Deanna's Daughter

Flashback #9 – The library was and still is a regular hang-out for us because the girls LOVE their books.  One favorite, when they were about 2 1/2 was a book called, ‘Go Away, Big, Green Monster’ and I think that the idea was to get kids to tell the different monster bits to ‘go away’, and then as he lost his hair, his spots etc. he wasn’t very scary looking anymore.  So, one morning around this time, it was once again time for the girl’s vitamins – not their favorite, but there was usually minimal fuss especially if they had a glass of juice waiting for them – and I asked Waverly (who was hiding) to come and please eat her vitamin.  ‘Go away Big Green Monster!!’, she hollered from the other room.  I laughed so hard, we skipped the vitamins that day.

I have to say that this is an idea more than an actual recipe, but it was shockingly tasty and I found myself thinking it could be used as a sauce for almost anything, or made a little thicker and used as an appetizer dip, or made just for steamed vegetables instead of the traditional cheddar cheese sauce – the list goes on.  I borrowed this directly from the Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipe site and you can easily make as much or as little as you need or make it as thin or as thick as you’d like.  I grilled some chicken breasts and made a big pot of steamed vegetables and then drizzled this over top – you don’t need very much at all.

Cream Cheese and Pesto Sauce

1/2 c. (or 1/2 a pkg.) of cream cheese

1/2 – 1 c. chicken broth

3-6 T. basil pesto (or your favorite, homemade or from a jar)

I cooked my chicken and then covered it up to keep it warm and then used the same skillet for the sauce.  All you do it melt the cheese – carefully – and then whisk in the broth and pesto to taste and to thickness.  It takes a bit of time for it to come together, but it does.

Drizzle it over whatever you’d like and enjoy!

This is another goodie out of Lauren Chattman’s book, Cake Keeper Cakes.  It was perfect for a crowd at brunch and my one big ‘note-to-self’ was to either place the bundt pan on a cookie sheet to cook, or to lay foil underneath it while cooking.  It’s very moist and once the butter in the streusel melts it will drip a bit and it made a pretty good mess in my oven – thank heavens for self-cleaning ovens!

Applesauce Cake

Streusel

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. large flake oats (not quick cooking)

1 T. cinnamon

6 T. cold butter, cut into small pieces

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and use a pastry cutter to cut the butter in until it’s well combined and crumbly.  Refrigerate until you need it.

Cake

2 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. ground cardamon

1/2 t. ground cloves

1/2 t. salt

2 c. unsweetened applesauce

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 c. melted butter

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. canola oil

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease your bundt pan.  In a large bowl, whisk together the 6 dry ingredients, then add in the 5 wet ingredients, whisking and stirring well to combine.

Pour half of the cake batter into the bundt pan and evenly sprinkle half of the chilled streusel overtop.

Scrape in the rest of batter and finish with the rest of streusel – your pan will be full, be careful.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes – I could say check and make sure that a toothpick comes out clean, but it’s almost impossible with the streusel in the way.  It was exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes in my oven.  Allow the cake to rest in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a serving platter.

We thought this was brilliant when it was still a bit warm and those left with the leftovers assured me it was just as good the following couple of days.

We were driving past a building that the girls thought looked like a museum and Brock was pretending that he didn’t know what a museum was.  ‘Daaadd!’, Waverly explained impatiently, ‘it’s where dinosaurs go to die!’.

This is adapted from Whitewater Cooks at Home by Shelley Adams and it was very tasty – and very filling.  The recipe says that you can ‘build’ the pie the day before you cook it and even though it’s looks a bit daunting, it’s actually quite straight forward if you’re organized.  I made this during the week so I used cut up roast chicken that I had in the freezer and I had the onions and peppers already chopped.  I also think that substituting vegetables for the chicken (or simply adding more of either) would work just fine, and more ‘heat’ could easily be added as well.

Chicken Tortilla Pie

6, 10-inch tortillas (I used whole grain)

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 red, orange or yellow peppers, thinly sliced

1/2 – 1 fresh jalapeno, chopped (optional)

3 c. chopped, cooked chicken (or 2 lbs raw, thinly sliced or ground)

1 T. seasoning salt

2 t. cumin

1 t. oregano

1 t. chili powder

1/2 pkg. (1/2 c./125 g) cream cheese

1/2 c. sour cream

2-3 c. monterey jack cheese, grated (I used a blend)

1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)

1/4 c. chopped canned jalapeno peppers (optional)

2 cans (398 mL) refried beans

1/2-3/4 c. enchilada sauce (can or jar)

Spray a 10-inch spring-form pan and set it aside, preheat the oven to 350 then heat a bit of oil in a large skillet.  Cook the onions and peppers for 5-10 minutes until softened (if you want to use a fresh, chopped jalapeno, I’d add it here).

If you’re using raw chicken, add it now and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes until no longer pink before adding the spices – if it’s already cooked, add it in along with the seasoning salt, cumin, oregano, and chili powder and saute for a few minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and add in the cream cheese, sour cream and about 1 cup of the grated cheese and stir until well combined and the cheese is melted.  Mix in the canned jalapenos (if using) and the cilantro and set the skillet aside until you’re ready to assemble.

Brush a tortilla on both sides with some enchilada sauce and lay it on the bottom of the spring form pan (I held it on my hand, poured on a spoonful and swirled it around with the back of a spoon as a way to quickly cover it, then laid it in the pan and did the same to the top of it).  Spread 1/3 of the chicken mixture on top and then another enchilada sauce brushed tortilla – press it down a bit to stick the layers together.

Spread this layer evenly with 1 can of refried beans, sprinkle on a bit of grated cheese and then another brushed tortilla.

Next is a chicken layer, then a bean and cheese layer, then the last chicken layer and remember to brush all of the tortillas with enchilada sauce, including the top one.

Finally top the pie with more grated cheese and cover the whole pan tightly with foil.  Bake for 1 hour and then remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes.  Take the pie out and let it rest for 15 minutes before attempting to cut into it.

Slice into wedges and top with some cilantro and serve it with a salad – or simply salsa, sour cream, avocado and tomaotes – we thought it would be good with just about anything.  Enjoy!