Trifle Spectacular

recipe from Miko Baca

1 pkg. chocolate or white cake mix prepared
1 14 0z. can sweetened condensed milk
1 c. cold h2o
3 oz. vanilla instant pudding
2 c. fresh sweetened whipped cream
2 T. orange juice, divided
2 1/2 c. sliced fresh strawberries, divided
1 pint fresh raspberries, divided
2 kiwi, peeled, sliced, and divided
1 1/2 c. cool whip, thawed for garnish
mint leaves for garnish (opt.)

Cook cake in two 9" round pans. Cool and cut one layer into 1" cubes. Freeze other layer for later use. Combine and stir milk and water in large bowl. Add pudding and beat. Chill 5 min. Fold whipped cream into pudding mixture.

Assembly:
Spread 2 c. pudding mix into a 3 qt. tall trifle dish. Arrange half the cake cubes over and then sprinkle with 1 T. orange juice. Layer with 1 c. strawberry slices, half the raspberries, and 1/3 of the kiwi slices and assemble to make the sides of the dish decorative. Repeat layers. Top with remaining pudding mixture. Garnish with cool whip and remaining fruit and mint leaves. Beautiful and impressive! * The picture shown has different fruit and lady fingers decorating the side. That's the beauty of a trifle---make it however you please!

Pop Up Pancakes with a Twist

 Yes, these are green but only because I made them for St Patrick's Day.  Yours do not have to be green!  These are basically "german pancakes" made individual  by baking in muffin tins.  I loved it for portion control plus you get the yummy crust on every piece!

Pop Up Pancakes With a Twist
from Marie of Make and Takes…

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
dash salt

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Blend all the ingredients, works best in a blender to get the batter smooth.
3. Grease your muffin tins or baking pan very generously. Makes 24 muffins or fills a 9×13 inch baking pan.
4. Bake them for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top.
5. Use a knife to pry them out, hopefully they were greased well enough and should pop right out.

Honey Wheat Bread

I'm calling this 66% whole wheat bread because, I have to be honest, it's not 100% whole wheat, although you get plenty of good whole wheat in there. I've been trying to find the perfect whole wheat bread recipe, and I've finally found what works for our family. My kids love it! My only complaint is that it only makes one loaf at a time, so I feel like I'm making bread all the time! This is truly delicious, straight out of the oven or 4 days later.

This...

turns into this...

Honey Wheat Bread

my friend found the recipe on the internet, I don't remember where

1 1/8 cups warm water

4 Tbs. honey

1 tsp. salt

1 cup bread flour (Gold Medal brand is best)

2 cups whole wheat flour (King Arthur brand is best if you use store-bought. I grind my own Prairie Gold Wheat from Wheat Montana, and it is delicious)

2 Tbs. softened butter

1 1/2 tsp. yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine in the order listed above, and turn on the dough cycle. When finished, shape into loaf (I slap onto dough the counter and fold one edge to the middle, rotate, then do the same thing to each edge until I've gone all the way around). Let rise 30-40 minutes in loaf pan sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and butter top of loaf.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Peas and Chicken

I never make food this fattening anymore, whether it's because my husband is on a major health-food kick, or because we're in our 30s and we have to watch that kind of thing, I don't know. But since I'm pregnant and I'm gonna get fat anyway....well, enough said. While my husband was out of town, I made it and my kids and I devoured it! I doubled the recipe, but didn't use nearly as much butter as it calls for. I could have doubled everything except the butter, and it would have still been great.

Fettucine Alfredo with Peas and Chicken

adapted from Cuisine at Home Magazine

12 oz. chicken breast, cut up

8 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup shredded Italian cheese

9 oz. fettuccine

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Cut chicken and season with salt and pepper. Melt 2 Tbs. butter in saute pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add remaining butter and cream. Bring to boil and simmer until butter melts and sauce thickens (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently. Stir cheese and peas into cream mixture. Cook until melted. Season with lots of salt and pepper and combine with fettuccine.

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

This banana bread was ri-diculous. Possibly the yummiest bread I've ever eaten, and that's no small statement. The cinnamon and banana make an unbelievable combination and totally satisfy your sweet tooth in a Cinnabon-esque kind of way. The banana bread could stand on its own even without the cinnamon, its that moist. You must make this, like right now.

picture courtesy Lovin' The Oven

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
Lovin the Oven

For the bread:
3 over-ripe bananas, smashed up
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups flour

For the swirl:

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbs cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9x5loaf pan. Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the banana mixture. Then gently stir in flour. Be careful not to over-mix! In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon. Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle half, or a little more than half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top. Bake for 50-60 minutes- if you’re using a different-sized loaf pan, be careful and keep a close eye on it!

"Healthified" Cashew Chicken and Broccoli

I know we already had one post today, but I wanted to get this recipe up so I don't forget about it. This was super easy to prepare and really delicious. It was actually even better the next day because I mixed the rice with the chicken mixture and warmed them together. If you're not a fan of snow peas, I would recommend doubling the broccoli and leaving them out. Really, you could add whichever vegetables you prefer, just make sure you adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Picture courtesy Eat Better America

"Healthified" Cashew Chicken and Broccoli
Eat Better America

2	teaspoons canola oil
1	lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1	teaspoon finely chopped ginger root
2	cups fresh broccoli florets
1	cup chicken broth
1/8	teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2	cups frozen sugar snap peas
3	tablespoons soy sauce
2	teaspoons rice vinegar
1	tablespoon cornstarch
1	teaspoon sugar
2	medium green onions, sliced (2 tablespoons)
3	cups hot cooked brown rice
1/4	cup salted roasted cashew halves and pieces

	In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and ginger root; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.
	Add broccoli, 1/2 cup of the broth and the pepper flakes. Cover; cook over medium heat 2 minutes, stirring once. Add peas; cook 2 to 4 minutes longer, stirring once, until vegetables are crisp-tender.
	In small bowl, mix remaining 1/2 cup broth, the soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch and sugar; stir into chicken mixture. Add onions; cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Add cashews. Serve over rice.

Chicken Lo Mein

This was so tasty and easy to add to a chinese main dish.  I always struggle with sides for these.

Chicken Lo Mein
from Stephanieskitchen.com
 
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
2 tbl. olive oil
1/2 lb. spagetti noodles, cooked and drained  (I used angel hair pasta)
1/2 bag of frozen stir fry vegetables
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbl. cornstarch
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 cloves garlic, minced
Mix together broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, bouillon, and garlic. In large skillet, heat olive oil and add chicken. Cook until almost done, and add vegetables. Cook until heated through. Add noodles and sauce and cook until sauce thickens. Cook for 2-3 more minutes stirring frequently.