Cookie Salad

I have made this twice the spring already.  Cookie salad is easy, delicious, and a fun change from other fruit and side salads. Also it doubles as dessert.  We enjoyed this salad today for a family Easter dinner along with Resurrection Potatoes (What we call Mormon Funeral Potatoes during the Easter season), ham, glazed carrots, Cottage Cheese Jello salad, and awesome cupcakes.

6 oz of vanilla instant pudding (2 small boxes)
2 cups buttermilk
16 oz cool whip
2 lbs strawberries
4 bananas
11 oz can of mandarin oranges
1 package of Keebler Fudge Stripe cookies

Stir together vanilla pudding packets and buttermilk.
Add cool whip.
Chop or slice strawberries, slice bananas, and drain mandarin oranges. 
Stir fruit into vanilla pudding and cool whip mixture. 
Crumble up all of the fudge stripe cookies.  Stir in 3 rows worth of cookies, and top with last row of cookie crumbs.

*For a fun tropical version, use Samoa Girl Scout cookies and replace strawberries with 1-2 cans of pineapple tidbits.  Also double mandarin oranges.

Homemade Waffles

I love waffles.  So much so that I bought a Belgium Waffle maker, like the kind they have in Hotels.  This waffle recipe is from my roommate Anne.  I love the flavor, and while it isn't quite fluffy enough to make those giant Belgium waffles it still works in that particular waffle maker as well as any regular one.

 

Anne's Waffles:

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Beat together eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Make a well in the flour mixture.
Pour in wet ingredients and whisk all together, there will be lumps, don't over mix.
Pour in waffle iron and enjoy!

Anne makes a lot of really good waffles, here are some other recipes:

 

Coconut Rice Waffles with Mangoes and Lime Cream:

Waffles:
2 eggs
1 can(13.5 oz) coconut milk, well shaken
1/4 cup canola or coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup cooked rice

Whisk together eggs, coconut milk, oil, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and rice.  Make a well and whisk in wet ingredients.  Cook and serve with toppings.

Toppings:
2-3 ripe mangoes, sliced and diced as desired to top
Lime Cream

Lime Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. lime zest
2 tsp. lime juice

Whip together heavy cream and sour cream for 3-4 minutes.  Add powdered sugar, lime juice, and lime zest and blend.

Sour Cream Orange Waffles:

Orange Cream sauce:
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp orange zest
2 Tbsp Orange Juice (fresh)
1 1/2 Tbsp honey (orange blossom honey is best)

Mix all ingredients together until smooth.  Can warm up.

Waffles:
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp. Orange zest
2 Tbsp. Orange juice (fresh)
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
2 Tbsp. white sugar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Whisk together eggs, milk, sour cream, butter, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl stir together flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Make a well and whisk in wet ingredients.  Cook and serve with Orange Cream sauce.

Lemon-Ricotta Waffles with Blueberry Citrus Syrup

Waffles:
2 eggs, seperated
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup ricotta
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Whisk egg yolks, buttermilk, and butter.  Add ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice.  In a separate bowl beat egg whites and sugar into soft peaks.  In a separate bowl mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, nutmeg.  Mix all ingredients together and cook. 

Berry Citrus Syrup:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
6 strips of lemon peel

Stir all ingredients over stove top until bubbly  and thickened.  Remove lemon peel before serving on waffles.

Rainy Day food

Well we still don't have much snow in Utah but it's been raining a lot.  Rain= warm comfort food.  I had found a recipe for Sweet chili from Real Mom Kitchen cookbook (sorry it's not posted online) but had to adapt a bit to make a smaller serving and because I didn't have some of the ingredients.  Here is my version:

Sweet Chili

2 can Northern White Beans
1 can tomato paste
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/2 lb ground hamburger
1/2 purple onion
2 tsp chili powder
2/3 cup brown sugar

Brown hamburger and onion, until hamburger cooked through.  In a stockpot combine hamburger/onion mix with undrained beans, paste, soup, chili powder, and brown sugar.  Simmer for 30min.-1 hour.  Stir occasionaly to ensure brown sugar mixes and doesn't burn at the bottom.  This is a sweet chili and you can use 1/3 cup sugar instead if too sweet.

Texas Sheet Cake

(this recipe is adapted from Our Best Bites)

1 cup butter

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

½ c. buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
2 c. sugar
1 c. water
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 11 x 17 jelly roll pan.

Combine butter, chocolate, and water in a small saucepan. Heat until chocolate is melted.  In a separate small bowl, sift flour and combine flour and baking soda. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, buttermilk, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add chocolate mixture. Add flour mixture and mix well. Pour into pan and bake 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:

6 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
½ c. butter
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 lb. powdered sugar

Combine milk, chocolate, and butter in a saucepan. Heat until bubbles form around the edge and butter is melted. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. While icing is still warm, pour over cake.  Allow cake and frosting to cool before cutting and serving.

Buttermilk Recipes

I have rediscovered my love for using buttermilk in recipes.  Here are some good things I have made the past 2 weeks.

Buttermilk Syrup (Butterbeer Syrup for HP fans)

(Adapted from Allrecipes)

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup butter

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda. Stir until sugar melts and then bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla.               

Truck Stop Buttermilk Pancakes

(Recipe adapted from Allrecipes)

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, butter and buttermilk. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar; stir into the wet ingredients just until blended.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side. Continue with remaining batter.               

Strawberry Soup

(adapted from Allrecipes)

3 cups strawberries

2 1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup sugar

Puree all ingredients together in a blender.  Serve cold.  Strawberry soup is a great and different appetizer. My family first tried it on a Carribbean Cruise.  This serves 10.

Buttermilk Banana Bread

(adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (I use about 3 average sized bananas)
4 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Grease and flour 1 large loaf pan (9 1/4 X 5 1/4-inch). In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla until the batter is well mixed. Add in the flour, baking powder, salt and soda. Mix until well combined. Pour batter into greased bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Buttermilk Cream Cheese Frosting

(adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

3 cups powdered sugar
4 oz cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons buttermilk or milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the softened cream cheese and buttermilk together until smooth. Add the vanilla and mix. Whisk in the confectioner’s sugar.