The Perfect Mother's Day Gift

From my kitchen to yours, Happy Mother's Day!

This morning I enjoyed the BEST gift a mother could EVER receive, my children spent the morning working together to give me a special surprise treat.

There was no fighting, no yelling, they all worked together and encouraged each other. Since the day my oldest son was born I have wanted to watch a 10 minute video clip of their lives as adults just to see how they "turned out" and where I should concentrate more effort. Today my wish was granted! Take a look!



Working as a team. And Look... no tears or yelling!



Reading the recipe all by himself!



The surprise....For the first time in nearly eight years breakfast was made for me!
And pancakes for Pancake Sunday too!

No Bake Chocolate Raspberry Cream Pie!

While going through my growing stack of cooking magazine I found this recipe. I love this recipe because it is fast, easy and no heating up the kitchen. This pie turns out beautiful and tastes great. I don’t think anyone would ever know that you spent lest than 15 minutes making this. It would be super cute to serve on or around Valentines Day.

No-Bake Chocolate Raspberry Cream Pie

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

Ingredients:

• 7 oz Chocolate Wafer Cookies
• ½ C Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
• 6 Tbls Butter
• ¼ C Sugar
• 14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
• ¼ C Crème Fraiche
• ¼ C Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Lemon Zest
• 2 ½ (2 6oz) Fresh Raspberries

Directions:

• Place cookies in processor and grind into fine crumbs.
• Melt, in microwave, chocolate chips and butter.
• Add butter chocolate melt to cookie crumbs and blend.
• Press (not to firm) the cookie mix into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan.
• Whisk milk, crème fraiche, lemon juice and lemon peel in mixer.
• Add in ½ the raspberries and mix until slightly pink and raspberries begin to fall apart.
• Transfer filling to crust.
• Chill until set, about 2 hours.

Fun Fact:

The lemon juice reacts with the other ingredients causing the pie to thicken.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from our kitchen to yours!

Coconut Macaroons

Need a quick, easy, and nice looking treat to deliver to friends, family and even the mailman on St. Patrick’s Day? Then here’s one.

Coconut Macaroons
yield 36
Stir together in large bowl until combined.
2/3 c Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Egg White
1 ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
1/8 tsp Salt

Now stir in until blended:
3/12 C Flaked Sweetened Coconut

Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto lined cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake at 325ºF until golden brown, 20 to 24 minutes. Let stand for a minute or two and then remove to rack to cool. I added a drop or two of green food coloring for St. Patrick’s Day. These would also be cute with some jelly beans for Easter. Make these they taste like Spring.

Étouffee

Happy Fat Tuesday to you!
With the Lent season upon us, take this last chance to cook something a little bit sinful. Wednesday many of us will be giving up something in order to prepare for Easter. If you are like me then the things you give up could very well be food related. Also, take this last opportunity to prepare your body for all the fish it will consume in the coming weeks.

I would like to issue a Kitty Cat Warning at this time. If you are the owner of a cat, they will have a hard time resisting this meal. Our cats were willing to fight the dogs for a spot in the kitchen. Our kitten was even willing to get burned in the hunt for Crawfish. Our 9-year-old cat, that is seldom seen while the kids are awake, was right there in the mix too.

Étouffer means to smother and smother this recipe does, not to mention sticking to your ribs. Étouffee is great in that you can put in any ingredients you want and it still tastes wonderful. Have fun and use some ingredients that you don’t normally use in your cooking.

Ingredients:
1 Lb Chicken strips
1 lb Shrimp Frozen baby small shrimp
1 Lb Crawfish tails Frozen, cooked and peeled
1 Lb Andoulle Cajun Sausage
½ C Butter
½ C All-purpose Flour
2 C chopped Celery
2 C Chopped Onion
4 or 5 Cloves of Garlic
1 C Chopped Green Onion
1 C Chopped Sweet Bell
3 Tbsp Butter
1 Beer Shiner Bock have extras to drink.
1 C water
½ Fresh Parsley
1 Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Red Pepper
½ Tsp Pepper Black and white peppercorns
1 Tbsp Chipotle Tabasco
½ Tsp Smoked Paprika
4 C cooked rice

Directions:
Thaw Crawfish and shrimp, if frozen. Fresh Crawfish can be a real chore to cook and peel.
Start rice cooking.
Cook chicken and sausage in the pan or pot that you will be using for the Étouffee. Remove all your meat to a plate while preparing the roux.
Stir together flour, and butter until smooth. Cook over Medium-high heat for 3 minutes stirring constantly.
Reduce to medium heat. Cook and stir 5 minutes more or until a reddish brown roux is formed.
Add onion, garlic, celery, & sweet pepper. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.
Add 3 Tbsp butter: stir until melted.
Stir in beer, water, green onion, parsley, red pepper flakes and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Add Crawfish, shrimp, chicken and sausage. Return to boil and reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered 5 or 10 minutes more or until heated through.
Serve on top of cooked hot rice.
I grate cheddar chipotle cheese on top of ours. Cheddar cheese with roasted jalapeno peppers.

Again, you can add your choice of seafood or meat and even add vegetables if you like. I had planned to add okra but forgot I had it.

HAPPY FAT TUESDAY! Drop us a comment. We would love to know how you will celebrate this day.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

These are so sweet I can't resist them!

So cute, so easy and SO YUMMY! The hardest part about them is transporting them.


I found this recipe Wednesday on Culinary Wannabe's blog site and made 3 batches since then.
You can just as easily decorated them for Easter or other holidays. Picture this a little coconut nest with little Jelly Beans sitting in it.
You still have time, go make them!
Happy Valentine's Day !

Recipe as seen on the blog of Culinarywannabe:
(Go visit her site. You'll be glad you did!)

Red Velvet Mini-Cupcakes
Adapted from How Sweet It Is Bakery - Ellen Sternau and Beth Pilar
Yields 48

Mini-Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1-2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon vinegar


Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temp.
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Valentine's M&Ms or other appropriate decorations( I used heart sprinkles)

Mini-Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 325℉ and line two mini-cupcake pans with wrappers.
Mix all dry ingredients together and all wet ingredients together in 2 separate bowls.
Pour wet into dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Immediately pour mixture into tins, filling about 2/3 of the way full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, then cool completely.

Frosting: Mix butter and cream cheese until smooth.
Slowly mix in confectioners sugar and vanilla extract.
Place frosting in a piping bag (I used a star-shaped tip), and frost as desired. Or frost using a spatula.
Top with decorations.