Baked Monte Cristos

Okay... so this recipe was surprisingly simple, and very tasty. The puff pastry gave it a buttery, light taste that is hard to beat. I found this recipe at Mmm...Cafe


The Ingredients:
1  egg
1 sheet Puff Pastry, thawed
4 thin slices deli Black Forest ham
4 slices deli Swiss cheese (about 4 ounces)
Confectioners' sugar
Pure maple syrup

The Instructions:
Heat the oven to 400°F.  Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork.
Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface.  Cut the pastry in half, diagnally to create two large triangles. Brush the edges of the pastries with egg.
With a corner of 1 pastry facing you, place 2 slices ham and 1 slice cheese on the bottom half of the pastry.  Fold the pastry over the filling to form a triangle and press the edges to seal.  Crimp the edges with a fork.  Repeat with the remaining pastry.  Brush the top of the pastries with the egg mixture.  Place the pastries onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.  Sprinkle the pastries with the confectioners' sugar.  Serve with the maple syrup.

Oreo Cheesecake Ice Cream

So I love me some Cheesecake, and my husband loves Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.  So of course, it stands to reason that this recipe is the perfect combo for both of us!  I was a little sad that the Oreo's overpowered the cheesecake a little, but my husband disagrees.  What do you think?  (This recipe was found online at The Girl Who Ate Everything)  

The Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

4 oz. cream cheese, softened or room temperature

1 egg

1/2 t. vanilla

3/4 c. milk

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

1 row of crumbled Oreo cookies

The Instructions:

Beat the sugar and cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Set aside.

Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan. Slowly beat the hot milk into the cheese mixture. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the egg will scramble. Remove from the heat and pour the hot cheese custard through a strainer into a large bowl. Allow the custard to cool slightly, then stir in the the cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight if you plan ahead.

Stir the chilled custard, then freeze in your ice cream machine according the manufacturers instructions, adding the crumbled Oreos to the machine when the ice cream is almost done. Allow the machine to mix in the cookies. When finished the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 2 hours.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I found this recipe online and fell in love with the simplicity of this dish.  So good, so simple, and easy to make!

The Ingredients:

6 cups water
4 chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
1 onion
1 cup of thinly sliced carrots
2 TBS. Better than Bouillon (Chicken Flavor, of course)
1/2 cup finely diced celery-(I don't always add celery) it's good either way
2/3's bag of Homestyle Egg Pasta (or homemade noodles)


The Instructions:
In a large stock pot combine water, chicken and salt. Boil until chicken is cooked completely through. Remove the cooked chicken into your kitchen aid and (with the cookie paddle) shred your chicken (30 seconds on the lowest speed). Keep the broth. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out. Strain the broth to get a nice clear broth for the soup and put it back into the stock pot.

Peel onion and dice. Combine 1/2 c. of water and onion in a food processor. Puree for 30 seconds, add to the chicken broth. Add carrots, bouillon and celery. Bring to a boil, then add noodles. Cook the noodles until done, 15-20 minutes. Add the chicken. If you need to add more liquid to the soup, either add a can of Swanson's chicken broth or water and season with more of the chicken bouillon to taste. Add bouillon granules and pepper to taste. 

Pineapple Beef

This recipe was given to me by one of my favorite people ever.  My cousin told me about this dish, and I must admit, I was skeptical...  But then I ate it.  Consider me schooled! This was fabulous! Thanks, Ju!

The Ingredients:

1 lb Beef (ground or chunk)

onion

green bell pepper

garlic

2 Tbs cornstarch

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ cup red wine vinegar

3 Tbs soy sauce

1 can pineapple tidbits, separated from juice (keep juice)

The Instructions:

Brown beef with onion garlic and bell pepper.  In a separate bowl mix cornstarch, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and pineapple juice together.  Add sauce to beef.  Simmer about 15-20 minutes.  Add pineapple and warm through.  Serve over rice.

Banana Cream Pie

I wanted to make a good banana cream pie from scratch- you know, none of that instant pudding kind?  Yeah- this recipe is pretty fabulous!  Enjoy it!

The Ingredients:

¾ c. white sugar

1/3 c. flour

¼ tsp. salt

2 c. milk

3 egg yolks, beaten

2 T. butter

1 ¼ tsp. vanilla extract

1 (9-inch) pie crust

3 bananas

The Instructions:

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt.  Add milk in gradually while stirring gently.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly.  Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.  Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture.  Cook for 2 more minutes, while still stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.   Slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell. Top with pudding mixture. Bake at 350 for 12 – 15 minutes.  Chill for an hour.

Rice Pudding

This recipe is TO DIE FOR!  My husband and I loved the creamy texture, and it was awesome to start with cooked rice, therefore cutting the cooking time down by half! :)

The Ingredients:

3 c. cooked rice

4 c. milk

2/3 c. sugar

½ t. salt

2 eggs beaten

2 T. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

The Instructions:

Combine rice, 3 c. milk sugar and salt.  Cook over medium heat until creamy.  Stir in 1 c. milk and egg.  Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool and serve.  Good both warm and cold.

Ranchiladas

Now THIS recipe is a real winner with my kids. They don't really like the whole "spicy" part of mexican food (ah- who am I kidding? Neither do I). So when I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it. Not only is it fantastically tasty, but it isn't too spicy at all and can easily be "spiced up" for those who prefer a little heat!

The ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or diced)
8 oz. reduced fat sour cream
8 oz. Ranch salad dressing
flour tortillas (10-15)
1 1/2 cups salsa (we prefer mild)
2 cups shredded cheese
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The instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the sour cream and half of the Ranch dressing. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sour cream and Ranch dressing. Stir both until well combined. Add shredded chicken to the large mixing bowl. Mix well with the ranch sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan. Fill one tortilla with some of the chicken mixture and a little cheese. Roll up tortilla a place seam side down in prepare baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients (usually makes 8 enchiladas). Add salsa to the small bowl of ranch sauce and mix together. Top enchiladas with mixture. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (30 for a crispier tortilla).