Corn Cakes

Came across this fun appetizer on Prudence Pennywise a few weeks back. Very tasty- kids and adults gobbled them up. I think they would be outstanding with some of Shawna Ellsworth's salsa... must get that recipe.

Corn Cakes

1 and 1/2 cups corn kernels, divided use
1/4 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth or water
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons sugar
1 pinch salt
heaping 1/2 cup masa harina
1/4 cup flour

In a blender, combine 3/4 cup corn kernels and butter. Process until almost smooth. Pour into bowl and add remaining ingredients, including remaining 3/4 cup corn kernels. Shape into 12 small patties. Preheat griddle over medium high heat and lightly coat with butter. Cook patties like pancakes, until golden brown on each side. Serve with avocado, sour cream, and fresh salsa.

Menu, 10-4-09

Hold the Onions Readers, please pray for Maren this week. She is getting all 4 wisdom teeth pulled today and will be on a steady diet of liquified food for the next few days. Her last meal is going to be a big fat In-n-Out cheeseburger before the big event. Best of luck Mare!

Here's whats for dinner round here this week...

Sun- Paula Deen's pot roast, mom's homemade rolls (she did good, Kelli!), layered green salad, balsamic roasted potatoes and carrots, and Laurel's layered chocolate pudding dessert- must post recipe for that soon, it is THE BEST.

M- broccoli cheese soup, rolls, green salad w/ walnuts and pears

T- leftovers

W- spinach ravioli with marinara sauce and steamed squash

Th- maybe stirfry again- it was so good last week!

F- pepperoni pizza

S- going out, or taking out

Oreo Banana Cream Pie

Chris took me out for a wonderful dinner for my birthday a couple months ago. We ate at one of the restaurants inside the Marriott Desert Ridge Resort in Scottsdale. Our dinner was delish. But one thing stood out above all the rest of the meal. DESSERT. Mini root beer floats and an Oreo banana cream pie with caramel sauce and a crispy cinnamon sugar banana slice. I could not get over how amazing it was. ATK helped me recreate the pie for my Mom's birthday earlier this month. The only thing I cannot figure out is the fried banana. Mine turned to mush. I am stumped and would welcome any suggestions.

Oreo Banana Cream Pie

CRUST:
16 Oreo cookies, broken into rough pieces (not double stuffed)
2 T. unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Grind cookies in food processor until fine crumbs. With machine running, pour butter through tube til incorporated. Transfer crumbs to pie plate. Press crumbs into an even layer on the bottom and sides of pie plate. Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Cool.

FILLING:
1/2 C. plus 2 T. sugar
1/4 C. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
5 large egg yolks
2 C. whole milk
1/2 C. evaporated milk
1/2 vanilla bean split lengthwise
2 T. unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas

Whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the egg yolks, then immediately but gradually whisk in the milk and evaporated milk. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean halves with a knife. Add both vanilla seeds and pod to the pot. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whsiking frequently, then cook for one minute til mixture is thick and smooth. Off the heat, discard the vanilla bean pod and whisk in the butter.

Pour filling into a shallow pan and lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling to prevent a skin from forming and allow to cool at room temp til just warm, about 30 minutes. Pour 1/2 the filling into the Oreo crust, add a layer of 2 ripe bananas, sliced thin, and pour in the remaining filling. Again lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate the pie until completely chilled, about 4 hours.

TOPPING:
1 C. heavy cream, chilled
1 T. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
caramel sauce

Just before serving, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla together in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Spread over top of the pie. Drizzle with caramel sauce and top with additional sliced bananas, if you fancy.

Mango Chicken

When Mason and I were living in Utah, his cousins had us over for dinner. They made this dish and we were hooked. We make it all of the time. It is healthy and DELICIOUS!! Enjoy!



Marinade:

3-4 chicken breasts
1/3 c. teriyaki sauce
1/3 c. pineapple juice
1/3 c. honey
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
black pepper to taste

(Keep 1/3 c. for basting)

Salsa:

1 avocado, diced
1 mango, diced
1 tomato, diced (squish out seeds)
5 green onions, chopped
½ c. cilantro leaves, cut with kitchen shears
1-2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced (put sandwich bag over hand to take seeds out)
juice of 1 lime

Marinate meat for approximately 6 hours. Grill meat, while basting with extra sauce. Make salsa right before serving. Serve meat with salsa on top.

Note: Leftovers are excellent on salad with Brianna’s Poppyseed salad dressing.

Menu 9-27-09

On the menu for us this week:

Sun- baked potato bar, BLT salad, caramel apple turnovers

M- breakfast for dinner

T- stirfry

W- chicken and pasta alfredo with veggies

Th- lemony chicken over mixed greens

F- roast and mashed potatoes

Sat- pizza?

Carrot Cake

I have never been a huge fan of carrot cake, because of all the chunks. I was intrigued when I saw a recipe that called for carrot baby food. I liked the puree idea, but jarred baby food just tastes NASTY and that won't do.
America's Test Kitchen came to the rescue again. I've made this cake twice in the last couple weeks. Grating the carrots takes a little while... I'd be interested to see how the food processor does.

Carrot Cake

2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs, room temp
1 1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 C. veg oil
1 lb. carrots, peeled and grated

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 350. Lightly coat a 9 by 13 cake pan with veg oil spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside. Whisk the eggs and sugars together in a large bowl until frothy and the sugar is mostly dissolved, about 1 min. While whisking, slowly add the oil until the mixture is thoroughly combined, about 1 min. Whisk in the flour mixture til no streaks remain. Stir in the carrots. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until center of cake is done, 40-50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack about two hours. Run a knife around edges of pan, invert the cake on a cooling rack, peel off the parchment, then invert again onto a serving platter.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
5 T. unsalted butter, softened
1 T. sour cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 C. powdered sugar

Mix the cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla with an electric mixer til combined. Add the powdered sugar and mix til smooth. Frost, and dive in!

The Lady and Sons

A couple weeks back, Kelli and I went to Florida to visit Mason, Amanda and Jonah (our brother and his family). At the top of our to-do list was a road trip to Savannah, Georgia to dine at Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons. It was a Saturday, and they were booked for lunch and also dinner. But Mason worked his magic on the hostess and within a few minutes we were seated. :) Just being there was so very fun. The staff was outstanding- so friendly. I don't know quite how to say this, I feel as though I am betraying Paula, but our meal was just OK. It was right up there with Chuck-O-Rama buffet. I am so glad we did it, just to say we did. All around our meal was a fun one, just not THE most delicious. We were spoiled the rest of the trip by Amanda's exceptional cooking, which IS something to write home about. I'm hoping she'll post her Mango Chicken recipe for us... whaddaya say Mandy?

Manicotti with Spinach

This one's a family favorite. Yum yum.

Manicotti with Spinach

1 box (8 oz) uncooked manicotti shells
2 C shredded Italian cheese blend (8 oz)
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1 box (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 jar (25.5 oz) marinara sauce
1 C. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. half n half

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Cook manicotti as directed on box. Rinse and drain well.
2. In medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups of the Italian cheese blend, the red pepper, ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic and egg.
3. In bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce. Spoon ricotta mixture into manicotti; place over sauce in dish. Mix remaining sauce with half n half then pour over manicotti.
4. Cover tightly with foil; bake about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Uncover dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend and 1 C. parmesan. Bake uncovered 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

9-20-09 Menu

Here's what we're having for din din this week:

Sun- Pasta al Forno, spinach salad, rolls, coconut chocolate chip cookies

M- double decker tacos

T- hawaiian pizza (kid's request)

W- chicken salad sammies

Th- penne with roasted veggies

F- taking advantage of AZ Restaurant Week

Sat- leftovers?

Strawberry Crunch

This is one of the yummiest desserts ever! The combination of flavors is unbelieveable. Any chocolate chip cookie will do, but my favorite recipe is from here.

Strawberry Crunch

8 oz. fresh strawberries
3 chocolate chip cookies
1 heaping tsp. orange zest
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. melted butter
vanilla yogurt ( I used Strauss because it's really runny- perfect for drizzling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sliced strawberries, orange zest, and sugar in a medium bowl. Pour the strawberry mixture into an oven-safe dish and crumble the cookies on top. Drizzle melted butter all over and bake for 7 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla yogurt drizzled over the top. DIVINE!


Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 C. butter
1 C. sugar
1 C. brown Sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C. whole wheat flour
2 1/2 C. oatmeal (Blend in blender or food processor until powdery)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 4 oz. Hershey’s bar (grated)

Cream together butter & sugars. Add eggs & vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together flour, oats, salt, baking powder & baking soda then add to butter/sugar mixture. Stir in chips & grated Hershey’s bar. Bake on ungreased baking sheet 2 inches apart for 8 minutes @ 375.

Menu, Sept. 13

Found these funny sammies and thought I'd pass them along.


Here's what we're having for dinner this week:

Sun- brocooli chicken casserole, fresh fruit and coconut dip, caesar salad, cornbread, banana cream pie

M- roast chicken, balsamic roasted carrots and potatoes

T- taco salad

W- chicken pot pie

Th- tostadas with homemade refried beans, tamale griddle cakes

F- OUT!

Sat- ???

Restaurant Week

Arizonans, it's that time again! Chris and I are at a loss as to which restaurant to try. Roy's, Flemings, Ocean Prime, Cowboy Ciao, and The Green House are all on our to-try list. The website has all the info you'll need. Hooray!

Eating Out

My husband has had the opportunity to be a part-investor in a new Phoenix restaurant that opened last week-

St. Francis. It's been in the works for a while so it was fun to go get the grand tour and try out the food. Aaron Chamberlin is the owner/chef and he is awesome! He has had several highly acclaimed restaurants in New York, San Fransisco, and was part of the opening team that started LeGrande Orange, Chelsea's Kitchen, and Radio Milano here in the valley. The restaurant itself was an old brick building that they renovated and they did an outstanding job. The architecture is amazing and there are lots of really cool details. St. Francis is a must-try.!

Important Notes:

*the rustic wood-burning oven

*the glass garage door downstairs that opens up to an outdoor courtyard

*kids under 6 eat free

*the custom bathroom sinks

*the chalkboard

*the crispy fingerling potatoes with lemon aioli

*romaine hearts and spring vegetables with buttermilk cheddar dressing

*the pepper crusted flat-iron steak

*the sticky toffee pudding with sweet cream gelato

Go here for the full menu. I'm sure we'll see you there, we're going tonight for the third time this week.

BBQ Chicken Salad

Been craving this ever since first-cousin-once-removed Steph posted about it. SO flavorful and yummy.

BBQ Chicken Salad

1 large bag romaine lettuce
1 cup frozen white corn, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans - drain & rinse
2 cups pepper jack cheese - coursely grated
3 medium tomatoes - diced
2 avocados - diced
juice of 1/2 lime - drizzle over avocado

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup Best Foods™ mayonnaise
1/2 package Hidden Valley™ ranch dressing mix

2 lbs cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's or Trader Joe's Bold and Smoky are our picks)

Make ranch dressing, chill. Toss chicken with barbecue sauce.
On a large platter, layer lettuce, corn, black beans, cheese and tomatoes. Top with warm barbecued chicken and avocadoes. Serve immediately.

Coconut Fruit Dip

Friend Chelsea brought this to a pool party Friday night- it was loved by everyone. I should be a little embarrassed that I have already made it TWICE since. Saturday and Sunday nights. It's that awesome.

Coconut Fruit Dip

1/2 C. softened cream cheese (4 oz., or half a block)
1/2 C. sour cream
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. sweetened shredded coconut

Combine all ingredients well. Great with berries, pineapple, grapes, whatever suits your fancy.

Sweet Tooth

Whenever it's my turn to make a sunday dinner sweet, I hardly even know where to begin narrowing down my list of to-try desserts, let alone pick just one.

Here's a few on the top of my desserts to-try list (look for them in the upcoming weeks):

apple hand pies

cream cheese cookies

lemon yogurt cake

lemon cheesecake

lemon tart (I know)

fresh orange cookies

sweet nachos

ricotta donuts

banana split pie

sweet strawberry bread

flourless chocolate cake

cream puffs

carrot cake with orange cream cheese frosting

peach pie

hot fudge pudding cake

chocolate cupcakes with peaut butter icing

...to name a very few.

Menu, Aug 30, 2009

Mine's a shortie this week, I'm leaving town part way through. Maren and I split a box of Utah tomatoes this week and we've got a lot to go through, so if there's a bit of a theme, that's why.

Sun- Spaghetti, breadsticks, green salad, berries and coconut dip (recipe coming), chocolate yogurt snack cakes and fresh whipped cream (Mmmm)

M- roasted tomato soup and grilled cheese sammies

T- BBQ chicken salad

W- chicken parmesan over pasta, spinach salad

Th- airport food for me, Granny's diner for the kids and Chris

F- Kelli and I will have a report on our meal at The Lady & Sons. CAN NOT WAIT.

Sat- only time will tell...

Raspberry Walnut Muffins

Sorry Candice- this should be your post because you're the one that discovered this heavenly combination, but I've been wanting to put this on here for a while. With all of the muffin making I've been doing lately, I think I've narrowed it down to my top 3 combinations and this is one of them. I would recommend using a jumbo muffin tin instead of standard size; that way you can pack more of the yummy fruit and nuts in.



Raspberry Walnut Muffins

10 Tablespoons(1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I substitute 1 cup of the flour with whole wheat)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk, room temp
1 large egg, room temp
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup rasberries
Streusel

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a muffin tin. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; whisk to combine.

2. In a medium bowl, combine butter, vanilla, sugar, milk, and egg; whisk to combine. Fold butter mixture into flour mixture until combined; stir in rasberries and walnuts.

3. Spoon batter evenly into each muffin tin; press 2 Tablespoons streusel on top of each. Bake until tops are golden, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool in pan 15 to 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Streusel

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup all-purpose flou
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and mix with your fingers until mixture is moist and crumbly.

Lemon Ice Cream

Since buying my ice cream maker, I've made blackberry, chocolate, chocolate almond, and strawberry, but my favorite is this lemon ice cream. It is rich, creamy, and unbelievably delicious! Recipe from Cafe Johnsonia.

Lemon Ice Cream

1 1/4 cups white sugar

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)

1 Tbsp. lemon zest

2 whole eggs

4 egg yolks

1 cup whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, lemon juice, zest, whole eggs, and egg yolk. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Add milk and cream. Strain through a fine mesh sieve over a clean bowl. (The mixture will be very thick.) Chill until cold--about 3 hours or overnight. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer directions. Let the frozen ice cream harden for a few hours before serving. Keeps about a week in an airtight container.Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.

Mini Chicken Meatballs

These were quite delicious. I made a batch today, ate some for dinner, and froze the rest for later use. The meatballs were flavorful and tender and a delightful addition to some plain old pasta and marinara. I could also eat them by themselves - maybe as a little appetizer...mmm, ya, that would be good.

Mini Chicken Meatballs

From Redbook; recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:

1/4 c. plain breadcrumbs

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 large eggs (lightly beaten)

1 T. whole milk

1 T. ketchup

3/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. ground chicken

1/4 c. olive oil

1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (for garnish)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Directions:

1) In a medium bowl, stir together breadcrumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, ketchup, Romano cheese, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and combine well. Use a melon baller (or a teaspoon measure) to scoop the mixture; roll the seasoned chicken into 3/4 inch mini meatballs.

2) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and cook without moving until brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn the meatballs and brown the tops, about 2 minutes longer. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.