Reuben Dip

Reuben Dip

8 oz package of cream cheese

1/2 C mayo

2 T ketchup

1 T creamy horseradish

1 T dill pickle relish

2 C grated swiss cheese

2 oz deli-sliced pastrami, chopped

1/2 C sauerkraut, chopped

1/4 C sliced green onions

Toasted baguette, sliced for serving. 

Preheat the oven to 375. Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish and relish in a mixer and mix until combined and smooth; transfer to a large bowl.  Stir in the swiss cheese, pastrami and green onions. Spread dip in a 1 quart baking dish and bake until browned and bubbling.  About 20 minutes.  Serve with bread.

*We needed 2 baguettes plus some crackers to finish off the dip.  

**It doesn't look amazing, but it tastes so good. It's going to replace the famous artichoke dip in the appetizer line up for sure!

*Recipe from a torn out magazine paper I've had for over 4 years...in other words, no idea.

Holly's Butterscotch Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce

Holly's Butterscotch Pudding 

with Salted Caramel Sauce

3/4 C sugar

1/4 C water

1/4 C whipping cream

1/2 C packed golden brown sugar

1/3 C cornstarch

1 t salt

3 C whole milk

4 large egg yolks

1/4 C unsalted butter cut into small pieces (room temp)

1 t vanilla

Stir 3/4 C sugar and 1/4 C water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber color, occasionally brushing down the sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan.  Remove from heat.  Add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously).  Stir until smooth.  Set caramel sauce aside.

Mix brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk. Stir over medium low heat until mixture thickens and boils, about 8 mins.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in caramel sauce.  Whisk egg yolks in large bowl to blend.  Gradually whisk 1 cup warm caramel mixture into yolks.  Gradually whisk yolk mixture back into caramel mixture in saucepan.  Bring to simmer over over medium heat.  Gradually whisk in butter and vanilla.  

Pour into jars with a layer of oreo crumbs at the bottom. Add salted caramel sauce, whip cream and oreo crumbs.

Salted Caramel Sauce

3/4 C plus 2 T heavy cream

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1/2 C sugar

2 T light corn syrup

4 T (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 “ cubes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Place cream in a small pitcher.  Scrape seeds from vanilla bean: add bean.  Set aside.

Stir sugar, corn syrup, and 2 T water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to medium-high; boil, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until deep amber color from, 5-6 mins.  Remove from heat; gradually add vanilla cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Whisk over medium heat until smooth and thick, about 2 mins.  Remove from heat; whisk in butter and salt.  Strain into a heatproof bowl.  Let cool slightly.

*Fruit is a must with this dessert.  It is so rich and sweet, you need a little fruit to break it up.  Peaches are our favorite, but strawberries and blueberries are great too!

**I love a crust with this pudding, but I'm not sure which.  I'm not a huge oreo crust fan, so I experimented with a few and haven't found the winner, so I just made it this time without a crust.

***I made a double batch of the salted caramel sauce and keep it in the fridge.  It's amazing on ANYTHING...ice cream, oatmeal, pancakes, hot chocolate....

Baked Cream Cheese French Toast

Baked Cream Cheese French Toast

12 pieces cubed white bread

12 eggs

1-2 pkg. cream cheese

2 C. milk

½ C. maple syrup 

1 t cinnamon

Mix eggs, milk, and syrup.  Layer ½ of bread cubes in a 

19 X 13 pan.  Put cream cheese on and then layer again with the rest of bread.  Pour liquid over.  

Cover tightly and refrigerate over night.

Bake @ 350, 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered.

Serve with fresh fruit (peaches, strawberries or blueberries) whipped cream and Buttermilk Syrup!

*Laurie gave me this recipe and it included blueberries in the french toast and was served with a homemade blueberry syrup.  I loved it, but none of the kids did, so it has evolved to this.  I still get my fruit, it's just on top.  Compromises.  But this is such a delicious make ahead breakfast!  Usually comes out for General Conference.

Jen's Oriental BBQ Pork

Jen's Oriental BBQ Pork

2 T brown sugar
2 T soy sauce
1 lb boneless pork cut into thin strips

Mix together above ingredients and marinate for 30 minutes.

6 oz spaghetti noodles
1 C fresh pea pods (whole or cut in half)
1 C matchstick carrots (or julienned)
1/4 C green onion sliced
1 T sesame seeds

Cook noodles, in last minute, throw pea pods and carrots in to cook. Pour into strainer and rinse cold. Put in a large bowl and add green onions.  Cook pork about 5 minutes until no longer pink. Add to noodles.  Toss with dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Refrigerate 2-3 hours.  Serve cold or reheat.

Dressing:
2T  vegetable oil
3 T soy sauce
2 T sugar
1 t ginger root

*My friend Jen Guiver gave me this recipe back when Chloe was a baby.  It is a family favorite.  I love it cold, but it rarely is made that far in advance and kids love it way more warm.  But the flavor does get better with some time.

PB & Chocolate Cake

 PB & Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

1 3/4 C flour
2 C sugar
3/4 C good cocoa powder
2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t kosher salt
1 C buttermilk
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 extra large eggs, at room temp
1 t vanilla
1 C fresh made pero or postum

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 - 9 inch rounds (can use 8in rounds, just adjust cooking time and use 8 inch pans for all layers) with parchment paper, then butter and flour pans or use pam "baking" spray.  Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment. Mis on low speed until combined.  In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Add pero and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool completely, if needed level cakes, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze flat on a cookie sheet.

Peanut Butter Cake

1 C flour
1 C sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 C butter
3 T peanut butter
2 T PB2 (powdered PB) - optional
6 T milk
1 large egg
1/3 C buttermilk
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line one 9 inch round with parchment and butter or use pam.  In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and soda.  In a saucepan, heat the butter, peanut butter and milk until the butter has melted and mixture is hot.  Stir the hot mixture into the flour mixture until blended.  Whisk together eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.  Slowly beat into the first mixture until smooth and well blended.  Pour into prepared baking pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.  Let cool completely, if needed, level cake, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze flat on a cookie sheet.

Peanut Butter Filling

4 C powdered sugar
1 1/3 C creamy peanut butter
5 T butter, melted
1/4 C heavy cream

Mix together the powdered sugar, peanut butter and melted butter in a stand mixer. Mixture will be crumbling.  Add cream 1 T at a time until the mixture becomes a consistent workable dough.  It should not be crumbly or stick to your fingers.  The mixture should hold together easily when a small amount is squeezed tight in the palm of your hand.  Divide dough into two even portions.  Line 2 9 inch spring form pans with plastic wrap.  Press peanut butter filling dough into the bottom of the pans evenly.  Place in freezer.

Chocolate Frosting

1 1/2 C butter, soft
1 C cocoa powder
4-5 C powdered sugar
1/2 C whipping cream
2 t vanilla

Add coca to a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer, whisk through any lumps or sift.  Cream together butter and cocoa until well combined.  Add powdered sugar and milk to cocoa mixture by adding 1 C of powdered sugar followed by a T of cream.  After each addition has been combined, turn mixer onto a high speed for about a minute.  Repeat until all sugar and cream have been added.  Add vanilla, combine well.

Assembly:
 
Easiest if all layers are frozen.  Place one layer of chocolate cake on cake stand and top with about a 1/4 C of chocolate frosting. (Pretty thin layer)  Follow with a layer of the peanut butter filling and add another thin layer of frosting.  Add the peanut butter cake, thin layer of frosting, peanut butter filling layer, thin layer of frosting and the last chocolate cake layer.  Once all the layers are stacked, frost the cake with a very thin crumb coat, it usually sets quickly because of the frozen layers.  Then use remaining frosting to frost the out side of the cake then top with a mountain of Reese's!


**This is an absolute labor of love!  But quite simple if divided into two days.  Baking one day, frosting the second.
**Original recipe from the butterlustblog.com

Gagon's Rolls

Gagon's Rolls

2 1/2 C warm water
2 1/2 C lukewarm milk (best if use whole)
1 C sugar
1 T salt
1/2 C melted butter (divided)
approximately 12 C flour (start with 8 cups and keep adding until dough is right)

3 T instant yeast

Mix in a stand mixer, the water, milk, sugar, salt and 1/4 C butter.  Add 6 C of flour and mix well, add the 3 T of yeast directly to mixer and keep mixing.  Add enough flour until dough is well formed and starts to become a little elastic (I'm not quite sure what this means, but I know the wetter the dough, the softer the roll, but the harder it is to work with, so you make the call).  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel.  I leave mine right in the mixer.  Let raise until dough is at least double (approx. 45 mins.).

Beat down the dough in the mixer again for 3 or 4 minutes. and put on a floured surface to roll out.  Roll the dough out into a rectangle until about 1/2 of an inch thick.  Pour the rest of the butter (1/4 C) evenly over the dough.  Using a pizza cutter, cut into 4 strips (about 5 inches by 24 inches).  Roll each strip like a small cinnamon roll so you'll have 4 long snakes of dough. Cut them into 2.5 inch with a sharp knife or dental floss. and put on a greased cookie sheet.  Let raise for another 30 minutes and bake at 350 for 17-18 minutes or until golden.  Makes 2 cookie sheets full of 20 rolls each.

**These are sooooo yummy! This is my dear friend's recipe.  He's a guy and shoots from the hip, but he makes them every Sunday and they are perfection!  So as I figure this recipe out a bit more, I'll try to get more details on the flour amounts.
**I'll also get a better pic when mine start looking better, if I remember ;)

Oven Baked Rice

Oven Baked Rice

7 C white rice
14 C boiling water
7 t salt
7 T butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Grease large roasting pan with non stick spray.  Put rice in pan and spread out evenly.  If using a tin pan, it's best to support it underneath with a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle salt and butter pieces on top of rice.  Pour boiling water on rice and cover tightly with heavy tin foil.  Bake for 60 mins or until rice is done.

*I put the pan in the oven before I pour in the water.  It gets so heavy and it's hard to move without spilling.
**These amounts can be made bigger or smaller, just keep the ratio the same and if you go less than 4 cups of rice, I think the cooking time will decrease.
***I'll keep updating this recipe as I do it more often, because I don't know how many this serves. Each time I do it, it's for a different meal so people eat different amounts.