Easy Pistachio Pudding Cake

Pistachio pudding is one of my many guilty pleasures. Naturally, you tell me I can have it in cake form, I say "Hell Yes!" And so I did, and I had the family suffer through the glorious calories with me. I do try and be mindful of what I eat but I do not count calories (would feel too bad all the time, haha).

Easy Pistachio Pudding Cake:

Things you'll need:

1 box white cake mix
5 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 packages pistachio pudding
1/2 cup oil

• Mix together all of the ingredient
• Pour into two non-stick 8 inch cake pans, I greased them for good measure
• Bake at 350 for 45 min to 1 hour, mine took only 35
• Let cool, then frost
• Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight. Best served cold

I frosted it with whipped cream. If you want to go pistachio crazy you could mix 8oz whipped cream (like cool whip), 1 cup of milk and 1 package pistachio pudding. 

The cake was fantastic. Unfortunately I couldn't wait for it to cool completely, so it was still warm in the middle, but that didn't change the awesomeness of it. 

Sunday Football Dip: Queso Fundido with Chorizo

Growing up in AZ, I have developed a love for southwestern food. You put anything in front of me with peppers, corn, black beans, cheese, spices etc., I love them! When I found this recipe I knew I had to make it! Unfortunately the picture does not do it justice, but the flavors are there!

Queso Fondido with Chorizo

Things you'll need:

1 tbsp olive or canola oil
2 chorizo links (about 6 oz total), 1/2-inch diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 large jalapeño or 2 large serranos, seeded and diced
3 tbsp tequila (optional – we forgot to add it)
8 oz Mexican melting cheese like Chihuahua, quesadilla or asadero (or a combination of Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar)
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped

• Heat the oil in an 8- or 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. 
• Add the chorizo and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes; drain off most of the liquid. 
• Add the tomato, onion, and jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to soften and brown, about 7 minutes.  
• Add the tequila (if using) and cook, stirring, until reduced to a glaze.
• Sprinkle in the cheese.  Stir slowly and constantly until just melted then stir in the cilantro.  Serve immediately in a warm dish with chips for dipping.

This was absolutely delicious, and it was gone in a matter of minutes. Be sure to get yours while it's still there!

Julia's American-Style Potato Salad

I can honestly say that I do not know a single person that doesn't like potato salad. It is one of my favorites! My dad is from Mississippi and used to make potato salad similar to this, so this one kind of takes it home for me. And by Julia, I mean Julia Childs; one of my favorite people in the world!

Julia's American-Style Potato Salad

Things you'll need:

• 2 pounds large Yukon Gold potatoes, or other waxy, boiling potatoes
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup chicken stock or potato-cooking water
• 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 3 or 4 slices crisply cooked bacon, chopped or crumbled
• 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped pickle, sweet or dill
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced thin
• 3 tablespoons or so finely chopped fresh chives or scallions, including a bit of their tender green
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1 cup or so mayonnaise
• Sour cream (optional) to taste

• Peel the potatoes and slice each one lengthwise in half, or in quarters if very large; then cut crosswise into half-round or quarter-round slices, about 1/2 inch thick.
• Put the slices in a saucepan with water just to cover and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt per quart of water. Heat to a simmer, and cook the potatoes for 5 to 6 minutes, or until just cooked through. It is essential that they be just cooked through. Bite into a slice or two to be very sure. 
• Immediately remove from the heat and drain the potatoes into a colander, but save a cup of the cooking liquid for dressing the potatoes. 
• Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. 
• Stir the cider vinegar with ⅓ cup of the potato water or chicken stock and drizzle this over the potato pieces, turning them gently to distribute it evenly. 
• Let sit 10 minutes to absorb the liquid.
• Add the prepared onion, celery, bacon, pickle, hard-boiled eggs, and chives, and season carefully to taste. Top with ⅔ cup of mayonnaise (or a mix of mayonnaise and a bit of sour cream) and, with a large rubber spatula, gently fold everything together until well blended.
•  Taste the salad and add more salt, pepper, or mayonnaise as needed.
• Cover the salad and set aside in the refrigerator for at least an hour or so before serving. If it is refrigerated longer, let it come back to room temperature before serving.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning again.

Sunday Football Dip: Dunkaroo

If you were a kid in the 90's you will know exactly what this is. If not; Dunkaroo's are a snack like the cheese and cracker sticks you get in the little plastic container, except they are graham cracker cookies with a vanilla frosting dip of goodness (at one point they made a chocolate one too). I've heard rumors of being able to occasionally find them at the dollar store but have not been successful myself. I found the recipe online, made that, and then made it better! Initiate blast from the past:

Dunkaroo Dip

Things you'll need:

1 box of funfetti cake mix
2 cups vanilla yogurt
2 cups cool whip
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

One step to this: Mix together.
Serve with animal crackers, graham crackers or, if you get lucky like me, graham cracker angry bird cookies!

Happy Football!

Caramel Apple Crisp

For some reason I really wanted a dessert with apples, but I didn't want to do an apple pie. Yes it's an oldie-but-goodie, but it's kind of Jan's thing. So I thought of doing a crisp and found this one using caramel, and instantly I knew  had to make it!

Caramel Apple Crisp

Things you'll need:

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract (optional)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)
• cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

For the filling:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
• 3 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• Pinch of salt
• 4 pounds baking apples such as Golden Delicious, Gala, or Crispin (about 7 large), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch-thick slices (I used half Gala half Granny Smith)

• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle 
• Butter baking dish

For the topping:

• Pulse together flour, oats, sugar, butter, salt, and extracts in a food processor until some large clumps form. If you don't have a processor smash the butter into the remaining ingredients, making sure to get out most of the clumps
• Set aside 1/4 cup for filling and transfer remaining topping to a bowl. Stir in almonds.

For the filling:

• Cook sugar in a dry 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until sugar is melted into a deep-golden caramel.
• Remove from heat and carefully add apple juice, butter, and salt (caramel will harden and steam vigorously). Cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved.
• Put apples in a large bowl and toss with reserved topping mixture and caramel, then spread in baking dish.
• Scatter clumps of topping over apples, squeezing small handfuls of topping into clumps when necessary.
• Bake until apples are tender and top is golden and crisp, about 1 hour. Cool to warm or room temperature.

This was one of the best crisps I've ever had! It paired fantastically with ice cream! 

If you have some extra time on your hands, you can make the juice you need for the recipe by simmering the peels and the cores of the apples in about 2 inches of water on a low heat with some cinnamon and nutmeg.  Strain and there you go.

CrockPot Coq au Vin

Greg and I made this the traditional way for Valentines Day dinner once, straight from my beloved Julia Child cookbook and it was fa nominal! Although I'm sure I drank just about as much wine as the recipe called for while cooking it. We were a little ill prepared for the evening. Long story short; we cooked, we drank, we ate late. So I found this recipe for it using the CrockPot, and thought I'd give it a shot and see if it's similar.

CrockPot Coq au Vin

Things you'll need:

6 to 8 frozen chicken breasts

6 slices bacon 

8 oz sliced baby portabella mushrooms

1 cup baby carrots sliced

1 yellow onion diced

3 cloves garlic minced or mashed

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 cups red wine

2 large fresh thyme sprigs (I really think the fresh thyme is the key here)
Salt and pepper to taste

• Slice and cook your bacon
• Dump the frozen chicken into your crockpot
• layer the rest of the ingredients
• Just throw it all in
• Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. You could cook it on high for 4, but it tastes better if you cook it longer. The flavors meld so nicely when cooked low and slow.
• Before you serve, pull out the chicken and chop it up, then throw it back in the sauce.

We served it with white rice but you could also serve it with pasta.

Sunday Football Dip: Bacon Cheese Burger

Oh, the start of the season is upon us! And one of the games is between my team, the Broncos and Carol's team, the Steelers. So this should be fun!

Bacon Cheese Burger Dip:

Things you'll need:

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 6 strips bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoon ketchup
• lettuce and tomato for garnish

• Cook the ground beef in a pan over medium heat, set it aside and drain the grease from the pan.
• Cook the bacon in the pan until crispy, about 6-10 minutes, set aside and drain all but a tablespoon of the grease.
• Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
• Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
• Mix the ground beef, bacon, onions and garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, mozzarella, cheddar, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup and pour it into a baking dish.
• Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the top starts turning a light golden brown and then sides are bubbling, about 20-30 minutes.
• Top with lettuce and tomato and serve

It tastes just like a bacon cheese burger! I made a double batch for our huge family and it was well received! 

Sunday Football Dip: Cheesy Chicken Wing

Wings, one of the many favorites of the football season. During this fabulous season, millions of wings will be sold and eaten. This is what inspired me to make this dip.

Cheesy Chicken Wing Dip

Things you'll need:

3 cups cooked chicken( (I used the leftover chicken legs we had from the other night but if you get your choice use breast)
1 cup (8oz) cream cheese
1 1/2 cups (12oz) Blue Cheese or Ranch dressing (I used Ranch)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 - 2 cups buffalo wing sauce (I swear by Frank's)

• Preheat the oven to 350
• Chop the chicken really small or use a food processor
• Put the chicken into a 9 x 13, spread and press down to about a 1/4 inch think
• Sprinkle the wing sauce on top of the chicken, don't mix it in just spread evenly. I only used about 1 1/2 cups
• Melt the cream cheese
• Combine with dressing 
• Pour dressing cream cheese mixture on top of chicken and spread around
• Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of cream cheese
• Bake for 20 minutes until nice and bubbly

Serve with celery, carrots or tortilla chips. It tastes just like you are eating wings from the bar.

The Rare Breakfast: Sticky Buns/Cinnamon Rolls

I've made these a few time before. Peter says he dreams about them, and when he does I make them for him and the rest of the house. They are a real treat. How I make them is a little unconventional mainly because prep time is about 2 hours and I do not like to wait for these, especially in the morning. Since the dough is the same for both sticky buns and the cinnamon rolls I will give both of the glazes.

Sticky Buns/Cinnamon Rolls

Things you'll need:

Dough:
1/4 oz or 1 1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter melted
1 tsp salt
1 egg
3 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour




Filling:
1/2 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon

Sticky Bun Glaze:
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of honey
1 cup packed brown sugar

Cinnamon Roll Glaze:
4 tbsp butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 to 6 tbsp hot water

• Preheat the oven to 350*
• In a cup or small bowl dissolve the yeast with the warm water
• In a large bowl mix the milk, sugar, butter, salt and egg
• Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth
• Add the yeast mixture
• Mix in the remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. It shouldn't stick to your hands
• Knead dough on a lightly floured surface 
• Place in a greased bowl, cover with a moist towel and let rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours**
• When doubled in size, punch down dough
• Roll out onto a floured surface to about a 15 x 9 rectangle
• Spread melted butter all over the dough and in a 13 x 9 pan making sure to cover the sides of the pan
• Mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the buttered dough
• Roll the dough up beginning at the 15 in side
• Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces you should come out with about 15
• Place slices in your pan spacing equally
• Allow dough to rise for about another 45 minutes***
• Bake for 30 minutes or until nicely browned
• While they bake make your glaze

For the Cinnamon Rolls Glaze:
Mix butter, powdered sugar and vanilla together. Add hot water 1tbsp at a time until glaze reaches desired consistency
For the Sticky Buns Glaze:
Place all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan and cook over low medium heat until bubbly

Spread over cooked and slightly cooled rolls. I top the Sticky Buns with sliced almonds that choice is up to you though

*If you are prepping these the night before, you obviously don't want to preheat the oven.

**Since fall is finally here and the house is cooler than usual, Greg had this brilliant idea to turn on the broiler in the oven to high to heat up the oven. turn it off and make sure the fire is out before placing the bowl of dough in the oven to proof.

***At this point I put the the pan in the freezer until the morning. Then I pull them out when I get up. It takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour for them to thaw. At this point is when you want to preheat the oven.

Fried Pickles

So I've been slacking like crazy on this thing. I've been typing them up but failing to publish them. Hence the 4 in a row. Anyway for tonight's feast we are having burgers, and what goes better with burgers than fried pickles! I had these once and fell in love immediately. So being the healthy'ish nut I am, we aren't frying them, but baking them.

Fried Pickles

Things you'll need:

Pickles

1 - 2 cups Bread Crumbs (I used Italian seasoned bread crumbs)

1 Egg

Salt and Pepper

• Preheat your oven to 400
• Line a cookie sheet with foil

• Put your egg in a bowl and beat it to all heck
• Put the bread crumbs into a separate bowl and add the salt and pepper
• Pat dry the pickles, if they are wet this will not work
• Place the pickles into the egg wash and then transfer to the bread crumbs a couple at a time
• Now put the pickles onto your cookie sheet in a single layer
• Bake for 15 minutes
• Flip over and bake for another 5 minutes or until golden brown

When I made these I used Famous Dave's Sweet and Spicy Pickles, and they turned out fantastic!!! Traditionally dill pickles are used, but feel free to experiment.

Banana Apple Bread

I cannot tell you how often we have overly ripe bananas. So for today's batch we are doing something a little different than the normal banana bread.

Banana Apple Bread

Things you'll need:

For the apples:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract


For the bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
¼ cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups very ripe mashed bananas (2 to 3)

• Preheat your oven to 350
• Lightly butter and flour your 1 1/2 quart loaf pan
• Preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and brown sugar and heat until bubbling.
• Add the apples and cinnamon and sauté until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. 
• Stir in the vanilla. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. 
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and vanilla.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the orange juice mixture, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each flour addition. 
• Stir in the mashed bananas until combined. 
• Then stir in the reserved apples.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. 
• Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Remove to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool further.

*Tips for the apples: Instead of chopping both, I chop one (in very small chunks) and shred the other on a box grater. The chopped apple still gives you the interesting texture and bites of tender caramelized appley goodness, while the shredded apple sort of melts into the bread and adds to its incredible moisture. I still saute both in the butter and brown sugar, and add any accumulated juices from the shredded apple. Beware of stirring in apple chunks that are too large- their weight causes them to sink to the bottom of the batter, and you end up with an apple layer of sorts at the base of the loaf. Still delicious, but not ideal- to have it well distributed, make sure your apple chunks stay pretty dainty!

*Tips for the bananas: I recommend using the measured amount rather than just 2 or 3. I always seem to need more bananas to make the required measurement than are recommended (and I don’t think my bananas are particularly small). You definitely don’t want to skimp on this central ingredient for the overall flavor of your finished loaf!

If the bread starts to get stale toast it and put some butter on it. It pairs great with coffee and tea!

"Fried" Chicken

So for tonight's feast we are having "fried" chicken, which is actually baked, but they'll never know the difference. It is really simple.

"Fried" Chicken

Things you'll need:

5 lbs of chicken
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp hot sauce/pepper sauce
2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup corn flakes, crushed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
salt and pepper, to taste

• Preheat the oven to 400
• Wash the chicken in cold water and pat dry
• In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs and add the hot sauce, blending well
• In another bowl combine bread crumbs, corn flakes and spices, and mix
• Dip the chicken in the egg
• Then coat well in the breading mixture
• Place the chicken on a wire cooling rack over a cookie sheet or a 9 x 13
• Bake for 20 minutes, flip, and bake for another 15 minutes, until a beautiful golden brown

I know 5 lbs of chicken is a lot, so feel free to cut the recipe. But let's be honest, if you're going to be having "Fried" Chicken, you're gonna want to invite your friends over. And if you wind up having leftover chicken and you don't know what to do with it, pull it from the bone, chop it, and make some delicious chicken salad. It's that much better because the chicken is already deliciously seasoned.