Fresh Strawberry Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

 I've talked about my husbands love of strawberry pie before, but I just don't like the store bought glaze.  So I went on a hunt to find a homemade version (without danish desert packets because I can't find them anywhere I live!) and I stumbled upon this little gem.  I absolutely LOVED this pie.  I even requested this as my mother's day dessert!  You make the glaze with fresh strawberries pureed, which makes it taste...well, fresh.

I slightly altered the recipe to use unflavored gelatin instead of pectin because that is what I had on hand. I used an entire envelop, which made this more formed instead of like a traditional glaze, so if you prefer, you can use a smaller amount or the pectin.   It sets up beautifully and tasted simply divine.  I also used this graham cracker crust, instead of a traditional pie crust and I am so glad that I did.  It was the perfect compliment. The graham cracker crust is a thicker crust than normal, so it can withstand all this yummy goodness. 

This is a definite got-to-make-this-summer dessert.  You won't be disappointed.  I am sure we will be making this about a gajillion more times this summer, and I can't wait.  And neither should you. 

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Printable Recipe

For the Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter melted
Preheat oven to 375*   Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter and press into a deep dish pie pan.   Bake for about 5-6 minutes.   Set aside to cool completely. Can be made a day or two ahead of time.

For the Filling:
4 pints (about 3 pounds) fresh strawberries, gently rinsed and dried, hulled
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin or low sugar pectin
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
To make the filling, select about 1 ½ cups misshapen, underripe, or otherwise unattractive berries and in a food processor (or blender), process the berries to a smooth puree, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, unflavored gelatin or pectin, and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir in the berry puree, making sure to scrape the corners of the pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula, and bring to a full boil. Boil, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan to prevent scorching, for 2 minutes to ensure that the cornstarch is fully cooked (mixture will appear frothy when it first reaches a boil, then will darken and thicken with further cooking). Transfer to a large bowl and stir in lemon juice. Let cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile measure out 2 pounds of the most attractive berries and halve or quarter the berries. Add the berries to the bowl with the glaze and fold gently with a rubber spatula until the berries are evenly coated. Scoop the berries into the graham cracker crust, If any cut sides face up on top, turn them face down. Refrigerate pie until chilled, about 2 hours. Serve within 5 hours of chilling.

Recipe Source: pie from here , graham cracker crust, bdubscafe

Chicken Tortilla soup

My oh My was this good!  I have tried several chicken tortilla recipes, but they never really had enough flavor for me.  But this one, it was good!  This is a lighter type soup for those cold rainy spring days, packed with all sorts of yummy vegetables.  We had a small thunderstorm where I lived and it made me miss the Midwest thunderstorms.  They just can't be beat! And this was the perfect complement to it. 

This recipe is definitely going into the rotation.  My kids were a little more picky, but I am hoping the more I make it that they will come around.  As for my hubby and I, we loved it!  I made the tortillas sprinkled with a little chili powder but you can easily use chips as well.  Enjoy friends :)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Printable Recipe

3 cups shredded chicken
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green, red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (or use hot sauce)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes, mild
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen (but thawed)
1 small can tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp kosher salt
ground black pepper
fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
sour cream for garnish
4 flour tortillas, cut into strips and fried (or store-bought tortilla chips)

chili powder to sprinkle on tortillas

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add onions, peppers, and garlic. Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano – cook for an additional minute until fragrant. Add in the tomato paste, and cook stirring frequently, until tomato paste is starting to darken. Slowly add the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil.
Add the shredded chicken, tomatoes, black beans, corn, and salt. Stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
I would assume that if you wanted to make this and place in a crockpot on “keep warm” until you were ready to serve you could.

How to make the fried tortillas:

Spray non stick spray on tortillas and sprinkle with chili powder. Using a pizza cutter, slice into strips and lay on a cookie sheet sprayed with non stick cooking spray.  Broil for a few minutes until crispy, do not let burn. 

Toppings:
When ready to serve, add a small handful of tortilla strips to the bottom of a bowl. Ladle soup onto tortilla strips. Garnish soup with fresh cilantro, sour cream, and a few more tortilla strips.

Note: I used ½ a yellow pepper and ½ a red pepper, so you could use any variety of peppers you have on hand.

Note: I don’t usually have jalapenos on hand, so I replaced it with a little Louisiana hot sauce to add a little pep and flavor.  This does not make it a hot dish.  

Recipe adapted from: Tide and thyme

Chocolte Chip Cookie Lava Cakes

 This is our new favorite dessert.  We have made it twice in the last week for company!  To make the molten lava in the middle, mix, bake and eat it right away.  But another reason I love these is that I can mix these earlier in the day, put them in the fridge until right before I am ready to bake and serve them.  Just go through all the steps, even putting them in the muffin tins.  When you are ready to eat them, put the cookies in the oven and voila, warm chocolate chips cookies.  The middle isn't so molteny (that isn't a word?) when you do it this way, but they are still absolutely delicious.

These are like chocolate chip cookies on overdrive!  Plus they look fancy with the chocolate sauce and cool whip with little work.  Win win in my book!

They are also really good warmed up the next day.  I also bet you could freeze these if you wanted, you wouldn't get the molten middle, but like I said, they still taste amazing.  Anyway you make them, these won't disappoint! 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Lava Cakes
Printable Recipe
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 (11.5 oz) bag milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a standard size muffin tin with cooking spray. Place 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a Ziploc bag, and seal shut. Lay the Ziploc bag flat in the microwave, spreading out the chocolate chips in a single layer. Microwave for 2 minutes at 50% power. Remove bag and flip, microwaving for an additional 30 seconds until all the chips are melted. Set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the remaining chocolate chips (about  1 cup) and stir to combine.
3. Using half the cookie dough, scoop 1.5-2 tbsp of dough, flatten it out a bit, and place in the bottom of the muffin tin. Repeat for a total of 12 cookies. Cut a small tip in the corner of the Ziploc bag, and gently squeeze a layer of chocolate over the cookie. Scoop and flatten the remaining dough and place on top of the chocolate layer. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are just browned. Do not overcook, or the middle won’t be gooey.  As soon as they come out of the oven, run a knife around the edges to make for easy removing later. Cool 5-10 minutes before removing from the muffin tin, running a knife around the edge to help loosen.  Serve with cool whip or ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Baked Mexican Tostadas

There are several reasons why these tostadas trump regular tostastas, 1. they have fresh roasted red peppers on them, which are to die for, 2. they are baked, need I say more, 3. the tortillas are dusted with chili powder, baked, then topped with amazing deliciousness.  4. they can be pulled together quickly

Is there any reason not to make these?  I think not!  I do have to admit, my kids usually just eat the taco meat on these while my husband and I savor all that goes on these babies.  I even stopped putting them on the chili powder tortillas and just gave them plain old tacos.  They are thrilled.  We are both happy.

On to the recipe.  I adapted this slightly for our tastes, but the idea behind it is the same.  It is a pretty healthy dish and light, which is perfect for the beginning of spring and into summer.  Hope you all enjoy as much as we do!

Baked Mexican Tostada
Printable Recipe

Serves 4 (1 tostada each)

4 (7-8 inch) flour or multigrain tortillas

nonstick spray

chili powder

1 (15 oz can black beans, rinsed

½ lb hamburger (you could substitute chicken)

taco seasoning (omit if using chicken)

¾ cups diced roasted red peppers

2 springs green onions, diced

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese

Cilantro, chopped

Sour cream, ranch dressing, or this cilantro lime dressing for serving

Begin roasting red peppers, instructions here. Or you can use ones from the store, though I have never tried them with this. 

Meanwhile, cook hamburger, drain and add taco seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place tortillas on a foil lined baking sheet and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.  Sprinkle each with chili powder.  Bake 9 to 10 minutes, or until crisp

In a small bowl, microwave beans for 30-45 seconds or until softed.  Mash with a fork and set aside.  You may need to add a small amount of water to these. 

Leaving tortillas on baking sheet, top each equally with beans, taco meat, red peppers, green onions, cheese, and cilantro.  Return to oven and bake 8-10 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted.  Top with sour cream, ranch dressing, or cilantro lime dressing. (Just scroll down to the bottom)

We served fresh corn on the side, but my husband opted to put his on the tostada, which he liked even better.  Can't say no to adding more veggies!

Roasted Red Peppers {How To}

Have you ever have fresh roasted red peppers?  In one word, amazing!  They add so much flavor and depth to a dish.  They are incredibly tasty and aren't hard to make.  Plus, I have this simple, yet satisfying 20 minute dinner that I can't wait to share with you.  You have to learn how to make these peppers first though because they make the entire dish go from good to W.O.W.  Now who doesn't want that??

I found directions over at sisterscafe and only slightly varied them.  Here you go:

First wash and pat dry your red bell peppers.  You can either use the large ones, which I have pictured here, or you can also use the small mini peppers, which I have also done several times. Then lay them on a foil lined baking sheet (helps with clean up!) 

Broil (your oven should have this setting) your peppers for 20 or 30 minutes, rotating them every 10 minutes or so, until the skin begins to blacken and blister.  Remove from the oven and place in a ziploc bag or covered in a boil with plastic wrap for 10-15 minutes.  This will make the peppers sweat and shrink, making the skin easier to peel off.

Take the cooled red peppers out of the bag and peel off blackened skin.  This should slide right off.  Remove the stem and seeds by slightly pulling on it and taking a knife and running it along the inside to remove the seeds. 

The pepper on the left is peeled and the other is (obviously) not :) 

Now all you have to do it slice it how you would like it. 

We usually use ours right away, but you can also refrigerate the sliced peppers for about a week or two by putting them in a glass jar and putting a little olive oil in. 

If you want to make a larger batch and freeze what you won't be using, place the pepper slices in a freezer bag, separating the layers with wax paper.  This will last for 3-4 months; any longer and they start to lose their flavor. 

See not too hard, right?? It might take you a time or two to get used to, but they are completely worth it in my book! 

Roasted Red Peppers {How To}

Printable Recipe

1. wash and pat dry your red bell peppers.  You can either use the large ones, or you can use the mini peppers, which I have also done several times.
2. Then lay them on a foil lined baking sheet (helps with clean up!) 
3. Broil (your oven should have this setting) your peppers for 20 or 30 minutes, rotating them every 10 minutes or so, until the skin begins to blacken and blister. 
4. Remove from the oven and place in a ziploc bag or covered in a boil with plastic wrap for 10-15 minutes.  This will make the peppers sweat and shrink, making the skin easier to peel off.
5. Take the cooled red peppers out of the bag and peel off blackened skin.  This should slide right off. 
6. Remove the stem and seeds by slightly pulling on it and taking a knife and running it along the inside to remove the seeds. 
7. Now all you have to do it slice it how you would like it.  

We usually use ours right away, but you can also refrigerate the sliced peppers for about a week or two by putting them in a glass jar and putting a little olive oil in. 

If you want to make a larger batch and freeze what you won't be using, place the pepper slices in a freezer bag, separating the layers with wax paper.  This will last for 3-4 months; any longer and they start to lose their flavor.  

Cafe Rio salad

Update: I had posted this on my blog FOREVER ago and I wanted to bring this little gem to the spotlight.  We had a fun girls night awhile ago, while all our husbands attended conference.  Each of us brought one of the pieces to this and we had a blast.  Good food, good company, what could be better!  And now that it is getting to be warmer outside and we are wanting to cook less and eat lighter, this would be perfect.  Enjoy friends :)

If you have ever been out west, you probably have heard of Cafe Rio.  It is is throw you through the line as fast as possible, over crowded little gem.  The first time I went, I didn't love the experience, but the food was amazing.  The second time I went through, I knew what I was doing and felt bad for the poor sucker whose first time it was.  It is one of those restaurants that you need a guide or someone to explain things to you first ;)  And always know what you want to order by the time you get to the front.  But I began to enjoy the whole experience and craziness of ordering and make a special trip just to get their pork salad with tomatillo dressing whenever we are in Utah.  It really is worth it.

Before I had ever been to the restaurant, my friends had introduced me to the salad and I was in love instantly.  I almost think the homemade version is better, minus the time and preparation it takes.

This can take a lot of preparation, but a fun way to do it is get together with friends and have each person bring a different recipe.  It cuts down on the preparation and makes everyone feel like they have helped with the meal.  Just give the recipes to each person so they know how to make it and voila, a fun girls lunch with little work!     

I got each recipe from different places: 

Cafe Rio Salad
Printable Recipe

 Café Rio Pork

3 lb pork roast (butt or shoulder)                                  1 tsp chili powder

1 cup Worcestershire sauce                                          2 Tbs dried minced onions

1 tsp powdered ginger                                                    1 tsp salt 

1/2-1 cup coke                                 

Cook all ingredients in crock pot all day.  One hour before serving, remove roast and shred it, dump out cooking juices.  Put shredded pork back into crock pot and add:

1 cup red enchilada sauce

1 cup brown sugar

Let warm to combine ingredients.

the pork recipe is from my friend Jill with the added suggestion of putting coke in to tenderize the meat from my sister Marykaye

Salsa

6 roma tomatoes

bag frozen sweet white corn

4 colored peppers chopped (orange, yellow, red)

1 bunch chopped cilantro

1 bunch chopped green onion

1/2 bottle zesty italian dressing

lime juice

 Mix together.

 Salsa recipe is from my friend Kami

Cilantro Lime Rice
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups rice
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
juice and zest of 1 large lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon cumin

In a skillet, melt butter and add rice. Let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 18-20 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.

from My kitchen cafe

Café Rio Black Beans

1 can black beans                                                         2 Tbs oil

1/3 cup tomato juice                                                     ½ tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, minced                                      2 Tbs chopped cilantro

1 tsp cumin

In a sauce pan, heat oil, cumin, and garlic.  Throw in the rest until warm.  You might want to double this if your family loves black beans.
recipe also from my friend Jill 

Café Rio Tomatillo Dressing

3 tomatillos                                           1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup cilantro, minced                           ½ cup mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced                           1 pkg ranch buttermilk dressing mix

1/3 cup buttermilk        

Husk and cut the tomatillos into quarters, put under a broiler for 7 minutes, then chop or mince.  Mix together all ingredients and chill. 
recipe from my friend Katherine

or use this really good alternative if you do not have tomatillos:

Cilantro Lime dressing:
3/4 cup mayo
1 bunch cilantro
juice from 1 lime (approx 2 TBS)
1/8 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 ranch seasoning packet
4 TBS salsa verde
1 clove garlic

Blend in the blender. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
recipe from Kami

Salad Assembly:
On a large flour tortilla, melt a little cheese, then add, romaine lettuce, meat, salsa, rice, beans, and top with dressing.  Sprinkle on a little more cheese if you would like and enjoy!  MMM, I want this right now! 

Orange Rolls

Along with the resurrection rolls, we had these orange rolls as part of our Easter celebration and they were so good.  We ended up using them as our dessert because they were definitely sweet enough.

I got the recipe from the same blog, I got these garlic parmesan rolls (that we absolutely love!) from. 

Orange Rolls
Printable Recipes

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 tsp yeast
• 1/4 C warm water
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C shortening
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 C hot water
• 3 eggs, well beaten
• 4 1/2 C flour
• 1/3 C sugar
• 1/3 C butter 

Glaze

• juice and zest of an orange
• powdered sugar

Instructions

• Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside.
• Combine 1/2 C sugar, 1/2 C shortening, 2 tsp salt into hot water and stir to dissolve. Cool.
• Mix eggs and 1 cup flour well and add to sugar mixture.
• Add yeast mixture and remaining flour.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight. About 4 hours before serving roll out like cinnamon rolls and spread with 1/3 C sugar and 1/3 C butter.
• Roll up dough and slice about 1 inch thick.
• Put in greased muffin tins and let rise 3-4 hours. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Glaze

• Combine juice of an orange and enough powdered sugar to make a glaze that you can spread or drizzle over the top of the rolls.

Taco Pie

Tacos are a typical quick weeknight meal that everyone loves, but sometimes it gets a little...mundane if you know what I mean.  I think my kids wouldn't mind, but for me, I like to change it up.  I found this at Melskitchencafe and I adapted it to what we like and what I usually have on hand.

To keep it simple, I just used crescent rolls as the base, but you can use whatever you prefer.  You start cooking the hamburger the same way you would if you were making tacos, with a little onion but include the spices towards the end of cooking it, instead of after.  It has a lot of ingredients, but things pull together pretty quickly.

Taco Pie
Printable Recipe

Crust:

1 tube Pillsbury crescent rolls (we like the big and flakey variety)

Refried bean base:

1 cup refried beans

¾ tsp taco seasoning

1 tsp olive oil (optional)

Filling:

1 pound ground beef, chuck or turkey

¼ cup onion

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp coriander

salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

½ tsp taco seasoning

1/3-1/2 cup sour cream

2 ounces (1/4 cup) cream cheese, softened

2 tsp fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)

1 clove garlic

Garnishes:

Shredded cheese,

Shredded lettuce

Tortilla chips

Diced tomatoes

Green onions

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Crust:

Arrange crescent triangles in a flat layer on the bottom of a deep pie plate and pinch creases together.  Cook for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Refried Bean layer:

While crust is cooking, in a small saucepan heat refried bean over medium heat with taco seasoning until warmed through.  For a smoother texture, add olive oil if needed.  Carefully smooth over cooked crescent rolls.

Filling:

Brown ground beef with onion and salt and pepper, then add the garlic powder, cumin, dried oregano, coriander right before the beef has finished cooking.  Layer over refried beans.  Place in the oven for 4-5 minutes to warm through. 

Topping:
Meanwhile, In a food processor or blender, combine sour cream, cream cheese, lime juice, garlic clove, and taco seasoning until well mixed.  Carefully smooth over warm beef layer. 

Garnish with shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and any other toppings

Coconut Cream Pie

You remember WAY back when I told you about this amazing coconut syrup I waited way too long to try?  And that I finally did because I wanted to try an amazing recipe that used coconut extract?  Well, this is that recipe.  It was delicious!  I got the recipe from melskitchencafe and was not disappointed! Then when my parents came out to watch our kiddos so we could go to this amazing place:

they finished it off and raved about the it when we got home (the pie, not the trip).  It was our form of payment if you will :) So if you are a coconut lover, this pie must be part of your life!  It is delightful.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!!  The only thing I did differently was used this pie crust instead, but you can use whichever one tickles your fancy. 

Coconut Cream Pie

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk (can be found in the Asian foods section)

Half-and-half or heavy cream (enough to add to the coconut milk to make 3 cups)

3 egg yolks

¾ cup white sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup flaked coconut, toasted*

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 recipe graham cracker crust (below) or traditional pie crust

Fresh Whipped Cream, lightly sweetened

In a medium saucepan, combine half and half, coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Mixture will become very thick. Remove from heat, and stir in coconut extract and the vanilla extract (at this point you can also stir in 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut, although, I prefer to use it all to garnish the top of the pie). Pour the custard into the baked and cooled pie shell and chill 2-4 hours or until firm. Top with whipped cream and the toasted coconut.

Graham Cracker Crust:

12 whole rectangular graham crackers

1 stick butter, melted and slightly cooled

3 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Finely crush graham crackers in a food processor or in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin. Pour crumbs into a bowl and add sugar, stirring to combine. Drizzle butter over the top and mix with a fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs evenly in the bottom and up the sides of a 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the crust is just barely beginning to brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before filling.

*To toast coconut, spread coconut on rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake at 325 degrees, tossing often, until lightly toasted, about 12-15 minutes.

Peach Beach Smoothie

These smoothies, along with these banana shakes are the two most requested breakfasts I get from my kids. Along with these and these pancakes and waffles :) The ingredients are simple and full of essential nutrients.  Most smoothies in my opinion don't need a recipe, but this one has been a favorite and we tend to do the same thing day after day, so if  you want to call it a recipe you can :) 

My kids feel like they are getting spoiled when we make smoothies and it makes me feel a little like mother of the day (at least through breakfast :))  And if you play Mario kart on the Wii, you will recognize the name.  The kids helped me come up with it :)  Hope you all have a great day!!

Peach Beach Smoothies
*4 cups orange juice (a little less than 1 cup per person)
Frozen fruit (we use the peach, white peach, strawberry, mango, blueberry variety, but any with peaches in it works--we've tried!) (a little less than a cup per person)
1/2-3/4 cup peach yogurt (we love the large containers of Yoplait) (2 Tbsp- if making it just for yourself)

Depending on the size of your blender,  you may have to make this in 2 batches.  Pour orange juice into blender, add frozen fruit and top with yogurt.  Puree in blender until smooth.  Enjoy! Just adjust the ratio a little if you are making this for yourself or if you need to make it for more than 4-5 people. 

*We use just under 1 cup of orange juice per person.  We have 5 (one being a toddler) in our family and this feeds our family.  Most times I have to make it in 2 batches.

What is so great about smoothies is that you can add or change things up depending on your family's likes and dislikes.