Spiced Asian Pear Muffins

At our Funky Fruit Food Tasting Party the other weekend, we taste-tested the Asian Pear and I fell in love. And when we fall in love with some one or some fruit, we find that we just can't get enough, which totally explains my gluttonous behavior this past week.

Then Jen and I had a conversation about muffins and this recipe from years ago popped into my head and I knew I had to make it ASAP with the Asian pear. I made it with such excitement and anticipation that it was only after the first batch was baking away in the oven that I realized I had forgotten to add the salt.

These muffins need salt.

I know this because I added salt to the remaining batter, baked them up and had myself a taste-off.
Yea...these muffins need salt.

These muffins are super moist and fabulously flavored. What's not to love.....there's cinnamon in them people!!!!?

And the truth is, you don't have to use Asian pears - you can use any pear you want - but use the Asian....use the Asian....use the Asian......

Spiced Asian Pear Muffins

2 Cups Flour
1/3 Cup Sugar
2 Teaspoons Ginger
One Teaspoon Baking Soda
One Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
One Egg
One Cup Greek Yogurt (or regular)
1/2 Cup Oil (I like Coconut)
3 Tablespoons Molasses
1-1/2 Cups Finely Chopped Pears (Asian if you can)

In a bowl, combine first eight ingredients. In another bowl, beat the egg, yogurt, oil, and molasses until smooth. Stir into dry ingredients until moistened. Fold in pears. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 16-18 minutes.

Eat warm...eat cold...eat many!!!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

We always seem to have overripe bananas laying around. Do you? I don't fully understand this phenomenon, since it seems like my kids always have a banana in one hand, but nevertheless, I am plagued by brownish bananas. HOWEVER, let me be clear...I do not consider this a problem! Quite the contrary, in fact! The flavor of bananas becomes so much more pronounced as they ripen, which makes these bananas perfect for baking! Also for making protein shakes and smoothies, but that is a post for a different day...

Anyway, this morning the kiddos and I found ourselves with a few brown bananas. Being that we were already finished with breakfast, we didn't have room in our bellies for smoothies, so my daughter suggested we make something fun with them. When I asked her what she meant by 'fun', she yelled,"CUPCAKES!!!". And there you have it...the banana cupcakes were born. Of course, we had to add chocolate chips because, well...we love chocolate and chocolate is FUN!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. mashed banana (about 3 medium)
1 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips

Frosting
2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. mashed banana (1 small)
3 tbsp. butter (softened)
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with nonstick spray.

Beat 1/2 c. butter for 30 seconds. Add in sugar and beat until well incorporated. Beat in eggs and 1 cup of mashed banana. When mixture is smooth, mix in flour and baking powder until combined. (I used half oat flour and half white flour.) The batter will be very thick, so don't fret! Stir in the chocolate chips, and then spoon the batter into the muffin cups.

Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes. Cool in muffin cups for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

For frosting, beat together the powdered sugar, 1/4 c. mashed banana, 3 tbsp butter, and the vanilla until smooth. Spread over cooled cupcakes, and sprinkle with chocolate chips, if it suits you!

Lemon Basil Creme Brulee'

Who loves Basil?

Who loves Creme Brulee'?

Who thought of marrying them?

Me neither!

The other day, my friend, Michelle brought me a Ziploc plastic bag filled with pure garden gold ...

Basil

Deep green, fragrant, home-grown basil.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

We discussed the obvious uses for this magnificent herb - pesto being the number one choice - but then she mentioned that she had been served a Basil Creme Brulee' at a restaurant once.

Ding, Ding, Ding!

The baking bells were ringing in my head as I googled "basil creme brulee." Since our next Food Tasting Party was this weekend and the subject was "Uncommon Fruits" I decided on this Basil Creme Brulee' because it paired the basil with lemon - which is a fruit - and one of my favorite flavors in the whole wide world.

I know, lemon is not uncommon, but I didn't care - I was already in love with the idea and had already made up my mind. This was going to be the birthday dessert for one of our party guests, Brad who was celebrating his 34th birthday.

Turns out, Brad looooves basil and lemon and he LOVED my Lemon Basil Creme Brulee'!

And he wasn't the only one!

Toot! Toot!


Lemon Basil Creme Brulee'

1-1/4 Cups Heavy Cream
One Tablespoon Lemon Zest
One Tablespoon Basil, chopped
1/2 of a Lemon, juiced
One Tablespoon Honey
4 Egg Yolks
One Tablespoon Sugar
6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is pale yellow and slightly foamy. Set aside.
In a medium pot, bring honey and lemon zest to a boil. When the honey has come to a boil add the lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add the heavy cream to the honey and let it warm up to boiling point ( or until you see bubbles forming around the edges). Lower the heat and stir in the chopped basil.
Remove the cream mixture from the heat and slowly, gradually whisk in the yolk mixture. Make sure to whisk constantly to prevent hot liquid from curdling the yolks.
Strain the mixture into a large bowl and then use this to fill the ramekins. Place the ramekins into a large roasting pan and pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up their sides.
Bake just until the creme brulee' is set. but still jiggly in the center....about 45 minutes.
Remove ramekins from the roasting pan and allow to cook to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
When ready to serve, sprinkle brown sugar evenly on top of each creme and then using a torch melt the sugar and form a crispy top.

Tortellini Pasta Salad

I went to a party for food, fun, and friends and this little number was sitting quietly among the buffet of food, calling out to me in a thin whisper, "Try me, try me...I'm fresh, fun, and delicious."

Well, I heeded the call and served myself some tortellini and tomatoes. It did not sit on my plate alone though, it happily shared space with salads, wraps, and dessert - which all pleased my palate - but none stole my heart like the Tortellini. That is why I must share it with you today.

♫ Tor * Ta * Lee * Nee ♫


Tortellini Pasta Salad

2 Family Size Cheese Tortellini Packages
One Container Quality, Fresh, Pesto
2 Pints Cherry Tomatoes, halved
3-6 Ounces Spinach, Torn in pieces
Red Onion, Chopped
Italian Dressing

Bring large pot of water to a boil. Cook tortellini for 7 minutes - al dente! Drain and place in large bowl. Add pesto, tomatoes, spinach, and red onion. Add Italian dressing as needed. Do NOT use too much Italian dressing because you really want the pesto to shine with this salad.

That's it! I don't know how I could have made it easier for you. You could make it more difficult by making your own pesto sauce, but I'm sure you would agree that the extra effort would be more than worth it!


♫ Tor * Ta * Lee * Nee ♫

Pepper Sirloin Steak

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

We're sure that being the 4th of July, you all are attending cookout after cookout, celebrating the birth of our great nation. And maybe you're as lucky as we are and have tomorrow off as well!! This next recipe is one of our favorites for grilling season...and we really think you'll like it if you give it a chance.

The first time we made these, Barry came in from grilling and exclaimed, "Holy cow! I don't know what's going on with those steaks, but the flames are all OVER them!" That was when Sheri and I started cracking up and informed him that the 1/2 cup butter they were drenched in might have something to do with that! So watch the flames, folks!

Pepper Sirloin Steak

2 1/2 lb. sirloin steak
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. fresh parsley OR 4 tsp. dried
1/4 c. minced onion
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Lightly score the edges of steak at 1" intervals and preheat grill. Combine butter, parsley, onion, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and mustard in small saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly, over low heat, until butter melts. Reserve 1/4 c. of this mixture.

Place steak on grill and brush with butter mixture. Cook, basting frequently, 6 minutes per side. Drizzle reserved butter mixture over steak, take a bite, and moan with pleasure!

Frozen Lemon Puff

5 eggs ( separate 3) - reserve whites
3/4 Cup Really Good Lemon Juice (I use Santa Cruz)
One Cup Sugar
Two Cups Whipping Cream
One Box Vanilla Wafers
Dash of Cream of Tartar
1/4 Cup Icing Sugar

If you love lemon with ALL your heart, then this Puff is for you!
Of course, if you have any affection for the flavor of lemons at all,
you're gonna want to try this too.

The first time I made this recipe, I thought the idea of simply placing vanilla wafers at the bottom of the pan and up the sides as whole wafers without crumbling them and adding butter was absolutely ridiculous! I reread the directions over and over again to make sure I was reading it correctly. When I decided to do as the recipe asked, there were bare spots peaking through everywhere - not a very trustworthy crust as far as I was concerned. But, since I completely trusted the source of this recipe ( Best of Bridge Cookbook), I followed the instructions with blind faith. I ask that you do the same.

First, whisk two of the eggs fast and furiously. Add 3 egg yolks, all 3/4 cup of the lemon juice, and sugar to the beaten eggs and pour in a double boiler - stir constantly over medium heat, until thick. Let this cool down a bit.

Meanwhile, whip the two cups of cream until it becomes ‘whipped cream’. Then, using a spatula, fold the lemon/egg mixture into the whipped cream. Now, pour this lemon cloud of cream into that springform pan that’s lined with the vanilla wafers. Beautiful, isn’t it?

We’re not done yet, though.

Beat the three egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and sugar. Beat again until peaks are stiff. Spread this over the lemon layer and place in the oven under the broiler. Do NOT walk away from the stove! This is no time to get careless. Watch your lemon masterpiece carefully as the broiler lightly browns your meringue in a matter of seconds. It might be wise to keep the oven door open, just so time doesn’t slip away, and you find yourself crying in the corner over the dessert you destroyed.

When you’ve successfully browned your meringue, cover it with foil - making sure it doesn’t touch that meringue - and freeze your Lemon Puff for eight hours or longer. Remove from the freezer at least 1-1/2 hours before serving.

This dessert is light and lemony and luscious! In fact, if I had my way, I would totally give it a more fabulous and suitable name. I would call it "Luscious Lemon Dream Puff"!


You’ll find as you remove the sides of a standard size springform pan that each little wafer serves as a perfect guideline for serving sizes. No pigging out today!

It must be said that for those who typically use Cool Whip or Dream Whip instead of whipping their own cream, Jen and I say “enter at your own risk“, because we can't vouch for the results. It might turn out just fine, but we don’t recommend it. (don’t do it)

Our Vanilla Wafers came from the health food store and they worked great!
(just trying to stay away from the hydrogenated stuff)

Once, I used 3 little mini-sized springform pans to make three smaller "dream puffs". You can make them as big or small as you want or as short or tall as you like, because you don't have to worry about baking time. I love recipes that have creative wiggle room like that!

If truth be told, I'm not a big meringue fan - never understood all the fuss. So, for the baby sized Puff, I punched up the zing factor by making the balsamic strawberries from our Valentine's Day post, drained them a bit and draped them lovingly all over the Puff - talk about adding a little razzle dazzle! It looked so purdy that I used its picture to lead off this recipe instead of the plain Jane Lemon Puff. Sorry Plain Jane. Sorry to all of you. I guess you're just going to have to imagine what the meringue looks like.....

Wow! Blueberry is Beauuuutiful too!


Frozen Lemon Puff

5 eggs ( separate 3 ) reserve whites
3/4 cup lemon juice
One cup sugar
Two cups whipping cream
Vanilla wafers- one box
Dash of cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar

Whisk two eggs. Add 3 egg yolks, lemon juice, & sugar in double boiler until thick - (15-20 minutes) - stirring constantly. COOL. Whip cream and fold in lemon mixture. Line sides and bottoms of springform pan with vanilla wafers. Pour mixture over wafers.
Beat 3 egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and sugar. Beat until peaks are stiff. Spread on the lemon mixture and brown under broiler briefly. Cover with foil making sure it doesn't touch the meringue. Freeze eight hours or more. Remove from freezer at least 1-1/2 hours before serving. Take off foil immediately.

Barbara Bush's Barbecued Chicken! Again!

Lordy, lordy, folks...belly up to the bar for this dish, and hurry up 'cause it won't last long!

A few years ago we had a Memorial Day cookout and decided to try barbecued chicken, since Hometown Cooking magazine had just featured this recipe, touted as Barbara Bush's favorite. Now, I should mention that I am not normally a fan of barbeque sauce on anything, much less chicken. I was the kid who asked my dad (every SINGLE TIME) to just grill mine plain, or basted with butter. But once we found this recipe, everything changed. Well, not totally, because I still don't like barbeque sauce much, but homemade barbeque sauce? And on chicken? Oh yeah, I like it. I like it A LOT. And Sheri wholeheartedly agrees. And my hubby? Well, yeah...let's just say that he will eat barbeque sauce on anything and everything, and yet he completely drools over this. So get out your chicken, peeps...it's time to get grillin'!

Barbara Bush's Barbecued Chicken

2 1/2 to 3 lb broiler-fryer chicken, quartered
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 c. water
1 c. coarsely chopped onion
1/2-3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. prepared yellow mustard
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. Worcestershire sauce
6-8 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper

Place chicken in a plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For the marinade, stir together 3 tablespoons lemon juice, cooking oil, salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and garlic. Pour over the chicken and close bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, turning often.

In a saucepan, combine water, onion, sugar, butter, mustard, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir in ketchup, Worcestershire, 6-8 tablespoons lemon juice, and ground red pepper. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes or until reduced to about 4 cups.

Meanwhile, drain chicken, discarding marinade. In a grill with a cover, arrange preheated coals around a drip pan. Test for medium heat above the pan. Place chicken, bone side down, on grill rack over drip pan. Cover and grill for 50-60 minutes or until chicken is done. (170 degrees for breast meat and 180 degrees for thighs and legs), brushing often with barbecue sauce the last ten minutes of grilling.

To serve, pass the additional barbecue sauce around with the chicken and just wait for the ooooing and aaaahhhing to begin!

Sausage & Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

What's better than a nice big breakfast on a weekend morning? Big hearty breakfasts are a staple in my house, especially on Sunday mornings, so I'm always on the lookout for a good breakfast recipe that's easy to make and doesn't need any specialty items. Though the kids always request pancakes of some sort, I like to have a little variety on hand to encourage them to eat some protein. This breakfast casserole really fits the bill on all accounts! The only thing on the ingredients list that I might be missing on any given day is the cottage cheese...but hey, I'll pick some up just so we can make this savory dish!

Give it a try this weekend just for your family, or break it out when you have company...either way, everyone will be impressed and asking for seconds!


Sausage & Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

24 oz. frozen shredded hashbrowns
1/3 c. butter
1 1/2 tsp. beef flavor bouillon
1/2 lb. mild bulk sausage
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 c. chopped onion
3 eggs, beaten
1 c. small curd cottage cheese
1 c. mild cheddar, shredded

Preheat oven to 400. In a medium bowl, combine potatoes, butter, and bouillon. Spoon into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish; press on bottom and up sides to rim to form a crust. Bake for 25 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350. In a large skillet, cook sausage & onion, pour off grease, and remove from heat. Stir in the eggs, cottage cheese, bacon, and cheddar. Pour into prepared crust. Bake 30-35 minutes or until set, and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

♫ Sloppy Joe...♫ Slop-Sloppy Joe... ♫

From the Vault...

Sloppy Joe!
What a simple thing to do with hamburger to give it incredible flavor!

We' re definitely going to share with you a quick and flavorful recipe for Sloppy Joe , but in all honesty, we're sorta using the poor Joe to showcase our most fabulous and exciting new find - skinny buns!

We both HATE the fat buns of the world and have regretfully given up on eating sandwiches almost entirely. It's as if they were no longer a category of food for us to explore, which is sad because there are so many possibilities in the sandwich world. We have been denying ourselves the joy of eating sandwiches because of the big, fat, doughy buns, but not anymore!

These super thin buns are the greatest thing to be discovered in our "food world" since Jeni's Ice Cream! Now, whatever is being sandwiched between the bun can have center stage again, because Mr. Fat Bun is no longer the star of the show. The spotlight is back on the main event - in this case, the Sloppy Joe.

Speaking of Joe, why don't we make some Sloppy-style?

Just throw a pound and a half of ground chuck into a skillet and brown with one cup of onion. When thoroughly cooked, drain completely. Add one cup of ketchup, two teaspoons of chili powder, two tablespoons of sugar, and a swig of worcestershire sauce. Cook this all together slowly until the flavors completely infiltrate the hamburger. Add up to 1/4 cup of water if necessary to get the right consistency and moisture. (I add chopped zucchini sometimes just because I can.)

When Joe is good and sloppy, sandwich him between the ultra-skinny bun, add your condiments, and take a big bite of the new and improved way of eating sandwiches. Fabulous, isn't it?

Also, we would like to take a moment to first of all, thank Arnold who came up with the brilliant idea to re-invent and revive the sandwich for us - we are forever indebted to him. Next, I would like to thank my sister-in-law, Leanne for introducing us to this new and wonderful world of sandwich eating - We love you and your Sloppy Joe!

We were fortunate enough to get these Arnold Buns at our local grocery store and we can only hope and pray that wherever you are in this crazy world, that you can too!

♫ ♫ Sloppy Joe..... Slop-Sloppy Joe.. ♫


What's coming next?!?!?

Breakfast Hashbrown Casserole.... ☺

Frozen Lemon Yogurt

We've been hard-core lovers of ice cream - the kind that's overwhelmed with rich chocolate chunks, peanut butter and/or fudgey, gooey, good stuff - for most of our lives. But in the last few years, we've found ourselves ordering flavors that involve more fruit and yogurt - flavors that grab our attention with their pep and pizazz.

Please don't misunderstand - we have not abandoned the wonderful world of ice cream, but now that we are in our thirties, we have matured and so has our taste buds. We now have a greater appreciation for the fabulous flavor of Zing!

And zing is what you get with this simple Frozen Lemon Yogurt. It's flavor is so intense and alive, it's practically bursting at the seams.

Warning:
If you don't like lemon that walks right up and punches you square in the face, then this dessert might not be for you. It packs a fabulous punch of flavor that you'll feel throughout your whole body, so if you're not up for that kind of powerful experience, check back in tomorrow and we'll dial it down a bit.

Now, for those of you ready and excited to experience the "Zing Factor" I sure hope you have an ice cream maker. If you don't, you're going to need to borrow your neighbor's. Tell them you'll mow their lawn or watch their dog - whatever it takes! Better yet, promise them some Frozen Lemon Yogurt!

Lemon Frozen Yogurt

Two Cups Plain Yogurt
Six Tablespoons Lemon Juice (preferably freshly squeezed or Santa Cruz concentrate)
1/4 Teaspoon Grated Lemon Zest
One Cup Sugar

Mix those four ingredients together until sugar is dissolved. Place in ice cream maker for 20 minutes. Remove from ice cream maker and place in freezer container and let freeze overnight.

Remove Frozen Lemon Yogurt from the freezer, open the lid, grab a spoon, and prepared to be punched - and like it!

******

BUT, what if you didn't want the fun to end there? What if you had a brilliant flash of genius? What if you grabbed a box of Vanilla Wafers and smeared a large glob of your newly created frozen yogurt between two of them and created a mini sandwich of zing? How cool and absolutely delicious would that be?!

Just imagine what it would feel like to hold the mini zing stingers between your fingers....YUM.MEE!

Do you know what else tastes great between two of these organic vanilla wafers? The smooth, creamy filling from the Sensational Lemon Roll Jen made me for my birthday. I used the filling as an icing for a lemon layered cake I made for my nephew's birthday. When I had some left over, I gently spooned some of it between two of the wafers and froze them. They were deelish!!!


Coming Soon..... A Fabulous Pastistio