Easy Spanish Rice

Sorry no picture at this time.  My Caribbean Prince ate it all before I thought to get a picture.  I found this recipe on a blog and unfortunately can't provide you the link.  My dearest love wanted "Mexican Rice" like he enjoyed in a Tennessee restaurant, yes you read right, Tennessee.  After going to several Mexican places he was not finding it.  This gal who writes this blog is Hispanic and it is her own recipe.  It is good and flavorful with out spiciness.  The hardest part is grinding up the tomato and onion and then waiting for the fluid to drain out.  I used my hands to help it along.  Hope you try it.

Easy Spanish Rice

1½ cups long grain rice

½ of a small white onion

3 tomatoes

½ teaspoonful garlic powder

1 tablespoonful Caldo de pallo (powdered chicken flavored bouillon)

1 tablespoonful Canola Oil

 

Roughly chop tomatoes and onion and blend in a blender with ½ to ¾ cup water.  Strain and set aside.  Pulp could be frozen for soup or chili.  In a small frying pan heat oil on medium.  Stir in rice and fry until golden brown.  Stir constantly or it will burn and stink up your house...I would know.  Once the rice is golden add the tomato/onion fluid mixture.  Add water to make the liquid 2 times the amount of rice.  Add Caldo de pallo and the garlic.  Stir and taste.  If flavoring is off add more Caldo de pallo or salt.  Bring to a boil and cover and reduce heat to low.  Rice is done when liquid is evaporated.  I tasted mine and I had to add more water because it wasn't tender yet.

 

Don't tell the Professor you are making it or he will be over with fork in hand and napkin tucked in collar...okay not so much the napkin.  

Bob Evans Peanut Butter Pie (Copycat version)

I made this for my girlfriend posse at work.  Hip to the Hop Dot, Krazy Kat Lady Karol, Bodacious Bev all loved it.  I didn't use the pre-baked pie crust.  I took 16 peanut butter Oreo cookies, scooped the peanut butter from the middle and put it in a bowl.  I crushed the chocolate cookies, put 3 Tablespoons of butter in with the peanut butter cookie centers and nuked for about 45 seconds and blended the two together with a ¼ cup of sugar.  Put that in with the crushed cookies and mixed well and then put in in my new square Pyrex glass dish to form the crust.  Wow, as Jen said it was a peanut butter party in her mouth.  Love this will definitely make it again.

1-5oz Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding
2 cups cold skim milk
½ cup whipping cream, whipped
1¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 pre-baked pie shell of your choice, lightly browned
1-8oz container Cool Whip
Chocolate syrup
Crushed peanut

Whisk together pudding mix and cold milk in bowl until creamy.  Add ½ cup whipped whipping cream and peanut butter.  Whisk until completely blended.  Pour into baked pie shell, cover with a generous layer of Cool Whip.  Put in freezer for 1 hour until set.  Remove from freezer and drizzle with your favorite chocolate syrup and crushed peanuts.  Cover and chill 2 hours.  Serve.

Rick's Cheese Ball

This is a family request each Christmas from my brother Rick.  The picture isn't the most appetizing but then I am not a photographer either.  We love this thing!

2-8oz blocks of cream cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp Accent
3 green onions, cut fine
2 pkg of buddig beef

Cut up one package of the beef for the outside and one for the inside. Mix cream cheese, accent, garlic salt, one package of diced beef and half the green onions.  Mix well form into ball and then roll in the other half of the green onions and package of diced beef.  Refrigerate overnight.

Oyster Cracker Snack

This is GOOD stuff.  Hip Hop Dot gave me a Christmas card with a baggie full of this stuff and I loved it.  I went to the store and got the oyster crackers and the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix packet.  Actually there was a house brand for it and it was 59¢ opposed to the brand which was twice that price.  I think the Professor is gonna love it.

2 lbs oyster crackers
1 cup vegetable oil
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
3 Tablespoonfuls Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoonful garlic powder
1 teaspoonful dill weed

Put oyster crackers in 1 gallon or larger zip lock bag and pour oil over crackers.  Close the bag and mix the oil thoroughly through the crackers.  In a paper bag place the remaining ingredients and pour the crackers in and shake, shake, shake.  Let them set overnight and then snack, snack, snack

Cherry Swirl Coffee Cake

I was looking for a Bisquick Coffee Cake recipe this morning and this one looked so yummy for a grey and rainy morning.  I used the Aldi's Baking Mix and I halved the recipe.  I didn't think about halving the 21 ounce can of cherries and it turned out like cobbler  but it is so good.  You could use any can of pie filling too!

Cherry Swirl Coffee Cake  

 

4  cups Original Bisquick® mix

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

3 eggs

1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom and sides of 1 (15x10x1-inch) pan or 2 (9-inch) square pans with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, stir all coffee cake ingredients except pie filling; beat vigorously with spoon 30 seconds.

Spread two-thirds of the batter (about 2 1/2 cups) in 15x10-inch pan or one-third of the batter (about 1 1/4 cups) in each square pan. Spread pie filling over batter (filling may not cover batter completely). Drop remaining batter by tablespoonfuls onto pie filling. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light brown.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle glaze over warm coffee cake. Serve warm or cool.

No-Oven Peanut Butter Squares

These sweet treats are to die for.  They are easy to make and taste like peanut butter cups.  I waited until the chocolate was good and hard before I cut them into squares and the results were sloppy looking squares.  Next time I will try my electric knife to cut them.  I have also bought some of the foil lined cupcake and candy paper liners and am going to try to make them in those for individual portions to take to our Christmas celebration.  Try these, you won’t be disappointed.

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 cups  powdered sugar

1-1/2 cups NABISCO Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 cup  peanut butter

1-1/2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate (12 squares), melted

LINE 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. MELT butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 45 sec. Add next 3 ingredients; mix well. Spread into prepared pan; cover with chocolate. CUT partially through dessert to mark 48 squares. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Use foil handles to remove dessert from pan; cut into squares.

How to Make Thicker Squares

Reduce chocolate to 1 pkg. (8 squares). Prepare recipe as directed, using 9-inch square pan. Cut into 24 squares to serve. Makes 24 servings, 1 square each.

Easy Microwave Melting of BAKER'S Chocolate Squares

Microwave 1 unwrapped square of BAKER'S Chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH (100%) for 1 min., stirring after 30 sec. or until chocolate is almost melted. (The square will retain its shape.) Stir 1 min. or until chocolate is completely melted. Add 10 sec. for each additional square of chocolate, stirring every 30 sec.

Red Velvet Brownies w/White Chocolate Buttercream Icing

These are to die for!  The icing would be wonderful in itself to frost a cake.  I used Ghirardelli white baking chocolate and my heavy cream congealed so I used just plain milk.  I can't wait for the rave reviews from my new team mates when I take them to work tomorrow!  If you make one thing for Christmas this year, make these!

Red Velvet Brownies w/White Chocolate Butter cream Icing

Brownies

3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

2oz red food coloring
2 t. pure vanilla extract, divided
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ t. salt

Icing

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2½ cups powdered sugar
1 t. pure vanilla extract
4oz good quality white chocolate, melted
1-2 T. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour an 8"x8" baking pan. In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring and 1 t. vanilla into a thick paste until no lumps of cocoa remain. Set aside.  Beat together the batter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Then stir in the remaining 1t. of vanilla.  Add the cocoa mixture and beat on medium 2 mixtures together until they are one uniform color.  Slowly add in flour and salt, mix on medium just until combined.  DO NOT OVER MIX. 

Stir with rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all the flour has been incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl.. You want your batter to be one uniform color.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Allow brownies to completely cool in pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes.  Frost brownies in the pan, cut into 12 bars and serve.

 ICING

Cream butter until soft and fluffy, then beat in vanilla.  Mix on low slowly adding sugar ½ cup at a time.  Once all the sugar has been added, beat on med for 30 seconds and scrape down sides of bowl.  Ad in melted white chocolate and beat on medium until incorporated.  With mixer on low add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time.  Beat at medium speed until frosting has reached your desired consistency.