Strawberry Shortcake

I made this the night I made the Ham/Swiss Bake. Great combination.

This is a wonderful dessert and is quick and easy. The shortcake is very similar to a biscuit but much better, especially topped with strawberries and whipped cream. Can't get much better than that!
This is adapted from Alton Brown from Food Network. Apparently from the reviews the recipe is off so I have made the changes that were suggested.
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Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3/4 cup half and half
• Melted butter to brush shortcakes
• Berries
• Ice cream or whipped cream

Directions

Heat oven 400 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in butter and shortening. Mix in half-and-half. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown. Cool and eat with berries, ice cream and/or whipped cream.

This is the shortcake biscuit before all the sweetness. You can use these with any berries of your choice.

Thanks for taking time from you busy day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things You Love.

Donna

Ham, Cheese and Aspargus Rolls

I adapted this from here and did her suggestion of replacing the chicory with asparagus. I will try it though her way, just not sure when. :) I also found some smoked pork chops so I will try it with those also, again not sure when, but will post it when I do.
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Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. asparagus
2-4 lbs potatoes
2/3 cup of milk
1 - 2 TBL of butter
1 1/2- 3 tbsp coarse mustard
6-12 cheese slices (I used Swiss)
6-12 ham slices
pepper
nutmeg
salt

Directions:

This will make enough for 3 or 5 just adjust your ingredients so you have enough. Peel, wash and dice the potatoes, add some salt, boil for about 20 minutes until tender. Preheat the oven to 400. Drain and mash using the milk and butter then add 1 TBL coarse mustard and some nutmeg. Taste, you don't want the nutmeg and mustard to overpower the potatoes. Parboil the asparagus for about 3-4 minutes, do not over cook because they will cook more while baking. Using a 9x13 pan spread the potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Roll the ham and asparagus in the cheese slices, place on top of the potatoes. Bake for about 25 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. Serve

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to DO all the things YOU Love.
Donna

Lemon Poppy Muffins

One dreary day I made these, sort of like a comfort food you could say.
These Lemon Muffins are really very simple and go together very quickly.

350 degrees 18-20 minutes makes 12 regular 6 large muffins
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Ingredients:
2 cups of AP flour
2 TBL poppy seeds
1 stick 8 TBL room temp unsalted butter
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
zest of 1 lemon
1 TBL fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup plain yogurt

Glaze
1/2 cup confectionery sugar
1-2 TBL fresh lemon juice

Direction:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin. Combine flour, poppy seeds, salt, baking powder and baking soda, stir til mixed. In another bowl cream sugar and butter until creamy. Add eggs one at a time and mix well between. Mix in the lemon zest and vanilla. With mixer on low, mix the dry ingredients in two additions alternating with the yogurt, beating each addition just until incorporated. Fill muffins tins 2/3 full, bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in pans for about 5 minutes, while still warm glaze. Then Enjoy! :)
Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to do ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Spanish Rice

This is the side dish I had with the Mexican Chicken listed below. This is my daughters recipe. You can make this as hot or mild as you like. Hope you try it, it's a great go to side dish.
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Ingredients:
1/2 to whole can rotel *(whichever one you like, reg., mild or hot, the more you add the spicier it will be)
1 cup uncooked rice (can use long grain, brown, or minute rice)
2 TBL brown sugar
1 1/2- 2 TBL Worcestershire sauce
4-5 slices bacon diced
1/2 red pepper (can also use yellow or orange or mix) diced
1/2 large onion diced
2 - 3 gloves garlic diced
1 can chicken broth (*or more, you need enough to cover rice)
2 - 3 tsp chilli powder
oil
salt and pepper
In a skillet saute the bacon and onion, add the garlic and peppers. Add half the chicken broth, rice, chilli powder, Worcestershire sauce, rotel, brown sugar and salt and pepper, stir well and cook for about 1 minute. Add remaining chicken broth to cover rice and simmer covered until rice is tender. Stir occasionally. Serve topped with some shredded cheese. Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Remember to Find the Time to do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna

Mexican Chicken Bake

This recipe started out one way and then took a big left turn. I started out to make a Mexican dish using the crock pot and was really disappointed after the chicken was done and it had no flavor. HMMMM interesting. For the life of me I'm not sure why that happened because it had some really great ingredients in it. So the end result was I drained the chicken then kind of started all over. I put some oil in a fry pan, sauteed some onion, and garlic added some chicken thighs I had just boiled, added salt pepper, chilli powder, taco seasoning, 1/2 can of mild rotel, diced drained canned tomatoes, a can of corn (drained) then added the crockpot chicken. Well the end result was fabulous. See........ and yes it was as good as it looks.Printable
Ingredient:
6-8 chicken thighs *can use chicken breast*
1/2 can of rotel (I use mild)
1 can of diced tomato drained (reserve the juice)
1 large onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 red pepper, diced (can use orange and yellow too)
1 1/2 TBL chilli powder
2 TBL taco seasoning
salt and pepper
1 can Green enchilada sauce
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup chicken broth
couple springs cilantro chopped
oil

Garnish:
sour cream
shredded lettuce
fresh diced tomatoes
diced onion
Boil the chicken thighs for about 10-12 minutes. De bone and shred. Heat the enchilada sauce in microwave with sour cream and chicken broth.
In heavy skillet saute the onion, then add the garlic add the chicken and brown. Add the rotel and stir. Add chilli powder, taco seasoning, salt and pepper, stir. Add the reserved juice and reduce. At very end add cilantro and stir.
Warm the tortilla then in a 9x13 pan spread some of the enchilada sauce on bottom (don't over do) fill a tortilla with meat mixture and top with cheese, roll and put in tooth pick. Continue until you have them all done. Put some enchilada sauce on top (again don't over do , you don't want them soggy) sprinkle cheese on top and bake in 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Serve and let guest garnish with what they want. Best of all Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by, Remember to Find the Time to DO ALL the things you LOVE.
Donna

Green Chilli Pizza

Recently we celebrated yet another birthday. This was JR's birthday, I call him my adopted son. :) On birthdays we celebrate by either cooking a meal requested by the birthday person or going out to eat at their place of choice. It's all up to them. So JR said he wanted me to make Pizza, everyone love's my Pizza.......me too! :-) My daughter has made this version before and last time JR and I had pizza together I made this for him and he really liked it. I don't care for things that are hot or spicy but my family and some friends do. They all say this has a wonderful flavor, so hopefully you'll try it and let me know. There's really nothing hard about this recipe. Just make the dough and then add your toppings. I usually make my dough the day before so it has time to sit in the refrigerator. This dough freezes well also. I use provolone and mozzarella cheese on my pizzas I never use shredded cheese.
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Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil
2 3/4 cups bread, ap or high gluten flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
1 small can green chilli's diced (or a couple of Anaheim peppers roasted and chopped or peppers of your choice for heat)
1 - 2 large fresh tomatoes sliced thin
3-4 slices of provolone cheese
3-5 slices mozzarella cheese
1 or 2 springs fresh basil chopped
oil for bowl
corn meal sprinkled on peel *if you have one*
If you don't have a peel, transfer your rolled out pizza dough, onto a large enough size piece of parchment paper then put all your topping on, then put the paper onto a cookies sheet turned upside down and slide it off onto the stone. After about 2 or 3 minutes pull out the paper and bake on the stone for the remaining time.

Dough
Add sugar to water mix well and get to temp *115, then add yeast and proof. When foamy add 1/2 the flour and the semolina flour and mix well. I use a Kitchen aide for all the mixing and kneading. Add the remaining flour until you get a soft and slightly wet dough. DO NOT add too much flour. If you have a dry dough it will affect the end result. Put dough in oiled bowl and let rise covered. Punch down when ready and either use the dough then or put it int he refrigerator for a day. It gives it so much more flavor if used the next day. Be sure to take the dough out 30 minutes before using. *You can also make into balls wrap separately and then freeze until you are ready to use them up to 6 months* If you do freeze be sure to take out the morning of, put in the refrigerator and then 30 minutes before you want to make it leave at room temp.
Roll out dough, Sprinkle just a little evoo then place thin sliced tomatoes around then top with chilli then the cheeses topped with basil. You can reverse the chilli and cheese if you like, no special way to build except for the oil and tomatoes goes first and basil last. Bake in hot oven 500 for about 12 minutes on pizza stone or unglazed quarry tiles, You can use a cookie sheet turn upside down or a pizza pan but you won't get the same flavors or good pizza affect.