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Posts Tagged ‘Pinterest’

Apple Braised Pork Loin

Posted in Cooking, tagged , , , on June 30, 2012| 3 Comments »

Since I am severely allergic to poultry and C is not a big seafood lover, I like to search for new ways to cook beef or pork.  I found this recipe, of course, on Pinterest.  (Yes, I am addicted, but at least I am making the things I pin. That makes it all right, doesn’t it?  Doesn’t it???)  This recipe is from Allrecipes.com and I have used that site so many times. 

This tenderloin turned out so tender and juicy with just a hint of sweetness from the apple juice.  Yum!  Even the leftovers were delicious.

2 tsp. Tuscan Sunset seasoning from Penzey’s Spices

1 teaspoon pepper

1 (3 pound) boneless pork loin roast

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 tsp. dried minced garlic

1 large apple – peeled, cored and chopped

1/2 cup frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate, thawed

1/2 teaspoon salt

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Rub the seasoning and pepper all over the tenderloin. 

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In a Dutch oven over medium heat, brown the meat on all sides in the oil then remove and keep warm.

In the same pan, sauté the onion and garlic until tender. Add the apple, apple juice concentrate and salt, then bring to a boil. Return meat to the pan. Cover and bake at 325 degrees F for 55-75 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F, basting occasionally with juices.Remove to a serving platter and keep warm.

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Taco Dip

Posted in Cooking, tagged , , , , , on June 23, 2012| 6 Comments »

C & I were invited to a Super Bowl party back in February so I went looking for a new dip recipe to try.  Of course, I found this on Pinterest from the blog My Kitchen Addiction.  This is the link to the original recipe.  I tweaked it a little to suit my taste and the ingredients I had and it turned out great.  There were no leftovers at all to bring back so I know it was a success.

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 white onion, diced

1 tsp. dried minced garlic

8 ounces light cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup light ranch dressing

2 tbsp. taco seasoning

4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded 

Tortilla chips

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a pie pan (or rectangle baking pan) with nonstick spray.  The pan I used is about 6×8”.  In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef, onion and minced garlic until the beef is cooked through.

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In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, ranch dressing, chili powder, and ground cumin.  Add the beef mixture and half of the shredded cheese.  Stir to combine.  Pour that mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.  Serve with tortilla chips or corn chips.

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Frosted Sugar Cookies

Posted in Cooking, tagged , , , on May 19, 2012| 8 Comments »

I am not usually a cookie baker, especially sugar cookies.  Not that I don’t like cookies, I DO, but I usually have better luck with other baked goods.  When I found this recipe from Annie’s Eats on Pinterest, I really wanted to try my hand at sugar cookies one more time.  These turned out really well and were a great addition to my Christmas cookie/candy tray, hence the red and green frosting!

For the cookies:
4½ cups all-purpose flour
4½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
5 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)
Food coloring (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)

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In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk together to blend.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed.  Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

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After the chill time, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 cookie sheets.  Scoop a scant 1/4 cup of cookie dough and roll it into a ball.  Place the ball on the cookie sheet and press it out gently to form the cookie.  Leave about 2 or 3 inches in between each cookie.  Bake for 10-12 minutes and then cool on a wire rack.

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For the frosting, place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl.  Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth.  Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.  Tint with food coloring if desired.  Use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies.

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And, yes, I have had this recipe to post since Christmas, but others seemed to take a front seat.  Oh, well, at least you will have this for NEXT Christmas.

 

Please join me at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday.

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Pizza Dippers

Posted in Cooking, tagged , , , , on April 28, 2012| 4 Comments »

I may need a Pinterst intervention, because this is yet another recipe I found on there.  It originated from the blog, The Farm Girl, and it is a simple and good dinner or lunch option.  The Farm Girl calls her pizza pancakes, but I preferred pizza dippers for mine because they turned out a little too thick to really call them pancakes.  Next time I make them, I will add just a tad more milk to make them more like pancakes.

The Farm Girl also used pepperoni in hers, but I chose Italian sausage because that is what I had.  I bet pepperoni would be awesome.  C liked them, but thought they weren’t quite enough for a supper but would be good with chili.  We had the leftovers with chili the next day and he was right.  They were great dipped in chili!

2 cups Bisquick baking mix

1 c. milk (Next time, I will add just a little more. Maybe another 1/8 of a cup.)

2 eggs

3/4 c. shredded Italian (Pizza) cheese

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 lb. Italian sausage, cooked

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. Garlic Salt

Pizza sauce, for dipping

Parmesan Cheese, garnish

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Heat griddle or skillet and grease, if necessary.  In a large bowl, combine the Bisquick mix, Italian seasoning and garlic salt. Combine eggs and milk and stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the cheeses and Italian sausage.

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Pour approximately 1/4 cup onto hot griddle, cook until bubbles form on top and edges are dry. Flip and cook until golden brown.

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Cut pancakes with pizza cutter in to 4 triangles, garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve with pizza sauce for dipping.  Enjoy!

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Please join me at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday.

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Dreamsicle Fudge

Posted in Cooking, tagged , , , , , on April 21, 2012| 17 Comments »

Now when I think of fudge, my first thoughts always go to chocolate or peanut butter, but I have now been exposed to something totally different.  Back at Christmas, my uncle tried a candy he had never seen before at his company’s employee dinner.  One of his co-workers brought Dreamsicle fudge and he loved it.  He brought me her recipe, but it made not one, but two 13×9 inch pans and that was just too much to experiment with so I found this recipe over at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen on Pinterest that made a much smaller amount and was basically the same recipe scaled down.

I must apologize because I only have photos of the finished product.  The first two times I tried to make it, I burned it.  I mean I REALLY burned it, so the third time I was very careful and didn’t take photos during the process. It is pretty much just basic candy making, but I just didn’t have the attention span that day to make it so I tried again later after wasting 3 sticks of butter and 6 cups of sugar.

3/4 cup butter
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
12 oz. pkg. white chocolate chips
1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow crème
3 teaspoons orange extract
12 drops yellow food coloring
5 drops red food coloring

In a heavy saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and evaporated milk. Cook and stir on low heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 4 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in white chocolate and marshmallow crème. Remove 1 cup and set aside. Add orange extract and coloring to the remaining mixture. Stir until blended. Pour into an 8 or 9 inch square pan that has been lined with foil and sprayed with nonstick spray. Drop reserved mixture by tablespoons on top and cut through with a knife to swirl.

Let pan cool in refrigerator for several hours until set.

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Baked Ziti

Posted in Cooking, tagged , , , , on April 7, 2012| 8 Comments »

I love pasta!  You would think that I have a strong Italian influence in my family, but that is the furthest thing from reality.  No Italian blood here; just a great love for Italian food!  I found this recipe on Pinterest and it was pinned from a great blog, Creatively Domestic.  Here is the link to the original recipe.

There were only 2 little changes I made: I had to use penne pasta because my local grocery stores do not stock a pasta called “ziti” and I used a half pound of ground beef and a half pound of Italian sausage instead of just one pound of one of them.  This is a wonderful dish and will be added to my regular meal rotation.

16 oz. dried penne noodles
1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. Italian sausage

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
6 cups meatless spaghetti sauce, divided
1 cup pasta water, reserved from draining ziti
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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Note about the above photo:  I cooked the ground beef, sausage, onion and garlic powder the day before to save time.  That is what is in the small plastic container.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the beef, sausage, onion and garlic powder until the meat is completely cooked and the onion is soft.

Slightly undercook ziti, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water, set aside.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In the pot where you cooked the pasta, combine 5 cups of the sauce, reserved pasta water, and the meat mixture.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Add the cooked pasta back in to the pot and stir to combine.

Spoon 1/2 of ziti mixture into 13x9x2" baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle with Mozzarella and 1/2 of Parmesan cheese. Top with remaining ziti mixture and remaining 1 cup spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake 25 – 30 minutes or until heated through.

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All you need now is a salad and some garlic bread.   Mmmm!! This is also great the next day for leftovers. Just re-heat and serve.

Please join me and other great food bloggers at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday.

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Lasagna Soup

Posted in Cooking, tagged , , , , , on March 3, 2012| 5 Comments »

Are you looking for a rich and hearty meal with some classic Italian flavors?  Look no further!  I found this recipe on Pinterest, of course, and it was pinned from the blog Creatively Domestic.  This is one of the best soup/stews that I have had in a long time.  I hesitate to call it a soup, because it gets really thick and stew-like which is just fine with me.  Yummy!  I won’t hold you in suspense any longer…here is the recipe.

1 onion finely diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 lb. Italian sausage

1/2 lb. lean ground beef
2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
26 oz. spaghetti sauce
4 cups chicken (or vegetable or beef) stock (I used vegetable broth.)
2 bay leaves
8 oz. pasta

 

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In a large Dutch oven, cook the onion, garlic, and meats in the olive oil until the meats are completely cooked.  (Note: I cooked this the day before so the photo will show a skillet.)

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Add the remaining ingredients except the pasta and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

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Bring to a boil and add the pasta.  Cook for additional 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.  Enjoy!  I served this with a quick peppery cheese bread that I will highlight next week.  You don’t want to miss it!  They go great together.

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“Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset”

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Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Posted in Cooking, tagged , , , on October 22, 2011| 6 Comments »

How could you possibly go wrong with a recipe that includes brownies, peanut butter, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips?  You can’t!!!  These bite size delights are scrumptious and hard to resist or at least they were for me.  I will definitely have to share the love with these so I don’t eat them all.

This little goodie was found on Pinterest, but it originates from Baked Perfection which is an very appropriate name.  If you are a chocolate and peanut butter fan, give these a whirl.

1 box brownie mix

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place paper liners in a mini-muffin pan and set aside.  I got 2 batches of minis out of this recipe.  Prepare the boxed brownie mix according to package directions.  Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups (about 1 heaping teaspoon).  I used a small scoop and that worked great.  Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and the center is still slightly wet.

After brownies are out of the oven, wait for centers to fall.  This will happen upon cooling.  If not then tap the centers with the back of a spoon to make a hole for the peanut butter.

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Place the peanut butter in a small microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 45 seconds then stir.  While the brownies are still warm, spoon about half a teaspoon of peanut butter into the center of each brownie.  Top with chocolate and peanut butter chips.  Cool completely and enjoy!

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Please join me at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday!

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