Peanut Butter Banana Semifreddo

What does "semifreddo" mean anyway? It is Italian for "half cold". Typically associated with ice cream cakes, which this dessert reminds me of.

I found this recipe in a magazine where a Connecticut woman won a contest with this no-bake dessert. I immediately wanted to taste this when I seen all the ingredients.

Crust:
1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts 
5 graham cracker sheets
4 tablespoons unsalted butter 

Ice cream:
8 med egg whites  (recipe calls for large)
3/4 cup sugar ( I used a Splenda mix)
1 banana (I used 2)
2 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur (I omitted)
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup peanut butter (I used 1 cup)

Directions:
Prepare the crust:
Spray a 9-by-5-inch metal loaf pan with cooking spray. Finely grind the peanuts and graham crackers in a food processor. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and refrigerate.

Make the ice cream:
Bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Fill a separate bowl with ice water. Whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, the banana puree, hazelnut liqueur if using and salt in a large metal bowl. Place the bowl over the pot of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) and whisk until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pot and put in the ice water to cool.

Beat the heavy cream and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar or Splenda with a mixer/whisk until the cream just holds stiff peaks. Gently fold the cream into the banana custard.

Heat the peanut butter in the microwave until soft, about 20 seconds; let cool slightly. Drop spoonfuls of the peanut butter into the banana cream and fold until swirled.

Spread the mixture over the crust in the pan, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 9 hours. Lift out of the pan using the plastic wrap and cut into 1-inch slices.

If you like peanut butter and bananas this will blow you away. It's so yummy, especially the crust. All the different textures makes a little explosion of happiness in your mouth. ~Misty

Eggplant Parmigiana

I have only cooked with eggplant about 3 times and I love the way it holds up and grabs all the flavor that surrounds it.

"Eggplants belong to the nightshade family of vegetables, which also includes tomatoes, sweet peppers and potatoes....One can generally describe the eggplant as having a pleasantly bitter taste and spongy texture."

I looked at three different eggplant parmigiana recipes and I picked what I liked out of each of them, and I also put ingredients that were not called for but I thought would be great flavor.

Oven 350 degrees: 

3 eggplants, rinsed them and cut them in circles about 1/4 inch think
5 egg whites in a dish and Italian bread crumbs in another for my dipping station
1 jar of organic tomato and basil sauce along with some left over organic pizza sauce
1- 6oz package of FRESH mozzarella cheese
1-2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese
1-2 cups of grated parmesan cheese 

Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Placed on a baking sheet to cook for 15 mins then flipped and baked the other side for about 10mins. 

I buttered a 9x13 baking dish to prevent sticking then I spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slightly overlapping one another. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat sauce, eggplant, cheeses. On the last layer I put the fresh mozzarella cheese along with the other two. 

Bake 40 minutes, or until cheese is golden.

What is really nice about this dish is you are able to sneak in a vegetable to children who have a hard time eating them. It's funny how if you tell them what they are eating before a meal they automatically think it's gross, but by making it a surprise at the end they usually like it and are amazed at how yummy it is. So we have a rule (well kind of) that you don't know what it is until you've finished lol. ~Misty

Chocolate Chip Cookies

"C" is for cookie that's good enough for me, "C" is for cookie that's good enough for me, "C" is for cookie that's good enough for me, OH Cookie cookie cookie starts with "C" !!!

We all have our own version of what the perfect chocolate chip cookie should be. For the last couple years I have been trying to perfect this mysterious tasty treat. Sure, there are good recipes out there, but something has always been missing for me. I finally realized what it was. I like a big fluffy cookie full of goodies not some wimpy one that is flat and looks like it just couldn't make it all the way. But you can decide for yourself. So, what will it be thick or thin? For me, it's thick.

2 sticks butter room temp
1/4 cup + 2 Tblspns Splenda Sugar Blend
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2-3 tsp vanilla
3 1/4 cups flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 12oz bag of semisweet chocolate chips

Any type of nut and just eye ball how much you would like  

 Oven should be at 350 for 15-25 minutes. Could be longer depending on your preference, but mine cook for 14-15 min. 

Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugars until smoothly blended. Mix in eggs, and vanilla. Then add the dry to the wet ingredients. The dough will be stiff and thick. Fold in chips and nuts. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop out and don't squish them!

~Misty

Turkey burritos

I agree with this picture. I would much rather eat ham than turkey, and I'm not much of a pork person. Unless of course it's bacon or a wonderful spiral ham at Easter.

This was the most disgusting dinner I think I have ever made. Wow, I do NOT like ground turkey. I have a friend who had gastric bypass and she eats a lot of turkey because it's easier on her stomach and a lot less calories. So I was thinking, "hey, I can eat turkey! If it means I cut out 100+ calories per serving." Turns out I can't. Ground turkey is so gross. It doesn't matter how I season it or how I cook it. You just need to have the right tastes buds for it and I don't posses those. So we went to In-N-Out instead and believe me that was so much better! :p ~Misty

Jack Daniel Sauce

King's Corner

Tonight was nothing all that special, just some wheat spaghetti, Texas toast, and cucumber salad. I am going to share the JD sauce recipe. The first time I ever tried this was at TGI Fridays. My brother found the recipe and gave it to me, so now its my turn to share.....

Ingredients:

1 Head of garlic
1 tb Olive oil
2/3 c Water
1 c Pineapple juice
1/4 c Kikkoman teriyaki sauce
1 tb Soy sauce
1 1/3 c Dark brown sugar
3 tb Lemon juice
3 tb Minced white onion
1 tb Jack Daniels Whiskey or more per your taste
1 tb Crushed pineapple
1/4 ts Cayenne pepper

Preparation:
1. Cut about 1/2-inch off of top of garlic. Cut the roots so that the garlic will sit flat. Remove the papery skin from the garlic, but leave enough so that the cloves stay together. Put garlic into a small casserole dish or baking pan, drizzle olive oil over it, and cover with a lid or foil. Bake in a preheated 325 oven for 1 hour. Remove garlic and let it cool until you can handle it.
2. Combine water, pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium/high heat. Stir occasionally until mixture boils then reduce heat until mixture is just simmering.
3. Add remaining ingredients to pan and stir. Squeeze the sides of the head of garlic until the pasty roasted garlic is squeezed out. Measure 2 teaspoons into the saucepan and whisk to combine.
4. Let mixture simmer for 35-45 minutes or until sauce has reduced by about 1/2 and is thick and syrupy. Make sure it doesnt boil over. Makes 1 cup of glaze.

Chicken Philly Cheese & Strawberry Lime Margarita

I love Philly cheese steak sandwiches. I got hooked when we lived in San Jose and went to "The Cheese Steak Shop". I didn't have onions or green peppers on hand so I had to just omit them this time. They still tasted yummy.

I took 3 chicken breasts, one was huge so I cut it in half. I put some rub on them. I couldn't really taste too much of the flavors, but  that is probably because it only sat on the chicken for about 20 minutes before I threw them on the bbq. I put soy sauce, 1 spray of Italian dressing on each, brown sugar and some spice blend, salt and pepper.

Then I let them bbq for about 10 minutes on each side. I probably over cook my chicken, but I really don't want samonella. I have had so many friends invite me over for dinner and the chicken was raw.

 

Then I let the chicken rest for 5 minutes so all the juices could flow back through the chicken. Then I sliced the chicken against the grain. It really does make a huge difference cutting the meat right. If it's hard to cut try cutting it at a different angle and see if you notice the ease. 

I used 100% whole wheat hot dog buns, chipotle bbq sauce and some thai chili paste as my special sauce. Slabbed it on the buns, then added the chicken so the bun was full and topped it off with some Kraft American jalapeno cheese. Popped them in the over at 400 degrees for 12 min. The cheese was melted nicely and the bun was crispy too.

*** Strawberry Lime Margarita ***

I just used the Jose Cuervo margarita mix and mixed it with ice in my blender. I used margarita salt to line the rim of the glass. It was wonderful! ~Misty

 

Jalapeno Cheddar Ease

Over here at the Kings, we went for ease this fine evening.

Went for a lovely mile and a half walk, played out side for about an hour, then in for din.We enjoyed Jalapeno cheddar hamburgers with lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, and flat bread. As a side we enjoyed garlic steak fries with Jack Daniel sauce (recipe to come later) and some carrots.

Burgers:
Chopped 3 jalapeno
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
and 1/4 lb 99% lean ground beef

Mix all the ingredients as if you were making meatloaf, make patties and place on a preheated med heat pan.

Fries:
1 large potato
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs olive oil

While the oil is heating slice the potatoes, minced the garlic. Once the oil is heated (nice test, dip your finger in water and flick it in the pan, if you get a good reaction - the oil is heated)

The rest of the meal was fresh not to much involved. Added some baby carrots, sliced the tomatoes, avocados and lettuce. Place the burger on flat bread with all the fixings.

** I make the Jack Daniel Sauce myself, I had some already so I didn't make it tonight, I will share that recipe when I find it ;o)

Like I said EASE....

Happy Cooking ALL

Chipotle Crusted Pork

Another beautiful night here at the King's house......

This is my first food blog of many. My cousin and I love sharing recipes so we decided to share with a little more people.
 

Tonight we had Chipotle Crusted Pork Tenderloin with black beans, zucchini, and avocado salsa.

First I start with the beans, since they take the longest. Nothing too fancy just some black beans in the water to boil about 3 hours before dinner and let them do their thing. After enjoying the sun, with my son, and a little coloring on the side. We came in to finish dinner.I started by cutting a red onion, garlic, and chipotles, toss those in to some heated olive oil. Sliced the pork into 1/4 inch cuts. Once the aroma started, I knew it was time to toss in the pork. Added about an 8th cup chicken broth and let that cook. Mean while, I began with the zucchini, just a simple sauté, a little butter, red onions, and of course to zucchini. Tossed those in a pan to sauté. Allowing everything to slowly cook into its own juices, time for salsa. Chopped tomatoes, red onion,avocados, lastly some lemon. Mixed it all up well.

 

Side note - I made some mexi brown rice, but I never used brown rice before and it didn't come out.

After all was said and done, I enjoyed this amazing meal. As for the King, he had the avocados, and a hot dog LOL LOL

Happy Cooking ALL  ~Autumn

Jamaica & Jicama

When I moved to San Diego back in December 2001,  there was a local taco shop called "El Cotixan" just off Clairemont Mesa Blvd. They had the very best breakfast burritos I had ever eaten. Every morning when I would get off work from a long 12 hour night, I would go there and get my burrito and my large Jamaica.

Jamaica, pronounced HA-MIKE-UH, is a hibiscus flower rich in vitamin C, and has been used as an herbal remedy for controlling high blood pressure, digestive problems, and  improving circulatory disorders.

This is just as easy as to make as ice tea. You could easily make this at your next get together.

2-3 cups hibiscus flowers (I used 2)
4 cups water
1/2-2 cups sugar  (I used 1/2, but I don't like it super sweet)
4 more cups water (at the end like ice tea)

I rinsed the flowers, then put them in a pot of water and sugar. Brought them to a boil and then dropped the heat down  for about 20 minutes or so to simmer. You will notice from the pictures that the water turns a beautiful reddish color. I strained the flowers out and added the other 4 cups of water.

**  Jicama, a crunchy root with a bit of sweetness. Prounced HICK-A-MA  **

Phoenix Walmart introduced me to this. I seen a turnip looking thing, grabbed it up and asked Efrain what it was. He told me his mother used it in her cooking all the time. That she would just chop it up for salads, salsas or just to eat as a refreshing snack. No cooking is required.

I cut the Jicama up into chunks, squirted with lime juice, and threw a little spice on it. I put the hibiscus around it because you can eat that too and because it looked pretty :)  ~Misty

Arroz Con Pollo

Growing up in Ferndale, WA, I always went to the only Mexican restaurant in town, Chihuahuas. It’s been a nice family business with great food and wonderful people for many years.

We would go Chihuahuas for every occasion that I can remember. Birthdays, prom, homecoming, get together’s, and lunch. We also went there when Efrain's parents came to WA for the first time and we went there with a group of friends as a going away dinner before leaving to Arizona.

One of my favorite dishes there was Arroz con Pollo. I would get this almost every time. I loved the silky smooth rice with the cheese, the button mushrooms, chicken, bell peppers and the corn tortillas. I always wanted to know how to make this.

Well today I finally decided to put my memory to the test. It turned out amazing! Seriously, I out did myself. This is MY version of arroz con pollo. Here it is and no I didn't measure anything:

First I got 3 chicken breasts and cut them in halves. Marinated them over night in soy sauce, lemon juice, veg oil, onion, and garlic. I chopped button mushrooms, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, poblano pepper, and onions. I sauteed them in evoo for quite some time on med low heat. When the onions and peppers looked silky I added chicken broth and let them marry all the flavors. I cooked the chicken in a separate pan. First boiling it in chicken broth. I then cut it up and cooked it in a little evoo. I spiced it up with some garlic powder and some sweet paprika. Now here's the hard part. This is the part that I knew was going to make me or break me....the rice! I used brown rice first of all, and we know that it has texture that could easily be hard. But it actually turned out smooth. I put enough rice in a pot for a family of 8 (way too much rice, but good for left overs). Browned it in evoo, then filled it up with water and chicken broth to the top of my finger. Let that boil, then let it simmer down. Then I checked the rice and it was a little undercooked still so I added just enough water to cover the rice again. Meanwhile the veggies are done soaking up the broth and the chicken is done. Once the rice was finished I put it all in a casserole dish, then put shredded mozzarella cheese to cover the top. Baked it at 400 degrees uncovered for about 20-30 mins. When cheese melted I stirred it all together and it was amazing! Oh and on the side I had whole wheat fat free tortillas and Thai chili peppers for some heat ~Misty

Hello!

We are not professional bloggers or professional writers. Just a couple cousins who love to cook and bake. Every time we talk either email, text, or phone, we are sharing our recipes. We do this so much that I thought we should start a blog and a facebook page so our friends could get some ideas. We hope that you like what you read and that you can start to making dishes that are amazing.