Peach butter recipe

If you love apple butter you will definitely love this recipe for peach butter!

I had some peaches I needed to use up so I decided to make a quick batch of peach butter. We love it on English muffins....that fresh sweet peach taste is amazing spread over a hot toasted muffin. Makes a great breakfast treat!

 But it's also good on crackers, toast, and of course ICE CREAM! I like to warm it up a bit in the microwave before I pour it on my ice cream.

You can't believe how good my kitchen smelled while this was cookin!

Links
cast party wednesday
delicious dishes
Savory Sundays

Peach Butter

Southern Living

3 c. sliced fresh peaches {about 4 large}

1/4 c. orange juice

3/4 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. grated orange rind

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

Combine peaches and orange juice in a sauce pan, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally. Process mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Return the mixture to the saucepan, add sugar and remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 25 minutes or until thickened., stirring occasionally. Spoon into jars, cover and store in refrigerator. {makes 1 1/2 cups}.

Mini Blueberry Bundt Cakes

This recipe makes only 3 mini bundt cakes...perfect for just the two of us. They were as much fun to make as they were to eat! Mini anything is just too cute. I sometimes think they taste better too, but that is probably just my imagination.

These little cakes were delicious. I loved the lemon icing with the blueberries! Of course Brent wanted ice cream or whipped cream on top of his...he won't eat a dessert without one or the other....but I like mine with just the icing. AND extra berries.

They were so pretty I was almost sad to eat them.

Almost I said!

Links
Sweets for saturday
magnolia mondays
whats on your plate
recipe sharing mondays
not baaad sundays
sweet indulgences sunday

Tea party Tuesday

Mini Blueberry Bundt Cakes
{Cooking for Two}


1/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. blueberries, more for garnish

Lemon Icing
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2-4 tsp. milk
1 tsp. lemon juice

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into creamed mixture.. Fold in blueberries. (I always sprinkle them with flour first} Pour into 3 greased mini bundt pans and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool completely and drizzle with icing.

Friday Favorite Finds

I'm excited today to participate in Friday Food Finds! These are recipes I found surfing the net that I pinned onto my boards on Pinterest in "recipes to try."

                                                       Sophistimom  Peppermint Ice cream

The Sweet Swiper

Chewy Chunkie Blondies

Plain Chicken

Mini Calzones

                                                                     Cookies on Friday

Cherry pie muffins

                                                             Stawberry Stuffed French Toast

The sisters cafe

Southern Plate

Tomato Mozzarella Bites

Stephanies Kitchen

Zucchini muffins

These all look awesome..I can't wait to try them!

Taco Seasoning in a pinch

 I was making tacos for a crowd and ran out of seasoning packets..now what?

I didn't have time to run back into town. I remember seeing a really cool picture of taco seasoning on Pinterest but did I pin it? No.

So I decided to google it and I found a recipe here. The reviews were all pretty good so I made some.

It was not only a life saver, but it tasted even better than the packets!

So I took a quick picture which is not as awesome as the one on Pinterest, but you get the idea! The only change I made was that I didn't have any onion powder so I added dried minced onion instead.

Problem solved... and I was able to serve my tacos!

{UPDATE... I found the cool photo of the taco seasoning here. The recipe is slightly different, though.

Check it out!}

Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

Mix well!

Links

Its a keeper

Cheddar Almond Salad recipe

 

I love salads..especially with nuts on them, almonds being a favorite. This salad has plenty of sugared almonds on top, adding a nice sweet crunch.

The dressing is also sweet.... and addictive....I kept adding more and more. There's nothing better than a good salad on a warm summer day. It sure has been hot here again!

I'm getting excited for Saturday..I can wait to see Pioneer Woman's new TV show on Food Network. {I just saw an ad for the show as I'm writing this.} I work at the store that day, but I already have it set to record. I can look forward to going home after work to watch it.

I have her book and tried lots of her recipes...my favorite being her Cinnamon rolls. That maple frosting is killer. I wonder what new recipes she will have on her show...it will be fun to see!


Here's the recipe for the salad from Taste of Home:

Cheddar Almond Lettuce Salad
(Taste of Home}

1/2 c. slivered almonds
3 Tbsp. sugar
9 c. romaine, torn
2 hard cooked eggs,sliced (I left out)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese 


Honey Mustard dressing:
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. paprika

In a small skillet cook the almonds and sugar until lightly browned. Remove from heat and let cool on top of some foil. Divide the lettuce,eggs, and cheese among salad plates.

In a blender combine the sugar,vinegar,honey,lemon juice, onion powder,celery seed, mustard,paprika, and salt. While processing, gradually add the oil in a steady stream. Drizzle over salads. Sprinkle with almonds. Serves 9.


Links
Cast Party wednesday
Delicious dishes
tasty thursdays

Ham Wraps

Mmmm....this simple dressing makes an ordinary wrap special. I take alot of sandwiches and wraps to work for lunch and this is one of my favorites. I like to mix up a triple batch of the dressing for the week, as Brent likes to spread some on his sandwiches,too. He prefers bread over flour tortillas.

I have also tried it with deli turkey and beef, and different cheeses...whatever I have on hand. I always look forward to lunch when I know this is in my lunch bag!

Ham Wraps

2 (10 in.) flour tortillas
thin sliced deli ham
shredded Swiss (any cheese would work)
lettuce
tomato, chopped
onion, chopped


Dressing:
1/4 c. mayo ( I used low fat)
1 Tbsp. milk
3/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. mustard
1/8 tsp. celery seed

Mix the ingredients for the spread together. Warm the tortillas in the microwave. Spread the mayo mixture on the tortillas, and layer with the ham, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Roll up tightly. Serves 2.

Strawberry jam recipe

Every summer I make this. At least one batch. I used to make several batches when the kids were still home and we lived in town. I liked to bring it our neighbors, and give it as gifts to family and friends.

This year I only made one batch as I didn't go strawberry picking like I usually do. I just bought a few  berries from the local Farmers Market.

I did package a few jars for gifts..you can check that out on my other blog, Stampin Up North.

This is the easiest jam to make..and I think the tastiest. It always tastes just like fresh picked strawberries. We have it on toast, ice cream, crackers, and of course PB&J's.

When it's snowin' and blowin' and 40 below, it's fun to pull out a jar of this from the freezer.

 It's tastes just like summer!

Links
Jamhands
Savory Sunday
Sweets for a Saturday
Fat camp friday
Friday Food
Sweet tooth Friday
Tea party Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday
This chick cooks


Strawberry Freezer Jam
2 c. crushed strawberries
4 c. sugar
Mix well and let stand 10 minutes.

Mix:
1 box sure jell fruit pectin
3/4 c. water

Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour into the berry mixture and stir for 3 minutes until dissolved. Pour into plastic containers or jars , cover, and let stand 24 hours before freezing. Keeps 3 weeks in the refrigerator, and 1 year in the freezer

Nestle Chocolate chip cookies....better with less butter?

I was reading about these cookies over on Plain Chicken and about how they were supposed to be even better made with less butter. I found that hard to believe, but they looked so good I was curious. I had to make them and find out for myself.

Well, right away I could tell there was less butter...less flavor..warm from the oven. I was a bit disappointed, but they were still OK, not bad or anything, so I continued baking them, and set them aside.

KEEP READING......



The next day I reached for a cookie took a bite, and....YES....they were really good! They were soft and chewy and delicious. I do believe she is right...they DO taste even better with less butter. Well at least the next day they did... for me anyway.

As usual, they had no problem disappearing!

I'll be making them again.

{Nestle Toll House}

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter {1 stick} softened

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs

2 c. chocolate chips

Mix the dry ingredients together. Cream the butter and sugars and add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each.Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the chocolate chips. Drop by Tbsp. onto greased cookie sheets and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. {I always under bake alittle so they are soft and chewy} Let cool 2 minutes on baking sheets before removing to wire racks.

Peach and Blueberry Crostini

This is SO easy..and there really is no recipe of much to follow. I just buttered the bread and sprinkled sugar and cinnamon on top and toasted the slices under the broiler. I mixed some chopped mint leaves with cream cheese and spread on top of the bread, then topped with fresh peaches and blueberries. This would be perfect for brunch but I used this as a light dessert. I loved the combo of cinnamon and fruit with just a hint of mint!

links

Its a keeper Thursday

this chick cooks

Tasty Thursdays

sweet treats thursday

the sweet details

strut your stuff thursday

Chocolate Chip Mint Ice cream

My son loves chocolate chip mint ice cream so I decided to make some with my Cuisinart ice cream maker I got for Christmas. I love that thing. It's so easy to make ice cream....TOO easy..I want to make it all the time!

This recipe was a big hit. I loved the mild mint flavor and the little bits of chocolate. It was so smooth, creamy, and refreshing.

 We all  loved a scoop after our meals the last couple of days..such a treat!

Chocolate Chip mint Ice cream

2 c. milk ( I used 1 %)

2 c. heavy cream

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. mint extract

3 drops green food color

1 c. miniature chocolate chips

Stir the milk, cream and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add the salt, vanilla, mint, and food color, cover and refrigerate overnight. freeze according to the manufactures instructions. About 10 minutes into the freezing add the chocolate chips, and continue freezing until set.

Links
Look what I made
Cast party wednesday
This chick cooks
wow us wed
Magnolia Mondays
33 shades of green
whats cooking wednesday

Cheesy Tomato Slices

This is by far my favorite way to eat tomatoes! It's like eating pizza without the crust. I can't gobble them up fast enough. I only make them when there are fresh home grown tomatoes,though. Then I make them almost every other day! Sometimes just for a quick lunch on its own, and often to have with a meal as a side. These also make a great appetizer.

My mom would often just sprinkle some salt and whatever cheese she had on hand on top of tomatoes and then broil them, but I prefer this recipe that I found several years ago in a Taste of Home magazine, which has always been my number one source for good recipes. One never knows what gem lies between those pages!

I love summer and all the fresh produce available..I get excited every time I go the Farmers Market to see what I can find!

Cheesy Tomato Slices

{Taste of Home}

1/2 c. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. grated Parmesan
1/4 c. mayo
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt
4 tomatoes

Slice the tomatoes into thick slices and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and spread on top of the tomato slices. Broil 3 min. until cheese is melted.

links
sweet details
catch a glimpse thursday

Mondays with Mom...meatloaf recipe

Now that I'm back to blogging more regularly, I decided to get my Mondays with Mom posts going again. My mom taught me to cook and I have so many wonderful memories of the two of us in the kitchen together!

I use so many of her recipes all the time....Brents favorite is this simple classic meatloaf. When I was a kid I really didn't appreciate moms meatloaf like I do now. I was always hoping to see her chicken and gravy at the table every night! I still can't make her chicken or gravy like she did, no matter how hard I try.

Mmmmm. I need to pause a minute and think about her killer chicken and gravy.

Ok I'm done thinking now.

Anyway this meatloaf recipe is pretty classic, nothing unusual here. You can't ever really screw it up...you can add more or less onion, milk, bread.. whatever and it always comes out moist and wonderful.

A true comfort dish. It tastes great in a sandwich the next day too, but that hardly ever happens.... as Brent usually finishes it off!

Mom's Meatloaf

1 1/2 lb. lean burger
1/4 c. chopped onion
1-2 slices fresh bread torn in small pieces
1 egg
a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1/4 c. milk
Mix altogether and pat in a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about an hour. {I always use a meat thermometer.}

Cheesecake Factory Bruschetta Recipe

The other night when I served the cream cheese bruschetta, I also made this one. My son was home and I knew he wasn't fond of cream cheese so I decided to make this recipe for him. It's from the Top Secret Restaurant Recipes cookbook by Todd Wilbur.

I have never had the bruschetta from the Cheesecake Factory, but I can say that this recipe was great! We all liked it and had a hard time deciding which bruschetta we liked the best!

Cheesecake Factory Bruschetta

1 1/2 c. chopped Roma tomatoes

2 Tbsp. red onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

dash of black pepper

7 slices crusty Italian bread

1/4 tsp.garlic salt

Combine the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, and basil. Add the1/2 Tbsp oil, vinegar,salt and pepper and mix well. Refrigerate 1 hour.Slice the bread and mix the remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp. oil with the garlic salt. Brush each side of the bread and broil each side until lightly brown. Serve with chilled tomato mixture.

Links
Whats on your plate

Peach Crisps

I have such a huge collection of peach recipes I can never make up my mind which recipe to use when peaches are finally in season! But last night I didn't have alot of time and still needed dessert for dinner so this quick recipe came to mind.

In no time at all I had these popped in the oven and ready to go!

Fresh.... warm... sweet ....each spoonful a delight.


Peach Crisps

2 medium peaches, peeled and sliced
3-4 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. quick oats
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
5 tsp. cold butter

Mix the peaches and sugar and set aside. Combine the rest of the ingredients and mix until coarse crumbs. Spoon the peaches into 2 (6oz.) baking dishes. Sprinkle crumb mixture and bake at 375 until lightly browned and bubbly.
Links
Momtrends
Fat camp Friday

whatever goes wednesdays
sweets for a saturday
Sweet toooth Friday
This chick cooks
Its a keeper thursday
Food Trip Friday
jam hands
teaparty Tuesday

Peanut Butter and Jelly Smores

I was working at the gift shop Olde Liberty the other day, and was paging through one of the many cookbooks sold there. This was a tiny book called " So much Smore to Do" by Becky Rasnmussen about the many kinds of Smores one can make.  I was drooling by the time I had paged through it!

The first one I tried was this peanut butter and jelly one. YUM. I was pretty sure kids would like this, but I barely got a taste when Brent walked in the door!

I used raspberry jam and whipped peanut butter...what a fun snack!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Smores

peanut butter
jelly of your choice
graham crackers
marshmallows

Spread graham crackers with peanut butter and jelly. Roast marshmallows and put on top. Cover with another graham cracker. Enjoy!

Links
Just something I whipped up
sweet treats thursday

Basil Cream Cheese Bruschetta

This was SO good I couldn't stop eating it!

We munched on this while we were grilling our steaks the other night. It's a good thing I only made half a recipe or we wouldn't have had room for the steaks! Brent doesn't even like olives and he thought this was delicious.

I'm pretty sure it was the cream cheese that really made this stand out....you really can't go wrong with cream cheese on anything!

I can't wait to make this again!

Basil Cream Cheese Bruschetta

(Taste of Home}

12 slices French bread sliced 1/2 in. thick

2 Tbsp. chopped green onions

1/2 c. chopped seeded tomato

1 Tbsp. chopped ripe black olives

4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1 Tbsp. minced fresh basil

Brush the bread with olive oil and broil 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Combine the tomato, onion and olives and set aside. Cream the cheese and basil together and spread on top of the untoasted sides of the bread. Broil 3 minutes longer until cheese is melted. Top with tomato mixture.

Cast party wednesday
Sassy Chef
jam hands
Tasty Thursdays

someday crafts

Paula's Crispy Ranch Fries

Another good, simple recipe!

And this is from Paula Deen.... and NO butter!

This was fun for a change. We really liked the added flavor of the ranch mix.

I often come home from work and throw some frozen chicken strips and fries in the oven and call it, "Schwan night." The Schwan man comes once a month and I like to load up my freezer with his goodies. Some of our favorite products are the coconut shrimp, any of the chicken, both the regular and sweet potato fries,vegetables, and of course...... the ice cream!

When the kids were little they loved hearing the Schwan truck pulling into the drive way. They would quickly pick out there favorite ice cream treats to order. They loved the orange push ups the best. We love the Golden Nugget Bars and the Silver Mint bars. You can't go wrong with any of the ice cream!

Schwans company started right here in Minnesota. One of the reasons I buy from them is that not only are the products GOOD, but they also donate so much to some of the organizations I like. I love knowing  that the companies I buy from give back to others!

You can check them out here, at Schwan.


Paula's Crispy Ranch Fries

1 (26 oz.) bag frozen extra crispy fast food fries ( I used Schwans frozen baked fries}
1 (1 oz.) package dry ranch dressing mix, divided
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. mayo ( I used lite)

Sprinkle fries with 1/2 package dry ranch mix and bake at 450 for 11-15 min. Stir the ketchup, mayo and the reserved dry ranch mix together. Serve with hot fries.

Lowfat Strawberry Ice Cream

I love using my ice cream maker and am always making vanilla because we like it SO much. It's just so perfect....so rich and creamy!

But I wondered what would happen if I tried some lower fat ingredients. Would it taste good? What would the texture be like?

So I tried making strawberry ice cream using 1% milk and half and half in place of the heavy cream.

We were really pleased! Of course it was not as good as with the real cream, but still..it was delicious!

Icy cold and packed with bits of strawberries!

I'll definitely make this again.





Strawberry Ice Cream

1 1/2 c. strawberries, chopped rough or fine, however you prefer
3/4 c. whole milk (I used 1 %)
2/3 c. sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2c. heavy cream ( I used half and half)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Whisk the milk, sugar, and salt until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Stir in the strawberries. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Follow ice cream makers manufactures directions to make ice cream.

Links
Not baaad Sundays
Sweets for Saturday
33 shades of green
Sweetology
something swanky

No eggs.... no butter cake...what?

I found this recipe here and wondered what a cake would taste like with no eggs or any type of shortening.

It tastes good!

Well I thought so anyway. Brent said he didn't like the "texture" and demanded ice cream and toppings on his. Then he was all over it. I should never have told him it was low fat!

I preferred mine plain with some powdered sugar sprinkled on top.

We had no trouble finishing off this cake..it was delish...and even better knowing it was so low in fat!

Home made tortillas

Oh..... these were GREAT!

When I was rolling them out I couldn't help but think of making lefsa.!

Except this recipe only makes 8, and takes but 30 minutes from start to finish. Lefsa takes me half a day.

These tortillas were thick and chewy, with a wonderful home made flavor. I served them with simple taco ingredients; burger, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, olives, green onions, and cheese.

Next time I'll try them for fajitas. They'd be perfect for that!

Tortillas

{Taste of Home}

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. water

3 Tbsp. olive oil.

Mix together and knead 10 times. Add flour as needed. Roll into a ball and divide into 8 pieces. Roll into 7 inch circles and fry 1 minute each side in a nonstick skillet coated with spray until lightly browned. Keep warm until serving.

Links:

Cast party Wednesday

The frugal girls

Its a keeper

Paisley passions

Friday Favorite Finds

Ina's CBLT

I happened to be watching Ina the other day on Food Network and she was making things with Rotisserie chicken.

Just so happened that I had some leftover in my frig.

So....I quickly threw these together for supper along with some fresh fruit.

VERY tasty!

Links:
33 shades of green



CBLT

slices of Rotisserie chicken
tomato slices
bacon
lettuce leaves
bread
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. mayo
1/4 c. ketchup

Mix the mayo, ketchup, salt and pepper together. Spread on bread, layer with chicken, bacon, tomato, and lettuce.