Raw Fruit Pie

This pie is so delicious--and the best part is that you can feel great eating it because there are no added sugars! My friend made this a few months ago and I LOVED it. But unfortunately I didn't get any pictures. So I'm posting this so that Kaitlyn can make it and post a picture. :)

[Picture here]

Crust:

Add 2:1 ratio of walnuts and dates in food processor, and a dash of salt if you desire. (If the crust isn't sticky enough add a few more dates.) Press the crust into a pie pan (a tart pan with a removable bottom works best).

Filling:

Add 1:1 ratio of frozen (semi thawed) banana and chunks of mango. Use ripe fruit if possible (it tastes better). Pour into pie pan; freeze. Let it sit out for several minutes to thaw a little before eating.

This is great with mango and banana but would also be great with lots of fruits (I'm thinking blueberries and mango--yum! Or raspberries and blueberries--you could layer it for a cute 4th of July look).

Have fun with it! And let us know what combinations you try!

Zucchini Salad/Salsa with Corn and Cilantro

The other day my friend invited me over for dinner (she made fish tacos--so delicious!) and asked me to bring something with zucchini. I was a little nervous about this dish because the only thing I ever really make with zucchini is zucchini bread, but this was really good. It can be eaten as a salad or as a salsa dip with chips or crackers, and tastes better warm. (I tried it cold a couple of days later and the zucchini was kind of slimy.)

Original recipe here

1 tsp olive oil

3 1/2 cups cubed zucchini (about a pound)

1 cup frozen corn

1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

2 tsp fresh lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

Cook zucchini and corn in oil until the zucchini is crisp-tender (it is better a little on the crispy side--otherwise it gets a little soggy). Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper.

Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint

My friend made this salad for my going away/already gone party in Columbus, and it was delicious! It is so light and refreshing and has so many different surprising flavors (I would never think to pair feta cheese and watermelon, but it works!). This is a great summer dish.

Original recipe here

1 7-8 lb. seedless watermelon

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice from 2 limes

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup chopped mint leaves

1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese

Chop watermelon into 1-inch cubes. Drain the excess juice. 

Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper to create the dressing. Pour dressing and mint over the watermelon and toss gently. Mix the crumbled feta cheese in to the salad.

This is best if served within an hour of preparing.

Pudding on the Rice

Remember Pudding on the Rice? That eclectic little place just off I-15 on University Parkway in Orem? They had the most incredible concoctions available that they called rice pudding, but really were unlike any other rice pudding I had tried! Their amazingly creamy, cold, almost-like-ice-cream desserts in a huge variety of flavors were so fun! 

I'm sad to say that a few years ago the owners moved to Portland, which meant the restaurant did as well. (Not that I could have taken advantage of it anyway, seeing as how Houston isn't exactly close to Orem...) But I was excited to find a recipe online from Studio 5 that the owner herself submitted. Then I found another recipe, quite a bit different, that also seemed to be from the owner. So I tried them both to see which was the rice pudding I remembered. The first seemed far more fluffy than I had experienced in the past, and the second wasn't what I remembered at all. So I tweaked the first recipe just a tiny bit (I used only half of the cream it called for) and then, in my opinion, it was perfect. Below is my adaptation.

4 cups whole milk
2 cups cooked white rice
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla

In a large sauce pan, mix together milk, rice, sugar, and salt. In a seperate bowl crack the egg and let sit at room temperature. Stir mixture in saucepan slowly with a flat wooden spoon at medium heat for 45-60 minutes until the mixture has evenly thickened (I didn't stir continually).

Take pan off heat. Take the room temperature egg and whisk it thoroughly, adding a tablespoon at a time of the hot pudding to tempur the eggs. When you have added equal amounts of pudding to the eggs, slowly incorporate the eggs back into the pudding. Return the pudding to medium heat and slowly stir as you bring the pudding back to a boil.

Take pudding off heat, put in a seperate bowl, cover with saran wrap, and cool in refrigerator for 6-24 hours.

After pudding has cooled, whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream with 1 tsp. vanilla. Gently fold whipped cream into the pudding until it is fully enveloped. Keep pudding refrigerated for up to 1 week.



Additional Flavor Ideas
Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Pudding (pictured)--mix melted chocolate chips into pudding before adding whipped cream. Stir in peanut butter chips, and fold in whipped cream.

Raspberry Rice Pudding--Add frozen raspberries and mix into the pudding before folding in whipped cream.

Lemon Poppyseed Rice Pudding--Stir in lemon curd and poppyseeds before folding in whipped cream.

Strawberries 'n Cream Rice Pudding (pictured)--Stir in strawberry jam before folding in whipped cream.

Cookies 'n Cream Rice Pudding--Stir in Oreo crumbs before folding in whipped cream.

Traditional Cinnamon Rice Pudding (pictured)--Stir in cinnamon before folding in whipped cream.



Our favorite that we've tried is the chocolate peanut butter. I also loved the lemon poppyseed and just the plain ol' vanilla mixture. I'd love to hear your flavor ideas as well! Jessica (the owner) says you can put pretty much anything in that you might find in ice cream, as long as it won't break down the dairy ingredients.

Asparagus Salad

This "salad" is really not a salad but it sounds better than "asparagus with feta cheese." It's super easy to make and pretty delicious. I found asparagus on sale the other day and bought it on a whim, even though I rarely cook with this vegetable. I looked up some recipes online and, since I also happened to have feta cheese, I went with this one. It was a good choice.

Original recipe here

Asparagus
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Feta Cheese

Chop the asparagus stems in half; mix them in with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake at 500 single-layer on a pan for 8-12 minutes (it took mine about 15) until they are soft when poked with a fork.

Remove from oven and sprinkle on feta cheese.

Vegetables

Uncle Steve's wife, MaRee is a great cook and had these wonderful veggie recipes that she shared with me. I have tried them all and thought that they were all better than any other way I have had these vegetables. Sorry I didn't take any pictures.


Carrots

6 or 8 large carrots
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lite butter
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
sprinkle of cinnamon

Cut carrots into round pieces and cook until tender.  Drain off all water.
Add honey, lite butter, orange juice, stir until carrots are coated, sprinkle
with cinnamon. 



Fabulous Vegetable

1 package frozen yellow wax beans  or 1 can. ( I have only been able to find canned)
1 package cut green beans frozen, (I use fresh if available )
2 cups of small carrot strips about the size of a bean.
2 onions slivered in long thin slivers 
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms washed and sliced
1 cube butter ( has to be butter)  I have cut this down to half it works but not as
flavorful 
1 tsp accent
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp marjoram
Simmer frozen beans and carrots in 1/2 cube of butter in a small amount of water about 1/4 cup water for 10 to 15 min.  Saute onions an mushrooms in 1/2 cube of butter until slightly cooked 5 to 10 min.  Then add seasoning, add mixtures together without draining don't over cook. serves 8-10   can double recipe.


Green beans with Cherry Tomatoes

1 1/2 pounds green beans trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup butter
 1 tablespoon sugar
 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil  ( I have used dried, but fresh is best )
2 cups cherry tomato halves

Directions
Place beans and water in a large saucepan. Cover, and bring to a boil
Set heat to low, and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain off water, and set aside.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, stir in sugar, garlic salt, pepper and basil,
Add tomatoes, and cook stirring gently just until soft.  Pour the tomato mixture over then toss gently to blend.  I use frozen beans when fresh beans are not available. It will  take longer for them to cook, so cook until tender.  Most of the time I don't add the tomatoes, it is optional and tastes good either way.


Cauliflower

1  medium sized cauliflower
1  8 oz sour cream  ( can use more if you like)
3/4 cup grated cheese
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
Place cauliflower in bowl covered with plastic wrap.  Cook in  microwave about 10 min.  When tender, sprinkle with garlic salt, and seasoning salt.  Cover with sour
cream and cheese.  Put back in microwave just until cheese is melted.   Serves 6 to 8

Ranch Parmesan Chicken Nuggets

I know the picture doesn't look like much, but these little bites of chicken are pretty amazing! Sam said they should be on the menu at a gourmet restaurant. Chicken nuggets. Classy. :) Both of my kids love them and they come together so quickly. They freeze fairly well, so you can make a large batch and warm them up for lunches or whenever you need them. They are slightly less crispy when they have been frozen, but still very palatable. I adapted a recipe given to me by a ward member to come up with these, and they are a staple at our house.

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut into pieces as desired

4 Tbsp. butter, melted

3/4 c. Panko

1 Tbsp. ranch seasoning

3/4 c. finely grated parmesan cheese

Mix together Panko, ranch seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Dip chicken pieces in melted butter, wiping away excess (too much butter will make them soggy when they bake). Place butter-coated chicken in Panko, cover with crumbs, and press crumbs into the chicken to help them stick. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Note: If chicken is cold, butter may start to harden as you are dipping, at which point you should re-microwave it to keep it liquid.

Sweet Tooth Fairy Black & White Cupcakes

I had heard about The Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcake shops here and there, but I had never understood the hype until Mom treated me to a cupcake while I was in Utah. And let me tell you, her cupcakes are no ordinary cupcakes! Moist, dense, chewy, with the most amazing frosting slathered on top and incredible flavor combinations...she has changed me from a cupcake-tolerator to a cupcake-lover. I remembered seeing an article about her in BYU Magazine and thought it included a recipe, so I looked it up when I got back from Utah. And here it is!

Oh, and by the way...that frosting is amazing. I was also making Oreo cupcakes for a piano recital a while back and used this frosting with Oreo crumbs folded in--it was the perfect cookies 'n cream frosting.

Don't have a kitchen scale? Here is a calculator for converting.

Black and White Chocolate Cupcakes

8 ounces all-purpose flour

7 ounces granulated sugar

4 ounces dark chocolate cocoa

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

4 ounces sour cream

3 eggs, beaten

6 ounces chocolate pudding, prepared

4 ounces butter, melted

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake pan cups with paper liners (or not--I didn't when I made them and they came out beautifully!).

In a large bowl, measure the dry ingredients and mix together with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds until well combined.

Add wet ingredients and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl and resume mixing on medium speed for 1 additional minute. Stop mixer and fold in chocolate chips.

Fill prepared cupcake liners with batter 3/4 full and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely.

White Chocolate Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 ounces butter, softened

6 ounces white chocolate, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

10 ounces powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Add melted chocolate and vanilla; mix for an additional 1 minute. Add powdered sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy after each addition.

Frost cupcakes with frosting and garnish with sprinkles, fresh raspberries, mini chocolate chips, or whatever else you choose.

Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Cauliflower

This is more a baking method than it is a recipe--we do this with lots of veggies. But we especially love cauliflower prepared this way, which came as a bit of a surprise to me. Normally my boys won't touch plain veggies, but they gobble up piles of this stuff! They think it's hilarious to pretend the chopped florets are "white trees," and much giggling is involved when this is part of the dinner menu.

Recipe adapted from Our Best Bites

1 head cauliflower

3-4 Tbsp. olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

kosher salt and pepper

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

Chop cauliflower florets into slices about 1/4" thick. Mix olive oil and garlic and heat in the microwave for about 20 seconds to more evenly distribute the garlic flavor. Toss cauliflower with olive oil/garlic, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper, and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Toss with a spatula and bake for another 10 minutes. Top with parmesan cheese and bake just until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.