Ridiculously Good Recipes

I’m making this

right now for supper, and my kitchen smells like heaven.  I’m not even kidding.

I happened to find it on my favourite website for recipes, and I was immediately drawn to it for the Cajun spice, but I was totally sold on it when I saw that it required lots of butter and heavy cream.  I heart butter and heavy cream.

This is probably why I never lose any weight.

This, and the ice cream.

Enjoy.

Love

This summer hasn’t exactly been booming with productivity so far.  I’m pretty sure that this week the most exercise I’ve done has been running down the stairs to get Fudgesicles from the freezer.

Yes.  All those Boot Camp sessions are going to good use.

What I have been doing a lot of is making (and drinking) iced coffee.  Starbucks came out with this fabulous Gazebo Summer Blend and I can’t drink enough of it.  Well, I can, but for some reason the constant shaking doesn’t seem to deter me.

So I thought I’d give you a nice pictorial guide to making iced coffee.  Because, you know, I don’t have 6 loads of laundry waiting to be folded and put away anything else to do.

So first, you might want to start with the Starbucks Gazebo coffee:

 

you will also want some Vanilla coffee syrup (although you could just sweeten it with sugar if you like)

Brew your coffee at double strength:

I ground the normal amount of coffee for my press, and then just filled it half full of water.

While your coffee is brewing, you will want to put some ice into the bottom of a pitcher.  For half a press-full of coffee, I use about 2-3 cups of ice.  When the coffee is done, pour it over the ice like so:

Then, take a pretty cup, put more ice in it, and drizzle some of the vanilla syrup over the ice…

then pour the slightly chilled coffee over that, about 2/3 full…

then splash in a little milk to top it off…

Give it a little stir to make sure that the syrup isn’t just at the bottom, and say “hello lover”…

 

Sip, sigh contentedly, and repeat as needed.

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Chicken & Broccoli Divan

I confess.  I am a HUGE fan of recipes that call for a can of soup, a vegetable or two, and some form of meat.  I realize that this is not gourmet by any means, but it’s just so easy and tasty.  Plus, I often forget to eat veggies (don’t judge) so if I can incorporate them into the main meal somehow, well all the better.

I tried this little recipe the other day and it was a huge hit.

You will need:

1lb fresh broccoli, or half a 1kg package of frozen broccoli  - cooked and drained (I always have frozen veggies on hand – they don’t go bad like the fresh ones that I put in my fridge with great intentions only to find that they are rotten by the time I remember to eat them)

1 1/2 C cubed cooked chicken breast

1 can Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup (it also says you could use the Broccoli Cheese soup, but I always find that the stuff just stinks, so I can’t recommend it on those grounds)

1/3 C Milk

1/2 C shredded Cheddar Cheese (I double this at least – I always think that if some cheese is good, much more is better)

2 Tbsp dry bread crumbs & 1 Tbsp of melted butter/margarine (but I doubled this too, because I love the crunchy stuff on top)

ok, so in a 9” pie plate or a shallow casserole dish, arrange your broccoli and chicken.

Mix the soup and milk, and pour it over the broccoli and chicken.

Sprinkle the cheese over top.  Then sprinkle the bread crumb/butter mixture over all.

Bake @400 for 25 minutes until hot.

mmmmmmm…so easy.

(from Campbell’s Classic Recipes)

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This is my last and best recipe for our little holiday edition of RGR.  These are kind of time consuming , but they are JUST. SO. GOOD.  I look forward to Christmas baking every year JUST for these little babies.

I will warn you, if you think Sugar Cookies are too picky to make, then you’ll hate making these and should probably instead just come over for coffee and eat mine.  HOWEVER, should you try these, you will NOT regret the time you put into them.  Not only are they beautiful to look at but they are DIVINE to eat.

So without further ado, I present to you:

Pastel Cream Wafers (sound trumpets *here*)

you will need:

- 1/2 C Cold Butter (no substitutes)

- 1 C All Purpose Flour

- 3-4 Tbsp half-&-half cream

- Sanding Sugar or Granulated Sugar (sanding sugar is apparently a little coarser than regular granulated sugar and should be available where cake decorating supplies are sold.  I have always used plain granulated sugar – this year I actually looked for some sanding sugar at Michaels but couldn’t find any.  So just use normal sugar)

Preheat your oven to 375.

Cut the butter into the flour until the butter is the size of small peas.  Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of cream into the mixture and toss with a fork.  Repeat until all is moistened, then form into a ball.  Don’t use more than 4 Tbsp of cream.  If it seems like it’s not moistened enough, form the ball with your hands and it will all come together.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface to slightly less than 1/8” thick.  You don’t want these too thick as they will puff up to about double after they bake.

Cut into rounds with a 1 3/4” scalloped cookie cutter (I bought a set of cutters specifically for this recipe – although I’ve found them useful for other things as well).  Dip one side of each round in the sugar.  Place sugar side up on parchment lined cookie sheet.  With a fork, prick 3-4 parallel rows in each cutout.

Bake for 8-10 min or till edges just begin to brown.  **In my oven I don’t bake them for longer than 7 min, so keep an eye on the first batch or two and don’t over-brown them.  Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

 

Now, you will look at all the lovely cutouts on your cooling racks, pat yourself on the back and think “man, I’ve made a ton of cookies”.  Actually, you have only made half that many, because you will be making them into sandwiches.  Feel discouraged *here*.  Take heart – it will all be worth it shortly.

You will now need to make Powdered Sugar Frosting:

Stir together 1 Cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp softened butter (no substitutes), 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 drop of food coloring, and enough half-&-half (about 1 Tbsp) to make a spreadable frosting.  I mash the butter into the powdered sugar first using a fork, and then add the rest, mashing as I go.  It works beautifully.  Trust me.

Spread a scant 1 tsp of frosting on the flat (non-sugared) side of a cookie.  Top with another cookie, flat sides together.  I doubled this recipe and made 54 sandwiches (108 single cookies) – so a single recipe will probably make about 27. 

This may seem like a lot, until you eat one, and then you will realize that 54 won’t be nearly enough.  Especially if you have to share.

Now, this all probably sounds time consuming and like too much work.  However, start to photo finish (icing and all), I made a double recipe of these babies in an hour and a half.  So that’s not too bad is it?

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Has it become obvious yet that I really really really love Christmas baking?

I’m going to throw out an easy cookie recipe now as a reprieve from the Cutout Cookie recipe I posted last time.  And because the next recipe that I post will be the major time consumer (but OH, so so so worth the effort).

So here you go:

Chocolate Candy-Cane Cookies

1 pkg. (250 g) Brick Cream Cheese, softened

3/4 cup  butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 tsp.  vanilla

2-1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp.  baking soda

4 squares Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

1 pkg.  (6 squares) White Chocolate

12 hard peppermint candies, crushed

Beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add flour and baking soda; mix well. Blend in semi-sweet chocolate.

Shape scant tablespoonfuls of dough into balls; roll each into 3-inch-long rope. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets, bending top of each slightly to resemble a candy cane.

Bake @350 10 to 12 min. or until lightly browned; cool 5 min. on baking sheets. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely.

Microwave white chocolate until melted and smooth – I go 1min on high, stir, then another 30seconds until it’s all melted.  I then spoon the melted chocolate into a ziploc freezer bag and seal it.  Then I cut a small (really small) corner off the bottom of the bag, and drizzle the chocolate over cookies. Sprinkle with crushed candies. Let stand until chocolate is firm.

Now.  I never have hard peppermint candies on hand.  I do, however, have candy canes that Berry Boy made me buy back when he was 3, because he thought he really really liked them (he didn’t).  So what I do with these is crush up 2 candy canes in a ziploc bag (I give it a few good whacks with my rolling pin) and I garnish the cookies with that.

And you will have these:

They look great, and they’re easy.  Plus, if you’re less of a kitchen nazi than me, your kids will love helping with these – they can roll out the candy canes in their hands and you can shape them on the cookie sheet.

If these don’t sound easy, then consider this: I started these cookies at 5pm, and it is now 6:30.  They are the easiest thing to decorate as all you have to do is squeeze melted chocolate all over them, and not with any great precision.

Plus, they have cream cheese.

Need I say more.

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Of all the Christmas cookies, sugar cookies have got to be the classic.  They also have to be the most picky and time consuming.  All that rolling, and cutting out, and rolling again, and cutting out, and then when you think you’re done, you have to decorate them.  Every year I tell myself that I WILL NOT BE MAKING THESE EVER AGAIN, and every year I make them anyway.  Because they’re yummy.  And pretty.  And fun.

This has become my favorite recipe for sugar cookies, mostly because it involves Cream Cheese (I love Cream Cheese).

So roll up your sleeves and grit your teeth, because this will be fun.  Or else.

 

Heavenly Cutout Cookies

1/2 C Butter

1/3 of a brick of Cream Cheese

1 3/4 C Flour

1 1/2 C Powdered Sugar

1 Egg

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Vanilla

 

Beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until blended.

Add half the flour, the powdered sugar, the egg, baking powder and vanilla.  Beat on low until combined, then beat 1min on medium.

Beat in the remaining flour on low.

You will now have quite a soft dough.  Refrigerate it for at least an hour.

Roll out half the dough at a time.  You will need to flour your counter and your rolling pin liberally as the dough is still going to be quite soft.  Don’t worry though – it’s not that hard to work with.  Roll it out to 1/8” thickness (whatever that looks like) and cut out into your Christmasy shapes (I always do angels, trees, stars, and sometimes gingerbread men, but they’re really big).

Bake on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper @375 for 8-9 min.

Later, when you’ve had a cup of coffee and a break, you can start to decorate.  I’ve tried lots of kinds of icing, from plain old icing sugar and milk to Royal icing…I have no idea what’s best.  I find that the Royal icing is too stiff and hard, so I am back to using just plain old icing:

icing sugar

bit of vanilla

bit of milk or cream

You can make it whatever consistency you like, color it any different way, and you’re good to go.  If you want to outline the cookies before “flooding” them with icing, then make the icing fairly thick and either use a piping bag, or take a Ziploc bag, fill it with the icing, seal it, and cut a very small corner off of one bottom corner, and voila, you have a piping bag.  This works for decorating after smearing the icing all over the cookies too.

I’m no Martha Stewart when it comes to cookie decorating.  I have the idea in my head but it never quite turns out the way I think it will…and I’m cursed with two males in the house who eat the iced cookies as quickly as I can ice them….*sigh*

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Just in case you thought that we were at the end of our Toblerone Holiday recipes, I thought I'd better post this one right away so that we could get it over with. You know, like ripping off a band-aid.
Come on, you know you want it.

I present to you (and to your hips and thighs):

No-Bake Toblerone Cheesecake

(just when you thought it couldn't possibly get worse)

Oh yeah. And it tastes every bit as good as it looks.
The great thing (or should I say, one of the great things) about this cheesecake is that it's a no-bake, so when your oven is all busy baking stuff like turkeys and stuffing, you can still be whipping up this delectable little jewel.
It's creamy, it's smooth, it's un. be. lievable.

1 1/4C Oreo Baking crumbs
1/4C butter, melted
2 pkg (250g each) Cream Cheese, softened
1C Smooth Peanut Butter
1C sugar
2 bars (100g each) Toblerone, divided
1 1/2C thawed Cool Whip topping

MIX the crumbs and the butter and press firmly into the bottom of a 9" springform pan. Refrigerate 10min.

BEAT the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar on medium speed until well blended. Chop one bar of the chocolate and stir it into the cream cheese mixture. Fold in 1Cup of the Cool Whip. Spoon the mixture over the crust and refrigerate 3hours.

MICROWAVE the remaining 1/2C Cool Whip and 1bar of chocolate on HIGH for 1min. Stir until chocolate is melted and well blended. Cool slightly, then pour over the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
(from: Kraft What's Cooking; Festive 2006)

now, how easy is that?
Next week we'll start on the cookies (insert evil laugh *here*)

Ridiculously Good Recipes

For this installment of Ridiculously Good Recipes: Christmas Edition, I present to you....

Toblerone Fudge

I would like to apologise in advance for this one. I'm very, very sorry for the weight you will gain making and eating this fudge. So sorry. I would also like to say, that if you have not already purchased a ginormous bar of Toblerone from Costco, then you may want to get one. Or two. If they're still there. I bought two, and I'm afraid it won't be enough (mostly because we picked at one until it was just about gone...there is now approximately 500grams of Toblerone chocolate located on my hips and thighs).

Let's begin.

You will need:
1/2C Sugar
1/2C Butter (not margarine)
3/4C evaporated milk
1 bar (400g) of Toblerone

LINE 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, with ends of paper extending over sides of pan; set aside. Place sugar, butter and evaporated milk in large heavy saucepan.

BRING to full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 5 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

ADD chocolate; stir until completely melted. Pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm. Remove fudge from pan, using parchment paper handles. Cut into 25 squares. Store in tightly covered container in the refrigerator.
(from: Kraft Canada What's Cooking; Festive 2006)

*tip: when you cut the fudge, it helps to wipe the knife blade with a damp or wet cloth between each cut so that you have nice clean cuts each time. Otherwise the creamy goodness of the fudge builds up on the blade and makes cutting a bit messy. OR, you can simply lick the fudge off the knife each time...but that would be gross. So use your finger instead.

This is a super easy fudge to make, and it is better than ANY fudge that I have EVER made. Now, I've only ever made one other kind of fudge, but seriously, this stuff is DEADLY. I can't keep it around long enough to serve to guests, it just disappears.

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Yeah baby - first snow has come and gone, so it's officially the season of Toblerone - I mean chocolate - I mean Christmas. What I mean to say is, IT'S CHRISTMAS BAKING TIME!!!!

Oh yeah...time to gain some weight *snicker* (it's times like this that I'm soooo glad I own a treadmill)
I love Christmas baking. The cookies are all so delectable and pretty, and even though last year I swore I was NOT going to make certain cookies EVER again because they're so picky to make and I spend 3hours rolling and cutting out and pricking and decorating...I still do it again the next year.

So we'll start off easy with these little gems...

I don't recommend making these if you like shortbread. Or Toblerone. Or if you care about your weight.
I haven't quite perfected the texture for these - they're not quite as melt-in-your-mouth as my regular shortbread (which I will post later...) but with the Toblerone, well, need I say more...

Chunky Toblerone Shortbread

2C Butter, softened
1C fruit sugar or super-fine sugar (this is probably important - I used regular sugar last time and the taste is fine but the texture isn't quite there, so it is probably worth purchasing a bag of this stuff)
3 1/2C Flour
1/2C Cornstarch
2 bars (100g each) Toblerone Swiss Milk Chocolate, chopped
3Tbsp sifted icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 350
Beat butter and fruit sugar on high speed until light and fluffy
Combine flour and cornstarch, and gradually add to butter mixture, beating until well blended.
Stir in chocolate

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, about 1inch apart (I use parchment paper on my cooking sheets)
Bake 20-25min or until just barely lightly browned
Cool on rack, then sprinkle with icing sugar

As with all shortbread, this tastes perfect with a hot cup of fresh Starbucks Christmas Blend coffee (or a nice latte...really and form of coffee)

(from Kraft What's Cooking, Festive 2006)

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On nights like tonight, when I haven't really *thought* about what I'm going to make for supper, I am SUPREMELY thankful for my Campbells Soup recipe book. Grab a can of soup, a few extra things, and voila, a meal.
This is the one I made tonight - it's a favorite:

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

1can Mushroom soup
3/4C Salsa (it actually calls for Pace Picante sauce, which I think is a bit different, but I use salsa and then eliminate the diced tomatoes...I'm all about making it simpler...or lazier...)
3/4C Sour Cream
1Tbsp Chili Powder (tonight I was out of Chili powder and Chris helpfully advised me to use Paprika - but I only used 1 1/2tsp and it was plenty)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 2cups)
3C cubed cooked chicken or turkey
12 corn tortillas (6") cut into 1" pieces (I use 4 flour tortillas)
1C grated Cheddar (I always say, if a little cheese is good, more is better...so I usually heap it on)

Now, the recipe says to do this in layers, but I can't really be bothered to do that, so...mix the soup, salsa, sour cream and chili powder together, then mix in the chicken and tortillas (and tomatoes if you're using them).
Dump it into a 9x13 dish.
Top liberally with grated cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350 for 40min or until hot (usually, half an hour is plenty)

Serve it with a salad, or a hot veggie, or baked potatoes...whatever. We had it with "coren" because it's BBoy's favorite.
Enjoy!

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Have I mentioned already how much I love Fall? Have I mentioned it lately? Seriously my favorite season.

Here's a hearty (and super easy) comfort stew that is always a hit around here:

Chicken Stew

4 Medium Potatoes, cut bite size. (or, if you're lazy like me and don't like to peel potatoes, pick up a bag of those lovely baby potatoes at Costco and just rinse and quarter them)

4 Medium Carrots, cut bite size (again, if you're lazy like me, chop up some baby carrots)

1 1/4C Chopped Onion (a hearty helping of dried onion flakes works well too)

6 Boneless Skinlesss chicken thighs

2C Hot water

1Tbsp Chicken Bouillon powder

1tsp Salt

1/4tsp Pepper

1/4tsp Ground Thyme

1/2tsp Liquid Gravy Browner (optional - I've never used it)

Layer the potatoes, carrots and onion in your slow cooker. Lay the chicken thighs over top - now, you could cut them up (the thighs), but I always leave them whole. Less mess, and they break up beautifully anyway on their own.

Stir the next 6 ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 9-10hrs or on high for 4-5hrs

10min before you want to eat, shake together some flour and water and pour it in to the pot to thicken the juice slightly. (say, 1-2Tbsps of flour and 1/4C of water)

Pair this with those wonderful Buttermilk Biscuits I posted earlier and you have a great Fall comfort meal. This one is actually ideal for Sunday Lunch - just throw everything together by 8am and when you get home from church your house smells wonderful and you have a meal already waiting.

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So I've realised that the reasons that I love Fall are not the reasons I thought they were. I thought I loved Fall for its coziness, its sweaters, its hot drinks, its cooler air and still warm sun...those are all great parts of Fall, but I've come to realise that what I really like is the food. That, and not having to shave my legs and armpits every day.

But really, Fall is the return of Comfort Food - stews, chili, chowders, warm buttery biscuits, warm buns, fresh baking full of carbs...I think you get the idea.

So here are two great Comfort Food standbys for me. In my (humble) opinion, there's NOTHING quite like a great bowl of chili and fresh-out-of-the-oven biscuits, dripping with butter. I like this chili recipe because it's not the usual, it's more of a bbq chili. The biscuit recipe I got from a sweet friend who used to take care of Berry Boy for me on occaision and would often invite me in for a bowl of soup and these fabulous biscuits...they are my absolute hands-down faves.

Beefy One-Pot Dinner

1lb Ground Beef

1C chopped onions

1C thinly sliced carrots

1C finely chopped potatoes

1C water

1 Can baked beans (I use the Heinz BBQ Style beans)

1/2C BBQ Sauce (we are partial to Bullseye, but use your favorite)

Grated Cheddar, or the Tex Mex mix grated cheese, or the Mozza-Cheddar mix.

Brown the meat with the onions in a large pot and drain. Add the vegetables and the water, reduce to medium-low heat, cover, and simmer 10min or until veggies are tender.

Add beans and BBQ sauce, stir. Cook 5min, or until heated through.

Dish into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.

(Kraft What's Cooking)

*now, my packages of ground beef are usually 1.5lbs, so I kind of double this recipe. I still use 1C of each of the veggies, but I double the beans and the BBQ sauce. Also, I put in enough water to almost cover the veggies and meat, so about 1.5cups (most of it cooks off anyway).

Best Ever Buttermilk Biscuits

2C Flour

1T Sugar

2tsp Baking Powder

1/4tsp Baking Soda

1tsp Salt

1/2C butter

3/4C Buttermilk (I usually just use normal milk and *sour* it with a bit of lemon juice).

Mix the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter (or shortening, but I love using butter).

Make a well, and pour in the buttermilk.

Stir with a fork to combine, then knead about 10x (but don't overknead)

Roll out to 1/2"-1" thick, depending on how tall you like your biscuits, and cut out into circles, or however you like to do it (I've used the heart-shaped cookie cutter before)

Bake at 450 for 10-12min on parchment lined baking sheets.

*now, I love a little cheese in my biscuits, so before you add the milk it certainly doesn't hurt to throw in a cup or so of grated cheddar, just to mix it up a bit...

Let the season of Comfort Food begin!

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ok ok, I'll stop soon (I'm just avoiding the mess on my table and countertop)

This one is a gem...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Cream together:

1C Butter

1 1/2C White Sugar

Add:

2 Eggs

2tsp Vanilla

mix well

Combine and add:

2C Flour

2/3C Cocoa

3/4tsp Baking Soda

1/2tsp Salt

Dump in and stir:

1 Bag of Peanut Butter Chips

Drop by the spoonful onto cookie sheets.

Bake @350 for 9min or so (again, underbaking slightly is always best)

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ok, this one is for Chris by special request :)

Skor Cookies

Cream together:

1/2C butter

3/4C Brown Sugar

3/4C White Sugar

2 eggs

1tsp Vanilla

Combine and add to creamed mixture:

2 1/4C Flour

1tsp Baking Soda

Dump in a bag (yes, the whole bag - don't skimp here) of Skor Bits and stir to combine

now, you can do these as drop cookies, dropping the dough by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet, and they will taste just fine.

OR, if you have the time, roll them into 1" balls, roll the balls in some white sugar and THEN bake them.

OR, if you want to be fancy, roll them into balls and then into a mixture of white sugar and cinnamon. Also yummy.

bake them at 350. Bake them for 7-8min, depending on your oven. DON'T overbake them. Slightly underbaked is best.

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I know I know - it's supposed to be Mushy Monday. I just don't have the time today. However, I made this popcorn again the other night and I had forgotten how much I LOOOOVE it. So here you are - the perfect movie night sweet treat:

Peanut Butter Popcorn

1/2C white sugar
1/2C corn syrup

1/2C peanut butter (crunchy, smooth, your choice)

1/2tsp vanilla

Combine the sugar and syrup in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil on medium-high heat. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth. Remove from heat and add the vanilla.

Pour over 4-5C popped popcorn and stir to coat. Couldn't be simpler.

*hint: before pouring the peanut butter stuff over the popcorn, I sort out any unpopped kernels - your teeth will thank you.

My big sister and I used to make this religiously every Wednesday night to eat while watching "Jake and the Fatman" on TV (we were in love with "Jake" - he was delicious...so was the popcorn). It's a good memory.

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Beautiful Banana Cake

(with the best Cream Cheese Icing I have ever made)

Right around the time my bananas begin to collect fruit flies, I whip up this delectable cake (from Today's Parent magazine). I like to make it in 2 9" square pans so that I can eat one right away and freeze the other for another time.


2 3/4C Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4tsp Salt
2C Brown Sugar
3/4C Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
3 Medium, fully ripe bananas, mashed
3/4C Milk
1 1/2tsp Vanilla


Preheat oven to 350
Grease and line with parchment paper 2 9" cake pans or one 9x13" (or 24 muffin cups with liners)
Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl (flour, b.powder, b.soda, salt)
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the brown sugar, oil, and eggs on high speed for 2min.
Add the mashed bananas, beat for one minute to combine
Beat in the milk and vanilla, just to mix
Add the dry ingredients all at once and beat on medium speed until batter is smooth, scraping down the sides.
Pour into prepared pans and bake 40-45min for 2 9" pans, 45-50min for one large pan, 25-30min for cupcakes.
let cool for 10 min before removing from pan.

Fabulous Cream Cheese Icing

(will liberally frost one 9x13" cake or two 9" cakes)

1 Brick Cream Cheese
1 Cup Butter (oh yeah - a whole cup. Trust me. It's worth it. and no substituting margarine)
4 Cups Icing Sugar
1tsp Vanilla


Cream the butter and cream cheese together, then add the icing sugar and vanilla. When it has mostly combined, whip it on really high speed until it looks nice and light and fluffy. Whip it for at least a minute or two.

Spread on your cake generously

This is easy to halve if you only want to ice one 9" cake at a time, but it also stores ok in the freezer until you're ready to use it. Just whip it up a bit with a knife after it's thawed.

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Angry Pasta

This recipe is so good – I was making it tonight and realised this was too good to keep to myself :) I need to put in a disclaimer however. This recipe came from someone who actually lived in Italy, and I was told it was “authentically Italian” (it is actually called Canneroni All Arabiata) – however, I have made my own “alterations” as I believe if a little of something is good, more is better (such as cheese, and bacon, and garlic...), so I have tweaked the amounts to suit my own tastes.

You will need:
- 2 small packages of fresh mushrooms, or one large package (large being about 500g)
- At least half a package of bacon
- 28oz diced tomatoes
- Chilli pepper seeds/crushed chilis/hot pepper flakes, whatever they are called (this makes it “angry”)
- 3-5 (or more) cloves of garlic
- At least half a brick of mozzarella (just a normal, $4 brick)
- Parmesan cheese to top
- Rotini noodles

Start by prepping the bacon. I usually have the bacon in the freezer and take it out an hour or two before I need to cook supper, then when it’s partially thawed I chop the whole thing into bacon bits (it’s easier to chop when it’s still a bit frozen) and fry the whole lot of it. Then I take out about half to use somewhere else, decide that there’s not nearly enough bacon left in my pan and put a bit more back in.
Alternately, you could fry it in strips and crumble them, but I think that’s too much mess and work.

Then you will want to prep the mushrooms. Wipe them and then dice them – I simply quarter them. You want them chunky, not sliced.

Now, the recipe actually calls for fresh tomatoes, so you could use them and dice them up...however I prefer to be lazy and I buy the canned diced tomatoes.


1. Anyway, you want to cook the bacon until well done and drain most of the fat (leave a little in for sautéing the garlic)
2. Either crush or mince the garlic (and believe me, 5 cloves is NOT too much) and add it to the cooking bacon – sauté for a minute or two and take a minute to inhale the goodness
3. Add the tomatoes – I drain off half of the liquid because I don’t like it to be too runny, but if you don’t and find that it is too runny or juicy, then add a bit of tomato paste until it looks good to you.
4. Add the mushrooms
5. Add the pepper flakes to taste, and a dash of salt. I do at least 3 shakes of pepper flakes, and then one or two more. Depends on how “angry” you like it
6. Simmer this for 20min
7. Meanwhile, cook your pasta. The rotini noodles work the best because the sauce clings to them nicely, but penne could be good as well
8. Now for another good part – cube up at least half of the mozzarella brick. When the noodles are done, drain them, then toss with the cubed cheese. Add the sauce and toss some more.

Let it stand, covered, for a minute or two to let all that yummy cheese melt

Serve hot with a steamed veggie and some garlic bread (make your own, or if you’re lazy like me then buy the D’Italiano garlic bread – it’s divine)

Tricks o' the Trade

Helpful Housewifey HintsJust thought I'd post this little trick I use when I've been shopping in the city all day (or most of the day, like I was today, even though we officially started "picking" today) and I don't have hordes of energy to prepare my usual 4course meal (snorting laugh here).


So here it is:

Pick up a hot roasted chicken at your last grocery stop (Superstore, Costco, Extra Foods...)

You will also need - a tangy BBQ sauce (Bulls Eye Sweet and Sticky is good, or Tony Roma's Carolina Honey), some buns (the Ciabata buns from Costco are nice, so are the buns from our local grocery store), some Mozzarella cheese, and some pickles (optional)


Take the chicken and pull all the meat off. Put it into a pot or a pan (or even into your crock pot if you have a few hours before supper)

Dump the bottle of BBQ sauce over it and stir it together
Heat it up on the stove (or in the crock pot)

Cut and butter the buns and broil them in the oven (or whatever) so that the butter is melted and the buns begin to toast a bit

Load the bun with bbqd chicken, top with a few slices of mozzarella and a pickle slice and serve.


Do any kind of side you like - easiest would be a pre-made salad package, or store bought potatoe salad (I hear Costco has a good one), or chips...you get the idea.
I love this meal - it's easy, it's yummy, it requires little prep, and it's better than frozen pizza (my other fall back). Enjoy.

Ridiculously Good Recipes

Super Extra Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas

I really like regular quesadillas with refried beans and cheese, but these are really good and really cheesy (if you haven't gathered from the name). I got the recipe from a magazine ad (who knew) and made them the other night. They were fab. And super easy.

8oz Cream Cheese, softened

2C shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (I couldn't find this locally so I used the Tex Mex blend)

2-3 cooked chicken breasts, diced

1/2C diced tomato

1/2C diced red pepper

1/3C chopped fresh cilantro (didn't have this either so I used green onions)

2Tbsp olive oil (to brush on the tortillas)

Mix together everything (except the oil) in a bowl. Spread over tortillas (the recipe said 5 tortillas but I only got 4 out of this recipe). Top with another tortilla. Brush the outsides of the tortillas with the oil.

Cook in the oven at around 375 (you could also grill them on the BBQ) turning once until browned on both sides and filling is hot.

Cut into wedges and serve warm with salsa and sour cream.

yummmm.

Berry Delicious Muffins

I suppose you could substitute blueberries in this recipe, but "blueberry" is a word that doesn't often pass our lips here :) So if you do it, I don't want to hear about it (lol) I'd rather you called and asked for a few berries...(to be honest, the recipe is actually called "blueberry oat muffins")...

Combine in small bowl:

1Cup oats

1Cup sour milk or buttermilk (I just put a bit of lemon juice into the milk to "sour" it)

Let stand.

Meanwhile, combine in a mixing bowl:

1Cup flour

1tsp baking powder

1/2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

3/4Cup brown sugar

Add to oat mixture, blending well:

1 egg, beaten

1/4Cup oil

Add oat mixture to dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened

Gently fold in:

1Cup saskatoon berries (fresh or frozen - if frozen I dump them in and sprinkle a bit of flour on them before mixing them in)

Spoon into greased or lined muffin tins.

Bake at 400F, 15-20min

I also like to add a bit of sugar topping - I've used white and brown sugar and both are nice:

1/3C flour

1/4 brown sugar

2Tbsp butter

OR

1/3 Cup flour

1/3 Cup white sugar

2Tbsp butter

Combine flour and sugar, cut in butter until nice and crumbly. Spoon/sprinkle over muffins before baking.