5 Layer JELL-O

Light, delicious and pretty dessert. And so easy! This is not a new recipe... but the first time I've made it.
Ingredients
4 pkg. 3 oz Jello (lemon, orange, lime, strawberry)
4 pkg. Knox unflavored gelatin
1 can sweetened condensed milk
DirectionsMix 1 pkg flavored jello with 1/2 pkg of unflavored gelatin. Add 1 cup boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Cool to room temp and pour into 9 x 13 glass pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes (and make sure your refrig is level!)
Mix 1 can sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup boiling water. In a small bowl, sprinkle 2 pkg unflavored gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Let stand a few minutes and then add 1/2 c boiling water to dissolve gelatin; add to milk mixture and stir to combine. Cool to room temp and pour 1 cup of milk mixture over first layer of jello. Refrig for 15 minutes.
Repeat for next three flavors. Let jello set. Cut and serve


*Use Fat Free Sweetened Condensed milk for: 2 Points!

Knox Gelatin: 25 Calories x 4 servings                                        = 100
FF Sweetened Condensed Milk= 110 calories x 10 servings   = 1,100
SF Jello (6oz. pkg) = 10 calories x 8 servings                            = 80
SF Jello (6oz. pkg) = 10 calories x 8 servings                            =80        
                                                                                      1,360/12 servings = aprox 114 cal/serving
*no fat or fiber

Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Icing

Happy 57th Anniversary Grandma Bonnie & Grandpa Burnell!

On February 14, 2011

Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Icing

Tools:
•2 9 in. Round Pans


Ingredients
•4 eggs
•1 cup vegetable oil
•1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•2 cups all-purpose flour
•2 cups granulated sugar
•2 teaspoons baking soda
•2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
•1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
•1/4 teaspoon salt

•4 cups carrots (about 1 pound) grated

•2/3 cup nuts chopped
•1/2 cup raisins
•1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

•1 package (12 oz.) White Candy Melts®
•2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
•1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
•2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Makes: 12-14 cake servings.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray two 9-in. round pans with vegetable pan spray or use Wilton Cake Release. (I used parchment paper rounds and Pam to spray the sides and top of parchment)

In large mixing bowl, beat eggs until foamy; add oil and vanilla and beat well. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and salt together; add to egg mixture and mix well. Fold in carrots, nuts, raisins and pineapple. Pour into prepared pans.


Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on cooling grid and invert on grid to cool.

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

Melt Candy Melts according to directions. Allow to cool slightly, stirring occasionally (don't let it harden). In mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese (preferably with a flat beater) until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in the cooled candy until blended and smooth. Beat in the butter and lemon juice.


Smooth a small amount of icing on bottom cake layer; top side up. Top with second layer bottom side up. Frost cake with remaining icing.


Refrigerate until ready to serve; bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving

Ditz in the Kitchen

Betty B. Meat Loaf

So you're probably wondering WHY I would post a boring old Meat Loaf recipe. It's SO hard to find a good meat loaf recipe... that's WHY! This one actually has flavor and quite tasty. I just don't want to misplace my recipe card and lose the recipe forever. This is a recipe from an old old church cookbook. This recipe comes from a lady named Betty B. And trust me, any recipe submitted by this lady is SURE to be excellent.

 Ingredients                                 Piquant Sauce: 3/4c. brown sugar

1-1/2 lb. hamburger                                              3/4c. ketchup

2/3c. soft bread crumbs                                        1-1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/3c. chopped onion                                               3/4 TBL Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1c. milk

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stir well. Shape into a 12x7 loaf. Place in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350deg. for 1hr 15min. Remove from oven. Pour Piquant Sauce over top. Bake an additional 15min.

*Lay strips of bacon over loaf before baking

*I used a loaf pan, but would suggest following the directions and using a 9x13. A lot of the juices will cook out of the meat and when you go to pour your piquant sauce on top, it will definitely overflow the pan.

Kiddie Cooks

*My Nephews (Keagan and Cullen) wanted to make a Valentine's cake for their Daddy. We bought a little box of Jiffy Cake and Jiffy white frosting. The little boxes of Jiffy are $0.75 and are great for kids. Very simplistic.*

Non-Fat Frozen Yogurt

1 (32oz.) carton Non-Fat Yogurt (I used Dannon Light&Fit Vanilla)
3/4c. sugar

Mix sugar into yogurt until dissolved. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
That's it!

*Next time I will use Plain Non-fat yogurt and less sugar or entirely Splenda to cut down on points. I figured 3 WW points per 1/2c. serving for this recipe. If you use entirely Splenda you can have a whole 1c. serving for only 2 WW points.

Happy Valentine's Day! Homemade Confections

From

Top Left to Right: Coconut Haystack, Cordial Cherry, Coconut-Rum Square, Chocolate Coconut Truffle

 Middle Left to Right: Cordial Cherry, Sea foam Candy (Large white piece), Chocolate BonBon with Chocolate Sprinkles, Chocolate BonBon with Rainbow Nonpareils, Mint Chocolate Truffle, Espresso Truffle

Bottom Left to Right: Chocolate Pecan Truffle, Cordial Cherry, Coconut Haystack, Chocolate BonBon with Rainbow Nonpareils, and Coconut-Rum Square

White Rectangle: White Chocolate Covered Toffee

Links to Every Piece:                        Difficulty

Chocolate Truffles                             Easy

Coconut Haystacks                           Easy

Cordial Cherry                                  Hard

Sea foam Candy                                 Intermediate

Chocolate BonBon                            Easy

White Chocolate Covered Toffee      Intermediate

I also made delicious Chocolate Covered Soft Caramels but was too embarrassed to give them away because they crystallized. I had tried to make them too far ahead of time. Lesson learned... make and serve immediately. I assure you this was a terrific recipe!

Get creative with your truffles. I ground coffee into a powder and added a little to my truffle mixture before it set up, rolled it in pecans, covered it in dark chocolate, and sprinkled a little ground coffee on top. The mint truffles were made by adding a little peppermint extract to the truffle mixture. They are very versatile, and you can add most anything you want!



Use your hot caramel to pour over pecans and create Pecan Turtles.

And if you are wondering where the Coconut-Rum Square recipe is... well there isn't one. These came about by mistake. Silly me used white chocolate almond bark to make truffles, which OF COURSE did not quite set up. Duh! Into the partially set up mixture, I added graham cracker crumbs, shredded coconut, and rum. Threw them in the freezer, cut into rectangles, covered in white chocolate, and sprinkled with chopped pecans. And I was pleasantly surprised. Quite yummy.

Problems you may (as I have) run into:

Chocolate bloom is one of the main concerns in the production of chocolate, describing a moldy-looking white coating. There are two types of bloom: fat bloom, arising from changes in the fat in the chocolate, a condition in which cocoa butter infiltrates to the surface, turning products gray or white as it recrystallizes; and sugar bloom, formed by the action of moisture on the sugar ingredients. The unsightly crystals of fat and sugar bloom limit the shelf life of many chocolates.

Any questions or concerns can be answered at a great candy making website that I've found: Chocolate-Candy-Mall

How to Toast Coconut

Raw shredded coconut, whether you prefer sweetened or unsweetened, has a sweet coconut taste and a chewy texture. Toasted coconut still has the same basic flavor, but it also has a caramelized nuttiness and a crisp-chewy texture that raw doesn’t offer. It’s easy to toast coconut at home and it’s a great way to maximize the coconut flavor in a recipe or to change the texture of a favorite coconut recipe, like macaroons, by switching raw and toasted.


You can toast coconut in the oven or on the stove top. To toast coconut in the oven, spread shredded coconut in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 300F for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to make sure that the coconut browns evenly. To toast coconut on the stove top, spread shredded coconut into a large skillet (or small, if you only need a small amount) and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until coconut is mostly golden brown. Coconut will probably brown a bit less evenly in a skillet than in the oven.


Before you start, keep in mind that coconut can burn very easily, so it’s better to take your time than to try and increase the heat and rush the toasting

Thin Crust Pizza with Garlic Cream Sauce, Spinach, and Charred Tomatoes

One pre-made Thin Pizza Crust from the Bakery section at Wal-Mart
Spinach
Charred Tomatoes (throw a couple of whole Roma tomatoes in a hot pan and burn them up a little. Until the skin cracks and tomatoes start to become soft)

Garlic Cream Sauce

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8th teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/8th teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1/4th cup Parmesan Reggiano


In a saucepan melt the butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Turn the heat to medium low and add the rest of the ingredients, but add the cheese last so it doesn’t hit the hot pan and seize up. Stir constantly until thickened

Spread 1/2 of sauce on crust, top with spinach and charred tomato, add remaining sauce, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake crust according to instructions on package. I preheated a baking stone in the oven to 450deg. Place pizza on hot stone and bake. I forgot so set the timer so I just watched it closely. You just want the crust to get crispy, the toppings to be warm, and the grated Parmesan to be melted.

Homemade Chips- To Rival Boscobel Bowl & Banquet's

Wash up potatoes. Slice very thin on a mandolin slicer. Throw them in the deep fat fryer  at about (360 deg or so) until desired crispness. You can season them before or just season them hot from the fryer. For these, I sprinkled them with a little Fryin' Magic before I fried them and sprinkled them with a little Parmesan Cheese while they were still hot. It's that easy!

Buddig Pickle Rolls

*Heather's Recipe*

Ingredients

- 1 package of cream cheese (can use low fat....it is just as yummy)
- 3 2oz packages of Buddig -Beef, Corn Beef, Pastrami, or Ham.
- 1 jar of pickles about 24 oz size
 -few dashes garlic salt
 -few dashes onion powder
 
Directions
On a cutting board, use a butter knife to spread the cream cheese on one slice of meat at a time.

After the meat is spread evenly with cream cheese, place a pickle on one end, and roll it up. The pickle roll ups can be sliced into as small of pieces as you would like. Can be served with toothpicks.
Refrigerate till ready to serve

Hot Chicken Wing Dip

*Heather's Recipe*

Ingredients

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 (8 ounce) bottle ranch dressing
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (12 ounce) bottle hot pepper sauce
1 (16 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese


Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until juices run clear, about 4 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board to cool completely. Use a fork to shred the meat into strands.
3.Pour the ranch dressing, cream cheese, and wing sauce into a bowl and mix until combined. Add the shredded chicken and mix well. Spread the mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese over top of the chicken mixture.
4.Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is bubbling, about 10 minutes.

Garlic Prime Rib

*Mom's Recipe* (Prime Rib Sandwiches for the Super Bowl)

Recipe adapted from: Chef Mike via AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

1 (10 pound) prime rib roast

10 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons dried thyme

Directions

1.Place the roast in a roasting pan with the fatty side up. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Spread the mixture over the fatty layer of the roast, and let the roast sit out until it is at room temperature, no longer than 1 hour.

2.Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).

3.Bake the roast for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C), and continue roasting for an additional 60 to 75 minutes. The internal temperature of the roast should be at 145 degrees F (53 degrees C) for medium rare.

4.Allow the roast to rest for 10 or 15 minutes before carving so the meat can retain its juices.

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

*Heather's Recipe*

Ingredients

16 large headless shrimp
8 slices bacon
barbeque seasoning, to taste


Directions
1.Clean and devein the shrimp, leaving the last section of the tail. Wrap with 1/2 slice of bacon, securing with a toothpick. Be sure and use the large shrimp; the cooking time for the shrimp and the bacon is similar. If you do use mediums, you might want to precook the bacon a little--over cooked shrimp are tough and rubbery, and a real sin!
2.Line a jellyroll pan (15x18x1 inch baking pan) with aluminum foil and place baking rack in pan. Place the shrimp on the rack, and sprinkle with barbecue seasoning to taste; turn and sprinkle second side. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes while the oven preheats. The bacon will turn from creamy white to a little opaque, and the seasoning will soak in.
3.Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
4.Bake wrapped shrimp in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes. The bacon should be crisp, and the shrimp pink and tender. The rack keeps the shrimp from sitting in the draining bacon fat.

M. Mattie's Fudge-Filled Bars

*When I worked as a teller in high school, I remember the Mattie's would drop off treats every so often. Everything she makes is so yummy! Here is her fudge-filled bars recipe, straight from her recipe box. *

Crab Rangoons

Ingredients

6 oz.-8 oz. jumbo lump crab meat (fresh preferable (the cheaper claw meat is fine too), but canned, or artificial crab can be substituted)

8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tsp. soy sauce
A shot of Worcestershire sauce or patis (fish sauce)
A shot of Tabasco or a sprinkling of cayenne pepper
Squeeze of lemon juice (to taste)
Salt and pepper
1 egg white, beaten
Won ton wrapper package(about 50) or egg roll wrappers (these are bigger in size so when you use them, you have to cut them in 4 smaller squares)

Directions
Combine ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings
Take a won ton skin and put it on your board. Brush edges with beaten egg white. Put about a teaspoon of filling in the center of the dough. You may fold corner to corner, forming a triangle, or you can fold each side to middle like I have. First, fold like a hot dog. Pinch to seal middle. Next, pull in remaining sides to middle and pinch. After you have finished, place on a pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for one hour before frying.

Deep fry at 370 degrees until golden brown (a couple of minutes).

*I fried half of the rangoons and froze the remaining. Total recipe makes approximately 50 Rangoons*



Sushi- For Beginners (like me)

Your Ingredients: Sushi or short grain rice - Rice Vinegar - Sugar - Salt - Water - Toasted Seaweed - Imitation Crab Meat - Black Sesame Seeds - Carrot - Avocado - Hothouse Cucumber

*All ingredients pictured can be purchased at Wal*Mart in the Asian section. * (Except for the Charcoal Sesame Seeds which I purchased at Woodman's)

1) Make the Sushi Rice. I use Alton Brown's recipe from the Food Network.
     DO NOT peek! Once covered, leave covered until the rice is completely finished! No peeking

2) After the rice has cooled to room temperature, it's time to roll (I don't have a sushi kit, but a zip lock bag works just fine for me.)

             Fill a small bowl with warm water and place next to your workspace.

             Place one sheet of Nori (seaweed) shiny side down on your zip lock bag.

             Wet your hands and grab a bit of sushi rice and press onto Nori. You want a good amount of rice,  but not too much. If you plan to roll the rice inside, this is very important as it is easy to over-stuff. You will need to wet your hands periodically when the rice starts to stick to your hands.

             On this first roll, the rice will be on the outside. 

               

             Now, flip over and add imitation crab, carrot, hothouse cucumber, and avocado.

       Now, grab end of zip lock bag closest to you and lift and roll away from you. Use your fingers to tuck in any inside ingredients back in if they start to poke out. Finish rolling and use bag to tighten roll.

   
      Sprinkle a few black sesame seeds onto another zip lock bag and roll the roll back and forth to get the sesame seeds to adhere.

Before cutting, wet your knife and also wet your knife in between each cut. This is very important.

Place onto plates however you choose. This is a California roll. The one in the middle is a California roll that is then topped with very thin avocado slices and rolled again to adhere. Sushi for beginners. Give it a Try!

Carrot Souffle

Ingredients
1 pound carrots, sliced, cooked, and drained
1/2c. melted butter
1/3c. brown sugar, packed
1/4c. flour
1tsp. baking powder
1tsp. vanilla extract
2TBL dark rum (opt)
3 eggs.

Directions
Combine the cooked carrots with the butter and puree. Add the remaining ingredients and mix very well. Pour into a greased and floured 1-quart casserole and bake in a 325deg oven for 45min-1hr. or until the center is set and the top is lightly browned and puffed.
Serves 6

Coq au Vin

Ingredients
1 broiler chicken
1/2c. peanut oil
1c. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4tsp. oregano
1/2tsp. salt
3 TBL lemon juice
1c. Red Wine

Directions
Cut the broiler into 8 pieces. In a large skillet saute the pieces of chicken in the oil. Remove the pieces when browned, place on a paper towel to drain. In the same oil saute the onion and garlic. Add the oregano, salt, and lemon juice. Place the chicken pieces in a roasting pan; pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover; bake in a 350deg. oven for 45 min. Uncover; add the wine and bake an additional 10min.
Serves 4

Cheddar Cheese Bread with Dill

Ingredients
2c. all-purpose flour
2tsp. baking powder
1 TBL sugar
1/2tsp. salt
1/4c. margarine
1c. grated cheddar cheese
1-1/2tsp. dillweed
1 egg
3/4c. milk

Directions
Sift into a large mixing bowl the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in the margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the cheese and dillweed, mix well. Add the egg to the milk, pour into the dry ingredients and stir quickly. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake in a 350deg. oven for 40 min.

Nestlenook Inn's Beer Bread

*My Dad came home with some bags of 'Beer Bread' mix. Just add a can of beer... wow that's easy. Made it up and it was good BUT do you know how easy it is to whip it up on your own? There's nothing to it and you are almost guaranteed to have these simple ingredients on hand. You'll never buy a boxed mix again! P.S. and I think this recipe tastes better than any mixes I've tried*

Ingredients
3c. all-purpose flour
3tsp. baking powder
1c. sugar
1tsp. salt
1 (12oz.) can beer

Directions
Combine all dry ingredients and add the beer. Stir until moist, adding a little water if necessary. Bake in a greased loaf pan in a 400deg. oven for 1 hour. Remove from pan and knock the bottom of the loaf-if it sounds hollow, it is done.

Chunky Chicken Curry Soup



Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Cinnamon Syrup

Mother's Cream of Chicken-Wild Rice Soup

Beef-Barley Soup

*You can also use turkey instead of beef, you can add potatoes, or omit celery (my Dad hates it!)*

Ingredients

2 lbs. cut-up beef or round steak

small amount of cooking oil

7c. water

1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes

1 large onion, chopped

2 beef bouillon cubes

1c. chopped carrots

1c. chopped celery

1/2c. chopped green pepper

2/3c. barley

parsley

salt & pepper to taste

1tsp. basil

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions

In a large skillet, brown the beef in oil. Stir in water, undrained tomatoes, onion, and bouillon cubes. Simmer for 1-1/2 hrs. Add carrots, celery, green pepper, barley, and seasonings. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Serves 6 to 8

Dilled Eggs

Beat 1/2 to 1doz. eggs. Add fresh of dried dill weed, granulated garlic, and fresh pepper to taste. Softly scramble.

Pain Perdu

*P.S. this is not my picture. I hope to put my own up soon... these are swimming in butter sheesh. Doubting this is WeightWatchers friendly. But that's what flex points are for... right?? :-)*

Ingredients
5 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cream or whole milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
12 slices slightly stale baguette or brioche sliced thick (about 1 3/4")
1/2 c salted butter - 1 stick


Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat until thick and foamy. Pour mixture into a shallow pan. Soak bread slices in the mixture for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until they are thoroughly soaked through.
2. Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter at a time. Cook the bread slices 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve hot.

-OR-

Ingredients
2 slices French Bread (1-1/2 to 2 in thick)
Strawberry Preserves
2 eggs
2TBL half & half
Dash vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Cut the crust off the bottom side of the bread and then cut a pocket in the bottom. Fill the pocket with a heaping tablespoon of strawberry preserves and press the pocket closed. Beat eggs, half & half, and vanilla. Soak bread in egg mixture for a minute or so. In a deep fry pan, heat cooking oil (enough to completely cover the slice of bread) so that when you lay the filled slice of bread in it, it will brown quickly. As soon as it is brown on one side, turn over and brown on the other. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.
Serving: 1

Peach Rhubarb Crunch

Cinnamon French Toast with Poached Apples