Rice Pudding with Cooked Rice

I love rice pudding, a lot! So the other day when I was looking in my refrigerator I saw the left over brown rice that I had made the day before and immediately went to the internet to search for a recipe that called for cooked rice for rice pudding.  If you have ever done a search for rice pudding recipes you may see that most of the recipes call for uncooked rice.  Well, on allrecipes.com I found this recipe; it was one other best recipes that I have tried in awhile.

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice (I used brown rice)

- 2 cups of milk

- 1/4 tsp of salt

- 1 egg beaten (I used a large egg)

- 1/3 cup of sugar

- 1 tbsp of butter (I used salted)

- 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1) Combine cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups of milk, and salt in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat.  Cook and stir until creamy, which will take about 15 to 20 minutes.

2) After your mixture has become thick and creamy stir in remaining 1/2 cup of milk, beaten egg, and sugar; making sure to stir continually.  Continue to cook until the egg is set, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Then remove the pan from the heat and stir in vanilla extract and butter.

3) Divide into 4 serving dishes and chill, then serve.  

There you have it, rice pudding made with cooked rice.  A suggestion is to sprinkle the top with cinnamon before serving, or adding raisins to the mixture when adding the extra milk and egg.  I love the cinnamon idea, but am not a fan of raisins in my rice pudding.

Enjoy!!

Caramelized Bananas

This is a quick and simple recipe for caramelized bananas; these bananas definitely take care of my sweet tooth with out me having to hunt for candy or chocolate.  I added them to some yogurt for a make shift banana split, so good!  Give them a try.

Ingredients

- 2 to 3 bananas

- 4 to 6 tablespoons of sugar

1) Preheat your non-stick skillet on medium to high heat before prepping your ingredients. Peel the bananas and cut into large coins or long slivers. then roll each piece in the sugar, making sure to fully coat.

2) Spray your preheated skillet with cooking spray and place your sugar coated banana slices in the skillet.  Allow the bananas to cook and brown on the first side for about 4 to 5 minutes; once golden brown flip the bananas and brown the other side, which will take about 1 minute.

3) Once the bananas are finished transfer to a plate that you have sprayed with cooking spray (it will help keep the bananas from sticking to the plate).  Allow to cool and consume.

Here is our caramelized bananas in raspberry yogurt, delicious!

Like I mentioned earlier, these are super simple and give me that sweetness to kill off a craving.  I hope you get a chance to try them some time. 

Enjoy!!

Black Bean Brownies

Don't dismiss these before you try them.  Although you see black bean in the title and ingredient list, these brownies taste nothing like black beans.  They are super moist and have that great fudgy chocolate flavor that most other brownies have, but these are only 75 calories a brownie.  You read that right, only 75 calories!! So, give them a try, you might just be surprised.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Ingredients

- 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

- 3 large eggs

- 1/3 cup of melted butter (I used salted)

- 1/4 cup of cocoa powder

- 2 tsp of vanilla extract

- 1 cup of sugar (you can use 1/2 cup of honey instead if you would like)

Optional

- 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

- 1/3 cup of finely chopped walnuts

(I didn't use either)

1) Add the drained and rinsed black beans to the bowl of a food processor or blender, then add the eggs, melted butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, and sugar. 

2) Blend until as smooth as possible.

3) Spray an 8 x 8 glass baking dish with cooking spray and pour the batter into the dish. Place in your preheated oven and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until the middle is set.

4) Remove from the oven when finished and allow to cool in the pan for about 15 to 20 minutes before cutting. Then, cut into 25 brownie squares and enjoy.

Rather simple for a healthier version of a brownie.  The recipe (from tammysrecipes.com) suggests that these be stored in the refrigerator.  Next time I think I am going to try the walnuts; if you are a fan of walnuts I think that they would make a nice addition to these brownies.

Enjoy!!

Classic Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Buttercream icing is my favorite, especially when it has had a chance to sit in the refrigerator over night smothered on a delicious cake.  I think I have finally found my favorite recipe for homemade buttercream icing.  It is a rather simply process to make it and I hope you get a chance to try it your self.

Ingredients

- 1 cup of unsalted butter softened 

- 3 to 4 cups of confectioners sugar

- 1/4 tsp of salt

- 1 tbsp of vanilla

- up to 4 tbsp of heavy cream or milk (I used heavy cream)

1) Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed.

2) Then add about 3 cups of confectioners sugar and mix on low (it is important to mix on low at first after adding the sugar, if not it will go every where).  After the butter and sugar have started to incorporate together increase the speed to medium and add the vanilla, salt, and 2 tbsp of cream and beat for 3 minutes.

3) If you want a thinner icing at this point add more cream and if you want a thicker icing add more sugar.

There you have the finish buttercream icing, it is so easy to work with and you can even use a little food coloring to make it whatever color you need for your cake.  A few tips that I can give is that I used 3 cups of the confectioners sugar and all 4 tbsp of heavy cream, it was the perfect consistency for my cake; and so delicious. And also, I ended up using salted butter and cutting back by a little more then half on the salt.  After trying this icing, no cake will every be the same without it; so give it a try and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!!

Basic Yellow Cake

My personal favorite cake is yellow cake with buttercream icing, so I searched online for the perfect recipe for a yellow cake for my little girl's birthday and I found this recipe.  I love it; it is a slightly cross between yellow cake and pound cake, but more on the yellow cake side. It was a hit at the party and I hope it can be a hit at your party too.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Ingredients

- 2 1/4 cups of flour

- 1 1/2 cups of sugar

- 3 1/2 tsp of baking powder

- 1 tsp of salt

- 1 1/4 cups of milk, plus enough vegetable oil poured into the milk to measure 1 1/3 cups

- 1 stick of butter softened (I used salted)

- 1 tbsp of vanilla extract

- 3 large eggs (no need to beat ahead of time)

1) In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix well.

2) Measure the milk and the oil (pour 1 1/4 cups of milk in a 2 cup measuring cup, then add the oil until your liquid reaches the 1 1/3 cup line); add to the dry mixture.  Then add the butter and vanilla, beat on medium for 2 minutes. 

3) Then add the eggs and beat for another 2 minutes.

4) Pour your batter into 2 greased 9 inch cake pans and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until your cake tester comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on wire racks in the cake pan for about 15 minutes and then remove the cakes from the pans and allow to cool completely before icing.

Once again, sorry I don't have a picture of the finished product, with the busyness here the cake was eaten before I snapped a picture of the delicious yellow cake.  I hope you give this one a try some time, it is definitely a keeper and will be my go to yellow cake now.  Make sure you check out my post for classic buttercream icing as well, they go perfect together.

Enjoy!!

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

I have made this chocolate cake for several occasions now, and it always comes out so good.  After making this cake from scratch I rarely ever make my cakes any other way any more.  This is a simple recipe to follow for an amazingly moist chocolate cake. Give it a try some time.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Ingredients

- 2 cups of sugar

- 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour

- 3/4 cups of Hershey's cocoa

- 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder

- 1 1/2 tsp of baking soda

- 1 tsp of salt

- 2 eggs (I didn't beat mine ahead of time)

- 1 cup of milk (I used whole milk)

- 1/2 cup of vegetable oil

- 2 tsp of vanilla extract

- 1 cup of boiling water

1) Combine your dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, mix until well incorporated. Then add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla, and beat on medium for about 2 minutes. 

2) Boil your water and then stir into your batter. Note: your batter will be thin, that is normal and nothing to panic about. 

3) Pour your batter into two greased 9 inch round cake pans and place in preheated oven.  Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until your cake tester comes out clean.  Remove from oven when finished and allow to cool in pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely before icing.

I am so sorry that I didn't get a finished product picture, with all the hecticness in my house prepping for the party I forgot to get the picture before the cake was devoured.  I hope that you give this one a try some time, even though I have no final picture I can guarantee this cake is amazing.

Enjoy!!

Crunchy Baked Broccoli

Let me start this blog off by saying that I am sorry that I am so far behind this month. With the hecticness of planning a 1 year old's birthday party and just life in general I have slacked a little when it comes to staying current on the blog; for that I am sorry. Please keep tuning in though for whats new, I definitely have a bunch of recipes that I am working on posting now.

Don't let the name of this snack/side dish deter you in any way, they are so good.  If you like kale chips at all you will most likely love these crunchy baked broccoli.  I truthfully ate the entire batch I made today, by myself.  Definitely give this one a try, it is a healthier snack that even your kids will love; its a great way to get them to eat their green vegetables.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Ingredients

- 2 cups of washed and chopped broccoli (don't cut your broccoli to small, just enough to make it so you can eat them in one bite)

- 2 to 3 cloves of minced garlic (or you can use 3/8 tsp of garlic powder, which is what I used)

- 2 tbsp of olive oil

- salt and pepper (to taste)

1) Chop the broccoli and place it in a large Ziploc bag or a bowl that has a lid.  Then add the remaining ingredients and shake to coat. After your broccoli is coated well, place in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet.  

2) Place your baking sheet in your preheated oven for about 30 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool slightly, then serve.

There you have it, simple and delicious crunchy baked broccoli. I could not believe how much I liked it, it was so good.  One suggestion that I do have, is that I started the baking process used my convection function on my oven and after about 10 minutes I checked on them and they were baking to fast; so, I switched over to the conventional oven function for the remainder of the time and it worked perfectly.  So make sure if you have the option use the conventional function.  Also, I would recommend stirring the broccoli around about halfway through cooking just to prevent any burning or sticking that could potentially happen.

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Pudding From Scratch

I really wanted some thing chocolate tonight, and then that turned into a interest for some chocolate pudding; but, we didn't have any.  So, I started my search online for a chocolate pudding recipe that was good and that I had all the ingredients for. I found this recipe on tasteofhome.com and altered it just slightly, it is pretty good, give it a try.

Ingredients

- 1 cup of sugar

- 1/2 cup of baking cocoa

- 1/4 cup of cornstarch

- 1/2 tsp of salt

- 4 cups of milk (I used 3 1/2 cups of skim milk and 1/2 of heavy cream; you can use all milk if you want)

- 2 tbsp of butter (I used salted)

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

1) In a heavy saucepan add the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt; then slowly add the milk. Stir.  Heat on medium heat and bring to a boil.

2) Once boiling, stir for 2 minutes.  Then remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla extract.

3) Divide into individual serving dishes and chill until you are ready to serve.

This pudding was tasty warm and chilled, I prefer chilled though.  This recipe will yield about 6 to 8 servings. I would recommend using whole milk when you make it, I would of if I had some. I find that whole milk makes things creamy and gives a some what richer flavor.  You can also top your pudding with whatever you would like (M&Ms, whipped topping, etc) or eat it just as it is.  Let me know what you think.

Enjoy!!

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I love tortillas, but they can get pricy some times to buy.  So, when I was looking through my Twitter account this morning I saw that there was a post for homemade flour tortillas.  I looked at the recipe to see how in depth and "hard" the process might be, well, let me tell you, they were not as hard as I ever thought they might be and they were so delicious.  That may be the way I get my tortillas from now on, just make them in my own kitchen.  You can too, I know you can do it.

Ingredients

- 3 cups of all-purpose flour

- 1 tsp of baking powder

- 1 tsp of salt

- 1 cup of warm water

- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil

1) Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer.  Run the mixer on medium until the dry ingredients are well combined.  With the mixer running slowly add the warm water and the oil.  Continue to run the mixer until a smooth ball forms. Note: if a ball is not forming but all your ingredients have combined, you can remove the dough from the bowl and form a ball yourself.

2) After you have formed a dough ball, transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Take your dough ball and divide it into 16 equal piece and roll each into a small ball.  Then take each ball, one at a time, and press them between your palms to slightly flatten them. Place each slightly flattened dough ball and lay them on a floured surface (not on top of each other) and cover them with a clean cloth.  Let them rest for about 15 minutes.

3) After you have let the dough rest, heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat.  Then, roll out your flattened dough balls, so that they are about 6 inches in diameter.  Note: I did mine 1 at a time, I would roll the next one out while another was cooking.  Place your rolled out dough onto your heated skillet, letting it cook on one side for about 1 minute or until you start to see bubbles form; then flip it over and cook on the other side for about 20 to 30 seconds.  

4) Remove the finished tortilla from the skillet and set aside (cooked tortillas can be stacked on top of each other).  Repeat that process until all your tortillas are cooked.

This is what we used our tortillas for, salsa chicken tacos.

That is all that is to making a tortilla at home.  Not as bad as I thought it would be.  One thing that I do want to note, that I learned in the first couple attempts at cooking the tortillas, make sure that your skillet is throughly heated before you try to cook the first one, and be sure not to over cook them.  Once you start to see the bubbles form when you are cooking the first side, it is a good sign that it is ready to be flipped; you are really just looking for small brown spots on the tortilla you don't need to cook it much more then that.  If they are over cooked they won't be soft.  Trust me though, you can definitely do it!

Enjoy!!

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

I love any kind of taco or burrito, just basically any thing that is wrapped in a tortilla.  So, for dinner tonight I made a easy crock pot salsa chicken to go in our tortillas. One of those throw every thing in the crock pot and turn it on, then you are set for dinner type things; it was delicious and I even got to run around with my little ones while it was cooking.

Ingredients

- 2 to 3 lbs of chicken breasts

- 1 16 oz jar of salsa (your choice, I used Market Pantry black bean and corn salsa)

- 1 small can of diced chiles, undrained

- 1 15 oz can of corn, undrained

- 1/2 tsp of garlic powder

- 1 tsp of chili powder

Optional

- 1 package of tortillas or homemade tortillas (I will have a blog about the homemade tortillas)

- Shredded Mexcican blend cheese

- Sour Cream

1) Place the chicken in the bottom of the crock pot; pour the salsa, corn (undrained), diced chiles (undrained), garlic powder, and chili powder over the chicken.  Stir up the ingredients slightly, just so that every thing is mixed together and the chicken is mainly covered. Turn the crock pot on, set for 4-5 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low.

2) Once the chicken has cooked (no need to stir during cooking), you can remove just the chicken breasts from the crock pot to shred (if you are making tacos).  I used my stand mixer to shred the chicken, I placed 2 chicken breasts in at a time (no need to cool them) and turned it on low to medium speed until shredded and then place back in the crock pot. 

3) Once all the chicken is shredded an back in the crock pot stir and serve.

4) I did ours in a soft flour tortilla, topped with shredded Mexican blend cheese and served with a side of sour cream.

There you have it, simple crock pot salsa chicken.  As you can see I used ours for tacos which were AMAZING.  I made homemade flour tortillas to go along with it.  One thing that I may try next time is to add some fresh green and red bell peppers and fresh tomatoes, with a splash of lime to the taco on top of the salsa chicken.  Give them a try some time.

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Cupcakes Filled with Yogurt Frosting

There has been a boxed chocolate cake mix in my pantry for a couple of weeks now, and I have been trying to think of some thing unique to make with it; well, I made the cake mix the normal way and made cupcakes out of them.  Not a big deal, you may be thinking, and I agree; but, what I did that was different was make a yummy frosting out of vanilla yogurt.  I found the recipe on tablespoon.com and had to give it a try.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 

Ingredients

- 1 box of chocolate cake mix (prepared with directions on box, make cupcakes)

- 3 to 4 ounces of vanilla yogurt

- 3 cups of powdered sugar

- 1/2 stick of softened butter (I used salted)

- 1 tsp of vanilla extract

1) Prep the chocolate cake mix and bake your cupcakes or cake following the directions on the box, and cool.  Then in the bowl of a stand mixer add the powder sugar and softened butter and mix, stir in the yogurt and vanilla.  Mix until smooth and a spreading consistency

3) Set the frosting aside until the cupcakes are cool (I placed mine in the refrigerator).

3) Once your cakes are cool, frost however you would like.  I made mini filled cake sandwiches and filled cupcakes.

I received a handy little tool that removes the centers of cupcakes so that they can be easily filled.  It was a fun little process and even allowed me to put the centers back on top after filling them. (See the picture above for the cupcakes with the tops back on)

This could be a some thing fun to make with your kids, it is a simple recipe to follow and it is fun to fill the cupcakes. (Note: I used a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off to fill the cupcakes) 

One thing that I would recommend is that after you have finishing making and filling or frosting your cakes place them in the refrigerator, I personally believe the frosting tests better the colder it gets.  This frosting is slightly less sweet then store bought frosting, because of the yogurt.  I did enjoy the frosting though, it was better then I thought it would be.  All this talk about it actually makes me want to go eat another.

Enjoy!!