Culinary Goods

 Yep, I know there's no such thing as a key orange. Calm down there. Essentially, this is just like key lime pie, and I cross it with cheesecake, so it's just the way I name things to keep track of stuff. The flavor was awesome. The texture pissed me off, and I don't know why it was any different with orange than lemon or lime? The crust was almost soggy, so I might research more, but the taste was so good that here is a great start.     Key Orange Pie   Oreo Crust 22 oreos 3 Tbs. butter Bake at 350 for 10 minutes  Let it cool for 5-10 minutes, and then you put the following filling in:  1 brick of cream cheese (the brand matters--buy Philadelphia) 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk 2 large egg yolks 1 cup fresh orange juice do not go over this even a tiny bit 1 Tbs. finely grated orange zest do not go over this either   Mix it together and pour it on the pie crust. I make the filling in a food processor to get the lumps out of the cream cheese. Put pie back in the oven

The picture is way in the back (it's in the trifle bowl). So, this recipe came from my Grandma Peterson, and my mom used to make it on Thanksgiving when we were growing up. I've tweaked it a bit. My mom used to use fruit cocktail and canned pineapple so I've essentially made it into just a few ingredients: fresh pineapple, apples, red grapes, clementines, maraschino cherries, and marshmallows (totally a fruit). It's actually pretty good, you know, when you need heavy cream and a citrus sauce on your fruit to take it over the top in terms of health.   Fruit Salad   4 large apples, sliced                                               1 can fresh mandarin oranges I do 4-5                                                                                                                         clementines instead 1/2 bunch red, seedless grapes                                2 sliced bananas I leave this out Maraschino cherries                                              

 This recipe was good, and was a less intense version of pots de creme that works well when you are pairing something else with this (like pecan sandies in our case). It came from melskitchencafe.com, and I would totally make it again. It's not as thick as the chocolate silk pie filling (or as rich), so it's just a nice, basic, smooth pudding. THE BEST CHOCOLATE PUDDING  1/4 cup packed light brown sugar I did 1 T of regular sugar and it was plenty sweet  3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process or regular) I did 4 T. of dutch-process  3 tablespoons cornstarch  1/4 teaspoon salt  2 3/4 cups whole milk  1/4 cup heavy cream  1 cup milk chocolate chips (or 6 ounces bar milk chocolate chopped) I did 4 oz. of high quality dark chocolate and 2 oz. of milk chocolate  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract I doubled this Essentially, you combine everything together except the chocolate and vanilla, and then boil. This will thicken after it boils about 2-3 minutes, but not immensely s

These make me happy b/c they are so fast and everyone liked them. I love anything with bacon b/c I don't eat it much, so it's always a treat. Melskitchencafe.com has recipes that are always winners, and this is a very Mormon meal, but I don't even care. IT"S EASY and my kids ate it and NO ONE complained. CRISPY CHICKEN BACON RANCH WRAPS ·          3 cups (425 g)   cooked, chopped chicken I totally did 2 cans of shredded chicken from Costco b/c I was so exhausted tonight--it was totally fine. Rotisserie chicken would probably taste even better ·          2 cups (57 g)   lightly packed baby spinach, chopped ·          6 slices (72-80 g)   bacon, cooked and crumbled I did 8 and used the pre-cooked kind you get from Costco that you just have to reheat ·          ½ cup ranch dressing (see note) We use the big jug-o-ranch from Costco-I think it's Greg's ·          1 tablespoon dry ranch mix (optional – see note) I totally did this ·          1 ½ cups (170 g

The official title should be, " Lisa's Monstrous Soup", because it was so monstrously difficult to get instructions on the changes she made to the original recipe. However, here is what I finally got from her: SLOW COOKER MEXICAN CHICKEN SOUP Rotisserie chicken, shredded (I totally did canned chicken and it was fine) 2 (14 oz) cans Fire-roasted petite diced tomatoes, with juices 2 cans black beans, drained 2 medium onion, Finely Chopped 6 cloves garlic 2 bell peppers, Chopped 1 Tbs. Cumin powder 2 tsp Dried Oregano 1-3 tsp. Chipotle chili powder (I probably did 1 1/2 tsp) 2 tsp paprika  4 cups chicken stock 2 cups half and half 1 brick Cream Cheese (room temperature) 1 cup cheddar cheese  Salt to taste I did 1 tsp. Fresh Cilantro leaves for garnishing Essentially you saute the onion, peppers, and garlic in oil, add spices, then add tomatoes, chicken stock, and chicken. Heat this together thoroughly, and then, add the cream cheese, cheese, and half and half. We serve this

  Jared made this the other night, and it was a nice change from the normal tomato soup we eat. It was a good fall soup and it came from a Washington Post article. It gets a 7.  1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola, grapeseed or safflower 1 small-to-medium onion (about 5 ounces), diced 2 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger 2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth One (15-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes with their juices 1 cup pumpkin puree 1/2 teaspoon table salt or fine sea salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons light coconut milk, divided 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup He used maple syrup Freshly ground black pepper (optional) https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/10/07/creamy-tomato-pumpkin-soup-recipe/

  I originally found a recipe for a chocolate cardamom bundt cake in Fine Cooking, but one reviewer said it was dry, so I found this on melskitchencafe.com and just added cardamom. Jared didn't like the addition of the cardamom, but I liked it, so it's just a taste preference. It was nice and moist, and while I did add the ganache topping, the picture without it looked better. This gets a 7. FOR THE PAN:  2 tablespoons butter, melted  2 tablespoons cocoa powder FOR THE CAKE:  1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) butter  1/3 cup (1.25 ounces) natural, unsweetened cocoa powder  1/2 teaspoon salt  1 cup water  1 3/4 cup (8.75 ounces) all-purpose flour  1 1/2 cups (11.5 ounces) granulated sugar I used 1 1/4 C.  1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda  2 large eggs (3.5 ounces)  3/4 cup (6 ounces) sour cream  1 teaspoon vanilla extract  1 to 2 cups (6 to 12 ounces) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips 2 tsp cardamom FOR THE GLAZE:  1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips  2/3 cup he

The bottom crust flakes and the crumb topping means the top crust doesn't looks stupid if you're too lazy to pre-cook the apples like I am. The caramel sauce method I've been using mimics that caramelization I would get in the pan with the butter and sugar when I cooked them in layers.  Ok, I'm finished tweaking apple pie (I know, I always say this). This is my favorite version so far: Dutch Apple Pie, Makes 2 pies 2 pie crusts, uncooked Apple Filling: 5 lbs. apples, I prefer a mix of Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and Rome lemon juice from a fresh lemon 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. cloves 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 tsp. salt generous dash allspice (this was probably between 1/8 and 1/4 tsp) 6 T. flour 3/4 cup caramel sauce (I make mine homemade, check blog for recipe) Pour the lemon juice over the cut apples, combine the flour with the spices in a separate bowl and then dump this on the apples and the caramel and stir until combined. Crumb Topping 150 grams of white flour  50 gr

I didn't get a picture b/c Gavin ate it all before I remembered, but this is from melskitchencafe.com, and it was a fast, easy week night meal. This doesn't taste quite like alfredo, but it's good enough and I would make it again. Next time, I would add 1 tsp. parsley, double the salt, and add fresh garlic at the end.  EASY INSTANT POT PASTA ALFREDO 3   cups   chicken broth (I use low-sodium) 2   cups   milk I only had 1% 2   tablespoons   all-purpose flour 1   cup   heavy cream or whipping cream 1   teaspoon   garlic powder I would add 2 cloves of fresh garlic at the end with the cheese and 1 tsp. dry parsley ½   teaspoon   salt I would definitely double this ⅛   teaspoon   black pepper 16   ounces   ( 454   g )   pasta (see note) We did shells ½ to 1   cup   ( 57   g )   freshly grated Parmesan cheese I think it needs a full cup You spray the instant pot, add the broth,  mix the flour and milk together and dump that in, add the cream, pasta, seasonings, and stir. Then, we

This was good, but I am not convinced it isn't a better idea to go and get your Indian food at a restaurant where they do all this work for you.  Butter Chicken 2   lbs.   chicken thighs,   trimmed of visible fat, cut into 1 1/4-inch pieces 1/2   cup   whole plain yogurt 1   Tbsp   fresh lemon juice 2   Tbsp   garam masala,   recommend homemade blend  HERE , divided 4   tsp   fenugreek leaves,   slightly crushed after measuring, divided (I buy  HERE ) 1   tsp   turmeric 2   tsp   smoked paprika,   divided 2   Tbsp minced   garlic,   divided 2   Tbsp peeled and minced   ginger,   divided Salt   and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 4   Tbsp   butter,   cut into pieces 1 1/2   cups chopped   yellow onion Cayenne pepper,   to taste 1   (14.5 oz) can   diced fire roasted tomatoes 3/4   cup   heavy cream 1/4   cup   low sodium chicken broth,   or a little more to thin if needed 3   Tbsp   Cilantro  (chopped or whole leaves) Butter Chicken Recipe - Cooking Classy