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Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes (Not made with strawberry flavoured gelatin!)

May 10, 2013 by 13 Comments

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes | www.foodiewithfamily.com

I find Mother’s Day a surprisingly difficult subject about which to write. I’ve started and stopped this post at least five different ways. I’m a mother (of five boys, thankyouverymuch) and I’m a daughter, and we’re talking about Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes, so what’s the problem?

The problem is that there as many views on Mother’s Day as there are mothers in the world. Besides that, there is a whole group of folks who think Mother’s Day is a made up ploy to sell more greeting cards. How do you hit the right note for everyone? Short answer: you can’t.

I can’t speak for motherhood as a whole, because I’m just one member of the club, so I’ll just tell you what this holiday (made up or not) set aside to honour moms means to me.

It means…

  • …my kids trying REALLY hard to get along. They try so hard, that sometimes they have to yell at their brothers who forgot to try really hard for a minute or two and were caught sitting on the couch.
  • …tepid herbal tea in bed delivered by a small boy child “who made it himself” with a look of adoration on his face. (My husband usually follows this up with a secret cup of strong black tea. Good man.)
  • …my husband and sons exhort each other to “WORK HARDER FOR MOM!” while attempting to clean the house with military enthusiasm.
  • …offers of fishing complete with promises to bait my hooks for me.
  • …the opportunity to get the first turn at ‘Halo’ first today, even though I’ve never played it before.
  • …baby carrot and dry cereal snacks arranged artfully on plates.
  • …handmade cards with silly drawings on them and a couple of discreet hearts.
  • …the remote control is shoved reverentially into my hands after dinner with an encouraging, “Go ahead! You pick what we watch.”

I feel loved every day of the year by my husband and sons, but watching their efforts to make me feel extra special on Mother’s Day is especially touching. Does it end up being a spa day for me? Oh gosh no, but I figure my imperfect efforts at mothering and their imperfect efforts at showing their appreciation are pretty much the perfect match. This motherhood thing is crazy good.

After many requests for strawberry cake that DIDN’T use strawberry gelatin for pinkness and flavour, I finally got down to business and knocked it out of the park. The solution is thawing frozen strawberries and pressing them through a sieve to release the juices. This strawberry juice is reduced in a pan to make it stronger and then added to a standard white cake recipe. (White cake so no yellow yolks interfere with the gentle pinkness imparted by the strawberry concentrate!) Don’t pitch those strawberry solids that were left in the sieve, though! Whip those into the frosting! Granted, you won’t have a perfectly smooth frosting, but how can you go wrong with little bits of strawberry laced through your frosting? That all sounds good already, right? I didn’t leave it alone, though… I opted to make these cupcakes Strawberry Lemonade by adding lemon extract to both the cake batter AND the frosting. The result was a tender, mildly strawberry and mildly lemon cake with rich strawberry lemon frosting studded with tiny pieces of  REAL strawberry.

Strawberries for Strawberry Lemonade cupcakes | www.foodiewithfamily.com

It’s not WHIZZBANG strawberry like a cake mix would give you, but then a cake mix rarely tastes like real strawberries and lemonade as these cupcakes do.

Before I drop this most wonderful cupcake recipe in your lap, I want to offer a little prayer for all the mothers out there this weekend.

May you have the vision to enjoy every stage of motherhood.

May you have the chance to unwind, appreciate your blessings, and may a famished rabbit hop by to help you eat all of your baby carrot appetizers.

May the coffee or tea you are served in bed be as strong as the love and admiration your family has for you.

May the hands that offer you a cupcake be covered with honest dirt and not something worse.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes | www.foodiewithfamily.com

Happy Mother’s Day, friends.

XO Rebecca

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Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes (Not made with strawberry flavoured gelatin!)

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes (Not made with strawberry flavoured gelatin!)

These light and fluffy Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes use only real strawberries (no flavoured gelatin mixes!) to provide the pretty soft pinkness and delicate strawberry flavour they deliver. The strawberry lemon buttercream topping them is studded with real strawberries, too!

Ingredients

    For the Cupcakes:
  • 1 pound frozen strawberries, microwaved just long enough to get them thawed and juicy
  • 16 tablespoons (2 sticks or 8 ounces, by weight) butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 3/4 cup (12 1/4 ounces by weight) granulated sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon extract
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 2 3/4 cups 11 ounces, by weight) cake flour (you can substitute all-purpose flour, if necessary)
  • up to one cup whole milk
    • For the Strawberry Lemon Frosting:
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces by weight) butter, softened to room temperature
  • 4 cups (1 pound, by weight) powdered sugar
  • The strawberry solids left from the cupcake recipe, mashed thoroughly with a potato masher or pastry blender
  • up to 6 tablespoons of whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons lemon extract
    • Optional:
  • Fresh strawberries for garnish

Instructions

To Make the Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes:

Put a fine-mesh sieve over a heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in the strawberries, and press the strawberries to release as much juice as you can. Put the saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Stirring frequently, reduce the strawberry juices until you have about 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup and it is darkened and thick. Pour those into a liquid measuring cup and add enough whole milk to bring the level to 1 cup. Use a fork or small whisk to combine the two until even. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a batter paddle, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, baking powder, sugar, salt and lemon extract until light and fluffy. Add one egg white at a time to the butter mixture and beat well after every addition, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Add 1/3 of the flour to the butter mixture. Mix until evenly combined, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add 1/3 of the strawberry milk and mix until even. Repeat this process until you reach the final addition of strawberry milk, which should be stirred in by hand to prevent overmixing.

Prepare 24 cupcake liners (either free-standing on a pan or in cupcake/muffin tins). Scoop batter into the cupcake liners until each is about 2/3 full. Tap the pan on the counter once or twice to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Carefully turn the finished cupcakes out onto a wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.

To Prepare the Strawberry Lemon Frosting and Frost the Cupcakes:

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer) beat the butter on high until it is light and fluffy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar until incorporated. Then, with the mixer on high, beat in the strawberry solids, lemon extract, and the milk -1 tablespoon at a time- until the buttercream is light and fluffy. Use an offset spatula to smear the buttercream on the cupcakes or load it into a pastry bag with a big tip to pipe on the frosting.

If desired, garnish finished cupcakes with whole or sliced fresh strawberries.

Store leftover cupcakes covered lightly in the refrigerator.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/05/10/strawberry-lemonade-cupcakes-not-made-with-strawberry-flavoured-gelatin/

Filed Under: Cakes, Desserts, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

April 17, 2013 by 18 Comments

Piña Colada Smoothies | www.foodiewithfamily.com

 

Piña Colada Smoothies are my new go-to smoothie. They’re kind of fabulous.

You know how I’ve told you I was a picky eater when I was a kid? I was a total texture-phobe and I was dead picky about flavour combinations. My mom now says, “Hey, we just didn’t know you were gourmet.” My mom is the Queen of the Euphemism.

I must’ve been a righteous pain in the rear to feed.

The reason I’m confessing this (again) is that pineapple and coconut were both on my no-fly list. I didn’t like pineapple because of the stringy texture. I didn’t like coconut because the sum exposure I had to coconut in Northern Michigan in the 70s and 80s was the über-sweetened stuff in the middle of Mounds candy bars or in a macaroon. Both grossed me out, so piña coladas were a serious no go.

Fast forward to now and my insatiable desire to eat both of those ingredients. (Okay, I still dislike sweetened coconut flakes, but honestly, can you blame me?) I love the fruity, tangy, acidic pineapple AND its texture. I can’t get enough coconut milk -which I’m pretty sure is an ingredient given to humanity by the grace of God-, fresh coconut or unsweetened coconut flakes.

And piña coladas? Well, until recently they were still on my no-fly list because -frankly- I don’t really like alcoholic smoothies, which is what I always viewed piña coladas as being. Pardon me while I go bang my head against the wall for a moment, would ya?

THUD THUD THUD

Howzabout just omitting the hooch, dingbat?

The result of leaving out the high octane stuff was a creamy, dreamy, coconutty, silken pineapple, thick concoction that pretty much makes my eyes roll back into my head. Let me let you in on a little something… There is ZERO added sugar and there doesn’t need to be because the frozen bananas do double duty. They thicken the mixture to milkshake consistency and they sweeten it to boot. Oh and HEY! If you happen to be vegan or cutting back on dairy OR allergic to anything dairy, this is still kosher for you (small ‘k’ kosher because I make no claim to understand kosher law!)

It’s warming up out there, friends. You need this in your lives this summer.

Piña Colada Smoothies | www.foodiewithfamily.com

Double Bonus: If you have leftover smoothie (HA. Like that would happen here unless I plan for it.) you can freeze it in ice pop molds for some wicked good popsicles. You are welcome. Mwah.

XO

Rebecca

 

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Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Piña Colada Smoothies | Vegan and Dairy Free

These super creamy, indulgent tasting, family friendly pineapple and coconut Piña Colada Smoothies will transport you to the tropics in a matter of minutes. Using only 3 easy-to-find and healthy ingredients just boosts the appeal of this naturally vegan, dairy-free treat!

If you've got a hankering to make this a true piña colada, you can stir in a shot of rum before serving.

Ingredients

  • 1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice
  • 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
  • 3 bananas, peeled and frozen
    • Optional Garnish:
  • A slice of pineapple
  • a dusting of shredded coconut

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth. Divide between glasses and serve immediately!

Leftovers can be frozen in ice pop form.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/17/pina-colada-smoothies-vegan-and-dairy-free/

Filed Under: Beverages, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Ancient Grains Cranberry Dark Chocolate Granola| Make Ahead Mondays

April 15, 2013 by 9 Comments

Ancient Grains Cranberry Dark Chocolate Granola | www.foodiewithfamily.com

I am more than just a wee bit obsessed with granola.

I eat it on yogurt with fruit almost every day. On the days when I don’t have it on yogurt, I have it, um, on my hands. As in, I eat it by the handful. I especially adore clumpy clusters of granola. While I’ve been making my own granola for years, I recently discovered KIND Cranberry Dark Chocolate Clusters and I couldn’t get enough.

I was hooked on the super crispy, crunchy, just-sweet-enough combo that was studded with tiny little chopped dried cranberries and had little morsels of chocolate adhered to the crunchy bits. My word… who wouldn’t be, I ask you?

I’m not the only one in my family with a thaaaaang for granola, though. Every single one of my guys can plough through it at such a pace that it’s a wonder they ever get more than a few steps away from a toilet.

Oh gosh. That was probably really unappetizing of me to say that. Apologies. It’s what comes of living with six males.

The point is this… my dainty little bags of KIND clusters were disappearing at an alarming rate. I had to do something. I had to make my own.

Thankfully, granola making isn’t rocket science and today’s recipe was not only a fairly simple one to nail down the way I wanted it, but it’s a ridiculously easy recipe to repeat.

In short, you stir stuff together.

Now, there’s a little trick to getting the clumps but it’s not taxing; you firmly press the sticky wet mixture together with a stiff spatula in the form of a rectangle (“Wonder Twin powers activate! Form of… A RECTANGLE! Form of… A SPATULA!”) When you remove the granola to give it a stir, you restrain yourself and -instead- flip the mixture over with the spatula, then press it together again and bake. Then, when the baking is finished, you sprinkle with the chocolate (CHOCOLATE GRANOLA!) and press the little ruby-hued bits of dried cranberry into the whole lot and let it cool before you mess with it again. Ta da! Giant slab-o-granola just waiting to be broken into clumpy bits. What a happy, happy thing to load into jars!

This has an enthusiastic stamp of approval from every single member of my household, INCLUDING the no-fruit duo who -for whatever reason- do not seem to mind tiny minced bits of dried cranberries but would rather stage a dramatic hunger strike than eat a WHOLE dried cranberry. Whatever. If it ain’t broke…

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Ancient Grains Cranberry Dark Chocolate Granola| Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Ancient Grains Cranberry Dark Chocolate Granola| Make Ahead Mondays

This isn't just any old homemade granola, this is power food! Protein packed by virtue of it's amazing medley of quinoa, millet, amaranth, and rice, this sweet, crunchy Ancient Grains Cranberry Dark Chocolate Granola takes the cake for nutrition AND taste, too. It bakes up nice and clumpy, too, making it an ideal healthy out-of-hand snack! It tastes almost exactly like KIND Cranberry Dark Chocolate Clusters.

Ingredients

  • 8 cups whole rolled oats
  • 1 cup puffed brown rice or white rice cereal
  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (red or white)
  • 1/2 cup uncooked millet
  • 1/2 cup uncooked amaranth
  • 1/4 cup untoasted white sesame seeds
  • 1 3/4 cups brown rice syrup, honey, light agave syrup, Lyle's Golden Syrup, light corn syrup, maple syrup, molasses or a combination thereof. (*See Notes)
  • 1/2 cup almond butter (or your preferred nut butter: peanut, sunflower, cashew, etc...)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla paste or real vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries, chopped into small bits
  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped dark chocolate or miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two rimmed half-sheet pans with silpats or parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl toss together the oats, puffed rice cereal, quinoa, millet, amaranth, and sesame seeds with your hands. In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together whichever combination of sweet syrup/honey you're using, the almond or other nut butter, the salt and the vanilla paste or extract until smooth. Pour this over the oat mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated. Divide the mixture between the two lined pans and press it into a rectangle with the back of a spoon or spatula.

Place the pans in the oven, immediately lower the temperature of the oven to 225°F, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and use a spatula to flip the mixture over in sections. It may fall apart as you do this, but do your best to flip it all over and make sure the stuff from the edges is now toward the center. Press it back together with the spatula and return to the oven for another 30 minutes. The mixture should be very sticky. To test whether it has been cooked enough, pull a pinch from the center and let it come to room temperature. If it is crispy, it has baked enough. If it is still sticky, it may require as much as another 30 minutes of baking. If you need to return it to the oven, repeat the flipping it over in sections and pressing it back together before returning the pans to bake longer.

When the granola is done toasting, remove the pans from the oven and sprinkle the chopped chocolate evenly between the two pans. Use your hands to break up the chopped cranberries and sprinkle those evenly over the two pans as well. After the cranberries are added, use the palms of your hands to press the cranberries into the mixture. Let it cool completely on the pans and then break up into a mixing bowl before storing in jars or other containers with tight fitting lids.

The granola is good for up to a month when stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

Notes

*While you can use any combination of these liquid sweeteners to make your granola, I do recommend using at least half brown rice syrup, honey, or corn syrup for their super sticky qualities. You can make up the rest with maple syrup, agave syrup or Lyle's Golden Syrup, or add up to 1/4 cup of molasses. Any more molasses tends to be a bit too bitter.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/15/ancient-grains-cranberry-dark-chocolate-granola-make-ahead-mondays/

Filed Under: Breakfast Foods, Happy Healthy and Wise, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars | Make Ahead Mondays

March 18, 2013 by 11 Comments

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars from the kitchen of Foodie with Family

Time again for Tasty Penance wherein I apologize for all the fattening recipes I give you by offering a super healthy one that still tastes great. I present to you: Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars! They taste ever so much like a proper oatmeal raisin cookie but they are good for you. How good for you? They’re made entirely of dates, raisins, almonds, oats, cinnamon, vanilla and a wee pinch of salt.  This is the home version of the fancy-pants energy bars (Cliff, Lara, etc…) for which you almost need a second mortgage if you want to eat them regularly.

Since they are essentially dried fruit and nuts with just a little bit of this and that thrown in, they are -if eaten in large amounts- very caloric which would seem to defeat the whole Tasty Penance idea, right? The saving grace here is that it doesn’t take a huge energy bar to deliver that pick-me-up and burst of power you want. Dried fruits and nuts eaten together are very filling. Additionally, the carbohydrates from the fruit give you a quick blast of energy while the protein from the nuts make you stay satisfied longer. So a small energy bar gives you a lot of bang for your caloric buck. Besides that, we’re talking iron, calcium, tannins, beta-carotene, potassium, maganese, magnesium, copper, lutein and FIBER all in one tasty little package.

Since these are little powerhouses of nutrition, they make a great mid morning or afternoon snack. Pop one or two in your kids’ or loved ones’ lunches. Deliver some to a friend who just had a baby or a shut-in. Stuff a couple in your mail carrier or UPS person’s hand. I guarantee smiles of surprise and contentment.

Some Tips for Energy Bar Success:

  • Because dates can vary widely in their moisture content (depending on age, proper storage and other extenuating circumstances) use the amount of nut butter called for as a starting point. Don’t feel obliged to stop at two tablespoons if the mixture isn’t clumping. Be patient, add more little by little until the mixture holds together without crumbling when squeezed in your hand.
  • When pressing the mixture into the pan, really push down as hard as you can without breaking the pan. Pay some extra attention around the edges, being sure to press them as firmly as you did the center so the edges don’t crumble when removed from the pan. You can use your hands, a little roller or the edge of a sturdy (not glass) cup to do the job, just do press down.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars by Foodie with Family

  • Taste the mixture as you go along and adjust with more cinnamon, more vanilla, more of whatever you like personally. Since there are no ‘dangerous’ ingredients in this, you can taste to your heart’s content and make it exactly what you want it to be.
  • If you want these to be truly raw in the ‘raw, living foods’ sense, don’t toast the oats before grinding them. Personally, I prefer the taste of toasted oats, but it’s strictly optional.

 

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Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 41

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Energy Bars | Make Ahead Mondays

These tasty little morsels made of dates, raisins, almonds, toasted oats, cinnamon, and vanilla taste just like oatmeal cookies, but deliver a serious nutritional punch while providing energy to get done what you need to do.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups pitted dates
  • 2 cups raisins
  • 2 tablespoons nut butter (Peanut butter, sunflower butter, cashew butter, almond butter, etc...)
  • 1 1/2 cups raw or toasted almonds
  • 3/4 cup raw or toasted quick or rolled oats (*See Notes)
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Line a 9-inch x 13-inch straight sided pan with a piece of parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the long edges. Set aside.

Add the almonds and oats to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Fix the lid in place and pulse until the mixture inside resembles fresh bread crumbs.

Add in the cinnamon and salt and pulse a couple of times to combine. Pour this into a large mixing bowl.

Add half of the dates, half of the raisins and about half of the vanilla extract and process until a paste forms and clumps together in the workbowl. Open the food processor and add in 1 tablespoon of the nut butter and half of the ground nuts and oats. Replace the lid and process until evenly combined. Scrape into the prepared pan.

Repeat with the remaining dates, raisins, vanilla, nut butter and nuts/oats.

When all of the ingredients have been thus processed, wet your hands and use them to press the mixture as evenly over the bottom of the pan as possible. Fold the excess parchment over the bars to cover them and use something flat and heavy to press down firmly on the mixture until it is smooth.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before moving onto the slicing.

To slice:

Use the excess parchment paper like a sling to transfer the now-firm bars from the pan to a large cutting board.

Cut into desired size (I prefer to cut 9 rows of 6 squares) and store in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container. An unrefrigerated bar will be good for 48 hours, covered, at room temperature.

Notes

*To toast oats, pour the oats into a dry, heavy-bottomed frying pan large enough to hold the oats in a single layer. Place the pan over medium-high heat stirring occasionally until they smell nutty and are golden brown. Pour into a bowl or onto a plate until cool enough to handle comfortably. Voila! Toasted oats!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/18/oatmeal-raisin-cookie-energy-bars-make-ahead-mondays/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Happy Healthy and Wise, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Quick & Dirty Raspberry Cheesecake Fried Pies

March 6, 2013 by 12 Comments

Quick & Dirty Raspberry Cheesecake Fried Pies from Foodie with Family.

Get the yoga pants out now, folks, because I discovered something very dangerous indeed when I was making empanadas last week. I’ve told you before of my abiding love for Goya Discos and empanadas and that I always keep a stash of those lovely little shortcut pastry rounds in my freezer. How can you go wrong for one-dollar-forty-cents for a package of ten, I ask you? You can’t! If you’re having trouble locating them, ask your local stores to carry them. If they have Goya canned goods, there’s a likelihood that they can get discos for you!

Back to the trouble at hand, though… I’m not sure WHAT motivated me to do it as I’m trying desperately to fit into a cute pair of jeans these days, but the thought process went something like, “I love these discos, I’d love to make a pie with them some day. Hey. I could make fried pies. Hey. I have oil going. HEY. I am going to make fried pies. WHOA. I am going to make cheesecake fried pies.”

And I did. And they were too good for my good. My husband’s eyes rolled back into his head when he bit into one. Warm raspberry pie filling over melted Neufchatel cream cheese in a deep-fried wrapper just about did the poor guy in for the joy of it all.

Shortcut Quick & Dirty Raspberry Cheesecake Fried Pies by Foodie with Family

When I tell you these pies can be made as fast as you can slap some cream cheese and raspberry pie filling on a disco, crimp it and drop it in some hot oil, I mean it. I’m a double crimping kind of gal, because I like my filling to stay INSIDE the pastry where I put it. If you’re more sanguine, stick with a single crimp and you’ll have pie a few seconds faster.

I have a little trick for you to keep pie filling from squirting out the sides of the discos when you fold them. After you put the cream cheese just off center on the pastry and dollop the pie filling over it, bring the opposite sides together to fold it in half, but lift it off of the counter as you do it so that you’re holding it by the center edge that you’re pinching together, before continuing to crimp it, immediately pinch both ends shut to keep the filling from leaking out. Then, still holding it up in the air by that center edge, work your way around the seam, squeezing the pastry edges together to seal them. THEN lay it down on its side and crimp with a fork. Here’s where my Anal-Retentive Chef tendencies come through. After that first crimp, I usually fold the edges back toward the center and crimp again with a fork. Ta da!

It probably goes without saying that these taste best when warm. In the interest of scientific inquiry, though, we ate a few of them room temperature and also cold and they were still darned good. In order, we preferred them warm, then room temperature, then cold, but we wouldn’t say no to any of them if offered.

Were you to top a warm pie with a scoop of ice cream, you’d probably swoon. Alas, I will not do this at least until April because I gave up ice cream for Lent. Could someone maybe give that a try and tell me about it so that I can live vicariously?

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Quick & Dirty Raspberry Cheesecake Fried Pies

Rating: 51

Quick & Dirty Raspberry Cheesecake Fried Pies

There's nothing more dangerous than these pies that are done in the blink of an eye and stuffed with tart, sweet raspberry pie filling over melted Neufchatel cream cheese in a blistery, crispy yet tender fried package.

Ingredients

  • 1 package Goya Discos Empanada wrappers (without annatto), thawed
  • 1 cup raspberry pie filling
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons softened low-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel Cream Cheese)
  • 2-3 inches of canola, vegetable, or peanut oil or shortening in a high-sided, heavy pan or deep-fryer

Instructions

Heat the oil to 350°F.

Slightly roll out the discos wrappers to make them just a touch thinner. This allows you to cram more of the good stuff into the wrappers before closing them. Add 1 tablespoon of cream cheese just off center on each disco wrapper.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of raspberry pie filling over the cream cheese.

Fold it in half, lifting by the center edges. Pinch both ends shut to prevent the pie filling from leaking out as you seal the wrapper. Still holding it in the air, pinch the edges to seal, working your way around the seam. Lay it down on the counter and crimp shut with a fork. If desired, you can fold the excess in toward the center and crimp the edges again. Repeat until all the disco wrappers are filled.

Fry the pies 2 to 4 at a time, depending on the size of your pan or deep fryer, taking care not to overcrowd them as they will expand slightly as they fry. Turn them over, if necessary after about 45 seconds (*See Notes). Continue to fry for another 45 seconds or until they are a deep golden brown. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the fried pies carefully to a paper towel lined plate. Let rest for at least one minute before eating.

Notes

*If you find that the pies are getting dark before the cheese has melted inside the pie, lower the temperature of your oil slightly. The goal is for the pies to be a rich brown on the outside with melted cheese and hot filling on the inside.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/06/quick-dirty-raspberry-cheesecake-fried-pies/

This post was NOT sponsored by Goya. They have no idea who I am, I just really dig their discos!

Filed Under: Desserts, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Vanilla Yogurt and Berry Parfait | Make Ahead Mondays

March 4, 2013 by 7 Comments

 

Yogurt and Berry Parfaits from Foodie with Family

I’m thirty eight years old and I just started to like breakfast. I’m not even kidding.

The truth is, until this point, the only time I wanted to eat anything before noon was when I was pregnant. Mind you, I was pregnant for a grand total of four-point-one-six (repeating fraction) years, but the point remains. It was only then that I actually wanted breakfast. Until…

Well, until I took my fitness regime seriously. Good grief, people… getting older? I don’t mind the wrinkles, in fact, I kind of like them. I think they build character. What I DO mind is being in a body that has decided that my usual twelve-tacos-for-dinner plan is not working any more. Dagnabit.

As long as I’ve been an adult, I have exercised with far more frequency than I did as a teen (even though I was freakishly thin then) and with more intensity. I’ve done Pilates for years, albeit the kind that I do following along with a video in the den while the doors are firmly closed and locked to prevent kids and dogs from interrupting me.

In the last couple of months, though, I found that I was feeling CRANKY-peckish around nine or ten in the morning:  fully two hours before I’ve ever felt like eating before (minus pregnancy) in my life.

Instead of being a doofus and fighting it, though, I’ve yielded in a healthy way. Rather than cramming a fistful of chocolates at my mouth (yes, I’ve done that) at ten-ish, I’ve stocked myself up with something HELPFUL. Every Sunday afternoon, I grab a handful of eight-ounce jelly jars, a container of Greek vanilla yogurt, some frozen berries and go to town… I make myself parfaits. There really isn’t anything more low-maintenance and satisfying than this: vanilla Greek yogurt layered with partially thawed frozen berries and so on until the jar is mostly full. Mostly full because you get the most BANG for your breakfast buck when you leave enough room to top it with a little bit of your favourite yogurt for texture’s sake.

Yogurt Berry Parfaits from Foodie with Family

The sweetness of the yogurt, the tart berries and the crunch of the granola? Shoo… You won’t look back.

The beauty of this -aside from the surpassing taste- is that less than ten minutes one day a week yields breakfasts for the entire week. How much less likely are you to splurge on something twelve-taco-y if you have something this delicious and appealing in the refrigerator? And the parfaits get even better as the week goes on… The berries release their juices and make the most lovely sauce that stirs into the yogurt. Geesh. I’m getting hungry now and I just ate dinner.

You don’t even have to thaw the berries before you make these parfaits. Oh sure, if you’re one of those folks who lives in a region that has fresh berries year round, by all means, make ‘em with fresh, but those of us who are still wielding the snow shovel can still experience the joy of a berry parfait with this recipe.

…And one last thing. I love Greek yogurt, my kids? Not so much. They find it too thick. If you’re in the camp of no-Greek-yogurt with my kids, make it with regular vanilla yogurt. Really! Don’t skip it for the sake of strained yogurt. I personally love the Greek stuff because I think it holds up nicely to a week’s worth of refrigeration with melting, juicy berries, by my boys all prefer it with plain old, garden variety, inexpensive vanilla yogurt. There are much bigger hills I’ll choose to die on than Greek yogurt vs. plain yogurt. Choose whatever you prefer!

If you were so inclined, and found yogurt on sale, you could easily make these (leaving room for expansion in the jar) and freeze them with lids on (and sans granola, of course)… I whip them up weekly because I find it easier than thawing, but it’s very, very freezer friendly!

Yogurt Berry Parfaits by Foodie with Family

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Vanilla Yogurt and Berry Parfait | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 6 parfaits

Serving Size: 1 parfait

Vanilla Yogurt and Berry Parfait | Make Ahead Mondays

Start your morning right with a Vanilla Yogurt and Berry Parfait. Less than 10 minutes 1 day a week will yield breakfasts for every morning! Creamy, sweet vanilla yogurt is layered with tart frozen mixed berries in jars and refrigerated for whenever the urge strikes. As the week goes on, the berries thaw and release their juice, flavouring the yogurt. Serve with granola or Grape Nuts!

Ingredients

    For Six Parfaits:
  • 1 (32 ounce) container Greek or regular Vanilla Yogurt
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries, unsweetened
  • 6 (8 ounce) jelly jars with lids or dessert bowls
    • To Serve:
  • up to 1/2 cup granola or Grape Nuts for each parfait.

Instructions

Spoon about 1/4 cup into the bottom of each of the 6 jelly jars or dessert bowls. Over each of those, spoon about 2 tablespoons of frozen mixed berries. Press the berries lightly into the yogurt. Top with another 1/4 cup of yogurt, 2 tablespoons of berries and then divide the remaining yogurt between the jars over the berries. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to a week.

To Serve:

Remove the lid from the parfait and sprinkle a little granola or some Grape Nuts over the top of the parfait. While eating, sprinkle with granola or Grape Nuts as often as preferred.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/04/vanilla-yogurt-and-berry-parfait-make-ahead-mondays/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast Foods, Happy Healthy and Wise, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Earl Grey Raisin Scones with Sticky Lemon Glaze | Downton Grub Files

January 12, 2013 by 23 Comments

Earl Grey Raisin Scones with Sticky Lemon Glaze from Foodie with Family

 

The body of this post and the printable recipe do NOT contain SPOILERS, however, I cannot make any promises about the comments section. If you are not caught up on Downton Abbey (Episode 1 of Season 3 as of this writing on January 12th, 2013), you may not want to read comments. I also ask -No, I BEG and PLEAD- that our friends overseas (or those who somehow saw all of Season 3 already) refrain from giving away what happens in any episodes past where I am!

Whoopsie! Forgot to include how MUCH cream in the ingredients list. It is fixed now!

I am an unapologetic anglophile from television programs to music to art to literature to food.

It is an idea that started with a simple question on the Foodie with Family facebook page…

“Are there any Downton Abbey fans here?”

In sixteen hours, more than seventy people ‘liked’ the post and there were twenty four comments. I knew I wasn’t the only mega Downton Abbey fan out there. Obviously. I hear internet chatter. I read newspapers. I see the news. I know it’s a big deal. What I didn’t know was how many Foodie with Family readers would be interested in me blathering on about how on Sunday the children are duct taped into bed after I rush home from taking my eldest to youth group at lightning speed just so I can see the Dowager Countess, Lady Grantham, Lady Mary, Sybil, Edith, week-ends, Mr. Bates and Anna, the abhorrent Thomas, Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes, Mrs. Pattimore, Daisy, Mrs. O’Brien, upstairs and downstairs, and lush costuming.

OH, THOSE COSTUMES. The dresses! The DRESSES, I tell you!!!!!!

Yes, I record it on the DVR, but if you have to ask that, you’re not getting my point. I want to watch it the very second it’s airing on PBS. I don’t want to wait one fraction of a second to get my weekly Downton fix.

More than I want to dress like Lady Mary, do something jolly with my hair like Edith, or just plain LOOK like Sybil from time to time, I want to be as witty, incorrigible and stalwart as the Dowager Countess Violet. Every time she speaks, I hush the imaginary people in the room with me. Imaginary, because I DO NOT allow anyone in the room with me lest they should talk over, wiggle, or otherwise interrupt my show.

My husband likes to sit in the other room with the door closed and laugh at me as I yell at the t.v. (Thomas, Mrs. O’Brien, and the former Mrs. Bates, I’m looking at you…), swoon (Oh hello, Lady Mary and Matthew, Anna and Mr. Bates. Yes. You all make my heart go pitter patter.), and otherwise sigh, moon, and mope when episodes conclude.  After listening to me watch the conclusion of Season 2, he asked, “Is that what I sound like when I watch football?” My response included something intimating that if football had dresses like that I’d watch it, too.

I was late to the Downton party because of a fun little personality quirk where I deliberately avoid trying anything large crowds of people love. Yeah. That’s working out really well… So far, I can add Harry Potter books, Downton Abbey, and So You Think You Can Dance to that list.* The ONLY advantage to having taken so long to discover the series (midway through Season 2) was that I got to park myself on the couch for an indecent amount of time and watch Season 1 in one sitting.

*To be fair to myself, I can also add the Twilight books, which -after reading- led me to conclude that my personality quirk might actually be useful in some ways. To quote Snorg Tees, “Real men don’t sparkle. Real men defeat dark wizards!”

I quickly discovered that I really couldn’t get through an episode of the show without something to eat since so much of it revolves around time spent at the dinner table or in the kitchen.  Since I love a good theme, I decided to stock myself with British Isles treats to nibble while slowly and inexorably becoming part of my furniture. And here’s where my idea came sidling in like Mr. Carson in the dining room.  Why not post a little of the grub I made to sustain myself during my Downton Abbey marathon sessions? Just as quickly as the thought was hatched, I could almost hear the Dowager Countess saying, “What IS grub?” The Dowager Countess is apparently my grammatical conscience.

Today is my first contribution to the Downton Grub Files and it’s a doozy; Earl Grey Raisin Scones with Sticky Lemon Glaze. These moist, flaky scones are packed with Earl Grey soaked raisins and a touch of lemon zest and topped with a sticky, absolutely, unequivocally un-Downton finger-licking, Sticky Lemon Glaze. Every time you bite into one of the juicy soaked raisins, you get a little subtle pop of Earl Grey tea. I’m pretty sure Mrs. Patimore would be a-okay with slurping the glaze from your fingers, so go for it.

Tune in every Saturday while Downton Abbey airs for a great new classic British fare recipe to eat while you watch on Sundays! Who’s your favourite on Downton? What moments made you GASP? Cry? Scream at the television? (Come on, I can’t be the only one who did it!)

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Earl Grey Raisin Scones with Sticky Lemon Glaze | Downton Grub Files

Earl Grey Raisin Scones with Sticky Lemon Glaze | Downton Grub Files

Moist, flaky lightly lemony scones studded with Earl Grey soaked golden raisins are perfect to nibble while watching Downton Abbey or just because you can.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup golden raisins soaked in 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) hot, extra-strong Earl Grey tea for at least an hour
  • 4 cups (1 pound 1 ounce, by weight) all-purpose flour (preferably King Arthur all-purpose or Galahad flour.)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 8 tablespoons (1 a stick of butter or 4 ounces by weight), very cold and cut into 1/4-inch cubes, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • zest of one lemon, divided
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and set aside.

Pour the raisins and tea into a fine mesh strainer and let drain thoroughly.

Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add about 1/2 of the cubed butter and work in with a fork, two knives, a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles lentils. Add the remaining butter and work in, leaving some slightly larger pea sized -or even larger- flakes of butter.

Add half of the lemon zest, and the drained raisins to the flour, then toss through gently until evenly distributed, taking care not to mash it in. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cream, sprinkling it over the top, then tossing to combine. Pick up a small amount of the mixture and try squeezing it gently together. If it crumbles, or if there are dry crumbs in the bottom of the bowl, add more cream -1 tablespoon at a time- until you have a mixture that holds together as a shaggy dough when squeezed gently. Use a bench scraper or spatula to gently fold the dough in on itself until it forms a shaggy mass you can turn out onto a very lightly floured surface.

Divide the dough in half and gently pat out the dough into two 7-8 inch discs that are about 3/4 of an inch thick. Carefully transfer the discs to a parchment lined baking sheet. Use a bench knife or Chef's knife to cut each disc into 8 wedges, cutting straight down and not sawing back and forth to help it rise higher in the oven. Gently separate the wedges so there is a little space between them.

Whisk together the remaining lemon zest, the lemon juice and the sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Lightly brush the tops of the unbaked scones with the glaze.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the scones are puffy and golden brown on top.

Spoon any leftover glaze on the hot scones and spread it over the tops. Let cool 'til comfortable to handle!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/12/earl-grey-raisin-scones-with-sticky-lemon-glaze-downton-grub-files/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Bread, Downton Grub Files, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese and the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich | {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

January 11, 2013 by 36 Comments

Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese with the works from Foodie with Family.

 

Update: The winner of the Sam’s Club giveaway is Barbara N. Nice start to a Monday, eh, Barb? Check your email for details.

I have to tell you that I have a list of kryptonite foods -foods against which I have absolutely zero self control- and today’s post contains seven of them in one form or another. In other words, this is pretty darned close to perfection in my book.

My current (current because it changes from time to time) kryptonite foods list is:

  • Cream Cheese
  • Dill
  • Lemon
  • Smoked fish (in general)
  • Smoked Salmon (specifically)
  • Bagels (in general)
  • Everything Bagels (specifically)
  • Pumpernickel
  • Pumpernickel Everything Bagels (Black Russian bagels) Fuggedaboudit. That’s as good as it gets.
  • Biscuits
  • Gravy
  • Feta
  • Garlic-stuffed kalamata olives

Living as far out as I do, it’s not often I can lay my hands on some of those ingredients, so when I do, I go a bit nutso. For example, that lady who was frantically stuffing all the Black Russian bagels in the bin into her bakery bag at Wegman’s? That was me. And the gal at Sam’s Club who was desperately clutching the packages of smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, fresh dill, lemons and a boneless leg of lam? Yours truly. I can’t help myself. The lamb just sounded goooooooooood.

Bless Sam’s Club for carrying everything but the bagels. (And they DO have bagels… just not the Black Russian variety.)

Do you like flavoured cream cheese? I am insanely devoted to it. I love the creamy, rich cheese when it’s completely infused with herbs and citrus, garden vegetables and garlic, chives, or -for something completely different- a little maple syrup and cinnamon. Here’s where I twitch with desire a bit… My all-time favourite version of this concoction is a light lemony cream cheese studded with chopped fresh dill, parsley and green onion. HOLLA!

I’m sorry. Sometimes I lose my head over cream cheese. It’s a sickness. I’m working on it.

Here’s the beautiful thing of it; although I could probably easily eat an entire batch of it myself in one sitting, (Hangs head in shame.) I cover it tightly and pop it into the refrigerator where it will last (improving daily) for about one week. I can’t promise that I am above walking past the fridge, throwing the door open and scooping my finger through the bowl from time to time. Remember, cream cheese=kryptonite.

I have good news, though! This is the time of year that many folks are resolved to eat better than they did in the previous year. If you’re in that camp, you can easily substitute Neufchâtel Cheese (commonly sold by major brands as Low-Fat Cream Cheese or 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese) for the regular full-fat cream cheese without sacrificing any of the quality, flavour, or smooth creamy texture you want. Big old win!

It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that the Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese goes beautifully on my beloved toasted Black Russian bagels topped with flaked smoked salmon, capers, and a pinch of fresh dill, natch.

Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese on a black Russian bagel with smoked salmon and capers from Foodie with Family.

But that’s not all it’s great on; it is the be-all-and-end-all on a roasted turkey or chicken breast sandwich with baby spinach and black olives, or as a dip for vegetable sticks, or spread on toast all by its lovely self. Get creative! Spread it on a bun for a grilled turkey burger or on a flat bread for a lamb wrap. The fresh, light, creamy, dilly cheese goes just about anywhere!

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Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese and the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich | {GIVEAWAY!}

Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese and the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich | {GIVEAWAY!}

Lemony, light, studded with fresh dill and other herbs, this refreshing spreadable cream cheese is fantastic on the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich or smeared on a chicken sandwich, bagel, turkey burger, or used as a dip for fresh vegetables.

It can easily be made with 1/3-less fat cream cheese (Neufchatel cheese) lightening up the fat content in the recipe for those with dietary restrictions.

Ingredients

    For the Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese:
  • 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • zest of one lemon
  • juice of 1/2 to 1 whole lemon, to taste
  • 1/3 cup minced fresh dill weed, lightly packed
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh flat leaf or curly parsley, loosely packed
  • 2 tablespoons minced green onions, green part only
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • For the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich:
  • 1 pumpernickel everything bagel (Black Russian bagel) or your preferred savoury bagel
  • 1 teaspoon softened butter
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese
  • 1/4 cup flaked or 2 thin slices smoked salmon
  • 5 to 10 pickled capers, drained
  • fresh dill, to taste

Instructions

To Make the Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese:

Add the cream cheese, lemon zest, juice of 1/2 a lemon (to start with), dill weed, parsley and green onions to a mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.) Mix with a hand mixer on high (or on high on the stand mixer) until the cream cheese is fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Taste the cream cheese and add more lemon juice, if desired, along with salt and black pepper to taste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on high an additional 30 seconds, or until everything is fully incorporated. Scrape the contents into a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for at least an hour before using and up to a week.

To Make the FwF Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich:

Slice open the bagel and spread 1/2 a teaspoon of softened butter on each cut surface. Broil under a hot broiler just until the butter is bubbly and the bagel is toasted on top. Remove the bagel from the oven and let cool until it is comfortable to handle.

Spread about 2 tablespoons of the Lemon Dill Spreadable Cream Cheese on the bottom half of the bagel. Layer on the flaked or sliced smoked salmon, as many capers as you'd like and fresh fronds of dill, if desired. Top with the top half of the bagel and enjoy!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/11/lemon-dill-spreadable-cream-cheese-and-the-fwf-ultimate-breakfast-sandwich-giveaway/

Now a giveaway!

Sam’s Club contacted me before the holidays offering a giveaway to one of my readers. With all that went on around here, the post didn’t happen. Sam’s Club has graciously offered to let me do the giveaway in spite of the fact that I didn’t get the post up in time. I am grateful, because I’m a big fan of Sam’s Club. With such a big family to manage, Sam’s Club is the go-to place for paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, etc..) and mega packs of juice boxes. I love the selection of fresh meats (and the price is always competitive), produce and dairy products. Thank you Sam’s Club! So what are we giving away today? A Modern Cocktail Holiday Mixer Party Pack! Sam’s Club says, “This fun, non-alcoholic drink mixer pack will turn the average consumer into a modern day mixologist. The Modern Cocktail Holiday Mixer Variety Pack contains our top selling holiday mixers to include 4 Margarita Mixers, 4 Martini Mixers, 4 Berrytini Mixers and 3 Champagne Toppers. The pack also contains salt and sugar crystals to finish off any premium cocktail.” All you have to do is add liquor!

To enter, just leave a comment below telling me how your holidays were. Did you get to see family? Did you stay home hunkered in? Talk to me!

The winner will be chosen at random and notified by next Monday, January 14th, 2013.

Disclosure: This contest is open only to US Residents due to shipping restraints. Sam’s Club provided a membership and covered my food costs for the recipe, and is providing the prize to the winner,  but all opinions are my own.

 

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Breakfast Foods, Component Foods, Condiments, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,
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