Irish Cream Alcohol Free

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

A nice way to celebrate is to pour yourself a nice cup of coffee that is flavored with this rich  homemade Irish Cream.  It is delicious.  So much better than the coffee creamers you get at the store.

This recipe has evaporated milk, milk, and whipping cream - great ingredients for a rich cup of coffee.  In addition to the milks and cream, this recipe also includes some chocolate syrup, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract and some coffee granules.  Blend them together and then store in fridge until ready to use.

The recipe suggest using 1/3 cup of creamer to cup of coffee.  I used this amount and it was perfect.   This recipe yields about 3 cups.

Irish Cream
From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
EACH SERVING:
1/2 cup brewed coffee
Directions:
1. In a blender, combine the first eight ingredients; cover and process until smooth. Store in the refrigerator.
2. For each serving, place coffee in a mug. Stir in 1/3 cup Irish cream. Heat mixture in a microwave if desired.
Yield: 3-1/3 cups.

Irish Beef Stew

Irish Stew - great dish to serve on St. Patrick's Day.  This stew has a rich and very flavorful broth.  The meat is extremely tender and flavorful as are the veggies.  Doesn't it look delicious:)

I found this recipe on one of my favorite foodie websites Simply Recipes.  Like all good Irish Stew recipes, this recipe has Guinness Stout as an ingredient.  I was a little skeptical because I have used Guinness before in recipes and the taste was bitter.  Not so with this recipe.  Everything tasted wonderful.

I have saved this recipe and plan to make it again.  You can find this fantastic recipe here.

Tex-Mex Chopped Salad

It was one of those perfect days when the sun was shining bright, but it wasn't  too hot.  There was just a very little breeze in the air.  Hard to believe we are still in winter.  Spring is around the corner though.   A salad would be perfect for lunch on a beautiful day like this.  I chose to make a bright and colorful salad - a Tex-Mex Chopped salad.

This salad has colorful ingredients that are tasty and good for you.  There are some slice green peppers, tomatoes, corn, avocados, pinto beans (the recipe called for black beans, but I substituted pinto beans), lettuce (again, I substituted lettuce for cilantro).  All of these salad fixings are tossed in a tangy lime vinaigrette dressing that is out-of-this world delicious.   I like tang to my  salad dressings.

What is great about this salad if you have picky eaters like I do, the  ingredients are separately placed on individual plates.  If a family member doesn't like say avocados, they do not need to put them in their salad.

I loved the flavors and texture of this salad.  Everything blended together nicely and the lime dressing added a wonderful tangy flavor.  I topped my salad with fresh ground pepper.

Tex-Mex Chopped Salad
From Better Homes & Gardens Magazine Adapted by From My Southwest Kitchen

Ingredients:
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (15-16 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (I used Pinto)
10 ounces frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2 cups lightly packed cilantro, chopped or 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and chopped
1 green sweet pepper, chopped
6 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. In a screw-top jar combine lime juice, oil, sugar,  kosher salt, and crushed red pepper.  Shake well to combine.
2. Arrange black (pinto) beans, corn, cilantro (lettuce), tomatoes, avocado, sweet pepper, and green onion on plates.  Drizzle with dressing.

Makes 4 servings

Beach Shrimp

This easy shrimp bake is the best.  The shrimp are baked in Italian dressing, ground pepper, garlic, lemon juice, parsley,  and of course butter.  Everything is tossed together in a baking dish and put into a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve.  Nothing could be easier for a quick dinner.

I served this dish with a tossed green salad and some bread.


Beach Shrimp
From my recipes

Ingredients:

3 pounds unpeeled, large raw shrimp

1 (16-oz.) bottle Italian dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 lemons, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup butter, cut up

Directions:
1. Place first 4 ingredients in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish, tossing to coat. Squeeze juice from lemons over shrimp mixture, and stir. Add lemon halves to pan. Sprinkle evenly with parsley; dot with butter.
2. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Serve in pan.
Makes 6-8 servings

Crock Pot Chocolate Cherry Cobbler

One of my favorite combinations - chocolate and cherries in a scrumptious cobbler.  This recipe is super easy and you only need three ingredients;  cherry pie filling, a box of you favorite Chocolate cake mix, and butter.  Add all of these ingredients to your crock pot, set it on high and cook for 4 hours.   No stirring required.  The pie filling bubbles up in the cake mix and everything get mixed up on its own.  By-the-way,the aroma is intoxicating as this dessert cooks.

After 4 hours, serve your cobbler with a scoop of ice cream.  It is delicious:)  A dessert made with love.


Crock Pot Chocolate Cherry Cobbler
From Duncan Hines
Special Equipment: Crock Pot

Ingredients:
1 (30-ounce) can Cherry Pie Filling
1 box  Chocolate Cake Mix
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
1. Spray your crock lightly with cooking spray.  Set aside.
2. Add the Cherry Pie filling to the  Crock Pot.  Next add the cake mix followed by the melted butter.
3. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.  Serve with some ice cream if desired.

Makes 6-8 servings

Spaghetti Pie

Have leftover cooked spaghetti or do you want to make a new spaghetti dish?  Try making your family/guests a nice Spaghetti Pie.  Spaghetti Pie is easy and delicious.  In this recipe, the pie is nice and cheesy.

The spaghetti is the crust of the pie.  Once you have placed the spaghetti in a pie plate you spread some ricotta cheese over the spaghetti.  Your favorite pasta sauce is then spread over the cheese.  Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes.  You then sprinkle some mozzarella cheese over the top and then pop it back in the oven for about 5 minutes.  Take your pie out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

You will have a lot of smiling faces around your dinner table.  This pie is very tasty and satisfying.

Spaghetti Pie
From Sargento


Ingredients:
6 oz. spaghetti, cooked
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup (3 oz.)  Shredded Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 cup  Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
1 cup pasta sauce
1/2 cup (2 oz.)  Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Directions:
1. Toss spaghetti with olive oil in large bowl. Stir in eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Pour spaghetti mixture into greased 10-inch pie plate; form into a crust.
2. Spoon Ricotta cheese over spaghetti crust. Top with pasta sauce. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 25 minutes. Top with Mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Makes 6 servings

Thai Rice Noodle Bowl

Healthy, quick, easy, and tasty.  This describes  the Thai Rice Noodle Bowl meal I made the other day for the family.  I was surprised how quick and easy this dish came together.  Rice noodles are cooked, and drained.  While the noodles cook, I sliced up some  sweet pepper, grated a carrot, and sliced a cucumber.  Then a dressing was made consisting of fish sauce, soy sauce, creamy peanut butter, red pepper flakes, and some rice vinegar.  I then grilled up some beef and sliced it thin.

Everything is now combined.  The noodles and veggies are put into a bowl and tossed with the dressing.  Divide the noodles among four bowls.  Top with beef, chopped peanuts, and cilantro leaves.  Serve with a lime wedge.

I was pleasantly surprised on how flavorful this dish was.   The crispness of the veggies tossed with the noodles was a delicious combination. The lime juice really made the flavors pop.   Add some thinly sliced beef to the top and I had a very delicious meal.


Thai Rice Noodle Bowl
From Family Circle Magazine Adapted by From My Southwest Kitchen

Ingredients:

7 ounces (half a 14-ounce box) thin stir-fry rice noodles (such as Thai Kitchen)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons warm water
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 seedless cucumber
3/4 pound small chicken breast halves, boneless pork chops or steak
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup sweet pepper strips
1/2 cup grated  carrot
3 scallions, trimmed and sliced
1/3 cup cilantro leaves, sliced, plus more for serving
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Lime wedges

Directions:

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.  Add noodles, turn off heat and let soak 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, fish sauce, warm water, sugar and red pepper flakes until smooth.  Wash, halve and slice cucumber into half-moons.
3. Heat grill pan or broiler.  Place meat in a resealable plastic bag or glass dish.  Add 3 tablespoons of the dressing, turning to coat.
4. Place remaining dressing in a small saucepan with cornstarch.  Bring to a boil; boil 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.
5. Grill or broil meat 6 minutes, turning once, until cooked through.
6. Drain and rinse noodles and transfer to a large bowl.   Add sweet pepper, shredded carrot, cucumber, scallions and sliced cilantro.  Drizzle dressing into bowl and toss to combine.  Divide among 4 bowl.  Slice chicken, pork, or beef and divide among bowls.  Sprinkle with cilantro leaves and chopped peanuts. Serve each bowl with a lime wedge.

Serves 4