EASY Chicken Lettuce Wraps

picture courtesy

EASY Chicken Lettuce Wraps

adapted from Katie Worthington

Cook two chicken breasts in 1 T sesame oil. in frying pan (you can use veg.oil- the sesame just adds a lot of flavor). Chop (I use my food chopper). Return to pan.

Add
1 c. fresh mushrooms - chopped small
1 can water chestnuts drained - chopped small (I use a food chopper for these things as well)
5 green onion stalks sliced 3/4 of the way up
1 T. minced garlic
salt and pepper

Sauce for Stir Fry
8 tbsp. soy sauce
8 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. rice wine vinegar (I substituted white wine vinegar and it was great!)
Pour on top of stir fry and saute for another couple of minutes.
Spoon mixture into washed and dried iceburg lettuce cups and top with rice noodles prepared as directed on package (optional).



24 Hour Italian Beef ( a.k.a.French dip)

picture courtesy



We are such a chicken family. I don't really like red meat for various reasons. But on occasion I like to throw a little variety into my kitchen. I went for this Italian beef recipe that Katie gave to me and I was SO glad I did. Definitely will become a family favorite and will be on our rotation. Don't let the 24 hour thing scare you- it was a beautiful thing! I put the roast in on Saturday night and then we ate on Sunday. It was great, easy and a big crowd pleaser (not to mention impressive!). Recipe adapted from Katie Worthington.

24 Hour Italian Beef
3-5 lb roast (bottom or butt)
2 c water
1pkg Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
1 pgk. Au Jux Gravy mix (McCormick makes it)
1 t. Italian seasoning
Buttered and toasted french bread or buns
Provolone cheese (optional)

Mix water, dressing, au jus mix, Italian seasoning in bowl. Put roast in crock pot and pour mix over roast. Cook on low overnight. In morning shred and discard any fat. Return shredded roast to crock pot and cook on low until served. Serve on toasted and buttered buns (optional) with a bowl of au jux (the juices from the crock pot) on the side. I also served this with provolone cheese. YUM!

Poppyseed Lemon Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Photo from indiansimmer.com

So, don't let the fanciness of this recipe scare you.  I never sift anything and it all turned out great.  I only used lemon juice from the little plastic yellow lemon and it turned out great.  The frosting on these is spectacular!  These were super good, please make them--but only when you're having friends over because you want to share these, I promise.

Poppyseed Lemon Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from Indiansimmer.com
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
zest and juice of one meyer lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup poppy seed

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 cupcake tins with paper or silicone liners.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a small bowl.
3. In bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about five minutes.
4. Beat in eggs one at a time, ensuring they are completely incorporated before continuing to the next one.
5. Mix in the zest, lemon juice and vanilla.
6. Add flour and buttermilk to batter in two separate additions, beating completely between additions.
7. Fold in poppyseeds.
8. Fill cupcake liners 7/8 of the way to the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating half way through baking time.
9. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2  cup butter, room temperature
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract (or one vanilla bean + 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1  1/2-3 cups icing sugar

1. Beat butter and cream cheese together until fluffy.
2. Slowly add in vanilla.
3. Slowly stir in icing sugar on low speed one cup at a time.
4. Pipe onto cupcakes and serve immediately.

Lemon Cupcakes

To watch this video recipe Click HERE!

Hi Everyone!

Sorry about the delay in this recipe! My vacations are a week away and I'm very busy making sure everything is ready.Also my microphone broke, so I had to get a new one! I hope you like this recipe! Enjoy!

Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter soften
1/4 cup sour cream
3 eggs room temperature
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Lemon Cream Frosting: (makes enough to frost 6 cupcakes)
8 ounces cream cheese, soften,
1/2 stick unsalted butter, soften
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Chocolate Mousse Frosting (makes enough to frost 6 cupcakes)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate sprinkles for garnish
(this Mousse frosting needs to be refrigerated before using as a frosting)

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Combine flour with baking powder, salt and the zest of the lemon, mix together and set aside.

In two different bowls, separate the egg whites from the yolks and set aside.

In an electric mixer blend butter, sugar and sour cream together until well combined and fluffy, for about 2-3 minutes on medium high.

Reduce the speed to low and add the egg yolks one at time,make sure to beat each yolk for about 30 seconds before adding the next one, scrape down the sides if you need it to, reduce the speed to medium low and add the lemon and vanilla extract, also add in the lemon juice. Blend for 30 seconds, on medium high.

Reduce the speed to the lowest and add the flour mixture a little at a time, scrape down the sides again if you need to. Once the flour is thoroughly combined you can remove the batter from the mixer, and set aside for a minute, remember do not over-mix your batter,
if you do over-mix, the cupcakes will be hard as a rock, and we don't want that.

In an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until very think and fluffy. Once the egg whites are ready, we are going to combine them with the cake batter. Add a third of the egg whites into the batter and slowly fold them together, take your time, this step will make the cupcakes super moist and delicious so do not skip it. By folding the egg whites into the batter we will have a perfect cupcake, rich, moist and fluffy in the inside. Continue to slowly fold in the egg whites with the batter until you are done.

Spray your cupcake pan with cooking spray and pour the batter into the pan, bake at 325º for 25-30 minutes. When you insert a toothpick in the middle of your cupcake, you want the toothpick to have little crumbs on it, if it comes out clean, it means you over cooked your cupcakes, and they will just get drier as they cool. So just cook your cupcakes until the top feels springy and toothpick comes out with few crumbs on it.

Let them cool completely before you put on the frosting.

Chocolate Mousse Frosting:

Microwave 1/2 cup of the heavy cream for about 40 seconds, mix in the chocolate chips, stir together for 15 seconds, cover the cream and set aside, for 5 minutes so the chocolate continues to melt completely. If the chips do not melt completely, you can microwave again
for about 30 seconds.

In an electric mixer, blend the rest of the heavy cream, vanilla extract and the powdered sugar, blend until the heavy creamy is light and fluffy, for about 3 minutes on high speed.

Now we are going to fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, make sure the chocolate is cold and completely melted. Add 1 third of the whipped cream into the chocolate
and slowly fold them together with small circular motions, keep on doing this until the whipped cream is well combined with the chocolate, refrigerate for about 20 minutes before frosting the cupcakes.

Lemon Cream Frosting:

In an electric mixer on medium, blend the cream cheese and the butter blend until well combined, for about3 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, and the the vanilla extract, blend for 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add in the powder sugar, blend at low speed until the sugar is
completely dissolved, for about 2-3 more minutes.

That's about it, the frosting is done, now we have to make sure the cupcakes are cold before frosting them.

You can decorate your cupcakes any way you want... you can use a pastry bag
a Ziploc bag or a butter knife to decorate the cupcakes. It is all up to you,

I'm using my pastry bag with a large round decorating tip.

Fill the pastry bag with the frosting, and start frosting from the outside and swirl into the center of the cupcake. So start on the outer edge, and slowly circle the cupcake until you reach the center. That's about it. Keep on repeating this step until you are done!

I garnish the lemon cream frosting with lemon zest and garnish the chocolate frosting with chocolate sprinkles.

Cinnamon Bun Popcorn

picture courtesy

My cousin Katie and I get together-if we are lucky- about once a year. Something that we have done over the past couple years is exchange recipes and cook and of course eat together! She is visiting me now in Augusta and I will be posting several recipes from her over the next couple days. This recipe I would definitely rate five stars. Does cinnamon bun popcorn sound weird? Yeah, kinda. Try it. I promise you will LOVE it. Its not something that would catch my eye and so I am so glad she made it for me. To die for. AND how perfect for a Christmas gift!

Cinnamon Bun Popcorn
Ingredients:
2 regular size bags of popcorn, de-kerneled ( you can used air-popped or something NON buttery. I have used Orville Redenbacher's "Tender White")
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. baking soda
3 squares of white almond bark
1/4 c. Karo syrup
1 stick of butter
1 t. vanilla

Combine the following in a large glass bowl:
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 t. cinnamon
Add:
1/4 c. light Karo syrup
1 stick butter
Melt in the microwave  for 30 seconds, then take out and stir. Microwave for 2 minutes then stir. Two minutes again. Bowl will be very hot! Stir well.

Now combine in a small bowl:
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. baking soda
Add this to the caramel mixture. It will foam and fizz. When fizz goes down, quickly pour over popcorn mixed with chopped pecans in a very large bowl (maybe even two bowls to have room to mix). Work quickly here. Mix well. Microwave for another 30 seconds and stir again.

Melt three squares of almond bark in a mocriowave safe bowl stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Spread popcorn out over a sprayed cookie sheet and then drizzle on melted almond bark.
*I like to toss it ALL in almond bark although the recipe calls for a drizzle. I use the same amt.- 3 squares.

Pumpkin Streusel Bars

Pic courtesy Google images

My SIL, Macy made these for dessert a few weeks ago and I fell in love with them. So much so, that I made them a week later for a dinner party we went to. I'm not usually a huge fan of pumpkin, but these were amazing. Seriously. I think I'm going to forgo the pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving this year and go for these instead.

Pumpkin Streusel Bars

Macy Bell

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 egg

Stir together cake mix, melted butter, and egg until well combined. Reserve one cup for topping. Press remaining mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 egg

2/3 cup sugar

1 t. vanilla

1/4 t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

Whisk together pumpkin, egg, sugar, vanilla, salt and spices. Spread filling over pressed crust.

1 cup reserved cake mix

1/2 cup sugar

1 T. cinnamon

3/4 cup old fashioned oats (I used quick oats with great results)

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

whipped cream , for serving

Stir together reserved cake mix, sugar, cinnamon, and old fashioned oats. Cut in cold butter with a fork or pastry cutter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Sprinkle over filling and bake in a 325 oven for 35-40 min.* , or until topping is lightly browned (do not over bake). Serve with whipped cream.

*Mine took more closer 50 minutes to bake.

Key Lime Pie

We've recently joined a dinner club. Each month we get together to have dinner with three other couples and, each month, there is a different theme. Last month the theme was "Florida Cuisine" and I was responsible for bringing a dessert. After some web searches, it became obvious that the only choice for dessert was a key lime pie.

Fortunately, living in Florida, fresh key limes were in my neighborhood grocery. If you can't find fresh key limes in your area, you may be able to find bottled key lime juice. Regardless, you can always buy it online. In a pinch, you could use regular limes. But as you can see below, they are not the same. Key limes are small little things. A bugger to juice, truth be told. But the flavor is distinct. This pie is not overly sweet. It is tart and has a slight bitter twist to it, kind of like what I associate with most grapefruit.

You start with the crust. This is a graham cracker crust. It has a little extra sugar in the crust, again to help balance that tart punch. I mix mine in a food processor and then dump it into a pie pan. Spread it out with your hands and then use a cup of some kind to press it down and make it even. Bake the pie crust while you prepare the limes.

Before you juice, you'll need to zest enough of them to obtain one loose tablespoon. Then you can cut the limes and juice away. Because they're so small, they can be tiring to juice. If you have one of those squeeze type juicers, you may be better off than I was. You need 2/3 cup of juice, which requires approximately one pound of key limes. Don't juice your limes too early, as the juice can develop additional bitterness when it sits too long.

Don't be dismayed if your crust comes out of the oven looking really funky. It tends to puff up when baking, but returns to normal dimensions as it cools. The first time I made this crust I thought I had ruined it when I first took it out of the oven Don't fret, it'll work itself out.

As the pie cools, you can mix up the filling. Start by mixing the egg yolks and zest together. Mix on medium-high for a few minutes until the mixture has increased slightly in volume and is thick and pale yellow (with green flecks in it, of course).

The next step is to add a can of sweetened condensed milk. This is some very thick, sweet stuff. So sweet, in fact, that it provides all the sweetness this pie needs. By the way, please note the proper color of this product. If you open your can and find that it is a caramel brown color, as I did when I first made this pie, perhaps you are not using sweetened condensed milk often enough, or, as in my case, not rotating your stock well. The date on my can of brown sweetened condensed milk? "Best by Nov 2004." Yikes! And, even more pressing, how many stinking military moves did that can of milk participate in, anyway, before I ended up throwing it away? Needless to say, I will be more vigilant.

Bake the pie at the same temperature as you baked the crust for 25 minutes. The pie filling will be set and maintain its shape upon gentle shaking, but will not be brown in any way. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

I think this pie requires a little sweet border to help balance it out. I like a whipped topping. You could make whipped cream right before serving, but I think piping a stabilized whipped cream border really looks like a million bucks. I like to then zest a little lime on the border for color. Be sure to thoroughly chill the pie before serving. This pie keeps well and can be made one to three days in advance.


Key Lime Pie
Yield: one 9" pie
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (one pouch plus two whole crackers)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup melted butter
dash salt

Filling:
1 TBS loosely packed key lime zest
3 large egg yolks
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup fresh (or bottled) key lime juice

whipped cream and additional lime zest for garnish (optional)

Mix together the crust ingredients. Pour into a 9" pie pan. Spread evenly and pack down with a measuring cup. Bake at 325° F for 15 minutes. Crust may look uneven and strange upon removal from the oven, but will return to a more normal shape upon cooling. Let crust cool while preparing filling. Leave oven on at 325° F.

Beat the zest and egg yolks together on medium-high speed for a few minutes, until the yolks have increased in volume and become thickened and a pale yellow. Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat on a fairly high speed for 2-3 minutes. Lastly, add the lime juice. Stir until well incorporated, but do not over mix. Pour into the baked crust and return to the oven to bake for 25 minutes. The filling will be set and no longer loose in the middle, but will not be browned in any way. Let cool to room temperature. Prepare and pipe a border of stabilized whipped cream, if desired. Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.

This pie keeps well and can be made 2-3 days in advance.