Quick Coconut Curry

Phewf, we've had a long dry spell but we have still been cooking and are ready to rev things up. This proved to be a quick and tasty after-work-meal. That means little prep and a short cook time!

This mild coconut curry with just a very small kick of spice will please a crowd.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves approximately 4 adults

Ingredients

Combine a mix of your favorite veggies. To keep it quick, we used a frozen mix that included a few of our favorites:

Broccoli
Carrots
Green beans
Sugar snap peas
Water Chesnuts
Bell Pepper
Celery
Onion

We also quickly fried up and added a few mini sweet peppers to beef it up a bit.

Optional: Thai green basil


For the Curry:
1 Tablespoon coconut oil (can sub olive oil)
6 garlic cloves, diced
1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
1 pinch Cayenne or 1 dried red chili pepper, diced (can add more if you want more heat)
1 cup vegetable stock
2 cans coconut milk (can use Light for thinner curry)
Salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste (can use black pepper too)
Coconut, shredded
Cilantro, to garnish


Coconut Rice:
1 cup rice, white or brown
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water

*you can also use quinoa instead of rice


Directions

Add coconut oil and garlic to pan over medium heat. Once oil is melted add mixed veggies and fry for 2-3 minutes. You might need to fry for a few more minutes if veggies are frozen. Add ginger, curry powder, Cayenne, vegetable stock, coconut milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat slightly and cook for 10-15 minutes or until curry is hot and vegetables are tender.

Once the curry is simmering, add all coconut rice ingredients to a rice cooker (making sure to rinse your rice first). For more details about how to make coconut rice without a rice cooker see our post here - however, a rice cooker is totally worth it, especially if you are looking to make quick meals!

Serve curry over coconut rice (or quinoa) and top with coconut flakes and fresh cilantro.

Andersen's Tuscan Tomato Soup

This is a recipe that can be found at "La Jolla Groves" restaurant in Prove, UT. An up and coming restaurant that celebrated it's one year anniversary in July. I have never been but it seems to me like a hit soup you would find at a hip sandwich, soup, and salad restaurant like Zupas. Of all places, mom pulled this recipe out of a Zion's Bank magazine. I totally loved it!



Makes 1 gallon

3 TBsp Olive Oil
2 large onions, small dice
5 cups diced and seeded tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup basil pesto
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat oil in a medium-large soup pot. Add onions and cook over moderately low heat until completely translucent. Add tomatoes and allow to warm to a simmer. Add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes to allow for interchange of flavors. Add whipping cream. Add pesto. Blend to desired consistency in a food processor or blender. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Russian Cream

This is Andrea's delicious recipe.  She made this for Whitney's wedding shower (can't wait for my new sister-in-law to join the family!  Welcome Whitney!) and I had to make it a couple days later, I was craving it so much.  It almost tastes like crème brûlée.  Enjoy! (I know you will)

4 cups cream
2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon gelatin (plain, non-flavored) or a vegetarian substitute (agar, kudzu or others)
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups sour cream

Important: If you want to make a double batch, you will have to make 2 batches instead of doubling the ingredients as it will not set up properly.

In a small pot, mix sugar and gelatin (or gelatin substitute), then add cream.  Heat over medium heat until melted and smooth, but not boiling.  Cool to room temperature.  Add 2 cups sour cream and 1 tablespoon vanilla.  Hand-whisk, stirring vigorously, until it turns to an ivory color and there are no white specs.  Pour into a 9 x 13 pan and put into the fridge until set.  I used individual ramekins and it worked perfectly.


To serve, top with fresh fruit and sprinkle with brown sugar.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, copycat

This is the zuppa toscana copycat recipe that has been floating around the internet for some time. I hadn't made it in quite awhile and decided to make it today. Perfect for a blizzard-y day like this! It is really easy, inexpensive, and fabulously delicious.


INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Italian sausage (we like hot)
2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 can oscar meyer bacon bits
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups kale or swiss chard, chopped
2 cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:

Cook sausage in a 300 F oven for 30 minutes.

Drain sausage on paper towel, then cut into slices, or chopped. (As you can see in the picture I did not do this. Oops!)

Place onions, potatoes, broth, water, and garlic in a pot and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.

Add sausage and bacon

Simmer for 10 more minutes.

Turn to low heat and add Kale and cream.

Heat through and serve.

Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cake

Chocolate Mousse Crunch Cake
- Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 package Duncan Hines Devil's Food Cake
1 recipe Chocolate Ganache
Crushed Heath bars or a bag of Heath Bits
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 Tablespoon cold water
2 Tablespoons boiling water
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bake cake according to cake mix instructions in two 8" round pans. Allow to cool and set aside. This can be done several days in advance; just freeze the cakes when you're done.

In a small bowl, combine gelatin and cold water and allow to stand for about 1 minute. While gelatin in softening, bring 2 T. water to a boil in the microwave. Whisk into the softened gelatin and allow to cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, whipping cream, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until medium-stiff peaks form. Mix in gelatin mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Prepare ganache according to directions.*

With a serrated knife carefully slice the domeiest part of each cake layer off so the layers are level. Place one layer on the serving plate and spread about 1/2 of the chocolate mousse over the cake. Sprinkle with Heath bits. (I actually put the bottom layer down with the bottom up and the top layer with the top facing up).

Place second layer on top of Heath bits.

Spoon ganache over the top layer, allowing it to drip down the sides. Sprinkle with additional Heath bits and refrigerate until ready to serve.

*Super easy Chocolate Ganache

8 oz. semi-sweet or dark chocolate
8 oz. heavy cream

Combine chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 2 minutes and stir. Heat for an additional 1-2 minutes or until chocolate if fully melted and can be whisked and incorporated into the cream. Be sure and scrape the sides and bottom to make sure you don't find any globby bits of chocolate when you start working with it. The ganache will thicken as it cools, so if it's a little too thin for you, hang tight and it will be ready pretty quickly. When it is completely cool, it will be thick and fudgy and can be used like frosting. Store in an airtight container. You can reheat it to achieve your desired consistency.

Blackberry Ice Cream

I saw this recipe over on Pioneer Woman & decided it was time to break out my new cuisinart ice cream maker. I am pretty glad I did too. This ice cream was amazing! Its a bit more time consuming than the kind you jut throw together, but it was well worth it. I am sure you could substitute the blackberries for a variety of fruits, but we seriously loved it! I also loved the gorgeous color of the finished product, & my 3 year old loved helping create the pretty color. Delicious!!

Blackberry Ice Cream

2 Pints Blackberries

1/2 of Lemon, juice of

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 1/2 Cups Half-and-Half

1 Cup Sugar

5 Large Egg Yolks

1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream

Put blackberries in a saucepan with 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice. Cover and cook over low heat for 20-25 minutes. Drain berries using a fine mesh strainer, pressing the berries to make sure you get all the goodness out of them. Set aside {I did this step TWO days before I intended to make the ice cream}.

Heat the half-and-half and 1 cup sugar in a separate saucepan over low heat. Turn off heat when mixture is totally heated and combined.

Add heavy cream to a separate bowl and set aside.

Beat egg yolks with an electric mixer until yolks are pale and slightly thick.

Temper the eggs by slowly drizzling in 1 1/2 cups of the hot half-and-half mixture, whisking constantly. When yolks are tempered, pour mixture back into the pan containing the remaining half-and-half mixture. Cook over low to medium-low heat until quite thick, stirring constantly. Drain custard using a fine mesh strainer, then pour into the separate bowl with the cream; stir until combined.

Add blackberry sauce to custard mixture and stir. Chill mixture completely {I chilled mine for over 24 hours}, then freeze in an ice cream maker until thick {mine took about 25 minutes}. Put ice cream in a freezer safe container and place in freezer for at least 2 hours to harden up. You can eat the ice cream as a soft serve option, but beware, it melts fast. Its delicious either way!

Strawberry Cheasecake Trifle

I love trifle desserts, so when I saw this strawberry cheasecake version on a cooking show I had to try it out. Especially since strawberries are in season and cheap this year. We had it for the first time for a dinner party we threw and it was (as always) a big hit. Such a simple and easy dessert that is versitile for any occasion. Whether a BBQ or a fancy dinner. Alos to note: we used Annalisa's pound cake recipe in this one!



INGREDIENTS

2 qt. strawberries, sliced
1 cup sugar, divided
2 8 oz. packages cream chease, softened
3 Tbsp lime juice
3 cups whipping cream, whipped
1 loaf (10 oz) pound cake, cubed
1 large chocolate bar, grated
chocolate swirls and strawberries to garnish

DIRECTIONS

Toss strawberries in 1/2 cup sugar. Allow to chill in fridge until juicy. About 1 hour

Cream together the lime juice, cream chease, and 1/2 cup of sugar. Add the whipped
cream and blend until creamy. (Make sure you blend the cream chease, sugar, and lime juice together first or the acid will curdle the whipped cream).

Drain the juice off of the strawberries and drizzle onto the cake cubes.

Layer in trifle bowl as follows:

1/2 cake cubes
1/3 cream chease mixture
1/2 strawberries
chocolate shavings
remaining cake cubes
1/3 cream chease mixture
remaining strawberries
chocolate shavings
remaining cream chease mixture
chocolate shavings
strawberries to garnish

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

This is probably my new favorite frosting. Well, chocolate frosting at least {I will post my new favorite vanilla frosting next time I make it up}. I got the basic idea for this frosting from my good friend Shirlene, but she couldn't remember exact proportions (I was on vacation in Virginia, she was on vacation in California!}, so I had to just make it up as I went. I was impressed with the way it turned out, and thought I would share it with you here. I used it on a homemade dark chocolate cupcake, but I think it would be good on a white on yellow cake as well. I also threw some shaved & grated chocolate on top of the cupcakes to make them a little fancier. They were a hit in my book!

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

1 {8 oz} Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 Cup Butter, softened

2/3 Cup Cocoa

1 Lb. Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp. Almond Extract

Milk or Cream

Cream together butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer. Scrape down sides to make sure it is all incorporated. Add cocoa and then slowly start adding powdered sugar and continue to beat. Add almond extract. Slowly add milk to form desired consistency. use to frost your favorite cakes, cupcakes, cream puffs... or eat it straight from the spoon like I do!

Cake Batter Ice Cream

This week I decided to make icecream! And I searched high and low for a recipe comparable to ColdStone Creamery. This was a pretty close hit! I found it on recipe zaar. There were 95 reviews with an overall rating of 5 stars, so I decided to give it a shot. We will definitely be making this one again. I have modified it a bit and will also add a couple more options at the bottom. Enjoy!!!



Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk, chilled
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup cake mix

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk the milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
Stir in the vanilla and heavy cream.
Stir in the cake mix. Using a sifter insures there are no lumps.
Pour the mixture into the freezer bowl and let mix in your icecream maker until it has thickened (about 25-30 minutes.)
Place the icecream in the freezer to further harden.

***I used white cake mix and it was divine! You could try any flavor of cake, muffin or brownie mix.
***Also, if you notice a waxy like film in your mouth, that is the heavy cream. You can substitute with light cream, half & half or just milk. I have heard any combination works.
***It has also been suggested to add sprinkles and/or a little frosting and mix it in at the end. It is rich enough that it doesn't need the added frosting though.
***Another suggestion that was made was to add some thickeners like guar gum or carageenan which you can get at health food stores.

Creamy Banana Berry Ice Cream

This was so creamy and delicious! It was a perfect treat for summer and so yummy with all the fresh summer fruit.

3 ripe bananas

Juice of 3 oranges

Juice of 3 lemons

5-6 cups fresh strawberries or raspberries, clean and hulled

3 cups of sugar

4 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

Ice

Rock Salt

Place first 5 ingredients in bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade (or use blender and blend the bananas and orange juice; then blend the lemon juice, strawberries and sugar then combine in a bowl). If you like chunks of fruit in your ice cream, process less, if not blend/process until smooth. If using raspberries, leave whole and do not process.

Add cream slowly, then add milk. Pour mixture into a 6 quart ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. Makes 1 gallon.

When the ice cream maker goes off, it will look like fluffy mashed potatoes. To make hard packed ice cream, freeze it for 2-3 hrs. minimum, but overnight if you can wait. :)

*Next time we think we'll add a dash of vanilla and maybe cut out 1/2 cup of sugar. Also, we have a 4 quart ice cream maker and when pouring this into the container, it came to just under the "fill to this line" mark. I wouldn't expect this to fill a 6 quart ice cream maker.

Double-chocolate-praline-fudge cake

Normally the praline topping can be drizzled over the top and down the sides, but I had a little mishap with the caramel. I like to make the cake the night before and let it cool over night. That way the ganache frosting won't melt so quickly when pouring the praline toppig.

CAKE INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

CHOCOLATE GANACHE INGREDIENTS:

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

PRALINE FROSTING INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

DIRECTIONS:

CAKE

1 Preheat oven to 350
2 Combine butter, cocoa, and water in a saucepan
3 Cook, stirring constantly over low heat until the mixture is smoth and butter has melted; remove from heat and cool.
4 Combine the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla; beat on medium speed with a mixer until smooth.
5 Combine the butter mixture and buttermilk mixture; beat until wel blended.
6 Combine the sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl. Mix well.
7 Gradually add the flour mixture to teh buttermilk mixture; beat until blended.
8 The batter should be thin.
9 Spray three 8" round cake pans with cooking spray and line them with parchment paper.
10 Pour the batter evenly into the pans and bake at 350 for 22-24 minutes or until done.
11 Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely.

To assemble the cake:

12 Spread 1/2 cup ganache between the cake layers; spread the remainder on the sides of the cake and chill for at least 30 minutes.
13 Slowly pour the frosting over the center of the cake.
14 Spread it to the edges of the cake, allowing some frosting to run down the sides.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

15 Microwave the chocolate and cream in a glass bowl for 2-3 minutes on power level 5, whick until smooth.
16 Gradually add the butter, whisking until smooth and melted.
17 Cool, whicking often, until spreading consistency (about 15-2 minutes).

PRALINE FROSTING

18 Combine the butter, brown sugar, adn whipping cream in a 2 quart saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring often.
19 Boil 1 min; remove from heat adn whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla.
20 Add the pecans and stir gently for 2-5 minutes, or until the frosting begins to cool and thicken slightly.
21 Pour immediatle over the cooled cake.

Smores Cookies

* I had a surge of ambition to make these babies tonight and man was it worth it! They are easy but a bit time consuming, so I made them when Mary was asleep and Spencer was at mutual. They make A LOT (67) so be prepared to share! And I ended up needing an extra bag of marshmallows for the last pan, so you might want to have an extra bag on hand just in case.
****A word to the wise: When you make the chocolate covering, make it like you'd make any other dipping chocolate The recipe makes the chocolate too soft and won't harden correctly.

YOU WILL NEED:

*

Graham Cracker Base
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup almost room temperature butter
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
*
Middle
Bag of large Marshmallows

*
Chocolate Ganache Coating
12 ounces of your favorite dark or milk chocolate, chopped
1 ½ cups of heavy cream
2 Tablespoons of light corn syrup
2 Tablespoons of Honey
Very hot water as needed for thinning
*

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl whisk together all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Next, in a food processor cream together butter, light brown sugar granulated sugar and honey for about 30 seconds. Add vanilla extract and the egg and process until combined. Add the flour mixture and pulse until just combined. Transfer the batter to a bowl with a lid and refrigerate for an hour.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cookies & Marshmallow

Roll the chilled dough to 1/8th inch thickness. With a cookie or biscuit cutter cut into about 2 inch rounds. Place on the cookie sheets and bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately place a marshmallow on top of the cookie and put back into the oven for another 3 to 4 minutes until the marshmallow is soft but not melted. Wait about 3 minutes and spread out the marshmallows with your fingers. You will probably have to wash your hands a couple of times during this process. Move cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookies.

Chocolate Ganache Coating

Place a tea kettle of water to boil and set aside. Next, place the chopped chocolate in a food processor and process until fine. In a small sauce pan over low-heat warm the heavy cream, corn syrup, and honey until it comes to a simmer. Remove from heat, add the cream mixture to the chocolate, and process until smooth. Add water in small amounts as you need to make a slightly thin pourable chocolate. Put the chocolate in a deep small bowl. Dip each cookie and swirl until coated. Place on a wire rack to dry for several hours or overnight.

White Chili

We had this chili for Stake Women's Conference and it was delicious! It is one of those "use up your food storage" recipes. I tried it with canned chicken (to use it up) and it's surprisingly good. Though I would normally use regular chicken. Great recipe for leftover thanksgiving turkey, too.

***Shauna, this is a great recipe for feeding large groups of people. It is easy and fast!

2 (14 oz) cans of chicken or turkey

1 (14.5 oz) can Chicken broth
2 (4 oz) can diced green chilis
2 (15 oz) can great northern beans

Seasoning packet:
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Dried Oregano
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 Cup Sour Cream
½ cup whipping cream
(You can substitute the whipping cream with 1 Cup evap. Milk or 1 cup plain yogurt)

Rinse and drain beans. Drain and shred chicken. Combine all ingredients, EXCEPT sour cream and whipping cream. Bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir in Sour cream and whipping cream and heat through.

Roger Salad (aka: 1960's Salad)

1 small package lemon Jello
1 16 oz. can crushed pineapple
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup whipping cream
chopped pecans

Boil crushed pineapple and add Jello. Remove from heat and completely dissolve Jello. You can add both to blender to reduce pineapple or continue as it is. Add softened 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 cup whipping cream and pecans. Stir together and set. Tastes more like dessert. I wonder why?