Robin's Egg Nests

I use to make these all the time and decided to start up again with the kids for Easter!  These are cute, yummy and so easy (but messy) to make!  Think cereal treats but without the cereal!

3 cups of mini marshmallows
3 tbs. butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups chow mein noodles
Malt robins egg candies, jelly beans or other candy of your choice.

Butter cupcake tin. In large saucepan, melt butter and marshmallows over med heat, stirring frequently. Once melted, stir in vanilla. Add chow mein noodles.   Here comes the fun part!  Get the kids involved, they will love it! Smear butter or crisco all over your hands.  Take a small glob of the mixture and press into one of the cupcake sections, making an indentation in the center. Once you have filled all cupcake sections, fill the centers of your nests with the candy eggs. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the marshmallow to set. This makes approximately 15 nests.

Dill Chicken Salad

When my husband, then boyfriend, and I moved from Florida to Indiana in 2001, I got a job as a cook at our local YWCA.  One of the dishes they would have for lunch was dill chicken salad on croissants.  I fell in love with it and have made it ever since. To me, all other chicken salads do not compare!  I'm sure you can find plenty of recipes for this online in some variation or another, but this is my favorite! 

I just made a huge batch of this for a dinner tomorrow.  10 pounds of chicken makes for a lot of chicken salad!

1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cut into small pieces.
1/2-3/4 cup of sour cream
1/2-3/4 cup of mayonnaise (not the other stuff!)
3 tbs dried dill

Mix all together and serve on a croissant roll or other bread of your choice.

The above measurements are approximate.

You can use as much or as little chicken as you would like. Just make sure you use equal parts of sour cream and mayonnaise.  And I almost never measure the dill!  I just dump it in there!  With this recipe I say..to each there own!  If you want it a little more creamy, add equal parts of mayo and sour cream, if you want it a little dry (I don't know why you would!) you can put in a little less!

Enjoy!

Homemade Caramel Sauce

If you never try any of my recipes, you have got to try this!  I LOVE caramel! I don't think I could bring to words how much I love it.  On my ice cream, on apples or on a spoon! Delish!  And for me, few things are more rewarding in the kitchen than making my own caramel sauce!  Sure, it is easy to just go pick up a jar from the grocery, but this takes 10 minutes, if that, and you do not have to subject yourself to all the "extra" stuff in your fancy shmancy store bought jar of ice cream topper!  You must make this sauce today! Go ahead...do it!

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
8 tbs (1 stick) of unsalted butter, cut up
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Pour sugar into a small heavy sauce pan.  Pour water evenly on top of sugar. With the stove on med-high heat, hold the saucepan handle and swirl around until sugar is dissolved all the way.  Once dissolved, turn heat to high, cover pan and boil for 2 minutes. 

Remove cover and continue to boil until syrup turns brown around the edges and turns to a nice amber color.

Keep going....When the syrup starts to smoke, it is done!

Perfecto!  Now, you want to remove from heat and whisk in the pieces of butter until all butter is melted and mixed in.  Be careful! When you put the butter in, the syrup will bubble and start to foam up.

Once butter is combined, stir in the cream.  If mixture gets lumpy, place back on heat until smooth.  Stir in the vanilla and salt.

This stuff is like molten lava! Be careful before putting any in your mouth!  It will be hard to resist temptation, but for the safety of your mouth..wait a bit!



Horrible lighting, I know! Im working on it!



Store in a mason jar in the refrigerator.  This makes enough for 1 pint. I do not know the exact shelf life of this.  I have had some last int he frig for several months. It does not happen too often as it usually gets eaten up in a week or 2!

Hubby's Favorite Meatloaf

2  lb. ground beef

1 box Savory Herbs Stove Top Stuffing mix

12 oz jar of chunky salsa (I use mild)

3 eggs

2-4 tbs of water

1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 pound bacon (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Beat eggs in large bowl. Add in water, salsa, stuffing mix and hamburger.  Mix with your hand until it all becomes one! Shape meat mixture into 2 loaves and put on roasting pan. you can put it on a cookie sheet but I prefer the grease to drip off the meat.  Wrap each loaf with bacon slices.  Bake for 45 minutes or until middle is no longer pink.  I usually turn the broiler on for a couple of minutes at the end to crisp up the bacon a bit more. We like to serve it with mashed potatoes, baked beans and carrots!

Homemade Pop-Tarts

My husband eats pop tarts for breakfast EVERY morning...he is usually flying out the door and never has time to sit and eat a real breakfast!  If you have never looked at the ingredient list on a pop tart box, do so....yucky!  I do not like it when I cannot pronounce half the stuff they try to get us to consume!  So, when I have time, I will make up a big batch of homemade pop-tarts.  They keep real well in the freezer and you can just pop them in the toaster or microwave to warm up.




The one on the right doesn't look too good! I forgot to take pictures! These were the last 2!




This recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour

Pastry
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk
1 additional large egg (to brush on pastry)

Cinnamon Filling (enough for 9 tarts)
1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, to taste
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg, to brush on pastry before filling


To make cinnamon filling: Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.

Make the dough: Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers, pastry blender or food processor until pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible, and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. If you’ve used a food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk the first egg and milk together and stir them into the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive, kneading briefly on a well-floured counter if necessary.

Divide the dough in half (approximately 8 1/4 ounces each), shape each half into a smooth rectangle, about 3×5 inches. You can roll this out immediately (see Warm Kitchen note below) or wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Assemble the tarts: If the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8″ thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9″ x 12″. [You can use a 9" x 13" pan, laid on top, as guidance.] Repeat with the second piece of dough. Set trimmings aside. Cut each piece of dough into thirds – you’ll form nine 3″ x 4″ rectangles.

Beat the additional egg and brush it over the entire surface of the first dough. This will be the “inside” of the tart; the egg is to help glue the lid on. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, keeping a bare 1/2-inch perimeter around it. Place a second rectangle of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Repeat with remaining tarts.

Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries. Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.

Bake the tarts: Remove the tarts form the fridge, and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes, until they’re a light golden brown. Cool in pan on rack.

Variation: Instead of brown sugar and cinnamon, fill the tarts with a tablespoonful of chocolate chips.

Or with jam filling: 3/4 cup (8 ounces) raspberry jam
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

To make the filling, mix the jam with the cornstarch/water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool. Use to fill the pastry tarts.