Saturday, August 18, 2012

Peach Ambrosia Pie



crust:1 1/4 cups finely crushed gingersnap cookies (about 25 of the hard-style gingersnap cookies)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 TBSP butter, melted

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1-14 oz can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
1/3 cup lemon juice, chilled
1-8oz whipped topping, chilled of course
1 cup chopped pecans
1-28 oz can sliced peaches (chilled), diced into small pieces

Roughly crushed gingersnap cookies for garnish on the top

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 325F.

Use a food processor to pulverize the gingersnap cookies into very, very fine crumbs -- as fine as you can get them. Dump the crumbs into a medium bowl. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Stir until the crumbs are evenly coated. Pour into a 9" pie dish and firmly press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of the dish. Bake for about 10 - 12 minutes. Let the crust cool completely before continuing.

Using the whisk attachment of your mixer, whisk the cream cheese until slightly fluffy. It is important that the cream cheese be at room temperature. With the mixer on low speed, add the sweetened condensed milk and whisk until combined – scraping the bowl as needed to make sure the cream cheese is completed blended into the condensed milk. Add the lemon juice and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the whipped topping and mix until it is well incorporated – continuing to scrape the bowl as needed. Using a spoon, stir in the pecans and well-drained peaches. Pour the mixture into the gingersnap crust. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving but preferably overnight. Top each piece of pie with some roughly crushed gingersnap cookies before serving.

Watermelon Cinnamon Granita

delicious cold treat for those hot summer days. Is it not funny however that I should have found this recipe last month as we are now enjoying lovely summer weather rather than those radiated days that we had in July.

5 cups watermelon chunks
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and puree. Place the puree in an 8×8 inch Pyrex dish and put in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and scrape with a fork to break up pieces. Place back into freezer for 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and scrape with a fork to break up pieces.  Repeat this process one or two more times over several hours until the granita is similar in consistency to shaved ice. Serve (cover the dish with tin foil to keep the rest in the freezer).

recipe source here

Summer Time Soup

Hun­gar­ian Chilled Cherry Soup

(mostly from Joy of Cook­ing, with a few adjustments)

As I have shared before my dad was a cherry lover for sure and this soup I am sure he would have been super interested in


6 cups of pit­ted cher­ries: 4 cups sour ‘Hun­gar­ian’
2 cups sweet ‘Lapin’.
2 cups Gewurtz­traminer wine (or any other dry but inter­est­ing white wine, like an Aus­tralian or New Zealand Sauvi­gnon Blanc)
1/4 cup sugar
4 tea­spoons corn­starch
1 table­spoon lemon juice
1 table­spoon orange juice
2 tea­spoons grated orange rind
mint leaves and sour cream for garnish

Add half of the cher­ries to a large pot with 2 cups of water and the 2 cups of white wine. Bring to a boil and cook until the cher­ries are just ten­der (about 15 min­utes). Purée either with a mini-blender in the pot (eas­i­est) or sep­a­rately in a food proces­sor until it is smooth and return to the pot. In another bowl, mix sugar and corn­starch. Add some of the cooked cherry soup to it and mix until it is a smooth paste with most of the sugar and corn­starch semi-dissolved. Add that to the pot and stir.
Add the other half of the cher­ries, along with the lemon juice, orange juice and grated orange rind. Cook for another 10 min­utes or so, for the newer cher­ries to get a lit­tle more ten­der. Taste; if it is too sweet, add lemon juice. If too sour, add sugar. Let cool and chill before serving.
Serve with a dol­lop of sour cream and some mint leaves. It can be either served as a soup before the meal or as a dessert.


Recipe Source: here

Banana Pudding

My husbands favorite dessert and nearly always requested at family reunions, holidays etc... is banana pudding. I must say though that this was new to me when I met my husband having my family enjoyed pudding but that was it we ate it like porridge hot and not cold at all and certainly not dressed up like this dessert. I have since then changed my mind and fell in love with many delicious goodies like this.

1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups cold milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (16 ounce) package vanilla wafers
14 bananas, sliced
In a large mixing bowl, beat pudding mix and milk 2 minutes. Blend in condensed milk until smooth. Stir in vanilla and fold in whipped topping. Layer wafers, bananas and pudding mixture in a glass serving bowl. Chill until served.

this particular recipe version found here

Thursday, August 16, 2012

The EWG and Organic Fruit and Veggies

Have you ever heard of the EWG well I was recently introduced to it. The EWG is the Environmental Working Group that each year assembles a list of the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15. The Dirty Dozen are fruits and veggies that are known to have the highest levels of toxins The clean 15 have been found to have the least. Download your own list from the EWG website.
Dirty Dozen Clean 15
apples onions
celery sweet corn
sweet bell pepper pineapple
peaches avocado
strawberries cabbage
nectarines (imported) sweet peas
grapes asparagus
spinach mangoes
lettuce eggplant
cucumbers kiwi
blueberries (domestic) cantaloupe (domestic)
potatoes sweet potatoes
grapefruit
watermelon
mushrooms

Yummy Berry Dessert

I love recipes that come off the back of boxes and this one is a great example. This recipe was originally found on the back of an Eagle Brand can. Oh so yummy be sure to try and enjoy


1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl till fluffy. Slowly beat in the sweetened condensed milk till smooth. Mix in the lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into a prepared and cooled tart shell (I use various recipes for the tart shell, or sometimes I even buy them ready made at the store. The one featured in my picture is a Brown Sugar Tart recipe from Sunset Magazine). Top with fruit and glaze/brush with melted apple or apricot jelly. Refrigerate for approximately two hours or till set.

shared at
live laugh linky

1. What's the one thing you but every time you walk into the store?
 
milk is nearly always bought if not always bought

2. If you had a day all to yourself how would you spend it?
 
sleeping would be good, taking a walk and maybe treasure hunting in junque places

3. Are you a speed limit driver? If not, over or under?
 
dont drive

4. What's your favorite dessert to make, homemade or from a mix??

peach crisp or strawberry shortcake


5. Would you rather have a spider or a mouse scurry across your face (no copping out and saying "neither!!")?
 
oh yuck would choose a tiny spider if any
 
played here

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Great Back To School Recipe: Potato Salad

4 medium potatoes
6 strips bacon
2 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar

 Wash and pierce potatoes through with fork. Place on paper towel in microwave oven.
Microwave at High 10 to 12 Minutes, turning overand rearranging after 4 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven, cool slightly, peel potatoes and cut 1/8 in slices to make about 4 cups.
In 2-qt. casserole dish cut bacon in small pieces. Cover with paper towel.
Microwave at High about 6 Minutes, stirring after 3 minutes, until crisp. With slotted spoon remove bacon to paper towels to drain. Set aside.
Stir flour, sugar and seasonings into bacon fat until smooth. Microwave at High 1 to 2 Minutes, until bubbly, stirring after 1 minute.
Add water and vinegar to flour mixture. Microwave at High 4 Minutes, until mixture boils and thickens, stirring after 1 minute.
Remove from oven and stir smooth. Add potatoes and bacon: stir gently so potatoes hold their shape.
Cover casserole and let stand until ready to serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Recipe courtesy of www.microwaverecipescookbook.com

shared at
whatever goes wednesday

Primp Wednesday

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Wontons

Our first neighbor when we were newlyweds was the owner of a chinese restraunt. We did not have a lot of money back in those days and every once in a while he would treat us to some goodness he would bring home from the restraunt. This recipe is dedicated to him and his wife our first neighborw who treated some teenage parents to something we would not of otherwise been able to afford

1lb ground pork
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger (grated)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 carrots (finely diced)
3 celery stalks (finely chopped)
6 green onions (finely chopped)
1 (12 ounce) package wonton wrappers
1-2 eggs (beaten, for sealing)
Oil (for deep frying)


Step 1: In a large bowl combine pork, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, carrots, celery, and green onions. Stir to mix.
Step 2: In a bowl beat eggs. Lay out a wonton wrapper and place a heaping teaspoon of the filling into the center of the wrapper. Brush egg on 2 edges on one side of the wrapper. Fold over to form a triangle and seal the edges tightly with your finger. Repeat until all the wrappers and/or filling are used.
Step 3: Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees. Deep fry in bathes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
(Makes about 50 wontons)

sharing with the recipe box
Crafty Confessions
Growing Home
Photobucket

Hoppin Haloween Giveaway Hop

 Halloween Giveaway Hop MamaNYC

MamaNYC's Hoppin' Halloween Giveaway Hop. . . 

Sign up's are OPEN!* 

MamaNYC will be hosting the Hoppin' Halloween Giveaway Hop, which will run from October 25 - 31, 2012.Summer is ending and Fall is approaching, which means pumpkin carving and costume shopping is headed our way!
Head on over to MamaNYC and sign up today if you are interested in participating in this FREE giveaway hop event! The deadline for sign up's is October 21st, so don't miss out on another huge event hosted by MamaNYC!
EVENT DETAILS
DATES:  October 25 - 31, 2012
COST:   FREE!
PRIZE MINIMUM:   $25.00

Sign & Learn More @ MamaNYC


Monday, August 13, 2012

Marlow and The Monster Book Review



Marlow and the Monster is written and illustrated by Sharon Cramer (B & F Publishing)
I just love children books that helps the reader learn more about their world around them. Marlow is a little boy who is visited by a monster. No!!! This is not a scary monster but that may be a matter of opinion. The monster himself believes that he is scary but Marlow is not scared of him. Marlow thinks that the monster is more of a pest and begins to wonder what he will do with the monster. The solution? Well he believes he will simply give the monster to his sister. As we all know there are gifts that we get that do not always go over so well. So what exactly happens? Well you will have to read the book to find out.

I believe that Marlow and the Monster author has done a wonderful job and the illustrations are in ink and create a wonderful watercolor of sorts that gives the book more emphasis. The monster does not look terrifying allowing young readers to see that not all monsters are scary. 

we were sent a copy of this book for review purposes

Watching With Deep Concentration

Our little prince donning blue here and the princess in her pink playing with their uncle in green What a great trip we had when we went to see the dear duo

Smiling Sally also linked here

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Cake Batter truffles

Cake Batter Truffles
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup yellow cake mix
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3-4 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons sprinkles
Truffle Coating:
16 ounces (8 squares) almond bark (or white candy melts)
4 Tablespoons yellow cake mix
sprinkles
Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.
While dough balls are chilling, melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely. Using a fork, dip truffles into almond bark and shake of excess bark by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining balls until finished.
Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles.

shared at
Made with Love
Making Monday Marvelous

homework

Crockpot Sweet Rolls

My friends have all been raving about crockpot sweet rolls found this recipe on the blog Get Crocked




1 can of biscuits (found in the refrigerated section of your grocery)
1/4 c. melted butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
pecan pieces (optional)

Glaze:
1 1/3 c. powdered sugar
2 T. milk
1. Coat the crock pot lightly with cooking spray.
2. Melt the butter in a small bowl and mix in the vanilla.
3. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
4. Roll the biscuits in the butter and then in the brown sugar / cinnamon mixture.
5. Place prepared biscuits in the crock pot and sprinkle with pecan pieces, if desired.
6. Cover the crock pot with a paper towel and then place the lid on top. (this will help prevent condensation from dripping on the rolls while cooking)
7. Cover. Cook on low 2-3 hrs.
8. Mix glaze ingredients in a small bowl (add more/less milk as needed) and pour over warm rolls.

UndertheTableandDreaming