All Recipe Creamy Rice Pudding

This is the best Rice Pudding...easy and no cream so less calories. 

My only regret is I didn't double the recipe. 

Original recipe makes 4 servings Change Servings

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Ingredients

                       

3/4 cup uncooked white rice                                                              

2 cups milk, divided               

1/3 cup white sugar      

1/4 teaspoon salt                                                                       

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup golden raisins                                                    

1 tablespoon butter                                                    

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan; stir rice into boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

In a clean saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg, and raisins; cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

2nd Annual Cookie Exchange

This years Cookie Exchange was a great success.  Karrie won best presentation, Katie and Leslie won best taste and Teresa won MOST FESTIVE ATTIRE.   The mulled wine was great and Katie's appetizers were the hit of the party.

My Recipe.com
Bacon Endive Tomato Bites

Ingredients

• 1 cup sliced multicolored grape tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons champagne vinegar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil                               
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 16 Belgian endive leaves (about 2 heads)
• 2 center-cut bacon slices, cooked and crumbled                            
  Preparation

1. 1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Spoon 1 tablespoon tomato mixture in center of each endive leaf; sprinkle evenly with bacon.

I made the Barefoot Contessa's Coconut Macaroons and they were delicious. They are really good when they just get out of the oven!!! I ended up dipping them in chocolate because I thought that the COCONUT haters might like them with chocolate. This recipe was so easy and I will definitely make them again.

Ina's Coconut Macaroons
Ingredients
14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Pumpkin Muffins

Preheat oven 350

2 Eggs

1 C margarine (soften)

2 cups Libby's pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk      
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tb cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 tsp vanilla

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Optional-shredded coconut, dried cranberries & chopped walnuts. Beat eggs, margarine, pumpkin puree, sugars and evaporated milk together. Add baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, vanilla and flour, beat for another 1 minute.

Bunny Candy Holder

Aren't these just the cutest bunnies?  My friend Katie made these for her nieces and nephews.

She got the idea from Rockabye Butterfly

Caramel Croissant Bread Pudding

I am so happy BREAD PUDDING is "Have The Cake,"  monthly challenge for March.  

  Sometimes I top my bread pudding with caramel ice cream topping,  so I thought I would create a recipe with caramel topping in the recipe.  I thought it tasted really good, my younger son couldn't even tell caramel was in the recipe.

 Click here to see all the recipes I have tried.

Ingredients

14 croissants (medium size)

6 large eggs

1 cup sugar

4 cups half&half
1/3 cup caramel ice cream topping
1 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping (optional)
1/3 Cup sour cream
2 teaspoons sugar
caramel ice cream topping

 Directions:

1. Slice croissants in half lengthwise; tear bottom halves of croissants into bite size pieces.
2. Layer croissant pieces in a large baking bowl. I have also used cast iron pans and 9x13 baking pans. Place croissant tops, crust sides up, over mixture.
3. Beat together with an electric beater eggs, caramel ice cream topping, half&half, cinnamon vanilla and sugar.  Slowly pour mixture over croissant tops; press bread to absorb liquid. Cover; chill for1 to 2 hours.
4. Place baking bowl into a large jelly pan. Pour hot water into jelly pan, filling half full. I skip this step when I use the cast iron pan.  Because~I don't have anything that fit my cast iron pan.

1. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until set. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake 15 more minutes. Remove from oven, and remove dish from water pan.
2. I wanted to topped the pudding with Cool Whip but I didn't have any so I decided to use sour cream instead.  I love sour cream in breakfast crepes and on top of cheesecake so I thought I should give it a try.  I put 2 teaspoons sugar and 1/3 cup sour cream in a bowl and mixed together.  I topped the bread pudding with the sour cream mixture and drizzled with caramel ice cream topping.  I really liked this and can't wait to let my family try it.  

 I topped another bowl with a little blueberry syrup and it was good...not as good as fresh berries would have been.

Mini Dessert pizza's

Recipe adapted from Pampered Chef

All the recipes I have found call for making a big pizza not the individual size.  I like the mini pizza's because they don't get soggy in the middle and it is nice to have your own pizza.  I had left over cream cheese frosting so I used that instead of yogurt.  The Pampered Chef recipe calls for yogurt... I like the cream cheese frosting better.

Ingredients

1 pkg of Pillsbury sugar cookies

1 to 2 banana's

10 to 12 strawberries

Ceam cheese frosting

Garnish with:

Reddi whip

Chocolate syrup

Cherries

Nuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
4 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
4 ounces room-temperature bar cream cheese
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract; beat until light and fluffy. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 day.

Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs

Papa's Favorite Spaghetti Sauce

   INGREDIENTS:

2-12 oz. cans of tomato paste

1 or 2 package[s] of dried porcini mushrooms

5 cups of warm water

2 cups red wine

2 medium yellow onions diced fairly small

5 or 6 good size cloves of garlic

½ to ¾ of a bell pepper – green is best, red OK – diced same size as the onion

½ bunch of Italian parsley, chopped fine

4 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. mixed Italian seasonings

2 Tbs. dried basil (or ½ cup fresh chopped fine)

1 Tbs. dried oregano (or ¼ cut fresh chopped fine)

¼ tsp black pepper

Dash of nutmeg

Salt as needed (there is quite a bit in the tomato paste)

Ground beef –use 1 – 1.5 lbs if you are not adding meatballs/sausage, about ¾ to 1 lb. if you are.

5 or 6 Italian sausages if desired

Preparation:

      Place tomato paste, 3 cups of the water and the wine in the pot and stir it up to dissolve the paste. Add all the dry ingredients except salt. Add the chopped parsley too. Put garlic through a press or dice it finely and add to pot.  Use the olive oil and saute the onions and bell peppers.

      Soak the mushrooms in the other cup of water until soft, then chop them up a little and add them and the water to the pot. 

      Saute the onions in the olive oil in a large skillet until translucent. It’s O.K. to brown them slightly, but not too much, because they get bitter. Add the bell pepper to the onions after the onions have sauteed for a couple of minutes. 

      Add onion/pepper mix to pot and brown the ground beef in the skillet breaking it up as it cooks. The beef should be browned, not just cooked through. Add to pot with a slotted spoon so you do not get excess grease in the sauce. 

      Brown the meatballs in the same skillet. Get them pretty brown, as that will add flavor to the sauce. Add to sauce. 

      Cut sausage in half, so not too long, and brown them in same skillet. Add to sauce.

      Drain fat from skillet and deglaze with a little water or wine – add to sauce. 

The sauce should simmer over as low a heat as you can make it and still get it to simmer. It should simmer for at least 2 hours, preferably 4. Check it periodically to make sure it is not too thick – add water if necessary. 

MEATBALLS:

Ingredients: 

1 lb.  lean ground beef
1 lb.  ground pork
1 lb.  ground Italian Sausage
1 small yellow onion chopped fine
1 Tbs. mixed Italian seasoning
1/8 to ¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley
2 lg eggs
1/4 grated parmesan
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/3 Cup Panko or cracker crumbs (more if needed)

Preparation:     

      Mix everything but the breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl. Use your hands. If you are squeamish, use latex gloves, but you will not get it mixed up right with a spoon. After the mixture is uniform add breadcrumbs and mix with your hands adding more until consistency is OK for rolling into balls. Make balls about 1½ inch's in diameter, again using your hands.  I brown the meatballs in a frying pan and finish them in the oven.  I usually cook them for 20 minutes on 350.  If you cook the meatballs all the way on the stove top don't finish them in the oven.  I just usually cook a lot of meatballs and this speeds things up.  Cut a meatball in half to see if it is cooked.

This is one time baking and cooking at the same time saved me. 
I would have forgot the meatballs in the oven...if I wasn't making cupcakes.  Unfortunately I overcooked the meatballs when they where sitting in the oven while it preheated for the cupcakes.  They were very dry but tasted good when I put them in the spaghetti sauce.

 I had to buy the Italian spice, Basil and Oregano.  I tried to use Pesto and skip those ingredients and it didn't work.   I will put a tablespoon of Pesto in my meatball mixture if I happen to have some in the refrigerator.
 

Super Bowl Party

I always love getting together with Katie and her family. 

 These are just a few of the things she was serving. 

Click here for the cupcake recipe.

Hostess Cupcakes Copycat Recipe

Recipe from: Something Swanky

Katie hosted the BEST Super Bowl Party.  Most the girls hit it off like we have known each other for years.  We laughed, cried, peed our pants a little and much much more.  I would love to tell you more but what happens in Fight Club...stays in Fight club. 

Just Joking, us old timers will get the Fight Club reference.  

Well, back to the reason for the post~ all the food was amazing!  I will post the delicious baked buffalo wings later (it will be in Katie's Korner).  This is a recipe you need to try.  No one could stop eating the wings, they were so good and BAKED. 

Then for dessert, Lori brought these AMAZING cupcakes and I do mean AMAZING.  She told me she got the recipe on Pinterest so I got on there today and found the recipe.  So here it is~

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 small pkg instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup chocolate milk (the good kind)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the Ganache:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
approximately 1 cup heavy whipping cream (don’t measure it out)

For the Retro Cream Filling:
1 – 7 oz. jar Marshmallow Cream
1/2 c. shortening
1 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 Tbsp. milk

Optional: canned white frosting for the Little Debbie swirl up top

Directions:

1. Whisk together all cake ingredients (reserving the chocolate chips) until a smooth batter forms. Fold in the chocolate chips. Distribute batter evenly among 24-36 liners (do not over fill– you don’t want domed cupcakes for this). Bake at 350º for 20 minutes. Let cool.
2. Using an electric hand mixer, beat together the shortening and the marshmallow cream in a very large bowl (there will be splatter– you’ve been warned). Beat in the powdered sugar, 1/3 cup at a time. Add the vanilla and the salt. Beat in the milk, 1 tbsp. at a time, beating in between additions, until mixture is smooth and fluffy.
3. Cut out small circles from the tops of the cupcakes. Use a ziptop bag to pipe the fluff filling into each hole. Replace the cupcake top over the filling and press gently to flatten.
4. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and whipping cream for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes. Spoon over each of the cupcakes.
5. Let the ganache cool for at least an hour if piping on the Little Debbie swirl on top. (I just used canned frosting for that part– but feel free to use whatever frosting you’d like!)