Blueberry Cream Tart

Yummy. Almost like a no bake cheese cake but I think the nut crust is an improvement over a graham crust for that. Definitely want to try again with fresh blueberries this time. Peaches might be good as well.

Camie Christensen

Crust: Granny's no-roll nut crust
1 C flour
1/2 C butter/margarine, softened
1/4 C finely chopped walnuts
1/4 C powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients until soft and pliable. Press evenly against bottom and sides of pie pan. Prick bottom and sides with a fork. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely before filling.

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 C powdered sugar

In mixer bowl, cream softened cream cheese, add sugar and sour cream and blend until smooth and fluffy. Pour onto cooled crust.

Berry Layer:
3 C fresh blueberries (tried frozen, okay, but fresh would be much better)
1 C sugar
1 C water

Put berries in a strainer over a pan. Simmer sugar and water in a small saucepan for 1 minute. Take off heat and pour over berries immediately. Toss berries slightly in strainer. Take syrup from the catch pan under the berries and pour over berries once more, with the saucepan as the catchpan. Drain berries completely and distribute over top of refrigerated filling. They will be sticky and will hold together. Refrigerate until served.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

from Walters who got it from Our Best Bites

1/3 C Cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic minced
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
5 green onions, chopped
2 C cooked, shredded chicken
1 C shredded pepper jack cheese
1 can black beans
1/2 red pepper, diced
Tortillas

Directions:
Heat cream cheese in microwave for 20-30 seconds until soft. Mix in green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Stir to combine then add cilantro, green onions, chicken, cheese, black beans and red peppers. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture then roll and place in a greased baking pan. Once you have rolled all the taquitos, spray them with Pam or brush them with oil. Then bake at 425 for 20 minutes, or until crispy. Can garnish with sour cream, salsa, or guacamole.

Homemade Pita Bread

from: Cooking.nytimes.com

much easier than I thought. These turned out well. Could easily make a day ahead. Not  sure if it is always worth the effort, but they were good.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 35 grams whole-wheat flour (1/4 cup), preferably freshly milled
• 310 grams unbleached all-purposed flour (2 1/2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil


1. Make sponge: Put 1 cup lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add the whole-wheat flour and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and whisk together. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place, uncovered, until mixture is frothy and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
1. Add salt, olive oil and nearly all remaining all-purpose flour (reserve 1/2 cup). With a wooden spoon or a pair of chopsticks, stir until mixture forms a shaggy mass. Dust with a little reserved flour, then knead in bowl for 1 minute, incorporating any stray bits of dry dough.
1. Turn dough onto work surface. Knead lightly for 2 minutes, until smooth. Cover and let rest 10 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. Try not to add too much reserved flour; the dough should be soft and a bit moist. (At this point, dough may refrigerated in a large zippered plastic bag for several hours or overnight. Bring dough back to room temperature, knead into a ball and proceed with recipe.)
1. Clean the mixing bowl and put dough back in it. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then cover with a towel. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place. Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
1. Heat oven to 475 degrees. On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking sheet, large cast-iron pan or ceramic baking tile. Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces of equal size. Form each piece into a little ball. Place dough balls on work surface, cover with a damp towel and leave for 10 minutes.
1. Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and press into a flat diskc with rolling pin. Roll to a 6-inch circle, then to an 8-inch diameter, about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour if necessary. (The dough will shrink a bit while baking.)
1. Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet. After 2 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. Turn over with tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown speckles. Transfer warm pita to a napkin-lined basket and cover so bread stays soft. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls.

Cornmeal Waffles & Chili

I love Navajo tacos and so somehow this reminded me of those. Not sure if they are alike, but I enjoyed this. Liked having the chewiness of the waffle with the toppings. In our house, anything topped with lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes tends to get enjoyed!

waffle recipe: Author: A Sweet Pea Chef

Waffles w/ Chili recipe: The Country Cook

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1¾ cups all purpose flour
• 1¼ cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• 2 cups 2% milk (can be almond milk, whole milk, etc. if you'd prefer but I prefer 2% for this recipe)
• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1½ tsp. vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the waffle maker.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking powder, brown sugar, and kosher salt) and mix well.
3. In another medium mixing bowl, whisk the milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla (AKA the "wet ingredients").
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
5. There is no need to grease the waffle maker since there is already vegetable oil in the batter.
6. Pour ¾ cup - 1 cup (depending on the size of your waffle maker) into the center of the grid.
7. Cook the waffle according to your waffle maker directions. Bake until golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes.

Streusal Topped Zucchini Muffins

 

from: Sally's baking adddiction

 

Notes: Made these as muffins, and although they are a bit messy with the streusal topping, its worth it! They are yummy! I enjoyed them as muffins, haven't tried the bread yet. Doesn't need chocolate chips in topping as plenty in batter.

Yield: 1 loaf or 10 muffins (can be easily doubled)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

This award-winning zucchini bread gets an upgrade with buttery oat streusel, brown sugar, melty chocolate chips, and lots of sweet flavors like cinnamon and vanilla. No wonder it won first place!

Ingredients:

Brown Sugar Oat Streusel

• 2/3 cups (60g) old-fashioned or quick oats
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons (16g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, cold
• optional: 1 Tablespoon (10g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Zucchini Bread & Muffins

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil¹
• 1 cup grated zucchini (about 1 large)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour (careful not to overmeasure)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• optional: 3/4 cup (135g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use pecans or walnuts)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9x5 (or 8x4) loaf pan with nonstick spray. If making muffins, preheat oven to 425F degrees and spray a 12-count pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Make the streusel first by combining the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold butter with two knives or a pasty cutter (preferred) - or you may use your hands. Mix until the streusel resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spoon. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the beaten egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, zucchini, and vanilla until evenly combined. In a large bowl, toss the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chocolate chips together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Avoid overmixing.
4. Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the bread for 20 minutes at 350F degrees. Remove from the oven and top with the streusel - press it down into the top. The reason you are adding it after 20 minutes is to prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the bread as it bakes. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I covered the bread loosely with aluminum foil after 35 total minutes to avoid the top from getting too brown. Allow bread to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before removing from the pan and serving.
5. If making muffins, fill 9-10 muffin cups all the way to the top. Press the streusel into the tops of each muffin. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F degrees and, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350F degrees and continue to bake for an additional 13-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.
6. Store leftover bread or muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
7. Make ahead tip: Bread and muffins freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Additional Notes:

Recipe source: Quinn family recipe
Instead of vegetable oil, you may use canola oil or melted coconut oil. I find the recipe tastes best with vegetable oil. Healthy bonus: I tried swapping half of the oil with applesauce and didn't notice much of a difference as far as taste and texture goes! However, to avoid a rubbery texture, I would not swap any more than half of the oil for applesauce

Pesto Marinated Grilled Chicken

Notes: Super fast and easy to throw together early and then throw on the grill later when ready. Was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the pesto taste on it. Although the chicken still had lots of marinade on it when I threw it on the grill, it didn't feel overwhelming when eating it. Was given a thumbs up by the elders as well.

from Mels

Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup pesto (storebought or homemade)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

1. Place the chicken in a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Pour in the pesto, rice vinegar, salt and sugar. Seal the bag and shake it up until the marinade is combined and the chicken is well coated.
2. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill. Grill the chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through (or an instant read thermometer reaches 160 degrees). Tent the chicken with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
4. Alternately, the chicken can be broiled or cooked on an indoor grill pan or skillet.

Thai Beef Satay (Cilantro Lime Marinade)

 

Notes: Loved this. Could really taste the lime and cilantro. No need for the peanut sauce. I made it, but we didn't use it as the meat was so good on its own and the sauce hid the meats flavors. Was quick. Bought beef already in fajita strips which worked great as I didn't have to slice but could just dump into the marinade. They were pretty thin.

from Mels

Yield: Serves about 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, chopped
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce or sririacha
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, sliced 1/4-inch thick against the grain
• Red peppers and fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. In a food processor or blender, puree the lime juice, cilantro, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce (or sririacha) and sesame oil.
2. Place the steak slices into a gallon-size ziploc bag or in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over the top of the meat. Refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 4 hours.
3. Thread the meat slices back and forth onto skewers (2-3 per skewer unless using shorter sticks).
4. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Grill the satay skewers for 2-3 minutes per side (longer, if needed, depending on thickness of the meat).
5. Garnish the satay with red peppers and cilantro, if desired, and serve with peanut dipping sauce.