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bisquick binge

For whatever misguided reason, I've always subscribed to the idea that the more complicated the recipe, the more ingredients involved, the better the meal.  Then I go and try to make lobster bisque, a French truffle souffle, and some seven-layer torte with apricot roses and chocolate leaf detailing.  FAIL!

The Betty Crocker Website has so many recipes with standard, easy-to-find supermarket products and reasonable prep times.  

I've tried:
Cherry Swirl Coffee Cake


Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars

Raspberry Baked Brie

Just had to recommend it - yay for Bisquick!

caramelized pear bread pudding

 
YUM!!  If you like the not-too-sweet but nicely textured quality of bread pudding and the rich flavor of custard (this one tastes a lot like flan), this is the treat for you!

I abhor raisins, so I substituted fresh cranberries we had from Thanksgiving, which added a flavorful tart bite every here and there - so, so good!

Here's the recipe: Download Caramelized Pear Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 cups cubed, day-old country-style bread, crusts trimmed (4-6 slices), preferably whole-wheat
• I cup fresh or 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1 teaspoon butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, halved and cored
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation

1. Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, until steaming. Whisk eggs in a large bowl until blended; gradually whisk in 1/4 cup sugar. Slowly whisk in the hot milk until blended. Whisk in vanilla, lemon zest and nutmeg.
2. Add bread and cranberries to the milk mixture; gently fold together. Press down lightly with the back of a large spoon. Cover and set aside at room temperature.
3. Butter the bottom and sides of a round 2-quart baking dish with 1 teaspoon butter. Preheat oven to 350°F. Put a kettle of water on to boil.
4. Cut each pear half lengthwise into 4 slices. Place in a medium bowl and toss with lemon juice.
5. Heat a medium skillet over low heat until hot. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and swirl until just melted. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar over the melted butter. Arrange the pear slices on their sides in the pan in an even layer. Increase the heat to medium-low and, without stirring, let the pears begin to brown and the sauce slowly caramelize, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent burning, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully turn each pear slice with a fork. Return to the heat and cook until the sauce is uniformly golden, 2 to 4 minutes more.
6. Carefully transfer the pears one at a time to the prepared baking dish, arranging them decoratively in a circle. Use a heatproof silicone spatula to scrape any remaining syrup over the pears.
7. Set the baking dish in a shallow baking pan. Spoon the bread and custard mixture into the baking dish. Press down on the bread until it is submerged in the custard. Place the pan in the oven and carefully add the hot water to the shallow baking pan until it is halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
8. Bake until the pudding is browned on top and set in the center, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and let cool for at least 45 minutes. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the pudding. Place a serving platter over it and invert the pudding onto the platter.

how I will miss you, summer.

Fall began just a week ago, on September 22.

We had a great summer's end dinner.  A brothy vegetable and bean soup with anything we had around: onion, corn fresh off the cob, carrots, rosemary, bell pepper, and best of all, my mom's home-grown green beans.  I will miss all that fresh-out-of-the-garden flavor once we get deeper into the autumn and winter.

We paired that with blue cheese and asparagus toasts.  They're so delicious!  Just toast up some baguette slices, top with the blue cheese spread (below) and prepared asparagus tips.  They're very pretty, too.

And for dessert: homemade applesauce!

Blue Cheese Spread:

Mix or stir 1 pkg. cream cheese with a splash of milk to create a creamy mixture, add blue cheese crumbles to your liking.  I added chopped walnuts for extra texture.  (Some recipes have suggested adding garlic, basil, or other flavors, but the blue cheese is enough flavor for me).

Spread over toasty bread, top with prepared and seasoned asparagus, and enjoy.

The left-over blue cheese mixture will be good for quick meals:

• Spread on a bagel for lunch
• Warmed over Salmon
• Atop a gardenburger (or burger for John)

summer bbq favorites

We've been bar-b-queing ourselves crazy!
Here are a few of the coolest side dishes I've tried.
Caramelized Onion Tart
Top puff pastry with caramelized onions (I used Vidalia) and halved kalamata olives.  Bake at 400 until golden and top with fresh rosemary.  As easy as that!

Layered Cobb Salad
In a pretty glass bowl, layer crisp lettuce layers with everything you love - bottom to top.  I do layers of grape tomatoes, carrots, corn, sliced mushrooms, red onion, cubed cheeses, hardboiled egg, turkey and avocado.  Top with blue cheese crumbles, crispy crumbled bacon and sunflower seeds.  It's so colorful!
Basic Sangria
1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Shot brandy
2 Cups sparkling water or club soda
Chunky Summer Salsa
I love everything in my salsa!
2 tomatoes, 1-2 jalapeno peppers, diced bell pepper, chopped green onion, diced, red onion, cilantro, chopped avocado, black beans, corn, salt to taste

Crostini
Just bake up a nice baguette, brushed with olive oil and garlic.  Spread with goat cheese and top with a mixture that has been mixed and marinated for an hour: diced tomato, chopped red onion, fresh basil, olive oil, basalmic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Blueberry Cheesecake Pops
This one took a bit of work, but they were a big hit on the Fourth!
The blue mixture:
about a cup of fresh blueberries
1 Tbs. cornstarch
squeeze lemon juice
heated in a saucepan until thick and juicy.  Cool and layer into icecube trays.
Once the blueberry mixture is mostly frozen in trays, top with cheesecake mixture:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups blueberries
Add popsicle sticks!
The last layer is graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.
Freeze about 3 hours or until they POP easily out!

let's pretend we're french!

This is the one treat I could eat and eat forever.  I made it for my family this weekend, and enjoyed it in the garden with wine and crisp grapes.  Everyone loved it - including John, who claims to hate brie - and it's a really simple, semi-inexpensive indulgence! (Much easier than my other favorite: brie baked in phyllo dough with pecans and raspberries).

• Start by bias-cutting a fresh baguette

• Top with chopped hazelnuts then slices of brie cheese (although not the most authentic, a moderate brand I like from the normal neighborhood grocery is Président)

• Bake at 400 until slices start to melt and baguette looks a little crispy

• Serve with fresh seedless preserves (or berry jam, basically)

• Note:  I also baked 6 or so garlic cloves along with the toasts and placed them under the cheese on several.  These turned out to be by far the most popular pieces.

*Disclaimer: Now that I've got John open to brie - I'm going to try another treat:  Polenta Toasts with Brie & Sautéed Mushrooms.  This might end up being a series of very indulgent, delicious, cheesy, caloric recipes...so beware!

spinach artichoke dip

In anticipation of a hungry husband coming home from his weekend camping/fishing trip in Eastern Oregon, I made up some slow-cooker artichoke spinach dip Sunday night.  The recipe was from one of those point-of-purchase mini-cookbooks from the grocery store, and it turned out to be pretty tasty (and super easy), so I thought I'd share the recipe.

It's southwest style, kind of spicy; but you could easily substitute the pepperjack cheese for swiss and omit the chilies for a milder version.

• One 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• One 9 oz. bag frozen spinach, thawed
• One half red bell pepper, chopped
• One 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened and cubed (use two for a more creamy, less chunky dip)
• One 4.5 oz. can of green chilies

Combine ingredients. Coat slow cooker and fill with ingredient mixture.  Cover, cook on Med for 1.5 hours, or low for 2-3 hours.  **I added a clove of garlic, minced, and a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

• 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• Tortilla chips and/or bread

Stir cheese into warm dip.  Serve warm or cold with tortilla chips or bread (or crisp veggies!).