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!