Peaches 'N Cream No-Bake Cheesecake

We had this yesterday, and it was absolutely the best peach dessert I have ever had! Granted, it was made with the best possible fresh peaches, and the recipe was altered (see changes in bold below).

Philadelphia Peaches 'N Cream No-Bake Cheesecake

Prep Time: 15 min Total Time: 4 hr 15 min Makes: Makes 16 servings, 1 piece each.

Ingredients:
2 cups HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs
6 Tbsp. margarine, melted
1 cup sugar, divided
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (3 oz.) JELL-O Peach Flavor Gelatin (use 2 packages)
2 fresh peaches, chopped (use more like 10 peaches for a total of 4-6 cups, chopped)
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping, thawed
Make It!

MIX graham crumbs, margarine and 1/4 cup sugar; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

BEAT cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add dry gelatin mix; mix well. Stir in peaches and whipped topping. Spoon over crust; cover.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until firm. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Substitute: Prepare as directed, using 1 drained 15-oz. can peaches.

Everything Yummy Cookies

The first time I helped prepare food for the youth group at church, one amazing mom brought a giant batch of homemade cookie dough and baked the cookies to make the meal special. While searching for her recipe, I found this article which had included her cookies as part of hurricane prep!

From the article:

Andolyn Fitzgerald says when a hurricane is brewing her family starts baking cookies. She says the cookies have become a tradition "because if you lose power, have to eat a lot of peanut butter and can't shower, at least you can still have the thrill of delicious cookies."

Andolyn's Everything Yummy Cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (to boost nutrition, I replace some of this flour with wheat germ and soy flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinammon
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup Turbinado sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups oats
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in small bowl. Beat brown sugar, butter and sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, chips, raisins, and nuts; mix well. (Try not to eat all the raw dough before some make it into the oven) Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies or 12 to 13 minutes for crispy cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 1 minute; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Champagne Chicken.

CHAMPAGNE CHICKEN

8oz chicken tenderloin
1 cup all purpose flour
1tsp lawrys season salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 cup mushrooms sliced 1/4 inch
1/2 cup artichoke hearts rough chopped
1 tbl spoon sundried tomatoes
1 tbl spoon green onions
1 cup champagne
4oz unsalted butter
2oz oil oil

For seanoned flour:
In mixing bowl combine flour, lawrys and paprika and blend thoroughly.

In sauté over medium heat add oil and 1/2 of the butter and heat until bubbling. Lighly dredge chicken tender in seasoned flour and shake off excess. Place in sauté pan and cook until golden brown when finished set to the side on plate. Return pan to stove and increase heat to high add 1/2 champagne and mushrooms, artichokes, sundried tomatoes to pan and sauté until pan is almost dry. Add remainder of champagne and reduce by half remove from heat and add rest of the butter slowly stirring. Salt and pepper to taste pour contents over top of the chicken and garnish with green onions.

Watermelon Basil Margaritas.

Watermelon Basil Margaritas

7 1/2 pounds seedless watermelon, rind removed, fruit cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tsp. superfine sugar
6 ounces (3/4 cup) silver tequila
24 basil leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
3 ounces (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) triple sec
6 cups small ice cubes

Place 24 watermelon cubes on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Cover, and freeze at least 1 hour (up to 2 days).

Puree remaining watermelon and the sugar in a blender until smooth. Pass through a sieve lined with cheesecloth into a bowl. (You should have 3 cups.)

Place tequila and basil in a glass pitcher, and crush with a wooden spoon. Stir in watermelon juice and triple sec.

Crab Cake Salad.

Link here to get an awesome looking crab cake salad recipe.

Broccoli Bites.

For those familiar with Harvey's locations in north-central Mississippi, this should be a well known treat. I can't believe that they actually make them, though. I always assumed that they came from a food service provider.......

HARVEY'S BROCCOLI BITES

1 bunch broccoli florets minced
3/4 cup yellow onion minced
1 cup cooked bacon
2 tbsp canned jalapenos minced
2 cups shredded mild Cheddar
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack
1 cup heavy whipping cream

(If you have plastic or latex gloves, this is a good time to put them on.)

Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly with you hands. Form mixture into 1 oz. balls and lay on sheet pan. Cover and refrigerate. Make a wet mixture of egg and buttermilk. Make seasoned flour (flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper). Heat oil in large pot to 350. Be sure pot is deep enough to prevent overflow. Rolled prepared balls in seasoned flour, then wet mix and then seasoned flour again. Carefully drop into hot oil, in small batches. Cook until golden, remove and allow to drain on paper towels. Serve with Honey Mustard dressing for dipping.
Makes about 40 pieces

Independence Day Potato Salad

Independence Day Potato Salad

2 1/2 quarts cooked potatoes, preferably red-skin potatoes
2 cups chopped celery
1 chopped bell pepper
1 chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups mayonnaise
3 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP mustard
2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 TBSP salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
6 boiled eggs, chopped or mashed

Prepare the potatoes, celery, bell pepper, cucumber, onion, & eggs. Mix everything together.

Independence Day Punch.

Independence Day Punch

1/2 cup ReaLemon juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup orange juice
1 package orange Kool-Aid
1 package cherry Kool-Aid
2 1/2 cups sugar

Mix ingredients in 1 gallon container and finish filling with water. Chill or serve over ice.

Lemon IceBox Cake.

Lemon IceBox Cake

1 package butter or yellow cake mix, prepared according to package directions
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 12-ounce carton Cool Whip

Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box for a two-layer cake. Bake and cool, then slice into four layers using a thread.

Make filling by combining lemon juice and sweetened condensed milk.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling for the top and sides. Frost and stack the layers with the filling. Combine the reserved lemon filling with Cool Whip and frost the top and sides.

Refrigerate overnight.

Frozen Hawaiian Pie.

Frozen Hawaiian Pie

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large banana)
1 large orange, peeled and sectioned
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup maraschino cherries
2 (9-inch) ready-made graham cracker crusts

Garnishes: chopped pineapple, maraschino cherries, chopped walnuts, whipped topping, toasted coconut, fresh mint sprigs

Stir together condensed milk and whipped topping. Fold in next 7 ingredients. Pour evenly into graham cracker crusts.

Cover and freeze 12 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer, and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Asian Beef with Snow Peas

This recipe was featured in the June 2009 issue of This That & the Other Magazine. We are so glad!

Note: If serving over rice, start your rice cooking before you do anything else - this dish is ready in no time! Also, I added a couple of tablespoons of sesame seeds to the initial stir-fry.

PREP TIME 5 Min

COOK TIME 10 Min
READY IN 15 Min

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root

1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pound beef round steak, cut into thin strips
8 ounces snow peas or sugar-snap peas

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium high heat. Stir-fry ginger and garlic for 30 seconds. Add the steak and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until evenly browned. Add the snow peas and stir-fry for an additional 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture, bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat and simmer until the sauce is thick and smooth. Serve immediately, usually over rice.

Dishpan Cookies.

I stumbled across a new recipe source just now, Southern Plate. I saw these cookies, and they will be made very soon. Link to the original post for a photos of the process.

Dishpan Cookies

2 C light brown sugar
1 C white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 C Oil
4 eggs
4 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 ½ c quick oats
4 C cornflakes

In a very large bowl or dishpan, cream sugars, vanilla, il, and eggs. Add flour, soda, and salt. Fold in oats and cornflakes.

Drop by ¼ measuring cup onto ungreased cookie sheets. This batter might be a little dry and you may have to moosh it together with your hands to get it into a ball when you put it onto the pan.

Bake for ten to twelve minutes in a preheated oven, or until edges are lightly browned. If you want them to be chewy, bake a little less, crispy, a little more. I always double this recipe and do half chewy, half crunchy. They keep really well and are great for breakfast.
*This freezes well both as a dough and as a finished cookie.

Banana & Pecan Beignets.

I ran across this recipe on the website for Criolla's, a restaurant in Grayton Beach, Florida, which is about 2, maybe 2.5, hours down the road. Grayton Beach sits in the middle of one of the most beautiful parts of the entire state of Florida, between Destin & Panama City. State Road 30-A runs directly along the beach, passing through places such as Seaside, Watercolor, Rosemary Beach, and, of course, Grayton Beach. You can read all about the places along this stretch of beach and look at lots of photos right here.

Aunt Irma's Banana & Pecan Beignets

3 cups All Purpose Flour
1.5 Tablespoons Baking Powder
6 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
6 large eggs
1/2 cup pecans, chopped and roasted
6 bananas
4 cups vegetable oil for frying
2 cups confectioner's sugar

In a medium mixing bowl whick together the flour, baking powder and sugar. Add the milk, vanilla and eggs, and whisk until the batter is smooth. Stir in the pecans. Slice bananas into 3/4 inch slices and dip them into the batter, making certain they are well coated. Heat 4 cups of vegetable oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 350 degrees. Fry the coated bananas until golden brown, remove to paper towels to drain. Dust liberally with confectioner's sugar and enjoy!

Be careful - banana beignets can be very hot! And very addictive!

Deviled Crab Bites with Remoulade Sauce

Deviled Crab Bites with Remoulade Sauce

1 pound lump crab meat
2 cups bread crumbs (we make our own from fresh wheat bread)
2 cups mayonnaise
4 eggs
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp hot sauce
½ tsp season salt
½ tsp old bay seasoning
½ cup diced bell pepper
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced onion
4 tsp butter

Sauté bell pepper, onion and celery in butter until tender. Thoroughly combine all ingredients and spices except crab meat. Mix well. Pick through the crab meat checking for shells then fold crab meat into mixture. If the mixture appears too moist, add flour to properly combine. If the mixture appears too dry, add 1 egg. To deep fry: Preheat oil to 350 degrees. Using a 1 to 2 ounce cookie scoop, drop the mixture into the oil, like you would a hushpuppie. To pan fry: Preheat about ½” of oil in the bottom of a fry pan over medium high heat. Form the mixture in the shape of a ball (about an 1½ diameter). Place the crab bites in the fry pan and cook until dark brown then flip and cook the other side.

Remoulade Sauce

12 oz mayonnaise
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp paprika
1 tbsp horseradish
¼ cup diced green onions
½ tbsp hot sauce
1 tsp old bay seasoning

Mix all ingredients well.

Shrimp Enchiladas

Shrimp Enchiladas

1 medium bell pepper-diced
1 medium onion-diced
2 cans green chilies
2 tablespoons butter
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chicken base/flavoring
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon white pepper (substitute black pepper if necessary)
1 ½ pounds peeled small shrimp
8 oz shredded cheese
20-8” flour tortillas (at room temperature)
Diced tomatoes-for topping
Diced green onion-for topping
Extra shredded cheese-for topping

Sautee bell pepper, onion and green chilies in butter until translucent. Add cream cheese and sour cream, stirring constantly until melted. Add the soups and the spices then mix well. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Reserve 1/3 of this mixture for topping the enchiladas. To the remaining mixture, add the shrimp and cook until pink. Finally, add the 8oz shredded cheese and stir well. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Once the filling has cooled slightly it will become a little thicker making the enchiladas easier to stuff.

Spray a large casserole dish or baking pan with pan release. One at a time, fill each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons of the enchilada filling, placing the filling not in the center of the tortilla but about 1/3 of the way on the tortilla. This makes the tortilla easier to tuck and roll. Place each enchilada in the dish or pan. Once all of the enchiladas are prepared, top them with the reserved mixture. Then garnish with the fresh diced tomatoes, diced green onions and shredded cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes; just long enough to slightly brown the tortillas and melt the cheese. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Rum Sauce.

Rum Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons white or dark rum (I use coconut rum.)


Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mix together the sugar and cornstarch, and stir into the butter. Pour in milk, and cook stirring frequently until the mixture begins to boil. Continue cooking until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in rum. Serve warm.

Butter Fingers.

Over the weekend, I found a treasure in a local antique store. It is a cookbook from 1962 entitled "Fascinating Foods from the Deep South" by Alline P. Van Duzor. She was the food director at the University Club in Tuscaloosa at the time, and the book is a collection of her recipes that were much south after. Tonight, I made this cookie, and it is exquisite. Lorraine assures me that it is the cookie from her youth that a neighbor made, and has been mightily missed over the years. These are somewhat fragile when taking off the cookie sheet, as they want to crumble. As they cool, they get firmer. I paid a whopping $3.95 for the book, and it has been worth much more already!

Butter Fingers

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
5 TBSP powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups finely chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla

Work butter, sugar, and flour together in a bowl. Add vanilla and nuts. Form into fingers. Bake in slow oven at 300 degrees until brown & crispy, about 45 minutes. Let cool briefly, then roll in powdered sugar and store in airtight container.

Pecan Date Honey Balls

This recipe was feature in The Healthy Alternative, the bi-monthly newspaper from our nearby food co-op, Ever'man.

Makes 20-25 balls.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

1 cup raw pecans, chopped

3/4 cup pitted dates, chopped

1 to 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon honey (or agave nectar)

1/3 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

Put all ingredients in food processor. Pulse until you have an even, mealy texture. With moistened hands, roll the mixture into 1-inch balls. Spread the coconut onto a plate and roll each ball into the coconut to cover each one evenly.

Recipe by Ami Karnosh, PCC Cooksinstructor, March 2009

Ybor City Deviled Crab Croquettes.

In honor of my recent trip to Tampa, I'm posting this famous classic from the Columbia Restaurant. I got it out of the Tampa classic, "The Gasparilla Cookbook." While I didn't get to stop in at the Columbia to dine, I did drive by it. It is on the short list of must-dos the next time I'm in town.

Ybor City Deviled Crab Croquettes

**Croquette Dough**

3 loaves stale white bread, crusts removed
1 loaf stale Cuban bread, ground very fine and sifted
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt

**Crabmeat Filling**

5 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
3 onions, finely chopped
1/2 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped (Italian style)
4 cloves garlic, mashed or chopped fine
1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 can (6 ounce size) tomato paste
1 pound fresh claw crabmeat, shell and cartilage removed, shredded

**Croquettes**

2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup milk
Salt to taste
1 pinch black pepper
1 cup cracker crumbs, crushed
1/2 cup flour
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions:

About 4 hours before serving, make dough: break white bread into pieces; place in a large bowl, cover with water, soak 15 minutes. Drain water and squeeze soaked bread until almost dry; return to bowl. Gradually add sifted Cuban bread until mixture reaches dough consistency. Add paprika and salt, mix thoroughly. Form dough into ball, refrigerate about 2 hours.

Make filling: Heat olive oil in large skillet, heat to low. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic and hot pepper, saute very slowly 15 minutes. Add bay leaves, sugar, salt and tomato paste; stir. cook uncovered 10 minutes, remove bay leaves. Place mixture on platter, refrigerate 2 hours.

After dough and filling have chilled, make croquettes: With your hands, take about 3 Tbsp bread dough, press, add 1 Tbsp crab filling, seal dough around filling like a croquette with pointed ends. In a small bowl mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper. In another bowl mix cracker crumbs and flour. Roll croquettes first into cracker mixture then into egg mixture then into cracker mixture again. Refrigerate 2 hours. When ready to cook: heat oil in deep heavy saucepan or a deep fryer. Place croquettes a few at a time in the hot oil, fry until light brown.

Makes 12.

The Cookie Jar.

I love cookies. I ran across this site, and knew that it must be shared immediately! It has cookie recipes from all around the world.