~No-Fry Fried Ice Cream~

I'm obviously behind on this because I found this recipe right after Cinco de Mayo.  Someone posted a link to it on Facebook and I quickly bookmarked it.  Now I know exactly what I'll serve to guests whenever I serve dessert.  This. Was. Fabulous.  I mean, I'm a huge fried ice cream fan and almost always have it when I go to authentic Mexican restaurants.  Now I can have them all the time at home without even having to fry it!

Anyways, you're supposed to mix a few cups of corn flakes and mix them with sugar, corn syrup, melted butter and cinnamon.  I used Kellogg's frosted flakes so I didn't have to add any sugar.  Roll some scoops of ice cream in the cereal mixture and place them in a cupcake pan.  Then place them in the freezer until ready to serve.  I served them up with whipped cream and caramel sauce.  Yummy!

~No Fry Fried Ice Cream~

by Tablespoon ( really cool blog )

6 cups honey coated corn flakes cereal, crushed

2 Tablespoons white sugar  

3 Tablespoons butter, melted  

5 Tablespoons corn syrup  

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon  

1 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened  

(optional) Toppings: caramel syrup, chocolate syrup, whipped cream

1.  Combine crushed cereal, sugar, butter, corn syrup. and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

2.  Shape ice cream into 3-inch balls and roll in the cereal mixture, pressing lightly to ensure that the ball is fully coated.

3.  Place ice cream balls in muffin tins and freeze until ready to serve.

These hold very well in the freezer, by the way.  A week later, we were still enjoying these!

4.  To serve top with syrup, whipped topping, and a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired.

Enjoy!



Tres Leches Coconut Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting

I lived in El Paso, Texas almost two years before moving here to Germany. It was there that I fell in love with tres leches cake, or three milk cake.  The cake is Latin American in origin and is so aptly named because it is a spongy cake that is soaked in three different types of milk.  Traditional recipes call for evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream.  And the cake has enough of each three milk so as to not be soggy.  It is delicious.

Our house in El Paso was literally two minutes away from a Mexican grocery store that sold these cakes in bulk.  Whenever I had a party to go to, I'd always get this cake.  I miss it!  So, in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, I decided to make tres leches cake for a potluck at work.  Instead of making a big cake, I decided to make cupcakes and I found this fabulous recipe online via Google.  Turns out, it's a recipe off of the Food Network.  Folks, I have never tasted a more delicious cupcake in my life.  Ever.  Not only was the cake good, but the frosting.  Oh, the frosting.  It is out of this world.

There are slight modifications to this recipe.  Instead of using heavy cream, the cake recipe calls for coconut milk and I was instantly sold on this because I love anything with coconut in it.  And the frosting requires you to make dulce de leche (which is like caramel), which I'd never done until last night.

I'll be honest...this was time-consuming and took a lot of work for cupcakes, but it was worth it.  Next time, I think I'm just going to make this into one big cake.  

I received tons of accolades for these and thank goodness I allowed myself to try one, otherwise, I never would have known just how good they were.  I injected enough of the three milks to ensure that they were soaked, yet not soggy.  And I piled on the frosting, as you can see.  Forgive me for my lack of frosting-piping skills.  It was my first time doing it!  Guys, you have to make this.  You just have to.  You will not be sorry! 

 

Tres Leches Coconut Cupcakes

with

Dulce de Leche Buttercream

{from FoodNetwork.com}

For Cake:

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, separated

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 cup lightly toasted flaked coconut (Mounds or Angel Flake brand)

For Dulce de Leche Buttercream:

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (Eagle brand)

2 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening, butter, and sugar until light and fluffy on medium speed; add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating until all the yellow disappears. Add the vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into cake batter.

Fill standard paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack that has been placed over a baking sheet to cool.

While cupcakes are still warm, stir together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and the coconut milk. Using a meat injector needle, inject each cupcake in several different spots with about 1/2 to 3/4-ounce of the mixture. Or, poke several holes in the top of each of the cupcakes with a 1/4-inch wooden skewer. Pour the milk mixture over each cupcake while they are still warm, filling each hole. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight before icing.

For the Buttercream:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. To make the dulce de leche, pour the sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie plate and cover with foil. Place in a larger roasting pan where pie plate can sit flat. Pour hot water into the roasting pan to a depth of about halfway up the pie plate. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir until smooth.

Place egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. Stir the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a small, heavy saucepan. Whisk in the water first, then the dulce de leche and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk the dulce de leche mixture into the 2 egg yolks. Stir in the vanilla. Strain through a wire mesh strainer into a small bowl and set aside to cool completely.

Beat the butter on high speed in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the cooled dulce de leche mixture. Beat in the 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth and spreadable.

Frost each cupcake with a generous amount of dulce de leche buttercream. Refrigerate any remaining buttercream for another use. Sprinkle each cupcake with toasted coconut

Enjoy!

And boy am I going to make more of these soon!

Catching Up: Easter Recipes

Last weekend, we spent Easter with some very good friends here in Stuttgart.  It had been a while since I'd whipped up anything homemade in the kitchen; even then, I wasn't trying to kill myself.  You guys know how I love to keep things simple!

I was asked by the hostess to help her out by bringing a few dishes. Naturally, I agreed to do a side dish as well as a dessert. 

I wanted to do a side dish that I thought would go well with the ham that we were going to have.  The hostess already told me that she was going to have a salad as well as some sweet potatoes.  So I went with a green bean casserole...only this recipe was kicked up a notch.  I didn't think it would be noticeable.  I mean, it's green bean casserole, after all.  However, it was a hit.  Even I thoroughly enjoyed it and intend to make every green bean casserole this way from now on.

~Classy Green Bean Casserole~

{via allrecipes.com}

3 (14.5 ounce) cans French cut green beans, drained

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup coarsely crushed buttery round crackers

2 tablespoon butter, melted

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.In a medium bowl, mix together the green beans, sour cream, condensed soup, salt and pepper. Spoon into a 2 quart casserole dish. Stir melted butter into the crushed crackers, then sprinkle over the top of the casserole.

3.Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned and bubbly.

For dessert, I wanted to have something light and I knew that I wanted to use strawberries.  Enter Kraft Foods' Strawberry Pretzel Squares recipe.  It's similar to a recipe that my cousin always makes back home, only this one incorporates fresh strawberries and a pretzel crust.  I love that sweet and salty combination!  Because we had so many desserts that evening, including a fabulous carrot cake that the hostess made, I had tons leftover (although I was told it was delicious).  No problem though, because I took it to work the next day and it was polished off in no time.  I am definitely making this one again too!

~Strawberry Pretzel Squares~

{via kraftfoods.com}

2 cups finely crushed pretzels

1/2 cup sugar, divided

2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

1-1/2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

2 Tbsp. milk

1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

2 cups boiling water

1 pkg. (6 oz.) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin

1-1/2 cups cold water

4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

HEAT oven to 350°F.

1.  Mix pretzel crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Bake 10 min. Cool.

2.  Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar and milk until blended. Stir in COOL WHIP; spread over crust. Refrigerate.

3.  Add boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate 1-1/2 hours or until thickened (spoon drawn through leaves definite impression).

4.  Stir berries into gelatin; spoon over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Enjoy!

Now I'm off to find the perfect Cinco de Mayo recipe for a potluck we're having at work.  Any ideas out there?

Asian Lettuce Wraps & Fried Rice

I could kiss my friend, Angie, for introducing me to one of my new favorite blogs, Our Best Bites.  They have a TON of recipes as well as other craft ideas that I am dying to try.  Anyway, Angie had posted (on Facebook) a recipe for chicken lettuce wraps about two weeks ago and I knew that I was going to make them.  Man, I love me some chicken lettuce wraps.  I love PF Chang's version best, but since I doubt I can find a PF Chang's anywhere in Europe, I figured this recipe would help take the edge off of this serious craving. 

Well, it did--even if I did have to used ground turkey instead of ground chicken since the commissary doesn't sell it.  I may have to go off-post for ground chicken next time.  I made the lettuce wraps last Saturday.  My husband raved about them.  They sure were yummy and so easy to make.

{Asian Lettuce Wraps}

Click here for recipe.

The next day, I decided I still wanted more Asian food, so I pulled up a fried rice recipe (also via Our Best Bites) and paired it up with some pot stickers (that I'd purchased from the commissary in the frozen section--yeah, I was being lazy) that I'd boiled and then lightly pan fried.  Oh my gosh....talk about ultimate comfort and with minimal effort.  My favorite kinds of recipes.

{Fried Rice}

Click here for recipe.

Anyway, since last weekend, a close friend of mine had found and forwarded PF Chang's chicken lettuce wraps recipe to me.  Yipppeeee! When I make them, I'll be sure to let you guys know how it turned out!

Hachis Parmentier

I joined the French Fridays with Dorie cooking group months ago, right before we departed El Paso and haven't done anything with it since we've been in Germany.  I'm going to try to change that soon!  I made this hachis parmentier recipe this past Thanksgiving weekend, but never posted about it.  I enjoyed the dish so much that I had to make it again...and post about it this time. 

Hachis parmentier is the French version of shepherd's pie.  In this particular recipe, instead of using cube steak/beef chuck and making bouillon, I took the easy way out and used ground beef and beef broth.  I mixed parsley, garlic and sauteed mushrooms into the beef filling and topped it off with mashed potatoes.  Instead of using grated gruyere cheese, I used creamed havarti.  Ohhhh...yummy!

When it's done baking, the mashed potatoes get browned and crusty.  And it's great with any kind of vegetable on the side.  Yesterday we had asparagus spears and tonight we had it with sauteed zucchini.  It's my new favorite comfort food dish.

I know...I'm getting tired of using the same backdrop for all my pics, but I'm lacking inspiration lately.

The French Fridays with Dorie group doesn't post the actual recipes because it discourages folks from buying the cookbook.  I'll stay true to that, but leave you guys this link to a simple hachis parmentier.

Enjoy!

~Easy Lemon Chicken Piccata~

So, am I the only dummy who didn't know that you don't just have to use breadcrumbs to bread and saute chicken?  I mean, I know about panko and your normal egg and flour coatings--but potato chips, cereal and Ritz crackers?  This recipe called for crackers.  Since our commissary (which is about a ten minute walk from our house) closed before I even started making dinner (yes, we eat late dinners), we settled for the walk to the shoppette to get any kind of cracker we could find--normal saltines.

This recipe also called for 3 huge lemons and the dish, was a tad bit more lemony than I would have liked.  Still, it tasted great and the hubs and I enjoyed it with some asparagus and cherry tomatoes.  Definitely...if you're looking for something quick, tasty and different to do with your chicken, this is it.  Plus, it's quite spring-y with all its lemony goodness.

Easy Lemon Chicken Piccata

by Kraft Foods (April 2011)

3 large lemons, divided

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb)

1/4 cup Kraft May with Olive Oil Reduced Fat Mayo

22 Ritz Crackers, finely crushed (1 cup)

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup chicken broth

1Tbsp butter

1.  Cut 4 thin lemon slices from half of 1 lemon; squeeze juice from remaining lemons.  Coat chicken with mayo then cracker crumbs.

2.  Heat oil in large skillet on medium high heat.  Add chicken; cook 5 min.  Turn; cook on medium heat 5 min or until chicken is golden brown on both sides and done.  Transfer chicken to platter; sprinkle with parsley.  Cover to keep warm.  Carefully wipe any crumbs from skillet with paper towel.

3.  Add lemon juice and broth to skillet; cook on medium high heat 6 to 8 min or until slightly reduced; stirring occasionally.  Add butter and lemon slices; cook and stir on low heat 3 to 4 min or until butter is melted and lemons are heated through.  Serve over chicken.

~Simple Skillet Pork w/Green Beans~

Wow!  I can't believe the last time I posted it was Thanksgiving!  Where've I been since then?  Well, just about everywhere.  If you go to our family blog, you can get all caught up if you'd like; but in the last few months, we managed to spend the holidays with both our families (in UT and CO), and moved to and got settled into our new home in Stuttgart, Germany. 

Now that we're pretty much settled in, I'm starting to spend more time in the kitchen again (especially since my work schedule has allowed this to happen as of late--early nights, gotta love 'em!).  However, I just haven't felt like blogging about cooking lately.  I just thought that tonight, I'd give it a try.  Maybe this will inspire me to dust off my other cookbooks...perhaps to bake up something nice and sweet!

So you guys know how I LOVE simple recipes?  Well, this particular recipe is just that..  If you were to make it for your friend's they'd mistake it for something you spent the entire evening slaving away to make.  It makes for a wonderful presentation, yet you use very few ingredients--some of which you probably have just lying around in your kitchen.  Chicken is really played out in our house, so pork was a nice change.  And mushrooms are a favorite.  It's always nice when you get to decide just how many mushrooms to put in the sauce.  The recipe called for 2 cups, but I LOVE mushrooms and loaded them in.  This cream sauce was the bomb too....oh my goodness....just take the recipe and try it!

Simple Skillet Pork with Green Beans

by Kraft Food & Family (Spring 2011)

1 lb. pork tenderloin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 lb. thin fresh green beans

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup Kraft Light Honey Dijon Dressing

2 oz. Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese, cubed

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1.  Cut meat into 3/4 inch thick slices; flatten to 1/2 inch thickness.  Season with garlic powder and black pepper.  Heat oil in large non-stick skillet on medium heat.  Add meat; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.  Transfer to platter; cover to keep warm.

2.  Add beans to skillet; cook and stir 4 or 5 minutes until crisp-tender.  Transfer to platter with meat.

3.  Cook and stir mushrooms in same skillet 1 minute.  Add next 4 ingredients; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until Neufchatel is completely melted and sauce just comes to a boil.  Serve over meat.

I subscribe to the Food & Family magazine and without fail, they've got several recipes that I'm dying to try.  And ALL of the recipes are as simple as this one, yet utterly delicious.  I'll be making a few more dishes out of this month's issue this week!