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of carrot muffins and in-laws

of carrot muffins and in-laws


I have been blessed by a wonderful set of in-laws. They have welcomed me into their family with open arms, and I am so grateful. (David sent me a couple of the C&B napkins for Mother’s Day – thanks so much!!!)

I found the recipe for the muffins above in a box of my Grandma Jacobsen’s old handwritten recipes. It doesn’t look like her or her sister’s handwriting, so maybe it’s from a friend (of course, it could be her’s and I’m just mistaken)?

Anyway, whoever it came from, I made it yesterday. I tweaked it a little (a cup less sugar, raisins instead of nuts) and they were really good. Mmm.

I also found that if you are making muffins instead of loaves, it makes 24 of them and takes about only about 20 minutes for them to bake.
yummy-ness

yummy-ness

That’s a brownie. Made from a recipe from Martha Stewart’s “best of” issue that came a few months ago and that I just got around to finally finish reading.
Oh, it’s good.
It’s definitely as good as a boxed mixed, and, even though it calls for chocolate as well as cocoa powder, probably still cheaper (depending on the type of chocolate that you use).


recipe: Ambrosia, a.k.a. "5 cup salad"

recipe: Ambrosia, a.k.a. "5 cup salad"

This fruit salad has lots of memories for me: it was a standard Easter dish at Gramma’s house, and often served at other Moose/Jacobsen gatherings as well. Gramma taught me the recipe when I was staying with her for a few weeks one summer and it is so simple that even a 10-12 year old can remember it. And it’s really yummy, too (come to think of it, I say that about every recipe that I post here).

So here you go (ready? you might want to write it down ….. ;) ):

Combine:
1 cup chunked pineapple
1 cup mandarin oranges
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup sour cream

Stir.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, until the flavors have melded.

Yup.
So simple. And so good.


recipe: Island Spice Pork

recipe: Island Spice Pork

I found a recipe a few days ago for a pork tenderloin that looked really good.

Normally I steer away from pork recipes because I’m not that fond of pork, but recently we have been buying it because it’s cheap (and cheap is good). We buy tenderloins (quite a sizable portion of meat!) at Sam’s Club and John cuts them down into chops (much more our size) and freezes them in packs of three or four. It ends up being an economical way to get good protein in our diets, and allows us to experiment with recipes we might not otherwise try, not wanting to ruin a large piece of meat.

I found this recipe on the blog “Annie’s Eats” (which has some very good recipes and nice pictures of those recipes … makes your mouth water :)) and the only modification that John made when he cooked it was that he used pork chops instead of a tenderloin. It was so delicious!!! As Annie mention in her post, it is an odd combination of spices, but it works well. Really well!!!

Ingredients:
For the spice rub:
2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins (about 2-2½ lbs. total) – we used 4 pork chops instead and had some of the rub left over
2 tbsp. olive oil

For the glaze:
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. (2-3 cloves) finely minced garlic
1½ tsp. Tabasco sauce

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Combine the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir together with a fork to blend. Pat the mixture over the pork tenderloins.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Place the tenderloins in the skillet and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes total. Remove from the heat, leaving the pork in the skillet.

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco in a small bowl until blended. Spread the mixture evenly over the tops of the tenderloins.

Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast about 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of each tenderloin registers 140˚ F. Loosely tent the skillet with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

on a whim

on a whim


, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.

We were in the library on Monday afternoon, browsing through the gardening and home design books (gathering ideas for “someday”), when I turned around and was confronted by the dessert cookbooks, particularly one devoted to cheesecakes.
We hurried out of the library and I made one.

It was very good. Gone in 18 hours (should I admit that?) kind of good.

I used the recipe off the gigantic box of Philadelphia cream cheese from Sam’s Club, making enough changes along the way that I think I can call it my own. I made up a blueberry sauce to go with it, but any berry or fruit sauce would do.

So here you go, my “On A Whim Cheesecake”, or “Cheesecake To Satisfy Pregnancy Cravings”

1 lb cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

1 cup shortbread cookie crumbs
3 Tbs melted butter

1/3 – 1/2 cup lemon curd

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mix cookie crumbs and butter, press into the bottom of a springform pan.
Bake 10 minutes (this will smell really good when it comes out).

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until well blended and light. Add eggs, mixing until just blended. Pour into the crust and bake for 35 minutes.
Spoon the lemon curd over the top of the cheesecake and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheesecake center is almost set. Cool and refrigerate until chilled.

coffee sugar cookies

coffee sugar cookies


coffee sugar cookies, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.

These cookies are so yummy! I made them a few weeks ago for Valentine’s Day, and they lasted on the counter very well.
Usually having cookies last several days means that the recipe wasn’t that great, but these were!!! They have ground coffee in them, though, so I wasn’t able to eat more than one at once as this little baby gets a bit excited by caffeine. :)
I found the recipe over on this blog and followed it without changing anything. Sometimes I tweak a little as I go, but not this time. I’m so glad I let them be – they are just so good!

Coffee Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
2 tbsp. fresh ground coffee (you can also use instant crystals or powder) I used fresh
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
In a small bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, and coffee.
In yet another bowl, add together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
Slowly add your egg mixture to the butter mixture until well combined. Slowly add flour mixture until fully combined, do not over beat.
I would chill this dough for AT LEAST one hour, preferably overnight. The dough is pretty wet even then, so be prepared to flour your rolling pin well.
When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden. Allow cookies to cool completely before covering in any icing.

post #600 – baked potato soup

post #600 – baked potato soup


this baked potato soup is one of the easiest, yummiest and most versatile soups I’ve come across in a while. It turns out quite creamy – even without cream, which makes it a very cheap dinner – and the leftovers are a perfect lunch.
So far I’ve made it with chicken, with sausage and onions and plain, but the possibilities of changing up the flavor are endless, rather like the possibilities for customizing your baked potato come to think of it. :)
As the woman who blogged the recipe noted, it is a perfect one dish dinner, but would also be nice as a hearty starter. It’s just the thing when the weather outside is dreary and cold.

lemon cake

lemon cake


lemon cake, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.
I made this lemon cake on Saturday, and this is all that is left. It’s so yummy that we ate most of it in three days. The cake has the texture of a pound cake but has just enough tartness from the lemon juice in it to make it light and refreshing. It goes really well with morning coffee!
I found the recipe in Under The Tuscan Sun and simplified it a bit as I wrote it down, but this is the basic gist.

Cream together:
1 C butter
2 C sugar
Beat in:
3 eggs, one at a time. The mixture should be light and fluffy.

Combine:
3 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Mix:
1 C buttermilk or cream into butter mixture alternately with the flour mixture.
Add:
3 Tbs lemon juice and
zest of 1 lemon
Pour into a greased tube pan (I used my springform pan with the tube insert) and bake for 50 minutes. Now, the recipe said to bake the cake in a 300 degree oven, but I found that the cake was still very runny after 70 minutes and at that point turned the oven up to 350. Next time I think I’ll try baking it for 45 minutes at 350 and then check it, adding more time if needed.
After the cake has cooled and has been removed from the pan, glaze it with this icing:
1/4 C butter
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
3 Tbs lemon juice

lemon curd

lemon curd

what do you all think of me trying to post a recipe a week? good idea? no?

This recipe is for a friend who asked for it a while back. I finally found it in my Grandma’s recipe box written in her nursing shorthand, so here it is (translated from her shorthand so that you can read it too).

Lemon Curd
6 large lemons
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter cut into 12 pieces
6 eggs, beaten
Grate zest of 2 lemons. Mix with sugar. Squeeze lemons to make 1 cup juice. Heat juice, zest, sugar and butter in double boiler (if you don’t have one you can make your own – like I did – using a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water making sure that the bowl does not touch the water) over simmering water until butter is melted. Add eggs and stir until thickened (about 20 minutes).
Pour into jars or bowl and cool.

This is lovely served with biscuits, scones, waffles or toast, and I have found a wonderful recipe for Lemon Curd Poppy Seed Bread from Williams-Sonoma that I want to share at some point.

comfort food

comfort food

I was talking with my sister-in-law yesterday about different slow cooker recipes for chicken and pork, and I mentioned this one that I have made a few times. It is written for pork, but I’ve always made it with chicken. It turns out so yummy and (because the meat gets pulled) it’s perfect for meat that you’ve over-cooked that has gotten tough or “gummy”.
It also makes the house smell great!!!!
Pulled Pork (or Chicken) Tacos
adapted from Real Simple
2 cups salsa, plus more for serving
2 Tbls chili powder
2 Tbls dried oregano (Italian season works too)
2 Tbls unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 lbs boneless pork butt or shoulder (or chicken)

In a 4- to 6 quart slow cooker combine the salsa, chili powder, oregano, cocoa and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pork and turn to coat.

Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.

Using two forks, shred the pork and stir it into the cooking liquid. Serve with tortillas, cilantro, sour cream, lime and extra salsa.