Category Archives: things we like to eat

National Eclair Day

Posted in sweets, things we like to eat by

eclair cake 1 - My Daughter and I

Happy Friday! Sorry for the lack of blog posts all this week- things have been kind of crazy around here. Last weekend we went to the river (the Colorado river) for some jet-skiing, Sea-doo riding, and wake-boarding fun! Oh, and some guacamole eating too 😉 We got home late Monday night and have been really busy since. So, long story short, posting just didn’t happen. Until now that is!

Did you know that there is a National Eclair Day? I didn’t! June must be the month of “National…Days”. June 1st is National Donut Day. June 3rd is Egg Day. June 6th is National Yo-Yo Day. June 20th is National Flip-Flop Day.  June 21st is World Handshake Day. See what I mean? And, of course, June 22nd is National Eclair Day. And I am so excited about it! In honor of this special day, check out this delicious and easy eclair cake recipe.

Eclair Cake 2 - My Daughter and I

 

There’s something about these pictures that absolutely gets to me- they make my mouth water every time I look at them! And I can promise you that the cake is just as delicious as it looks!

Eclair Cake
Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • Crust:
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • Filling:
  • 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
  • 2 small packages vanilla instant pudding
  • 3 cup milk
  • 8 oz container cool whip for top
  • chocolate syrup for drizzling on top, optional
  • Strawberry or banana slices to garnish on top, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On low heat in a medium saucepan, melt the butter on low. Add water and bring to a boil. Turn off the burner and add flour, salt, sugar and mix into a softball. Let cool for 5 minutes.
  2. Add eggs one at a time and mix in with a fork until incorporated. Spray a jelly roll pan or a 9×13 inch pan with cooking spray. Spread the mixture out on the pan. If using a 9×13, slightly bring the mixture up on the sides. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven. The crust will bubble up and the edges will turn slightly brown. Let it cool until room temperature.
  3. For the filling, In a stand mixer or using beaters mix 1 cup of milk with the cream cheese and mix until creamy. Add pudding mix and the rest of the milk and mix well together until creamy.
  4. Spread over the cooled crust. Spread the cool whip on top of the filling mixture. You can top with fresh strawberry slices or bananas if desired. Drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired.

Cindy & Jordan

 

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Posted in extras, main dishes, side dishes, things we like to eat by

My Daughter and I- Chicken Enchilada Casserole 1

I made this the other night and everyone loved it. I haven’t been making as many casseroles lately, so this was a nice change. The enchiladas weren’t overly saucy or cheesy but they had great flavor. We served ours with homemade salsa and black bean and corn relish. We also had some delicious semi-homemade refried beans- recipe listed below.

My Daughter and I- Chicken Enchilada Casserole 2

Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients:

3 cups red enchilada sauce

16 corn tortillas, halved

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

8 green onions, thinly sliced

4 cups (about 1.5 pounds) shredded cooked chicken

3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack or Mexican blend cheese

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

1/2 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh cilantro

 

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Pour about 3/4 cup enchilada sauce in the baking dish, and spread until the bottom of the dish is coated. Top with a layer of about 8 tortilla halves so that the entire dish is covered. Sprinkle evenly with about 1 cup black beans, 1/2 cup corn and a fourth of the green onions. Then sprinkle with a heaping cup of the chicken, and about 3/4 cup shredded cheese.

Repeat with a second layer of tortillas, then sauce, then beans, corn, green onions, chicken, and cheese. Then a final layer of tortillas, sauce, beans, corn, green onions, chicken and cheese. Then conclude with a final layer of tortillas and sauce (reserving about 3/4 cup of cheese to add partway through baking).

Cover the pan with aluminum foil, then bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan and remove aluminum foil. Sprinkle the top of the enchiladas evenly with the remaining 3/4 cup of cheese, then return to the oven (uncovered) and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Remove pan, and sprinkle with avocado, cilantro, and remaining green onions. Serve warm.

Semi-Homemade Refried Beans
Ingredients:

2 T. Olive oil

1 T garlic, minced

1/4 onion, finely chopped

2 -3 T jalapeño, finely chopped, or more to taste

1/2 tsp cumin, or more to taste

3 corn tortillas, torn or cut into small pieces

2 –  30 ounce cans of whole pinto beans, 1 drained, 1 not drained. Save the liquid from the drained can to be sure you don’t need it.

 

In large sauce pan add olive oil, garlic, onion and jalapeño and cook until onions start to turn translucent. Add in the corn tortilla pieces and mix well. Cook for a few minutes, and if all the oil is absorbed, add a bit of the bean liquid and keep cooking- you want the tortillas to soften up a bit. Pour in the 1 undrained can of beans and the 1 drained can of beans and mix well. I use my potato masher and mix and mash. Continue cooking, mixing and smashing. Add in the cumin and mix some more. Let simmer so the corn tortillas soften up. Continue cooking until beans reach the desired consistency. You may need to add a bit more of the bean liquid depending on how you like your beans. I turned beans off after 15 or so minutes and then turned them back on just before serving. I didn’t need to add any additional salt, but be sure and taste yours. Serve with the delicious chicken enchilada recipe.

 

Cindy

Peanut Butter Cookies

Posted in sweets, things we like to eat by

My Daughter and I- Peanut Butter Cookies 1

I bake cookies all the time but for some reason I don’t normally bake peanut butter cookies. I had a craving for them so I thought I would whip up a batch, however I didn’t read through the recipe completely and realized the dough had to chill in the refrigerator for one hour before baking, so it took quite a bit longer than I had planned. They were worth the wait – next time I might add some chocolate chips but they were delicious just as they were.

My Daughter and I- Peanut Butter Cookies 2

Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:

Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. I sprinkled mine with a bit of sugar. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

 

Cindy 

Pesto Pasta Salad with Arugula

Posted in main dishes, salads, side dishes, things we like to eat by

My Daughter and I Pesto Pasta Salad with Arugula 1

I made this recipe yesterday and it really took only about 15 minutes from start to finish. Crazy fast and delicious! If you aren’t a big fan of arugula, you could substitute baby kale, or spinach, or even chopped romaine lettuce. I loved the addition of the greens to the pasta- it made a giant bowl and I felt like it was much healthier than just eating pasta. This would be a great salad to bring to a BBQ or beach party.

I found this recipe on Gimme Some Oven. I love Ali’s blog and all the recipes I have tried have been amazing. Check it out!

My Daughter and I Pesto Pasta Salad with Arugula 2

Pesto Pasta Salad with Arugula

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound (dry) pasta
1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped
1 (6-ounce) jar basil pesto (about 3/4 cup)
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, diced
3 handfuls fresh arugula, 4 ounce package

Method:
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water al dente, according to package instructions. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water for about 20-30 seconds until no longer hot.

In a large serving bowl, toss pasta with the remaining ingredients until combined. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Cindy

Banana Blueberry Bread

Posted in breakfast, sweets, things we like to eat by

My Daughter and I- Banana Blueberry Bread (photo 1 of 2)

As with so many of my cooking adventures, I end up making something based on what I have sitting around the kitchen. Yesterday I had three very ripe bananas and a pint of fresh blueberries. So I decided to make this yummy breakfast bread. The bread turned out great. It was moist and delicious and so pretty with the blueberries spotted throughout the slice.

My Daughter and I- Banana Blueberry Bread (photo 2 of 2)

Banana Blueberry Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 1 loaf pan. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add 1 egg and allow to blend into the butter mixture before adding the second egg along with vanilla extract. Beat mashed bananas thoroughly into the mixture. Add flour mixture in small increments while beating until just combined into a thick batter. Fold blueberries into the batter; pour into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. I covered the loaf pan with foil partway through the cooking time. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Cindy