Monday, February 13, 2012

Chocolate Chai Milkshake

I love chai... so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it.  Glad I did because it was delicious!!  Hope you enjoy it too.

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Chocolate Chai Milkshake

2 cups Milk
1 Whole Nutmeg or 1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Cardamom
1/2 tsp. Fennel Seed
1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
5 whole Black Peppercorns
2 pints Vanilla Ice Cream
1/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. Chocolate Syrup

In a saucepan on medium-low heat, steep the milk with the nutmeg, cardamom, fennel seed, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and black peppercorns until the milk is fragrant, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to break the milk film or "skin" on the top. 




Strain and discard the solids. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes. 

In a blender add the ice cream, 1 cup strained milk and chocolate syrup.


Blend until smooth. Serve.



Makes 42 oz. 



Monday, February 6, 2012

Potato Flatbread

I will be trying this recipe again, WITH a good pizza crust & not with the Pillsbury pizza crust I used to try & save on time.  Other than the crust... this was really good.  I've seen Potato Pizzas on TV shows & thought it sounded really good.  This recipe calls it flatbread but it's the same as a pizza.

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This picture is from He Cooks, She Cooks & shows another similar version of a Potato Pizza.  I'm using this picture so that you may see what it should look more like with the correct crust.


This is mine... with the wrong crust. lol

Potato Flatbread
Prep:   30 mins   *   Start to Finish:   50 mins 

1 pound frozen pizza dough, thawed (or make your own fresh)
10 ounces red or white potatoes, scrubbed
1 shallot, peeled
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary or thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Stretch dough thinly, pressing the edges onto the counter so it doesn't spring back. Let it rest a few minutes, then transfer each piece to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. Using a mandolin or slicer, slice potatoes and shallot 1/16-inch thick. Spread a bit of the sliced shallot over each crust, then top with a single overlapping layer of potatoes.
3. Sprinkle with salt, herbs and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and bake 20 min, or until crust is crisp and deep brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 to 15 servings.



Note:  The Pillsbury Pizza Dough I used is not a good substitute for the frozen or fresh dough.  As you can see from the pictures... the crust doesn't end up with a good texture... it's crispy & dry like a cracker (not a good one) & started to burn before the potatoes were cooked.  Also... my hubby didn't use the Mandolin, which would have sliced the potatoes a lot thinner.  He didn't have the patience to slice them thinner with the knife either. lol  The potatoes should really be sliced a bit thinner than the ones in these pictures because they would cook faster & you won't have to worry about your bread burning or browning too much before your potatoes were done.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Bacon Crescent Appetizers

Tasty little treats for any occasion.

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Bacon Crescent Appetizer
time: 35 min   *   servings: 16 servings

8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
8 slices Bacon, cooked, crumbled (I used a bag of precooked Oscar Meyer Real Bacon Bits)
1/3 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 c. finely chopped Onions
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Parsley
1Tbsp. Milk
2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls

HEAT oven to 375°F.
MIX all ingredients except crescent dough.
SEPARATE each can of dough into 8 triangles & then spread each dough triangle with 2 generous teaspoons of cream cheese mixture.  Roll up, starting at short side of triangle & then cut them in half. Place, point-sides down, on baking sheet. 


BAKE 12 to 15 min. or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Hawaiian Sweet Roll Ham Sliders. Yum!

I had seen the recipe for these a couple of times & thought they sounded really good.... so I decided to make them to enjoy during the Super Bowl today.  These are fabulous!!

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Hawaiian Sweet Roll Ham Sliders

1 Pkg. of 12 Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
½ lb. Shaved Honey Ham
8 Slices Swiss Cheese
½ c. Butter
1 Onion, minced or grated
3 Tbsp. Dijon Honey Mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
3 tsp. Poppy Seeds

 1.    Melt butter in a small skillet & add onions.  Next add mustard, Worcestershire sauce & poppy seeds.  Simmer for several minutes or until onions are softened.


2.     Meanwhile, slice rolls as a group, lengthwise, & place bottoms in an aluminum foil lined 13” x 9” pan.
3.     Spread ¾ of the onion mixture on the roll bottoms.  Next place the ham & then cheese.



4.     Top with the roll tops & then spread the remaining onion mixture over the tops.  Cover with aluminum foil & refrigerate until ready to bake.



5.     Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.



6.     Cut between the buns to serve.  Enjoy!!



Variations:
Bread - You can use regular dinner rolls or other kinds of buns if you wish.
Filler - You can also choose to use other meats like Turkey and other kinds of cheeses.