On a week night last week, around 8pm, I was reading a book I'd picked up from the library about food; I can't remember the exact title right now. I was in the pizza chapter, and the author mentioned that his wife had walked down the road after their pizza lunch to grab some rice pudding for dessert. So while it was 8pm on a Tuesday or Wednesday night, I decided I simply had to make bread pudding, stat. Yeah, I'm just spontaneous like that.
Creamy Rice Pudding
Slightly adapted from allrecipes.com
3/4 c. uncooked white rice
2 c. 2% milk, divided
1/3 c. white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
2/3 c. raisins
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla-nut-butter extract
Cinnamon and sugar, for optional garnishes
In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 c. water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
In another saucepan, combine the cooked rice, 1 1/2 c. milk, sugar, salt and raisins. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, approximately 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/2 c. milk, beaten egg, butter and extract. Cook 1-2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Pour mixture into a container; sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, to taste. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Enjoy!
I just got done baking a batch of blueberry muffins, and they look delish. I had too much dough for the 12 muffin cups in the pan, so I poured the rest into a small crock (like I'd use to heat up French Onion soup), cooked it in the toaster oven while the regular muffin pan was in the oven and viola! It's really tasty! I haven't popped the other 12 out of their pan since they're cooling now (no need to scorch my hands), but I'm excited for Buppy to try one when he gets home. They're oozing with blueberry goodness.
Blueberry Muffins
Slightly adapted from allrecipes.com
1/2 c. Imperial margarine
1 1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 c. all purpose flour, divided
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. buttermilk (I already had some on hand that needed to be used up, so it worked out well)
12 oz. fresh blueberries (I got a great deal at the produce market yesterday, yay!)
Extra white sugar
Line a 12-muffin pan with paper liners and preheat the oven to 375F.
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, sugar and salt. Beat in the 2 eggs until well blended. Add 1 c. flour and baking powder to the mix; mix until just blended. Add 1/4 c. buttermilk; mix until just blended. Add 3/4 c. flour; mix until just blended. Add remaining 1/4 c. buttermilk; mix until just blended. (You get the idea here? We're just alternating the flour/baking powder mix with the buttermilk to ensure even mixing.) Crush 1/4 of the blueberries and mix into the dough. Mix the rest of the blueberries (rinsed) with the remaining 1/4 c. flour and fold into the batter. Scoop equal amounts of dough into each muffin liner. Once complete, sprinkle the tops of each muffin with a small amount of white sugar.
Bake in a preheated oven for 29+/- minutes, rotating the pan after 15 minutes. They should begin to turn golden brown, and the tops should spring back when lightly tapped.
Note: I had extra dough, as I said earlier, so instead of overfill each muffin cup (which couldn't have possbily held any more dough), I poured the remaining dough into a crock (think French Onion soup crock that is oven safe) and cooked it in the toaster oven for approximately 15 minutes or so at 350F. It was much flatter and so cooked much faster. If you don't have a toaster oven, feel free to bake it along with or after the original pan is finished cooking. Make sure to watch it so it doesn't burn, however.
These were relatively easy to make, are very pretty and the dough (and part of the lil' crock) taste great so far. All in all, I think I have a pretty good muffin recipe on my hands. Now I just can't wait to find raspberries on sales so I can sub them in. Enjoy!
*This is linked to Miz Helen’s Country Cottage Full Plate Thursdays for 2/24/11. Pop over for more great recipes!
Last week's menu plan was totally a bust. Ok, mostly a bust. Why? Because Buppy's back is whack, which meant I spent Tuesday-Thursday at home helping to take care of him, take him to appointments, watching the kids, etc. Needless to say, without his help in running the household, there were times I turned to much easier things than what I'd planned to make. Oh well. Again, we survived as usual.
This week is going to be a busy one because we're getting ready for our annual crab feast and slip 'n slide party on Saturday. We invite all friends and most of the families [who rarely show up] for a day of crabs, tons of other food, drinks, games, a 75' slip 'n slide and a fire in the fire pit after it gets dark. Such a lovely excuse to host a party and get everyone together! Anywho, this week we're in the process of getting the house ready for company [some overnight guests], trying to finish all grocery shopping, mow the law . . . well, you get the idea. It's all worth it in the end, but since we couldn't do much of anything last week to begin the prep work, it's a little more rushed now. With that said, I'm hoping to stick closely to our menu plan so it's one less thing to think and debate about at night when I get home from work.
Monday:Jalapeno popper dogs [yeah, didn't get around to this one last week] & leftover baked potato wedges
Tuesday: I'm home alone as it's Buppy's overnight at work, so I'll probably eat a leftover Italian turkey sausage we grilled up a few days ago and have some raw veggies
Wednesday: Saucy mushroom chicken with mashed spuds
Thursday: Grilled steak Caesar salads
Friday:Parmigiano & herb chicken breast tenders [didn't get to these last week either, and Buppy was sad because they're super tasty!] & Swiss scalloped potatoes [a new Light & Tasty recipe]
Saturday breakfast: A breakfast casserole I can make the night before so whoever wakes up first can pop it into the oven and be done with it. Not sure if I'm going to make this bagel & cheese bake I already know and enjoy, or branch out and try something new. Guess we'll see.
Saturday lunch & dinner: PARTY TIME! PLENTY OF FOOD EVERYWHERE!
Sunday breakfast: Buppy has to make chocolate chip pancakes for my friend's daughter, who had them last year and loves 'em. I think secretly that's the only reason she's coming back.[Kidding!]
Sunday lunch: Leftovers from the party, as there's generally plenty of food left.
Sunday dinner: Homemade pizzas, so we can make a variety to suite all tastes.
A friend mine from 8th grade and her family are coming up to stay with us Friday-Monday morning, which we're really looking forward to. Now to get the house clean in time . . .
Pop on over to orgjunkie.com for more great menu planning ideas!
Ah, menu plan Monday. Wow, it's been awhile since I've linked up to I’m an organizing junkie. This week isn't too stressful meal-wise as we have several outings planned that eliminate the need to plan/prepare for a meal. Here we go:
Monday - Ribs in the rotisserie, steamed Old Bay carrots & a green salad (with all sorts of good stuff!)
Tuesday - White chicken chili (found on eatbetteramerica.com) with crusty bread, possible addition of a green salad. The chili will be made Monday night so the flavors really have time to meld by Tuesday night. I'm really diggin' the recipe selection at eat better america!
Wednesday - I'm alone (Buppy's at work) so I'll fend for myself. Most likely it'll be a sandwich or breakfast-for-dinner kind of night.
Thursday - A pretty basic repeat of Wednesday. We'll see if I get any more ambitious to cook something more impressive for myself.
Friday - No plans. We're going to Buppy's mom's house for her annual "New Year's Open House", so that'll cover a late lunch for us. Then Buppy's father, his wife, Buppy's brother's family and our clan are all doing something for dinner. His father wants to go out to eat, so most likely that's what will happen.
Saturday - Lunch will be grilled cheese or tuna fish sandwiches (or leftover chili.) Dinner is going to be Salisbury steak. I've never made it, but I really enjoy it and almost never eat it. Buppy is skeptical as the only time he remembers eating it was when he was a child and it was part of a TV dinner. I have yet to figure out what recipe I plan to use, but I'm hoping to find one that's uber tasty!
Sunday - We're hosting a brunch to celebrate Christmas/Nick's birthday with Buppy's whole family. I plan on making this bagel and cheese bake for sure, and possibly this jiffy fruit salad I found on Hannah’s Hangout. Sounds good, but I'll see what else I can find. I'm looking for recipes that aren't too laden with fatty ingredients --- it'll be after the 1st and eating healthier is becoming a priority. Dinner on Sunday will be at a restaurant in Baltimore called Dionysis; we'll stop there for a relaxing dinner after we see the Nutcracker. I'm psyched!
If anyone has a good recipe (that isn't all too unhealthy) for Salisbury steak, please feel free to share!
Going back to our Thanksgiving meals [again], here is a recipe I tried for the first time for breakfast while our out-of-town guests were here. It was a total success, and something we're thinking of doing again when we host Buppy's family for our make-up-Christmas-and-oldest tike's-birthday brunch on Jan. 3rd. I've never had the opportunity to host a breakfast or brunch before, but am much looking forward to it. I really love breakfast foods for dinner, but they're not something I can ever make for company; it just never seems appropriate. I'm not sure exactly what'll be on the menu for our Christmas brunch on the 3rd, but it's gonna be yummy!
This recipe is something you can really play with and add whatever kind of meat [sausage, bacon, ham --- or go meatless!], cheese or bagel you have on hand. I modified the recipe slightly and it was great. Buppy's father really seemed to enjoy! I also love the fact that I can make this the night before and let Buppy bake it in the morning [more sleepy time for me!] Hmmmm . . . now I just have to figure out what ingredients I want to use next weekend.
Bagel & Cheese Bake
Adapted from allrecipes.com1/2 lb. bacon, diced1/2 c. chopped onion3 everything bagels1 c. shredded Swiss cheese12 eggs, beaten2 c. milk1/4 tsp. pepper1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheeseCook the bacon and onion in a large, deep skillet over med.-high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside. Slice each bagel into 4 thin slices. Arrange 6 bagel slices in the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover with the bacon and onion mixture, followed by the Swiss cheese. Top with remaining bagel slices. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the bagel layers. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 400F; uncover the chilled bagel dish and bake in the preheated oven 25-30 minutes or until eggs are firm. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve warm. Yield: 12 servings.Enjoy!Update: I'm linking this to Life as Mom’s Ultimate Recipe Swap for this week's egg dish edition [March 18, 2010]. This is a fantastic egg dish, but for even more ideas, visit her site!
