DESSERTS – Page 71 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

Tasty Thursday ~ Frosted Pineapple Cheescake

Frosted Pineapple Cheesecake

1 box yellow cake mix*

1 (3-ounce) box Jell-O cheesecake pudding**

4 eggs

1/2 cup safflower oil

1 cup whole milk

1 large can crushed pineapple, undrained

1 cup sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the cake mix and pudding mix. Add the oil and milk, beat well. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth. Pour into a well greased 9×13 baker. Bake 45-60 minutes (or until center springs back). While cake is baking mix together the pineapple and sugar on top of stove until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and let cool slightly. While cake is still hot, punch holes in cake with a large round chopstick and pour hot pineapple mixture over cake. Let cool.

FROSTING:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 1/2 – 3 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add lemon juice. Add powdered sugar gradually and beat until creamy. Spread over cooled cake. Refrigerate to set frosting.

*Also good with white or butter cake
**DO NOT USE sugar free!

I do the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Scrumptious Sunday hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks, Tasty Thursday hosted by Pumpkin Patch, Watchin’ What We Eat hosted by Lorie at Honey I Shrank Myself and Slow Cooking Thursday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

Scrumptious Sunday Bonus Peach Recipe – Peachy Oatmeal Crisp

PEACHY OATMEAL CRISP
4-6 cups peeled and sliced peaches*
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup uncooked oats
1 cup flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl toss the peaches with the lemon juice and set aside.
Combine sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and cornstarch. Sprinkle over peaches and toss again.
Transfer the peaches to a shallow baking dish, mine is a 1 1/2 quart about 8×12.
In a medium bowl sift the flour. Add the brown sugar, oats, remaining cinnamon and mix well.
With a pastry blender cut in the butter until you have a bowl full of coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle evenly over peaches.
Bake 40 minutes.
Serve warm – great with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.

*I will also use a combination of whatever fruit I have I have in the fruit drawer that needs to be used before it goes bad!

The Need to Knead

I’ve been wanting to do a bread recipe round-up
for a LONNNNNNNNNNNG time
and it’s ALMOST finally here!

Joy at Joy Of Desserts

lil’ ‘ol me here at 3 Sides of Crazy,
are co-hosting a bread round-up
on October 15, 2008
for all types of bread recipes.
And we mean all breads!
White, wheat, banana, braided,
Sweet, Savory, rolls, biscuits, etc…
Whatever you’re in the mood to share.
We hope you will participate!

In preparation for the upcoming National Bread Month in November and for our driving desires and “NEED TO KNEAD” as well as the upcoming Holidays let’s all join in together on October 15^th, 2008 and round-up all of our delicious bread recipes to look back on when we need to bake fantastic bread. I know many of mine were handed down by my grandma.

Here’s how we’ll do it:

Just post your recipes anytime until Oct 15, 2008.
Remember to use the Need To Knead Button.
Link to 3 Sides Of Crazy and then to Joy Of Desserts too.
Mr. Linky will be in place on October 15^th.

Come back here on October 15th to let us know about your recipes.
Then we’ll all visit each other.

To make it even easier you can link to recipes you have previously posted. Your blog can be in any language, but a translator on your site will be of a help to any who don’t speak the same language.

Want to help us spread the news about the round-up? Even if you are not sure whether you’ll be able to participate, you can still post the button in your sidebar or write a post about our round-up to let your readers know about it too.

I’m trying to pull together a great giveaway gift basket to coordinate with the NEED TO KNEAD campaign. Details to follow

Need to Knead

We’d like to invite everyone to my Need to Knead Bread Roundup on October 15th. Joy at Joy of Desserts is co-hosting with me and we would love your recipes and your help in spreading the word about the roundup. Joy found this little baker on Flickr and thought he would be just perfect for this verse. There’s already quite a bit of interest and the more the merrier, so if you want to read all the details, be sure to click on the Need to Knead Bread Roundup post.

We have the Need to KNEAD

Have you heard about the Need to Knead Bread Roundup? I wanted to do a bread round up and Joy at Joy of Desserts, another Scrumptious Sunday participant offered to make this great button and co-host this bread Roundup on October 15th along with the help of Barbara at Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers who has so generously offered to be our Mr. Linky person. We will roundup all types of bread recipes. We already have a number of people signed up and it promises to be great. You are all invited to participate. We would love it if you would join us, and we would love it if you would help us spread the word by putting this button in your sidebars or even writing a short post about the roundup.

NEED to KNEAD

We all have some favorite family bread recipes tucked away.

I know that at certain times I have the NEED TO KNEAD, primarily during the holidays or from October through April.
The rest of the time my Bread Machine Rules.

I thought we could all come together to give us a day of daily bread recipes.

And I mean all breads! White, wheat, banana, braided, etc…
whatever you’re in the mood to share.

Ironically National bread month is November at the beginning of our holiday baking crunch
so why don’t we share the recipes on October 15th to help us get ready?

Just post your recipes anytime until Oct 15, 2008, come back here on October 15th to link to it so that we may all visit you. You can even link to recipes you have previously posted. Add this button to your participating posts and link to this blog. Your blog can be in any language, but a translator on your site will help any who don’t speak the same language.

Bread History According to National Bread Month:

..”It was only after the Pilgrims came to America that baking bread in private homes became the norm. Our ancient forbearers baked bread in communal ovens. These ovens were built on the out skirts of villages, near water due to the extreme fire hazards of the early brick ovens. Later in Europe, after the Romans taught the indigenous peoples about bread making, bread was still baked in large ovens. Except these ovens were not communal ovens they were owned, as was the mill, by the local lord. This made families dependant on the lord for their daily bread. By the Middle Ages baking guilds controlled who and how bread were baked and sold. These organizations limited the number of bakers and bakeries in each village and that meant even impoverished peasants had to purchase bread.

When the first colonists came to North America they demanded the right to be in control of their daily bread. Households at last could bake bread at home. Even commoners were in control of their daily bread….”

Resource Link Celebrate National Bread Month with crusty water rolls: recipe

Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. The first breads produced were probably cooked versions of a grain-paste, made from ground cereal grains and water, and may have been developed by accidental cooking or deliberate experimentation with water and grain flour. Descendants of these early breads are still commonly made from various grains worldwide, including the Mexican tortilla, Indian chapatis, rotis and naans, Scottish oatcake, North American johnnycake, Middle Eastern Pita bread (Kmaj in Arabic and Pitot in Hebrew) and Ethiopian injera. The basic flat breads of this type also formed a staple in the diet of many early civilizations with the Sumerians eating a type of barley flat cake, and the 12th century BC Egyptians being able to purchase a flat bread called ta from stalls in the village streets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread

REVIVAL OF THE SUNDAY DINNER

This is Am’s last Sunday with us so she’ll be doing the Sunday cooking again. Today she made Pot Roast, CheesyAu Gratin Potatoes, Glazed Carrots, Home made Apple Sauce and Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

MAPLE GLAZED CARROTS1/2 bag baby carrots
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
scant 1/4 cup maple syrup

Clean carrots and slice diagonally in half.
Melt butter in skillet.
Saute’ carrots until tender.
Add brown sugar and cook several minutes, stirring constantly so sugar doesn’t burn.
Add syrup and coat well.
Cook until syrup is warm and carrots are well coated.

BANANA RAISIN NUT BREAD OR CAKE
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, 1/2 soft & 1/2 melted
2 jumbo eggs
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup golden raisins, currants or craisins
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
2 large, RIPE bananas
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Combine the melted butter, brown sugar and bananas in a sauce pan.
Cook until smooth and then add nuts and raisins.
Stir until well coated & set aside to cool.
Cream softened butter, sugar and eggs until fluffy.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
Add this to the creamed mixture gradually until well blended.
Add cooled banana mixture.
Pour into greased and floured pan(s)*
Bake at 350 degrees for 45+ minutes.

*This recipe will make 2 large loaves or 1 cake. If making bread, skip the frosting.

FROSTING
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
juice of 1 small lemon
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
Add lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Add powdered sugar gradually until well blended and smooth.
Refrigerate 1 hour to set icing before serving.

HOME MADE APPLE SAUCE
5 large Apples (I like Pink Lady or Braeburns)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 can peach nectar (Papaya or pineapple are good too)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

In a large sauce pan pour nectar over raisins and let sit while you prepare apples.
Wash, core, peel and chop apples.
Add water to sauce pan and stir in sugar until dissolved.
Add cinnamon and mix well.
Add apples and cook over medium heat until until apples are tender and mush easily.
Mush to desired consistency.
Remove from heat.
Cool and chill.
Can be kept in refrigerator for a week though it never lasts that long around here. When my apples are at the height of the season and falling off the tree I make this in huge batches and put it up in canning jars for the following year.

Today is the BIG day!

Today is the big day so head on over to Joy of Desserts to enter
your ice cream recipes and see everyone else’s recipes!!!

While I have your attention and we are on the topic of Round-Ups, if you find yourself with the Need to Knead, we have the bread round-up for you. Joy and I will be co-hosting this event. Start scouring the nooks and crannys for all those bread recipes. We will round-up all types of bread recipes on October 15th. We hope you will participate!

The Revival of a Family Sunday ~ Breakfast through Dinner

We’re changing up the menu plan a bit! The catch to dinner: My recipes, but the teenager has done all the menu planning (which she hated making choices – said it was hard work), shopping, prep work, cooking and clean-up. On the Menu: Toasted French Toast for breakfast and for dinner, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Garlic Smashers, Home Made Carrot Cake she made a gourmet meal that was quickly devoured! We used multi-grain and sourdough for the French toast and it was truly scrumptious.

TOASTED FRENCH TOAST ~ We hate soggy French Toast and this recipe conquers that.
8 slices thick white bread
1 1/4 cup milk
5 egg yolks
1/8 cup flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Toast bread, but not browned.
Preheat griddle and coat with a small amount of butter.
Whisk together the egg yolks, milk, salt, vanilla, butter and cinnamon.
Whisk in flour until smooth.
Pour milk mixture into a baking dish.
Soak bread pieces for a few seconds on each side.
Grill for several minutes on each side until golden brown.
Serve with warm maple syrup.

SMASHERS
6-8 small YUKON potatoes, skin on
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 stick butter, melted
2 teaspoons minced garlic
olive oil

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
Scrub potatoes
Boil potatoes until tender
Generously spread olive oil on cookie sheet
Space potatoes a couple of inches apart
With a potato masher, SMASH each potato
Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika
Melt butter and mix butter and garlic together
Pour a tablespoon of butter mixture over each potato
Bake 30 minutes or until tops are crispy

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts*
2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 thin slices cooked ham
4 thin slices swiss cheese***
1/2 pound bacon (8 slices)
2 jumbo eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
1 teaspoon oregano

Flatten chicken breasts.
Spread butter evenly on the tops.
Smooth garlic evenly amongst the 4 breasts.
Sprinkle the thyme evenly between the four breasts.
Top with a slice of ham and then a slice of cheese.
Roll up tightly.
Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each one and secure with toothpicks.
Whisk together the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl. Place flour in another shallow bowl. Combine the bread crumbs, oregano and cheese in a 3rd shallow bowl.
Dip each chicken breast in the egg mixture first, then the flour, then the egg mixture again and the crumb mixture last.
Place on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Don’t forget to remove the toothpicks before serving.

*For really easy servings, I lay the bacon on the cookie sheet and cut the flattened breasts in half. On top of 1/2 of the bacon strip lay a chicken piece, top as directed and then lay the other chicken breast. Bring the other 1/2 of the bacon slice over the top and bake as directed. NO ROLLING AND NO TOOTHPICKS!

***I also use Muenster or Gruyere if that is what I have on hand.

SCRUMPTIOUS CARROT CAKE with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
CAKE
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
3 Jumbo eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup golden rum*
3 cups grated carrots
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Pour rum over raisins and set aside for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour 2-9 inch cake pans.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugars.
In another bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar, vanilla and 1 egg. Add additional eggs and beat until well creamed.
Add dry ingredients gradually until well blended.
Add carrots, pineapple and walnuts until well blended.
Drain raisins and fold in last.
Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes.
Invert cakes onto rack and cool completely.

*As an option you could soak the raisins in orange juice instead and then substitute 1 teaspoon maple flavoring for the rum.

FROSTING
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar

In a medium bowl beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
Add lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Add powdered sugar gradually until well blended and smooth.
Ice first layer and then add 2nd cake top and ice again including sides of cake.
Refrigerate 1 hour to set icing before serving.

Cream Cheese Cookies

CREAM CHEESE ORANGE SLICE COOKIES COOKIES

COOKIES
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Beat cream cheese and butter together until well creamed.
Add sugar and blend again.
Add flour, orange peel and soda.
Mix well.
Shape into a log.
Chill 30 minutes.
Cut 1/4 inch slices.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 15-18 minutes until edges begin to golden.
Cool on rack.

DIP
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon orange liqueur

In a small saucepan melt melt chocolate chips, orange juice and orange liqueur together until smooth.
Dip 1/2 of each cookie into the chocolate mixture.
Cool on wax paper until chocolate mixture hardens.

National Ice Cream Month and National Blueberry Month

LEMON ICE CREAM with BLUEBERRY SAUCE

ICE CREAM

5+ medium lemons (3/4 cup +1 teaspoon for sauce)
2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
12 egg yolks, save the whites for a great omelet
2 cups heavy cream

Juice lemons until you have 3/4 cup of juice.
Zest lemon peels until you have 2 tablespoons. Be sure to zest only the bright yellow as the insides are more bitter.
Chill the juice.
In a small saucepan, heat the milk over a medium heat until it begins to bubble.
In a larger saucepan whisk the sugar, salt and lemon peel into the egg yolks. until well blended.
Gradually whisk in the warmed milk mixture. Cook and stir continuously with a wooden spoon over medium heat until mixture thickens (about 15 minutes).
Transfer to a large bowl and immediately cool the custard mixture by placing the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water for 5 minutes or so. Stir constantly while it is cooling.
Add in the lemon juice.
Freeze according the manufacturers directions.

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 cups fresh blueberries

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large saucepan. Stir in the water and lemon juice until all dissolved.
Add blueberries and cook over medium heat until bubbly and starts to thicken.
Cook a few minutes more until desired thickness.
Transfer to a pitcher and bring to room temperature before serving.

Ice Cream Recipes in honor of National Ice Cream Month!

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July is National Ice Cream Month
July 18th is National Ice Cream Day
Let’s Celebrate Together!
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I scream, you scream,
we all scream for ice scream!

Joy over at Joy of Desserts is hosting this delightful round up of recipes for ice creams, gelatos, sorbets, sherberts, granites, frozen yogurts and any ice cream-like confections. So click on over and check out all the recipes. If you want to join in head on over to Joy’s blog to link to it so that we may all visit you. You can even link to recipes you have already posted. Add this button to your participating posts and link to this blog. Your blog can be in any language, but a translator on your site will help any who don’t speak the same language.

It just happens to coincide with Meredith’s themes for blueberries and National Ice Cream Month over at Scrumptious Sunday which is hosted by Meredith at Mercedes Rocks and with Favorite Ingredient Friday’s 4th of July theme which is hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy.

It is not a problem with my ice cream freezer, but Kathryn over at Overwhelmed with Joy recently pointed out that she found it better to cool the mixture in the refrigerator before using the ice cream freezer.

VANILLA ICE CREAM ~ BASIC RECIPE
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 jumbo eggs
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract

Warm the milk in a small pan. Whisk the eggs with the sugar in a separate bowl. Slowly add the warm milk to the egg mixture while continuously whisking the mixture. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and heat slowly, stirring continuously until mixture thickens to loose pudding texture. DO NOT BOIL! Let it cool to room temperature. Whisk in the cream and vanilla. Follow your ice cream maker directions for freezing.

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM
2 cups strawberry chunks
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 Jumbo eggs
2 cups heavy cream

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
2 jumbo eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Warm the milk in a small pan. Whisk the eggs with the sugar in a separate bowl. Slowly add the warm milk to the egg mixture while continuously whisking the mixture. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and heat slowly, stirring continuously until mixture thickens to loose pudding texture. DO NOT BOIL! Whisk in the cocoa just before removing from heat. Let it cool to room temperature. Whisk in the cream and vanilla. Follow your ice cream maker directions for freezing. Add the chocolate chips just before freezing process is complete.

CHOCOLATE BANANA ICE CREAM
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
2 jumbo eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas

Warm the milk in a small pan. Whisk the eggs with the sugar in a separate bowl. Slowly add the warm milk to the egg mixture while continuously whisking the mixture. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and heat slowly, stirring continuously until mixture thickens to loose pudding texture. DO NOT BOIL! Whisk in the cocoa. Let it cool to room temperature. Puree’ the bananas and whisk into the cream and vanilla. When cooked mixtures cools, whisk the two together. Follow your ice cream maker directions for freezing. Add the chocolate chips just before freezing process is complete.

APRICOT PINEAPPLE ICE CREAM
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 jumbo eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/2 cup Smucker’s Apricot Pineapple Jam

Pour the rum over the blueberries. Let stand overnight. Warm the milk in a small pan. Whisk the eggs with the sugar in a separate bowl. Slowly add the warm milk to the egg mixture while continuously whisking the mixture. Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and heat slowly, stirring continuously until mixture thickens to loose pudding texture. DO NOT BOIL! Let it cool to room temperature. Whisk in the cream and vanilla. Follow your ice cream maker directions for freezing. Drain the excess moisture off the blueberries. Add them just before the freezing process is complete.

Category: DESSERTS