No Bake Millionaire Pie

This looks so good and is like a blast from the past. I have eaten this in my previous life and remember it well. It looks like the perfect dessert for an end-of-summer Labor Day affair, doesn't it? Especially if you love crushed pineapple and pecans and graham crackers. Yum. 

Ingredients for Millionaire Pie
Pie crust:
1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Pie Filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 TBS salted butter, slightly softened
1/8 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup pasteurized egg product (like egg beaters)
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
8 oz can crushed pineapple, well drained
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions
Make crust:
Preheat oven to 375.

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until well blended . Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate.

Bake for 7 minutes. Let cool completely before filling.

Prepare Filling:

Cream 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 TBS butter on medium speed of electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg product and vanilla and continue beating on medium speed until light and fluffy. Spread into prepared pie crust and chill for a couple of hours until firm.

Place a metal mixing bowl and your mixer whisk attachment in your freezer for about 5 minutes.

Add heavy cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar and beat on high speed until a stiff whipped cream is formed. Carefully fold in pecans and pineapple and spread over pie.

Chill until firm and serve.

Recipe and image source. 

Green Smoothie Detox Popsicles

These look so good. I recently got a great set of Williams Sonoma push-up popsicle molds at a thrift store for almost no money. They don't make them anymore so I was thrilled. They will be perfect for this recipe:

GREEN SMOOTHIE DETOX POPS

1 apple, cored and cut up into chunks

2 cups green grapes
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp honey or agave
2 cups chopped kale, packed
1 cup cubed zucchini
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
1 avocado, peeled + de-stoned

Put all the ingredients, apart from the avocado, into a blender (start out with 1/4 cup of water. Add up to 1/4 cup more if you need it to get it blending) and blend until smooth.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Pour the contents of the blender into the strainer and use a rubber spatula to push the juice through. Discard the pulp and rinse your blender. Pour the liquid back into the blender and add the avocado. Blend until smooth.

Divide mixture among the popsicle molds and freeze for 4-6 hours until firm (after 1 hour in the freezer, push popsicle sticks into the molds).

Don't they sound delicious? Recipe found here in celebration of Popsicle Week. Who knew?

Blue Plate Special Dog Breakfast

Henry always eats his fried egg first.

Webster eats his mixed with water, like soup.

Blue Plate Special. Fried egg, kibble and oatmeal.

When is dinner? May I have mine on a plate too?

Great Mac and Cheese Recipe

I went to a birthday party last night and took my heart shaped Bennington Pottery spongeware casserole full of the best Mac and Cheese I have ever made. It got rave reviews too. I doubled this recipe. I used unsweetened soy milk instead of 2% milk. I didn't think it tasted quite salty enough so I put some torn slices of muenster cheese all over the top. I was going to take that cheese back to Costco because I thought it was too salty but it ended up coming in handy. I also poked some thick slices of cheddar all around too instead of spreading grated cheddar on top. It was so good.

Eat Local

I haven't been to a single farmer's market yet this year. The ones near me haven't opened yet. via

Radishes

This beautiful photograph of fresh radishes in an antique yellowware bowl looks like a painting. by raewillow on Flickr.

Chicken to Table Breakfast

Farm fresh eggs from friends around the corner.

Two eggs with cheddar cheese.

Omelet
omelet |ˈäm(ə)lit| (also omelette) noun

A dish of beaten eggs cooked in a frying pan until firm, often with a filling added while cooking, and usually served folded over.

Ta Da -- My Breakfast this morning. Have a great weekend. It is cool and overcast and rain is predicted for later. I'm going to pull thistles from the flower bed beside my mother's deck today. Will my weeding ever be finished? Sigh.

Strawberry Cake that looks like a Pie.

~Simple Strawberry Buttermilk Cake~

This recipe looks very easy. If it tastes half as good as it looks in the picture, it's a keeper. I have everything on hand except buttermilk and strawberries and they have been added to my grocery list. Yum. Can't wait!

The Endless Cup of Tea

This makes me want a cup of tea. via

Boxwood and Cabbages

What a great idea. I love the blue cabbages inside the boxwood borders! via

Rainbow Pancakes

What a great birthday breakfast. I think the whole world needs rainbow pancakes, don't you? Click below to watch the delightful tutorial video from Oh Joy!

Here is the recipe she used for the pancakes.

Iced Coffee

Iced coffee is a favorite summertime treat of mine but never in the morning. I require HOT coffee to wake me up. How about you? via

Pizza for One

 

 

     What to cook when there is nothing to cook? Last night I made a personal pizza using a whole grain tortilla as the crust. I put my well-seasoned pizza stone in the oven at 450 while I was deciding on the toppings. I use Trader Joe's pizza sauce in a jar because it's decent and always on hand. The last pie I made had grilled zucchini slices on top but I didn't have any on hand. I cooked a pot of quinoa earlier in the day so I spread a layer of that on top of the sauce and frozen petite green peas scattered over the quinoa. Shaved parmesan cheese was the final layer. 

     I heated the stone for another 5 minutes after the assembly was complete. I kept an eye on it through the glass door in my oven after I slid the pizza off the peel. These thin things cook up very quickly. It was done in around 8 minutes and it was very good. I have to get a basil plant for future pies. Use your imagination throw one together yourself using what's on hand.

Having my coffee now

This is just exactly what I am having at this very moment. I slept late this morning and it was wonderful. I always add hot soy milk to my morning coffee and it mixes itself just like this gif. See you later, friends. via

Tiny Tomato Bubbles

More beautiful than jewels. This photo looks like beadwork, doesn't it? via

My Mom, Easter 2012

 

It is hard to believe my beautiful mother is no longer with me. She looked so beautiful a year ago and 8 months later she was gone. I miss her every day. We all miss you here at the cottage, Anna. This morning Tabitha made a rare visit to my bed in the wee small hours before dawn instead of meowing to be fed and let out. She was my mother's cat and I think she was missing her too. Webster and Tabitha always go with me when I go downstairs to do laundry and they always hope she will magically appear in her home on the lower lever. But she's never there so we don't stay long. I really need to start dealing with her things but I'm waiting for the nice weather so I can open all the windows and doors and sort things outside. I'm still peaceful about her passing but that doesn't stop me from missing her. 

I've been busy in the kitchen making two dishes to take to Easter Ham Dinner with friends this afternoon. I am making my old standby (cranberry holiday salad from a book called 'Favorite Recipes from Quilters') and something new, a baked pineapple casserole that sounds delicious. I'll let you know. Have a Happy Easter Day! xo

Quinoa Pancakes

Martha Stewart has the recipe here. Be sure to read the comments for tweeking hints from people who have actually made them. I think they would be good for a main course topped with Mark Bittman's Welsh Rarebit, creamed chicken, or corned beef hash. Thanks, Martha (and Mark).

BIRD'S NEST COOKIES FOR EASTER

Recipe here.
Simple and easy using Chow Mein noodles, butterscotch chips, and Cadbury Mini eggs.

Chicken + Cheese Quesadella Pie

This looks like the perfect Saturday night supper or Sunday Brunch to me. Yum. I'm posting early so you can go to the store to buy anything you don't have on hand. 

This is genius -- the crust is one 10" flour tortilla, burrito size.

I would probably use several frozen chicken breasts from Costco, cooked and shredded, of course. I always have a bag in the freezer.

Ingredients

1 (10-inch) flour tortilla (burrito size)
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
(optional) 1/3 cup drained jarred pickled jalapeños, chopped
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Press tortilla into prepared pie plate and spray lightly with cooking spray. Toss chicken, cilantro, jalapeños (optional), 1 cup cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in large bowl until combined. Spread filling over tortilla.
Whisk eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt in bowl until smooth. Slowly pour over filling, then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until surface is golden brown, about 16-20 minutes, and when knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.
via: the girl who ate everything

Today's the Day for a Shamrock Float

McDonald’s® Shamrock Shake Copycat Recipe

3 cups good quality vanilla ice cream
(I would use Breyers)
1-3/4 cups milk (or soy milk)
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Green food coloring if desired

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until completely thick and smooth.

2. Pour into tall glasses, top with whipped cream and green sprinkles.  I prefer iced tea spoons over straws with drinks like this or you could use both. Happy St. Paddy's Day! via