Frrrozen Hot Chocolate

I got this recipe in 2004 from the San Jose Mercury News. They said this is the same recipe used at the famous Serendipity 3 (http://www.serendipity3.co/food.htm) cafe in New York. But if you go there, a glass of this costs $8.5o...you can make it for much less!

Frrrozen Hot Chocolate

3 ounces of your favorite chocolate

2 teaspoons store-bought hot chocolate mix (good quality)

1½ tablespoons sugar

1½ cups milk

3 cups ice cubes

Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Chocolate shavings

Chop chocolate into small pieces and place in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Add chocolate mix and sugar, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. Remove from heat and slowly add ½ cup milk, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature. In blender, place the remaining 1 cup milk, room-temperature chocolate mixture and ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Enjoy with a spoon or a straw.

I see your cookies, Jill of all trades, and I raise you these.

Number of Trader Joe's Cocoa Joe Joe's I can eat in a day: 7
Number of these I can eat in a day: 300

8 T (one stick) butter at room temp
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 firm brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 C flour ***I use pastry flour and it makes a HUGE difference. They stay oven soft for days longer. Regular flour will be just fine, too, and you won't notice it unless you try the pastry flour and then you will smack your head and say "She was right!"***
2 rounded (really rounded, I say) t cinnamon. (you can also add 1/4 t of cocoa if you want, to make it spicier.)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/2 c oats
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat 325
Cream butter, sugar, egg until light and fluffy
Add vanilla
Add dry ingredients, except for oats and crans and chips. Stir until just combined, then add the rest. blend well.
Drop by roundend spoons onto your baking sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes. They will crisp up a little after they come out of the oven, so make sure that they are still soft a little.

I got this from the Hay Day Country Mkt Cookbook, but tweaked it to my liking.

Pig Picking Cake

The title comes from the south. Something about BBQ, I think. Yes, the name is grody, but the cake is amazing, perfect for the summer. Trust me.


INGREDIENTS:
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple
1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 - 8 inch pans.
2. Prepare cake mix according to package directions with the addition of mandarin oranges and nuts. Pour into 3 - 8 inch pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
3. To make the filling: In a large bowl, combine crushed pineapple with juice and pudding mix. Fold in the whipped topping. Spread between cooled cake layers. Chill in refrigerator

Or, if you don't feel like doing a layer cake, just put the thing in a 9x13 and put the filling on top for frosting. Not as pretty, but much simpler in the heat.

2 EASY Summer Recipes to help beat the heat!

Hey everyone! Been keeping meals simple and cool for the summer. Here are two easy faves we've been enjoying. Both very adaptable to what you have on hand.

Romaine Caeser Wraps
(Courtesy of the the Tanimura & Antle bag at Costco!) ;-)

• 2 heads of romaine hearts
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken (approx. two 8oz boneless chicken breasts-- but canned chicken is so worth it for summer-- who wants to spend time cooking in a hot kitchen??!)
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (mmm Parmesan! Actually, I substituted mozzerella once and we fell in love with it so we use that a lot instead)
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup creamy Caesar dressing (I usually use Ranch just cuz we have it on hand.. of course, then you can't call it a "Caeser Wrap")
• 8 9-ince flour tortillas, plain or flavored
• Anything else you have on hand that sounds good and doesn't require cooking! Last night we had avocado in ours-- thanks Tia for the avococado tool-- freakin' amazing!!!!!! ;-)

1. Chop Romain hearts into bite-size pieces: place in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, except tortillas, and toss well to coat.
2. Soften tortillas in microwave oven (about 20 seconds on high)
3. To make wraps, place tortillas on plates and spoon Casear salad along center. Drizzle with additional dressing if desired. Roll tortilla from one side, burrito style, folding bottome up and in to hold in salad. Repeat for remaining tortillas. Makes 4-6 servings.
4. Eat 'em up while they're nice and crunchy!
   

If you want to turn some delicious summer fruit into something a little more special:

Lime-Ginger Honeydew

• 1 lime
• 1 tsp finely grated, peeled fresh ginger
• 1 large honeydew melon, cut in chunks (approx 10 cups)
• 1/3 cup Sugar & 3 Tbsp water

1. Bring 1/3 cup sugar and 3 Tbsp water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; stir to dissolve sugar. Refrigerate 5 minutes to cool.
2. Grate zest and juice lim. Stir 2 tsp zest, 1 Tbsp lime juice and the ginger into the sugar syrup. Pour over melon chunks and stir gently with a rubber spatula to mix and coat.
3. INDULGE! =)

I rarely have everything on hand for this (fresh ginger and limes). For a cheater version of this I will just blend up some honey, bottled lime juice and powdered ginger, then toss in the honeydew and coat. A bit different, but very tasty. I love honey on fruit! The lime zest really does add a nice dimension if you're choosing between buying lime or fresh ginger.

Sort-of Cafe Rio Steak Salad

Dying for the Cafe Rio, I adapted a recipe from ~j for the dressing. (Because I am lazy and do not want to measure.)

So, take a good cut of steak--strip or skirt or whatever, but not very fatty. Cut it into strips. Put a round of Olive Oil in a skillet, and put the strips in. Sprinkle about 3 T cumin and a package of Sazon on top. Fry over medium heat intil done as you like. (We likes the rare, so we cooks for about 4 minutes.)

In a blender mix:
1 block of cream cheese (we used the fat free ghetto kind)
2 T sour cream
7 oz (the little can with the pop top) of tomatillo salsa. You can get this in the salsa section--don't need to be fancy, just get the one that costs 67 cents.
1 pkt of Sazon
as much cilantro as you want

Add water if you want it watery-er. Add spices if you want it spicier.

Get your lazy bag of salad, throw it in a bowl, add some black beans and some choppy vegies if you have them, the steak, and the sauce.

15 minutes max.

Dill Vinaigrette

Here's a great dressing with just a hint of sweetness (due to the honey). Perfect for your next green salad. Enjoy!

Dill Vinaigrette

¼ cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

2 tablespoons honey

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dill weed

½ tsp dried parsley flakes

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp celery seed

Salad greens and vegetables of your choice

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the first ten ingredients; shake well. Serve with salad. Refrigerate leftovers; shake well before serving. Yield: 1 cup.

Treintenera pork

So easy, and so delish. I promise.

1. Get a pork shoulder or picnic roast, about 6-9 lbs.
2. Put it in a roasting dish or a pyrex or whatever you have that will fit.
3. Sprinkle adobo all over the top. (Again, Penzeys, or you can get lesser versions on any spice aisle)
4. Pour about 1/2 cup of Mojo Criollo** on top, and with the spicy paste that now exists, rub it in.
5. Flip and repeat.
6. Put in oven, uncovered, on 250 for 9-12 hours.
Eat all week.

**Goya makes the Mojo--you can often get it on the spanish aisle at Walmart, or at any Latin food stores. It is in a bottle and is an awesome marinade for anything.

Cowboy Cookies???

Does one (or more) of you have a good Cowboy Cookie recipe? I have to make some for a Girls Camp activity tomorrow!! Please post it if you do.
Thank you, thank you.

Grand German Chocolate Bars

I made these yesterday with my kids for our FHE treat. They are rich, gooey and yummy! Had to share the recipe.

Grand German Chocolate Bars

CRUST
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut up, softened

BARS
6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans

TOPPING
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans**
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Line 8-inch square pan with heavy-duty foil, leaving extra foil extending over edges. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In medium bowl, with fork, mix together all crust ingredients until crumbly; press into pan. Bake 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place chocolate and 6 Tbsp butter in medium heat-proof bowl; place over medium saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until mixture is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from saucepan; let stand until cooled slightly.
4. In small bowl, stir together 1 cup flour and salt. In large bowl, beat 2 eggs and 1 cup brown sugar at medium speed 1 minute or until well-blended and lightened in color. At low speed, beat in chocolate mixture and 1 tsp vanilla until blended. Add flour mixture, beating just until incorporated. Stir in 1 1/2 cups coconut and 1 1/2 cups pecans. Spread batter over crust.
5. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from edge comes out with moist crumbs attached (toothpick inserted in center comes out with thin fudge coating.) Top of bars may crack around edges. Cool completely on wire rack. (Bars may sink slightly during cooking.)
6. In medium saucepan, whisk together cream, sugar, 1 egg and 1 Tbsp butter. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around outside edge, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1 1/2 cups coconut, 1 1/2 cups pecans and 1 tsp vanilla. Spread over cooled bars. Cool completely.
7. Using foil edges, lift bars from pan. Slide bars off foil onto cutting board; cut into 16 pieces.

TIP **To toast pecans, place on baking sheet; bake at 350 F for 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly darker in color. Cool.

Not Abuela's black beans and rice.

These are of my own making, and are, without boasting, the most delicious black beans that have ever been made. Please don't tell Abuela. Like most of my cooking, the measurements are imprecise and can be modified. Bear with me.

Step one: Put some rice in the rice cooker. If you are feeling sassy, add some lime zest to the water.

Step two: Pour about 1/2" of olive oil--MUST be olive oil--into the bottom of a pot. Cook on medium until the oil starts to get little wavy lines in it and smells pungeant.

While the oil is heating, chop some bells and onions and garlic and tomatoes. I use three or four each, but you can use whatever you have on hand, and can skip the bells and tomatoes if you have none.

Step three: Add the onions and bell peppers to the oil, and sautee for a few minutes. Then add the tomatoes and garlic. Turn heat to low to simmer.

Step four: Add two cans of black beans with the liquid. (You could use the dry, but you would have to prepare them early and I am not that prepared.) There will probably be a decent amount of liquid in there, so that it looks a little like a stew. (If you used dry, you will need to add about a cup of water)

Step five: These parts are the most important, so don't mess around with them:
1. Add two packets of Sazon con achiote y culantro. I use Vigo or Goya brand, but I know that Knorr makes is as well. Orange box. You can get it at Walmart, or at any Latin food store. I get it in the jumbo box at the PX.

2. Add a healthy soup spoon full of cumin. I get my cumin from Penzey's because it is the best spice store ever, and I use a lot of it.

3. Add a healthy soup spoon of beef soup base and seasoning. Also from Penzey's but the Utah Costco sell big containers of it. This is not cube kind, but it is a paste of real beef. I have not been able to find it anywhere in EP, so I get it online. (Cjane can omit this, but it adds the perfect touch. When I make it for the veg's, I just pull a few cups from the pot and set them aside, and add the beef to the rest of it.)

Step six: Let the whole thing simmer until it is thick and saucy and perfect. You can let it simmer for an hour if you want, or you can let it simmer for 15 minutes. Just until it is as thick as you want.

Serve over white rice. Please don't use Instant Rice--it hurts my soul.

I am going to go make some right now...

Easy summer salad (healthy!)

My husband and I don't care for many vegetables but I found this recipe we both liked very much and surpise, surprise...it includes broccoli! It is truly a miracle to see us eating broccoli. My young kids don't eat meat (due to pickiness) and so this recipe wasn't a hit with them but I hope as they get older, they will enjoy the recipe too. A mother can only hope. Enjoy this easy, healthy and very delicious salad for summer!

Chicken Vegetable Salad

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/4 cup bottled reduced-fat ranch salad dressing

1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey

1/2 cup chopped broccoli

1/4 cup shredded carrot ( to make this easy, I use the pre-shedded carrots that I store in my freezer)

1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and salad dressing. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, broccoli, carrot, and, if desired, nuts. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken mixture; toss to coat. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Makes 4 (small) servings. I suggest you double or triple the recipe.

Southwest Chicken Wraps

This is a recipe I have made several times and I just love it. They are delicious and pretty easy to make. And there's always a good amount of leftovers (for our family) to enjoy for lunch the next day.

Southwest Chicken Wraps

3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
8 ounces picante sauce
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
14 1/2-ounce can black beans, drained
8 flour tortillas
1 medium tomato
1 cup shredded lettuce
2 Tbsp chopped green onions (I've never actually added these)
1/2 cup guacamole
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro (I don't like cilantro, so I leave this out)

1. Combine chicken, picante sauce, chili powder an dgarlic powder in a large skillet and mix well. Cook over medium heat until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Add 3/4 cup cheddar and beans to mixture and mix well.
3. Wrap flour tortillas in a kitchen towl. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute.
4. Spoon equal portions of th ehcicken mixture onto each warm tortilla.
5. Chop the tomato. Top chicken mixture with remaining cheddar, lettuce, tomato, geren onions, guacamole, sour cream and cilantro. Roll to enclose filling. Serve immediately.

**If you want a meatless version, replace the chicken with refried beans or red kidney beans, then add grilled peppers and onions and sliced black olives to the filling.

HoneyBaked Easter

I've never done the Easter dinner myself... so I enlisted HoneyBaked Ham for help.

YUM! The line was out the door and around the corner on Saturday. And once you got in... there were 7 more lines. The 20-30 minute wait was worth it.

It was dinner for my hubby, my parents, Kalea and myself - ordered the quarter ham combo with turkey. YUM! And I picked up some sides: ambrosia, mac salad, cranberry salad and stuffing.

I made my Mom's Crescent Rolls, a green salad... and we had mini-strawberry cheesecakes.

No fuss... no muss.... easy and got to hang with the family.

I had no idea how distinctly, delicious the HoneyBaked Ham flavor was. You can bet I'll be visiting there more often.

What'd you do for Easter?

Molly's Chicken

Since we have church from 2-5 p.m., I'm always looking for crockpot recipes so dinner is ready when we get home. I recently made this one and it was easy and good and the kids loved it. So I thought I'd pass it on. I got it from allrecipes.com.

Molly's Chicken
3 1/2 pounds chicken drumsticks, skin removed
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1. Place drumsticks in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and tomato sauce. Pour sauce over chicken.
2. Cover, and cook on Low heat 8 hours.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

As requested by Her Majesty, Queen Scarlet.

1 cup sweet cream, unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
Cream together.

Add:
2 large eggs
3/4 teas. salt
1 teas. baking soda
1 teas pure vanilla
Mix.

Slowly stir in:
3 cups all purpose flour

Dough should be smooth and creamy (yum!). Add chocolate chips to taste (I really like the Ambrose chocolate chips from Costco. They're not too sweet and not too bitter).

Bake at 350 for 11 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Let cool for 8-10 minutes before removing from sheet.