No Fear Entertaining

Homemade Marshmallows

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:54:00 +0000

To start with I want to wish you Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! I'm a little behind on this but I wanted you to know the sentiment was there.

Now onto a regular blog post...

With the cold weather finally settling in all over the country our thoughts are turning to hot chocolate. Now what goes perfect with some hot chocolate? Marshmallows!!!

I first tried making these a couple of years ago and the kids never forgot them and had been asking and asking for them ever since.

This year we had already decided that there was going to be a huge paring back. We already have SO MUCH STUFF. None of us NEEDED anything this year. Pretty lucky huh? Sure there are a lot of wants but I think we've been coming to terms that there is a huge difference between WANTS and NEEDS. One of the things I decided to do was to make everyone some gifts. Tony got the homemade hot sauce and the girls got the homemade marshmallows. Worked out perfectly and they opened them for their one gift they get to open on Christmas Eve. Perfect for the traditional cup of hot chocolate.

Homemade Marshmallows (Smitten Kitchen-Springy, Fluffy Marshmallows)

Makes about 96 1-inch cubed marshmallows

Ingredients:

About 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided
2 cups granulated sugar (cane sugar worked just fine)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites or reconstituted powdered egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla (alternately: 1/2 of a scraped vanilla bean, 2 teaspoons almond or mint extract or maybe even some food coloring for tinting)

Directions:

Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners’ sugar.
In bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold cold water, and let stand to soften.
In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, second 1/2 cup of cold water, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 240°F, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.
With standing or a hand-held electric mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about six minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer. (Some reviewers felt this took even longer with a hand mixer, but still eventually whipped up nicely.)
In separate medium bowl with cleaned beaters beat egg whites (or reconstituted powdered whites) until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla (or your choice of flavoring) into sugar mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into baking pan and don’t fret if you don’t get it all out (learning from my mess of a first round). Sift 1/4 cup confectioners sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least three hours, and up to one day.
Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up one corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and ease onto cutting board. With a large knife trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly one-inch cubes. (An oiled pizza cutter works well here too.) Sift remaining confectioners’ sugar back into your now-empty baking pan, and roll the marshmallows through it, on all six sides, before shaking off the excess and packing them away.

Do ahead: Marshmallows keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature 1 week.

***I followed this recipe to a tee. Both times I have made them and they've turned out perfectly both times. Love this one. Next time I may try and add some peppermint extract to half of the batch to shake it up a bit!

Spinach Artichoke Pasta - Yep PASTA!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 18:55:00 +0000

I hope you weren't looking for a holiday recipe? I'm so deep in denial about the approaching festivities that I haven't even started baking...and I really need to post more.

I was so excited when I saw this recipe. I LOVE Spinach Artichoke dip and try to talk Tony and the kids into it anytime I see it on a menu when we are out. Yep, made it at home several times too. One of the problems though when I make it at home is that I eat way too much of it! So this way was perfect It was served with pasta and that meant I could have it as a main course and eat as much as I liked...:-)

And did I mention that this dish is fast to prepare? Yep, really, really fast. Like about as long as it takes to cook the pasta fast.

Spinach Artichoke Pasta (found on Pinterest by Budget Bytes)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive oil
4 cloves garlic
4 oz. cream cheese or neufchatel cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 can (14 oz.) quartered artichoke hearts
1 package (10 oz.) chopped spinach, thawed
1 Tbsp hot sauce
1 tsp red pepper flake
salt and pepper to taste
1 package of pasta (any shape)

Directions:

Put a large pot of water on to boil with a lid. When it comes to a boil, cook the pasta according to package directions (boil for about 10 minutes or until al dente). Drain the pasta in a colander.
While you are cooking the pasta, start making the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Mince the garlic and cook it in the oil until it is slightly tender (1-2 minutes).
Add the cream cheese, sour cream and white wine. Stir until everything is evenly incorporated. Reduce the heat to medium/low.
Add the milk and Parmesan cheese. Stir it in until the Parmesan has melted in and is evenly incorporated. Stir in the hot sauce and thawed/drained spinach.
Drain the can of artichoke hearts. Roughly chop them and add to the sauce. Taste the sauce and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if desired.
Add the cooked and drained pasta and stir to coat. Serve warm.

This is a wonderfully satisfying dinner that goes perfectly with a good glass of white wine!

Sweet and Sticky Oven Baked Chicken Thighs

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:29:00 +0000

I was searching the internet the other day looking for something new to try with chicken thighs. Seems that more and more of my weeknight meals revolve around them and the family is getting a little tired of my normal baked thigh recipes. Luckily this recipe caught my eye and it is definitely a keeper!!!

Kristen from Dine and Dish makes these using chicken wings but thighs are what I had.

Sweet and Sticky Oven Baked Chicken Thighs (from Dine and Dish)

Ingredients:

1 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup ketchup
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika
1 Tablespoon seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon mustard
1 ½ cups brown sugar
8 chicken thighs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the chicken thighs
Line metal baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a rack to elevate the chicken.
Pour the barbecue sauce over chicken thighs in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Seal tightly and shake until sauce is well distributed.
Arrange chicken thighs on the rack over the aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until crisp and cooked through.

It’s Fall…Pumpkin Dump Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:51:00 +0000

I have been eyeing this recipe popping up all over the place in the past weeks or so. Problem with me right now is that when I have the time to make something it seems that I never have all of the ingredients!

Well today the clouds parted and all the stars aligned and I made it!! And it’s good. Really, really good!!!

Pumpkin Dump Cake (from Cookies & Cups)

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can Pumpkin Puree
1 10 oz can Evaporated Milk
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup (2 sticks) butter melted
1 cup coarsely crushed graham crackers or pecans
1/2 cup toffee bits (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350
Spray a 9×13 baking pan lightly with cooking/baking spray
In a large bowl combine the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to combine.
Pour into your prepared pan.
Sprinkle your entire box of cake mix on top, followed by your nuts or graham crackers and toffee chips.
Pour your melted butter evenly on top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until center is set and edges are lightly browned.

Mango Margaritas

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:53:00 +0000

So I’ve been busy…

And not just drinking these delicious margaritas

We’ve had skating competitions…

BMX races in PA and NC and all throughout FL…
And sadly only an 8 week summer to fit it all in!

But this is all about these delicious margaritas that we made last weekend. I have a friend who keeps me in nice supply of fresh herbs, lemons and mangos depending on the season. Right now we are coming up on the tail end of mango season and she brought me bags full! I juiced all of the mangoes in my heavy duty juicer. Some of the juice became popsicles and I made a delicious batch of Mango Frozen Yogurt (which I just polished of without so much as a picture *sigh*). But with the rest I wanted to make something adult like. That celebrated the fruit at it’s finest. Mango Margaritas it was…

Mango Margarita

2 oz Tequila
1 oz limoncello (or triple sec but we like the lemon flavor with the mango)
3 oz of fresh mango juice
2 ounces of water
juice of 1/2 a lime

Mix all ingredients together and serve chilled over ice. These could be made into frozen margaritas by simply blending with ice but they were delicious like this…

Mexican Chicken Bake

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:56:00 +0000

I am totally stuck in a rut for dinner ideas. Or at least I was until I remembered this recipe I had bookmarked a week or so ago. So glad I remembered! This was probably one of the best meals I have made in a long time.

I took the original recipe from here…Dandy Dishes

Of course I had to change some stuff around and make it all mine right?

Mexican Chicken Bake
Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts (follow the simple recipe below for Salsa Chicken)
1 can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
1 ½ tablespoons cumin
1 ½ tablespoons chili powder, or more if you really like it spicy
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
¼ cup sour cream
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Optional garnishes:

Shredded lettuce
Diced cherry tomatoes
Sliced avocado
Cilantro leaves
Sour cream

Diections:

Preheat your oven to 375º. In a large bowl place the shredded chicken, spices, lime juice, sour cream, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste then mix well. Transfer to a lightly oiled baking dish and top with cheese. Pop into the preheated oven for 15 minutes then garnish the top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocado slices and serve with a nice dollop of sour cream and your favorite hot sauce.

Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:

I jar of good quality salsa (or just you favorite!)
chicken (4 breast or 8 thighs-boneless skinless)

Directions:

Throw chicken and salsa into a crockpot on low and cook for 4-8 hrs depending on whether or not you had the foresight to thaw your chicken (yes, I throw frozen chicken in here).

Once the chicken is done. You need to remove it from the crockpot and the sauce and shred it. This chicken can now be used in tacos, nachos, or anything else that requires some nicely seasoned chicken!

***We ended up using this dish in tacos, as nachos and just like the picture is! They loved them!!!

***You could also use a rotisserie chicken and shred that in place of the salsa chicken!

Chickpea Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:53:00 +0000

I know, I know. I make my comeback and now I seem to be posting some weird stuff. Trust me these are good.

Really, really good.

And for anyone who is on a gluten free diet, these work for you too…

Chickpea Brownies (adapted from Livestrong.com)

Ingredients

15 oz Chickpeas, Canned
3/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup
4 Eggs
1 1/2 cups Chocolate Chips
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
Good quality dark chocolate for drizzling over the top

Directions

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. Meanwhile, mix in a blender the eggs, drained and rinsed chickpeas, maple syrup and baking powder. Once blended, add in melted chocolate and blend until smooth. Pour into a square baking dish and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Melt the dark chocolate and using a fork drizzle over the top of the brownies and let cool.

***I loved these and have made them over and over again. They have become my go to snack. Love the texture and the feel of them.

Baked Fish Sandwiches with Modern Coleslaw

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:41:00 +0000

Hi!!! *waving* Do you remember me? Well I’m back with a whole bunch of recipes to be posted and some fun stuff about the all the cool things I have been doing. I need to pace myself though. It’s been a while and I need to inch back in slowly…

To start I am giving you a recipe that has become one of our favorites. So much so that in the past 2 weeks I have made it 2 time with different fish just to see how I liked it! This recipe can also be made in about 30 minutes making it a real winner in my books!!!

My sister first made this for me when I was up in Toronto mid April for the girls Spring Break. She got it from the LCBO Food & Drink Magazine. Unfortunately we don’t get the magazine here in the US but we can get the recipes online.

Baked Fish Sandwiches with Modern Coleslaw (adapted from LCBO Food & Drink Winter 2011)

Serves 4

1 lb haddock or red snapper fillets, cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces (I used the frozen cod and tilapia from Costco and just used 4 pieces thawed.)
½ cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper
1 large egg beaten with salt and pepper
½ cup dry plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup panko
1 Tbsp chopped parsley

preheat oven to 425F

1. Pat fish dry with paper towels. Dip fish in seasoned flour, shake off excess and dip fish in egg. Mix bread crumbs and parsley on a plate and coat fish. Reserve.

2. Place fish on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in oven until golden brown. This should be about 10-20 minutes (I know that’s a huge range there but it will al depend on how thick you fish is).

3. Serve the fish in a soft roll (I used the sandwich thins) with tartar sauce and modern coleslaw (recipe below) right on the roll.

Modern Coleslaw (adapted from LCBO Food & Drink Winter 2011)

2 cups slivered napa cabbage (I used regular cabbage)
1 cup julienned English cucumber (regular cucumber – English Cuke is about $2.50 here!!!)
1/2 cup slivered red onion
2 tbsp slivered basil (I used 1 tsp dried basil leaves)
2 tbsp rice vinegar (I used seasoned rice vinegar)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine cabbage, cucumber, onion and basil in a large bowl. Sprinkle with rice vinegar and olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve on top of fish sandwich.

Orecchiette with Swiss Chard, Red and Yellow Peppers and Goat Cheese –Finally a new blog post!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 22:21:00 +0000

So I really don’t want to even look and see when the last time I posted a recipe was. I am very, very ashamed. I really have no excuse besides being totally rushed off of my feet all the time and totally uninspired come dinner time. Usually it’s just a meal thrown together and always an old stand by. Something tried and true (and already blogged more than likely).

I happened to see this recipe though the other day and printed it out immediately. So glad I did! It is really a delicious and simple meal.

Orecchiette with Swiss Chard, Red and Yellow Peppers and Goat Cheese – From The New York Times

When making this easy pasta, be sure to cut the sweet bell peppers into very small dice; that way, they’ll lodge in the hollows of the orecchiette, along with the chard and goat cheese.

Ingredients:

3/4 pound Swiss chard (1 bunch), stemmed and washed in two changes of water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 red/yellow bell peppers , cut in small dice
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram (I had just thrown my dry marjoram out so I used 1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning)
3/4 pound orecchiette
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)

Directions:

1. Begin heating a large pot of water while you stem and wash the chard. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water in the pot comes to a boil, salt generously and add the chard. Blanch the chard leaves for one to two minutes until tender. Using a skimmer or a slotted spoon, transfer the chard to a bowl of ice water, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop medium-fine. Keep the pot of water at a simmer.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet, and add the bell peppers and the red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, until tender, five to eight minutes. Add the garlic and salt to taste, and stir for half a minute. Then stir in the chopped chard and the marjoram. Stir together for a few seconds, then turn the heat to very low.

3. Bring the water in the pasta pot back to a boil, and add the orecchiette. Cook al dente, following the timing instructions on the package. Add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the pan with the chard and peppers. Stir in the goat cheese. Drain the pasta, transfer to the pan and toss with the chard, pepper and goat cheese mixture. Serve hot.

Yield: Serves four.

***Loved this pasta. The only thing I will do differently next time is to skip the blanching of the swiss chard. I think it will just be fine steamed in with the peppers and garlic. Also won’t loose all the nutrients in the pasta water.

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:07:00 +0000

I wanted a Tuscan Bean Soup. Google that. Go ahead. I bet you come up with about 500 soup recipes. I was baffled so I sat on the floor with my ever increasing collection of cookbooks surrounding me and began my quest the old fashioned way…

Thank you Ellie Kreiger for your cookbook The Food You Crave

Tuscan Vegetable Soup (adapted from Ellie Kreiger’s The Food You Crave)

Ingredients

2 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional

Directions

In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.

**This was a quick and delicious week night meal I had some whole wheat macaroni left over in the fridge that I also threw in the pot. A quick and versatile meal? You know I’ll be making this again and again…

Clementine and Peach Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:54:00 +0000

I love those tiny little orange balls of perfection. I usually grab 3 at a time when I sit down to eat them because definitely one is not enough so it was only natural that I would want to make muffins using them right?

This recipe was good but it needed some modifying so I made them again with much better results. The first try was dry. Really, really dry. The second try was just right!

Clementine and Peach Muffin Recipe (Adapted from About.com)

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup peach flavored yogurt
1 egg
1 tablespoon clementine zest
2 tablespoon clementine juice (or orange juice)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 clementines, peeled and chopped
Raw sugar for sprinkling

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Whisk together the butter, yogurt, egg, zest, juice and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until the flour mixture is moistened. Fold the chopped clementines into the batter.

Divide the batter between 12 paper-lined muffin cups, sprinkle with raw sugar, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a wire cooling rack.

So it’s been a while

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:11:00 +0000

I know, I know…I’ve been a very, very bad blogger but honestly I was totally immersed in a 3 month long project that I loved dearly and took up the majority of the very limited free time that I have. But the project has been completed and the torch has been passed so “I’M BAAAAAAAAACKKKKK!”

I’ve missed my twitter friends, my Facebook friends and most importantly I’ve missed my blog. So I am back nice and fresh with a recipe that is perfect for this up coming weekend (there is some sort of game or something going on right?) or really any time you get a craving for some chicken wings that will knock your socks off!!!

They are fast and easy but take a little bit of pre planning for the marinating time but other than that they are perfect for a busy weeknight meal…Thanks @aggieskitchen for a great recipe!

Ranch Chicken Wings (from Aggie’s Kitchen, with slight seasoning changes)

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken wings
1 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dry lemon pepper seasoning salt
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 tsp dry dill seasoning (Or look for a seasoning called “It’s A Dilly” which has it all)
Dry Ranch Dressing Packet
Fresh Ground Pepper

Combine oil, lemon pepper seasoning, garlic and dill seasoning in bowl. Pour over chicken wings and let marinate for 4-6 hours.

Place wings in an oven pan covered w/foil and sprinkle liberally with Dry Ranch Dressing packet and fresh ground pepper….cook 425 degree for about 35-40 minutes. You may want to broil them for a few minutes to brown them right up…But watch them closely! Serve with Ranch dressing and cut celery.

Cookies We Love: Galletas con Chochitos (Mexican Butter Cookies with Sprinkles)

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 22:08:00 +0000

It’s cookie baking time once again and this year I am lucky enough to bake with the same special group of baker’s that I have baked with in the past! So excited!!!

Special thanks to Courtney of Coco Cooks for organizing us again this year!

It’s cookie baking time once again and this year I am lucky enough to bake with the same special group of baker’s that I have baked with in the past! So excited!!!

This year's challenge will feature a minimum of four types of cookies, spread out over four weeks ~ all chosen from Saveur's Smart Cookies: Favorite Holiday Treats From Around the World feature. As in years past, each of us will choose our cookies at random, independently from one another. We may post the same cookies on the same weeks, or we may all post something different. In any case, it will be fun to see everyone's take on the same set of recipes. I know I'm looking forward to it!

Who's involved in this completely fabulous baking group? Here's a complete list:

Be sure to visit each of these blogs weekly and see what the other baking bloggers are up to!

My very late cookies for this week are…

Galletas con Chochitos (Mexican Butter Cookies with Sprinkles)

These are so cute and we all loved them!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
8 tbsp. unsalted butter,
   softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract, preferably
   Mexican
3 egg yolks
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Multicolored sprinkles, for
   decorating

Directions:

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. In a mixer, beat together sugar, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Add yolks one at a time; beat. Add dry ingredients; mix. Roll dough into a 12"-long cylinder. Cut cylinder into 3 pieces; roll each into a 12"-long cylinder. Cut each cylinder into twelve 1"-long pieces. Roll each into a ball; transfer to a lined baking sheet. Flatten each into a small disk; using your finger, poke a hole in center of each disk. Chill for 1 hour. Heat oven to 300°. Brush each ring with egg white; dip into sprinkles to coat. Return to baking sheets; bake for 15 minutes. Let cool.

MAKES 3 DOZEN

Cookies We Love: Caramel Crumb Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:31:00 +0000

It’s cookie baking time once again and this year I am lucky enough to bake with the same special group of baker’s that I have baked with in the past! So excited!!!

Special thanks to Courtney of Coco Cooks for organizing us again this year!

It’s cookie baking time once again and this year I am lucky enough to bake with the same special group of baker’s that I have baked with in the past! So excited!!!

Who's involved in this completely fabulous baking group? Here's a complete list:

Be sure to visit each of these blogs weekly and see what the other baking bloggers are up to!

For my first and very late cookie I decided to make the quickest one I could find. Lucky for me it was fast and delicious too…

Caramel Crumb Bars

In New Zealand, these shortbread bars are actually baked throughout the year, but the sheer extravagance of their double-layered topping,rich caramel and a crumbly butter streusel,makes them a perfect holiday treat.

This recipe uses butter. Lots and lots of rich delicious butter and did I mention they are fast to make?

More to come…

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 12:19:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I am thankful for each and every one of you…

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 21:58:00 +0000

So I have been kinda MIA for the month right? Not going to bore you with the details but I have been busy. Really, really busy. But now my Mom is here. For the winter. And I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. You know how we all wish for an extra set of hands to help out? I finally have them!

Anyway, I have fallen in love with these granola bars and really needed to take a second to post them.

My friend Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod posted these one morning a while back and I made them that same day…for the first time. I have made them so often since then that I no longer need a recipe. They are a hit and my kids love them!

Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars (Two Peas and Their Pod)

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 by 8 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk oats, spices, and salt together. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour over oats and stir well, until all of the oats are moist. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Evenly press oat mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. The pumpkin keeps the bars moist, so make sure they are golden and set-you don’t want them to be under baked. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

5. Using a sharp knife, cut into bars. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

***I have changed nothing with this recipe except to add mini chocolate chips sometimes and to bake them a bit longer. Maria has a new oven and I think it may work a bit better than mine…

Halloween Cupcakes

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 04:01:00 +0000

My computer has another virus so it's been at the Doctors...for a very long time. I was hoping I would have it back before the end of the #GreatHallowTweet but that isn't going to happen so this is going to be short and sweet...

This event is the brain child of Renee from Flamingo Musings. The widget on the side bar show everyone who is playing and makes it easy for you to “hop” from one participating blog to the next! So from October 25th to the 31st, just click on any of these links and hop from blog to blog. Fun! Frolic! Mayhem! From ghoulish recipes to please monsters of all ages, to general insanity, make the rounds everyday to see what new surprises might be lurking around that dark corner. You know - the one with the broken streetlight and creepy shadows? BWAHAHAHAHA!

So I totally cheated on these and used a boxed mix for these cupcakes. You can pretty much do what ever type or flavor that you would like. I did make the frosting. Just a simple white frosting.

White Frosting for Cupcakes or Cakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 Tbsp. milk

Directions

Beat butter with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until creamy.
Gradually beat in sugar until smooth.
Beat in vanilla and 2 Tbsp. milk, adding additional milk, if necessary, for desired consistency.

***These were a huge hit at the girl's Halloween Parties this year. Simple but really Halloweenish!

Pumpkin Seeds…that’s why we carve pumpkins right?

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 04:08:00 +0000

Another post for the #GreatHallowTweet! This is the brain child of Renee from Flamingo Musings. The widget on the side bar show everyone who is playing and makes it easy for you to “hop” from one participating blog to the next! So from October 25th to the 31st, just click on any of these links and hop from blog to blog. Fun! Frolic! Mayhem! From ghoulish recipes to please monsters of all ages, to general insanity, make the rounds everyday to see what new surprises might be lurking around that dark corner. You know - the one with the broken streetlight and creepy shadows? BWAHAHAHAHA!

In out house on of the favorite things about Halloween is being able to carve the pumpkins. Great scary faces, some silly, sometimes we even make them sad…but really our goal is the pumpkin seeds. We LOVE the seeds. Roasted up nice and crispy with a spicy and salty seasoning blend…

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Preheat oven to 425F

Ingredients:

1/2 stick of butter (melted)
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

Mix and stir in cleaned and dried pumpkin seeds and place on a baking sheet.
Place in the oven and stir every 5-7 minutes or until brown and crisp.

#GreatHallowTweet Halloween BlogHop and Rice Krispie Treat Pumpkins!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:00:00 +0000

I was invited to join in on last years #GreatHallowTweet Halloween BlogHop but found myself just too busy to commit and say yes. Sadly I ended up regretting it and was determined to be a part this year.

In case you missed last years #GHT Halloween BlogHop you need to know that this is the brain child of Renee from Flamingo Musings. The widget on the side bar show everyone who is playing and makes it easy for you to “hop” from one participating blog to the next! So from October 25th to the 31st, just click on any of these links and hop from blog to blog. Fun! Frolic! Mayhem! From ghoulish recipes to please monsters of all ages, to general insanity, make the rounds everyday to see what new surprises might be lurking around that dark corner. You know - the one with the broken streetlight and creepy shadows? BWAHAHAHAHA!

Rice Krispie Treat Pumpkins (adapted from the Rice Krispie website)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows

- OR -

4 cups miniature marshmallows

Red food coloring

Yellow food coloring

6 cups Rice Krispies®

Green frosting for piping on stems and leaves

Directions:

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. To tint orange stir in red and yellow food coloring, if desired.
2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using 1/2-cup measuring cup coated with cooking spray divide warm cereal mixture into portions. Using buttered hands shape each portion into pumpkin shape.
4. Use the green frosting to make a stem and leaves to make them look like pumpkins. Best if served the same day.

***These were so much fun to make. I had the kids help out of course. I just wish I had of made them more orange but my youngest has issues with dyes so I was hesitant to use more. Next time I will also melt some chocolate and make little faces on them but for this one I wanted to use the Halloween cupcake

Best-Ever Apple Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:09:00 +0000

I love fall and all of the wonderful flavors and smells that go with the foods associated with it. Hard to believe then that I spend my life living in SWFL right? We do have fall here but it is very subtle. Not the glaring colors of leaves changing, more like our grass just going brown…but fall is fall and changing temperatures, shorter days and lower humidity are all good things in my book!

When I got this months Southern Living magazine on of the first things that caught my eye as I quickly scanned through was “Our Best-Ever Apple Cake” and I knew as soon as I saw the recipe for Browned Butter Frosting that I was going to have to make it my own…

Our Best-Ever Apple Cake (Southern Living October 2010)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 4 large), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

2. Stir together butter and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl until blended.

3. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, stirring until blended. Stir in apples and 1 cup pecans. (Batter will be very thick, similar to a cookie dough.) Spread batter into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan.

4. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 45 minutes). Spread your choice of frosting over top of cake; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup pecans.

Browned-Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Cook butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6 to 8 minutes or until butter begins to turn golden brown. Remove pan from heat immediately, and pour butter into a small bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour or until butter is cool and begins to solidify.

2. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beginning and ending with powdered sugar. Beat mixture at low speed until well blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

***This cake is delicious. Tony said it was one of the best. I think he just loved the frosting and I could have put it on anything and he would have been in love. The one thing about this cake is that they recommend 2 other frostings to go with it. You can take you pick but I highly recommend the Browned-Butter Frosting…

Dark Chocolate Frosting,

Cream Cheese Frosting

Fish & Chips for #GoJunkFood

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:08:00 +0000

This month’s #GoJunkFood (a small twitter challenge) was chosen as Fish & Chips. Truly this could not have come at a better time as I was craving me some beer battered and fried fish like you can’t even imagine and I was looking for an excuse, any excuse to make some.

Being from Canada which has a huge amount of British immigrants (my Mom being one!), we have a ton of Fish & Chip shops. On of my fondest food memories from growing is the family going out and getting our Fish & Chips. Usually we brought it home but we all went to the little shop and ordered our food and got it hot from the fryer wrapped up in unprinted newspaper. I remember the smell of hot paper, grease (the good kind) and the fish in a very, very happy way…

Onto my Fish & Chips. Now, I had to stay original with the fish because I really needed to satisfy my craving. I did use cod this time. Usually we use Grouper as it is a local fish but I wasn’t able to get any that I was happy with and there is no way I was paying for Halibut (my favorite fish for Fish & Chips) but I did put my own Southern spin on the chips. I made Sweet Potato fries to highlight where I live now and the wonderful fall season!

Beer Battered Fish (this is the same batter I use for squash blossoms)

Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy bottomed pot to at least 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of fish (thawed if frozen), I used cod but any firm white fish will do
2 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 cup for dredging
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup beer (I stole T.'s Yeungling for this one)
Coarse salt for finishing

Directions:

While the oil is heating mix the batter ingredients until just combined. This batter should be the consistency of pancake batter.
Dredge each piece of fish lightly in the plain flour and then dip into the batter and place gently in the oil. Do not crowd the fish in the oil, you may have to cook in batches. Cook turning once until a nice golden brown.
Drain on a rack or paper towels and serve immediately

Double Fried Sweet Potato Fries (Ceramic Canvas)

Ingredients:

2 pounds sweet potatoes
Salt, to taste

Directions:

Pour oil in a deep fryer or heavy saucepan to reach halfway up the sides of the pan. Heat to 325 degrees F, use a deep fry thermometer to determine this.
While the oil is heating, peel the potatoes (if you want to…I left the skin on) and cut into uniform sticks. Place the cut potatoes in a bowl of ice water to release some of the starch and to keep them from browning.
Dry the potato strips thoroughly, this will keep the oil from splattering (very important step as the sweet potatoes seem to hold more water anyway). Fry them in batches so the pan isn’t crowded and the oil temperature doesn’t drop. Cook for 3 minutes until they are soft but not browned.
Remove the potatoes with a long-handled metal strainer and drain on brown paper bags.
Bring oil temperature up to 375 degrees F. Return the par-fried potatoes to the oil in batches and cook a second time for 4 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on fresh brown paper bags then place in a serving bowl lined with paper towels. Salt and serve immediately.

The Fish & Chips are part of the #GoJunkFood quest to take your every day bar food and put your own spin on it. Be sure to visit all of the other bloggers involved…

Elle at Elle’s New England kitchen
Paula at The Dragons Kitchen
Chris at Blog Well Done
Renee at Flamingo Musings

Thanks for letting me play guys and I can’t wait to see what next month brings!

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:08:00 +0000

Oscar Sherer State Park…

Pasta with Escarole, White Beans and Chicken Sausage…

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:17:00 +0000

It’s finally feeling like fall here. Our day time temps are only reaching into the mid 80’s right now and the night time temps are down in the low 60’s. Life in Florida doesn’t get much better than this. With the windows all open and the A/C off, life is so good. Makes me want to cook again. Nice pots of soup and stew, filling casserole dishes and comforting pastas.

This is a pasta dish that I have been wanting to try out. Simple enough but just finding the time was the challenge. So you know what I did? I prepped everything for this in the afternoon before I picked the kiddos up from school. I chopped the onion and garlic, uncased the chicken sausage, cleaned and cut up the escarole, made the chicken broth, and rinsed the beans. This way all I had to do when I got home was to boil the water for the pasta. Do you know that with all the prep work done I ended up having to wait for the pasta to finish cooking!!! It came together in about 15 minutes. Anyone can find time to make this one!

Pasta with Escarole, White Beans and Chicken Sausage (adapted from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger)

Ingredients:

1 lb bowtie (or other shape) pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
½ medium red onion, chopped, about 1 cup
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb hot Italian-style chicken sausage, casings removed, crumbled
1 medium head escarole or endive, rinsed, drained and chopped, about 8 cups
1 14 oz can low-sodium great northern beans or other white beans, drained and rinsed
1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp rubbed sage, or 1 Tbsp fresh sage leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/8 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large, deep saute pan or 8-quart stockpot.
Saute the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 1 minute. Stir in the sausage and cook until heated through and browned, about 4 minutes.
Add the escarole and cook until wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the beans, 1 cup of chicken stock, sage and simmer until the mixture is heated through and liquid is slightly reduced.
Add the sausage-bean mixture to pasta and toss well, loosening with the additional ½ cup chicken stock if necessary.
Season with freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste.
Divide among 4 pasta bowls and top with parmesan cheese.

***This one was a hit with the whole family. Youngest even took it to school for her lunch in a thermos…

Badly needed Energy Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:01:00 +0000

I guess most of you, or at least anyone who follows me on Facebook and Twitter, know that I have taken up running. It’s only been a couple of months but I am really loving it. Now I am only running between 2-4 miles 3 or 4 days a week, but add that to the walking and weights I have been doing and I need some energy help during some workouts.

You also know that we eat very few processed foods with granola bars and energy bars being the exception. At least now you can buy them with no artificial sugars or dyes…anyway, I need something that I can grab at 5:00AM when I head out the door for my run and these are just about perfect.

Energy Bars Adapted from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup dried apples
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup pitted dried dates (I used ones with sugar but would like them without next time)
1/2 cup powdered nonfat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Place all ingredients except the syrup and eggs in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. Add the syrup and eggs and pulse until the mixture is well combined. It will resemble a coarse paste.

Transfer to the baking pan and spread evenly pressing in with your fingers. Bake until lightly browned and just done, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes and then cut into 24 squares.

These can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for about 3 days or wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months.

***I really loved these and so did the family. I think that this is a really versatile recipe and am looking forward to playing with the dried fruits and nuts used in it. The recipe calls for almonds and apricots so I may try that with some cranberries thrown in…endless possibilities!

***WW points has it as a 3 point recipe but I think with all of the good fats and whole grains in it it is worth the splurge!

Oven Baked Fish Nuggets

noreply@blogger.com (Judy@nofearentertaining) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 20:44:00 +0000

I am always trying to feed my kids the healthiest things that I can. Most week nights I have a ridiculously tigh schedule and sometimes we only have about 20 minutes for dinner. On those nights they get leftover pizza or something but on the nights when I have a few more minutes I like to make these and they really love them. Even if they do eat them with ranch dressing???

Oven Baked Fish Nuggets (inspired by Kalyn’s Kitchen)

Preheat oven to 450F

Ingredients:

1 lb of fish (cod, tilapia, halibut) filet, thawed if frozen
1 cup flour
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
2 eggs, beaten with a splash of water
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

Cut your fish fillet so it is about ½ inch thick. Then cut it into 1 inch wide pieces. Pat them dry with a paper towel and set aside.
Get out three large bowls. Add in your flour, garlic powder and paprika to the first, the eggs and water to the second, and the breadcrumbs to the third. Mix to combine all the ingredients in each bowl.
Spray a baking sheet with spray olive oil to cover.
Dip each fish nugget into the flour mixture. Shake off excess flour and dip into the egg bowl. Then dip into the bread crumbs and lay onto your baking sheet in a single layer. Continue with the rest of your nuggets. Give the fish a light spray of the olive oil spray and put into the oven.
Bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until nicely browned.
Serve with tartar sauce or ketchup for dipping.

***The kids love fish stick night. I have tried these using cod and tilapia. Just about any firm white fish would do!