French Toast Bread Pudding

My sweet girl and I love french toast, my husband not so much.  Surprisingly, he loves this recipe. He loves this recipe so much that recently, while we had company, I made it for the first time and he requested it the next morning too! This is a winner and oh so easy! What is also great about this recipe is that it can be prepared for baking the night before and popped in the oven in the morning.

French Toast Bread Pudding

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, not packed

French toast sticks, enough to cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan

1 cup of heavy cream

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup water

Fruit is optional

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch cake pan with brown sugar. (You may add sliced apples, pears, bananas, blueberries or strawberries on top of the sugar before adding the french toast sticks.) Lay the french toast sticks side by side on top of the brown sugar. In a bowl beat together the heavy cream, eggs, vanilla extract and water. Pour over the french toast sticks. Press sticks down to wet them thoroughly.

You may leave the unbaked French Toast Bread Pudding in the refrigerator over night for a creamier texture. If you choose to immediately bake the bread pudding the top of the sticks get crispy while the bottom is rich and creamy. We have had it both ways and we prefer to go ahead and bake it and not let it set over night.

Bake at 350 degrees F 30 to 40 minutes. Let the bread pudding stand for 10 minutes before serving. Top with your favorite syrup and enjoy!

Peach Strawberry Pie

I love the fresh fruits of summer. I often buy large quanities of fresh fruits and freeze or dry them to use year round. While cleaning out my freezer yesterday I found a bag of strawberries and a bag of peaches I had frozen last summer. Along with the fruits, I also found some deep dish pie crusts. What better combination could I have asked for?

One of the great things about the recipe is that even if you don't have access to the fresh fruits, you may use canned or frozen. I also make two pies at a time; I also do this with casseroles. This way I can bake one and put one unbaked back in the freezer to bake at a later time. This makes it very simple to pull a homemade meal together in a hurry.

Peach Strawberry Pie

2 1/2 pounds peaches, peel, pit and chunk
3 cups strawberries, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional but very good)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter

2 deep dish frozen pie crusts
2 crust covers (I go the lazy way and buy the rolled up pie crusts to cover my pies if I am not making from scratch)

You may mix the 1st 8 ingredients in a bowl and pour into the pie crusts. (OR you can only pit the peaches and remove the stems from the strawberries. Add the 1st 8 ingredients into a blender and chop the mixture before adding to the pie crusts.) Cover the pie crusts with the top crusts. Cover the edges with pie rings or aluminum foil. Bake until golden brown. Enjoy! This is really good with vanilla ice cream.

Indoor Smores

What does a bag of marshmallows, a fork, a lighter, a jar of Nutella and a bag of marshmallows have in common? If you guessed a delicious variation of the smore made indoors you would be correct.

I love smores! When I am in the mood for smores I don’t want to have to go to the hassle of building a campfire and doing it the old fashioned way. Sometimes I don’t even want to go outside to get in the car and go to the store to buy the new microwavable smore; which I have not tried.

For years I have loved putting a marshmallow on a fork, setting it on fire, watching it burn out and then eating its gooey goodness. After the customary Memorial Day cookout complete with smores I thought I would try to make smores at home in my kitchen. Then my mind started working and wondering what variations of the standard smore I could make. There is always the option of flavored marshmallows, peanut butter, marshmallow crème, coconut, etc. The variations are endless.

For this recipe I simply take a graham cracker, smear Nutella on each half, put a marshmallow on a fork, set it on fire, let it burn itself out, place the burnt marshmallow on the Nutella smeared cracker  and most importantly- enjoy!

Strawberry Cheeseball

"Sometimes they're tiny, sometimes they're tall but friends are the 'berry' best people of all! ~Strawberry Shortcake

I grew up in a world of Strawberry Shortcake where friends were important. Even in the age of technology where the value of friends have been lessened and have been turned into a matter of convenience, I still value friendships. Letters are now be emails. Notes are now texts. It is the little things that we do because we care that maintains our friendships and means so much.

In my world food and friendship goes hand in hand. Holiday dinners where we all pitch in. Parties to celebrate successes. Dinners to celebrate promotions. Comfort foods when failure, loss and disappointments occur.

There are some foods that are good to share with friends anytime. A food I love to share with friends is strawberries. This time of year strawberries are ripe, sweet and plentiful. A sweet treat that I make using fresh strawberries to share with friends and neighbors is “Strawberry Cheeseball”. This sweet fruity treat is very simple to make, inexpensive and enjoyed by all (in my experience anyway).

I hope you and your friends enjoy!

Strawberry Cheeseball
Soften 16 ounces of cream cheese and ½ cup of butter, mix well. Mix in 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and ¾ cup of powdered sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Fold in 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries.

This is the part where you can be versatile.

-You may put the mixture in a bowl in the fridge for an hour and let it set up so you may roll it into one large ball. Roll the large cheeseball in crushed graham cracker crumbs. An easy way to cover the large ball with graham cracker crumbs is to pour the crumbs in a deep bowl or cake pan. Place the large cheese ball in the center of the crumbs and lightly toss the crumbs around to coat the ball.


-After refrigerating the mixture, you may use a cookie dough scoop to make small balls before rolling in crushed graham cracker crumbs. An easy way to cover the small balls with graham cracker crumbs is to pour the crumbs in a deep bowl. Place the small cheese ball in the center of the crumbs and lightly toss the crumbs around to coat the ball.

-After mixing, you may pour the mixture into a graham cracker crust and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs before refrigerating. It is really cute to use the small graham cracker crusts and makes for easy serving at a large gathering.

- You may store the mixture in a covered bowl and use to dip graham crackers or animal crackers into it for a yummy treat.

Chocolate-fruit cups

I have been procrastinating writing another blog entry for whatever reason I could conjure up. Today I received an email from one of my friends saying she missed my blog. Really? Wow! I have been busy writing but for a different reason. I have been writing stories for my sweet little girl.

We officially ended the sugary sweet candy season with the Easter holiday. During the holidays beginning last fall up until Easter I noticed in the mall’s candy shops some of the prices on some of their sweet treats. Five dollars for a single piece of candy! Yes really.

While strolling through one particular sweet treat shop I noticed tiny chocolate baskets filled with berries and chocolate covered. This was the five dollar treat. I thought there must be something under the berries that made it special or different. My curiosity got the best of me and I decided to purchase one of these sweet fruity treats. I chose the blueberry chocolate basket.

I start breaking the chocolate away from the top of the berries. I ate the mediocre chocolate and fed my sweet girl the blueberries. Was there anything special about this cup? Nope.

The wheels in my head started to turn. I went to the store and purchased strawberries, blueberries and melting chips. I tried the whole little basket candy mold idea and that was a disaster. I would make six baskets and on a good batch only one would come out without cracking and then I would break it somehow. I then decided to buy holiday themed cupcake wrappers.

I placed the cupcake wrappers in a muffin pan, stacked the berries in the wrapper, melted the chocolate, filled zip-loc bags with the melted chocolate, made a tiny hole in the bag and piped the chocolate over the berries. That simple, cost much less and just as good if not better than the five dollar piece I bought.

The only problem I had with the fruit choices I made was with the strawberries. When I added chocolate over the strawberries, the sugar in the chocolate started working with the sugar in the strawberries and it made a syrup. If you do decide to use strawberries, I would suggest make them the day you want to eat them. The blueberries held up well. I also think raspberries, cranberries and pomegranate arils.

I hope you enjoy!

Saint Patrick's Day Menu

I love the holidays, all of them. I also love researching holiday recipes, planning menus and preparing holiday dishes.

This year I decided to prepare a complete Irish meal. I didn’t want to prepare a meal of cabbage and corned beef. I wanted to make something more, something a little different.  There is no better way to enjoy a meal than to share it with friends.  I love all my “guinea pigs” that are always so willing to try my newest recipes.

The Irish recipes I made tonight are listed below.  I prepared a mixed drink too but I do not think it is sharing worthy. All of the recipes are very simple and are full of flavor. I hope you enjoy as much as we did.

• Appetizer:

Cheddar Triangles

1-3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick butter, cut into small pieces

6 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup cold water

2 tablespoons white vinegar

coarsely ground black pepper

Oven 375F

I always use my food processor when preparing recipes that require fine chopping or shredding. It is so much easier and less time consuming.

In a food processor, mix flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add the butter and process until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in cheese, water and vinegar until mixture forms a soft dough. Form it into a ball, wrap it in cellophane and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Divide dough into 4 sections. On a floured board, roll each section into a paper thin circle, trimming the edges. Sprinkle with pepper and press it firmly into the dough. Cut each circle into 8 wedges, place on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until crisp. Do not over cook. Cool on wire rack. Store in an airtight container. Serve with your favorite dip. Yield: 32

•  Main Dish:

Chicken and Ham Pie

4 tablespoons unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup half-and-half or light cream

1/4 cup chopped onion

4 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup cooked chicken, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup cooked ham, diced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, left at room temperature for 30 minutes

1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until blended with the butter. Add the stock or broth and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken. Stir in the half-and-half, onion, mushrooms, peas, and parsley, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are nearly tender. Add the chicken and ham and season with salt, and pepper. Spoon the mixture to the prepared dish.

Unfold the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a circle 12 inches in diameter. Place the pastry over the chicken mixture, trim, and crump the edge. Brush the pastry with egg wash, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack before serving. Serves 6

• 2 sides:

Champ

4 lb Potatoes

1/2 lb Chopped scallions

10 fl Milk

4 oz Butter

Pepper

Directions:

Champ is served piled high on the dish, with a well of melted butter in the center. It is eaten with a spoon from the outside, each spoonful being dipped in the well of melted butter.

Peel potatoes and cook in boiling water. Simmer milk and scallions together for five minutes. Strain potatoes and mash thoroughly. Add hot milk, and the scallions, salt and pepper, and half the butter.

*You can also use microwave packages of mashed potatoes and add chives before serving.

Fried Cabbage

2 teaspoons butter

1 (15 ounce) can chicken broth

1 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped

1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.Bring the butter and chicken broth to a boil in a large skillet. Reduce heat to low and add the cabbage. Cover and cook over low heat to steam the cabbage for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently, or until cabbage is tender and sweet. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

• Dessert:

Chocolate Pots with Irish Cream Liquer and Irish Lace Cookies

10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cup heavy cream

2 eggs

2 tablespoon Irish Cream flavored syrup

Directions:

Over medium heat, heat cream to almost boiling. Combine cream with chocolate and blend until chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the egg and Irish Cream flavored syrup and blend again until smooth. Pour into eight ramekins and chill for 4 hours. Serve with Irish Lace Cookies. Serves 8.

Irish Lace Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup McCann’s Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, cream, corn syrup, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour, oatmeal, and salt. Beat together until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto waxed paper, shape into a ball, and chill for 30 minutes.

Shape the dough into approximately 12 one tablespoon balls. Place 3 balls on the baking sheet and flatten with your palm. Bake until golden brown and “lacy,” about 10 minutes. Cool for at least 2 minutes before removing with a spatula (cookies are delicate and must harden slightly before being removed). Repeat, 3 cookies at a time. Makes 12 cookies.

Parmesan Chicken and Campfire Potatoes

Chicken is a very versatile meat that most people like prepared in some way. Finding a full flavored yet simple chicken dish can sometimes be a challenge. Many recipes require marinating and homemade sauces that require many different spices that you may not have in your cabinet because this would be the only time you use them.

I despise having to buy an entire bottle of spice that I use for one recipe and not sure if I will even like the dish when prepared. I prefer to use common spices that I use in many dishes with a combination of other spices.

A very simple full flavored chicken dish is Parmesan Chicken. A person without any cooking experience can prepare this dish and be able to impress company.

Parmesan Chicken
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 teaspoons. Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Combine mayonnaise and cheese. Spread on chicken breasts, then sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown.

I served the Parmesan Chicken with carrots cooked in chicken broth and Campfire Potatoes. Campfire Potatoes are a favorite of Philip’s and thankfully another very simple dish.

Campfire Potatoes

5 medium potatoes, chunked
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons parsley
¾ teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup butter, dotted

Place potatoes on aluminum foil or in baking dish; sprinkle with cheese and spices; dot with butter. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil or seal the aluminum foil packet. Place potatoes in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  The foil packet may also be made on the grill.

Don’t expect leftovers after this meal!