Custard 101 - issue #18

This simple custard recipe does it all.  You will need:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk (whole is best)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 egg yolks, beaten

Combine all ingredients in sauce pot over medium-low heat, and whisk until custard thickens.

For banana pudding add vanilla wafers and place in refrigerator for 2 hours.  Add sliced bananas just before  

serving.

For coconut cream pie, stir in coconut and place in an uncooked pie shell.  Bake for 30 minutes.

• For plain ol' vanilla pie, just pour mixture into a pie shell and bake for 30 minutes.
• For lemon pie, add 1/2 cup of lemon juice, stir together, and pour into a pie shell...and bake for 30 minutes.
• For chocolate pie, add 1/2 cup of baking cocoa, stir together, and pour into a pie shell...and bake for 30 minutes.           
• For chocolate, banana pie...                            

Twice Baked Ranch Potatoes - issue #17

You will need
4-5 large potatoes
aluminum foil
5-6 strips bacon, cooked
1 stalk green onion, chopped
1 cup ranch dressing
salt and pepper to taste
cheddar cheese for garnish

First preheat oven to 350.  Wrap potatoes in aluminum foil and bake for one hour, or until potatoes are soft.

Remove potatoes from oven and let cool completely.  Slice in half and scoop out the middle.  Leave some potato around the skin for structure.

Place potato scoops in a bowl and mash up.  Add onions, chopped bacon, and ranch dressing.  Return mixture to potato, top with cheese, and place on a baking sheet or casserole and bake for 15-20 min. or until cheese is melted.

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Pulled Pork Salad with Mango Salsa - Issue #16

You will need:
1 pork roast
mixed greens
for salsa:
1-2 mangos, cubed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
for garnish:
tortilla chips for garnish
creamy salad dressing

Prepare pork roast according to package directions.  In Supper Weekly issue #16, we make two pork roasts, the first night, and reserve one pork roast for this salad later in the week.

Next, peel and cube mango.  The easiest way to cube a mango is to make a grid on the front and back side of the mango with a knife and then slice the grids off.

In a glass bowl with a lid, combine all salsa ingredients and place in refrigerator for at least an hour.

Top mixed greens with pulled pork, mango salsa, crushed tortilla chips, and drizzle with dressing!

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Grocery Store Cookies, Issue #16

We all know those sugar cookies that everyone takes to school for snacks!  They are loaded with preservatives, just look at the list on the back of the package!

(See above, one cookie is store bought and one is homemade, can you tell the difference??)

Here is the recipe to bake these amazing tasting sugar cookies from your own kitchen with ingredients that you will recognize:
Cookies:
5-6 cups flour
1 tbs. baking soda
1 tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick butter, softened
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Frosting:
1 stick butter
1/2 lb. powdered sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk (determines frosting consistency)
1 tsp. almond extract or vanilla
sprinkles!

For cookies--In a mixing bowl: mix sugar, eggs, butter, sour cream, and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.  Add the dry ingredients in with the wet until a cookie dough forms.  If dough is too sticky, you can keep adding a little flour at a time until it is elastic enough to handle.  Place dough in sandwich bags, press flat and place in refrigerator for at least a couple of hours.

When you are ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Place dough on a floured surface, roll flat (the thicker the better) and use a cookie cutter, or a cup, to make round cookie shapes.  Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until puffy.  Let cookies cool.

For frosting--soften a stick of butter to room temperature and place in a mixing bowl, stir in almond extract, milk, and powdered sugar until frosting is a creamy consistency.  Add food coloring and mix well.  Frost cookies and sprinkle with sprinkles!

Your kids will not know the difference...but you will!

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Crescent Chicken Bake - Issue #15

You will need:
1 rotisserie chicken from deli
1-2 cups chopped asparagus
1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 tbs. butter
1/2 cup green onion
1/4 cup flour
pinch nutmeg
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream

De-bone deli chicken and steam asparagus and place in a greased casserole dish.

In a sauce pot, melt butter and saute onions.  Add flour and nutmeg and whisk until smooth. Stir in chicken broth and white wine and whisk until sauce thickens.  (this is the same sauce base for the mushroom ravioli by the way).
When sauce thickens, add cream, stir, and pour over chicken and asparagus.

Unroll crescent dough and place on top of casserole.   It is fun to use cookie cutters, to make crescent topping more lovely!

 Bake for 425 for 10-12 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake another 10-12 minutes or until crescent rolls are cooked through.

This recipes yields a beautiful golden casserole with a wonderful creamy sauce.

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Mushroom Ravioli with Cream Sauce - Issue #15

You will need:
pkg. frozen ravioli
1 tbs. butter
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup dry, white wine
pinch nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream

Cook ravioli according to pkg. directions:

In a sauce pan, melt butter and saute green onions until soft.  Add flour and nutmeg and whisk until smooth.  Pour in chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in cream, salt and pepper.  Turn heat back on to medium low and simmer sauce for 10 minutes.

Pour sauce over ravioli and serve.

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