Beer Batter Onion Rings

I have been craving onion rings for a couple of weeks.  So here is a simple and quick recipe for some real tasty Onion Rings.

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Ingredients:
1 large sweet onion, sliced in rings and seperated
1 cup AP flour
1/2 can beer
1 TBL cornstarch
salt/pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 egg

Mix all ingredients to the texture of pancake batter.  Fully coat onion rings, let excess drip off before adding to hot oil.  Fry until golden brown, drain on paper towel and salt as soon as removed from oil.

Serve with you favorite dipping sauce.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the things YOU Love.
Donna

Orange Poppy Cupcakes

These are a take off from the whole orange cake.    I really love that dessert, so the only things I changed in the recipe were that I added 1 1/2 TBL of poppy seeds.  Oh yeah I also added some Grand Marnier to the icing.


1 whole orange, peel and all
12 TBL butter, melted (1 1/2 sticks)
3 eggs
1 cup super fine sugar **
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 TBL poppy seeds

**if you don't have superfine sugar, put it in your processor and pulse several times until it become fine, be careful it does make dust.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Line large muffin tin with liners.  Makes 7 large or 13 regular.
Process the whole orange in food processor until well pureed.  Add all the other ingredients and process until well combined.  Pour into prepared muffin tin.  Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for about 5-10 minutes put on rack.  Let  cool completely before frosting.  If you have any c left, store in refrigerator because of the cream cheese.

For the frosting

1 cup Cream cheese softened
1 stick butter, unsalted, soft
1 1/2 cup Confectionery Sugar
2 tsp Orange zest
1/2 tsp.Grand Marnier

Directions:
Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth, add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mix until blended.  Add the zest and liquor, mix until well combined.
These are simple, quick and yummy.   Hope you try them.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna

Chewy Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies

These had been posted as one of the top 9 on Food Buzz in June.  They looked so yummy so of course I had to try them.  They are really good but next time, and there will be a next time, I will use more lime juice,  zest and for the coconut lovers more of that too.  These are a nice soft, chewy cookie.  Would be a great one to add to your holiday baking list or summer desserts.

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Chewy Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of one large lime, finely minced
3 tbsp lime juice
½ cup unsweetened toasted coconut
½ cup sugar for rolling cookies

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. If you haven't already toasted your coconut just put a layer of coconut on a cookie sheet and bake it at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Watch out. It goes from white to burnt really quick if you aren't watching closely.
In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.  Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.  Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lime juice and lime zest.
Gradually blend in the dry ingredients and toasted coconut.
Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.  These do spread quite a bit. so don't over crowd, I did 12 cookies to a large cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.
Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.
You can make them larger if you like, so they look like the giant cookies they sell in Malls.  

 Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the things YOU Love.
Donna

Lemon Basil Cookies

My herbs are doing great this year.  My lemon basil was starting to flower so I thought I'd try making a cookie with it.  They would be great on St. Patty's day because they are light green.  The basil flavor is not overpowering and the icing adds just the right amount of sweetness.  Think next time try these I wills use regular basil and lots of lemon zest and juice to see if they have a different taste.
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1 cup fresh basil leaves (or lemon-basil) I used lemon basil
1 cup sugar (divided)
1 stick unsalted  butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 tbs. lemon zest
2 large egg
2 1\4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325
 Pulse basil and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor or blender until blended.

Beat butter at medium speed in mixer fitted with paddle attachment until creamy. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating well. Add lemon zest and egg, beating until blended. Gradually add flour and basil mixture and continue  to beat until mixed.
 Drop by large TBL on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake for about 20-22 minutes until bottoms are brown.  Ice when cool.
             
                                                       OR

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat. Flatten balls slightly with bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
Bake at 325° for  20-22 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire rack  to cool completely.
These are really refreshing and would be great with a nice light summer dinner or large salad.
Thanks for taking time from your busy day to stop by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the time to Do ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Risotto

This is the rice I made to go with the Ginger Plum Pork Chops.  It's hard sometimes to figure out what kind of sides to have with dishes you've never made before.  My first thought was to make Fried Rice, but my daughter said to make some risotto.
printable
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup of
1/4 cup of shredded carrots
1/3 of a medium onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 1/2 stalks of celery diced
2 - 3 TBL diced mushrooms
2-3 strips of bacon
1/4 cup white wine
1 10.5 oz can of chicken stock
1/2 cup of water
3 TBL butter
1/4 cup shredded cheese *I used fontina and Romano*

In a medium sauce pan heat the chicken broth and water, keep warm.
In a skillet cook the bacon til crisp.  Drain on paper towel, chop.  Clean out skillet then  put 1 TBL butter and a couple of swirls of EVO, saute the onion, when translucent add garlic, bacon, celery and mushrooms.  Stir for 30 seconds, add the rice and cook for about a minute stirring constantly.  Add the wine and continue to stir until wine has evaporated.  Laddle warm chicken broth  into rice just to cover, stir and then let cook until broth has evaporated.  Continue to repeat this process with the broth until you have used it all, it should take about 20 minutes.  Be sure to stir vigorously when you add the broth so the rice forms it's gluten.  Taste for doneness after about 20 minutes, if you need a bit longer add a bit more water.
Remove from heat, add 2 TBL of butter and the cheese, stir until combined.  Serve

See how creamy it is, this is a great side dish.

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

BLT Strudel

Another dish from our weekly game.  I found this recipe here, she has a wonderful site, so if you haven't paid her a visit you need to put it on your to do list.  I've found many recipes that I will be trying.
This is a great brunch idea (we had it for lunch, though)  And really you could make any combo filling you like.  Also this would be a great Holiday recipe, because you can make the filling the day ahead.  I think this will go on the list for Christmas Morning Breakfast.

 Printable
BLT Strudel
from Paula Deen's Best Dishes 2011

12 large eggs, divided
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 pound bacon, chopped
1 6-ounce package fresh baby spinach
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry, thawed

Crack 11 of the eggs in a large bowl and whisk them with the mayonnaise until smooth. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until crisp, then remove it with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings from the skillet.

To the remaining bacon drippings, add the spinach and garlic and saute until the spinach is wilted, approximately 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs and cook until they are set but not dry, stirring occasionally.

Remove the skillet from heat. Stir in the cooked bacon, tomato, cheese and salt. Transfer the egg mixture to a medium bowl. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll one sheet of puff pastry to 12x10-inches on a lightly floured surface. Spoon half of the egg mixture down the long center of the pastry, leaving 3 inches on either side and one inch at the ends.  Using a very sharp knife, cut the pastry's 3-inch side borders into 1-inch strips. Crisscross the strips over the filling to make a weave look.

Transfer the strudel to one side of the baking sheet. Repeat the process with the other puff pastry and the rest of the egg mixture.

Whisk the last egg in a small bowl and brush it over both strudels. Then put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
Just out of the oven

 One of these fed 3.  My friend Micheal is a real good eater.  But I would say that you could feed 4 and maybe 1 small child.
Thanks for taking time from you busy day to stop by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do  ALL the things YOU Love.
Donna

Happy Birthday

Today is Lyndsey's Birthday, she's 12.  Wow not sure where all those years went.  I am in NM to help her celebrate.  These are some pictures from her party.  Also I will share some rodeo pictures that I took last weekend at their last 4-H Rodeo, before the finals, which are the weekend of Sept. 7-9.
Lyndsey and me the night of her Birthday.

This picture was taken Tuesday night at the National Night Out where several Dance Studio Students performed for the public.  This was the last dance Lyndsey did.  Sorry the picture is a bit blurry.

This was her doing tap

Here are some shots from the Moriarty NM 4 H Rodeo

 third barrel

My grandson Jake roping

Jake Step Down Buckle at Las Cruses 4 H Rodeo

Lyndsey Goat Tying Buckle from Las Cruces 4 H Rodeo

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Plum Sauce

I told you I would try the plum sauce from the Pork recipe on chicken and share.  Well here you go.  WOW was this delicious.  I had some hash brown potatoes that Pasty sent home with me from our weekly game.  So with thinking cap on I decided to stuff a bone in chicken breast with it and then roast it in the oven and baste it with the plum sauce (found here).  I cut a pocket in the chicken on the thick side then held it closed with toothpicks (a cooks answer to duct tape..LOL)

 It looks like it charred a bit but really it was really crunchy and yummy on those parts of the skin.  Ya know how BBQ gets when it's cooked just right.  I must say in this part of the country they don't really know how bbq should be cooked.  They think smoking it then pouring sauce over it when it's done is bbq.  NOT!  But remember this is just my opinion.  :)  And see you can have the great taste without even having a bbq grille outside.   All done in the oven.
    1 cup dry red wine
    2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger
    1/4 cup instant flour (such as Wondra) or cornstarch
    Kosher salt
      1 orange
    1/4 cup rice vinegar
    1/3 cup honey
    8 large sprigs fresh mint
   * 2 large plums, cut into 1/2-inch pieces didn't have
   2-3 TBL red plum preserves instead
    2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)used

second  sauce
 2  tablespoon butter
    3/4  cup  chopped onions
    1  cup plum preserves   
    2/3  cup water
    1/2  cup packed brown sugar
    1/3  cup chili sauce
    1/4  cup soy sauce
    2  tablespoons prepared mustard
    3  drops Tabasco sauce *omitted*
    *couple shakes of red pepper flakes*
    2  tablespoons fresh lemon juice
     Garlic salt to taste

I am including the recipe for the Hash Browns, compliments of Patsy.  She said the recipe is from Cracker Barrel.

Hash Browns
Ingredients:
1 32 oz of frozen hash browns
1 cup mild sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. of  sour cream

Directions:  Grease a 9x13 casserole dish.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine all ingredients and spread into pan.  You can refrigerate overnight  at this point or bake.  This can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until top gets lightly golden.

This is an easy quick dish, sure hope you give it a try.  Thanks for taking time from your busy day, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna

Whole Orange Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Some old friends came to dinner and this is the dessert I served.  I just love this cake because it's not just extra easy to make but it's so moist and just down right Yummy.  Also you only dirty a couple of things when making it.

 I adapted this recipe from  here

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Ingredients
1 whole orange, peel and all
12 TBL butter, melted
3 eggs
1 cup super fine sugar **
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

**if you don't have superfine sugar, put it in your processor and pulse several times until it becomes fine, be careful it does make dust.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour a tube pan or bundt pan.
Process the whole orange in food processor until well pureed.  Add all the other ingredients and process until well combined.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.  Cool cake in pan for about 5-10 minutes then run a knife around edges and remove.  Let the cake cool completely before frosting.  If you have any cake left, store in refrigerator because of the cream cheese.

For the frosting

1 cup Cream cheese softened
1 stick butter, unsalted, soft
1 1/2 cup Confectionery Sugar
2 tsp Orange zest
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth, add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mix until blended.  Add the zest and vanilla, mix until well combined.

 Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things YOU Love.
Donna