Baked Brie

(original post 10/10/08)

Baked Brie. The ultimate appetizer for any party, get together, or perfect for when you just need some time alone. I can remember when I was in high school (I know, amazing I can remember that far back) and my mother used to make this for the two of us. Through the years I have found many variations on the recipe, but I always go back to the plain and simple, cause I am an easy-baking kind of gal. And, now that I am gluten free, I have even made it without the pastry. I have to say, not as good, but it will do.

Baked Brie- ingredients
1 Pilsbury puff pastry, thawed
1 wheel brie cheese, with the rind left on
1 jar apricot preserves (or raspberry, or whatever you prefer)
crackers of your choice

Heat oven to 350. In a greased pie tin, lay out pastry flat, place wheel of brie right in the middle. Top with 1/2-2/3 jar of preserves. Fold up corners and seal all of the edges tight. This is where you could get fancy. My mother always turned it upside down so you could not see the edges, some people cut out pretty shapes and such. Me...I just fold it and stick it in the oven. Why waist time when you are just going to dig right into it?
Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are nice and golden brown.
Now, here is the hard part. Wait. Ugh. The worst. But, if you cut into it right away, its way too hot and you will burn the mouth and then you can't taste any food fora good 3 days.
So wait and let it set for about 10 minutes.
Cut into the gooey goodness and spread over crackers and enjoy!
(and to let you know, it is delicious leftover for breakfast)

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies with Orange Icing

Another pumpkin recipe. I know.
I pulled out my great cookie cook book from the back of the kitchen and decided we are going to tackle some good cookie recipes. Chloe's choice was first, and she picked these.
This one has a new twist on the boring pumpkin cookies with added oatmeal and an orange icing on top. The  orange flavoring just gives it a little sweet kick. I'd say a good choice, Chloe!
*this recipe could be easily made gluten free by using GF cake mix and GF oatmeal.

Ingredients
1 package yellow cake mix (I used vanilla, but I bet spice would work too)
1/2 cup quick oats
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 egg
1 can pumpkin puree
2 tbsp veg oil
3 cups confectioners sugar
3-4 tbsp orange juice

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, combine cake mix, oats, and spice. In separate bowl, combine egg, pumpkin puree, and veg oil. pour into dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Drop spoonfuls of mix onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.
For icing, mix confectioners sugar and enough orange juice to achieve spreading consistency. Frost the cooled cookies. (I actually just dropped a spoonful in the middle of the cookie and it spread itself).

Pumpkin fro-yo and pumpkin dip

We are getting a little pumpkin crazed over here, and my husband is not loving it as much as the kids and I are. I wish it was socially acceptable to eat pumpkin all year long.
Here are the latest that are being eaten in the Melick kitchen.

Pumpkin Pie Frozen Yogurt
1 can pumpkin
2 cups vanilla yogurt (I used fat-free so I didn't feel terrible about eating it)
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Mix all together and if you have an ice cream maker, perfect. Just follow the directions for it. Otherwise, you can just put it in a freezer safe container and freeze, mixing every 5-10 minutes until it is the consistency you like.
We also topped it off with mini chocolate chips and whipped topping.

Pumpkin Dip
1 can pumpkin
1 package vanilla instant pudding
2 cups cool whip
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Mix all ingredients together, refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Perfect for apples, Nilla wafers, or graham crackers.

Applesauce (I think)

My wonderfully darling friend, Ms Bright, posted this recipe for applesauce. It looked easy enough so I tried it. Um, it's not applesauce. Its dessert. Hana even tried it and said "this tastes just like apple pie!" Delish. I promise. Thank you, dear Lesley, for sharing.

And so, I am passing it along to you.

You are welcome.

10-12 Rome (or baking) apples
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup water
Peel the apples and chop into stamp size bites.
Put chopped apples in a crock pot.
Pour the rest of the ingredients on top of the apples.
Put the lid on and cook on high for 3-4 hours (or low for 5-6).
Let cool a bit and enjoy hot or cold!

I added a step and mashed them up a bit with a potato masher, but its not necessary. It is perfectly fine by itself, but honestly, its amazing warm served over vanilla ice cream. 

Fall treats

I decided instead of re-posting all of the great fall treats from previous years, I would just compile them all right here for you. I know. You're welcome.

Pumpkin Spice Bread http://linneaskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/01/pumpkin-spice-bread.html
Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese frosting http://linneaskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/09/pumpkin-cookies-with-cream-cheese.html
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie http://linneaskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/pumpkin-cheesecake.html
Pumpkin Pie Shake http://linneaskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/11/pumpkin-pie-shake.html
Pumpkin Muffins http://linneaskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/01/pumpkin-muffins.html

Rocky Road Cheesecake Pie

This dessert has easily become our go-to pie for dinner guests, parties, or just if we need a sweet treat for the weekend. Again, easy, very few ingredients, and so delicious. The Kraft website gets the recognition for this pie and I couldn't thank them enough!

3

oz.  BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided

2

pkg.  (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1/3

cup  sugar

1/4

cup  milk

2

cups  thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

3/4

cup  Miniature Marshmallows

1/3

cup  chopped Peanuts

1

 OREO Pie Crust (6 oz.)

MICROWAVE 1 oz. chocolate as directed on package. Coarsely chop remaining chocolate.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and milk with mixer until blended. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Whisk in COOL WHIP, marshmallows, nuts and chopped chocolate. Pour into crust.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm.

Ham and White Bean Stew

I hate to admit it, but Pinterest strikes again. Thank you plainchicken.com for this amazingly easy and delicious meal. Its a true lazy mom's meal. Or, busy mom. Whatever.

1 lb dry navy beans
1 ham shoulder, hock, steak, or cubed ham
6 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
Rinse beans and place in crock pot with water, ham, salt and pepper. Cook on med/low for 6-8 hours. Shred ham and serve with corn bread.
See? Easy. And just as delicious as ever. Salty, creamy, warm and cozy. Perfect for a fall evening.

Pumpkin Spice Bread

Just another reason for me to love fall. Bake this delicious bread and your kitchen and whole house will smell divine! Plus, the added ginger and orange give a special twist to the old fashioned pumpkin bread! (I've made it without the ginger and orange and it is just as delicious too)

BREAD

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, cut up
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
2 eggs
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons grated orange peel

GLAZE

1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated orange peel

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and baking powder in medium bowl.
2. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl at medium-high speed 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, eggs, ginger and 2 teaspoons orange peel; beat at medium speed until well-blended. (Batter may look curdled.) Slowly beat in flour mixture at low speed just until blended. Spoon batter into pan.
3. Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until edges pull away slightly from sides of pan and center springs back when lightly touched. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. (Bread can be made to this point 2 weeks ahead and frozen.)
4. Whisk all glaze ingredients in small bowl. Pour into small resealable plastic bag; cut off small corner of bag. Drizzle glaze over bread; let stand until set.

Tofu Scramble

I am not a huge fan of tofu. It has to be just right for me to eat it. And, with celiac, I am finding it harder and harder to find cheap and easy meal ideas. I purchased one of the frozen meals that was "tofu scramble" and thought I would try it. It was so good, but pricey for such a small portion. I realized, there has to be an easy way to make this at home, for a fraction of the cost. And so, I made it. Same price as the frozen meal, but I can get 7 meals out of the ingredients I bought. Easy.

Serves 1
1/8 cup diced green pepper
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup firm tofu
2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Heat a medium sauce pan with olive oil on med heat. Add mushrooms and peppers, saute about 3 minutes. Add crumbled tofu, spinach, and ground ginger. Saute, stirring occasionally, 5-7 minutes.
Serve alone or with hash browns

Pumpkin Cookies with cream cheese frosting

Its almost fall....
Like I need another reason to make something pumpkin. I think, no, I KNOW Bryan is getting tired of it. He HATES fall only because he knows everything I bake has pumpkin in it and he is not a fan of pumpkin.

But I am. And the kids are.

So, I found a recipe for pumpkin cookies a little while back. Tweaked it and perfected it, made it a little easier, and here we go!



Pumpkin Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and pumpkin. Add egg.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Add flour mix to pumpkin mix.
Here is where I like to add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Everything is better with chocolate.
Drop spoonful on to greased cookie sheet. They don't rise much or change shape, so if you are concerned how they look, fix them before you cook them.
Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb powdered sugar
1 stick butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
Beat all ingredients together until creamy. Frost cooled cookies.

Smores bars

Growing up, my mom always made the best treats. We always had friends over and she was always on top of things making the latest recipe. When she found this one, we constantly asked for it. I remember one friend in particular, Jenna, and I could eat an entire pan of these. We never waited for them to cool. I dont think we even let them make it into a pan! 

These are super easy, super good, and a definite crowd, or kid, pleaser.

1 bag miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
5 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 box Golden Grahams (8 cups)

1. Grease 13x9-inch pan with butter. Reserve 1 cup of the marshmallows. In 3-quart saucepan, melt chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup and remaining 4 1/2 cups marshmallowsover low heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Pour cereal into large bowl. Pour marshmallow mixture over cereal; stir until evenly coated. Stir in remaining 1 cup marshmallows.

3.With buttered back of spoon, press mixture in pan. Cool at least 1 hour or until firm. Or, do as I do and eat them warm!!!

Fruity Oat Bars

I am always looking for healthy, yet fun, snacks for the girls for when they come home from school. They always come home "so hungry", even if they just had a snack at school. And, of course, they rush for candy or fruit snacks. Which, of course, will make them crash and burn during homework time. These bars are perfect. They give them that boost of energy they need, plus, they have the little bit of sweet that they crave, and they are good for them. Bonus...they are easy.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried apricots (or 1 cup sugar-free preserves)

1/4 cup water

2 1/3 whole wheat flour

1 cup oats

1/2 tsp salt

1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease and line bottom of square cake pan with parchment paper. Add apricots and water to blender. (If using preserves, do not add water) Process the apricots until they are smooth (add more or less water, depending on the consistancy you like). Put the flour, oats, and salt in a mixing bowl and stir until combined. Melt the butter, sugar, and syrup in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until butter has completely melted. Pour the butter mixture into the mixing bowl with the oats and flour. Stir until everything is combined. Press half of the mixture into cake pan and smooth it to make an even layer. Spread apricots (or preserves) over oat layer. Press the rest of the oat mixture on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the oats on top are golden. Let cool for 5 minutes. Divide the bars into squares and leave them to cool completely in the pan before removing.

Sweet Coleslaw

I know, this is more of a summer dish and I should have posted it ages ago. Sorry. It still is summer here in Florida.
I never was a big coleslaw person. This recipe has taken me a while to perfect to make it the right consistency and the right amount of sweet. Perfect for any cookout or party!

1 16oz bag coleslaw mix
2/3 cup mayo (Duke's is always the best)
-note, if you like it a little more tangy, I sometimes do 1/3 cup mayo 1/3 cup miracle whip, but using all Miracle whip makes it way too sweet, in my opinion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
optional- 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds

Mix all ingredients in large bowl, cover, refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Apple Dumplings

This is seriously the best thing that has ever happened to apples. Ever. If you are a health nut, please stop reading this now. I know a lot of people who take recipes and try to make them healthy by cutting stuff out of it. PLEASE DO NOT DO THAT HERE! This recipe will never be the same if you cut back. Just skip it. But I suggest you at least try it before you banish it.

The ingredients:
2 granny smith apples, peeled
2 cans crescent rolls
2 sticks of butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon
1 can MOUNTAIN DEW not diet!!!!

thats right, I said it, Mountain Dew. Who would have thought???

First, cut each apple into 8 slices (that makes 16)
Roll each slice in a crescent roll
Place in a greased 9x13 pan

In a small sauce pan, melt butter.
Add vanilla
Stir in sugar, no need to dissolve, just stir it in quickly
Pour this majically calorie free mixture over the apples
Now pour the DEW all around the sides and in between the apples. It will look like a lot of liquid, but it all soaks up, leaving a little sauce after it cooks.
Sprinkle cinnamon on top
Bake at 350 for 40 minutes
Divine if served with vanilla ice cream

Now, go step on your treadmill for a few hours.

Mississippi Mud Cookies

I am in need of a real camera intervention. Seems like every time I bake or cook and then post about it, I have forgotten to take a picture. And what fun is it to get a recipe with no picture? I apologize. For real. But, you have to believe me on this one....this cookie is a must.

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chocolate chips
miniature marshmallows

In a bowl, melt the 1 cup chocolate chips in microwave for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, or until melted. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar till creamy with an electric mixer.
Add eggs, one at a time.
Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate.
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder; gradually add to chocolate mixture till well blended. Add pecans and chocolate chips.
Drop spoonfulls of batter on a cookie sheet. Place 3 marshmallows on top of batter.
Bake at 350 for 9 minutes, or until set.
Let cool on wire rack.

Blueberry French Toast Bake

Years ago my father gave me a recipe book that I love. This recipe in particular he had highlighted as one that we may like to try. And, it took me this long to finally get around to it. I wish I had not waited so long. I am not a blueberry person, but this is delish. I cut a few things out of the recipe, like the 16oz of cream cheese. We have made a french toast bake before, but never with blueberries. And, I am sure you can add whatever berries you want to it. But, I have to say, the syrup is what makes it. The best part, if you have leftover syrup, it goes wonderfully on ice cream....so I've heard.

Blueberry French Toast
1 large french baguette
1 cup blueberries
12 eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups milk

Cut bread into cubes and arrange in greased 9x13 pan. Pour blueberries on top. Beat eggs, add maple syrup and milk. Pour over bread and cover tightly with foil. Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours. To bake, preheat oven to 350. Bake for 30 minutes covered, uncover and bake for and additional 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Blueberry Syrup
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp corn starch
1 cup water
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup blueberries

Stir sugar, corn starch, and water over high heat in a saucepan. Add butter and blueberries and cook until the blueberries pop. Serve warm over french toast. (or ice cream!)

Overnight Oatmeal

I have been hearing and reading about this recipe a lot lately. Basically, its just oatmeal and a few other ingredients put into a jar, left overnight, and then eaten cold in the morning. I know. Cold oatmeal? Can it really be that good? I was willing to try it but there was one great problem. The recipes all call for Greek yogurt. Ugh. The one thing in the world I detest. I also refuse to make anything with yogurt, especially smoothies, so there was no way I was putting it in my oatmeal.
I did some experimenting and figured, why do you have to use yogurt? I omitted the yogurt, added almond milk, some fresh strawberries, shredded coconut, and a drizzle of Tupelo honey and oh...my....word. I am hooked. 5 jars in my fridge. It really is perfect because you can make them ahead of time and just grab one and go. No need to heat, unless you really want to. With my busy school schedule, I am in love.
The only thing that would be perfect, that I did not have anymore left of is chia seeds....yes, as in Cha cha cha Chia! These babies are packed with protein, essential amino acids, and so much more. Truly a SUPER-FOOD. They do not have a taste really, and they kinda plump up a little and remind me of tapioca. Just add a teaspoon or so to the mix and you have it all!

Overnight Oatmeal
1/2 cup gluten free oats
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup fresh fruit. cut up
1 Tbsp coconut (optional)
1 tsp honey/agave nectar
Put all ingredients into a jar, shake gently, and store in the refrigerator overnight. Stir before eating!

Corn Salsa

This has to be my favorite thing to make. I could eat this for every meal and never get tired of it. It is refreshing, sweet, savory...and not so bad for you!

The list:
4 ears fresh corn, or 3 cans sweet corn, drained
1 12oz jar roasted red peppers, chopped
2 avacados
2 green onions, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 jalapeno
3 tbsp minced cilantro
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cumin

If I am using fresh corn, I like to boil it for a few minutes first, to get the bright yellow color, but not too much so it gets soggy. You still want that bite to it. If it is not corn season, go ahead and use about 3 cans of sweet corn. (Let the corn cool completely before cutting it off the cobb

Mix the corn with all the other ingrediants. Chill for a few hours. Serve with chips.

I dont use the jalepenos....too spicy for me. That, and I have an obsession with avacados. So I usually add one more. I like to have a piece with every bite!

Death by Brownie

Oh. My. Word. Where do people come up with these things? I have been seeing a "brownie" floating around the  blog world and finally gave the recipe a try. Layers of chocolate chip cookie, Oreo cookie, and brownie. Yes. Seriously. I do not know who the original founder is, but they created a true monster. I have gotten pretty good about being able to stay away from my baking if it isn't gluten free. But this, I had to try. I could not resist. So worth it. I know that I will be in pain all week, sick as a dog, and probably come down with the cold or flu, but I had to. And oh, it was so worth it.....

(picture from whatsgabycooking.com)

This can be easy, or it can be time consuming....guess which route I took?
You can make your own cookie dough and your own brownie batter, but I went with the store bought method. Besides, I wasn't going to eat it anyway, right? I did....and it was still delicious. When you can cheat, go for it.

1 1/2 rolls Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough
1 pack Oreo cookies
1 box brownie mix

Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Press cookie dough down covering entire pan. Place Oreos across the pan. Mix brownie mix according to box, and pour over top. Bake 350 for 35 minutes.
Now, the good part. You can just take the pan out of the oven, let cool for a few hours, cut into bars and eat like a cookie/brownie.
OR, you can take the pan out of the oven, get a heaping scoop of warm, gooey goodness into a bowl, and serve with ice cream. And then curse me for making you gain 5 lbs. Sorry.

Breakfast Quinoa

I was introduced to quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) a little over a year ago. Well, I should say I tried it for the first time. I have always heard about it, but never tried it. It is a grain, most typically prepared like a rice dish with veggies and such. It is small, round and when cooked becomes transparent. But, the wonderful thing about this is that it is an amazing protein superfood. This stuff is packed with protein. So, for vegetarians this stuff is great.
I, being one who does not like breakfast, is allergic to eggs, and the only real thing I enjoy to eat, oatmeal, I have to be careful of unless it is certified gluten free, needed to try something. What if I cooked this grain and prepared it like I would my oatmeal? I mean, it works with rice, right? Rice pudding is delish, by the way. So, I cooked it and instead of water, used milk, and added some brown sugar, and fresh berries. And, it was amazing. My new favorite breakfast. Bonus, packed with that protein so with my busy schedule, it keeps me going until lunch time!
Breakfast Quinoa
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups milk
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Bring milk to a boil in a small pot, add quinoa and cook for about 8 minutes. Add brown sugar and cinnamon. Continue to cook until the quinoa has soaked up all the milk and it is cooked through. Serve with added milk, brown sugar, or fresh berries....or all of the above.
Makes 4 servings
(I make a batch and keep the left-overs in the fridge for the rest of the week)