Pe(c)an Tarts

(one of these days I'll start actually taking my own pictures)

Preheat oven to 350

Crust:
1 8oz package of cream cheese (softened)
2 cubes of butter (softened)
2 cups flour
* We use white flour.  Also, this time I forgot to double the butter and so essentially, we only had 1 cube per batch and its good that way too (if you want to cut back on fat)

Filling:
1 cup honey 
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups chopped pecans

Mix Crust (you may want to chill crust dough for a little while to make it easier to work with)
Roll crust into balls and place in mini cupcake pans sprayed with non-stick spray. Push dough around to make a tiny pie crust

Mix filling and put about one teaspoon of filling in each mini crust. 

Bake at 350 for 20-25 min
Makes 2.5 to 3 dozen

We always seem to have more filling than we do crust.  So, you could either make the crusts thinner, OR use the extra filling and some crust to make larger tarts in big muffin tins (just remember they will have to cook a bit longer.

* The name is a joke.  Every year we have a hard time finding the recipe because Celeste spelled it Pean instead of Pecan.  

Chicken, Grated Beets, and Beet Greens with Orange Butter

We had this for dinner tonight. Yum! I think next time I will put the beets over eggplant though. It is nice that everything is cooked in the same pan too.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Grated-Beets-and-Beet-Greens-with-Orange-Butter-355772
Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature, divided
1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange peel (I used lemon peel)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 medium red beets with greens, greens stemmed and coarsely chopped, beets peeled and coarsely grated
2 teaspoons Sherry wine vinegar, divided (I used rice vinegar)
1/3 cup water (maybe my pan was too big, but I had to use closer to a cup)

Preparation:

Mix 1 tablespoon butter and 1/4 teaspoon orange peel in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside until the end. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and sauté until cooked through and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Place 1 chicken breast in center of each plate; tent with foil to keep warm.

Melt remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter with 1/2 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; stir until tender and beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add beet greens; toss until leaves are tender but still bright green, about 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon Sherry wine vinegar; stir 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon greens alongside chicken; cover to keep warm. Add grated beets and 1/3 cup water to same skillet ; cover and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and continue cooking until beets are tender and water is almost evaporated, stirring often, about 1 minute. Add remaining 1 teaspoon vinegar; stir 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon beets onto plates. Spoon orange butter atop chicken and serve.

Quick and Yummy Wonton stuff

We had a pretty yummy dinner tonight.

1 bag of mini wontons (we get bags at Costco-- CJ all natural chicken and vegetable)
half a can of coconut milk
some ginger (maybe 1/2 tsp?)
lemongrass (We had some on hand so I chopped it up and stuck it in. I don't know how much difference it made)
Small bunch of chives
Greens, like kale or bok choy

Saute the wontons in oil with all the ingredients except the greens. Once it's mostly cooked add the greens and finish cooking.

This was delicious, fairly healthy, and easy to make. I need to stock up on mini wontons. ;)

Substitutions

Found this Alcohol substitution chart today when trying to find a replacement for cognac and thought I would share. 

Alcohol Substitutes for Cooking
Type of Alcohol	Substitute
Amaretto	Almond extract (1/2 teaspoon extract for 2 tablespoons of Amaretto) or Italian soda syrup.
Anisette	Anise Italian soda syrup or fennel.
Apple Brandy	Apple juice, unsweetened apple juice concentrate, apple cider, or apple butter.
Apricot Brandy	Syrup from a can of apricots in heavy syrup, or apricot preserves.
Beer or Ale	A strong chicken, beef or mushroom broth, or non-alcoholic beer.
Beer or Ale (Light)	Chicken broth, white grape juice or ginger ale.
Bourbon	1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
Brandy	1/2 to 1 teaspoon of brandy or rum extract for 2 tablespoons of Brandy. When liquid amount is critical to the recipe, use water or fruit juices corresponding to flavor of brandy (use same amount of liquid as the recipe calls for brandy),
Calvados	Apple juice, unsweetened apple juice concentrate, apple cider, or apple butter.
Chambord	Raspberry juice, syrup or extract.
Champagne	Ginger ale, sparkling apple cider, sparkling cranberry juice, or sparkling white grape juice.
Cherry Liqueur or Cherry Brandy	Syrup from a can of cherries in heavy syrup, or cherry Italian soda Syria or cherry preserves.
Claret	non-alcoholic wine, diluted grape juice or cherry cider syrup.
Coffee Liqueur	To replace 2 tablespoons of liqueur, use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of chocolate extract mixed with 1 teaspoon of instant coffee, which has been mixed in 2 tablespoons of water. Can also substitute expresso, non-alcoholic coffee extract or coffee syrup.
Cognac	Apricot, peach or pear juice.
Cointreau	To replace 2 tablespoons of liqueur, use 2 tablespoons of orange juice concentrate or 2 tablespoons of orange juice with 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract.
Crème de cacao	Powdered white chocolate combined with water, or non-alcoholic vanilla extract and powdered sugar.
Crème de cassis	Black currant Italian soda syrup or black currant jam.
Crème de menthe	non-alcoholic mint extract, mint Italian soda syrup, spearmint extract, or spearmint oil with a little water added. If green color is needed, add a drop of green food coloring.
Curacao	To replace 2 tablespoons of liqueur, use 2 tablespoons of orange juice concentrate or 2 tablespoons of orange juice with 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract.
Framboise	Raspberry juice or raspberry syrup.
Frangelico	Hazelnut or almond extract.
Galliano	Licorice extract.
Gewurztraminer	White grape juice combined with lemon juice.
Grand Marnier	To replace 2 tablespoons of liqueur, use 2 tablespoons of orange juice concentrate or 2 tablespoons of orange juice with 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract.
Grappa	Grape juice.
Grenadine	non-alcoholic grenadine or pomegranate syrup.
Hard Cider	Apple juice or apple cider.
Kirsch	Cherry cider or black cherry, raspberry, boysenberry, currant, or grape juice or syrup. Substitute same amount of liquid as called for in the recipe.
Licorice or Anise Liqueur	Anise Italian soda syrup or fennel.
Mirin	White grape juice combined with lemon juice or lemon zest.
Muscat	White grape juice combined with powdered sugar.
Ouzo	Anise Italian soda syrup or fennel.
Orange Liqueur	Orange juice concentrate, orange juice, orange zest or orange marmalade.
Peach Brandy	Syrup from a can of peaches in heavy syrup, or peach preserves.
Peppermint Schnapps	non-alcoholic mint or peppermint extract, mint Italian soda syrup, or mint leaves.
Port	Concord grape juice with some lime zest added, cranberry juice with some lemon juice added, or grape juice concentrate. Substitute orange juice or apple juice for lighter ports.
Red Burgundy	Red wine vinegar, grape juice or non-alcoholic wine.
Red Wine, sweet or dry	non-alcoholic wine with a tablespoon of vinegar added to cut the sweetness, grape juice, cranberry juice, grape jelly, tomato juice, beef broth, liquid drained from vegetables, or water. Use equal amounts of liquid as called for in the recipe.
Riesling	White grape juice with a pinch of powdered sugar added.
Rum	White grape juice, pineapple juice, or apple juice in equal liquid amounts as called for in the recipe. Can also use these juices with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of non-alcoholic rum, almond or vanilla extract added.
Sake	Rice vinegar.
Sambuca	Anise Italian soda syrup or fennel.
Schnapps	To replace 2 tablespoons of schnapps, add 1 teaspoon of a corresponding flavored extract.
Sherry	Apple juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, or non-alcoholic vanilla extract.
Southern Comfort	Peach flavored nectar combined with a small amount of cider vinegar.
Sparkling Wine	Ginger ale, sparkling apple cider, sparkling cranberry juice, or sparkling white grape juice.
Tequila	Cactus juice or nectar.
Triple Sec	Orange juice concentrate, orange juice, orange zest or orange marmalade.
Vermouth, Dry	White grape juice, white wine vinegar, or non-alcoholic white wine.
Vermouth, Sweet	Apple juice, grape juice, balsamic vinegar, non-alcoholic sweet wine, or water with lemon juice.
Whiskey	If a small amount is called for, it can be eliminated.
Vodka	White grape juice or apple cider combined with lime juice or use plain water in place of the vodka.
Savory	Thyme, marjoram, or sage
White Burgundy	non-alcoholic wine, white grape juice combined with white wine vinegar.
White Wine, sweet or dry	non-alcoholic wine with a tablespoon of vinegar added to cut the sweetness, white grape juice, apple juice, apple cider, tomato juice, chicken broth, liquid drained from vegetables, ginger ale, or water. Use equal amounts of liquid as called for in the recipe.

Pasta with Mushroom sauce

We made this recipe last night when the guys were all out. It is EXCELLENT!

 

Prep Time: 20 min

Start to Finish: 20 min

Servings: 6 (this is subjective, it really depends on how much you eat, teenage boys will eat much more than what this suggests as a serving size)

8oz Uncooked Pappardelle Pasta (we used fettuccine noodles)

2 TBS Butter

1 medium Onion; thinly sliced and separated into rings

16oz of mushrooms (We used regular button mushrooms, however you can use whatever type you desire)

2 tsp chopped fresh Sage leaves (we used ~1/2 tsp dried sage leaves)

1 tsp chopped fresh Thyme leaves (we used ~1/4 tsp dried)

1 cup Whipping Cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package (we started the water boiling and then started step 2... placing the pasta in the water once it boiled.)

2. In 12" skillet melt butter over medium high heat.  

Cook onions in butter 8-10 min, until soft and golden.

Add Mushrooms, chopped sage, and thyme; cook until mushrooms are tender, ~5 min.

Stir in whipping cream, cheese, salt, and pepper.

3. Pour Sauce over cooked pasta and toss. 

(the timing of the food worked out pretty perfect.  The sauce got done a little before the pasta which meant that it simmered for a couple minutes, making it all the better!)

ENJOY!

Gak

Just made this with the girls. It has the added bonus of not stinking like the store bought stuff. This smells like clean laundry. This recipe picture is from my new recipe book I'm making. It's the right dimensions that you should be able to save it and print it off like a 4x6 photo. that's what I plan to do eventually anyway. :)

Mini Key Lime Cupcakes

I am totally just copy pasting this from another blog of mine. I am going to bake these for a "Cupcake War" bake off and decided to re post the recipe on here.
Technically this recipe is courtesy of Emily, as she is the one who gave it to me.

 

 The original Betty Crocker recipe can be found here

Prep Time: 40 min

Total Time: 1 hour 50 min

Makes: 48 cupcakes

Topping

1            box (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix

1 1/2            cups whipping cream

1/4            cup Key lime or regular lime juice

4            drops green food color

1 1/2            cups powdered sugar – I didn’t add the sugar here since I enjoy a little bit of tartness

Cupcakes

48            regular-size paper baking cups

1            box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix

            Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

Frosting

1            container Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting

1            tablespoon Key lime or regular lime juice – I just buy the stuff in the lime shaped container, I also add a little more lime juice than this calls for, but you don’t add too much, or else the topping will be too runny… (that could have been why mine were a little too runny) but I REALLY like lime. :o)

1/2            teaspoon grated Key lime or regular lime peel

                       

                                   

           

1.  In large bowl, beat pudding mix and whipping cream with wire whisk 2 minutes. Let stand 3 minutes. Beat in 1/4 cup Key lime juice and the food color; stir in powdered sugar until smooth. Cover and refrigerate.

2.  Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box. Spoon about 1 rounded tablespoonful batter (don’t use any more than a TBS the cupcakes are better when they are thin) into each muffin cup, using about half of the batter. (Muffin cups will be about 1/3 full.) Refrigerate remaining batter. Bake 12 to 16 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to cooling rack. Repeat with remaining baking cups and batter. Cool cupcakes completely, about 15 minutes.

3.  Remove paper baking cups from cupcakes. Swirl about 2 teaspoons topping on top of each cupcake.

4.  Stir frosting in container 20 times. Gently stir in 1 tablespoon Key lime juice and the lime peel. Spoon frosting into 1-quart resealable food-storage plastic bag. Cut 1/2-inch opening from bottom corner of bag. Squeeze 1 rounded teaspoonful frosting from bag onto topping. Garnish with fresh lime wedge, if desired. Store in refrigerator.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Divide batter in half. Distribute 1/2 batter evenly among 24 muffin cups. Refrigerate remaining batter, and repeat process.

Now, enjoy your yummy deliciousness!!! :o)

** Update **
In case anyone was wondering.... I won the cupcake bake off with these ;o)