My Story in Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Blog Posts
  • My Story
  • Connect

Caramel Apple Tarts

11/30/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Most of the time, when Ben and I go out to eat, I kindly decline when the server hands me a dessert menu.  It's mostly because if I get a good look at the decadent desserts that are available, there's no way that I'd be able to NOT order one.  Sometimes, I don't even need to SEE the dessert, the description in the menu is enough to convince me that I NEED to try it.  

Ben is just the opposite.  He peruses the dessert menu with such intensity that you would think he was selecting the next Presidential candidate.  He takes his dessert very seriously.  Most of the time he chooses something fruity and warm.  I think it's because he knows if he orders chocolate - he's going to HAVE to share with me.

I saw a picture of a caramel pecan tart in my southern living magazine and this dessert had Ben's name all over it.  Warm and fruity and topped with ice cream and nuts!  This one's for you, honey.
Picture
Caramel Apple Tarts
1 2/3 cups flour
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups peeled and sliced apples
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 pints vanilla ice cream
caramel sauce
1/2 cup lightly salted roasted pecans
​Combine first 4 ingredients in food processor.
Pulse 10-12 times until crumbly.
Picture
Picture





​Press into 8 greased mini tart pans.
Picture
Set on a baking sheet and bake 25 minutes at 350.
​Remove tarts from pans carefully.
Picture
Picture
Peel 4-5 apples. 
Picture
Picture
Slice apples into thin slices.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Toss apples into skillet with 1/3 cup brown sugar.  Cook over low heat until liquid is thick and syrupy.
Picture
Picture
Fill tart shells with caramelized apples. 
Picture
Picture
Picture


​Top with 3 small ice cream scoops, a drizzle of caramel sauce and some chopped pecans.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
This little tart was beautiful and elegant and most importantly - DELICIOUS!  I think that there may be a few of these around my dessert table this Christmas.

Ciao!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
0 Comments

Black Bean Turkey Enchiladas

11/27/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
​"Families are much more than groups of individuals. They have their own goals and aspirations. They also are places where every child and adult should feel that he or she is special and be encouraged to pursue his or her own dreams; a place where everyone's individuality is permitted to flourish."

I found this quote on healthychildren.org and it really struck a cord with me.  I couldn't agree more EXCEPT for when it comes to food.   I wholeheartedly believe that children need to be exposed to all sorts of different types of foods and NOT just given what they would choose to eat.  (If left to their own devises, my kids would eat chicken nuggets and hamburgers every day.)

Other parents used to tell me that exposing kids to new foods will turn them into great eaters.  (A fact that I have proven wrong.)  I have offered my kids all kinds of different food and I have the worlds pickiest eater  No matter what I make, I cannot seem to please them.  That doesn't stop me from offering them foods that I know that they will refuse to eat.  

Enchiladas are so great for picky eaters because they're completely customizable. I made mine without enchilada sauce - which probably takes away it's enchilada status but I don't know what else to call them.  My family is super sensitive to spicy foods so I toned my enchilada heat down quite a bit to make them a little more "family friendly."
Picture
Turkey Enchiladas
1 pound ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon reduced sodium taco seasoning
11/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
15 ounce can black beans
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
14 1/2 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can chopped green chilies
1/4 cup salsa
14 whole wheat tortillas
​Preheat oven to 375.  In a skillet, cook turkey, onion and seasonings.
Stir in cream cheese and 1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese and cook until melted.
Picture
Picture
Stir in beans, corn, tomatoes, chilies and salsa.
Place 1/2 cup mixture on top of each tortilla and roll up.  Place side by side in a baking dish.
Picture
Picture
I am seriously, the WORST tortilla roller ever! I need some lessons because these are some pretty sad looking enchiladas.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
​Bake 15 minutes until cheese is melted.
Picture
Picture
Picture
​ Sprinkle with cilantro and serve to your happy family.
Picture
​My family REALLY liked these quick and easy enchiladas.  The original recipe called for a red enchilada sauce but I know this family well enough to know that I should serve them without sauce.
​I only bought 1 package of whole wheat tortillas so I had a lot of filling left over.  I put the leftovers in a bowl and put it on the table alongside a basket of baked scoops.  The kids liked eating the filling as a dip with the chips as much as they enjoyed their enchiladas.
As for the dip that was leftover after dinner, that is going in the freezer.  I'm thinking that it will make a super quick and easy meal for another night.  Yea!  Gotta love having emergency meals in the freezer for hectic days.
Picture
Ciao!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
0 Comments

Bistro Roast Chicken

11/26/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
​I am certainly so stranger to the supermarket rotisserie chicken.  They're a super convenient dinner option when time is not on my side.  I can pick up a rotisserie chicken, a loaf of whole grain bread, a bag of prepackaged salad and viola - dinner!  Nothing could be simpler and my family loves it.
Picture
​Rotisserie chickens make it easier to fix all kinds of meals.  Tacos and quesadillas and wraps and salads and soups all come together in a jiffy when I start with a rotisserie chicken.  Even though I try and keep roasted chicken on hand, there are times when I just run out and it's easier to buy it already prepared than to take the time to roast it myself.  Not to mention the fact that my family really prefers the flavor of a rotisserie chicken to my chicken.  (I think they like all the sodium that is added to those birds.)

I found a recipe for Bistro Roast Chicken in my Cooking Light magazine that looked really a lot like the rotisserie chickens that I buy at the supermarket.  I decided to give it a try and see if I could recreate the moist and juicy supermarket version in my own kitchen. The real test would be to see if the kids liked it as well as the salt saturated supermarket version.  
Picture
Bistro Roast Chicken
1 Tablespoon of dried tarragon 
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme 
4 teaspoons melted butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (41/2 pound) roasting chicken
Combine first 6 ingredients.
Remove giblets and rinse and pat chicken dry.  Place on a rack inside of a baking dish.
Picture
Picture
Rub herb mixture under skin and over breast of bird.
​Bake chicken for 40 minutes at 375. 
Picture
Picture
Flip bird upside down and roast another 40 minutes. 
Remove from oven, tent with foil and let rest for 15 minutes.
Picture
Picture
​Slice and serve.
Picture
​Our chicken dinner was simple - corn, salad, bread, chicken.  Super easy weeknight meal. 
Picture
​Turns out, the chicken was just and tender and juicy as the supermarket chickens.  It didn't get nearly as browned or get nice crispy skin so it was less visually appealing than a grocery store rotisserie chicken but it was just as tasty.  (Isn't that what really matters anyway?)  My family gobbled up most of this tasty chicken in one meal.   

Guess what I'm gonna do with my leftover chicken?  If you said chicken soup - you are right.  

Ciao!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
0 Comments

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

11/25/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
​How much do I love going to the pumpkin farm with my family every year? A LOT!!!

These are just a few of the pictures from this years trip to the pumpkin farm.
First we chose our pumpkins from the pumpkin patch...
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
There was the most amazing sunset that night. 
Picture
Picture
​What a great day.  Our trip to the pumpkin farm put me in the mood for pumpkin desserts so I came home and whipped up a batch of vegan pumpkin muffins from earthchicknits.com.
Picture
Pumpkin Muffins 
1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1 1/4 C sugar
1 T baking power
1/4 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 ground ginger
1/4 t ground allspice
1/8 t ground cloves
1 C pureed pumpkin
1/2 C unsweetened almond milk
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 T molasses
1 C chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 400.  ​Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices.
In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, almond milk, oil, and molasses.
Picture
Picture
​Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.
​Fold in the chocolate chips.
Picture
Picture
​Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Picture
Picture
Picture
​These muffins are super delicious and you will never miss the egg.   You don't even have to tell your friends and family that they're vegan muffins because they will never suspect a thing.  They are delightfully spices, moist and loaded with chocolate chips - we loved them.

Ciao!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
0 Comments

Sticky Pecan French Toast

11/23/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
What is the mood like in your house on Thanksgiving morning? Are you a sit around in your jammies, drinking coffee and watching the Macy's Day parade all morning kind of family? Or are you a start the cooking and dinner preparations at the crack of dawn kind of family? 

Around the Davis house, it's a little cooking, a little parade watching and a whole lot of coffee. Ahhhh, I LOVE Thanksgiving. The kids running around the house, far too many cooks in the kitchen bumping into each other and laughter all around. 

If your house is a happy, busy bed of chaos on Thanksgiving morning, you can still serve a great breakfast to your family. The key is to make it the night before Thanksgiving so all you have to do is throw it in the oven in the morning. 
Picture
Pecan Sticky French Toast Casserole
Topping:
1  cup packed brown sugar
6  tbsp butter
1/3  cup half and half
1 tbsp light corn syrup
¾ cup chopped pecans
​
French Toast:
3 eggs
1/2 cup half & half
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
8, ¾” thick slices French or Italian bread
​
Spray 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a small saucepan, add all the topping ingredients (except pecans) and mix together. 
Picture
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth - DO NOT BOIL.  Stir in pecans.
Picture
Picture
Spread topping in baking dish.
In shallow bowl, whisk eggs together. Beat in half & half, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. 
Picture
Picture
Dip bread slices into egg mixture, making sure all egg mixture is absorbed.
Arrange over topping in dish. Cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
Picture
Picture
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400°F. Uncover baking dish and cook for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and bread is golden. Remove from oven and let stand 3 minutes.    
Picture
​Carefully remove each piece of toast being sure to scrape any extra caramel topping onto toast. Serve immediately.
Picture
Happy EARLY Thanksgiving to all of my blog friends.

Ciao!
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
0 Comments
<<Previous
    Like my page on facebook.

    Follow me on Instagram


    Follow Me on Pinterest

    Categories

    All
    30-minute-meals
    30-minute-meals
    Big Green Egg Recipes
    Chocolate
    Christmas Classics
    Comfort Foods
    Crock Pot Meals
    Fall Favorites
    Healthy Choices
    My Favorites
    Springtime Treats
    St Patrick's Day Goodies
    Summertime Specialties
    Thanksgiving Classics
    Valentine Treats
    Vegetarian
    Winter Warm Ups

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011

  • Recipe Index
  • Blog Posts
  • My Story
  • Connect