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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Frosted Grapes

Frosted Grapes


Hi everybody :)

Today recipe is a super easy one I found while browsing the web. Don't worry it's not about apples... but it is about fruits....GRAPES!

Frosted Grapes...they are perfect for parties, entertaining, or just for snacking, and the recipe comes together in a SNAP! The best part about it is; it just take two ingredients to make: jello and seedless grapes.

Frosted Grapes adapted All Recipes.com




















Ingredients:
2 pounds red seedless grapes (or your choice of seedless grapes)
1 (3 ounce) package cherry flavored gelatin mix (or your choice of gelatin)

What I Did:
I used 3 kinds of seedless grapes. The jello flavors I used were lime, raspberry, black cherry and strawberry.

I washed, separated and plucked the grapes from their stems and rinse in a colander. 
















For each grape type I put them back into the colander to damp them 


















and add some of the jello and toss. 

















Place them in freezer zip-lock bags add the remaining jello and repeat with the other grapes and jello. Freeze about 2 hours or until set. (To get a good coating more jello is sometimes needed.)
















For the Green Grapes I used Lime and Strawberry Jello
















For the Red Grapes, I used Raspberry Jello.
















For the Black Grapes, I used Black Cherry Jello. 
















What I Think:  
 I really like this idea. I think sugar-free jello will work well with this recipe too. I'm sure kids will also love this one. The grapes were DELICIOUS and definitely worthy of a REPEAT.
 
 















ENJOY! Come again..... 

 Linked to  
Rattlebridge Farms: Foodie Friday 
Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage
 Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts 
Whatcha' Whipped Up Wednesday @ DJ's Sugar Shack
Tastetastic Thursday @ A Little Nosh 

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Cinnamon Apple Crisp: Three Days 'til Fall

Cinnamon Apple Crisp: Three Days 'til Fall


Hi everybody :)

Did you know in three more days Fall will be HERE!

Hooray, Hooray FALL IS NEAR!

I guess if you didn't know it before, you know now, that fall is my favorite time of year. I even wrote a poem about it here

I know you all didn't come here to hear me go on and on about how I love Fall; so let's get on to the recipe; which by the way is perfect for Fall :)

Okay, okay.... today's recipe is all about apples, I know I've been posting a lot of apple recipes lately, but I've have a feeling you're going to looovvvvve  this one.

Apple Crisp is my favorite Fall dessert, maybe after you taste this one, it will become yours too. Let's get it started....


Apple Crisp adapted partly Taste of Home: Baking

Ingredients:

Filling:











8 cups sliced peeled tart apples (I used Ganny Smith and Golden Delicious)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used cinnamon extract, 1/4 teaspoon) here
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons cornstarch (not shown in picture)
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
1/4 cup caramel bits
2 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces (not shown in picture)

Topping:
















1/2 cup quick-cooking oats (I used 3/4 cup  old fashioned)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons cold butter (I used 5 tablespoons)
Vanilla ice cream, optional
Caramel Ice Cream Topping, optional
1/4 cup Toasted Sugared Walnuts, or Walnut Ice Cream instead of Vanilla optional

In a large bowl, toss apple in lemon juice and add the remaining filling ingredients.
Filling Mixture


















Pour into a greased 8-in. square baking dish.

In a bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
Topping Mixture without Butter


















Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Topping Mixture with Butter


















Sprinkle over apple mixture.
Crisp before Baking


















Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden. Place sheet pan on second rack to catch drippings.










Let cool to warm about 1 1/2 -2 hours; served with ice cream and caramel topping if desired.
















What I Did and /or Think:

The changes I made are in Italic, as stated above.

For the Sugared Walnuts:
I toasted the walnuts with 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon/sugar, 1 teaspoon butter and pinch salt until fragrant; about 8 - 10 minutes in 350 oven; cool and sprinkle on top of ice cream along with caramel topping.











Sugared Walnuts























The Taste: DDDELICIOUS! REPEAT ALL AROUND!!













ENJOY! Come again.....

Linked to:
Rattlebridge Farms: Foodie Friday 
Tasty Tuesday (Food Only) @ Naptime Creation
Tuesday-Talent-Show:  Chef In Training 
 33 Shades of Green-Tasty Tuesday
 Show Me What You Got Tuesday's at ODH 
 Fall Favorites Link Party

Monday, September 17, 2012

Taco Chicken Fingers or Salad: Two Ways to Serve

Taco Chicken Fingers or Salad: Two Ways to Serve

Taco Chicken Fingers: The Appetizer

  OR....

Taco Chicken Salad: The Main Course


Hi everybody :)

I'm finally coming down from my sugar-high from this post. Today I wanted to keep it light and simple. So I decided to do a recipe that you can serve up twice, in two different ways. One as a appetizer served with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and chips; that would be perfect for entertaining. The other as a main course salad with a salsa dressing.

These two recipes begin with chicken breast. The chicken breasts are cut into tenders, coated with a tortilla crust, baked in the oven and used as an appetizer or in a salad. 

This recipe comes from my cookbook collection and here's is how it's done;


Taco Chicken Fingers From CREATIVE COOK'S KITCHEN COOKBOOK
















For Chicken Fingers
4  boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (about 1 1/4 - l 1/2 pounds) (I used three chicken breasts)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons milk (not shown in picture)
1 bag (9 ounces) tortilla chips
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
















For to Serve:
salsa
sour cream
guacamole
tortilla chips

Cooking The Chicken:


Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Cut each chicken breast half crosswise into 1/2-inch strips.
Chicken Tenders


















In a large shallow bowl, whisk mayonnaise and milk until blended and smooth.
Milk & Mayonnaise


















Place tortilla chips in a resealable plastic bag. Using a rolling pin, crush chips into fine crumbs.
Crushed Chips


















In another large shallow bowl, toss 1 1/4 cups crushed tortilla chips with taco seasoning; mix well. Toss chicken strips first in mayonnaise mixture, then in crushed tortilla chips. 
Chicken with Coating - Uncooked


















Tips: To maintain the tortilla crumb coating, refrigerate the coated chicken strips for 30 minutes before cooking.
Uncooked Chicken on Sheet


















Place on prepared baking sheet (do not overlap).
Bake until just browned and chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.



Or...
Taco Chicken Salad From CREATIVE COOK'S KITCHEN COOKBOOK
















For Individual Salads:
Taco Chicken Fingers (recipe above)
Salsa (I used 2 parts salsa)
Mayonnaise (I used 1 part mayonnaise)
Lettuce or Salad Mix (I used salad mix)
Tomatoes
Avocado
Cucumber
Mexican Blend or Cheddar Cheese (not shown in picture)
Tortilla Chips, broken into pieces (not shown in picture)

To Make the Dressing:
Mix salsa and mayonnaise in a small bowl until combine, set aside.
2 parts Salsa & 1 part Mayonnaise
















  
The Dressing


















Fill lettuce cups with taco Chicken Fingers, then top with diced tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, cheese, chips or whatever you like.
















 
What I Did and/or Think:
I followed the recipe and tip for the fingers.

The taste was Excellent. The chips adhere very well and stay on fairly well after cooking so I was please. I LOVE Mexican-Styled dishes so this is definitely a REPEAT! or Esto es definitivamente un REPEAT ! ( in Spanish)  :)

For the salad, I combine the things I thought would make a great salad. Using the idea for the dressing, I   mixed it 2 parts salsa, 1 part mayonnaise and because I wanted a little kick to it, I use Pace Medium Salsa.

This was worthy of a REPEAT also.

ENJOY! Come again.....

Linked to:
Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms: Melt-in-Your-Mouth Monday Recipe Blog Hop # 83
Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen
Flour Me With Love: Mix it up Monday!
Just Something I Whipped Up at Project Inspire (The Girl Creative)
Katherine Martinelli: Taco Blog Hop

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