots of entrees.  I found this recipe in a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and I tweaked a few of the ingredients.  It's a nice change to plain old white rice.

Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:

1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. sliced fresh button mushrooms
1/4 c. celery or green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. butter or margarine
3/4 c. uncooked long grain rice
1 1/2 t. instant chicken, beef, or vegetable bouillon granules
1/4 t. black pepper
2 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled (optional)

Directions:

In a medium saucepan cook onion, mushrooms, celery, and garlic in hot butter until tender.

Carefully stir in rice, bouillon granules, pepper, and 1 1/2 c. water.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.  If desired, stir in crumbled bacon.

In my test kitchen:

I never use the full amount of onion called for in any recipe.  In this dish I had some shallots that needed to be used up so I replaced the onion with about 1/4 c. shallots.  I also didn't have mushrooms or green pepper and I despise celery so I finely diced up some carrots.  And even though I'm not a big fan of peas, I think those might have been a nice touch to this.  I have done green pepper before and that tastes pretty good too.  My stove cooks hot so I had to add a little bit more water at the very end so this could cook through completely without burning. 

~Happy Cooking!

S'mores Ice Cream Cake

I received springform pans for my wedding...almost 9 years ago.  I finally took them out of the box this year.  Honestly, I was kind of afraid of them.  I had no idea how they worked!  And then a few months ago I saw a cooking show where they used one and I thought, "oh, that makes sense!"  So all those recipes I have put in the back cupboard because they said to use a springform pan...they are coming out!!! 

I tore this recipe from a magazine.  Women's Day?  I think?  It was surprisingly easy to make and my family loved it.  My mom asked me if I will make this for her on her birthday instead of a cake. 

S'mores Ice Cream Cake

Not the best picture but it tasted great!

Ingredients:

10 graham crackers

2 T butter, at room temperature

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract
2 c heavy cream
1 c. mini marshmallows
3/4 c. mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat over to 350 degrees.  Line the bottom of an 8 in. springform pan with parchment paper.  In a food processor, pulse 8 graham crackers until finely ground.  Add the butter and pulse until blended.  Press the graham mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.  Let cool completely, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in the microwave; let cool slightly.  Using an electric mixer, beat the chocolate, half the condensed milk (1/2 c. plus 2 T) andn 3/4 t. vanilla in a large bowl until combined.  Add 1 cup heavy cream and beat until thick, stiff peaks form.  Fold in the marshmallows.  Spoon the mixture on top of the cooled crust and spread evenly.

Clean the bowl.  Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining condensed milk, vanilla, and heavy cream until thick, stiff peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes.  Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.  Spread on top of the chocolate layer. 

Break the remaining 2 graham crackers into tiny pieces.  Sprinkle the graham pieces and remaining 1/4 cup chips over the top.  Cover and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours and up to 2 weeks.

When ready to serve, unmold the cake and transfer to a platter.  Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

In my test kitchen:

I could't really taste the marshmallows.  So I will probably increase the amount of marshmallows to 1 1/2 c. next time.  After pouring the chocolate mixture in the pan I put it in the freezer while I made the vanilla ice cream part.  That way I didn't have to worry about the two layers bleeding into one another when I spread the vanilla mixture on top.  But don't wait too long.  You still want it to be one cohesive cake.  I also don't love chocolate chips in ice cream.  Not sure why.  I will probably ease up a little bit on the amount of chips I put into the vanilla mixture. 

~Happy Cooking!

French Toast Roll Ups

I'm still doing Sunday breakfast.  I'm loving the tradition even though Seth isn't interested in anything I cook.  But these rolls ups were a BIG hit for Clint and me.  I found this recipe at www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com.  Pretty much this is the best.blog.ever.  She sure knows what is good to cook.  They tasted like a churro, scone, dessert, all wrapped up into one. 

French Toast Roll Ups

Ingredients:

8 slices white sandwich bread
softened cream cheese, sliced strawberries, and/or nutella
2 eggs
3 Tbsp milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 heaping Tbsp cinnamon
butter, for greasing pan
syrup (optional)

Directions:

Cut the crust off each slice of bread and flatten with a rolling pin.  Place about 1-2 teaspoons of your chosen filling one inch from one end of the bread in a strip.  Roll the bread up tightly.  Repeat with remaining slices of bread.

In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until well combined.

In a separate shallow bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt a Tbsp of butter.

Dip each bread roll in the egg mixture coating well and then place them in the skillet seam side down.  Cook in batches until golden brown, turning them to cook and brown on all sides.  Add butter to the pan as needed.

Add cooked rolls immediately from the pan to the cinnamon mixture and roll until completely covered in sugar.

In my test kitchen:

I normally like the nice thick Grandma Sycamore bread.  But in this recipe, I think a thinner softer Wonder bread might work a little better.  I added a little powdered sugar to the cream cheese and topped with diced strawberries (instead of sliced.)  It was a little hard to turn the french toasts.  They wanted to roll right back to the cooked side but with a little practice I got them to cook evenly.  I also gave each roll up a quick butter spray right before putting them in the sugar to help the sugar adhere.  I warmed some raspberry jam in the microwave and drizzled it over the top.  Best. Decision. Ever.

~Happy Cooking!

BBQ Beef & Mashed Potato Pie

Sometimes on a cold day, I just crave comfort foods like shepherd's pie.  I found this recipe in a Womans Day magazine one day.  The weather was cold that day and it seemed so simple that I had to try it. 

BBQ Beef & Mashed Potato Pie

Ingredients:

2 lb Yukon gold or white potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 in. pieces
Kosher salt and pepper
4 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
4 plum (Roma) tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 c. ketchup
2 T. cider vinegar
1 T. dijon mustard
1 T. molasses
1 T. worcestershire sauce

Directions: 

Place the potatoes in a pot.  Add cold water to cover; bring to a boil.  Add 1 t. salt; simmer until just tender, 15 to 18 minutes.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid; drain the potatoes and return to the pot.  Mash with 3 T. olive oil, 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper and 2 Tbsp of the reserved cooking liquid (add more liquid if necessary.)

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the remaining Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper and cook, covered stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. 

Heat broiler.  Add the beef to the onion and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.  Spoon off and discard any grease.  Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes.  In a bowl, whisk together the ketchup, vinegar, mustard, molasses, and worcestershire; add to the beef and cook, stirring, for 1 minutes.

Transfer the beef mixture to a 2 quart broiler-proof baking dish and top with the mashed potatoes.  Broil until beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minutes.

In my test kitchen:

When I made the mashed potatoes, I reserved more than 1/4 cup just to be safe.  And I did use a little bit more than that so it was a good thing I saved more.  I also added a little butter and milk too for a smoother,  more flavorful texture.  I also just BARELY noticed that I was supposed to cover the onion while I cooked it....whoops.  Not sure it would make much difference.  My stove runs hot so I think medium was too high to cook these onions for a full 8 minutes, especially if I had covered the onions while cooking.  I would reduce your heat to medium-low.  I also made sure to create some swirls and peaks with the potatoes so only those taller tips would get browned. When broiling, make sure your over rack is set at the highest level. 

~Happy Cooking!

Teriyaki Shish Kabob Marinade

We love to BBQ in the summer.  Putting the grill away is one of the saddest parts about the fall and winter season for me.  I came across this recipe in August and have probably made it 8 times since then.  It's really easy to make and tastes so good on chicken, shrimp, steak.  Serve with grilled vegetables, flat bread, rice, etc.  It's very versatile!  Loved it!

Teriyaki Shish Kabob Marinade 

Ingredients:

1 c. ketchup

1 c. sugar

1 c. reduced sodium soy sauce

2 t. garlic powder

2 t. ground ginger

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together.  Pour into a large ziploc bag and add desired meat.  Marinade in fridge for at least 2 hours.  (When marinating steak, do it overnight.)  Shake off excess marinade and discard prior to grilling.

When using marinade for vegetables, brush across vegetables while grilling.

2 lbs steak, chicken, or shrimp

zucchini, green pepper, pineapple, red onion, etc.

In my test kitchen:

I don't really have a lot of commentary here.  The recipe is just too simple to mess up.  I will say that I half the recipe often because I don't need as much mariade as it makes for our small family.  My favorite meat to marinade in this sauce is chicken.

~Happy Cooking!