Yogurt Pie? Oh YEAH!

I LOVE to recipe surf, especially for fun kid foods (there is a kid in all of us).  I came across a recipe on a blog called 'Cooking with my Kid' that had a recipe for a Yogurt Parfait PIE!  That's right, a PIE!  What things does my two year old like?  Fruit, yogurt, cheerios and graham crackers!

Yogurt Parfait Pie Recipe
Prep Time: 8 to 10 hours (mostly unattended)  Cooking Time: 5 to 10 mins

Crust Ingredients:
1 ½ cups finely crushed graham crackers
3 tablespoons lowfat vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Ingredients for the Filling:
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup water
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 ½ cups nonfat or lowfat vanilla yogurt
1 envelop unflavored gelatin

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.    In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, crushed Cheerios and sugar.

3.    Work the mixture together with your hands until it becomes clumpy and moist.
4.    Press mixture into a 9 inch pie plate making sure to push it up along the sides.

5.    Bake in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until set and just starting to brown.
6.    Let cool completely (overnight is best) before adding filling. - I TOTALLY FORGOT TO DO THIS!
7.    To make the filling, combine strawberries, blueberries and sugar in a medium bowl and set aside.

8.    In a small saucepan, over low heat, whisk together ¼ cup water, egg yolks and cornstarch and continue stirring until thick. Remove from heat.

9.    Meanwhile, in another small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over remaining ¼ cup water, whisk together and dissolve over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

10. Combine egg mixture and gelatin.
11. Combine yogurt with berries and then fold berries into egg / gelatin mixture.

12. Pour into prepared piecrust and refrigerate until set. At least 2 hours.

 This was a little unusual.  It was like pudding and jello all at the same time. I REALLY liked the crust.  It was super moist, which made for a difficult time spreading it along the pie pan.  My husband thought it was a dessert, but when you consider it only has three tablespoons of sugar...it's healthy!  :)

Lesson Learned!

Crash and burn!  Not really something you want to read in a cooking blog.  Some people put signs for no solicitation on their front door, but I should have a sign that reads, 'Upon entering this house you agree to be a guinea pig for all food concoctions that enter your mouth.'  Oh yes, I even invited people over to my house for this one.

Come friends, come to my house and learn to make pizza...ON THE GRILL!!!  Oh, it will be spectacular!  Nice smokey flavor, melted cheese, grills marks on the pizza dough!  Guess what I learned about grilling pizza?  DON'T DO IT ON A CHARCOAL GRILL WITH HOT COALS!!!! Know what ELSE I learned?  don't put olive oil on the dough before you put it on the grill.  Oh yeah, I did that too. 

I had seen this recipe cooked on a gas grill a week ago, I grilled pizza dough using my indoor grill pan, but I hadn't made this recipe on a charcoal grill.  Thank goodness I had extra dough.  I was able to recover by using my indoor grill pan, but didn't have a lid big enough to cover it once I had the toppings on so I found myself...oh the shame...I MICROWAVED  it so the cheese would melt.  *sigh*  Pure embarrassment.  LOL!!!

Now don't discount this recipe because I am a schmuck!  When it was made it on a gas grill it turned out really good!

Grilled Veggie Pizza
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1/4 of a white onion
1/2 red pepper
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil - or regular olive oil
1 loaf of Rhoades frozen bread
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Defrost bread according to package instructions.  Slice zucchini and yellow squash into thin equal size pieces. Cut onion into half moons and red pepper into small bite sized pieces.  Place cut veggies into bowl and toss with Italian seasoning, olive oil and cheese.  At this point you can put the veggies in a grill basket or you can saute them in a pan on the stove top.

Roll out dough and shape by preference.  Grill on low heat for 3-5 minutes on each side.  Take off grill and load up with veggie and cheese mixture.  Put back on covered grill until cheese is melted.

Grilled pizza is fun and creative.  Learn from my mistakes and enjoy! :)  And to my friends...thanks for continuing to be my friend after this fiasco!

Love random finds!

I got a wild hair tonight and thought it would be fun to create a want-to-be, lazy girl's version of focaccia/naan.  I had a loaf of Rhoades frozen bread to be used.  I followed the quick rise instructions on the package (place in non-stick pan, pre-heat oven to 200 degrees F, then turn off and add boiling water to a pan beneath the bread), rolled it out with a rolling pin,

 spread garlic infused canola oil over both sides and

GRILLED IT!!!!

Oh MY!  Was this a tasty method for cooking dough!  I had some seasonings for bread dipping and soaked up their yummy goodness with this GRILLED BREAD!!!  I think I have found a replacement for garlic bread!  I used my indoor, stove top, grill pan to cook the bread, but now that I know it will turn out, I'm going to do it on our charcoal grill next time!

Crunched for Time!

I hate when the 4pm hour hits at my house.  Invariably, I have put off making a decision about what to cook for dinner and my stomach is starting to grumble.  DOH!  Today was no different.  I had left overs from taco's I was considering making stuffed baked potatoes with, but I didn't want to go to the hassle of baking the potatoes.  LAZY!  A couple of months ago I purchased the Deep Dish Baker from Pampered Chef.  This INGENIOUS product allows you to cook recipes you would normally make in the oven...IN THE MICROWAVE!  It ROCKS!!!!  You can roast a whole chicken in the microwave in 25-35 minutes using this product!!!  It saved my day!  Pampered Chef also sells a recipe book specifically for recipes you can make using the Deep Dish Baker.  I scored a SWEET recipe from it that would use up my taco leftovers!

Family Burrito Bake
1 medium onion
1 lb 90% lean ground beef
2 tbsp Southwestern Seasoning Mix
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 can Mexican-style corn
1 jar chunky salsa, divided
1 can refried beans
3 tbsp water
7 6-inch corn corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Colby & Monterey Jack cheese blend, divided

Coarsely chop onion.  In Deep Covered Baker, combine onion, beef, seasoning mix and pressed garlic; mix well.  Microwave, covered on High for 6-8 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking crumbles halfway through.  Drain beef mixture.  Combine beef mixture, corn and 1 cup of the salsa, mix well.  combine refried beans and water, mix well.

To assemble, place two tortillas over bottom of baker.  Cut one tortilla to fill any gaps as layers are assembled.  Spread one-third of the beans evenly over tortillas.  Top with one-third of the beef mixture and one-third of the cheese.  Repeat layers one time.  Arrange remaining two tortillas over cheese.  Top with remaining beans and beef mixture.

Microwave, covered, on High for 12-15 minutes or until center is hot.  Carefully remove baker from microwave using oven mitts.  Top evenly with remaining salsa and cheese.  Let stand, covered for 10 minutes before serving.

HOLY MOLY!!!!  This recipes was AWESOME!!!!  It was CRAZY fast and pretty healthy at 340 calories per serving (assuming 8 servings).  If you don't have a Pampered Chef Deep Dish Baker...get yourself one!!!  I can't believe how fast and easy it was to use the Deep Dish Baker.  Because it is stoneware and has a lid, it quickly cooks meals evenly in the microwave.  I'm looking forward to making more meals with this dish!!!

Thai Chicken Salad

I am always on the search for new recipes for lettuce wraps.  The October edition of Cusine at Home magazine had an O.K. one I tried out this week.  Instead of making actual lettuce wraps I made a salad which keeps me from wilting left ove lettuce because I don't use it all. 

I liked this salad well enough, but the peanut sauce was ultimately lacking.  The recipe definitely called for too much peanut butter.  I would have liked it to have some vinegar and more oil...runnier and more flavorful.  However, give it a shot and let me know your thoughts.

Thai Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
3 Tbsp natural creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced and ground into a paste
1 Tbsp freash lime juice
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp fish sauce - which I left out because fish sauce is straight up barf!
1 tsp Sriracha sauce - definitely could have used more if you like spicy

For the Chickn Salad
6 oz. cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cups broccoli slaw
2 Tbsp peanuts
8 large Bibb lettuce leaves - I served over a spring salad mix

Whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, lime juice, water, honey, fish sauce, and Sraracha for the sauce in a small bowl.  Toss chicken, slaw mix and peanuts with peanut sauce; chill covered until needed.  To searve, divide salad among lettuce leaves.

I really liked the addition of the broccoli slaw in this recipe, which was what drew me to it in the first place.  I would TOTALLY make this again, but with a different dressing/peanut sauce.

 

Chicken Divan...with inpromptu ingredients.

When I was a kid my mom used to make chicken divan a lot.  I remember disliking the exotic taste of the curry at first, but over time it grew on me.  Now I consider it comfort food.  I was craving some comfort the other day and decided to make some.  After my visit to the Costco to pick up a rotisserie chicken I realized I didn't have any cream of chicken soup to start the base of my sauce.  DAMN!!!  Lightening fast thinking...make my own cream of chicken!  And that is just what I did.  I don't think I will EVER use cream of chicken again. 

Chicken Divan - made up style:
1/2 Rotisserie Chicken - I always get mine at Costco and they are GIANORMOUS so I only used half. 
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon corn starch
2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup cheese
2 cups broccoli - frozen or fresh

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. 

Cut up half a rotisserie chicken into small bite sized pieces and set aside. 

In medium saucepan melt butter.  Add flour and cook for a minute.  Add milk, cornstarch and curry.  Allow sauce to thicken.

Add cheese and  stir until melted. 

 In medium to large baking dish combine chicken and broccoli. Pour sauce over top and stir to combine.

 Cook for 25 minutes.

When I type the recipe out it sounds all thought out and professional, but it couldn't be farther from the truth! When I realized I didn't have the cream of chicken I went to making a roux. I was only going to add one cup of milk because I was going to make a smaller batch, but then thought better of it when I saw how much sauce that would give me. I decided that AFTER I had added the milk. I was worried that making more roux would mess up the recipe at that point so I opted to add cornstarch to thicken it up. BINGO!!! I REALLY liked the taste of the sauce. Canned sauces are handy when you need them, but if you can avoid them...DO!!!

Perfect Little Muffin Pan

O.K., I'm going to make a shameless plug for Pampered Chef.  In part because I started selling Pampered Chef, but more importantly, BECAUSE THIS PAN FREAKING ROCKS!!!!  Pampered Chef has a silly number of appetizer recipes you can make in this pan.  On future posts, I'll highlight some of my favorite appetizer recipes.  Today I'm going to share my first made up recipe I created in this pan for Thanksgiving appetizers.

So my Dad is pretty crazy about Brie en Cruet.  He gets a big round bite of Brie, puts some kind of jam on top and wraps it all up in puff pastry.  It is good, but I wasn't have a large crowd at my house for Thanksgiving and I wasn't sure about the palates of some of my guests.  As a result, I created the following recipe.

Mini-Brie en Cruet:

2 packages refrigerated Pillsbury croissant dough

1 pie slice of brie - my favorite is Presidente

1 small jar of your favorite jam - I used a raspberry habenero jam for a little KICK!

Open croissant package and cut the already pre-cut slices in half.  Push them into place in your mini-muffin pan.  (Pampered Chef also sells a wooden dowl to help you with this task.) - Sorry, I can't help myself. :)  Cut the brie into squares small enough to fit into pan without overflowing from the croissant dough.  If you are not keen on the rind around the brie, you can cut it off.  Spoon a small amount of jam on top and close the croissant dough around cheese and jam like it is a package. 

Cook according to instruction on croissant dough package.

Another option for this SWEET pan is the obvious...MINI-MUFFINS!  Now that my daughter is eating everything we are eating this is a FABULOUS option for kid sized muffins.  Today I made blueberry oatmeal muffins in this pan.  I love them because they are small and bite sized (and we all know food in cute shapes and small sizes taste better) and my daughter loved them because they fit her hand well.

Bisquick Sweet Muffins

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 egg

2 cups Original Bisquick mix

1/3 cup sugar

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Prep your muffin pan with cooking spray.  In medium bowl, beat milk, oil and egg with wire whisk or fork until blended.  Stir in Bisquick mix and sugar just until moistened.  Spoon batter into muffin cups.

Bake 8-9 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy your bite sized goodness!!!