SRC

Banana Nutella Bread Pudding- SRC

June 24, 2013

So probably picking a bread pudding for this month’s Secret Recipe Club post was not the best idea since it’s been so hot out now. Wasn’t I just complaining that it was cold and rainy? Well, that is the way things go in New England. But not or not I swear it’s worth it to make this bread pudding anytime of the year!

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club post I had Shirley’s blog Enriching You Kid!. It had such a fun time going through Shirley’s blog because she had such interesting recipes. I went through years and years of recipes looking around for something to make and share. I had several recipes in mind but decided on the Banana Nutella Bread Pudding. I couldn’t pass up on having some Nutella!!

I kept all of the ingredients the same but played around with the proportions of the ingredients. Shirley’s recipe called for 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of bread. Since I prefer a bit drier of a bread pudding I changed up the amounts to 1 1/2 cups milk and 3 1/5 cups of bread. If you prefer a wetter bread pudding then increase the amount of milk and reduce the amount of bread a bit. Just as simple as that.

Hope that you enjoy this delightful bread pudding as much as we did 🙂

Banana Nutella Bread Pudding

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups bread pieces
1 banana, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Nutella
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or hazelnuts, optional

Process

Beat together the milk, egg, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the bread, sliced banana, and the Nutella. Fold together completely to combine, let soak for 30 minutes.
While the bread is soaking up the milk mixture, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and prepare a baking dish by greasing all the sides.
Pour the bread pudding mixture into the greased baking dish. Sprinkle nuts on top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, then let stand for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.

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Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts

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Coconut Cream Pie- SRC

March 25, 2013

It’s Secret Recipe Club time again!!

As usual I told Price to check out the blog and to pick out the recipe that I should make for this month. I only specified that I didn’t want to make a cake or cookies. So Price headed over to My Beautiful Disasters and checked out the recipes that Casey has made. He picked out the Coconut Cream Pie as I’ve been saying that I want to try to make more pies.

We loved this pie. It was so easy to make and tasted so good. Casey remarked that when she made it that it didn’t set up well. I didn’t have trouble setting it up but I did recently cook a chocolate pudding pie so I figured I would make sure I get it thick enough while cooking it instead of having it set up while chilling, just like when I that one. It just took some time and patience to stand there and stir constantly but it totally was worth it.

I’m so glad that Price picked this recipe from Casey’s blog. It was a fantastic recipe to make for SRC. I only wish I had planned enough in advance (when will I learn?!?!) to make her homemade pie crusts. I just grabbed a 9″ pie crust from the grocery store and baked it according to its instructions and let it cool completely. Simple. The only thing I did different was that I used the coconut extract instead of the vanilla extract in the whipped cream. I just wanted it to scream coconut!

If you love coconut then you’ll love this coconut cream pie!

Coconut Cream Pie

Makes 12 slices

Ingredients

1 pre-baked 9-inch pie shell

Coconut Cream Pie Filling

4 egg yolks
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Whipped Cream

1 cup whipping cream, whipped
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coconut Topping

1/2 cup of shredded sweetened coconut

Process

Use either a purchased pie crust or a homemade one. Pre-bake according to instructions/recipe, allow to cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 350. On a rimmed baking sheet, spread out the 1/2 cup of the shredded coconut. Toast for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool.
To make the filling, combine the yolks, milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a heavy bottomed saucepan; mix well. While continuelly stiring, cook slowly over medium low heat until the mixture bubbles and begins to thicken. Reduce to low and stir in the coconut and butter. Continue to cook and stir until very thick, approximately another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut extract.
Cool the filling approximately 10-15 minutes prior to pouring into the pie shell.
Whip the whipping cream over medium speed. Once it begins to thicken, add in the powdered sugar and extracts.
Evenly spread the whipped cream over the cooled pie. Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the whipped cream. Serve chilled.

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Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!

Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts

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Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers- SRC

January 28, 2013

It is Secret Recipe Club time!!!

This month I was giving the blog by fellow native New Englander Jess. She, and husband Nick, are living in Mississippi as Nick is in the air force. Jess has the blog called Flying on Jess Fuel where she documents what she makes for the 2 of them. They met through a friend at a Mexican restaurant, where she impressed him with her jalapeno eating skills. Ohh spice! I knew I would love this blog.

I browsed her recipes and had several in mind but I picked one that featured jalapenos! I decided to make the Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers because it would be fun to make for the upcoming Superbowl and I love them as much as Jess. They are definitely different than a typical jalapeno popper but the change up is so much fun. There are much lighter as they are not packed full of cream cheese and cheese but the cornbread gets nicely fluffy and the crunchy cheesy top is a nice finishing touch. I only made a few simple changes along the way by adding some paprika to the corn bread and then broiling at the end to get the cheese extra brown and crunchy.

I hope that you’ll add these to your Superbowl menu. We are relaxing at home this year and I can’t wait to kick back with chips and something spicy to enjoy with a cold beer!

Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers

Makes 24 poppers

Ingredients

12 medium large fresh jalapenos
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, divided
1 cup corn (fresh, frozen or canned)

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil.
Slice each jalapeno down the center and remove seeds and ribs.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, paprika, oil, milk, corn and cheese until just mixed.
Fill each jalapeno half with the cornbread batter. Sprinkle them all with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cornbread is firm and cooked through.
Broil the cheesy top until golden brown.

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Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!

Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts.

Chocolate Bourbon Truffles- SRC

November 26, 2012

I’m so ready for Christmas and all the craziness that comes with it. Actually, I’m not at all but I’m trying. At least I will bake and cook myself into the holiday spirit. I have so many recipes bookmarked it’s a bit crazy. But I’m looking forward to tackling that list.

Something you should add to your holiday baking list are these Chocolate Bourbon Balls. As soon as I saw these on Shari’s blog, The Saucy Gourmet, I knew that these would be perfect to make for this month’s addition for Secret Recipe Club. We are taking next month off from posting so I wanted to share something perfect for the holidays.

These are so simple to make and a great treat for the holiday season. In all they took me an hour to make and that included 30 minutes of me watching Parenthood while they cooled for 30 minutes. Not bad at all. Shari suggests that you make them a few days in advance of serving them to allow the flavors to meld together and for the bourbon to mellow out. I follow no such instructions and didn’t wait so they had a real kick to them but were still soooo good. But it’s really great that you can make these in advance of a party or a cookie swap when you are super crazy swamped with a million other holiday things they will be ready and waiting for you.

Prior to making these I recruited one of the general contractors I work with into explaining bourbon to me. Bourbon is American made whiskey that is barrel-aged, which is why it is pricier than something like vodka. We discussed what bourbon to use in this recipe as well. Since this doesn’t have many ingredients it would be best to use a good quality bourbon so you don’t pucker up as you eat the bourbon balls. Basically, he suggested to skip using Jack Daniels (unless you get a nice specialty bottle). I was still confused so I called him from the liquor store… after work. Oh those general contractors are such good sports, which is why I gave them all of these bourbon balls!

Chocolate Bourbon Truffles

Makes 30 1” round truffles

Ingredients

6 oz (1 cup) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup bourbon, such as Maker’s Mark
55 Nilla wafers cookies
4 oz (1 cup) walnut pieces
Sugar of rolling

Process

Using a food processor (or a knife and some patiences), crush the Nilla Waffers and walnuts together until fine.
In a medium sized, heavy-bottom pot, melt the chocolate on low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and add the sugar, corn syrup, and bourbon and mix until chocolate mixture is smooth again. Thoroughly mix in the Nilla Waffers and walnut mixture to create a dough.
In the pot, divide the dough in half by scoring the top, then divide those 2 sections in 5 equal sections. Let the dough cool for 30 minutes.
Once the dough has cooled, remove from the pot and roll the 10 sections into even sized logs and then cut each into 3 pieces. Roll the balls and then coat with sugar.

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Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts:

October: Bacon, Mushroom, Onion, and Cheese Stuffed Bread

September: Spiced Black Bean, Grilled Avocado, and Goat Cheese Tacos

August: Birthday Cake Oreo Truffles

July: Tropical Pork Pineapple Kebabs

June: Cheesy Garlic Knots

May: Berry Brownie Torte

April: Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

March: Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds

February: Fried Pickles

January: No SRC postings

December: Shrimp Sriracha Stir Fry

November: Vegetable Enchiladas

October: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Bacon, Mushroom, Onion, and Cheese Stuffed Bread

October 29, 2012

It’s been a year since I’ve started to participate in Secret Recipe Club and I have really enjoyed this past year.It’s been so much fun getting to interact with other bloggers and to make some really fun recipes. I can’t wait for the next year with this great group!

This month I had Anne’s blog called Anne Jisca’s Healthy Pursuits. Wouldn’t you know I think the pick the 1 indulgent thing on the blog. She has great soups, breads, so many other great fresh homemade recipes on her blog. Of course I pick one with bacon and cheese. It’s just that once I saw her Bacon Cheese Stuffed Bread I knew I needed to have it. It would just work out perfectly to enjoy on a leisurely Sunday with some NASCAR and Football on. Plus, some Frankenstorm updates watching didn’t hurt! Oh, Hurricane Sandy, please be nice!

I made some changes to the original recipe in that I don’t have bacon bits at home so I used regular bacon and then I added mushroom and onion to the mix. I just figured adding some mushroom and onion would add to the overall flavor. Plus knowing it would basically be lunch it should have a veggie in there. ha! This was really simple to prepare and was so good. I highly suggest making this or a few different kinds, maybe with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, or some sauteed chopped broccoli. It’s the perfect game day treat!

Bacon, Mushroom, Onion, and Cheese Stuffed Bread

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 boule loaf of bread (8oz)
4 slices of bacon
8 oz o mushrooms, chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 pinch red pepper flake
2 oz of freshly grated cheese, such as cheddar or Gruyere

Process

Prepare the bread but cutting a cross hatch in the loaf almost all the way through. Place the bread onto a baking sheet lined with a large piece of tin foil.
Cut the bacon into small pieces. In a medium sized skillet, cook on medium low until completely cooked. Drain on a paper towel. Discard all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings.
Over medium heat, cook the mushrooms and onion in the same skillet with the bacon drippings as well as the butter. season with red pepper flake, salt and pepper. Once the mushroom and onion are cooked down add the bacon back into the skillet.
Add the bacon, mushroom, and onion mixture into the crevices of the bread. Freshly grate the cheese over the entire bread. Gently, wrap the foil over the bread to tent it over the cheese.
In a preheated 350 degree oven, bake the bread for 15 minutes. Open the foil to expose the top and broil for 1-2 minutes to get a golden brown top.

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Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts:

September: Spiced Black Bean, Grilled Avocado, and Goat Cheese Tacos

August: Birthday Cake Oreo Truffles

July: Tropical Pork Pineapple Kebabs

June: Cheesy Garlic Knots

May: Berry Brownie Torte

April: Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

March: Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds

February: Fried Pickles

Jan: No SRC postings

December: Shrimp Sriracha Stir Fry

November: Vegetable Enchiladas

October: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!

____________________

Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Tropical Pork Pineapple Kebabs- SRC

July 30, 2012

Another month is wrapping up so it means it is Secret Recipe Club time! How is this summer flying by?!?! It is crazy! At least it has been jam packed with great food, lots of fun with family and friends, and some awesome adventures. It just makes me wish summer was so much longer.

This time I had the blog called Without Adornment by Bean. The blog is packed full of gluten free recipes, as well as other allergen free recipes. This is perfect for someone with allergies, as well as anyone who just likes great food. I immediately saw her Tropical Pork Pineapple Kebabs and knew they would be perfect for a satisfying summertime dinner.

The original recipe was just a guide with the ingredients, and not the amounts used. I generally cook that way so I liked that there was freedom to have my own stamp on this recipe. I added some soy sauce to the marinade just so it would not be too sweet for my liking. I also had zucchini in the fridge so I added that to the kebabs too. I served this with some rice that I prepared while Price grilled up the kebabs. Totally loving our new grill, this summer, and this recipe!

Beans recipe was gluten free which I respect because for a while last year I ate gluten free and enjoyed the process and felt better from it. Anyway, I did add the soy sauce for flavor but it does wheat so if you want this to be gluten free just be sure to use a gluten free soy sauce. Or you can use Worcestershire Sauce which is naturally gluten free instead of the soy sauce and has 80% less sodium than soy sauce.

Tropical Pork Pineapple Kebabs

Serves 4

Ingredients

For Kebabs

1 pound of pork tenderloin cut into 1″ cubes
pineapple cut into 1″ cube pieces, approximately half a pineapple
1 red pepper, cut into 1″ x 1″ pieces
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4″ thick pieces
8 oz whole white button mushrooms

For Marinade

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 gloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce, known as sambal
1 cup of diced pineapple
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

Process

Soak 10 wooden skewers for at least an hour before using them.
Prepare the marinade first by combine all of the marinade in a bowl or large plastic bag. Mix thoroughly and then add the pork pieces to the marinade. Store in the refrigerator while the meat marinates for at least 1 hour minutes.
Once skewers are soaked and the meat is marinated, thread the pork, pineapple, pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms. Repeat the series twice and end with a piece of pork.
Grill the kebabs over medium-high heat. Using a basting brush, brush the kebabs with the marinade each time you turn the kebabs grilling each side.
Cook the kebabs until done with an internal temperature of the pork is 145 degrees. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

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Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts:

June: Cheesy Garlic Knots

May: Berry Brownie Torte

April: Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

March: Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds

February: Fried Pickles

Jan: No SRC postings

December: Shrimp Sriracha Stir Fry

November: Vegetable Enchiladas

October: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!

____________________

Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Cheesy Garlic Knots- SRC

June 25, 2012

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club I was given Suma Rowjee’s blog called Cakes and More. As usual I forwarded this info on to Price for him to pick out the recipe that I should make. I was happy that he went through her extensive recipe index consisting of breads, cakes, cookies, and many, many vegetarian dishes and picked out the garlic knots. We love garlic bread so I think that is made him pick out the garlic knots.

I’m glad he picked out that recipe since it was so easy. Which was great since I waited ’till the last minute, as usual, & started the dough last night! Ha! I made the knots this morning… Yummy breakfast! (I made Price some scrambled egg whites to go with it!) really, no matter when you eat these you will love them. Light, fluffy rolls with tons of garlic flavor. I added cheese to them before baking, because I just couldn’t resist!

I’m quite intimidated when it comes to making bread. I know I shouldn’t be but I don’t work with yeast often so I get a little nervous about it. But Suma had great instructions & a quick tweet to Amanda helped make things painless!

The dough was so easy to work with, in fact I did not knead the dough at all. I just worked the dough with an oiled rubber spoon for a while & it came together easily. With that I didn’t have to get my hands & counter super dirty then. I only worked the dough when I was forming the knots & that was easy with a bit of flour on the counter & my hands. Forming the knots was quick work and became intuitive quickly. The result was a garlicky knot that I would serve with dinner without a lot of fuss!

Cheesy Garlic Knots

makes 12 knots

Ingredients

For the dough:

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. lukewarm water (110-115 degrees)
1 tbsp. sugar
1 package of instant yeast
2 tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup milk, lukewarm
3 cups all purpose flour
1¼ tsp. salt

For the garlic glaze:

4 tbsp. melted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch of black pepper
1 pinch of red pepper flake
1 pinch of oregano
grated Parmesan cheese

Process

Combine the water and sugar in a large bowl, add the yeast to proof.
Once the yeast has proofed add the oil, milk, flour, and salt to the bowl. Using a large spoon to mix all the ingredients together. Mix with the spoon or knead for 10 minutes. Oil the bowl thoroughly, return the dough to bowl with a kitchen towel and let double in size. The first rise will take approximately 1 hour.
Divide the dough into 12 balls by dividing the dough in half, then half again. Take each of those 4 sections and divide it into 3, resulting in 12 equally sized balls.
To create the knot, take one dough ball and roll it out to 10″ long strip on a floured surface. At 40% through the strip bend the strip so the 60% portion is looped over the point where your started to bend the strip. Loop the loose end through the newly created center, then tuck that end under the outer loop. The remaining tail gets flipped over the loop and tucked into the center hole. Place on a greased baking sheet. Repeat for all knots.
Cover the knots on the baking sheets with a kitchen towel to let them rise again for another hour.
When you are ready to bake the knots, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Also prepare the glaze by combining all of the glaze ingredients, except the cheese. Brush the glaze on each knot, sprinkle a little bit of cheese on the glazed knots.
Bake the knots for 11-13 minutes, or until they cheese is golden brown.

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Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts:

May: Berry Brownie Torte

April: Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

March: Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds

February: Fried Pickles

Jan: No SRC postings

December: Shrimp Sriracha Stir Fry

November: Vegetable Enchiladas

October: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!

____________________

Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

5.25-28: Memorial Day Weekend Recap

May 29, 2012

Berry Brownie Torte

May 28, 2012

This Berry Brownie Torte is a perfect treat for Memorial Day & Fourth of July BBQ’s, or any of your fun summer gatherings. Everyone will love this treat!

We are still getting settled into our new home. This process feels so slow.

Well, it is slow going since I am so slow at unpacking and I want everything to be in its final home when I unpack it, not unpack, move, move again, and move once more. So a little bit of everything is everywhere.

…