Respectable King Cake

Happy Carnaval!

It's just a few days past 12th Night (aka - 3 Kings Day/Epiphany), and it is now carnaval time in the NOLA (New Orleans, LA) area, leading up to Mardi Gras!

Parades happen all throughout, and many, many festivities!

As the hoopla is getting going, so is the desire for Cajun dishes.

Our family celebrates Mardi Gras (now), even though we've never been to the NOLA area during this time. My hubby has been there for some mission work to help with some cleanup from Hurricane Katrina, but that's the extent of it.

One of these days, I would love to go! I have an online friend that lives there & keeps me up-to-date. I want to go meet her, too. In the meantime, I recreate what I can, here in the midwest.

We usually make Dirty Rice around this time. I've made my own, but we tend to be convenient & use either Zatarain's or Knorr's. I add our own ground beef, sausage, bell peppers & celery when I make it.
Last year, we switched it up! We did a divided shrimp boil with potatoes, corn & sausage. YUM!! I also used Zatarain's Red Beans & Rice to accompany it. Sometimes we use Knorr's version of it, too.

I've also made some versions of a Hurricane mocktail. I even bought short hurricane vases to use as glasses to serve it up in! I just need to track down what I actually did for it. That's for another time.

I also added another Carnaval/Mardi Gras staple to the celebration last year. I finally faked a King Cake!! I say "faked" since I needed a shortcut to get the same type of result. I was trying to find which recipe I basically used from last year, but couldn't find it, or even very few others, due to links being gone/broken or now having a virus or spam attached to the link. Bummer. So, I remember the basis & was ready to do a test run as I attempt to make it a few times during this year's Carnaval as it leads up to Mardi Gras! I also research & try to do my best to recreate something as authentic or authentic-like as possible...even in short-cut mode...yet still respectable.

(check out some of my past Mardi Gras celebrations HERE)

Here's what I did:

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RESPECTABLE KING CAKE

Ingredients:

* 3 Cinnamon roll cans, with cream cheese icing (set aside)
* 2-3 T butter, melted
* 1/4 C brown sugar (not packed)
* 2-3 T ground cinnamon
* 1 T lemon juice or 1/2 tsp lemon extract
* sanding or decorating sugars in purple, green & gold/yellow (the darker colored, the better)
* 1 tiny plastic baby (without the King baby, it's only "cake")


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F or what your canned cinnamon roll packaging tells you

2. On a flat, clean, then floured surface, open the cans of cinnamon rolls, setting the icing packets aside for later, and use hands to squish it all together to create a lightly-kneaded cinnamon roll dough ball; I unrolled them all, first, then squished them together

3. With a rolling pin, gently roll out the dough ball so it makes one large rectangle-like shape, about 20-22" long; be careful not to make it too thin, maybe a quarter-inch to haf-inch thick

4. In a microwave-safe dish or bowl, melt the butter for just a few seconds; 20-30 seconds should probably do the trick

5. When the butter is melted, with a spoon or basting brush, "paint" the butter over the top side of the flattened cinnamon roll dough

6. Once the surface of the dough is covered in melted butter, sprinkle the surface with the brown sugar & ground cinnamon (you may not use all of it, but even sweeter if you do)

7. After the dough is covered with butter & brown sugar, begin tight-rolling the dough back up; start from one of the long sides & roll to the other - keep tucking & rolling (it may take some time depending on how long your dough is rolled out to be), until you have the dough rolled into a log

8. Take a bundt pan (or fluted pan) & spray it with cooking spray (I love using the one with flour already in it)

9. Carefully take your cinnamon roll dough log & snake it into the bundt pan, pinching the ends together, when it makes a full circle, to close it as best as you can; make sure the "seam" of the roll is facing upward in the pan

10. Place the pan with the cinnamon roll cake circle into the oven for about 20-30 minutes, until golden brown (check to make sure it's baked thru - not to "squishy")

11. While the cake bakes, take the packets of cream cheese icing & combine them together into a small bowl or directly into a small storage baggie

12. Add the lemon juice/extract (I used lemon juice) into the cream cheese icing, then mix it together (if it's in a small baggie, close the baggie & "mix" it by squeezing & "pinching" the mixture); set aside, best in the fridge until ready to use

13. Once the cake is done baking, remove from inside the oven & allow to cool IN THE PAN for about 10 minutes

14. After the cake is fairly cooled, take the tiny plastic baby & insert it SOMEWHERE in the cake

15. On a round plate or platter large enough for the cake, invert the cake pan onto the plate so the cake exits the pan & onto the plate/platter

16. When the cake is cool enough that icing won't melt when added to it, drizzle/spread the lemon-ized cream cheese icing over the top of the King cake (now there's the baby in it); if you are using a storage baggie with the mixture, cut a hole in one of the bottom corners of the baggie & squeeze the icing over the top of the King cake; let it "drip" down the sides, then use a little rubber spatula or small knife to even out the covering, if need be, depending on how thick the icing is

17. While the icing is still "wet", begin to sprinkle the sugars in alternating colors in a stripe pattern to adhere to the icing

18. Allow icing glaze to set & harden; about 30 minutes to an hour

19. Slice CAREFULLY (there's a baby in there!) & serve

No baby...just layers of sweet deliciousness...

See? There's a baby in there!

Yield: up to 18 (depending how small you cut the pieces)

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The pics, above, are from my early test-run. After I went thru all the steps I need to so I could remember what the heck I'd done before, I now know what I need to do differently the next time around. I will update this post when I have pics of the updated product. Use the ingredients I have listed!! It's what I will use next time around...
This time, I didn't use enough cinnamon rolls to make the cake a bit thicker & fuller, and maybe baking it a minute or so longer than I did this time.

My NOLA friend was kind enough to send me a couple of King babies to use in future cakes (yes, the one in the pic, above, is one of them). And, after I was worried how my King Cake looked last year, she saw the pics & said it looked like King Cake to her! WHEW! I do try really hard to get culture as authentic as I possibly can...within my skill set & resources.

(By the way, King Cake is also delicious the next morning for breakfast with your coffee. It's pretty much a beautifully decorated cinnamon roll. BOOM! You're welcome.)

Also, when you serve the cake in slices, whoever ends up with the baby usually gets a special prize or holds the next get-together...something. And they can keep the baby to use in their making of King Cake!

Someone is getting da baby...

Looks like it was my hubby who got da baby! Guess I need to figure something special. LOL!

Also, a little history in some of what's going on with the King Cake/Carnaval/King Cake colors...

Purple - Justice

Green - Faith

Gold - Power

On a semi-different, but totally the same, note, there were 3 gifts given by the magi to Baby Jesus, celebrated on Three Kings Day/12th Night (aka - the 12th day of Christmas), which is January 6th. Even though the Bible states 3 gifts given, it's often depicted as 3 wise men, one to bring each gift...even though it's never stated how many magi showed up. It's plural...so there were at least 2, but not sure how many for sure.

Some have pointed out that the colors of Mardi Gras/Carnaval also seem to represent the gifts:

Gold - gold

Green - frankincense

Purple - myrrh 

And they were on their journey to find Baby Jesus (aka - King Baby), which actually took them 1-2 years after Jesus was born. Interesting fact! Right?

Oh! You need to remember...the cake without the baby is just "cake"! Maybe a Carnaval Cake?? Can we make that a thing that sticks in case you don't have the baby but want to make the cake? You'd still respect the cake. Amm-i-rite?

See? An easy-peasy recipe AND we learned a little something! You're welcome.

Hope you enjoy it & make it a few times between now (or beginning January 6th) thru Mardi Gras!

Laissez les bon temps rouler!
(That's French for "Let the good times roll!")

ENJOY!

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UPDATE:

I finally got around to doing a cake with the right amounts of stuff & a couple of tweaks.

Isn't it beautiful? Yeah it is!

I have figured out that I should bake this for about 25 minutes in MY oven. I still say start checking at 20, and keep it in, if needed, for around 30 minutes. Each oven is a bit different. You want golden brown & not super squishy. I slightly over baked this one by leaving it in for the full 30 minutes without checking. Hey...I was multitasking...and just forgot. Thank God for the timer!

Also, when I prepared the icing glaze, I also added some extra powdered sugar to insure it was less runny. I added about a quarter of a cup & squished it in with the cream cheese icing & lemon juice. It worked like a charm! A perfect dripping without running. And it gave a beautiful canvas for the colors.

I decided to make the colors pop a bit more with one of my favorite decorating tools: spray color.

Yes. When my kiddos want me to bake a cake that I have to cover in a color, I turn to this Wilton product to just spray...and it gives a fun, airbrushed, artistic look to it. Just watch where you use them, wear an apron for protection, and spray. They are aerosol cans, so it will have particles floating...so just make sure you watch where it goes. I love them. And I just happen to have colors I needed for the cake!

So, with the thicker white icing with the colors sprayed was already awesome looking...but you know I was adding the colored sugar, too! And I wound up with a bold color cake! So happy with it!!

But I'm going to make a confession about this update, I didn't put the baby in it. So it's what I consider "Carnaval Cake". It looks like King Cake...but it doesn't have the baby.

And even with it being slightly over-baked (it was NOT burned), this turned out fabulously! I cannot wait to do it again & I am now satisfied with my cake, whether it be Kinged or just Carnival.

Hope you enjoy trying this, too! BOOM!

New Year's Day Dishes

So it's a New Year. You've been told you need to eat things like:
          Black Eyed Peas/Beans
          Pork
          Greens
          Circles

Amm-i-rite?

Now you've got those kiddos (or adults) who scrunch up their nose at you at the very thought. Right? We've all got 'em.

I enjoy making a one-dish-covers-all kind meal. And you can put those extra things in there without being full on detected. Much like the NEW YEAR'S HAM & BEANS I make. Seriously, there are some who wouldn't eat black eyed peas or kale (like I used last year), but when I put them in the ham & beans, those same people went back for seconds!

Happened this year, too. So glad! A newbie to my ham & beans said they were pleasantly surprised by the vegetable addition. And I added in extra dark red kidney beans as well as using collard greens instead of kale. Still so good...

You know, if you don't want to do ham & beans, I know some who will put these things into a chili! You can add bacon bits to the chili to cover the pork, too!

OK, I'm going to admit something to you. Until the beginning part of last year, I'd never heard of a thing called Hoppin' John. Seriously. Have you? Since it apparently involves rice, I thought of it as another option for those who don't want full-on ham & beans!

So I began to research. You know what I found out? Americans can sure screw things up! I found a lot of "traditional" Hoppin' John recipes out there, but as I dug further, I discovered it's not actually spicy & doesn't have a bunch of extra ingredients! It's also not supposed to be mushy. It's just simply supposed to be bacon (or ham or sausage) in beans & rice, cooked together, adding each ingredient at a different time. The only seasoning is maybe a little salt & some pepper. It's should be served with a side of collard greens, but since I'm a one-dish-covers-it kind of gal (remember?), I thought I'd add in some of the collard greens with the Hoppin' John.

Also, you can have small red peas/cowpeas that are basically red black-eyed peas! BOOM! Now they are interesting to look at, too.

Dried small red peas/cowpeas...see the black eyes??

Since I have a non-pork eater, I thought I'd add in some liquid smoke, butter, and then some turkey bacon bits. No, it's not pork, but we still worked in the bean & greens thing. So, there's that. And? My daughter LOVED it!! I asked her if I should add in some of the extra veggies & spices others have done, and she said no! She loved the comforting taste & feel of the dish. YAY! This is coming from a girl who doesn't even like beans...but she had several bowls of it! YAY!

Simple, non-pork Hoppin' John

I also had an idea! I had a wonderful, "awful" idea! Stay with me...

Since we have already been trying to eat better around here, and with the running my hubby & I have been doing, I really wanted a dessert that we could really enjoy, yet not feel horrible about! Many of the after-workout protein bars are already like a candy bar, so how could I give an awesome protein follow-up punch to a good run? BROWNIES! Right?

If you know me, you know I will celebrate about ANY holiday to the hilt! It's food, attire, activities, color schemes...everything. With the new year ringing in within hours, I was planning how this year could be different than last year.

Last year I became fully aware of the "Color of the Year," put out by Pantone (go figure), for the defining color of the new year...even with the definition!
Our family began a new tradition, last year, of starting the new year with a casual get-together with great, positive people while enjoying edible new year's traditions together. It was delightfully uplifting! I also decided to use the 2014 color of the year, Radiant Orchid, to decorate a tree with for display. We took down our other trees, but I left up a little tinsel tree adorned with purples, pinks, fuchsias...all in the Radiant Orchid color palette. It was a lot of fun to have up. So, we decided to renew the tradition for 2015!

The Color of the Year, from Pantone, is Marsala! Yes, like the wine. A deep, robust & earthy red-brown. It's very lovely. So I decided to focus on the color for this year's gathering. I left up a small tree to decorate in a lovely deep red with golds & greens, feathers & sparkle. It's rather elegant.

Along the same color lines, I decided to find more for the edible portion of the holiday. Much like those red black-eyed peas being a perfect fit! I'm also added those dark red kidney beans to the ham & beans, along with the Hoppin' John, of course, for the same reason. So why stop there? Why not with the brownies, too??

For the first time, this past year, I heard about bean brownies. Yes...the brownies where you add a can of black beans (or cannellini beans, etc.) to a brownie mix, or homemade brownie batter, for a fiber-filled, protein-filled yummalicious treat! Or so I've heard...
Well, I decided I would make a protein-packed, fiber-filled red velvet cake brownies!!

How can you go wrong with ingredients like these?



Here's what I did...

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RED VELVET PROTEIN BROWNIES

Ingredients:

* 1/2 lb. dried small red peas/cowpeas, soaked, drained & rinsed
* 1 can dark red kidney beans, NOT drained
* 1 C red quinoa
* 5 C water
* 1/2 C plain non-fat Greek yogurt (vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt for sweeter taste)
* 1 box red velvet cake mix
* 1 pkg fudge brownie mix
* 1 bag chocolate chips (dark best, but any will work) OR 1 bag peanut butter chips; divided
* 1/4 C natural creamy peanut butter (if not using peanut butter chips)

** Used a food processor and standing mixer for this recipe


Directions:

~ Soak dry beans in water, placed in the fridge, for about 8 hours

~ Remove beans from fridge, drain & rinse (check for pebbles)

~ Place drained & rinsed beans in a medium saucepan, then cover with 5 C water


~ Bring water in saucepan to a boil, then lower burner to low & cover with lid (kept tilted) and allow to simmer until beans are tender (abut 1 1/2-2 hours)

~ In the las 30 minutes of the beans cooking, add in the quinoa (you can rinse if you'd like, first - I didn't)

~ Once beans are cooked thru & the quinoa has expanded, take off the burner to cool for several minutes (may have standing water...which is OK)

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

~ When the bean & quinoa mixture has cooled significantly, transfer to the bowl of your food processor

~ Open the can of dark red kidney beans, and add all contents into the food processor

~ Turn on the food processor (I used the chop setting) until mixture is a creamy consistency

~ Stop the process, open the food processor, then add the Greek yogurt

~ Close lid & start the food processor back up to incorporate the yogurt into the mixture

~ When all the beans, quinoa & yogurt are creamed together, stop the food processor

~ Put the contents of the cake mix & brownie mix into the bowl of the standing mixer

~ Transfer the bean mixture into the standing mixer bowl

~ Incorporate the mixes, chips & bean mixture on low in the standing mixer

~ Add in about 1/2-2/3 of the chocolate chip (or peanut butter chip) bag to the batter slowly

~ While it all mixes, spray a 9"x13" cake pan with cooking spray or lay down parchment paper

~ Once all the ingredients are good & mixed, pour it into the prepared cake pan - it will be thick! You will probably want to spread it with a rubber spatula.

~ Place the filled cake pan into the oven for about 25 minutes, until cake brownies are firm to the touch (may do the toothpick/knife test, but it may not come out completely clean)

~ While the brownies bake, melt the remaining chocolate chips with the peanut butter (or just the peanut butter chips); I put the remaining chips from the bag into a small bowl with the peanut butter, then put the bowl in a slightly larger bowl filled half-way with water, then placed in the microwave for 2 minutes - when done, I took out the bowl with the chocolate & peanut butter, then stirred them until completely incorporated & smooth (you may use a stovetop method if you so choose)

~ When the brownies are done, take out of the oven & allow to cool for about 10 minutes

~ Once the brownies are cooled enough to touch without burning yourself, carefully cut it up into smaller squares (I cut mine into 24 brownies)

~ Either with a spoon for drizzling, or placing the chocolate/peanut butter mixture into a small plastic storage bag with a tiny hole cut on the corner, begin to drizzle the mixture over the cut brownies

~ Allow to set for about 1 hour while the drizzle harden

~ Serve or keep covered with foil


** Perfect to grab with a glass of chocolate milk after your next workout

Yield: about 24 servings

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When I tried them, I had a partial bag of chocolate chips that I used for the topping. I didn't have any to put IN the brownies. Also, I used the plain non-fat Greek yogurt...I want to try the vanilla. Without the chocolate chips & extra vanilla flavoring, these are a rich consistency, but are not sweet at all! So if you are not big on sweets, and still want a treat for after your long run, well...here you go!

Either way...they are rich & have a great moist texture!

So, with a new year setting in, and if you have a resolution to begin getting in shape, or if you are looking forward to staying in shape, consider these to have as guilt-free muscle rebuilding! It's also a beautiful color that coincides with the 2015 color of the year!! YUM!! Plus, the beans, quinoa, Greek yogurt & peanut butter will give you a power-protein-punch!! BOOM!

Now have a happy & blessed new year!

Oh, and do me a favor and NOT tell my kiddos they were enjoying beans & quinoa for dessert! OK? Thanks...

ENJOY!

Navidad Chicken Enchiladas

This year was a big year for my hubby & me. We celebrated 20 years of meeting & dating! We met right before Christmas & went on our first date the day after Christmas. Isn't that sweet?

We were reminiscing about that time when it was brought up how giddy I was that I got a call from him on Christmas day! *SWOON* And I vividly remember him talking about what his family was having to eat on Christmas: Enchiladas.

Folks, there is not a drop of Mexican blood in him. So I told him, as we reminisced, about how weird I thought he & his family were for being so non-traditional. HA!!

What made this reminiscing conversation so funny was the fact that, 20 years later, we had decided that enchiladas for Christmas would be the easiest...especially since everyone on his side of the family loves them, too. Even funnier? It was MY idea to have the enchiladas!

Something we decided to try, quite some time back, was chicken enchiladas. His family has always done ground beef ones, so venturing to something a little better for us was taking some thinking. We also decided to add sour cream to them for an added layer of flavor. We love them!! But with us taking up running & trying so hard to be better, we bumped up the nutritional factor. Even for Christmas!

Not only did we make them slightly better for us, they also looked delightfully festive!

So, for our own Fiesta Feliz Navidad, here's what we did:

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NAVIDAD CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Ingredients:

* 2 lb chicken breasts (thawed if frozen)
* 2 pkg McCormick's original taco seasoning (less sodium version)
* 1 1/2 C chunky salsa or picante sauce
* 1 T liquid smoke (optional)
* 1 pkg of 6 Mission Spinach & Herb tortillas (yes, they are green)
* 2 pkg McCormick's enchilada sauce mix (to package directions)
          * 1 can tomato sauce
          * 3 C water
* apprx. 1 1/2 C Nonfat Greek yogurt, plain
* 2 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
* 2 C mozzerella cheese, shredded


Directions:

1. In your trusty lazy cooker, spray the insert with cooking spray, then place the fresh or thawed chicken breasts into the lazy cooker insert.

2. Sprinkle the chicken with the contents of the taco seasoning packets (or you can use your own seasoning).

3. Pour in the salsa or picante sauce, along with liquid smoke (if using).

4. Close the lid & allow to cook for at least 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high.

5. At the end of the cooking time, open the lid & stir the mixture until the chicken is broken up into tiny pieces & at least most of the liquid as disappeared.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

7. With the enchilada packets, water & tomato sauce, make the enchilada sauce to package directions.

8. In a 9x13" cake pan, coat all of the inside with cooking spray, then ladle in some of the enchilada sauce to just cover the bottom of the pan.

9. Open the Greek yogurt & make sure it's stirred well, and then open the package of spinach & herb tortillas.

10. Take one tortilla, spread one side liberally with Greek yogurt (I use a rubber spatula).

11. Hold the coated tortilla by an edge, cupped in your hand, yogurt side up, then scoop some of the chicken mixture into the tortilla cupped in your hand, then it becomes easier to roll.

Photo for technique reference

12. As stated in the last step, begin to roll the tortilla from the cupped side to the other, then place outer flap side down into the pan, all the way against the 9" side, and press firmly into the sauce.

13. Repeat steps 10-12 until all 6 tortillas are coated, filled, rolled & placed side-by-side in the cake pan, pressed firmly into the sauce at the bottom of the pan.

14. Once all 6 tortillas are filled, rolled & are laying, hopefully tightly, into the pan, cover the enchilada rolls with more of the enchilada sauce.

15. Take the 2 cups of either the cheddar or mozzarella cheese & cover the entire top of the enchilada surface.

16. Repeat step 15 with the other 2 cups of cheese.

17. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until all the cheese is perfectly melted.

18. Pull the pan out of the oven, then cut the enchiladas down the middle (short side to short side) so that 6 large enchiladas become 12 smaller enchiladas.

19. Serve up 2 halves at a time.

20. Consume the deliciousness!


Yield: 6-12 (depending on how you serve them up)

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We have usually made these, like I stated before, with sour cream & in either flour or whole wheat tortillas, which you can certainly use! Lately we have switched out the sour cream with Greek yogurt, and we love it! Also, the spinach & herb tortillas not only added beautiful festive color to our Christmas dinner, but gave yet another layer of flavor that was awesome!!

As a note: My hubby & I work as a team on these at assembly time! I coat the tortillas with the Greek yogurt/sour cream, then he takes them to fill with the chicken & roll them to put in the pan. If you have someone to work with you on these, do it!

We only made one pan & didn't have any left.

There were ground beef enchiladas, in flour tortillas, also served up. So we had a delightful variety for our fiesta de Navidad! Even this filling option for those who still wanted to try to be good with their eating during the holiday.

I seriously cannot wait to do this version of this chicken variety again! So. Good.

These are also perfect for Cinco de Mayo, Grito de Dolores, Dia de los Muertos, or any time you want or need a Mexican fiesta, like Navidad. You can also use any of these recipes HERE!

Hope you had the merriest of Christmases with loved ones, and may the new year be a blessed & prosperous for you!

** If you want to look ahead to a perfect New Year's Day dish, try my NEW YEAR'S HAM & BEANS!

ENJOY!

Thanksgiving Sangria

This year was the first year my hubby & I hosted ALL of Thanksgiving.

For the last several years, we have hosted my side for brunch, then we head out to his side for the afternoon/evening feast.

This time, we had the brunch with my side AND the afternoon feast with my hubby's side at our house. Worked for us! We didn't have to go ANYWHERE!! We took care of the large portion of the brunch, then we switched gears & cooked the meats (turkey and ham), I made the green beans in a deconstructed green bean casserole, hubby made his late father's jello salad, and I made my holiday cranberries (recipe HERE).

I had come across several beautiful drinks that folks had made for their own family feasts. Sangrias seemed to be a perfect topper to the dinner, and I'd had a lovely sangria at my hubby's & my favorite restaurant a few months ago. So I decided that we needed to keep chilled out with the family. I tend to stress out with so much prep, so I had hoped to chill myself out, mostly, and anyone of the big kids who wanted to join in, too.

I researched several fall sangria recipes, like I do, and came up with this:

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THANKSGIVING SANGRIA

Ingredients:

1 bottle Riesling

1/2 C apple juice (optional...cuz I just needed to empty out the jug & it worked)

1 1/2 C apple cider

1 1/2 C cran-apple juice

1 bottle sparkling apple cider

1/3 C granulated sugar

about 1 C fresh cranberries (or about half a bag)

1 red apple (your choice - I used Red Delicious), cored & chopped

1 yellow apple (like Golden Delicious), cored & chopped

1 pear (I used apple pear), cored & chopped

few sprigs fresh rosemary

1 can or bottle hard cider (added at the last minute)

Directions:

In a large pitcher (I used a gallon-sized pitcher), add all of the ingredients, minus the hard cider, stir well, cover with a lid, plastic wrap or foil, then let it steep in the refrigerator for several hours.

Right before serving, remove from the fridge, add in the hard cider CAREFULLY and slowly (I used Redd's Wicked Apple Ale). Give one more good stir.

Into cups or wine goblets, it would be easiest to ladle in the sangria & some fruit rather than pour from the pitcher. 

This is a good, big batch for a large group of people. 

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I was so hoping it would turn out OK. I've never done a sangria before. Before I could do some quality control, there were already a few diving right into it! And then I could hear them saying, "Mmmmm!! This is really good!!" And I know it must've been true since they went back for more! I did, too.

Note to self: start the sangria steeping the night before so there's an even better blend of flavors. I'll keep it in mind as I plan my Christmas sangria!

 Definitely a new tradition for the feast!! *CHEERS*

ENJOY!

Sopapilla Icebox Cheesecake

WOW! The Strawberry Icebox Cheesecake I made a few days ago went over SO well (recipe HERE), it actually inspired me to try to make more icebox cakes.

With the cheesecake mix I made, along with the graham crackers, I got thinking about another icebox cake to give a whirl. I was trying to find a good recipe for what I wanted to do..but alas...and as usual...nothing came up. So, I decided to give this super easy, still healthy, and Mexican-dessert-inspired icebox cake!

Here's what I did:

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SOPAPILLA ICEBOX CHEESECAKE

Ingredients:

* 1 32 oz. tub of Fat Free Greek Yogurt - Vanilla

* 2 boxes sugar free/fat free cheesecake Jell-O instant pudding mix

* 9 cinnamon graham crackers - halved (to make 18 squares)

* 1 8 oz. tub fat free Cool Whip topping, thawed

* 2-3 T honey
* 1 t cinnamon (for topping)

Directions:

1.In a large mixing bowl, combine the entire tub of Greek yogurt & both boxes of pudding mix; stir well (it will be VERY thick)

2. Lightly spray a baking or trifle dish, about 8x8, with cooking spray (either butter or vegetable)

3. Line the bottom of the dish with 9 graham squares, cinnamon side down

4. CAREFULLY use a spoon or spoonula to spread all of the cheesecake mixture over the top of the graham layer; don't forget this mixture is THICK, so spread carefully

5. Once all the cheesecake mix is spread into a thick layer, take the other half of the graham squares and lay them on top, cinnamon side up

6. Add the honey in with the whipped topping, stir very well until well blended

7. Spoon and spread the honey-flavored whipped topping over the top graham layer until completely covered

8. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top the whipped topping layer (I also added some of the stray graham crumbs to the top, too)

9. Cover & place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, and probably up to 12 hours; usually it would be in the fridge overnight - just let it all soak & allow the graham crackers to make a soft crust

10. Serve

Yield: about 9-20 (depending on how small you make the pieces)

** NOTE: If you feel the cheesecake mixture is TOO thick to work with, add about half a cup skim milk to help thin it out & still not take away from how good it is for

Also, if you want to use just the whipped topping for the top layer & just drizzle the honey over each piece, you can certainly do that. I won't be there to stop you.

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This went over pretty well! It was a good fit to finish off some grilled Mexican Chicken that my hubby fixes. My youngest liked the strawberry version better, but still was good overall.

With it being Mexican-inspired, I say make it to serve for Cinco de Mayo (perfect warm-weather dish), for Dios de los Muertos, your Navidad get-together...or anytime you feel like throwing this super easy dessert together along with any of these Mexi-dishes (HERE)!!

ENJOY!

Strawberry Icebox Cheesecake - A Healthier Take

The last several months, I have been trying to find more super-easy, total fake out kind of recipes for meals or desserts.

Pinterest is the PERFECT place to go, of course. And I also wanted some simpler-times type of old school inspired stuff to try. The very June-Cleaver-type of appearance...but with the "I Love Lucy" kind of outcome/spin. That's kind of how I work!

I discovered these old icebox cake recipes. I hadn't had a chance to make any yet, but was so wanting to try at least one! So, I started searching out several.

You know what? So many I found used cookies, pudding/custard, candy...all the makings for guilt-induced feelings from gorging on something SO decadent! And...I've got a weakness for decadent.

What could I do to make this decadent dessert not make me feel so bad for all the hard work I've been doing with getting in shape & running. I don't want to feel like I need to run 10 miles to work off a scoop of dessert, especially when I've barely run 5 miles at once.

We are trying to eat better at our house, anyway. So, I begin to plan what this super easy & relatively good-for-you dessert might actually look like.

Well, here's what I did:

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STRAWBERRY ICEBOX CHEESECAKE

A Healthier Take

Ingredients:

* 1 32 oz. tub of Fat Free Greek Yogurt - Vanilla

* 2 boxes sugar free/fat free cheesecake Jell-O instant pudding mix

* 9 low fat honey graham crackers - halved (to make 18 squares)

* 1 32 oz. tub of frozen sliced strawberries in sugar, thawed (the only bad part of the whole thing)

* 1 8 oz. tub fat free Cool Whip topping, thawed

* several strawberries, rinsed & halved (optional for topping)

Directions:

1.In a large mixing bowl, combine the entire tub of Greek yogurt & both boxes of pudding mix; stir well (it will be VERY thick)

2. Lightly spray a baking or trifle dish, about 8x8, with cooking spray (either butter or vegetable)

3. Line the bottom of the dish with 9 graham squares

4. CAREFULLY use a spoon or spoonula to spread about half of the cheesecake mixture over the top of the graham layer; don't forget this mixture is THICK, so spread carefully

5. Spoon about half of the sliced strawberries in their syrup over the cheesecake layer; try to make it as even as possible

6. Repeat steps 3-5

7. Once all the layers are in the dish, spoon & carefully spread the whipped topping over the top strawberry layer

8. If using fresh strawberries for the top, rinse & cut in half or into quarters & arrange on the whipped topping layer as desired

9. Cover & place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, and probably up to 12 hours; usually it would be in the fridge overnight - just let it all soak & allow the graham crackers to make a soft crust

10. Serve

Yield: about 9-20 (depending on how small you make the pieces)

** NOTE: If you feel the cheesecake mixture is TOO thick to work with, add about half a cup skim milk to help thin it out & still not take away from how good it is for

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See? Pretty, delicious, and you won't feel guilty about having a big piece of this!

And it went over SO well!! A total win!

It's also given me inspiration to try another like this. When I make it, I promise to share!

ENJOY!

Fish Schlop (Ship-Schlop)

One of these days, I want to make a simple Irish stew, Fish Coddle. If you've ever seen pictures of it, it's beautiful! But it's supposed to be super messy to eat as you use whatever seafood you have around...and it tends to include oysters, mussels, lobster claws, crab legs, etc. Yes, a lot of shell fish. And it's served up WITH the shells!

I don't have shell fish just laying around like that. And I'm not going to pay that much more to stock up on crab, lobster & oysters to make it. Not right now, anyway.

I still love Dublin Coddle (click for my recipes I've done HERE), but we had some frozen fish that I wanted to use. We are trying to pick up eating seafood a bit more habitually, so I wondered how this would turn out.

This would also be awesome for International Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th), too (like what I've done before HERE)! So would the Fish Coddle, but if "...nobody ain't got money for that," maybe give this a try! I used the Fish Coddle as a base (HERE), and here's what I did:

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FISH SCHLOP

(SHIP-SCHLOP)

Ingredients:

1 carton vegetable or seafood stock/broth
1 big splash lemon juice or juice of 1 lemon
2 medium carrots, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 small potato (russet, sweet, etc.)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pepper (black or white)
Seasonings of choice (parsley, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, chives, etc.)
1/4 pound-ish of shell-less seafood: fillets, shelled shrimp, shelled crab meat, etc.


Directions:

* pour contents of the broth/stock carton into a large saucepan

* add in the lemon juice, salt, pepper & seasonings, bring mixture to a boil

* add in carrots, celery & onion to the pot, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until veggies are tender

* During the last 5 minutes, add in the seafood & allow to cook thru...but do NOT over cook! 5 minutes is about as long as you need.

* Top with a sprinkling of parsley flakes/leaves & serve with bread of choice

Yield: 4-6

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Super easy to make, especially if you want to use up that little bit of frozen seafood you have in your freezer. It's really light, and good for you! Did I mention the nourishment? Well, you get that, too!

Great for a lunch on a cool day, for sure. I sure liked it!

ENJOY!

Traditional Irish Soda Bread - Lazy Cooker

I'm all about getting traditional foods right. Like Irish food.

I have done some Irish & semi-authentic Irish fare (click HERE for recipes), and I had the itch to fix up a meal again. Yes, in July.

Now then, the last couple of St. Paddy's Day meals haven't included Irish Soda Bread for one reason or another. But I now have a solution! Make it in the lazy cooker!!

You cannot imagine how stoked I was to find some recipes for the lazy cooker. But most of them had the recipe ingredients WRONG! Irish Soda Bread is a mere 4 ingredients. It is said that if you add eggs, it's cake; if you add sugar, it's cake; if you add butter, it's probably cake. So I took the simplest & traditional recipe and did this:

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IRISH SODA BREAD

Traditional Recipe - Lazy Cooker

Ingredients:

* 4 C all purpose flour, plus some extra

* 2 tsp baking soda

* 1 tsp salt (table, kosher, sea - I used sea salt)

* 2 C buttermilk (or 2 C milk with 2 T vinegar - let set for 5-15 minutes before using)

Directions:

- In a large bowl, mix the 4 C flour, baking soda & salt together

- Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour in the buttermilk

- Stir it all together until it is a sticky ball of dough

- Take the dough & place it on a flat & lightly floured surface (this is the extra flour)

- Lightly knead the dough into a ball & slightly flatten

- Lightly spray the insert of your lazy cooker with cooking spray

          + NOTE: you can also lightly spray or grease a pan if it fits into your lazy cooker.

                          Check out the fit first, but the pan isn't needed.

                          Also, I used an older, round lazy cooker. Most are oval now & can be used.

- Place the dough ball into the lazy cooker

- Take a knife & make 2 long cuts, forming a cross on top of the dough ball, extending over the edges; make the cuts about a half to 1 inch deep

- Place the lid on the lazy cooker, make sure it's plugged in & set on low for 1 hour

- After 1 hour on low, turn the lazy cooker setting to high for another hour to hour & a half
(Or you can set on low for 4 hours)

- Turn off the lazy cooker, and carefully remove the bread from the lazy cooker insert onto a cooling rack or plate & allow to cool for a short time (you want to serve the bread warm)

- Serve 

* Can easily serve 8-10

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A couple of other recipes I had come across called for 1 & 3 quarters cups buttermilk. It wasn't enough & wish I had bumped it up to the 2 cups, so I put it in this recipe. 

You know what? This was a HUGE hit! My kiddos couldn't get enough of it, my hubby loved it, my parents couldn't get over it, and I was so stoked with how it turned out!! The texture was divine & was perfect for the meal.

SO simple, people! Nothing to complicate anything. Easy recipe, and let the lazy cooker do the rest. You will NOT be disappointed!

And I can now be sure to work it into my future St. Patrick's Day feasts. I'm delighted!

ENJOY!