Peanut butter frosting

I made a Reese's peanut butter cake for Derek's birthday. The chocolate cake was average but the frosting was AMAZING! Forget frosting the cake, just eat this frosting! I found this recipe on the food network. It was a recipe by Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa). She called it Kathleen's Peanut butter frosting. Thank you Kathleen! Whoever you are.
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
Beat the first five ingredients on medium-low speed until creamy. Be sure and scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically. Add the cream and beat on high until it's light and smooth.

Burrito Bowls

I saw this recipe on the Food Newtork and decided to try it. It was so yummy and pretty easy. I put the pork in the crock pot and forgot about it and came home to a house that smelled delicious and dinner was almost ready. Matt said this moved it's way into the top 10 recipes he loves. It was a winner!

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked white rice (I added cilantro and lime to my rice when I cooked it to make it even more flavorful)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 cups cooked black beans
1 1/2 to 2 cups Simple Fresh Pico de Gallo, recipe follows
2 cups Pork Carnitas, recipe follows
1 cup shredded Cheddar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, chopped
Directions
In a medium bowl, toss the rice with the cilantro and the orange zest. Divide the rice evenly among 4 individual serving bowls. Top with the black beans and half of the pico de gallo. Add warm carnitas and top with the rest of the pico de gallo. Sprinkle on the cheese, and spoon a dollop of the sour cream on top. Finish with the chopped green onions.

Easy Pico de Gallo:
Salt
Pinch of sugar
2 medium tomatoes, seeds removed, and chopped
1/2 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon salt with the pinch of sugar. In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes gently with the salt mixture. Add onion and jalapeno and combine. Place the avocado on top of the tomato mixture and squeeze with lime juice to coat the avocado. Sprinkle on the cilantro, and stir to combine. Serve.

Pork Carnitas:
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (or 2 1/2 pounds bone-in)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, chopped
1 orange, cut in half
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Rinse and dry the pork shoulder. Salt and pepper liberally. Mix the oregano and the cumin with olive oil and rub all over pork. Place the pork in a slow cooker and top with the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Squeeze over the juice of the orange and add the two halves. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high 4 hours. Once the meat is tender, remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly before pulling apart with a fork. In a large saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Press the carnitas into the oil and fry until crusty on one side. Serve.

By Melissa d'Arabian from Food Network

Pizza Stromboli

I took a picture of this and now I can't find it! Arg. Well, anyway. . . this is a yummy easy pizza dinner. I found it in a Taste of Home recipe book and changed it slightly. My kids love it, especially because I slice it up and they can dip it in marinara sauce.

1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed

2 eggs, separated

1 T grated Parmesan cheese

1 T olive oil

1 1/2 t Italian seasoning

1/2 t garlic powder

1/4 t ground pepper

8 ounces sliced pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni)

8 ounces sliced Canadian bacon

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 small can sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup diced bell pepper

1 small can sliced olives

1 15 oz can pizza/marinara sauce

On a greased baking sheet, roll out dough into a 15 inch by 10 inch rectangle. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and pepper. Brush over the dough.

Sprinkle with the pepperoni, Canadian bacon, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, bell pepper and olives. Roll it up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal and tuck the ends under.

Place seam side down; brush with egg whites. Do not let rise, cook immediately. Bake at 35o degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Warm the sauce and serve with the stromboli.

Blueberry French Toast

I love make a head meals. This is a breakfast dish you make the night before. The blueberry sauce is divine. This came from the Taste of Home Most Requested Recipes cookbook and we loved it!

12 slices day-old Texas toast, crusts removed

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

12 eggs

2 cups milk

1/3 cup maple syrup

Sauce:

1 cup sugar

2 T cornstarch

1 cup water

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 T butter

Cut bread into 1 inch cues; place half in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Cut cream cheese into 1 inch cubes and place over bread. Top with blueberries and remaining bread cubes.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk and syrup; mix well. Pour over the bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 25-30 minutes longer or until golden brown and center is set.

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium hear; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Stir in blueberries; reduce hear. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until blueberries have burst. Stir in butter until melted. Serve over the french toast.

Asian Crunch Salad

Hi everyone! Courtney invited me to contibute to this blog a LONG TIME AGO, but all of a sudden I feel an urge to conribute. Maybe I will more often? Let me know if you like this salad! This may sound like a weird combination of ingredients, but this tastes amazing.

Asian Crunch Salad

Green stuff:

1 head cabbage, shredded
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Crunchy stuff:
2 (3 oz.) packages ramen noodles, crushed
1 c. slivered almonds
2 t. sesame seeds

Sauce stuff:
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. distilled white vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. soy sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix crunchy ingredients together. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with PAM. Spread crunch ingredients out over the cookie sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes or until lightly toasted.
2. Cut/chop all the Green stuff.
3. Prepare the Sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients.
4. Keep all the parts of the salad separate until it is time to eat. You want the crunch to be crunchy!

Enjoy!

-Mary

Cilantro Lime Rice

Cilantro Lime Rice
2 T. butter
1 1/4 c. rice
2 1/4 c. chicken broth
3/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 lime, juiced
2 T. cilantro, chopped
1/4 t. cumin
Directions
In a skillet, melt butter and add rice. Let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 18-20 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.

I served this with the Easy Black Bean and Chicken Enchiladas. Also from the Deals to Meals website.

Easy Black Bean and Chicken Enchiladas

I tried a new recipe tonight and it was delicious! Thought I would share it with everyone. I got it from the Deals to Meals website, which I have been trying this week.

Easy Black Bean and Chicken Enchiladas
2 c. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/2 onion, chopped
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 (15oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chilies
1 (10 oz.) can red enchilada sauce
6-8 flour or corn tortillas
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (Mexican blend if desired)
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream
Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and saute chicken and 1/2 onion until cooked through with a little olive oil or butter. Turn off the heat and add the chopped cilantro, cumin, black beans, chili powder, and green chilies to the chicken and onions. Stir until combined. Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of an 11x17 baking dish. Place 1/2 of the tortillas on the bottom of the pan, overlapping if needed. Spoon 1/2 of the chicken mixture onto the tortillas. Sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the sour cream. Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of the tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes in the oven. Remove the cover and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and dot with sour cream. Continue cooking uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until cheese melts. Serve.