Caramel Toffee Yogurt Fruit Dip

Caramel Toffee Yogurt Fruit Dip

Fruit dip is one of those food items I start making in fall. I can't explain it.  I just feel compelled to make fruit dip.  One of the family's favorite is a caramel dip with toffee bits in it. The dip  has a toffee crunchiness with a smooth caramel taste.    They love eating this dip with fresh apples and pears.
This dip is easy and quick to make.  I start by beating 4 ounces of cream cheese until creamy.  To the whipped cream cheese I add Greek yogurt and caramel topping.   I stir it  well and refrigerate until cool.  I then stir in some toffee bits.  Drizzle some topping on top  and swirl with a knife and serve.
Fruit dip never tasted sooo  amazingly good.




                              Caramel Toffee Yogurt Fruit Dip



Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup Greek nonfat vanilla yogurt
¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon caramel topping
¾ cup Heath English Toffee Bits


Directions:


1. Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until creamy.  Beat in the yogurt and ¼ cup of caramel topping until smooth.

2. Cover and refrigerate the dip at least 30 minutes or until chilled.

3. Stir in the English Toffee Bits.  Spoon dip into a serving bowl and drizzle with 1 teaspoon caramel topping.  Swirl with the tip of a knife.

4.  Serve with you favorite fruits.

Makes 8 servings

Marinated Mozzarella Cheese

Marinated Mozzarella Cheese

Marinated Mozzarella cheese is both delicious and versatile.  I like the texture and taste marinated mozzarella gives to a  salad.  Need a quick appetizer? Serve it sliced with olives, marinated artichoke hearts,  hard salami, and bread.   It also makes terrific grilled cheese sandwiches and is great to use in Caprese Salads.
Lately, I have been making my own marinated mozzarella instead of purchasing it.  It is very easy, quick, and inexpensive to make.  I start with a presliced log of fresh mozzarella.  I place it in a 9x13 inch baking dish.  I top it with a marinade made of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, capers, and red peppers flakes. I use a teaspoon of red pepper flakes because I like the cheese with a little kick.  Use a smaller amount for less spiciness.  Cover and refrigerate  for at least  20 minute or overnight.  Remove from fridge and you are ready to enjoy this  delectable cheese.



                           Marinated Mozzarella Cheese



Ingredients:

1-pound fresh mozzarella -1/2 thick sliced
1/2-cup olive oil
1-teaspoon garlic powder
½ - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes*
1-teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon capers, chopped


Directions:

1. Arrange sliced mozzarella cheese in a single layer in a 9x13 inch dish.

2.Whisk together in a medium mixing bowl, the olive oil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper.
3. Stir in the chopped capers.  Spoon marinate over the mozzarella slices.

4. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes, up to overnight.
5. Arrange on a platter and serve or use in your favorite recipe.
* Depending on how spicy you want the marinate.  I used 1 teaspoon of chili flakes and the cheese has a bit of kick to it.

Makes 6-8 appetizer servings

Eggplant "Tartine" With Tomatoes, Olives, and Cucumbers

Eggplant "Tartine" With Tomatoes, Olives, and Cucumber

I am not a fan of eggplant.  So when I found out this week's recipe for French Fridays With Dorie involved eggplant, I was hesitant.  However, I proceeded in making the dish.
The eggplant acts as the bread in this tartine.  You begin by slicing the eggplant into rounds and roasting them in the oven.  Once roasted, they are cooled.  You then top the rounds with a delicious tomato salsa.   Tomatoes are tossed with onions,  celery, garlic, green olives, and capers in a light red wine vinaigrette.  Top the salsa with cucumbers and the Tartine is complete.

This dish did not taste bad - like I said earlier, I'm not an eggplant lover.  However,  the salsa was delicious:)  It was my favorite part of the dish.  I will continue to make the salsa and use it in other recipes.
You can find the recipe for Eggplant "Tartine" With Tomatoes, Olives, and Cucumbers on pages 144-145 in "Around My French Table".

Eggplant Brushed With Olive Oil and Sprinkled With Salt and Pepper

Roasted Eggplant Slices

Tomato Salsa

Eggplant Tartine 

Chicken Pot Pie With Ham and Cheddar Biscuits

Chicken Pot Pie With Ham and Cheddar Biscuits

With kids in college and running around for both  mid school and elementary school, dinners are becoming one dish entrees.  One of my favorites to make is Chicken Pot pie.  Not only is it a great way to use up leftover chicken, you have your meat and veggies all in one dish. Leftovers (if there are any)  reheat great.
I like pot pies that have a filling loaded with meat and veggies in a nice thick sauce.  A pie crust topping is fine but I prefer a flaky biscuit crust.
As some of you know, I  get a lot of my recipes from "Southern Living" magazine.   My favorite recipe for Chicken Pot pie comes from  this magazine.  I made some modifications to the original recipe.  I used onion powder instead of chopping a large onion and I used finely chopped black forest ham instead of bacon.
The filling is made with lots of chicken, mushrooms, hash browns, carrots, and peas.  All these delicious ingredients are then mixed together in a creamy flavorful sauce.  The filling is topped with flaky cheesy biscuits.  The recipe makes about 15 biscuits.  I only used 12  for the topping so I froze the others to enjoy later. Bake and serve.   You have a very tasty and satisfying meal to serve your family.

Chicken Pot Pie With Ham and Cheddar Biscuits
Adapted from Southern Living Magazine

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1/1/2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups frozen cubed hash browns
1 cup matchstick carrots
1 cup frozen small peas
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup cold butter
2 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped Black Forest Ham
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

1. Prepare Filling:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Melt 1/3 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add all-purpose flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute.

2.  Gradually add chicken broth and milk, and cook, whisking constantly, 6 to 7 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.  Remove from heat and stir in Creole seasoning and onion powder.

3. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion and mushrooms and saute 10 minutes or until tender.  Stir in chicken, next 4 ingredients, and sauce.  Spoon filling into a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish.

4. Place flour in a medium mixing bowl.  Grate the butter (1/2 cup) into the flour and incorporate with your fingertips.  The mixtures will resemble small peas.  Add cheese, ham, chives, and whipping cream, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly 3 or 4 times.  Roll or pat dough to a 3/4-inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter. About 12-15 biscuits.
6. Bake Chicken Pie filling at 425 F for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and arrange biscuits on top of hot chicken mixture.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and chicken mixture is bubbly.  Remove from oven, and brush biscuits with 2 tablespoons melted butter.

Makes 6-8 servings

Dinner is Served

White Chocolate Raspberry Scones

White Chocolate Raspberry Scone

With college back in full swing, I decided to do some baking.  My daughter, Christie, likes to have something to munch on with her Starbucks between classes.   I found a recipe for Berry Scones in "Tea Time" magazine. The scones looked delicious in the picture, so I decided to try them.   I did not have blueberries, but I had raspberries and white chocolate morsels. With an ingredient substitution of white chocolate morsels for blueberries  I was set to proceed.

This recipe is quite simple - you whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in some butter and toss in the berries - in my case the white chocolate morsels, and raspberries.  In a smaller bowl you stir together the cream (MMM) and almond extract.  Add the wet ingredients  to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Scoop the batter  in a 1/4 size measuring cup, bake, cool,  and enjoy the scones.

I have tried a lot of recipes for scones but this is my favorite.  The scones were very moist and flavorful.  The almond extract made the difference with the white chocolate/raspberry combination.  The scones were devoured in no time so I made another batch.  I used mini chocolate chips with vanilla extract.  These made it to college the next day (I baked them late at night).  I believe I will get the one scone remaining and save it for my tea break:)


White Chocolate Raspberry Scones
Adapted from Tea Time Magazine

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1/2 cup white chocolate morsels (fresh blueberries for original recipe)
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, whisking well.

4. Grate butter into flour mixture.  Using your fingertips, work butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

5. Add white chocolate morsels and raspberries, tossing to coat with flour.  Set aside.

6.  Add almond extract to cream in a small bowl.  Stir until combined.  Add cream mixture to flour mixture, stirring to combine.  If mixture seems dry, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a dough forms and is uniformly moist.

7. Using a 1/4 measuring cup or a levered 1/4 cup scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheet.

8. Bake until edges are golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.

9.  Remove from oven and cool.  Store in an airtight container.

Yields 12 scones

Variation: Chocolate Chip Scones:  Substitute 1 cup Mini Chocolate Chips for the white chocolate morsels and raspberries.  Substitute 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract for the almond extract.

Minted Zucchini Tagliatelle With Cucumbers and Lemon

Minted Zucchini Tagliatelle With Cucumbers and Lemon

This week in French Fridays With Dorie we made Minted Zucchini Tagliatelle With Cucumbers and Lemon. This is a crisp and refreshing salad.     Zucchini is sliced into ribbons using a Mandoline or other type of slicer.  A cumber is cut into chunks and both  the zucchini and cucumber chunks are tossed with lemon zest and mint.  You then toss the salad with  a dressing made from lemon juice and pistachio oil.  I did not have pistachio oil so I  used walnut oil.  Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Toss with the remaining mint to give it "jolt of freshness" as described by Dorie.
This salad is easy to make.  You can serve it by itself or as a side.  I served my with grilled burgers.

You can find this recipe here or on p. 124 in "Around My French Table".

Zucchini, Cucumber, Mint, and Onion

Lemon Juice and Walnut Oil 

Slow Cooker Rice Pudding

Creamy Rice Pudding

Rice Pudding was a dessert my mother frequently made as I was growing up. She would use rice, milk, cinnamon, sugar, and raisins. This was a favorite of mine as a kid.  Today, like my mom, I make different variations of Rice Pudding for my family.
A recipe that recently caught my attention, was "Slow Cooker Rice Pudding" in the recent issue of "Woman's Day" magazine.  It is very easy to make and requires little preparation time.
You whisk together sweetened condensed milk with whole milk in a 5-6 quart slow cooker.  Then stir in the rice, cover and cook until the rice is tender. Remove from heat and fold in some delicious Nutella. Top with strawberries (I used raspberries) and you are set to enjoy a tasty comforting dessert.
The mixture may be a little runny but don't worry, it will thicken as it cools.  If it is too thick for your liking, just add a little more milk.
The  pudding is sweet and creamy. This is probably the family's favorite recipe for Rice Pudding.  The Nutella is what makes it my favorite:)










Slow Cooker Rice Pudding
From Woman's Day

Ingredients:
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
5 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons hazelnut-chocolate spread (we used Nutella)
Sliced strawberries, for serving

Directions:

1. In a 5-to-6 quart slow cooker, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and whole milk.  Stir in the rice.

2. Cook, covered, until the rice is tender and the mixture has slightly thickened, 2 to 3 hours on high.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

3. Drizzle the hazelnut-chocolate spread over the rice pudding and gently fold in to create swirls.  Spoon into bowls and top with sliced strawberries, if desired.

Dessert is Served. Want Some?

Delicious Nutella