Picnic Pleasers: Fruit Salad and Deviled Eggs

This isn't part of my recipe challenge, but I made a couple food items for a family cookout and thought I'd share the very easy recipes.  The fruit salad was especially good.

Fruit Salad

Ingredients:
1 (29 oz) can peach slices in lite syrup, undrained
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
1 small box vanilla fat free instant pudding mix (dry)
1 pound strawberries, stemmed and quartered
1/2 pint blueberries
1/2 bunch grapes (any color)
2-3 sliced bananas or other fruit(optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the pudding mix and half of the pineapple and peach juices.  Mix until pudding is dissolved.  Discard the remaining juice. Add the fruit to the bowl and stir to combine until the fruit is coated with the pudding mixture.  Chill before serving.  Makes enough for a large crowd (12-15 servings).

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Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled

3 tablespoons light Miracle Whip

1/2 teaspoon dry ground mustard

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

paprika to sprinkle

Directions:

Cut eggs lengthwise in half.  Slip out yolks and mash with fork.  Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper.  Fill whites with yolk mixture.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Braunschweiger Melt (2012 - Week 24)

Week 24 Featured Ingredient: Braunschweiger

This was disgusting.  I'm not a fan of Braunschweiger, but I give myself points for being brave enough to try it.  Jeremy didn't want to try this recipe, so I just made one sandwich. I had two bites and that was enough.  I don't recommend it, but here is the recipe.   It was kind of a "cheat" recipe for this week anyway because there wasn't much cooking involved.  I just wanted to try an unusual ingredient and this fit.   :P


Open-Faced Braunschweiger Melt

Ingredients:
1 half of an english muffin
1/2" slice braunschweiger liver sausage, from the tube
1 slice tomato
1 slice Velveeta cheese
1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Directions:
Toast the english muffin.  Spread mayo on the muffin.  Top with braunschweiger, tomato, and cheese.  Put on a baking sheet and broil in oven until cheese gets bubbly (3-5 minutes).  Don't enjoy.

Chai Tea Cookies (2012 - Week 23)

Week 23 Featured Ingredient: Chai Tea

Yes, tea as a food ingredient.  Why not?!  It was a work week for me so I needed to pick something fast and easy.  We're having a bake sale at work to raise money for our Relay for Life team, so I figured I might as well bake something.  I had no idea what chai tea tasted like, or whether cookies made with tea would be any good, but I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the tea pouch and smelled the contents.  I really liked the aroma of the spices.  After cooking, the cookies looked like a peanut butter cookie, but tasted somewhat like a gingersnap cookie.  I liked them.

Chai Tea Cookies
Taken from allrecipes.com
Makes ~4 dozen small cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup Chai Tea Latte Mix (~6 packets)
1&1/3 cups white sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 TBSP baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup white sugar for decoration

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and chai tea mix until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; blend into the creamed mixture until all of the dry has been absorbed.  Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Roll the cookie dough into walnut-sized balls and roll in sugar.  Place the cookies onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart and flatten slightly using a fork.  Bake for ~8-10 minutes until the edges begin to brown.  Cool on wire rack.

Blueberry-Almond Muffin Cookies

I had some extra blueberries in my refrigerator, and I thought about making muffins, but I really felt like cookies.  So that's what I made.  This was an interesting recipe.  The cookies were pretty good, kind of like eating just the top of a blueberry muffin.  I liked the almond flavor. But if you really want a muffin, I'd suggest this Blueberry Muffin recipe instead.  It's really good: Best Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry-Almond Muffin Cookies

Recipe taken from Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network
Makes ~30 small cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons lemon zest, about 1 lemon
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1 cup blueberries

Directions:

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using a hand mixer. Add egg and beat to incorporate. Add milk, almond extract, and lemon zest.

In another medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the almonds, then the blueberries. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Spoon mix onto cookie sheets. Bake at 375ºF until golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.

Grilled Pluot Salad & Dino Egg Crumble (2012 - Week 22)

Week 22 Featured Ingredient: Dinosaur Eggs (Pluots)

 I went to the grocery store intending to make a Thai Star Fruit Tropical Salad, but the store didn't have any Star Fruit in stock.  What they DID have were 5 or 6 different varieties of a fruit they were calling Dinosaur Eggs.  HUH?!  I had never seen them before, but they looked a lot like a plum.  Turns out they are a hybrid fruit--a pluot, a cross between a plum and an apricot.  Different varieties were different colors, ranging from yellowish to deep purple.  They had samples available, so I tried a slice --or two or three (yum!), and promptly put a couple different varieties in my cart.

Now, Jeremy and I just bought a grill-- and when I say "just", I mean Jeremy was taking it out of its box and putting it together while I was at the grocery store discovering dinosaur eggs.  (I am SOOO excited about all the new grilling options that have now opened up for me...!!)   So, I decided I wanted to GRILL everything for our meal.. including the pluots... why not?!  I found a cool salad recipe online, and it was pretty delicious.  I really liked the dressing.   And then I came up with my own quick pluot crumble recipe for dessert because I had accidentally grilled too many pluots.  Yum again.

Grilled Pluot Salad
Taken from Pig of the Month BBQ Website

Ingredients:
4 pluots, halved and pitted
olive oil for brushing
6oz bag of baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
shallot, sliced (optional)
Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:
Brush halved pluots with olive oil.  Place cut side down on grill.  Grill over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes.  Let cool and cut into wedges.   For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together.  Toss spinach with dressing (you may have a lot of leftover dressing).  Transfer salad to plates and top with pluot wedges and walnuts.

Anne's Quick Dino Egg Crumble

Ingredients:
pluots, pitted and sliced
panko bread crumbs
walnuts
cinnamon
sugar
ice cream or whipped topping (optional)


Directions:
Place pluot slices in a ramekin.  Combine other ingredients and sprinkle a little bit over pluots.  Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes.  Serve with ice cream or fat free whipped topping if desired.

Shaved Fennel Salad & Chicken w/ Red Pepper Aïoli (2012 - Week 21)

Week 21 Featured Ingredient: Fennel

Well, the chicken and aïoli sauce were excellent.  I probably wouldn't make the fennel salad again though.  It wasn't bad, but it just wasn't my thing.


Chicken with Red Pepper Aïoli and Shaved Fennel Salad
from Food Network Magazine
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2&1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts (4-6 breasts)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 bulbs fennel, trimmed and quartered lengthwise, plus 1 cup fronds
2 sprigs thyme
4 cloves garlic
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
2 red bell peppers
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh parsley

Directions:

Put the chicken in a large pot. Add the broth, olive oil, fennel fronds, thyme, garlic, 1/2 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then add enough water to cover the chicken and turn the heat to medium low. Poach the chicken, turning occasionally and keeping the liquid just below a simmer, until just cooked through, about 30 minutes (a thermometer inserted into the center of a chicken breast should register 155-160ºF). Remove the chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon and let cool to room temperature.

Increase the heat to medium high and simmer the cooking liquid until the garlic is tender, about 5 more minutes; remove the garlic and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid; reserve 1/4 cup and set aside.


While the chicken is cooking, place the red peppers directly on a stovetop gas burner over high heat and char on all sides, turning with tongs, about 10 minutes. (If you don't have a gas stove, char the peppers on a baking sheet under the broiler, turning occasionally, about 12 minutes.) Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside, 20 minutes. Peel the skin off the peppers with your fingers; discard the stems and seeds and chop.


To make the Aïoli: Puree about three-quarters of the roasted red peppers in a blender with the mayonnaise, reserved garlic and 1 tablespoon lemon juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.


To make the Fennel Salad: Thinly slice the fennel bulbs (use a mandoline if you have one) and transfer to a large bowl. Finely chop the remaining roasted red peppers, then add to the bowl along with the parsley, the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice and the reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Slice the chicken; top with the aïoli and serve with the fennel salad.

Ugli Duckling and Rosemary Potatoes (2012 - Week 20)

Week 20 Featured Ingredient: Ugli Fruit

I've seen this fruit in the store and wondered what it was like.  Now I know.  It tastes just like an orange.  This was a pretty good recipe.  The duck fat was nicely rendered, and the potatoes were a tasty accompaniment.  On a side note, I think this was the first time I've used watercress too.

Ugli Duckling

Ingredients:
Duck breast filets
salt and pepper
1 medium Ugli fruit, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange extract
small bunch watercress

Directions:
Season the duck with salt and pepper.  Heat a saute pan over medium heat for 3 minutes and then sear the duck filets, skin side down, for 10 minutes, covering pan.  Transfer the duck to a baking sheet, skin side up, and bake at 400º for 15-18 minutes until internal temperature of duck reaches 160º.

White duck is cooking, poach the Ugli fruit slices in a small pot with the sugar, orange juice, and extract, and heat to reduce and thicken the sauce.

Arrange duck on a plate over the watercress, garnish with Ugli fruit slices, and pour some of the remaining orange sauce over duck if desired.  Serve with potatoes.

Rosemary Red Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 pound small red potatoes, quartered
1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:
In a bowl, combine everything and toss to coat.  Transfer to a foil-lined baking pan and baked, uncovered, at 425º for 25-30 minutes until potatoes are tender and browned.

Pizza Spam Bake (2012 - Week 19)

Week 19 Featured Ingredient: Spam

Jeremy came home with a can of Spam, so I decided I might as well use it.  This was a good recipe.  Can't go wrong with hiding the spam in a cheesy casserole.  In the future, I would use less cheese and more sauce.  I used Wisconsin Badger pasta... you can see the W-shaped red and white pasta if you look closely (well, more like pink and off-white).  :)

Pizza Spam Bake
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
1 (16oz) package elbow macaroni (or other pasta)
1 (12oz) can SPAM, cubed
1 cup Hormel Pepperoni, cubed
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (16oz) jar pizza sauce
2 pinches salt
1 pinch pepper
1/2 tablespoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
4 cups (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the Spam, pepperoni, and onion in oil until lightly browned.  In a large bowl, combine macaroni, Spam mixture, pizza sauce, and seasonings.  Slowly stir in 3 cups mozzarella cheese.  Transfer to a large casserole dish or 9x13" baking pan.  Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.   Cover and bake at 350º for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake another 5-10 minutes.

Mango-Chipotle-Agave Chicken (2012 - Week 18)

Week 18 Featured Ingredient:  Agave Nectar

Happy Cinco de Mayo!
I went Agave Nectar crazy this week.  I saw it in the baking aisle of the grocery store and decided to use it this week since most Agave nectar is produced in Mexico and today is Cinco de Mayo.  Agave nectar is a liquid sweetener that comes from the Agave plant.   Anyway, here are my Cinco de Mayo recipes.... enjoy!!

Mango-Chipotle-Agave Chicken 

(on Cilantro-Lime Rice and Cumin Black Beans)

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
mango, cut into strips
rice
cilantro, chopped
lime juice
black beans, rinsed and drained
ground cumin
 
Marinade Ingredients:
1-2 cups chopped mango
1 cup mango juice (I used Tropicana Orange-Mango juice)
2 tablespoons amber agave nectar
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 shallot, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (add an extra if you like lots of heat)
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper


Directions:
Throw all the marinade ingredients into a blender and puree it.  Reserve half the mixture, and pour remaining half into a large resealable plastic bag and put chicken breasts in the bag and massage until chicken is coated well.  Refrigerate and let marinate for at least 6-8 hours.

Remove chicken from bag and sear breasts in large skillet on medium-high heat for 2-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness of breasts (internal temperature of 160ºF).  Pour reserved mixture over chicken and let reduce in pan to get a nice sauce, occasionally basting chicken.

Cook the rice according to package directions and toss with chopped cilantro and lime juice (I have no idea how much I used... I just squeezed whatever I felt like).   Cook the black beans and stir some ground cumin in with them. Place rice and beans on plate, top with chicken and sauce, and garnish with mango slices.  Enjoy!

Mexican Churro Balls with Agave Nectar Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/3 cup butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour (Note: I ended up using over 2 cups flour to make this batter work at all!)
4 eggs
canola oil, for frying
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I used Penzeys Ceylon Cinnamon)

Caramel Sauce:
1&1/2 cups Agave nectar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter
pinch sea salt

Directions:
To make donuts, in a medium saucepan, heat water, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt over medium-high heat until the edges of the liquid start to bubble.  Add the flour all at once and stir briskly with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Remove from the heat and add eggs, one at a time, beating well with spoon after each.  The dough should look soft and glossy and retain a "hook" shape when the spoon is pulled from the dough.

Pour 1 to 2" of oil into a deep heavy skillet or pot.  Heat over medium heat.  Pipe dough (for crullers) or drop by spoonful (for balls) into the oil.  Don't overcrowd.  Fry, turning once, until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.   Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and place in paper bag.  Drop a few donuts in bag and shake until coated.

For caramel sauce, mix all ingredients in saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  For a thinner sauce, add more cream.  Serve.  Store sauce in fridge.

Agave Mint Limeade

Ingredients:
1/2 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, crushed
2 tablespoons agave nectar
5 cups water
crushed ice

Directions:
Combine lime juice and mint leaves in blender.  Add agave nectar and water and stir.  Chill and serve with ice.

Crispy Kale Chips (2012 - Week 17)

2012 Week 17 Featured Ingredient: Kale

I've been wanting to try these "Kale Chips" for awhile now to see what all the fuss is about.  They're supposed to be crunchy, salty, and addictive like potato chips, but with actual nutritional content.  Well, they were okay, and I think they would have been a lot better if I had not added so much salt.  I decided to "spice up" the recipe by adding some Penzey's Old World seasoning but I didn't reduce the salt which was a mistake.  Yikes, too salty!  Still, not bad.

Crispy "Old World" Kale Chips
Serves: 6 - 8

Ingredients:

1 head kale
1-2 tablespoons olive oil (or cooking spray to lighten it up)
Penzey's "Old World" seasoning
sea salt (to taste, if needed)


Directions:
Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 2-inch pieces. Toss with the olive oil and seasoning.  Lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 300ºF until crisp, turning the leaves over once, about 10-15 minutes total.  Don't let them brown. Sprinkle with salt if necessary and serve as finger food.