This is a really easy and tasty recipe found on the back of a box of Jello Coconut Cream flavor Instant Pudding. I made it for the dessert when I made the Pasta e Fagioli. I did not have squares of semi-sweet chocolate so I used about a 1/4 cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate as that is what I had). Also, I used natural unsweetened coconut instead of the flaked sweetened kind. Again, that is what I had on hand. The verdict: Healthy? No. Delicious? YES. LOL. And easy!
Ingredients:
2 squares semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups thawed Cool Whip (I just used the whole container.)
1 6 oz. Graham cracker pie crust (or a home-made 9 inch one)
3/4 c. flaked coconut, toasted
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 pkg. (3.4 oz) Jell-O coconut cream instant pudding
Microwave chocolate 1 minute stirring after 30 seconds. Stir until completely melted. Add 1 cup cool whip and 1/4 cup coconut. Stir till well blended. Spread onto bottom of crust. Beat milk and pudding mix 2 minutes with whisk. Spoon over chocolate layer. Top with remaining cool whip and coconut. Chill 4 hours.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Pasta e Fagioli -- posted by Jessica
This recipe is a bit time consuming as it uses dried beans, but it is REALLY good, makes a LOT, and freezes well! The recipe calls for dried navy beans, but I used pinto beans as that is what I had in my pantry. I did have to cook them for longer than the recipe specified. Also, I used one 15 oz. can of tomatoes instead of the 28 oz. called for in the recipe and I used 5 cups broth (a mixture of vegetable broth and beef broth that I had in the freezer) to replace some of the water called for in the recipe. I then used a bit less salt since the broths I used were not a low-sodium variety. I would rather add salt if needed at the table rather than end up with a whole batch of overly salty soup. Also, I used a couple of extra handfuls of pasta which made this nice and thick which I prefer over brothy soups.
Serve with salad and a good Italian bread, you have a healthy and filling meal! (thanks to Cooking Light for this recipe)
Ingredients:
1 lb. dried navy beans (or pintos)
1 Tb olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, un-drained
9 cups water [or a combo of water and broth if desired]
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. rosemary
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 cup uncooked macaroni [I used shell pasta]
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Sort and wash beans and place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour then drain.
Heat oil in pan over medium heat then sauté the onion, carrot and celery 5 minutes. Add two garlic cloves; sauté 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the beans, 9 cups water or broth, red pepper and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour 50 minutes. Add salt, oregano, thyme, and remaining two garlic cloves. Cover and simmer 25 minutes or until beans are tender. Discard bay leaf
Place 2 cups bean mixture into a food processor and process till smooth. Return puree to pan and stir well. Add the pasta and cook 7 minutes or until done. Stir in parsley and black pepper and serve topped with grated Parmesan.
Yield: 10 servings
Serve with salad and a good Italian bread, you have a healthy and filling meal! (thanks to Cooking Light for this recipe)
Ingredients:
1 lb. dried navy beans (or pintos)
1 Tb olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, un-drained
9 cups water [or a combo of water and broth if desired]
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. rosemary
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 cup uncooked macaroni [I used shell pasta]
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Sort and wash beans and place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour then drain.
Heat oil in pan over medium heat then sauté the onion, carrot and celery 5 minutes. Add two garlic cloves; sauté 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the beans, 9 cups water or broth, red pepper and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour 50 minutes. Add salt, oregano, thyme, and remaining two garlic cloves. Cover and simmer 25 minutes or until beans are tender. Discard bay leaf
Place 2 cups bean mixture into a food processor and process till smooth. Return puree to pan and stir well. Add the pasta and cook 7 minutes or until done. Stir in parsley and black pepper and serve topped with grated Parmesan.
Yield: 10 servings
Pesto Cavatappi -- posted by Jessica
I had a nice looking basil plant that I wanted to use up before it got too cold with a hard frost so I came across this copycat recipe of Noodles and Company's pesto cavatappi. I love Noodles and CO. but they are on the pricey side so I don't go there often. But I did try their pesto cavatappi once when we ordered from Noodles for a work lunch. I'm not always a super huge fan of pesto, but I really liked their version; it has white wine and cream in it which helps to mellow out the strong pesto flavor. The original recipe just called for using jarred pesto, but as the whole point was to use up my fresh basil, I found a pesto recipe from Cooking Light website that I decided to try. It made about 3/4 cup total and I used 1/2 cup for the pasta recipe. I froze the rest of the pesto by 1 Tablespoonfuls in an ice cube tray. Once they were frozen, I popped them out of the tray and put them in a ziplock bag in the freezer for future use.
All in all, the pasta dish turned out really well and was pretty easy to prepare. The only change I would make next time, is maybe use more mushrooms (you can never have too many!) and a bit more white wine as the flavor was mostly lost under the pesto.
Ingredients:
12 oz. curly pasta (I could not find cavatappi at the store but found a similar spiral shaped pasta called cellantani)
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved (I used 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped)
1/2 pint sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup pesto
Cook the pasta to al dente. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms and tomatoes in olive oil. When the pasta is almost done, add the wine to the mushroom mixture and let it reduce for 2 minutes. Add the cream and reduce for another 1-2 minutes. Stir in the pesto. Drain the pasta and add to the pesto cream sauce. I added a little of the pasta water to thin it out a bit. Top with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley and serve.
Serves 4-6
Basil Pesto
2 Tb. pine nuts or chopped walnuts (I used 1/4 cup of almonds as that is what I had in my freezer, and pine nuts are rather expensive)
2 peeled garlic cloves
3 Tb extra virgin olive oil
4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves (approx. 4 oz.)
1/2 cup (2 oz) grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp salt
Process the nuts and garlic in a food process till minced. Add in the oil and pulse 3 times. Add in the basil, cheese and salt and process till finely minced and blended.
Yield: about 3/4 cup
All in all, the pasta dish turned out really well and was pretty easy to prepare. The only change I would make next time, is maybe use more mushrooms (you can never have too many!) and a bit more white wine as the flavor was mostly lost under the pesto.
Ingredients:
12 oz. curly pasta (I could not find cavatappi at the store but found a similar spiral shaped pasta called cellantani)
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved (I used 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped)
1/2 pint sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup pesto
Cook the pasta to al dente. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms and tomatoes in olive oil. When the pasta is almost done, add the wine to the mushroom mixture and let it reduce for 2 minutes. Add the cream and reduce for another 1-2 minutes. Stir in the pesto. Drain the pasta and add to the pesto cream sauce. I added a little of the pasta water to thin it out a bit. Top with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley and serve.
Serves 4-6
Basil Pesto
2 Tb. pine nuts or chopped walnuts (I used 1/4 cup of almonds as that is what I had in my freezer, and pine nuts are rather expensive)
2 peeled garlic cloves
3 Tb extra virgin olive oil
4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves (approx. 4 oz.)
1/2 cup (2 oz) grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp salt
Process the nuts and garlic in a food process till minced. Add in the oil and pulse 3 times. Add in the basil, cheese and salt and process till finely minced and blended.
Yield: about 3/4 cup
Beet Pesto Spaghetti -- posted by Jessica
So, probably, a lot of people would think this is really weird, but I think that red beets are one of the best veggies! They are a beautiful color, healthy, sweet, and taste amazing! So, when I ran across this recipe online, it sounded so unique, I had to try it. It sounds really odd, but it is actually really good! And the spaghetti is a fun and vibrant magenta color! I would maybe use one clove less of the garlic as it was a little strong or maybe the cloves I used were on the large side. It was really good anyway; I do like garlic and, hey, it keeps the vampires away, right? (Especially the stalking Volvo-driving ones!)
The pesto freezes well too, so that is a plus as it makes a good amount. And besides the cooking and peeling of the beets, the recipe is quick and easy to make!
Ingredients:
3 large red beets
3 cloves garlic
1/2 C whole raw pistachios (or almonds)
1/4 C lemon juice
1/4 C olive oil
1 C finely grated Parmesan
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 lb. spaghetti
Cook the beets in boiling water until tender then peel once they are cool enough to handle. Despair of ever getting the red stain off of your fingers. Quarter the beets and toss into the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic cloves, nuts, lemon juice and olive oil and run the food processor until you have a smooth spread. Add salt and pepper to taste and fold in the Parmesan.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente, drain and toss with the pesto. I used a little of the pasta water to thin out the sauce a bit. Serve with extra chopped nuts and Parmesan if desired.
Yield: the original recipe said 4-6 servings, but I would say more like 6-8 servings.
The pesto freezes well too, so that is a plus as it makes a good amount. And besides the cooking and peeling of the beets, the recipe is quick and easy to make!
Ingredients:
3 large red beets
3 cloves garlic
1/2 C whole raw pistachios (or almonds)
1/4 C lemon juice
1/4 C olive oil
1 C finely grated Parmesan
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 lb. spaghetti
Cook the beets in boiling water until tender then peel once they are cool enough to handle. Despair of ever getting the red stain off of your fingers. Quarter the beets and toss into the bowl of a food processor. Add the garlic cloves, nuts, lemon juice and olive oil and run the food processor until you have a smooth spread. Add salt and pepper to taste and fold in the Parmesan.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente, drain and toss with the pesto. I used a little of the pasta water to thin out the sauce a bit. Serve with extra chopped nuts and Parmesan if desired.
Yield: the original recipe said 4-6 servings, but I would say more like 6-8 servings.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Easy Caramel Sauce--posted by Joy
I LOVE LOVE LOVE caramel in my coffee. I am also BROKE BROKE BROKE....so am getting more creative in how to save money and still enjoy life's little luxuries. This morning as I was talking myself out of a Dunkin Donuts run I wondered, "How hard can it be to make caramel?" Not hard at all, as it turns out. This recipe is brought to you by: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/easy-caramel-sauce-recipe/index.html
I just made it, so I don't know how it is in coffee, but will post an update once it's cooled enough to try :-) I didn't have half and half so I mixed 1/4 cup heavy cream with 1/4 cup 2% milk. And of course I added just a touch extra vanilla because I love vanilla. So we'll see how it turns out... smelled heavenly as I was making it though! (How could it not? brown sugar, cream, butter, salt and vanilla? Yum!!)
I just made it, so I don't know how it is in coffee, but will post an update once it's cooled enough to try :-) I didn't have half and half so I mixed 1/4 cup heavy cream with 1/4 cup 2% milk. And of course I added just a touch extra vanilla because I love vanilla. So we'll see how it turns out... smelled heavenly as I was making it though! (How could it not? brown sugar, cream, butter, salt and vanilla? Yum!!)
Ingredients
- 1 packed cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions
Mix the brown sugar, half-and-half, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until it gets thicker. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat, cool slightly and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Wicked Good Pumpkin Roll -- posted by Jessica
Well, it's that time of year again - Autumn! Cooler weather, fall colors, crunchy piles of leaves to walk through, and, of course, PUMPKIN and those yummy fall spices, cinnamon and cloves and nutmeg... Love it! Pumpkin Roll cake is a new thing for me; maybe it is more of a back East thing? I have noticed them now in the bakery section of the grocery stores. Maybe they have always been there and I just didn't notice? I dunno, but I can't believe what I have been missing! I ran a Google search for Pumpkin Roll recipes and of course got a ton of them to choose from! I ended up combining a couple different ones to get the spices I wanted and without walnuts thank you very much! I had never attempted a rolled cake before so I was a little apprehensive but it turned out well! And very delicious! Just use a lot of powdered sugar when rolling and also to dust your hands when unrolling to fill and then re-rolling the finished product. I had cut back on the sugar a few tablespoons in the cake and filling part figuring I would get plenty of sweetness from the powdered sugar later and I was right. I would probably even cut back a little more on the sugar next time as I found I had to used quite a lot of powdered sugar rolling up the cake and it was plenty sweet. All in all, this cake was a definite success and got a thumbs up from my taste testers! :)
Ingredients:
Cake:
3 large eggs
Beat together the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, flour, baking soda, and spices. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is puffed and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes.
Let the cake stand for 5 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a linen kitchen towel with sifted pwd sugar on it. This was a little tricky. I may sift pwd sugar onto the top of the cake and then put the towel on top to invert onto a larger baking sheet. Anyway, then remove the parchment and roll up cake and towel. I rolled from the long side. Some recipes say to roll from the short side. I guess it depends on how long you want your cake. Place seam-side down on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Beat the cream cheese and butter until combined. Beat in the pwd sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Carefully unroll the cake, leaving it on the towel (there may be some cracking). Spread with the cream cheese filling, reroll into a log removing the towel as you go, and transfer to a serving platter. I found that dusting my hands with pwd sugar helped with this.
Chill and then serve.
Yield: 12 delicious slices of pumkin cream cheese goodness!
I bet adding some espresso powder to the cake batter would also be good; kind of like a pumpkin spice latte! :)
Ingredients:
Cake:
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar (3/4 cup is fine)
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. all-spice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
Filling:
8 oz. softened cream cheese (I used lite cream cheese)
1 Tb butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar (I think I used about 2/3 cup)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
Heat oven to 350. Lightly coat a 15 1/2- by 10 1/2- by 1-inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides; coat the parchment with cooking spray.
Beat together the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, flour, baking soda, and spices. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is puffed and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes.
Let the cake stand for 5 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a linen kitchen towel with sifted pwd sugar on it. This was a little tricky. I may sift pwd sugar onto the top of the cake and then put the towel on top to invert onto a larger baking sheet. Anyway, then remove the parchment and roll up cake and towel. I rolled from the long side. Some recipes say to roll from the short side. I guess it depends on how long you want your cake. Place seam-side down on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Beat the cream cheese and butter until combined. Beat in the pwd sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Carefully unroll the cake, leaving it on the towel (there may be some cracking). Spread with the cream cheese filling, reroll into a log removing the towel as you go, and transfer to a serving platter. I found that dusting my hands with pwd sugar helped with this.
Chill and then serve.
Yield: 12 delicious slices of pumkin cream cheese goodness!
I bet adding some espresso powder to the cake batter would also be good; kind of like a pumpkin spice latte! :)
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal -- posted by Jessica
This is another 'borrowed' baked oatmeal recipe. A good fall breakfast! I didn't bother peeling the apple.
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tb oil or melted butter
1 1/2 old fashioned oats
2 Tb brown sugar
1 tsp baking pwd
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 apple, peeled and sliced very thin
Heat oven to 350. Combine egg, milk, applesauce, and oil. Add oats, sugar, baking pwd and cinnamon. Mix in cranberries and pour into greased 9 inch baking pan. Top with apples and sprinkle with additional sugar and cinnamon if desired. Bake 25 to 28 minutes till set. Serve with milk .
4 servings
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tb oil or melted butter
1 1/2 old fashioned oats
2 Tb brown sugar
1 tsp baking pwd
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 apple, peeled and sliced very thin
Heat oven to 350. Combine egg, milk, applesauce, and oil. Add oats, sugar, baking pwd and cinnamon. Mix in cranberries and pour into greased 9 inch baking pan. Top with apples and sprinkle with additional sugar and cinnamon if desired. Bake 25 to 28 minutes till set. Serve with milk .
4 servings
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