by Sharon | Aug 22, 2014
With August steadily rolling by, I look at my vegetable garden, which is still going strong and thinking about recipes for my zucchini. It’s always nice to have a new way to serve this vegetable that is both appealing to the eye and taste buds.
I consider many things when placing a recipe here. I want something easy to make and I want it to taste good. It may combine other flavors which is a bonus that kids will enjoy, too. I do want family pleasing recipes.
Image and Recipe from http://www.health.com
For this delicious snack or side dish, you’ll need:
-
4 zucchini
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 cup shredded Paramesan Cheese
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- Vegetable cooking spray
Here’s what you need to do:
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Cut zucchini into 3-inch sticks.
- Get out a small bowl and whisk egg whites, then add milk.
- In another bowl Combine Parmesan Cheese and breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.
- Dip zucchini sticks into egg mixture, and then roll in breadcrumb mixture.
- Get out a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.
- Place zucchini on baking sheet.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes or until golden brown.
This should make about 64 fries. You can dip them in Ranch Dressing or a sauce of your choice or eat them plain. This is a real crowd pleaser to give your guests at your Labor Day Bar-B-Que.
Enjoy!
by Sharon | Aug 18, 2014
I enjoy being prepared for when family and friends visit. It’s always nice to have something different or a favorite you know will please. Betty Crocker has never let me down when it comes to finding something different and delicious. There’s pure satisfaction when you see the platter of pretzel bites empty and the dipping sauce bowls wiped clean. So, I can say without a doubt these recipes are winners around my house.
Image Compliments of http://www.bettycrocker.com
Soft Pretzel Recipe
Ingredients:
1 package dry active yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
Coarse salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425°F degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the yeast and warm water. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes until the yeast dissolves.
- Add sugar into the yeast mixture, stir until dissolved.
- Add the flour and salt. Stir until combined. The dough will be crumbly.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead with floured hands until smooth.
- In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and set aside.
- Divide the dough into 5 portions. Working with one at a time, roll the dough balls out into ropes that are about 1 inch in diameter. Use a sharp knife to cut 1-inch lengths of dough.
- Drop each of the dough pieces into the egg mixture and immediately transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Place them about 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Place the tray into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Repeat the process until all the dough has been cooked.
- Melt the butter and brush all the pretzel bites with butter, then sprinkle with more salt, if desired.
Now, for the sauces. Let’s see: Guacamole sounds good. You’ll need:
2 large ripe avocados, pitted, peeled and mashed
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 jalapeño chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
Mix up all the ingredients in a glass bowl, cover and set in the refrigerator for about an hours to allow all the flavors to blend.
How about Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce:
Ingredients:
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon crumbled blue cheese
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Directions:
- Get out the blender or food processor and put in the cottage cheese, vinegar, milk, half of the blue cheese, the white pepper and garlic.
- Cover and blend on low speed until smooth and creamy.
- Pour into serving dish. Stir in remaining blue cheese. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
These sauces are favorites around my house, but there’s always pizza sauces and ranch-style sauces you may want to try. You may have the perfect sauce already in mind. That’s what is so wonderful about these soft pretzel bites, they go with just about everything.
Enjoy and Thanks for stopping by!
by Sharon | Aug 6, 2014
Root Beer Floats are the definite taste of summer. For National Root Beer Float Day you can always celebrate this taste in cookies — sandwich cookies — Root Beer Float Sandwich Cookies. Yes, I do have the recipe for you.
I was surprised that a number of my friends who participated in our annual Christmas Cookie Exchange went crazy over these Root Beer Float Sandwich Cookies. The look of pure delight on their faces when they bit into a cookie let me know these are definite winners and the taste of summer needs to be added to the winter season.
Now for purists, on this National Root Beer Float Day I have root beer float recipes for you:
Traditional Root Beer Float: two scoops of vanilla ice cream topped off with cold and refreshing root beer.
Black Cow: two scoops of chocolate ice cream topped off with cold root beer.
Double Root Beer Float: two scoops of root beer flavored ice cream topped off with cold root beer.
Or for those who want a little bit of each: a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a scoop of root beer flavored ice cream in a glass or mug topped off with your favorite brand of cold root beer.
Now for The Root Beer Float Sandwich Cookie Recipe
Image Compliments of http://www.dessertnowdinnerlater.com
Ingredients yield 2 dozen cookies
Root Beer Cookie:
-
- 2 sticks softened unsalted butter
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp McCormick Root Beer Concentrate
- 3 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
Vanilla Buttercream:
- 6 Tbsp softened unsalted butter
- 6 Tbsp shortening
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
- 1 1/2 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- Bring out the stand mixer with the paddle attachment to do some serious mixing. In the bowl cream the butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and root beer concentrate. Mix and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combined them together.
- I love the scoops for cookie dough balls, but if you don’t have one you’re going to use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough and make them into balls.
- Place these balls on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 13 minutes.
Now you’re ready to make the Buttercream.
- Using regular beaters in your mixer, place the butter and shortening in a large bowl. Beat until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the vanilla and milk with about half of the powdered sugar. Mix well.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar. Mix well.
Once your cookies are cool, it’s time to make them into sandwich cookies.
- Get out a sandwich size zip-lock top bag, snip off a corner, put in the buttercream.
- Flip over a cookie and squeeze out some buttercream icing. You’re going to top the buttercream with a cookie. (The undersides of the cookies will be stuck together with the buttercream and the outsides of the cookies will show on top and bottom of your sandwich cookie.)
- There you have your first Root Beer Float Sandwich Cookie!
- Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Store in an airtight container.
Now, wasn’t that fun! You get the root beer flavor from the cookie and the ice creamy flavor from the buttercream icing, Root Beer Float Sandwich Cookies.
You could ice the cookies instead of making them into sandwich cookies. It’s all a matter of taste. I like more cookie to icing, but you may like equal amounts.
Enjoy!
by Sharon | Aug 6, 2014
Here’s an adult beverage you may enjoy to celebrate National Root Beer Float Day.
Rachael Ray put together this concoction of a White Russian and root beer with a scoop of coffee ice cream, a spritz of whipped cream with a cherry on top. That will definitely make your taste buds twang!
Here goes:
- Get out a tall glass. First comes 2 shots of vodka, then 2 shots of Kahlua and 1 shot of heavy cream. Stir with a tall spoon.
- Fill the glass up with root beer.
- Flatten the bottom of a scoop of coffee ice cream and place it on the glass to look fancy.
- Top the coffee ice cream with a spritz of whipped cream.
- Put a maraschino cherry on top of the whipped cream.
Image Courtesy of http://www.rachaelray.com
Now, not to be a spoil sport I may forget the vodka, Kahlua and cream and try out the coffee ice cream topped off with root beer. I may even pour a little Kahlua on the coffee ice cream. Goodness, you could come up with all kinds of variations.
Enjoy!
by Sharon | Aug 3, 2014
We had some rain last night and it’s still overcast with more rain predicted. I felt like making something different this morning for an after church get-together and decided on something quick and easy, but it doesn’t look all that quick and easy. This is when being a bit creative and thinking outside the box comes in handy.
Image Compliments of http://www.anightowlblog.com
I know how popular cake pops are and I do enjoy making them, but I was thinking there has to be an easier, more direct way of getting this done. Of course, someone was way ahead of me.
That’s right, a cake pop pan! If you don’t have one, you can get one Here actually I would buy at least two.
And you’ll soon see why it’s perfect for this recipe.
You’ll also need:
- cooking spray
- 1 can (12.4 oz) Pillsbury™ refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
- cake pop sticks
All right, here we go:
- Spray the cake pop pan with non-stick spray.
- Stack two cinnamon rolls on top of each other with the cinnamon topping on the inside and cut into fourths.
- Put each 1/4 piece of cinnamon roll into a section of the cake pop tray. Place the cake pop tray lid over the bottom, lock in place and bake for approximately 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- You may want to heat up the icing that comes with the cinnamon rolls to make it easier for drizzling over the top of each cinnamon roll cake pop.
- Add cake pop sticks and you’re done!
- Now stand back, I hear the stampede of a hungry crowd coming your way.
by Sharon | Jul 30, 2014
Everyone’s scurrying around trying to duplicate the butterbeer they enjoyed at Harry Potter theme park at Universal.
There are plenty of recipes. Some argue the original in the J. K. Rowling books was a warm drink others are equally adamant it must be served cold like a slushy.
I’m of an entirely different mindset. You can either make butterbeer the easy way or the hard way. Yes, you may know which way I’m thinking. Easy all the way. If you want something cold and satisfying I have a delicious recipe for you. If you want to put more effort into it, then I have the recipe for that, too.
For the purist, I’ll give you what you want Harry Potter Hot Butterbeer Recipe
Harry Potter Hot Butterbeer Recipe
INGREDIENTS
1 cup light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 teaspoon salt, you can skip this if your butter has salt
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup heavy cream, divide into 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
4 12 ounce bottles cream soda
DIRECTIONS
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
- Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 cup of the heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.
- In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until it thickens, but not completely whipped, this should take about 2 to 3 minutes.
- To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass almost to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each glass.
Just reading the recipe no doubt created a bead of sweat over your brow. Don’t give it another thought. I present to you:
Harry Potter Cold and Easy Butterbeer Recipe
Ingredients make 4 16 oz. servings:
1 quart butter brickle ice cream. If you can’t find it vanilla ice cream will do nicely.
1/4 cup butterscotch syrup
32 oz of your favorite cream soda
Directions:
1. Put 4 (16-ounce) glasses in your freezer to chill for at least 20 minutes
2. Mix ice cream and cream soda in your blender until combined
3. Divide between the frosted glasses
4. Top each glass with whipped cream, I use the whipped cream from the pressurized can. But this is a optional item.
5. Serve with spoons and straws
Didn’t I tell you this was cold and easy!
Now that you have a choice of recipes for butterbeer, enjoy and delight your family and friends! You may also like to get Butterbeer Mugs:
16 ounce size
- Direct from universal studios Florida
- heavy plastic
- measures 4 1/2″ high X 4″ wide plus handle
- bottom stamped..universal harry potter butterbeer
Some have complained it’s too small and too light weight, but if you want a mug with Butterbeer printed across the front, this is what is available. I can understand Universal Studios Florida not wanting to have glass mugs for this specialty drink and souvenir. I think they’re great and why I’m sharing it with you.
Thanks for stopping by!
