Stuffed Mushrooms!

 If you know me at all, you know I love mushrooms. And cream cheese. And Parmesan. And well... it should be no surprise then that I love these little creations. So much, in fact, I think I shall have some for lunch today! I had no idea how relatively easy they are to create. I'm so glad I decided to give it a go. This is my new Party go-to food, but it works great as a side dish also! Try it. You'll love it! 

Ingredients:

2- 8oz packs White Button mushrooms

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3C white wine

8oz cream cheese, softened

3/4C Parmesan cheese, grated

dash each Oregano and Thyme

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Wash mushrooms in cold water. Pop out stems, reserving both parts. Chop mushroom stems finely and set aside. 

Saute onions and garlic for about 2 minutes over medium low heat. Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate. Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook about 2 minutes more. Add salt and pepper and other seasonings. Set mixture aside to cool. 

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese and Parmesan. Add cooled mushroom stem mixture and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. 

Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top of each. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Oh. My. Goodnessssss....

Artichoke Dip -- a healthy version!

Picture from Google. 

As I was thinking of a menu for the Super Bowl this Sunday, what sounds better than lots of fun finger foods?! So we'll be having potato skins, taquitos, chips and salsa, Bagel Bites, sausage and cheese tray, (all for my husband), shrimp cocktail, olives, meatballs, pomegranate sausage bits, and this Artichoke Dip with Stacy's Pita Chips. Artichoke Dip is the WORST option you could have as an appetizer because most recipes begin with Mayo and cream cheese and end with the veg. It should be backwards. Which, once again, is why I love the Eat This, Not That books! In the 2010 version they have included the following recipe, which I will be making this Sunday! 

Ingredients:

1 12oz jar artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped (they recommend Cento brand)

1 16oz box chopped frozen spinach, thawed (Cascadian Farm Organic)

2TBS olive oil based mayo 

1/2TBS butter

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small can roasted green chiles, drained and chopped

2TBS whipped light cream cheese

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper, to taste

Whole wheat pitas -- optional

Instructions:

Optional -- Cut pitas into 6-8 wedges and separate the layers. Spread on 2 baking sheets and bake at 400 for 5 minutes. 

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add artichokes, spinach, chiles, mayo, cream cheese and lemon juice. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Serves 4.

Another Fruit Leather: Peach, Pineapple, Mango and Orange!

Monday was a HUGE grocery shopping day for our family. I picked up some Mango/Peach Applesauce for my son, and some canned peaches and a pineapple (among other things), and I had some mandarin oranges left over in the fridge. I thought, "Hey! These might actually be really tasty as a fruit leather!" So I tried it. And.... it's a hit!

Any suggestions on a name for it? Peach, Pineapple, Mango and Orange is a bit long....

PPMO Fruit Leather

Ingredients:

3 Cups of Peach Mango Applesauce
1 Can Sliced Peaches
1/2 Fresh, diced Pineapple
1/4C canned Mandarin Oranges

1. In a blender, combine fruits and puree until smooth. Add the applesauce and continue to puree. Add a little water if too thick, or more applesauce if too thin.
2. Prepare fruit roll trays by rubbing a little oil with a paper towel all over them.
3. Carefully pour mixture onto tray (will make two trays!) and use a spoon to spread out.
4. Set dehydrator accordingly. (Mine should have been 135 for 4-8 hours, but I dried it with one last tray of jerky, so I had it at 155 for 10 hours! Needless to say, it was more like fruit chips than leather! But still tasty! )
5. Cut into pieces and roll up into plastic wrap.

Best Beef Jerky

My recipe is for use with a dehydrator. Don't have one? Don't worry. Go HERE for a few different recipes for drying in an oven.

If you do have a dehydrator (don't you love it?! ) here is my recipe... I've had many people ask where I bought the jerky when they taste it. They just can't believe I made it myself!!

Drying your own jerky really is simple and costs so little! I used one roast (really any meaty roast, a rump roast is preferred, and if you get it on sale, you'll save a bundle!), 1/4 bottle of Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 bottle of soy sauce. That's about it. I missed the meat sale so my roast cost a bit more than planned... but still. 1oz of jerky from the store could run you close to $7! For the same amount of money you can get a whole GALLON freezer bag full of meat, made your way!

Beef Jerky

Ingredients:

Rump Roast - about 3lbs., sliced thinly (about 1/4" or 1/8" -- your butcher will gladly slice it for you!)
1/4C light brown sugar
1/4C Worcestershire sauce
1/4C low-sodium soy sauce
about 2TBS oyster sauce *optional (be careful if you have fish allergies)
2TBS. Season Salt
2-4TBS (depending on how hot you want it) freshly ground pepper (large ground)
red pepper flakes *optional again depending on heat factor
1TBS. garlic powder
1 TBS. onion powder

Instructions:

Whisk together marinade ingredients in large bowl. Separate meat slices into large baking dish or bowl big enough to hold. Cover with marinade. Let sit for at least 4 hours, to overnight (or a few days if you run out of room on your trays!).
Place meat slices onto jerky trays (if your dehydrator has "clean trays" be sure to use them. They make clean-up a whole lot easier!), in one layer. Set dehydrator according to manufacturer's instructions and allow to dry.
Allow to cool and store in ziplock bag, tightly closed. Or if storing for longer period, use a vacuum-sealed system.
* My dehydrator was set for 155 and it took about 12 hours, so I started it before bed and woke up to delicious jerky!

Mmm.... a favorite snack at our house!

A Halloween Treat! Ghost cakes/cupcakes

Mine didn't turn out how it was supposed to... but you get the idea! Here's where I got my inspiration.

You can follow the recipe from Parenting, or do what I did. I just made up a box of Halloween Funfetti Cake Mix(I didn't have black Writing Icing, so I improvised with Orange glittery stuff!). My cupcake pan only holds 6, so rather than doing 4 batches separately, I do a pan of mini cakes (24), and 2 pans of cupcakes.
I gotta say one thing, I give big Kudos to those who bake cakes and use fondant icing on a normal basis. I've seen some AMAZING creations, and it seems like an easy enough task. But man, it's not. That stuff is thick and hard to work with. It takes a lot of talent to come up with those amazing cakes and other creations. I'll stick to dinner.
Anyway, back to the recipe.

Spooky Ghost Cakes

A popover mold is ideal for baking these spooky little cakes but you could use cut up pound cake instead under the white icing.

Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter plus extra for greasing
Half cup plus 1 tablespoon Superfine sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 large eggs
One cup self-rising flour
Cornstarch for dusting
Non stick baking spray

1 x 24 oz box white rolled fondant icing
1 tube of black Writing Icing

Instructions:

1. Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time adding a tablespoon of flour with each egg. Beat well and fold in the remaining flour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spoon the batter into a popover pan that has been sprayed with non stick baking spray and fill each molds till just over half full. Place on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Allow to cool, cut off the top of the cakes to form a flat surface , then turn out onto a board or plate. Allow to cool completely.

Dust your work surface with cornstarch and roll out the icing . Cut out circles to drape over the cakes. You can use a saucer as a guide. Drape these over the sponge cakes to form ghosts. From the trimmings either use a mini cutter to cut out some tiny white oval shapes or roll out some tiny balls of white icing into oval shapes . Dampen them with a little water and stick them onto the front of the ghost. Use a blob of black Writing Icing for the pupils of the eyes.

MAKES 6 GHOULISH GHOST CAKES

Snack time! Fruit Leather/Fruit Roll-Up

My wonderful husband gave me a SWEET dehydrator for my birthday. We received one as a wedding gift and I used it quite a bit when we first moved to Utah, but it didn't last long. I went from 5 trays to 1. So I sold it at a yard sale. Most girls hate when their men get them kitchen appliances for gifts. I say, SWEET! He has seriously been given crap at checkouts for the gifts he gets me. But he listens to what I really WANT/NEED. And doesn't just get what he thinks I'd LIKE. Our first Christmas, he did give me a foot bath and such. Guess what. I used it, maybe 3 times? It's just too much work, and I don't have time for that. Last year, he gave me an electric skillet. LOVE IT! Hopefully one year I'll get that NuWave oven, or a Wok. Heaven! lol.

Anyway, back to the Fruit Leather at hand....

Have you ever tasted this flavor applesauce? My two year-old LOVES it! And that makes me happy, because it's so dang healthy! So I thought with my new handy-dandy dehydrator (that came with a fruit roll tray!), I'd make a fruit leather using said applesauce!

Doesn't it look pretty?!

Here's the recipe:

Pomegranate-Berry Fruit Leather

Ingredients:

3 cups applesauce (I actually used 2 Pomegranate cups, and 1 1/2pint homemade no-sugar applesauce)
2 cups berries (I used 1 berry pack from Schwans- strawberry/blueberry, and 1 C frozen strawberries)
about 1 C coconut water
1 packet Truvia

Instructions:

1. Lightly oil fruit roll tray.
2. Combine berries and applesauce into blender and puree, adding coconut water as needed. Add truvia, especially if berries are a little tart. Puree until smooth.
3. Carefully pour onto tray and spread out with spatula. Set dehydrator according to it's instructions (mine was 130-140 degrees for 4-10hrs).
4. Once completely dried (no bubbles or "wet" spots, easily removable), carefully cut into strips/triangles/whatever and wrap in plastic wrap.

Let me know of any of your favorite combinations! I'd love to try them!

And the best part? BOTH my boys (picky eaters) loved it!!!

**If you don't have a dehydrator at home, I HIGHLY recommend picking one up. With mine, I can dry soups/sauces, herbs, any veggies and fruit and especially jerky! One of my favorite items in the kitchen!

A Snack: Pepper Jelly!

I've really been trying to post a new recipe every day, but let's face it. I don't cook everyday. And I would {HOPE} you don't cook everyday either! A girl needs a day off once in a while! Usually we have two LO (left over) nights a week. Usually Tuesday/Thursday. But last night I was just too sore to stand up, so it turned into our first LO night of the week! Tonight I'm making Spaghetti and I'm uber excited. I'll post that tomorrow!

But for now... a snack food. And a delicious one at that. I've heard of Pepper Jelly before, but the idea came up again as I was bored this weekend and doing a little blog reading. I can't remember exactly whose blog it was that listed the recipe, but it was someone from our old ward. I wasn't sure how it was going to taste, but I figured it was worth a try.
So 13 Bell Peppers, about 20 Jalapenos, 2 jars of Honey, an entire bottle of Cider Vinegar and some sugar later... I have 14.5 pints of Pepper Jelly!!

So far I've only tasted it on Wheat Thins (well the cheap GV version) with cream cheese. Yum!!!
Please let me know if you come up with any other good uses for this! I have LOTS to use up now!!

Enjoy!

This makes 12 (4 oz) jars or 6 (8 oz) jars of jelly.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups finely chopped green bell pepper (about 4 large)
1/2 cup finely chopped jalapeño pepper (about 8 small)
1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
1 pkg (1.75 oz) Ball® No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin
2 cups sugar
1 cup honey
Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands

Instructions:

1. PREPARE canner and jars so they will be ready.

2. COMBINE green bell peppers, jalapeño peppers and vinegar in a large saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down over high heat, stirring constantly.

3. ADD sugar and honey. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.

4. LADLE hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4in. headspace. Wipe rim and center lid on jar. Screw band on until fingertip-tight.

5. PROCESS filled jars in boiling water for 15 minutes.

Note: When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned.