Recipes

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Here's a new recipe I just tried last night- delicious!

Grilled Mozzarella and Basil Pesto

What you need:

2 slices of bread of your choice, each buttered on one side

pesto made from olive oil, fresh basil, oregano, and garlic powder (to taste)

sliced fresh mozzarella

What you do:

Lay buttered side down in pan, on medium heat on stovetop. Brush non-buttered side with pesto sauce. Place mozzarella slices on bread. Repeat with second slice, and place on top of other piece of bread. When bread begins to slightly brown, flip to other side.

Delicious when dipped in Tomato-Basil soup. Or by itself. Mmmm. 

Enjoy immensely! 

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Spiced Applesauce Bread (Southern Living)

1 1/4 cups applesauce

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

3 T. milk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. ground cinnamon (I used 1 teaspoon)

1/4 t. ground nutmeg (I used 1/2 teaspoon)

1/4 t. ground allspice (I used 1/2 teaspoon)

1 cup chopped pecans, divided

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 t. ground cinnamon 

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. 

Combine flour and next 6 ingredients; add to applesauce mixture, stirring well. Fold in 1/2 cup pecans. Pour batter into two greased loafpans, or one large pan. Combine remaining 1/2 cup pecans, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle over batter in pan. 

Bake at 350* for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Cool in a pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan. Makes 1 loaf/large pan, 2 loaves/two smaller pans.

*Disclaimer: I did not make the topping, so I just added to remaining pecans into the batter. I put the batter into two pans instead of one; it baked much more evenly and did not burn. This is a definite make-again recipe- amazing taste/smell of fall! Dearly love.

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8.22.11
Greetings, fellow culinary lovers! I realize it is only August, but in a recent search for a fun cupcake design for my beginning-of-choir-Christmas-kickoff next week, I discovered this simply delightful recipe! You simple must try it! I will be making them next week, so we shall see if their likeness is similar to the perfection of the photo. :-) aren't they decadently charming?

Ingredients

• 1  box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® cake mix (any non-swirl flavor)
• Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
• 1  container Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy chocolate frosting
• Chocolate shot
• 24  large pretzel twists
• 24  miniature marshmallows
• 24  red cinnamon candies
• 24  small red gumdrops

Directions

1. 1Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make and cool cake as directed on box for 24 cupcakes.
2. 2Frost cupcakes with frosting. Sprinkle chocolate shot over tops of cupcakes.
3. 3For each cupcake, cut pretzel twist in half; arrange on cupcake for reindeer antlers. Cut miniature marshmallow in half; arrange on cupcake for eyes. Center gumdrop below marshmallow halves for nose. Place red cinnamon candy below gumdrop for mouth. Store loosely covered.

I find these so very delightful! It's also a fun reminder that Christmas is only but a few short months away...

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7.19.11

A few more fun summer recipes to try! Been loving these summer veggies here in NC thanks to our huge garden. :)

 So. the other day it was 12:02 pm. Clearly, lunch time. I was hungry. Saw this at our kitchen window. 

Many yummy, fresh tomatoes from the garden. 

Same predicament? Here's a new, quick, delish idea!

1. Slice tomato.

2. Place slices in greased pan.

3. Top with spices.

*I cheated and used pre-made pesto: Rosa-Maria 

(just rosemary, garlic, and some oregano) and then

tried some basil, parsley, and garlic. Mmm. Just

experiment. It's only food, after all. :)

4. Heat until it smells so amazing that

you'll think you've been transported

to Santa Lucia's Italian Pizzeria in 

downtown NYC. :) 

5. Flip tomatoes like pancakes.

6. Top with freshly grated parmesean or 

mozzarella cheese. 

And viola, you have tomato a-la lunch. :)

These are also delicious when baked in an

8x8 pan in the oven, stovetop is simply 

quicker for lunch. 

Enjoy some Italiano goodness! =)

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7.2.11

Summer Garden Veggie Overload?

Overflow of summer garden veggies? Same here. :)These fast, easy, yummy, recipes give a new flair to the ordinary zucchini or tomato and will have you wanting it all year 'round. nJoy!

Genoa Sandwich Loaf

1/3 cup olive oil

1-1/4 cups minced fresh parsley

1 cup minced fresh basil

½ cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided

4 garlic cloves, peeled

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 package (80z) cream cheese, softened

1 loaf French bread, halved lengthwise

1 pound thinly slived hard salami

2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced

Combine oil, parsley, basil, ¼ c. parmesan cheese, garlic and nutmeg. Cover and put in blender to make pesto.

Spread cream cheese over cut sides of break; spread with pesto. Layer the salami and tomatoes over pesto; sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min or until cheese is melted. About 8-10 servings.

*If you have a pre-made or store-bought pesto sauce, omit the first part. Adding a little rosemary to this recipe gives a lovely zing. I omitted the salami and survived. Just play around with it 'till it suites your taste buds. It's a favorite at our house. =)

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7.5.11
Add a little zing to your summer festivities with this fun and easy cupcake twist from Taste of Home.  I made them for July 4th, and not only were they simple and fun, but also delicious and enjoyed by all. Huge hit with the kiddos. :)

*this is my picture, not Taste of Home's. 

Theirs wouldn't work, so 

I used mine. :)

• 24 Servings
• Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

3030

Ingredients

• 5 red pull-and-peel licorice
• 6 drops red food coloring
• 1 cup flaked coconut, divided
• 4 drops blue food coloring
• 1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 24 cupcakes
• Assorted red and blue sprinkles, optional

Directions

• Cut each licorice twist into five pieces; pull apart one end of each to make firecracker fuses. Set aside.
• In a resealable plastic bag, combine 1/4 teaspoon water and red food coloring; add 1/2 cup coconut. Seal bag and shake to tint coconut. In another bag, combine 1/4 teaspoon water and blue food coloring; add remaining coconut. Seal bag and shake to tint.
• Spread whipped topping over cupcakes; decorate with coconut or sprinkles as desired. Insert firecraker fuses into tops. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 2 dozen.

*I altered it just a bit, omitting the coconut and had to use Twizzlers since I couldn't find licorice, but they were find and dandy anyways. Just use scissors to cut the Twizzlers apart. They were delish and rather adorable. 


*Fun cupcake tip! 
Want super-moist, fluffy cupcakes that won't fall when you take them out of the oven? Try this easy tip! When making the batter, follow the directions on the cake mix box e-x-a-c-t-l-y. As in, 'beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.' Do it. You won't believe the difference it makes! You'll be taking 18 cupcakes to the neighborhood cookout instead of 24 because you ate 6. :) Give it a try!


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