Cinco De Mayo

With Fiesta on the mind and belly, May's recipe exchange with be Ethnic Food night. Now, obviously fiesta has more to do with Latin America, but feel free to bring any country's fare. (Or you can make the Guacamole dip as seen above). Hope to see you Wednesday, May 14th at 7:45 at the Tovar home (9034 Broadmoor Bend) for some good eats.

Once you have decided on your recipe, please leave it as a comment on this post or send me an email so we can add it to the final post. If you needed recipes from the previous exchange, check out Aprils's very small post.

Please submit your recipe even if you can't make it. The downside to this option though is the rest of us will miss your company as well as sampling the recipe

April's Recipes

So there were more then two people who attended, but that is all the recipes I have been given (HINT HINT). If any of you had wanted to come and/or have a recipe to add, please put it in the comment section and I will add it to the blog. So without further ado, the recipes:


Quiche – Becca Clawson

1 premade pie dough
4 eggs
1 ¼ c milk
Assort. Herbs (see below)
Filling (see below)
Cheese (see below)
Preheat oven to 375. Put your premade pie dough in a deep dish pie pan (or cake pan), and flute sides. Put filling in bottom and cheese. In a large bowl combine eggs, milk and seasonings and whisk until well combined. Place your prepared pie pan on a sheet pan. Pour on top of filling and using a fork stir it in a little bit (If there is too much egg mixture for the dish don’t use it all). Bake in a preheated oven for 50-60 minutes. Should jiggle slightly yet it shouldn’t be runny, it should also have a nice color to it.

Fillings
Quiche Lorraine – diced ham, sautéed onions, swiss cheese and parmesan, herbs de province
Veggie Quiche – sautéed onion, spinach, zucchini, bell peppers, cheese your choice, herbs your choice
Spinach Mushroom Sausage – cooked crumbled Italian sausage, sliced mushrooms, spinach, cheese I like cheddar and parmesan, herbs thyme, salt and pepper
Roasted Veggie Quiche – oven roast eggplant, onion, zucchini, roasted bell peppers, cheese feta, herbs your choice
Asparagus Quiche – Asparagus chopped ( 4 left hole), cheese swiss and parmesan, herbs your choice. Float whole asparagus spears on top of egg mixture. Very pretty!



Berry Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients
Stuffing:
6oz. cream cheese
1 cup vanilla flavored yogurt (I used Dannon Natural)
1 1/2 cup mixed frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, and boysenberries)
1 T powdered sugar

French Toast:
6 egss
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp orange peel
dash of salt
(I also added a little cinnamon to this part as well)
12 slices of bread (I used a cinnamon swirl bread)

Directions
To make stuffing: Combine cheese and yogurt in large bowl.

Coat 6 slices of bread with yogurt mixture and place, stuffing side up, in a
9 x 13" pan. Spoon the blueberries and strawberries over the mixture. Spread more stuffing on the remaining 6 slices of bread, place over the fruit to top off the sandwiches.

In a separate bowl, mix eggs, milk, and vanilla. Pour over sandwiches and soak for 30 minutes.

Sauté sandwiches over medium heat, turning several times. Slice diagonally to serve.

To prevent overheating my house, I cooked them on the griddle. But you can also let it sit overnight and cook it at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

BBQ Food for June's Recipe Exchange

For all of us not native to the South, the above video might dash our conceptions about BBQing. Don't worry, whether you refer to it as a BBQ or a cookout, recipe exchange this month will be anything you would bring to such an event. So bust out your best summer time recipes and bring them Wednesday, June 10 at 7:45 pm.

Thanks for all those who attended last month and posted their recipes which can be found below. Hopefully, soon we will have all the recipes that are brought.

Easter Brunch

April's recipe exchange is days before Easter Sunday. I thought it would be nice to have a few more recipes to try this year. Furthermore, breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day. We often will have breakfast for dinner even. That is why Brunches are so fantastic. Hope to see you Wednesday, April 8th at 7:45 at the Tovar home (9034 Broadmoor Bend) for some good eats.

Once you have decided on your recipe, please leave it as a comment on this post or send me an email so we can add it to the final post. If you needed recipes from the previous exchange, check out March's post.

Also, Christine wasn't able to come but still posted her recipe in the comment section which in turn was added to the blog. Please submit your recipe even if you can't make it. The downside to this option though is the rest of us will miss your company as well as sampling the recipe.

March Recipes

I am sorry for all those who did not have the lucky chance of being at the recipe exchange on Wednesday. You were missed. The recipes and conversation were fantastic. See you next month with your brunch ideas.



Shepherd's Pie (Rachelle)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground hamburger
1/2 pkg Stove Top Stuffing (any flavor)
Mashed Potatoes (instant or favorite recipe)
4 oz grated cheese (or more)
3 green onions, chopped
3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 plum tomato, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350. Pour the 1/2 box of stove top stuffing in a medium size bowl. Pour enough warm water to almost cover. After the water is soaked into the stuffing, mix in the meat. Spread the meat mixture onto a foiled lined pan in the shape of your final dish. (I usually use a pie dish so I free form shape it into a circle) Cook for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer the meat into the pie dish and cover with the mashed potatoes. Cover with onions and bacon and cheese. Cook until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the tomatoes on top. Serve with salad and enjoy.

The Best of Granola (Tovi)

6 cups rolled oats (can use any combination of rolled grains)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 cup nuts (more if you wish-whole or chopped: walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup melted honey (more if you wish a sweeter taste or it to clump more)
1 cup raisins or other dried fruit (dates, pineapple, plum, apple, etc)
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
2 T vanilla

Mix grains, nuts, seeds, and coconut together. Pour oil and honey over the mixture and stir well. Spread on lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake at 275 for 30 minutes or until mixture is golden brown. Do not over bake! Remove from oven, pour into large stainless bowl, and add dried fruit and flavorings. Serve with milk and fresh fruit or eat as a snack. Use for yogurt or ice cream topping. Store in tightly sealed container. Refrigerate if kept for a long time. For variety, add 1 t cinnamon and 1 t nutmeg. High in fiber, minerals, and vitamin C.

Red Potato Oven Fries (Julie)

2 pounds red potatoes, washed
3 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence or (dried parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme combined)
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick Montreal Seasoning) or 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450

Lin a cookie sheet with foil. Cut potatoes into wedges and drop onto cookie sheet. Coat potatoes in oil. Season with dried spices and grill seasoning or salt and pepper. Roast, turning once, 25 min.



Taco soup (Molly)

1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
2 cans tomato sauce
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 small onion (chopped)
2 c. water
1 lb. ground hamburger or turkey

In large pot add the first 5 ingredients. Brown hamburger in skillet with chopped onion. Add browned hamburger and onion, plus the 2 cups of water to the large pot. simmer low 20 min. Top with sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla chips.


Yummy Spaghetti (Christine)
Add the following to your choice of spaghetti and sauce (GO PREGO) to make a more complete meal.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil (or Vegetable Oil)
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
1 Orange Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
1/2-1 onion sliced into strips (depends on how oniony you want it)
1-2 garlic cloves minced (depends on how garlicky you want it)
1 pound Mild or Hot Italian Sausage

Preheat oven to 350. Get a cookie sheet with the high edges (not the ones with no lip on the edge). Poor a good amount of oil into the pan and place sausage on it. Rub each piece of sausage with oil, covering it. Cook in oven 20 minutes on each side (40 minutes total). When they are done slice into little circles.

While the sausage is in the oven heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add Garlic and saute until garlic is just brown. Add Onion and Bell Pepper. Saute for about 20 minutes, or until veggies are to desired consistency. Add sausage and about a cup full of sauce to de-glaze the pan (mix sauce in and then rub the pan bottom to get all the nice juices up off it). Serve on top of spaghetti.

Never Fail Pie Crust (Becca)

2 1/2 c flour
1 c shortening (butter flavor)
1 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c cold water - I add ice
1 T vinegar (apple cider is really good)

Mix together flour, shortening and salt. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until clumps are about the size of large peas. Blend together egg, cold water and vinegar. Add to flour mixture and mix lightly with a fork. Roll out, place in pie pan and fill and flute as desired. Keep pie crust from getting soggy by rubbing egg white, slightly beaten, on bottom and sprinkle with flour. Bake pie shell at 400 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 2 crusts.

FILLING:
Cream pies -
lg pkg. instant pudding mix (whatever flavor)
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups heavy whipped cream (whipped)
Stir together and put into pie shell. Let it set up in the fridge for at least an hour or two.

Banana Cream pie: line bananas on the bottom and put some in mixture.



Lemon Cheese Bars (Kimberli)

1 package lemon cake mix (18.5 oz)

1/3 cup veg oil

2 large eggs

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (~ 1 lemon)

Preheat to 350 (center rack). Blend cake mix, oil, and 1 egg for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. The mixture should be crumbly. Reserve approx 1 cup for the topping. Transfer the remaining into ungreased 9X13 pan (note: I always use 9X9 square pan because I like them thicker). Using your fingertips, press the mixture evently over the bottom of the pan so it reaches all sides. Bake crust 13-15 minutes.

You can use the same bowl/beaters for the filling. To make the filling, beat cream cheese until smooth (about 30 seconds). Add sugar, lemon juice, and 1 egg. Beat until well combined (about 1-2 minutes). Pour over crust and scatter reserved crust over filling.

Bake 14 to 15 minutes until golden brown and filling just starts to set. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes. Serve. (I actually like them cold best, so I make them ahead of time and refrigerate. Also, I've used white and yellow cake mixes and just added a little lemon juice to them. That was the case for the recipe exchange. Other kinds of cake mixes might be good too.)

Dump Cake (Linda)

1 can pineapple tidbits
1 can cherry pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter

Dump the canned fruit into baking dish. Cover with the cake mix and place the cube of butter on top. Cook in 350 degree oven until golden brown on top. Place on a cookie sheet before baking in order to catch any drips.

LUCK IS FOR LEPRECHAUNS

The theme for March's recipe exchange is LUCK IS FOR LEPRECHAUNS. Please bring one of your recipes you know never fails. Whether it's the quick meal thrown together last minute, or the one you showcase for your guests, we could all use a few more trusted recipes. Hope to see you Wednesday, March 11 at 7:45 at the Tovar home (9034 Broadmoor Bend) for some good eats.

Once you have decided on your recipe, please leave it as a comment on this post or send me an email so we can add it to the final post. If you needed recipes from the previous exchange, check out February's post. (We are missing some of the recipes. . .if you are someone who forgot to send me your recipe, REPENT! Just add in in the comment portion of the previous post.)

Thanks for all the food and fun Wednesday night. I have received a lot of recipes, but we are still missing some. For those who still need to send it, please either post it in the comment section or email me. Next time I will have tags for everyone to set by their dish so they can find the desired recipe on this blog. Without further ado, the recipes.



DRINKS AND APPETIZERS

Brazilian Lemonade (Sabrina)

~1 large lime, with smooth skin (the smoother the skin, the juicier the lime)
~1/2 c. sugar
~2 to 3 tblsp. sweetened condensed milk
~3 c. water
~ice

Wash and scrub the lime with a little bit of soap. Rinse well. Cut off the ends of the lime and cut fruit into eight pieces. Place lime pieces in a blender. Add sugar, sweetened condensed milk and water. Cover blender and pulse (on-off) five times on high speed. Strain the lemonade to remove lime rinds. Pour lemonade over ice. Raspberries, strawberries, pineapples, or coconut also can be added to the lime mixture before blending.


Roast Beef Roll-Ups (Michelle)

1 container (8 oz) cream cheese spread
3-4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
6 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
8 (6-7 inch) flour tortillas
½ lb thinly sliced deli roast beef (8 slices)

Combine cream cheese and horseradish; mix well. Thinly slice tomatoes, cucumber, and onion. For each roll, spread tortilla evenly with 2 tablespoons cream cheese mixture. Top with 5 tomato slices, 5 cucumber slices, 3 red onion slices, and 1 roast beef slice. Roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Wrap filled tortillas individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate, seam side down for 30 minutes. To serve, cut each roll crosswise into thirds.
Yield: 24 appetizers

(Variation: Turkey Roll-Up: Omit horseradish. Substitute chive and onion cream cheese spread for the cream cheese and thinly sliced deli peppered turkey breast for the roast beef slices. Prepare as recipe directs.)

Bruchetta (Becca)

1 loaf of french bread(I use a baguette because it is easier when serving a large group of people)
1 large tomato
Feta Cheese(I've used some flavored with Basil and Sun dried tomatoes)
Olive Oil
Basil

Slice bread into thin slices. Toast in the oven on 400 until warm and crispy. While it is toasting chop tomato into small pieces, try to get rid of as much liquid as you can. Mix in a small bowl, tomatoes and feta cheese crumbles. (Use as much cheese as you would like). Remove bread from oven and top each piece with a spoonful of tomato mixture. Drizzle each piece with olive oil and garnish with basil. Bake at 400 until warm.

---It is just as good without the cheese or with mozzarella cheese! Enjoy!


Joe's Crab Shack Warm Crab Dip (Jennifer)

Ingredients-

* One 8 Oz pkg Cream Cheese
* 2 Cans crabmeat (drained)
* 1/4 Cup diced green onions
* 1 Tbs minced mild red chili pepper
* 1 Tbs mild green chili pepper, minced.
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp white pepper
* 2 Tbs shredded parmesean cheese
* Paprika for garnish.
* 1 tsp minced fresh parsley for garnish.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Combine cream cheese with crab, green onions, chili peppers, salt and white pepper in a medium bowl. Stir well to combine.
3. Spread mixture into the bottom of an oven safe dish. Use a wide dish for this is so the dip is only about and inch deep in the bottom.
4. Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese over the surface of the dip.
5. Broil 3 or 4 minutes or until cheese on top begins to brown.
6. Sprinkle paprika over the dip, followed by the fresh minced parsley.
7. Serve with sliced toasted bread, tortilla chips or crackers.

Black Bean Salsa (Lorena)
2 cans Black Beans, drained
2 small plum tomatoes, diced
2 small avocado (or more if desired), diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced
salt to taste

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Chill in the fridge for flavors to blend. Serve with chips.

Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce Cream Cheese Dip (Kimberli)
This is a great recipe to use in a pinch... I always have these ingredients on hand and its easy to throw together.

* Cream cheese - softened
* Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (my favorite brand is by Fischer & Wieser)
* assortment of your favorite crackers

Spead cream cheese into a shallow dish. For Wednesday's party, I cut the cream cheese into a heart shape with a cookie cutter. Cover with Raspberry Chipolte sauce. Enjoy!

Side note: "Fischer & Wieser" started in Fredericksburg, TX. You can sample the products from their first store "Das Peach Haus". They have lots of yummy sauces and tons of recipes. Rather than make the trip to the Hill Country, you can pick up a bottle at HEB or grab a larger (and much cheaper) bottle at Costco.



VEGETABLES/SALAD


Ginger Soy Asparagus (Kaori)

1 lbs asparagus, cut ends off
2T soy sauce
1T oil (I use olive oil)
1 1/2 t sugar
1 1/2 t sesame seeds, you can either toast them or buy them already toasted
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4-1/2 t cumin

In a medium saucepan or steamer, cook asparagus until crisp and tender, about 3-5 minutes. Drain and plunge in cool water. (I always skip this step and eat it warm) Drain again and put in a large serving bowl.

In a small bowl, mix other ingredients. Pour mixture over veggies tossing to coat. Enjoy!!
**You can also substitute the asparagus for fresh green beans.


MAIN DISHES

Shrimp alfredo (Arianne)

shrimp- fresh or frozen
butter
minced garlic
1 can petite diced tomatoes (drained)
1 jar alfredo sauce
basil
parsley
parmesan cheese
fettuccine pasta


Cook pasta according to package directions. Cook shrimp on medium in butter and garlic until shrimp makes a "c" shape. Drain and set aside. Cook alfredo sauce, tomatoes, basil, and parsley until warm. Add shrimp. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Chicken Crescent Rolls (Rachelle)


2 TBSP butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 large celery stalk, diced
2 mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1/2 bunch of green onions, sliced
1 cup cooked chicken, cubed
1 packages of refrigerated crescent rolls
3 TBSP butter melted
1/2 cup bread crumbs

SAUCE:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese


Mix the butter, cream cheese, salt, and pepper together until well blended. Stir in the cut veggies and chicken until evenly coated with the cream cheese mixture. Separate each crescent roll out on an ungreased cookie sheet. Evenly distribute the mixture onto the wide end of each crescent roll. Fold the two corners of the wide end of the crescent roll into the middle of the triangle then roll up the rest of the crescent roll. Pinch the dough together to prevent any of the mix from spilling out. Dip each filled roll into butter and then into bread crumbs. Place back on the cookie sheet. Cook at 375 for 15-18 mintues. Combine all the ingredients of the sauce in a small sauce pan. Cook over low heat until cheese is melted, stirring constantly. Serve over rice.

DESSERTS

Chocolate-Hazelnut Ravioli (Julie)
16 wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten to blend
1 cup Nutella
Veggie oil for frying
Granulated sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting
Mint leaves for a garnish (optional)

Brush the edges of wrapper with egg. Spoon 1 tbls Nutella into center of the wrapper. Fold diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Heat about 2 inches worth of oil in pan for frying over medium heat.

Add ravioli to hot oil and cook until golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. You can keep the cooked ones in the oven to keep warm.
Dust with powdered sugar.

(Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place on a baking sheet and rewarm at 375 just until they are heated through, about 7 min.)

Chocolate Eclair Dessert (Haley)

Crust
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 cup water

Boil butter and water. Then remove from heat and add:

* 1 cup flour
* 1/2 tsp salt

Let mixture cool for 2 minutes. Then add:

* 4 eggs, one at a time until mixture is smooth and puffy

Bake in ungreased 9x13 pan at 450 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400 for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let crust cool and shrink.

Topping
* 2 small pkgs French Vanilla instant pudding
* 3 cups milk
* 8 oz melted cream cheese
Combine ingredients together and allow it to set. Spread this mixture onto colled crust. Top with 1 (8 oz) tub of Cool Whip. Drizzle chocolate on top.


Chocolate Ricotta Pie (Danielle)

Crust

* 1 and 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
* 2 and 1/2 oz melted butter
* 2 TBSP sugar

Mix ingredients together well, shape inside 9" pie plate. Reserve and cool.

Filling
* 1 lb ricotta
* 3/4 cup confectionery sugar
* 1 tsp Almond Extract
* 1 cup toasted almonds
* 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 and 1/4 cup heavy cream

Combine ricotta, sugar, and extract in a bowl and set aside. Combine nuts and chocolate. Grind 1/3 at a time in an electric blender. Do not grind too fine. Fold ricotta and nut mixtures together and chill. Whip heavy cream until stiff and fold into the chilled ricotta mixture, half at a time. Spoon into the chilled crust and let sit overnight before serving.

Easy Crockpot Chocolate Fondue (Elizabeth)

--3 cups chocolate chips (semi-sweet, dark, milk, or white. Your choice.)
--1 cup heavy cream
--1 tsp vanilla

optional
you can doctor this up with:

--1 tsp peppermint, orange, coconut, etc. extract

The Directions:

Put chocolate chips in a small crockpot. Add the heavy cream and teaspoon of vanilla. Cover. Plug in and cook on low for about an hour. Stir.

If you do not have a small crockpot, you can put an oven-safe dish inside of a larger crockpot. Do not add water. There's no need to create a water bath for melting chocolate in the crockpot. It melts nice and slow.

Serve with apple chunks, banana slices, cubes of pound cake, mandarin oranges, cubes of bread, strawberries, or marshmallows.

First Recipe Exchange

Wednesday, February 11 will mark the very first recipe exchange for our group of friends. The theme will be ROMANTIC DINNER FOR TWO/YOU (depending on the circumstance).

With Valentine's Day coming up and the condition of the economy, a homemade meal will hit the romantic spot without hopefully hitting our pocket books too hard. Think of a dinner menu you would like to have prepared for you. Then pick one item to bring to the recipe exchange.

IMPORTANT RULES TO FOLLOW:

This event really is open to everyone. If you can't think of a dish that would fit the theme, then bring something you really like making or just bring yourself. Please either bring a copy of the recipe or post a comment with the recipe in it. It will then be added to the next blog entry. Use the evite link to correspond any of your questions or comments.