Epicurean Style

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

I snagged a flat of strawberries from Costco for Bennett's birthday bash, but didn't want all the extra strawberries to go to waste, so I tried this recipe.  You must make these delicious little treats!  I can't stop eating them.  

 

 Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Ingredients

Combine and set aside:

2 cups of strawberries, chopped

1 teaspoon lemon juice 

2 tablespoons of sugar

Mix:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons of butter
1 cup  of sugar
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
* Extra sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of sugar and set aside. Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (or just use your fingers to 'rub' it in) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the heavy whipping cream slowly until the dough starts to come together. Now stir in the strawberry mixture. Using an ice cream scoop or similar size spoon make balls and place on cooking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Bennett's Monkey Party

****Don't forget about the Cranberries and Capers Giveaway! (Below)****

I share this because I think you are all going to want to try this Banana Cake recipe!  It is Delicious!  We celebrated Bennett's first birthday a few days ago with a Monkey themed party.  Not that he will remember it, but we will. ha.    

I decided to make a monkey cake for his party and thought a banana cake would be fun, since it is a monkey party and all.  :)  I got the recipe from Martha Stewart--what a kitchen genius. 

 

  

Banana Cupcakes 

(I used to make Banana Cake)

Makes 28

• 3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 4 very ripe large bananas, mashed (about 2 cups), plus sliced bananas for garnish
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Baking Directions
• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
  2. Reduce speed to low. Mix any remaining wet ingredients in a bowl if needed. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
  3. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days, unless otherwise noted

 I covered with a Basic Vanilla frosting, but you could use a variety of frosting types.

To make the Monkey shaped head for the cake....

I used a pyrex bowl to cook the cake it and then cut layers into the cake and put frosting in.  I used a cupcake cut in half to make ears.  It was actually very simple, but turned out looking pretty cute. 

I also made a delicious banana slush for the party that was a huge hit.  I'll share that recipe another time. :) 

I'll share a few more fun pictures from the party.....just because I can.  

  

Chicken Crescent Rolls

soooo delicious.  We had this for dinner last night (St. Patrick's Day dinner...all green feast, not the corn beef and cabbage St. Patty's dinner I know.). and it is one of my favorites.  It is a little more labor intensive, however when I make this recipe we are able to eat it two nights in a row.  It makes the effort little more worth it.  (It might not look appetizing on this all green plate with runny jello and green gravy, but I promise it is!)

 

Chicken Crescent Rolls

1 - 1 1/2 chicken breasts (boneless)

1 pkg. Pecan bits (optional, but I love them)

1 pkg. 8 oz. cream cheese

1 stick of butter

1 pkg. Seasoned stiffing mix

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 pkg PIllsbury Crescent Rolls (16)

Boil your chicken and then shred it once it is boiled.  Mix the cream cheese, pecans and 1/2 a stick of butter with your shredded chicken. Place the mixture in a crescent roll (on the wide end), roll it up and tuck the edges under to create a "pillow".  Roll in melted butter and then roll in crushed stuffing mix.  Place on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Take can of cream of chicken soup and add one can of water to the soup to create more of a gravy/soupy constancy.  Pour the gravy over the rolls when served.  

pure goodness.

I am loving these delicious Cheese Crisps!  

I seriously just ate a whole box for lunch.  I thought I would open and eat a few, but just reached my hand in the box to get another handful, only to come out empty handed.  Disappointed.  I am sure the boys and I will be taking a walk to the grocery store later this afternoon for milk and Cheese Crisps!

These crackers are made by Pepperidge Farm (so how could you really go wrong).  They have Four Cheeses (Aged Cheddar, Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago) baked on.  It is shredded cheese baked on top of each lovely cracker.  Yummmmmm!  

Oh and I noticed on the Pepperidge Farm website that you can get a $1.00 off coupon.  

My store didn't have these, but I think I will be on the hunt for them now.  

They sound just as delicious!

Be still my heart.

Two of my favorite things sitting in a chair.  :)  

I spied these walking through Target today.  

All plans of dieting are out the window when Cadbury mini eggs come back in season. 

  

 

Just put these in the oven....

Bagels

and oh do they smell good!  I made a batch for the first time on Saturday and am already making a second batch, because we loved them sooooo much! They aren't very hard...they do have a few steps to them, but nothing too overly time consuming.

 

Shortbread

Okay, so I made some really easy and very edible shortbread cookies this morning and thought I would share.  Jackson had a school party and we were in charge of bringing a treat.  I found a shortbread recipe, but changed it slightly, so we could fit the Christmas theme.

 

 

Shortbread

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Gradually stir in flour. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 3 minutes. Pat into a 1/3-in.-thick rectangle measuring 11 in. x 8 in.
• Cut into 2-in. x 1-in. strips. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick with a fork.
• Bake at 300° for 25 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. 

****We made ours slightly different by rolling them into small little cookies and then rolling them in red and green sprinkles.  They still tasted good, but the baking time changed a little.

Cuisinart Ice Cream Machine

Love it.  

We got this great little machine about a month ago and have had Ice cream, once if not twice or three times a week since.

Yes, my pants probably aren't quite fitting, but wow, has it been good. 

This might seem like an odd-time to get an ice cream machine, but seriously, are you kidding me...listen to these ice cream flavors...gingerbread, egg nog, peppermint (woot! woot!), cinnamon, white chocolate, yes, those are just a few that we found.    

We have definitely stumbled upon some great recipes---I will share. So make sure you make it to the bottom of this post so you can get the great recipes.  

Lets get to it...

This little baby makes a good batch of ice cream.  Super simple to use and easy-peasy (as Jackson would say) to clean.  A definite plus for me.  

It makes a consistant 1.5 quarts of ice cream.  

You assemble the machine---three parts put onto the base (no biggie), flip a switch (to turn it on), and pour all the ingredients in through a large opening on the top of the machine and about 20 minutes later you have ice cream.  Fresh homemade ice cream!  Oh, and you didn't have to crank a handle on the top...did I make it clear it was an electric machine aka plug it in and walk away.  Just making sure that was clear.  We had one of those hand crank machines when I was kid and after a few cranks all of us kids had lost interest, which left my Dad to crank it for how ever long, until it was done.  

You can get this ice cream maker for a very fair $50.00 (or less).  

You do have to know ahead that you want to have ice cream because you have to freeze the inside bowl for at least 10 hours before using (we now just wash and keep it in the freezer for easy pull out, but this was a surprise to me when I opened to box and promised Jackson we would have ice cream right then...oops.).  I think freezing the inside bowl is something you have to do with most ice cream makers that are under $100.00, I could be wrong, but it seems all the models I can find are that way.  So it's a "You-get-what-you-pay-for" situation and I actually think it is a really darn good deal.  

And by putting up with the pre-freeze bowl, you don't have to deal with rock-salt and ice.

It is also a bit noisy.  We have ours on the kitchen counter top while it mixes and it can cause the noise level to go up quite a bit. 

Well, we LOVE ours and I thought it was definitely something I should share with all of you.

I picked up my machine here. 

Here are some of the great recipes we have found.....

Peppermint Ice Cream

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ice Cream Maker Time: 25-30 minutes
Makes: 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups  heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
3/4 cup crushed hard peppermint candies 
1/2 cup chocolate chunks (optional)

Directions:

Mix milk and sugar together until the sugar dissolves completely.  Add heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and peppermint extract and stir until completely blended.

Pour this mixture into your ice cream maker.

Add crushed hard peppermint candy to churning mixture.

Peppermint Ice Cream (Custard)

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Ice Cream Machine: 25-30 minutes
Makes: 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
2/3 cup crushed hard peppermint candies
1/2 cup dark chocolate sticks (optional)

Directions:

Beat eggs and sugar in a small bowl.  In a saucepan, heat milk until it starts to bubble. Pour hot milk over egg mixture and stir well.  Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and heat, stirring constantly until mixture becomes thick and sticks to the back of your spoon. Let chill overnight.

Next day stir in cream, vanilla, and peppermint extract.  Then pour the whole mixture into the ice cream machine.

During the last 5-10 minutes pour in your crushed peppermint candies. 

Gingerbread Ice Cream 

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ice Cream Machine: 25-30 minutes
Makes: 1 1/2 quarts

Directions:

1 cup milk
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp molasses
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cups whipping cream

Directions:

Whisk milk and sugar together to completely dissolve the sugar.  Stir in molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  Add heavy whipping cream and blend well.  Pour into your ice cream maker.

Hint: If you want a hint of gingerbread flavor, rather than a full flavor, reduce the amount of spices.

Gingerbread Ice Cream (Custard)

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Ice Cream Machine: 25-30 minutes
Makes: 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp molasses
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cups whipping cream

Directions:

Place eggs in a small bowl and beat well. Set aside.  In a saucepan, mix milk, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Heat until it just starts to bubble. Pour hot milk mixture over beaten egg mixture. Stir well.  Pour this mixture back into saucepan and heat, stirring constantly until mixture becomes thick and sticks to the back of a spoon.

Chill overnight. After mixture is chilled, stir in heavy whipping cream. Pour into your ice cream machine.

If you are interested in any of the other seasonal flavors that I mentioned feel free to email me and I will pass them along.  :)

Pasta with Chicken in Creamy Basil Sauce

Pasta with Chicken and Creamy Basil Sauce

 

1 large onion, diced (a bag of frozen onions)

2 red peppers, sliced

2 cups milk

2 tsp. basil

8 oz. cream cheese, cubed

¾ lb. chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

16 ounce package of fettuccine, prepared according to directions

 

Over medium heat, sauté onion and red pepper.  Cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in milk and basil; heat just to boiling.  Reduce heat, add cream cheese, stirring frequently until cream cheese melts and sauce is smooth.  Add chicken.  Stir in Parmesan cheese.  Toss hot pasta and sauce.  Serve immediately.

 

Carmel Apples

Recently we hosted a Carmel Apple Party and the small bite sized apples were a hit, so I thought I would share.  I used my handy little melon baller and made small circles out of the apples. 

  

Jackson enjoyed eating the "leftovers" and I actually really enjoyed making these little bite sized apple bits.  I used about 22 apples for a group of about 20 people.  We had a variety of apples--granny smith, golden delicious, rome, and fuji.  Everyone got what they wanted and we still had some left at the end.    

I cut the apples in advance because I wasn't sure how long it was going to take, but it was actually quite quick.  It only took me about 45 minutes to do all 21 apples. I did have them sit in a watered-down sprite bath so they wouldn't turn brown and it worked great. 

  

I had everyone attending bring a topping to share.  Which was great, since 1. That can get a little pricey, and 2. we got a great variety and not necessarily things I would have thought of. The other great part of having the apples in bite size pieces is that we could all try as many different toppings as we wanted.  

I had a tray of veggies to cut through the sweet and overall I would say it was a success.