Coming soon...

FREEZER MEALS!  My sister has requested for her Christmas present from me is to make her freezer meals.  I will be making them next week and freezing them for her Christmas present.  Check back next week if you are interested in freezer meals.  I love them.  It is so nice to come home preheat the oven, put the dish in and 30 minutes (plus or minus) dinner is done.  They are great for busy nights.  To all my friends and family... if you have any interest in getting together to do freezer meals at some point this winter let me know... I have gotten good at finding recipes and organizing freezer meals. 

Make Ahead French Toast

I was looking for a breakfast recipe that I could make the night before that wasn't an egg bake.  I found this one at Allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Make-Ahead-French-Toast/Detail.aspx).  It is a pretty simple recipe but don't let the bread soak to long in the egg mixture, it will be soggy.

Ingredients:
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices

Topping:

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream and vanilla. Dip bread slices into egg mixture and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a small bowl, combine butter, sugar, maple syrup and pecans. Spoon mixture over bread.

Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Coconut Cream Meringue Pie

This was a new pie I tried on Thanksgiving.  I wanted something a little different than the traditional pies (pecan, pumpkin, and fruit pies) so I attempted my first Coconut Cream pie... this was also my first attempt at making a meringue.  It was a success.  You can use a store bought pie crust but I went old school and made my pie crust (see tupperware pie crust).  This pie is a little involved so if you aren't a patient cook I won't suggest this recipe. 

I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com
(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Coconut-Cream-Meringue-Pie/Detail.aspx)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 cup flaked coconut, finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (9 inch) pastry shell, baked

MERINGUE:

3 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

6 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup flaked coconut

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in chopped coconut, butter and vanilla until butter is melted. Pour hot filling into crust.

For meringue, in a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing edges to crust. Sprinkle with flaked coconut.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until the meringue is golden. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza

My recent goal is to try and use up the things in my cupboard, fridge and freezer.  Last night I managed to use up a couple of things with this recipe.  I got a simple pizza dough recipe from Allrecipes.com and I just created my own pizza toppings.

Dough (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pizza-Dough-I/Detail.aspx):

  Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

Directions:

Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired.

Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Pizza topping:

3 boneless, skinless breast, cooked, cubed or shredded (I pan fried mine with a little garlic)
BBQ sauce (use as much or as little as you would like)
Onions, thinly sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Cheese

Directions:

Spread the BBQ sauce over the pizza dough, top with chicken, onion, mushroom and cheese.  Bake according to the dough recipe.

French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms

Here is another one I made and tested on my college friends... they love being the test subjects for my new recipes.  This was very delicious... even those people that didn't like mushrooms tried them and said they weren't bad.  It looks like a lot of work but once you get going it isn't bad.  I will definitely make these again... maybe for Christmas Eve.  I didn't have any wine so I used a splash of red wine vinager instead.  I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website. 

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/french-onion-soup-stuffed-mushrooms/?print=1

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 whole Large Onions, Halved And Sliced Thin

¼ cups Beef Broth

7 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

Splash Of Red Or White Wine

½ cups Grated Gruyere Cheese (can Use Swiss)

Kosher Salt

24 whole White Or Crimini Mushrooms, Washed And Stems Removed

Minced Parsley

Preparation Instructions

In a medium skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft. Splash

in wine, broth, and Worcestershire. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until liquid is cooked down. Set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Throw in mushrooms and toss around for 2 minutes, just to start the cooking process. Sprinkle mushrooms with salt.

Place mushroom caps face down in a baking dish. Heap cavity with sauteed mushrooms, then sprinkle Gruyere over the top. Bake at 10 minutes on 325 degrees. Turn on broiler and broil for a couple of minutes, until the top of the Gruyere starts to bubble and slightly turn brown.

Sprinkle minced parsley over the top and serve.

Tupperware Pie Crust

I choose to make the pies for Thanksgiving.  I decided to make my crust instead of taking the easier way out and buying crust.  Please note this recipe makes two pie crusts. 

2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
6 tbsp. cold water
3/4 c. shortening
2 tbsp. butter

Put in large Tupperware bowl, seal and burp. Shake until it forms a ball. Remove from container and roll.