Sweet Georgia Brown

Here is another Peach recipe. I think it is probably a lot like peaches and cream. It's delicious!

6 ripe peaches
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. brown sugar

Cut each peach into slices. In a saute pan heat butter until bubbling, but do not burn. Lower heat. Stir in brown sugar. Add peaches and saute until peaches become soft. Serve over Kashmir cream, ice cream, or cake.

Kashmir Cream

2 C. whipping cream
pinch of salt
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. warm water
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 C. sour cream
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Heat cream, but do not boil. Add sugar and a pinch of salt. Soften gelatin in water and stir to mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and fold in sour cream and vanilla. Pour into bowl and refrigerate to chill. Serve with fresh fruit.

Peach Cake

This post is for Laura...I know it's not really peaches and cream (didn't know there was actual recipe for peaches and cream.....) anyway, this cake is so good.

Small package vanilla instant pudding
1 cup cold water
Can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp of vanilla or almond extract (my mom always uses just the vanilla extract)
Mix above ingredients and refrigerate for 5 min
Whip 1 pint of cream, fold into pudding mixture
Slice and peel 4-5 medium peaches
Slice a loaf of angel food cake (I know these are available at Albertson’s).
Layer in 9X13 pan angel food cake, half of pudding mix, half of sliced peaches, repeat layers. Refrigerate

Recipe wanted

Has anyone ever made Peaches and Cream?? My brother has a special request for it (for his birthday on Friday) and I have never made it. If anyone has a great recipe OR a great place to find a recipe...PLEASE let me know!

Dangerous Chocolate Cake

1 coffee mug
4 Tbsp. cake flour
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1 egg
3 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. oil
Small splash of vanilla
3 Tbsp. chocolate chips, optional

Add dry ingredients to mug, mix well with a fork.
Add egg, mix thoroughly.
Pour in milk and oil and vanilla, mix well.
Add chips, if using.
Put mug in microwave, and cook for three minutes on 1000 watts.
Cake will rise over top of mug--do not be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little; tip onto a plate if desired.
Eat!

This can serve two if you want to feel slightly more virtuous. I'm not usually that saintly and go further to top it off with fudge sauce, vanilla ice cream or both. It's just a basic chocolate cake, but its small and fast which makes it so delightfully or dangerously accessible when you just might be in need of a moment. I've used it as a not-quite-so-sensible snack for the kids or quick FHE treat sometimes and is fun for them to help make. But it also works quite well as a nighttime de-stressor after all the monkeys are in bed. :)

Sauteed Pasta Bar

I got this recipe from my mom, and it has become a regular at our house. I love that it is so versatile and so easy. Just a simple extra step changes this meal from boring, home cooked pasta noodles and sauce to something worthy of the Olive Garden. (Maybe this is an obvious step to everyone else, but it's new to me!)

Anyway, it's so delicious! It's also great because it can feed our small family of three or a huge crowd with very little extra effort. Also, if you have any picky eaters, this meal makes it so everyone can have exactly what they want (or DON'T want), and so everyone is happy.

Ingredients:

• pasta noodles of your choice (my favorite is penne)
• garlic, minced
• pesto
• pasta sauce of your choice
• olive oil
• any meat you want: Our favorite is Italian sausage rolled into one inch balls and cooked. You could also do chicken or hamburger... And of course, meat is optional.
• any vegetables you want: mushrooms, tomatoes, green peppers, olives, etc.
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook any meat you plan to use thoroughly. Cook the pasta noodles al dente according to the directions on the package. Then, have each person take a bowl and assemble the following in their bowl: cooked noodles, a scoop of minced garlic to taste, a scoop of pesto to taste (in my opinion you can NOT skip the pesto - trust me), and any meat and vegetables they want. Do not add any sauce yet. Meanwhile, heat about 2 T. of olive oil in a skillet. Dump the contents of one person's bowl onto the heated skillet and saute for about 5 minutes or until warmed through and mixed well. (If you are serving a bigger group, you can have several skillets going at once.) Remove from the pan and return to the bowl or the person's plate. Top with the sauce of your choice and parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

Here is a picture of my pasta before I put my sauce on the top, but after it had been sauteed. 

Side Dishes: This is yummy with a fresh green salad and a piece of Tuscan Flat Bread (recipe below).

Tuscan Flat Bread

I like this recipe because not only is it delicious, but it's pretty fast for a homemade bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 T. yeast
  
• 1 T. sugar
  
• 2 c. warm water
  
• 4 c. flour
  
• 2 tsp. salt
  
• 2 tsp. crushed rosemary
  
• 1/2 c. melted butter
  
• parmesan cheese (optional)
  

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let sit for 2 - 3 minutes. Add flour and salt. Knead 2 - 3 minutes (optional). Spread dough to the edges of a greased, lipped, jelly roll pan (12 x 16). Pour butter on dough and spread to cover all the dough. Sprinkle rosemary and Parmesan over surface of dough. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Chocolate Passion Bowl

3 c. cold milk
2 (4 oz. size) pkg Jello chocolate instant pudding
1 tub (8 oz) cool whip French Vanilla (can use any cool whip you want)
1 brownie mix, baked (I like the chocolate chunk because the chocolate chunks get cold and are delicious)
1 pt raspberries
Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Gently stir in 1 c. of the whipped topping.
Place half of the brownie cubes in 2 quart serving bowl; top with half of the pudding mixture, half of the raspberries and half of the remaining whipped topping. Repeat all layers. Garnish with a few raspberries, if desired.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. Store leftover dessert in fridge.

(If you've always wanted a trifle bowl than this is a good excuse. You can get one at Walmart for $8.00)

Exquisite Chicken Enchiladas

One of my favorite meals...

• package of flour tortillas
• 2-3 chicken breasts
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 to 1 1/2 c. sour cream
• grated cheese
• 1 - 1 1/2 c. salsa

Cook chicken until well cooked and shred-able. (Sorry, I know that's not a word!)  Shred the chicken.  Mix the soup, sour cream and salsa in a bowl.  Set aside 1 cup of this mixture for the top.  Stir shredded chicken into remaining mixture.  In each tortilla place some of the chicken mixture and some grated cheese.  Roll up each tortilla.  Top with the extra sauce, spread evenly.  Sprinkle grated cheese on top.  Makes 8 - 12 enchiladas - about one 13 x 9 pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.  

snacks?

We're kind of in a rut at our house when it comes to snacks...what do you like to have or give your kids for a snack? A couple of our favorites are fruit and cheese or a slice of homemade wheat bread with 1/3 less fat cream cheese (Neufchatel) spread on it. What are your favorites?

Microwave Minestrone

This is another Martha Stewart recipe that we tried tonight. I love that you can cook it in the microwave in 10 minutes, it's full of veggies and really yummy with some good French bread!




Serves 4 ( it was enough for our family of 5 because the kids had smaller servings)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 ounces green beans, stem ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch lengths
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/3 cup couscous
1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can (15.5 ounces) navy beans, drained and rinsed
coarse salt
flat-leaf parsley leaves(optional)
shaved Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional) *we shredded our cheese and we liked it with a good 2 tbs of it at least!*


Directions
In a 3-quart microwave-safe dish, place oil, carrots, bell pepper, green beans, and garlic; stir to coat. Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes.


Add couscous, broth, tomato paste, navy beans, 1 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Cover; microwave on high until vegetables and couscous are tender, 5 minutes. If desired, stir in parsley, and garnish with cheese.

Berry Almond Crumble Oatmeal

I've been feeling bad that I have not posted anything lately. To be honest, I haven't really cooked much (that first trimester will get you every time!). But, today the only thing I wanted was some oatmeal. Here is one of my favorite recipes (from quakeroats.com)



Ingredients
1/2 cup Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups fat-free milk or lowfat soy drink
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup frozen (do not thaw) or canned (drained) blueberries

Preparation
For topping, combine oats and almonds in medium skillet. Cook over medium-low heat 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until both are lightly browned. Cool completely. In small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Add oat mixture; mix well.


For oatmeal, bring milk and cinnamon to a boil in medium saucepan; stir in oats. Return to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook 1 minute for quick oats, 5 minutes for old fashioned oats, stirring occasionally. Gently stir in blueberries. Continue cooking, until blueberries are heated through and most of liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute.
Spoon oatmeal into five cereal bowls. Sprinkle topping over oatmeal.


*I have also made the topping in smaller quantities for when I am just making a bowl of oatmeal in the microwave. I love the crunchy-sweet topping and it's great because it adds some protein!