Sunday, January 30, 2011

Derby Pie

I was skeptical of this pie at first, but it was my favorite this past Thanksgiving!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup melted butter
1 pie crust

1.  Mix flour and sugars.  Add eggs, then butter.  Add nuts, chocolate chips and vanilla extract.  Mix thoroughly.  Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell.  Bake for 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees.  Test with a tooth pick; pie should be chewy but not runny--bake longer, if necessary.

Better Than Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

I'm pretty picky about my Alfredo sauces, but I think this one is delicious!  It claims to be better than the Olive Garden's sauce, but I think it tastes the exact same.  Our favorite way to eat this is over bowtie pasta and sautéed vegetables (usually which ever ones we have in the fridge).

Ingredients:
5 Tablespoons sweet butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon white pepper (I just use regular black)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1.  Melt Butter in medium saucepan over medium/low heat.  Add the garlic, cream, pepper and bring mixture to a simmer.  Stir often.

2.  Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer sauce for 8-10 mins or until sauce has thickened and is smooth.

3.  When sauce has thickened add the mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth.  Serve and enjoy!

Buttermilk Syrup

Growing up, I never like breakfast foods like pancakes, waffles and french toast.  Later I discovered it was because I just didn't like maple syrup.  With the discovery of this syrup, my life changed.  I love it, and now love breakfast!

Ingredients:
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.  Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 mins.  Remove from the heat , and stir in the vanilla.

This syrup really grows as it cooks so make sure you make it in a larger saucepan, or it will be a big mess.  

Oatmeal Pancakes

I love the texture the oatmeal adds to these pancakes.  When served with strawberries and buttermilk syrup, these are my favorite breakfast meal.

Ingredients
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup flou
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg

1.  Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and then cook them like pancakes.

Substitutions I've made:  Since our daughter has a milk allergy, I've substituted the milk for soy milk and water and both turned out just fine.  Also, once we ran out of vegetable oil, so I substituted it with applesauce and it was great!


from eatbetteramerica.com

Ravioli Skillet

I like this dish because it's fast and easy, plus there isn't a lot of dishes!  Also, we love white beans in our family.

Ingredients:
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup water
2 medium zucchini and/or yellow summer squashes, cut into bite size pieces
1 package (9 oz) four cheese ravioli
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 can cannellini or white northern beans
2 tablespoons fresh basil
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1.  In a very large skillet, combine undrained tomatoes, italian seasoning, and the water; bring to a boil.  Add the zucchini and squash, ravioli and pepper.  Return to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and boil gently for 6 to 7 minutes or until ravioli is tender, stirring gently once or twice.

2.  Stir beans into ravioli mixture; heat through.  Sprinkle individual servings with basil and cheese.

from eatbetteramerica.com