Ready … Set … Start your ovens

Joy at Joy of Desserts and I are hosting our 2nd Annual Need to Knead Bread Roundup. Are you ready? This year Joy will be using MckLinky so you can post your favorite bread recipes between November 1st-15th to link in for the roundup over at her place.

~ We are looking for all sorts of breads: quick breads, savory breads, sweet ones, yeast breads, no-knead breads, 5-minute breads, vintage or gluten-free breads, etc, etc, etc!

~ Help us promote this bread roundup by putting the above banner in your sidebars and posting about the 2nd Annual Need to Kneed Roundup on your own blogs.

~ Come back November 1-15, 2009 to link all your bread recipes to MckLinky.

~ When participating, please use common blog etiquette and courtesy by linking your participating bread recipes back to Joy of Desserts and 3 Sides of Crazy, and visiting the other participants.

~ Have fun blog hopping through the bread recipes, make new friends, find new family-favorite recipes, comment, enjoy the process of community-building.

Key Lime Pie – Healthy Helpings

(photo from Recipezaar)

This is one of my favorite desserts from my Weight Watcher days! It is light, quick and easy to prepare. I also made this using orange and strawberry gelatin and yogurt. I have not made it in some time! I would have made it and taken my own photos, but no time to run to the market. It’s been a crazy week!

Key Lime Pie
Serves 8 – 150 cal per slice/3 WW Points
1 (1/3 ounce) box sugar free Lime gelatin
1/4 cup boiling water
2 (8 ounce) containers key lime pie-flavor light yogurt
8 ounce) container frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
1 reduced fat 9″ graham cracker crust

Directions
In large heat-resistant bowl, dissolve gelating in boiling water.
With wire whisk, stir in yogurt; with wooden spoon, fold in whipped topping.
Transfer mixture to prepared crust; refrigerate overnight, or at least 2 hours.

Lemon-Raspberry Cake, Frosted Chocolate Brownie recipes for Save Room for Dessert

It’s great to be able to feature some of our participants’ recipes each week. Don’t forget to link this post or this blog to your own participating recipe post, and when you link yourselves to McKlinky, please link your participating recipe, not your main blog, so that everyone can find your recipe even in the future. Google loves recipe archives! 🙂 And we won’t have to delete non-participating posts. Everybody wins.

This week I’m calling your attention to a delicious lemon-raspberry cake recipe with a lemon glaze recipe too. It was brought to us by “SnoWhite” at Finding Joy in my Kitchen. Lemons and raspberries provide a wonderful flavor combination! It’s very gourmet, but easy to make too.

And since I know so many of us have a hard time resisting a good chocolate brownie, here’s the link to Emily’s Frosted Chocolate Brownie at Marvelous Recipes.

Thank you for participating in Save Room for Dessert Wednesday at The Krazy Kitchen.

Pick your favorite badge!

Please leave your link to your post, not your homepage, on MckLinky, and be sure to link back to this post or blog if you don’t want to be deleted. In my best Robocop voice — thank you for your cooperation! 🙂 I say that with a friendly smile! And hope you like my corny attempt at humor.

Spice & Herb Trivia ~ Thursday 13

#Spice ~ Any of various pungent, aromatic plant substances, such as cinnamon or nutmeg, used to flavor foods or beverages. Something that adds zest or flavor. A pungent aroma; a perfume.
#Herb ~ A plant whose stem does not produce woody, persistent tissue and generally dies back at the end of each growing season. Any of various often aromatic plants used especially in medicine or as seasoning.
#Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice. More than 80,000 stigmas have to be harvested by hand to yield just 500 grams.
#Cinnamon originates from Sri Lanka.
# Sesame originates from Africa.
# Basil is a herb, not a spice.
# Dandelion is a natural diuretic.
# Dill water is good for Colic.
# Dill is a spice and a herb.
# While mustard is quite pungent in flavor, it has virtually no aroma.
# Curry is not “A” spice, but a collection of spices.
# Sage Tea is an effective antidote for a sore throat.
# Thyme, Sage, Basil and Pepper were once used as food preservatives before refrigeration because of their anti-bacterial properties.

Foodfor Thought

“With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, “Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?”

~Jay Leno

food for thought

This came in a recent email:

I dialed a number and got the following recording:
I am not available right now, but thank you for caring enough to call.
I am making some changes in my life.
Please leave a message after the beep.
If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes.

Tell me you aren’t smiling? Better yet, tell me you didn’t think for a split second about changing your voice mail recording.

Death by Chocolate Cake


hosted by Joy at ThEKrAzYkItChEn

hosted by Kristen at ThEKrAzYkItChEn

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 3/4 cups all-purpose white flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 JUMBO eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup safflower oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 cup strong hot black coffee
PURE

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Lightly coat Bundt pan with PURE.
  • Dust the pan with cocoa. Using the cocoa instead of flour will not leave a white residue on your cake.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  • Add buttermilk, brown sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes with an electric mixer.
  • Whisk in the hot coffee until well blended, the batter will be quite thin.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes or so and then invert on plate and let cool completely.

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa
1-2 tablespoons buttermilk, or low-fat milk

  • In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla and maple extracts and enough of the buttermilk to make a thick but pourable icing.
  • Drizzle the icing over the top.


Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. Tuesdays at the Table is normally hosted by Andrea over at My Chihauhau Bites, but Andrea is taking a break and it is being hosted by Cole at All the Small Stuff for a while. Tempt my Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Lisa at Blessed with Grace. Vintage Recipe Thursday is hosted by Joy at Joy of desserts and Favorite Ingredient Friday is hosted by Overwhelmed with Joy.

final blog signature.

Cocktail Meatballs – Martha’s Monday Munchies

There are so many different ways to make these yummy little meatball appetizers. This time we went with homemade since I was cooking regular meatballs to freeze for pasta dinners at the same time, and because I had a helper too. Don’t worry, I’m all about easy and will give you several really easy alternatives at the end of this entry if you don’t want to start from scratch 🙂


Meatballs

  • 2 lb ground beef
  • 1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp of fresh minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Sauce

  • 16 oz can jellied cranberry sauce
  • 12 oz chili sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
These are so sweet, tart and tangy all at the same time – really yummy! Just mix all ingredients for meatballs, make up small meatballs and pan fry or bake for about 30 minutes at 350 (I’m Italian so all meatballs get pan fried here).

Mix and heat all ingredients for the sauce, bring to a slight bubbling boil stirring often until all well blended. Put cooked meatballs into a crock pot, pour sauce over the top. Keep on low until serving time.

I like to make them the day before so the meatballs have time to marinate in the sauce (they can be frozen too so make extras!). Then just put in the slow cooker to heat.

The Super Easy Versions – Buy small frozen meatballs and just add the sauce. Even easier versions of the sauce is simply a jar of chili sauce or BBQ sauce with a can of cranberry sauce or grape jelly – mix and match, it doesn’t matter which you choose. Some people use a bottle of BBQ sauce and a bottle of beer! Or you can always just use a brown gravy too. I’ve tried them all and they’ve been a hit each and every time!

Another Tip – I like to freeze some plain to serve over egg noodles with brown gravy for a quick main dish meal for another time.

Healthy Alternative – I’ve never tried it but I’m sure turkey, chicken or vegetarian meatballs would work great too.


*This entry previously posted at Menagerie

Old Fashioned Potato Salad & Deviled Eggs

This post originally ran here, but is soooooooooooo good that I wanted to repeat it for Martha’s Monday Munchies over at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN.

There’s nothing better than homemade potato salad and deviled eggs for a picnic. I also just like to have a deviled egg and carrot stick with celery sometimes for lunch. I hate doing double duty so I boil the whole dozen eggs at the same time.

One of the best tips I ever learned about boiling eggs was to add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the water, this changes the density to help keep the yolks centered in the eggs. I also bring the water to a boil BEFORE adding the eggs. I use Jumbo eggs, so I boil them for 25 minutes and then immediately pour off the hot water and fill with cold. As soon as the eggs are cool enough, I also peel them under the running water. The vinegar also makes them easier to peel.

POTATO SALAD

3 pounds Yukon potatoes
1 small red onion, chopped
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 good dill pickle, chopped(save the juice)
2 tablespoons mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon white pepper

If time permits, I boil the potatoes the night before and then prep the salad cold.

Wash and peel the potatoes. Boil in salted water until tender. Immediately drain in colander and then put in pyrex to cool in refrigerator.

Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Toss together the onion, eggs and pickles and add to the potatoes.

In a small mixing bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream and mustard. Add in the saved pickle juice, salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour over the potato mix and toss well. I like to mix it together at least 24 hours before I want to serve it so the flavors can meld together.

DEVILED EGGS

8 hard boiled Eggs
1 tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
paprika

  • Cut eggs in half and scoop out yolks.
  • In a mixing bowl mash the yolks to a fine consistency.
  • Add the remaining ingredients except the paprika and mix well until smooth and creamy.
  • Fill egg whites and sprinkle with paprika. I have a Tupperware egg keeper that fits 8 eggs perfectly. I like to do these a day before serving also to allow the flavors to meld.

3 Sides of Crazy’s Menu Planning


Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie

Breakfast Lunch Dinner Date
Monday

oatmeal

out
Taco Ring 9/21
Tuesday toast

soup
Bleu Enchiladas
&
Refried Beans
9/22

Wednesday cereal
sandwiches
Chicken Posole 9/23
Thursday yogurt
chili
Sloppy Joes 9/24
Friday toast
sandwiches
Spaghetti Bolegnese

9/25

Saturday Oven Poached Eggs Picnic
Tomato Spaghetti Cups 9/26
Sunday S.O.S. or S*$# on a Shingle Crab Salad Chicken Apple Puff Bundles 9/27