Blueberry Crumb Bars

It is berry season and I have found the perfect recipe for that big container of blueberries that found its way into your shopping cart at Costco. This delicious bar is perfect for breakfast (hey, it's full of fruit), snack time or heated gently and served with a bit of vanilla ice cream. It also freezes well, you really can't go wrong with it!

It originates from Smitten Kitchen, an awesome food blog. Check out my daughter Amber's blog, she added a layer of cream cheese--how good does that sound!
Blueberry Crumb Bars

1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flour
1 cup cold butter
1 egg
¼ teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Mix 1 cup sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt and flour in food processor, add cold butter and egg. Pulse till crumbly.

Pat half of the dough in a greased 9x13 pan.

In a bowl stir together the ½ cup sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

Bake 375 for about 45 minutes till top is slightly brown. Cool completely and cut into bars. Refrigerate.
Linked to Every Day Sisters Sharing Sunday

Pasta Chicken Cashew Salad

It is always a challenge to feed a large group. Cost, amounts, quality and food safety all need to be considered. Although I love to create a colorful buffet table sometimes it is nice to have a beautifully plated meal delivered to your table.

Our menu includes a fruity pasta chicken salad served on a bed of baby greens, an orange roll and a colorful fruit kabob. The salad comes from my good friends Sandy and Mary Ann. These two are great cooks so I know the recipe is a winner.

We will be able to quickly serve our 90 guests a fun summer meal. I think it will be a hit!

Pasta Chicken Cashew Salad

5 cups cooked chicken breast, diced

1 pound red or black seedless grapes, halved

2 Fuji apples, diced

1/2 bunch celery, diced

1 bunch green onions, sliced

12 ounces tiny shell macaroni, cooked

1 can cashews

10 ounces baby salad greens

Dressing

1 pint Lighthouse Coleslaw Dressing

2 cups mayonnaise

Combine dressing ingredients and mix with salad just before serving. Serve on a bed of greens.

This salad makes about 20 servings (1 cup each)
Linked to: Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays

 

Broccoli Salad

This recipe originated from one of my favorite cookbooks entitled, "Eat, Drink and Be Chinaberry". This cookbook (now out of print) was published as favorite recipes from family and friends of Chinaberry. Chinaberry is a book service that I highly recommend. If a recipe comes from the Chinaberry cookbook it is sure to be delish!

This yummy Broccoli Salad is labeled as 'a hassle but worth it'. The hassle part comes from chopping up broccoli in nice little bite sizes and the dressing is cooked. It only takes a few minutes but it is so worth it!

The dressing is creamy, slightly sweet and flavorful. The broccoli is very nutritious, the dried cherries add a tartness, and the bacon and pine nuts give plenty of crunch! What a fun salad!

Broccoli Salad
4 cups broccoli buds and trimmed stems
1 cup dried cherries, chopped
6-8 slices of crisp chopped bacon
½ cup chopped red onion
1 cup chopped mushrooms
½ cup toasted pine nuts
Combine ingredients and stir gently. Add dressing 15 minutes before serving.
Dressing:
1 egg
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon dry mustard
1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
½ cup white vinegar
¼ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter
½ cup mayonnaise
In a small bowl whisk together egg, sugar, dry mustard and cornstarch. Set aside. In a saucepan bring to boil vinegar, water and salt. Whisk egg mixture in slowly, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir for about 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and add butter and mayo. Cover and chill.

Cheesecake Bites

My love for cheesecake began about 35 years ago. Greg and I met during the 'disaster' movie era (think Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, Towering Inferno, Airport). Each Friday we would enjoy the current disaster, go out to dinner and finish the evening at my house chatting with my little brothers, parents and watching TV.

One night Greg produced a 'Reams' sack with a Jello Cheesecake mix. Simple; add butter to the package of cracker crumbs, press into a pie pan. Add milk to the dry 'cheesecake mix', beat for 2 minutes, pour the thick creamy liquid into the cracker crust and in 30 minutes you had 'cheesecake', or something close to it. It was a hit, we made cheesecake often during our dating days.

My taste for cheesecake is now a bit more refined, but hey, it had to start somewhere!

Amber surprised me on Mother's Day with this fun 'mini' cheesecake pan. This is the recipe on the back of the box and it is delish. The lemon flavor is tangy, the cheesecake is rich. It is a bite of wonderful. Thanks Amber and Tadd.

Cheesecake Bites
Crust:
1 cup cookie or cracker crumbs
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons melted butter
Mix together and divide between 12 mini cheesecake cups, press evenly into the bottom of each cup. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, cool.
Filling:
16 ounces cream cheese
2 eggs
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup sugar
Pinch salt
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest from 1 lemon
Beat cream cheese for 2 minutes, add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add cream, lemon juice and zest, beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add sugar and salt, beat about 2 minutes. Pour batter into cups. Bake at 300 for about 20 minutes or until set. Cool at least 2 hours before unmolding. Serve with fresh berries.
Linked to: A Well Seasoned Life

In Memory

Every Memorial Day for years we would load all six children in our rusty suburban and go 'grave hopping'. We would begin our trek in Mapleton and finish in Lehi, we would make five or six stops and visit the graves of loved ones.

We would talk of Grandma's Grandma, Grammy's father and Grandma Great. We tried to bring the memory of loved ones alive as we related stories. We walked thru cemeteries, admired beautiful flowers and wondered about lives since past.

This year as we decorated graves I decided I would jot down a memory of my father, maybe I'll even write a childhood memory of my own. Someday I will be 'some one's ancestor' and they just might wonder about me!! Take a moment today, share a memory with your children of a loved one past--better yet write it down!

Cinnamon Rolls

I love my morning glance at Google Reader, so many fun blogs--so many new recipes! I was assigned to bring 'hard rolls' to a lunch bunch. Now hard rolls are pretty boring but 'hot rolls' are another story. I came across a yummy looking recipe on My Kitchen Cafe. These delicious looking Buttermilk Cloverleaf Rolls were just what I was after. I pulled them out of the oven and served them piping hot, I took home an empty basket and called it a winner! This is a fun dough because it keeps in the refrigerator for about a week. Today I made cinnamon rolls with my 'refrigerator dough'. I used Pampered Chefs Sweet Cinnamon Sprinkle for the filling and topped them with my Mom's Caramel Icing. These were to die for!

Mom's Caramel Icing

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

3Tablespoons milk

Bring to a boil and cook for a minute. Cool for 5 minutes and add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Quickly frost warm rolls. If frosting gets too thick add a little hot water. This frosting is delicious on Cinnamon Rolls, Pumpkin Cookies or muffins.

Greek Salad--update

We spent Mothers Day in Chicago with my sweet daughter Amber and her family. We haven't seen them for almost a year so baby Henry was walking, Harrison is madly riding a two-wheeler (no training wheels for this big boy) and Maya is getting ready for kindergarten! We had a wonderful visit full of walks, talks, stories, parks and of course food.

Amber is an amazing cook, it was like dining at a fine restaurant each meal. One evening Amber quickly made a delicious Greek Salad, it was so fresh tasting I had to recreate it for dinner tonight. Greek Salads are full of strong flavors, I like the Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and Feta cheese in small pieces. The Greek Dressing turned out to be a winner, so I wrote it down! My parsley plant is going crazy, I love to find recipes that use this tasty herb. This salad is delicious--it will be on the menu often this summer! Enjoy..

Greek Salad
Romaine lettuce, torn
English cucumber, sliced
Red pepper, sliced
Kalamata olives, sliced
Marinated Artichoke hearts, drained and diced
Grilled chicken breast
Feta cheese crumbles
Grape tomatoes

Toasted Pine nuts
Croutons, I bought a baguette intending to make croutons, but it was fresh and tasted delicious 'dipped' in the Greek dressing!

Greek Salad Dressing
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Juice from ½ lemon
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon sugar
Pinch dried oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
½ cup olive oil

I made this salad again and tried a creamy dressing, toasted pine nuts and Rotisserie chicken chunks. Another hit! It was delish.

Creamy Greek Dressing

3/4 cup mayo

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

1Tablespoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon water

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon oregano

Whisk together.

I came home to a big box on my doorstep--full of Fiesta ware! What a wonderful Mothers Day, my kids are the best! I am a lucky Mother.

Amazing Chocolate Toffee Sugar Cookies

I was checking my Google Reader recently and saw a cookie that demanded a second look. It was on one of my favorite Blogs, Our Best Bites. It was simple--a sugar cookie rolled thin, cooked 'well done', dipped in chocolate, sprinkled with Skor bits and drizzled with white chocolate. Put it all together and it was a bite of heaven!

I happened to share one with a old friend, she gave a bite to a friend who called me and wanted to know if I would make 125 for a party she was having! That is how good they are. Now, they are slightly labor intensive but so pretty and delicious. The sugar cookie recipe on Our Best Bites is excellent, I 'collect' sugar cookie recipes and this is one of the best. Use pure almond extract, real butter, the best chocolate available and you will have one great cookie!

Buttermilk Waffles and Coconut Syrup

Rainy Saturdays are great for brunch. I'm always on the lookout for new recipes for waffles, pancakes, french toast etc. I love breakfast food but not in the early morning! So I often cook breakfast for dinner; a few favorites include omelets, breakfast burritos, quiche and any kind of muffin or coffee cake.

I think after a little blog surfing I have found a few new favorites. The Buttermilk Waffles come from My Kitchen Cafe and the delicious Coconut Syrup comes from The Sisters Cafe. These are great blogs, check them out. In the meantime try these delicious favorites.

Classic Buttermilk Waffles

(From King Arthur Flour Baking Companion)

Beat together:

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

2 teaspoons vanilla

Whisk:

1 3/4 cup flour

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Combine wet and dry ingredients just till smooth.


Coconut Buttermilk Syrup

3/4 cup buttermilk

7 Tablespoons butter

1 cup sugar

Cook until sugar is dissolved and boil 1 minute, stir in:

1 teaspoon coconut flavoring

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Delicious on waffles, pancakes, french toast or just by the spoonful!!

Spring Break

It is 'Spring Break' in Utah. I should hear the sound of children playing outside, maybe the crack of a baseball bat at the park across the street.
But no, I hear a snow blower!!

These are not photos from my file. I took them about 15 minutes ago.

Even my new purse can't convince me it's Spring.

Waiting for Spring

It is cold and wet--almost snow.

My sweet hubby knew just what would cheer me up.

It is Spring--in a handbag!

Fresh Salsa

Nothing completes a 'Mexican' meal better than Fresh Salsa. This recipe comes from a great cook and long time friend Mary Ann. If a recipe comes from Mary Ann you know it will be a keeper.
I have been making fresh salsa for years, tried many recipes but always come back to this one. It is simple, just six ingredients and can be made year round. I make it in my food processor so it is quick too.
Fresh Salsa
2 pounds Roma tomatoes (this is what the Roma was created for)
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 small white onion
1 jalapeno
juice from 2-3 limes
1 teaspoon salt
I quarter the onion and put it in the food processor along with the jalapeno and cilantro. Pulse it a few times--it smells wonderful. Core the tomato, cut it in half and squeeze out the juice (if you skip this step you will have very watery salsa). Put tomatoes in food processor and pulse a few times--don't over do it. Add salt and lime juice to taste, serve with chips (I like Tostitos Scoops) and it will disappear in minutes! It is that good.

Mexican Meat Mix

This may not be the most photogenic recipe but is is delicious. It makes plenty, freezes well, and is very versatile. I use it in tacos, tostadas, burritos and chimichangas; pair it with Refried Beans and you have a hearty meal. It is a real 'man pleaser' at the Harris House.

MEXICAN MEAT MIX
(adapted from Make a Mix Cookbook)
2 1/2 to 3 lb. lean beef or pork roast
1 onion, chopped
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
1 (7 oz.) can green-chili salsa
2 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cumin

Place roast in a large roasting pan or stoneware baker. Do not add salt or water. Cover with a tight lid and roast at 275 degrees for 8 to 10 hours. Or cook with 1 cup water in pressure cooker 35 to 40 minutes. Drain meat and reserve juice. Cool meat and shred. Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray. Sauté onion and green chilies 1 minute. Add salsa, flour and seasonings. Reduce heat and cook 1 minute. Stir in reserved meat juices and meat. Cook 5 minutes or until thickened. Use in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, chimichangas or taco salad. This is a yummy, versatile meat mix. Left-overs can be frozen.

Refried Beans and Enchilada Sauce

Refried beans is one of my most requested recipes. These little gems cook up as smooth and creamy as butter and are simply delicious.

Provident living is being stressed in many circles. Beans are cheap and packed full of protein and fiber. Please remember--always use fresh beans. Yes, I know dried beans keep for years. They are a great storage item. Buy fresh and use them up this year. Next year buy more fresh beans! Your family will thank you.


I was an unbeliever at first, I mean dried beans are dried--does age matter? So I made two identical batches of beans, one batch using fresh purchased beans, the other using beans that had been in my storage several years. The difference was more than slightly noticeable. The new beans whipped up creamy and smooth. The old beans cooked much longer and still had small hard spots. They whipped, but were not creamy. They were edible, but not delicious. Fresh is Best!



REFRIED BEANS

3 cups pinto beans
Beans need to soak before cooking. This can be done a couple different ways.
1. Rinse and soak overnight.
OR
2. Bring beans to a boil, boil 1 minute, cover and remove from heat and let sit for one hour.
After your beans have soaked, drain, rinse and cover with clear water.

Add:
3 bay leaves
1 whole clove of garlic
1 whole peeled onion
Pressure cook for 12 minutes, let pressure drop. Drain some of the liquid from beans (save for later use). Remove bay leaves, onion and garlic-discard.

To beans add:
4 tablespoons butter
1 can chopped green chilies
2 tablespoon chili powder
Salt
½ cup salsa

Beat till smooth, adding reserved liquid if needed. I use my food processor.

You now have the base for many quick and delicious meals. Refried beans can be frozen for about a month.
When a fresh pot of beans is made we often have bean burritos for dinner. Homemade enchilda sauce is essential!


ENCHILADA SAUCE

3 Tablespoons oil
2 Tablespoons flour
¼ cup mild chili powder
1 can chicken broth
2 cans tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Pampered Chef Southwestern Seasoning
Heat oil and stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.

Spread refried beans on a flour tortilla; add a spoonful of enchilada sauce and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll and heat in the microwave for a few seconds; serve with sour cream and guacamole.

Coconut Butter Thins or I Hope it is Tuesday Somewhere!!

Did you know that cornstarch works for diaper rash?

It does and that is the reason I'm a little tardy on my TWD post. My butter was soft, lime zested, flour measured just ready to add the cornstarch. It's gone!

Then I remember sweet Martha Ann who had spent two days in a car seat to visit Nana. We tried everything to calm her sore 'seat'. Finally my daughter suggested cornstarch--we filled a Pampered Chef shaker with the white powder and it worked. So Martha Ann was happy but Nana sent the cornstarch shaker back to El Paso--it is a long ride home!




So, back to Coconut Butter Thins chosen by Jayne , these could be one of the best cookies I have ever eaten--and I've eaten quite a few. I used 2T less butter, I'm cooking at an altitude over 4000 feet. It is interesting how a small adjustment in butter can affect the outcome of a recipe. The cookies were beautiful!

I love Dories method of rolling out the cookie--the gallon bag was perfect. I refrigerated my cookies overnight, removed the bag, put them on a cutting board and with the help of a ruler and pizza cutter I had perfect cookies! I will make these again!