Recipes Master 13

It's a bread....... it's a cake! Who cares, it's yummy!  It taste like cake to me...like really, really, good cake but it's cooked in a loaf pan so perhaps it's a bread?   I am not even that big of a banana bread lover but this is like 'naner bread on flavor steroids!  The brown sugar mixed with butter and topped with sliced bananas is a great start, then topped with salty caramel sauce?  A complete show stopper! NOTE: When I have over ripe bananas but no time to make something with them...I just toss the whole thing in the freezer...peel and all! Caramel Banana Upside Down Bread  - (adopted from daringourmet.com) Ingredients ½ cup packed brown sugar 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into several pieces About 2 bananas, sliced in ¼ inch rounds ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) 1½ cup whole wheat flour ¾ cup white granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking power 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cu...

Nothing says summertime like fresh fruit...like fresh raspberries....like fresh raspberry flavored booze!  Like Whoa!   I believe it qualifies as a serving of fruit as well...bonus point, sold!...cha-ching! (And yes, I've been sampling...what kinda cook doesn't taste her own wares?) This takes about 2 minutes to throw together but needs to sit for about 4 weeks and can go as long as 8 weeks to achieve maximum raspberry booziness!  So if you get going right now, you could be sipping on this cordial by Labor Day...or is it Memorial Day?  Whas the one in Septmbr? Thas the one  I'mmm talkin' bout....   pee.eth: Thank you Jamie B. for this recipe...it's wunnerful.  I love you man,,,, Ingredients - Makes 3 quarts  - I let mine set for 4 weeks and it was yummy! 2 cups sugar 2 pint raspberries 1 quart vodka Directions Place sugar in a 3 quart Mason type jar.  Add the Vodka. Stir untik...

This was such a hit!  Mr. LaughingSpatula had two, yes two pieces!  Salty, sweet, caramely, chocolaty goodness...all served up over a cookie crumb crust.  And how long does this masterpiece take to make?  Oh, 'bout 10 minutes to assemble.  Pop in the freezer for about an hour and you got summer yum! NOTE:  You could use most any cookie for the crust.  I used Nabisco Chocolate Wafer cookies, but they are pricey.  Try Oreo's,Vanilla Wafers, Peanut Butter Cookies (dang, I wish I would have used those!).  Whatever you have hanging around will work. Serves 8 regular people or 16 skinny people. (that is just an estimate...I really don't know what skinny people eat). Ingredients 1/2 gallon Ice Cream  (I used Dryers Churned Light) 1/2 cup caramel Sauce 1/2 cup fudge sauce 1 cup salted peanuts (not dry roasted variety, although I would eat it anyway if that's all you had :) About 10-15 Chocolate Wafer cookies  (I used Nabisco Choco...

Summertime and the peaches are perfect!    I love fruit filled muffins and these are particularly yummy! Easy (of course, or I wouldn't be bloggin' 'em), and perfect for breakfast or top with ice cream for a lovely dessert! The recipe calls for buttermilk which I never have on hand, but you can use a mixture of milk and vinegar to get the same results! 1 tablespoon vinegar for every cup of milk should do it.  You will notice the vinegar will curdle the milk which is exactly what you want! Ingredients 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour ¾ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¾ cup granulated sugar 1 cup buttermilk (or scant 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar) 5 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 large egg ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1½ cups peeled, sliced,  fresh or unthawed frozen peaches Turbinado sugar for sprinkling Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   ...

Since I am such a Cooking Light fan, I'm not sure how I missed this recipe but I'm glad Pinchofyum brought it back to life!  This will go into the weekly meal rotation file.  Perfect for work night's and another recipe for store bought Rotisserie Chicken! Whooo hooo! NOTE: You can substitute the spice mixture for one package of Taco Seasoning mix using 1/2 for the cornbread and 1/2 for the chicken. Ingredients 1/3 cup milk 1 egg 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 (14 oz) cream style corn 1 (8 oz) box corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy) 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies 1 (10oz) can enchilada sauce 2 cups cooked chicken - shredded 1 cup grated cheese Optional: chopped fresh cilantro and Cojita cheese to sprinkle on top Preheat oven to 400 degrees Spray 9" pie plate with non stick spray. Mix together chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and set aside. In medium bowl, mix together milk, egg, 1/2 of spice mixture, cream corn...

Easy on the cook Mango Chutney!  If you've got a knife and can boil water, you can make this Chutney!  It's good on everything: chicken, pork, fish...your finger?   My Mom throws amazing dinner parties and this is her recipe. (via her friend Debbie who has been making it for years, who shared it with my Mom, who shared it with me,  shared recipes are the best!)   My Mom had a 'LaughingSpatula Party'...not kidding!  Almost everything she served was from my blog.  In fact she made so many desserts she created "Breakfast Bags" for her guests to take home. (how clever is that?).   She even tied my business card to each bag!   I love that she loves me...I am her favorite ya know, it's true.  Shhhhh, don't tell my sisters, they don't know....  Ingredients   1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 cup rice vinegar 1 1/4 # Mangos - chopped, about 4 cups  (here is a great tutorial  on chopping Mangos ) 1...

Apparently I need two new categories for my recipes: Titled RFM and RFR.  That would be 'Recipes from Mom' and ' Recipes from Rob'!  This one is an RFR but the next one will most likely be an RFM! Doesn't get much better than this...easy, healthy, fast!  I'd say those are three requirements that make this a perfect recipe.  Great for weeknights but fancy enough for guests.   I tossed some fresh asparagus in a bit of olive oil and threw it on the grill with the chicken.  Reduced a bit of Balsamic Vinegar on the stove to top it off and Chicken Perfection! Ingredients 4 chicken breasts 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 thick slices of fresh mozzarella 4 slices fresh tomato 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar Instructions Heat your grill to medium high heat.  Rub  chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. As chicken is cooking, pour balsamic vinegar into sauce pan  and simmer until reduced by half. Set ...

A summer staple!  All you need is fresh corn, peppers, maybe some onions...a little sour cream and you have a crunchy yummy summer salad! I used Polano and Red Pepper but you could substitute most anything. Avacodo would be nice too! I'm keeping this commentary simple...just like this salad! Ingredients 6 ears of shucked fresh corn 1 Poblano pepper (seeded and chopped) 1/2 red pepper (seeded and chopped) 1/2 cup sour cream 1 tablespoon sugar (add a bit more is  your corn is not very sweet) Salt and Pepper Mix it all together...chill for about 30 minutes to meld the flavor and done!

When life gives you lemons...soak 'em in booze!  I love the idea of homemade booze...who knew?  When I think about all the stuff you could soak in Vodka it makes me all woozy!   Vodka is a neutral spirit, it goes with everything! This is stuper easy (a little boozy  humor).  Steep lemon peels in your favorite vodka for about 5-7 days...add some simple syrup and you are locked and loaded (more boozy  humor)...crack myself up!  Oh yeah, fun photo shoot friends, very fun photo shoot...hicuup. Ingredients 1 fifth Vodka 2 pounds lemons (about 10) 2 cups sugar 2 cups water Sterilized container with tight fitting lid (like a large jar) Peel yellow skin off of lemons being careful not to get the white pith (it will make your Lemoncello bitter and kinda pith ya off). Mix Lemon peelings and vodka in large jar with tight fitting lid. Store for 5-7 days in a cool dark place.  Give it a shake a day if you can... Combine sugar and water in s...

If I were a Blueberry, I would want to land my big blue butt in this pan...what a way to go out...if your a Blueberry I mean.  Seriously, these are some killer bar cookies...and easy?...oh, get me started!   I found several variations of this recipe on Pinterest (cause' that's where all the groovy recipes are).   I eventually settled on Kleinworth & Co.  version.  Why?.. well they had the best picture of course so they must be the best, turns out I was right!  You can use fresh or frozen blueberries and I'll just bet you could substitute Raspberries, Apples or Peaches...oh yum, Peaches sound perfect for next time! Blueberry Pie Bars Topping 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/2  cup sugar pinch salt 1 1/2 sticks cold butter (cubed) Filling  2 eggs 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup sour cream pinch salt 3 cups fresh blueberries Instructions Grease 9x13 glass baking dish- set aside. Preheat oven to 350...

Soup with a twist and a secret ingredient...I LOVE secret ingredients!   I've never heard of BBQ Chicken Soup until I had it at SODO Kitchen , a lovely restaurant located in the Seattle Starbucks Headquarters building. The food is fresh from local Farmers and the staff is lovely! The Catering Manager was nice enough to share this recipe with...Thank you Laura!   This has turned out to be one of my all time soup faves and I love me some soup so that says alot. So, what is that secret ingredient??  It's a cup of brewed coffee and of course I used Starbucks...I got a few pounds of it hanging around. NOTES: This soup is as good as the BBQ sauce you use...so be sure and use one you like. Perfect recipe to use grocery store purchased Rotisserie Chicken! BBQ Chicken Soup (adapted from SODO Kitchen ) with Cornbread Croutons Ingredients For Soup: 4 Tablespoon 2 medium onions, finely sliced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 Pablano Pepper, chopped 1 Red P...

  Every once in awhile you run into a recipe that makes all this blogging worth it!  And this my friends is it! It is everything I want my recipes to be.    Simple, fresh, easy to make, versatile and yummy!  I can hardly wait to make them again!  And where did I run across this piece of recipe perfection?  If you have read my blog at all, you will see my pal Rob's name throughout.  Rob is my Blog Muse.   But this recipe came from Rob's partner, David!  David is an uber talented decorator...their home is simply amazing...and apparently he is working on his culinary skills as well!   Thanks for sharing David!  Couple notes:  Roll  out as thin as possible.  They transfer to a baking sheet easily, even though they are paper thin.  After topping with salt, use a rolling pin to gently press the salt into the dough before baking. Use good salt (I used Kosh...

I've been making these for years.  The recipe is from my favorite cookbook of all time.  The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook.  They are called Raspberry Filled Cinnamon  Muffins in the book but they are so tender, like a donut, I changed the name and the filling! I am not sure, but I think this was the first edition printed.  There have been several since, but none as good as this version from 2000.  I use this book more than all my cookbooks.... combined and I got a few books!  It's my moms favorite too. These are tender, very delicate and super easy to make.  I use seedless strawberry jam to mimic the filling of a jelly donut but you could use whatever you have on hand. When my daughter was little and had a bad day...we used to make muffins...because when the going gets tough, the tough make muffins! Jelly Donut Muffins Ingredients 1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground...

The first time I tried to bake this I killed it, I mean that literally ...a total disaster!   I shouldn't have been near an oven that day, let alone a European recipe that I didn't understand! After I put the cake in the oven and was cleaning up, it was not a big surprise to see the 2 cups of milk I should have added were sitting on the counter, still in the measuring cup.   Of course I took the cake out of the oven, (what else ya gonna do?) mixed in the milk and re-baked it...oh sure, that's gonna work!  I set the timer for 60 minutes but must have somehow turned off the oven when I set the timer...one hour later?  Raw uncooked cake....perhaps now is a good time to take up crochet? Lucky for me my daughter is a killer cook and she not only baked the cake perfectly, she set up the photo shoot!  That's my girl!    I've re-written the recipe and made this a 'piece of cake' for you to bake! NOTE: Eggs need to be at room ...

Spring is in the air in Seattle (well as much as Spring can ever be in the air in Seattle), so I thought I'd get soup out of my system until fall! This can be prepared stove top or slow cooker. Slow cooker works a little better because the sausage has time to marry with the rest of the ingredients. Feel free to mix up the pasta a bit, I just thought Orzo would be a nice change. I used a real rough chop on everything for a bit of a rustic soup. ...and yes, that is chopped lettuce on top, it was the only green thing I had in my fridge besides left over St Patrick day cupcakes, and those don't look good sprinkled on soup. Ingredients 4 Italian Chicken Sausage Links (about 1 lb total) 1 onion, chopped 2 large cloves garlic, chopped 1 cup carrots, chopped 1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms 2 teaspoons dried oregano 2 teaspoons dried basil 1 14 oz, can cannelli beans - drained and rinsed 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes - undrained 1 32 oz container of low sodium chicken broth 1 cup orzo Chunk...

My friend Christina got engaged last week,  and her new fiance proposed using 'thier kids'. (see below pic)...how cute is that! Christina is known for her uber picky eating habits, so when I heard she loves cupcakes I knew that store bought would just not do! I am not much of a perfectionist when it comes to baking.  I prefer a more 'rustic' approach.    Piped on frosting and sprinkly little things are just not me.  But with some store bought caramel topping drizzled on top and a wafer cookies from Trader Joes,  I think they came out okay!    Christina loved them and that's what counts...I believe she downed 2 of them!  (oops, didn't mean to tell!). The secret to these beauties is using Jumbo cupcake liners in your regular size muffin tin.  It turns ordinary cupcakes into big beautiful cupcakes! You can use a homemade cake mix (see below) or a box mix.    If you choose a box, try to ...

 I've been reposting some of my prior recipes so I can improve the photo's, and in this case I am reducing the fat while I am at it!  See my previous  ugly photo and fattening recipe!    This is a rendition of Ina Gartens Salmon Cake recipe.  Like a lot of her recipes she is heavy on the butta.     I tweaked it a bit to make it healthy and really, no difference in flavor at all...none, zip, nada.    I saved a butt-load (pun intended) of fat!  My arteries are thanking me today!  I also left off the Tarragon Vinigerette   in my previous posting,but you can sure add it if you would like!  How I did it :     I sauteed the veggies in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and omitted the butter. Reduced the mayo by 1/4 cup and decreased the eggs from 2 to 1. I also increased the Dijon to make the patties hold together. I sauted in olive oil instead of the sugge...

I love secret ingredients!  Something that makes a recipe really different and stand out.  The secret to this soup is... a bottle of beer!  Beer instead of broth, now that's my kind of recipe! (especially if you throw this together in the morning and take a little taster before dumping it in the pot..who doesn't like a little beer breath in the morning?). You can't really 'taste' the beer but it does add a certain depth of flavor.  If you don't drink alcohol, you can substitute chicken broth...but try the beer, the chances of any alcohol being left after 5 hours in a slow cooker are pretty slim. You can also substitute kidney beans for chili beans, regular canned diced tomatoes instead of those with green chilies, I  think you could go with just about anything you got in your cupboard on this and not mess it up too bad!       Ingredients 1 onion, chopped 1 (16 oz) can chili beans 1 (15 oz) can black beans 1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drai...

I have this pretty amazing kid.  Ya, I know, spoken like a Mom, but I do, I do, I really, really do! She is 23, (where did the time go) and she has always had a very natural instict when it comes to cooking and food.  She was 5 when she fell in love with Pesto.... so much for PBJ's! Like her Father, she loves to dine out and try new food.  Like her Mom, she cooks when she is bored or inspired, either emotion usually turns out something pretty yummy.  She is very good at cooking with what's on hand and that's where this came from.  We must have had a box of Lemon Cake mix in the cupboard...lucky us! She found this recipe on browneyedbaker.com .    You can substitute any flavor of cake mix and create a multitude of crinkle cookies.  Spice cookies, chocolate cookies, confetti cookies, any cake mix will work!  (just omit the lemon zest and lemon juice and substitute with a spice and/or extract that matches ...

Personally, I love Blue Cheese Dressing...Marie's Blue Cheese Dressing to be exact. However,  there comes a time when you have to make a change for the sake of your waistline and arteries....and up until now, I really couldn't find anything that was a decent substitute. But this stuff is good...really good!  2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil in the whole recipe makes it artery friendly. I adopted this from skinnytaste.com.   A blog I have mentioned several times.  I love her low cal stuff and I don't really like low cal stuff, so that's quite a compliment.  I modified this recipe a bit, to increase the yield and I used anchovies paste opposed to a jar of anchovies.  Anchovy paste will last a good long time, a jar of anchovies...not so much. The first thing my blogging muse, Rob said to me when I told him I made this is:  'ewwww Anchovies, I hate Anchovies!' (just want you to know, he said it like a girl).  Now I love Rob, but he doesn't  '...