This Is Awesome Pesto Bread!

Usually when you think of using pesto it's for tossing with pasta, or using it in other sauces.  I buy this big jar at Costco.  When I get it home, I portion the pesto out in resealable bags and put it in the freezer.  Unless I am having a get together this jar of pesto is too big for us, we would never finish it before the expiration date.  I have to tell you, this is THE best store bought pesto I have ever had, it's fresh and has the right amount of everything in it.  I found a new way to use pesto and it is delicious.  Easy to prepare, you can serve it as an appetizer, as a meal, or it can become a beautiful pizza pie, it's that awesome!  

These long flat pizza crusts I also found at Costco, they come four to a pack (there are 2 sleeves of 2 in the package).  Whatever I am not using, I cut in half and freeze them as well, so I always have them on hand. The garlic cheese finishing butter is found at Wegman's in the dairy section.  Melt enough of the garlic cheese butter to just coat the pizza crust, brush it on with a pastry brush.

 Lightly spread the pesto on with a spoon, bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until hot and bubbly, and you have yourself some awesome Pesto Bread!

I Am Hibernating

It's pretty quiet around here now that the holidays have come and gone.  The kids are back at college, the husband back at work, it's cozy time for me now until Spring. The decorations are finally packed away, after four straight days of hard work, and the house is back in order.  I do love putting all those decorations out, but once Christmas is over I can't wait to put them away.  It's a job, a BIG job for me for the size of this house.  I still have to get the outside decorations down, but it's too cold! I kind of hibernate in the Winter, like a bear.  I can't stand the cold weather anymore, it chills me to my bones.  So I stay in and try to find things to keep me busy, cooking, baking, painting, crafts, moving rooms around.  I have to stay active while I am inside or I will go crazy.  I know cabin fever is on the horizon, so come on old man Winter, get this over with!

A little bit of snow and even the cats want to stay cozy and warm.

 This is what I do to keep busy, pack stuff away and move things around.  Dining room before and after.

 Foyer - before and after.

 Yes that tree is gone! See you next year.

 I love when the house is in order.

 No more cookie dough stuck to the floor, all is clean and neat.

And now I just wait for this!  Ahhhh Summer, loving the warm weather.

Mini Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes

Around the holidays everyone has parties, including me, lots of them.  There was the Christmas Cookie Baking Party and Luncheon, Christmas Eve Party and then Christmas Day Dinner.  When there is a lot of celebrating, I do not want to hang out in the kitchen making food while everyone else is having fun.  I like to make foods that are pre-made and easy to grab, but have to taste delicious. All I want to do is set the food out for everyone to enjoy.  One of the desserts I made over the holidays were Mini Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes topped with fruit.  These little babies take all the fear out of making a whole cheesecake.  Recipe below.  To print recipe, click, highlight and print.

The work station, getting them ready for lovin' from the oven!  I use that wood tart shaper to press the graham cracker crumbs neatly into the paper cups, it works perfectly.

 I got 24 cupcakes out of the batter. Check out all the pretty little vanilla bean flecks in the batter.

 Bake them up, let them cool and.......

 Top with the homemade whipped cream (from this blog 1/3/15), fresh blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and a little lemon zest for added flavor.  Your guests will love them, and they are so easy to make.

Mini Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes

Ingredients

3/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

3 - 8 oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

zest of 1 lemon

3 eggs

Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Line muffin tins with paper baking cups. In a small bowl, mix together with a spoon, the graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and melted butter.  Press into the bottom of each paper baking cup. 

Beat the cream cheese, 3/4 cup of sugar, vanilla bean paste and the lemon zest with a mixer on medium high speed until all is combined. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, on low speed, until all is blended together. Spoon into each cup so it is half full.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the centers are set.  Cool completely and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serving Suggestion:  Top with homemade whipped cream, fresh berries and a couple of strips of lemon or orange zest.

Good Luck Dinner for 2015

My Irish mother was always full of superstitions and New Year's Day was one of them. Although it was her birthday, she always cooked her "brings good luck for the year" dinner on that day.  I don't think this meal is an Irish traditional New Year's Day meal, but it was hers.  I always looked forward to this meal and the aroma of it cooking.  I carry on this tradition in my house and my family looks forward to it every January 1st.  I've added a few twists to this meal over the years, but the memories are still there.  Recipes below, to print recipes click, highlight and print.

 Homemade Baked Lima Beans, this recipe beats soaking beans overnight!

 Sauerkraut with Apples

 I cook everything separately because I have a vegan in the house, otherwise the sauerkraut and the pork would be cooked together.

 Roasted Pork and the Pan Gravy. This gravy is sweet and flavorful.

 Roasted Green Beans with Cranberries

With another side of mashed potatoes, dinner is served........

 Now, sit down and eat! Enjoy and Good Luck in 2015.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin With Pan Gravy

Ingredients
2 - Pork tenderloins
2 teaspoons of minced rosemary
2 teaspoons of minced parsley
salt and pepper
2 medium size apples peeled, cored and quartered
1 cup of water
2 tablespoons of Wondra (for the gravy)
1/2 cup of water (for the gravy)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium size roasting pan, line the tenderloins side by side leaving room between the two of them. Season with rosemary, parsley, salt and pepper. Arrange the apples around and in between the two tenderloins, add the 1 cup of water and cover with foil.

Bake for 1 hour or until center is no longer pink.  Remove from oven.

For the Pan Gravy
Ladle the juices into a medium size saucepan and mash up the apples with a fork.  Heat on medium high heat until it starts to boil.  In the meantime, mix the Wondra with the 1/2 cup of water.  Reduce the heat under the saucepan to medium and pour in the Wondra mixture. Stir until thickend. Serve over the pork tenderloin.

                                                                                                                            

Sauerkraut with Apples

Ingredients

1 - 1 lb. bag of sauerkraut

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

1/2 apple peeled, cored and diced

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a medium size saucepan and cook for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

                                                                                                                           

Baked Lima Beans

Ingredients

2 - 15 oz cans of Butter Beans, drained

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons of yellow mustard

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium size baking dish stir all the ingredients together until well combined.  Bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until  sauce thickens.

Homemade Whipped Cream

I am a homemade kind of girl, sometimes, OK most of the time.  I like things made homemade but sometimes I run out of time and opt for store bought.  I made little cheesecakes for snacking over the holidays and bought non dairy whipped topping for them and fresh fruit.  I stuck the topping in the fridge and when the time came to use it I thought I have time, I'll just make homemade whipped cream, so I did and I am so glad I did.  It is so much better, only takes a minute to whip it up and it tastes awesome! This is how I made it.

 1 container of  heavy cream or whipping cream

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar, a little more if you like it sweeter

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla

Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form, be careful you don't want butter, because that's what will happen!  Enjoy on everything dessert, it's so good.

Our Traditional Christmas Dinner

SO, it's all over.  The preparing, the shopping, the wrapping, the gift opening and the dinner. Christmas is my favorite time of year, but it is also a lot of work, and I always get consumed by the madness of it all. 

Although I had fifteen people on Christmas Eve, and prepared numerous appetizers, a baked spiral sliced ham, pineapple stuffing, herbed cheese potatoes, and a Caesar salad, we had a low key Christmas Dinner, just seven of us.  I prepared our traditional prime rib roast with Bearnaise sauce, mashed potatoes, roasted garlic green beans and sauteed mushrooms.  This year I also added broiled lobster tails with clarified butter, more on those later.  Everything was delicious and enjoyed by all!  This is the roast, recipe below. To print this recipe - click, highlight and print.

What a beautiful cut of beef. I prepared a mustard glaze for the top.

 Slather it all over the top and bake.

Mustard and Herb Crusted Prime Rib Roast of Beef

Ingredients

2 tbsp of canola oil

1 - 5 lb Boneless Prime Rib of Beef, at room temperature, see note

1/4 cup regular Dijon mustard

1/4 cup course grain Dijon mustard

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced

1 tsp fresh flat leaf parsley, minced

1/2 cup of water

Meat Thermometer

Directions

Heat the oil in a large roasting pan, on medium high heat.  Trim some of the larger pieces of fat off the beef, but don't trim all of it.  Add the beef to the pan and sear it on all sides. This locks in the juices. When seared, position the beef (fat side up) in the roasting pan.  Let it rest while you mix up the topping.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium size bowl add Dijon mustard, course grain Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, rosemary and parsley.  Mix until all is combined.  Spread it over the top and down the sides of the roast beef.  Add the 1/2 cup of water to the pan, insert the meat thermometer (see note) in the thickest part of the meat and cover the pan tightly with foil. Here is the tricky part - all cuts of prime rib, thermometers and ovens are different. For a rare roast, cook for 13-15 minutes per pound, medium rare cook 15 -17 minutes per pound. Check your thermometer.  My thermometer will register 145 degrees for rare and 160 degrees for medium rare. Again, all cuts of beef, ovens and thermometers are different. You can always cook the beef more if it's too rare, but once it's overcooked it's overcooked.  Take the foil off the roast in the last 15 - 20 minutes of baking, to crisp up the topping.  When it's done take the beef out of the oven and cover with foil.  The inside temperature will rise and it will continue to cook once it is out of the oven.  Let the roast rest 30 minutes before carving. When ready to serve slice it down in 1 1/2 inch slices and serve with pan juices or Bearnaise sauce.

NOTES:

1) Take beef out of the refrigerator about three hours before preparing. 

2) DO NOT INSERT THE THERMOMETER IN THE MEAT IN A TRIVECTION OVEN OR COVER A METAL PAN WITH FOIL IN THIS TYPE OF OVEN!

Dessert In A Jiffy - Easy Strawberry Shortcake

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I made this easy dessert for the hubby and I last night, we were the only ones eating New Year's Eve dinner,  the kids were all out with friends celebrating. It was easy to make, and I just happened to have all the ingredients in the house to whip it up for the both of  us.  Sitting in front of the TV, watching a great movie on a quiet New Year's eve, eating a wonderful dessert that includes some chocolate, what more could a girl ask for!

I purchased the chocolate chip pound cake from the grocery store and toasted it in the toaster oven, sliced up some fresh berries and mixed them with a little raw sugar.

 Cake on the bottom, drizzle of chocolate syrup, whipped cream on top, strawberries, more whipped cream, top with a whole strawberry and drizzle more chocolate syrup on top.  YUM! And the best part - cute paper plates and plastic forks = no cleanup.