Tin Roof Chocolate Pie

 

This is another recipe that's been in my "to-try" file for a loooong time. It's a good one! I skipped the caramel topping since everyone was anxious to have dessert.


-Better Homes & Gardens - Nestle Toll House competition

1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 tablespoon butter
1 pastry shell (9 inches), baked

PEANUT LAYER:
20 caramels
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 cups salted peanuts

CHOCOLATE LAYER:
1 1/3 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk
15 large marshmallows
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream

TOPPING:
3 caramels
5 teaspoons heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon butter

Whipped cream and salted peanuts, optional

In a small heavy saucepan, combine the 1/3 cup chocolate chips and 1 Tbsp. butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Spread onto the bottom and up the sides of crust; refrigerate until the chocolate is set.

For peanut layer, in a small saucepan, melt caramels and cream over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from the heat; stir in peanuts. Spoon into pie shell; refrigerate.

For chocolate layer, in a medium saucepan, combine milk, 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips and the marshamllows. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate and marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract; set aside until cool.

When chocolate mixture is cool; beat the 1 cup whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold into the chocolate mixture. Spoon chocolate mixture over peanut layer in pie shell (pie will be full). Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours. Or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Before serving, in a small saucepan, melt caramels, cream and butter over low heat, stirring until smooth. Let cool slightly. Top each serving with caramel mixture, whipped cream and additional chocolate chips. Serve immediately. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Fajitas

I've been looking for a good fajita recipe for a long time and finally found one that we all like!

-Your Homebased Mom

1 1/2 lbs flank steak
1/2 C Canola oil
1/3 C soy sauce
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Combination of peppers – red, yellow, orange, green and onion, sliced.
Olive oil
Salt

Using a medium bowl,combine the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, lemon or lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, and ground black pepper. Place meat in a large zip loc baggie and pour marinade over the steak. Turning meat to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.

Preheat grill for medium-high heat.

Place steaks on the grill, and discard the marinade. Grill meat for 5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Slice meat thinly going across the grain

While meat is grilling, saute onions and peppers in olive oil and salt until tender.

Serve with meat on a tortilla. Add sour cream, guacamole and or salsa

Black Tie Strawberries

I saw this idea in a newspaper and clipped it out to put in my "good ideas and to try" book. Here they are - 8 years later! :)

Cheese Boats

Whenever I eat these they remind me of home and family - one of those dishes that's not particularly fancy or complicated, but comforting because it reminds me of  my childhood. This one is tricky in my family because Paige and I are the only ones that like olives. I think next time, I'll just make some without olives before stirring them in for the rest. Paige calls these "volcanoes" and I think the name fits! :)

-Grandma Carling

12 French rolls
1 lb. longhorn cheese, shredded (4 cups)
1/2 can olives - sliced or chopped
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup El Pato sauce
3 eggs, hard boiled and grated or finely chopped
garlic powder - about 1/4 tsp

Scoop the middles out of rolls. Mix all the above ingredients together in a saucepan until cheese is melted. Fill rolls with mixture. Wrap in foil and heat in 300 degree oven for 15 minutes or until heated through. (Mom always put the wrapped rolls in a muffin tin so they didn't fall over - this works great because if you don't keep them upright the cheese oozes out into the foil.)

Molten Lava Cakes

Thomalee demonstrated these for a Relief Society enrichment activity while we lived in San Jose. I love this recipe because of it's simplicity-both ingredients and preparation.

-Thomalee Abraham

2 T. butter, plus more for pans
1/3 c. confectioners sugar, plus more for pans and serving
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, broken in pieces
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
pinch salt
3 t. all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter two 6-ounce ramekins (or 2 cups of a standard size muffin tin), then dust with confectioners sugar. Place butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high at 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk, sugar, and salt. Add chocolate mixture; whisk to combine. Add flour and whisk just until combined (do not overmix!). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake until a toothpick inserted 1/2 inch from edge of ramekins comes out clean, and a toothpick inserted in center comes out wet, 10-12 minutes (do not overbake!) Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Run a knife around inside of pans to loosen. Invert cakes onto serving plates and dust with sugar; serve immediately.

*If you want to double or triple this recipe, just add 3 minutes or so to baking time. To make ahead, cover ramekins with plastic wrap after step 2; refrigerate up to 1 day. Bake 14-16 minutes.

Chicken & Cheese Bundles

I've never used frozen roll dough for anything other than monkey bread, but this recipe opened up a whole other world of possibilities! I omitted the mushrooms because Brandon isn't a big fan, and used Monterrey Jack cheese because that's what I had on hand. Yummy!

-Taste of Home

1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (didn't include)
1-1/2 tsp. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped roasted sweet red peppers
1 Tbsp. honey mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Swiss cheese (any kind you have on hand)
12 frozen bread dough dinner rolls, thawed
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

In a large skillet, saute onion and mushrooms in butter until tender. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Add the chicken, peppers, mustard and seasonings; heat through. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese.

Flatten each roll into a 5-inch circle. Place 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of six circles. Brush edges with water; top with remaining circles. Press edges with a fork to seal. (Cut slit in top for steam to escape.)

Place on greased baking sheets; brush with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cut bundles in half to serve.

Cap'n Crunch French Toast

One of our favorite TV shows is Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives with Guy Fieri. I was browsing some of the books at the library and came across a book/cookbook of some of the places they've had on the show. After thumbing through the book, I saw this recipe remembered seeing the episode where they served french toast crusted in crushed Cap'n Crunch cereal. Of course it's good - look at the ingredients! :)

-From the Blue Moon Cafe, Baltimore MD

4-5 Servings

3/4 cup heavy cream
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups Cap'n Crunch cereal
8-10 slices bread, such as Texas toast or French bread
Butter for cooking

Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups assorted fresh seasonal berries

Mix the cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk until combined.

Put the cereal in a storage bag and use a rolling pin to crush cereal until it resembles cracker meal. Transfer the cereal to a shallow bowl.

Dip a couple slices of the bread into the cream mixture until soft but not completely soaked. Let excess liquid drip from the bread, then press into the cereal crumbs to coat evenly. Place on a sheet pan and repeat with the remaining slices.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat, add butter as needed, and cook the bread until caramelized on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes total.

For the whipped cream toppin; Beat the cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with a hand mixer to soft peaks. Dollop on top of the French taost and serve with the berries.