4th of July Trifle

hello, friends! i feel like i have been out-of-touch with our howe to cook readers. i feel like we need to all meet up and chat or something, don't you? well, maybe we should. but not right now because #1-i am in my pjs, #2-it is 11:05 pm, and #3-i have a towel on my head which is covering my wet hair. 

and now that you have that awesome visual, let's talk about the 4th of july!

i can't believe it's almost here. i love the 4th, and a few years ago i figured out that i loved this 4th of july trifle. i like to take complete credit for it, but it was actually a combination of mine, kim's, and nicki's mad skills. 

bam! 

now if that's not a beauty, i don't know what is. actually, the picture isn't too amazing. but are we surprised? are our pictures ever amazing? come on...we're working on it!

and picture-talk aside, if you want to impress your 4th of july-party friends, make this! i did and all the cool kids liked me afterwards. and i can't blame them! it is really light and refreshing and perfect for after you stuff yourself sick at your 4th of july bbq and you are so sick you can't eat another but but still want dessert :)

anyway,

here is what you'll need for this amazingness:

1 lb strawberries--washed and quartered

1 small pkg. blueberries

1 lg. box vanilla pudding-prepared

1 8 oz. container cool whip

1-2 angel food cake loafs (or you can make your own cake if you're classier than i am)--cut into 1 inch squares

it's pretty simple. layer, in your trifle dish, angel food cake, pudding, blueberries, cool whip, angel food cake, pudding, strawberries, cool whip, and top with strawberries and blueberries.

we have more 4th of july recipes coming. so get your uncle sam hat on!

Feature Friday Winner--Cilantro Week

 

We were excited to get some new yummy cilantro recipes from some of our great followers! Thank you to everyone who submitted one!

This week's Feature Friday winner is...

Laura Nicholson! 

Unfortunately, Laura didn't leave us a link to her blog, so we can't feature her! Laura, if you want to email us a link, we'd would love to be able to feature you and your blog!

Here is the winning recipe! I am especially excited about this one because my father-in-law lived in Thailand growing up and then later served his mission there, so since marrying my husband, I have started eating and grown to love Thai food! 

Here is Laura's yummy Thai recipe!

Bret's Tom Kha Gai   

(this is a yummy Thai soup)

(4-6 servings)

2 qt chicken bouillon

3-4 carrots, sliced

1-2 red Thai chili peppers, split in half*

3 limes

1 tbsp olive oil

2 medium sweet onions, sliced and quartered

1-2 tbsp olive oil

3 large chicken breasts, cut in thin strips

3 tbsp minced garlic

3 tbsp minced ginger root**

1 tsp black pepper

2 cans (~14 oz each) 100% coconut milk

salt to taste

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 cup chives or chopped green onions (optional)

dry crushed red pepper to taste

In a large stockpot, lightly boil Thai pepper(s) and carrots in chicken bouillon until the carrots begin to soften, reduce heat and simmer.  Remove pulp and juice from limes and add to bouillon.  In a large fry pan, sauté onions, until tender and brown, then add to bouillon.  In the same fry pan, brown chicken in olive oil, together with garlic, ginger, and black pepper, being careful not to overcook the chicken, then add to soup and remove from heat.

Add coconut milk and salt (if desired) and stir until fully mixed.  Do not boil after adding coconut milk.  Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, chives/green onions, and crushed red pepper just before serving.

* If Thai peppers are not available, dry crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper can be used as a substitute (season to taste)

** When mincing ginger root, be sure to cut into slices first to prevent long root fibers

Thanks again to everyone who submitted a recipe. Be sure to watch for next week's Feature Friday ingredient!

Navajo Tacos

once upon a time, i had a friend. and that friend was a navajo. and she made me a taco. the end. okay. only 3/4 of that is true. i do have a navajo friend, but she's never made me a taco. however, we did work at a mexican restaurant together and ate regular tacos in the back room while our customers waited for their chips (and once we got caught and yelled at. and they weren't really tacos. we really just ate chips and salsa and sometimes a tostada or two. but we did get caught and yelled at once. so let's pretend it's all truth, mmkay?) 

the real story of my first time with a navajo taco was in the 3rd grade. for one reason or another (i'm sure we were having some kind of navajo unit/lesson), our teacher made us navajo tacos. before the party, i told kim about it. she told me that she didn't like navajo tacos and that they were gross. i idolized her enough to listen and did not have one. stupid, stupid girl! if i'd only known what i was missing out on!


well, since 3rd grade, both of our tastebuds have matured, and we've come up with our own version of the navajo taco. we're not trying to claim we invented it, buuuut maybe we did. who knows. if you don't like it, we had nothing to do with it! if you do like it, we'll take the credit :)


i saw my friend's facebook status the other day and it said something about how she's never learned to make a navajo taco. if i'm being honest, up until that point, i didn't know people actually "made" these babies. i mean, we make them, but i don't consider it a recipe or anything. maybe ours aren't really legit. maybe ours taste nothing like a real navajo taco. maybe ours don't even resemble a navajo taco! maybe they're totally phony and have nothing to do with real navajos or even tacos for that matter. but no matter what they aren't, one thing they are is good. very, very good!

what you'll need:

vegetable oil--enough to cover the bottom of your frying pan

4 rhodes rolls (or however many you're feeding)--thawed

1 can chili (just use your favorite brand)

optional toppings:

cheese

lettuce

tomato

avocado

salsa

sour cream

olives

or anything else you want :)

flatten/stretch your rolls into a scone, and fry in oil until golden brown. heat chili and pour onto scone. layer toppings as desired.

and ps, don't forget to email us your favorite cilantro recipe to be featured this friday!
howetocook@gmail.com

Feature Friday Ingredient: CILANTRO

Remember our freaking sweeeet Feature Friday contest? 

No? Then go here to read about it. 

So here's a story...I am approximately 25 years old. A young chick to some and an old geezer to others. Others meaning my husband's little bro. A few years ago (3 to be exact), this little brother, McKay (who my son is named after. So obviously we like him a little bit) was 14. He was stressing about girls or school or football or something that was super important to him, and I was trying to give him advice. He was half-listening when he responded with, "Yeah. But Mindy...you were 14 in what, like the 80's?"

Umm.....yes. I am 40 years old.

WHAT?!

When I explained to him I was 14 in the year 2000, he could not believe that I was a "teenager in the 2000's??" I guess he thinks I'm ancient. Anyway, that brother-in-law said one day, as we were making tacos, "I love cilantro! I could eat it raw!" 

Umm...what?!

Haha. Anyway, as you can guess, this week's ingredient is one of our (and McKay's) faves:

CILANTRO!

  We loove cilantro and try to eat it on as many dishes as we can, so we want your favorite cilantro recipe--whether the cilantro be used as a garnish or a main ingredient. 

Send it to howetocook@gmail.com by this Thursday (June 23rd) and we'll pick one (or maybe two or three or four if we can't decide) recipes to feature this Friday!

Get excited! And then send your recipe!

Feature Friday Winners!

Notice how I put "winners" in that title? That is only for the reason that we had so many delicious entries in our first "Feature Friday" that we could absotively, posolutely not pick JUST one. Soooo, we narrowed it down to two. Good thing this is our blog and we have permission from ourselves to change the rules at the last second if we feel like it, right-e-o, folks!

So, the first recipe we would like to feature comes from:

Kristen

for her Key Lime Pie Bites

Kristen used to be Mindy's old neighbor and she has got to be one of the nicest and funniest people I have ever met. Mindy LOVED having her as a neighbor and when she lived by Kristen she would call me regularly to rave about what a GREAT cook Kristen was or to tell me about her latest yummy recipe. Thanks, Kristin!

Key Lime Pie Bites

Vanilla Wafers crumbled
1/4 cup butter melted
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp lime juice best if used key lime
1 teaspoon lime zest
whipped cream
mint leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill 2 (12-tin) mini muffin tins with paper cups.  Mix vanilla wafers and butter together and press 1 tbsp into the bottom of each cup.  Bake in oven for about 5 minutes.  Prepare filling: Beat together cream cheese, egg, sugar, lime juice, and zest until well mixed.  Fill the cups to the top.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool. When cool put whipping cream on top.  Garnish with mint leaves.  Enjoy!

The second recipe comes from:

Shantel

for her Cream Cheese Jello
This recipe is something none of us have ever heard of or tried before (what? another everyday food that we can incorporate large quantities of  cream cheese into and we didn't know about it, we're in!) and we think it sounds SUPER DUPER YUM! It also looks very easy which is another added BONUS. Anyway, Shantel has an adorable blog and designs some of the stinkin' cutest wedding invitations/announcements I have ever seen, so be sure to check out her blog! Now on to her delishco recipe!

Cream Cheese Jello
1 large package of jello (your favorite flavor)
1 8oz package of cream cheese (softened)

Make Jello according to package directions. When it is just starting to set, mix in the softened cream cheese. (My mother in law uses a kitchen aid to mix it all together.) Once it is completely combined, pour it into a 9x13 baking dish and refrigerate until completely set. Top with Cool-Whip and serve chilled.

Thanks SOOO much to all of our entries and be sure to watch for us to announce next weeks ingredient!

Amazing Apricot Chicken

I found this super easy recipe a while ago and then sort of forgot about it. I hate when I do that! I rediscovered it recently and it was still just as easy and just as yummy!

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 bottle Russian or Catalina salad dressing
1 jar apricot pineapple preserves
1 package dry onion soup mix (like Lipton)
Cooked white rice


Combine the dressing, preserves, and soup mix. Spray a glass 9x13 with non-stick cooking spray and place the chicken in the bottom. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve over rice.

Feature Friday! Wait. What the crap is that??

Okay. So here's the deal. I have only partially consulted with the seestas on this, but I'm going for it because I want to. Like how I just take charge? I pretty much wear the pants in the family. (Nicki will tell you she does, but really she's just bossy :) So we're starting a new 'feature' here on Howe to Cook. And it is...

da-da-da-DA!

Are you excited?? Get excited.

So let me explain...we're all foodies here, right? And if you're reading this, you are totally, absolutely, definitely, hopefully a follower, right? Okay. Stay with me. So because we love you and you are fabulous and we want to feature you for following us (say that 5 times fast), we are going to start Feature Friday! Woo!

And now you're still thinking, What the crap is that?? Yes? You're thinking that? Okay. Let me explain...

Basically, each Friday we will give you/post about an ingredient we love, and then for the next week (until Thursday) you will send us your favorite recipe that uses that ingredient. So it's kinda like an episode of "Chopped" only our ingredients will be normal and you won't have to use more than one. And you have more than 30 minutes. Lucky you! Then, that Friday (am I being confusing??) we will choose a recipe and we will feature YOU and YOUR BLOG and YOUR RECIPE here on Howe to Cook. Woo! Is that fun? I hope I'm not getting excited about nothing here. And don't tell me if I am. Food is exciting, people! 

So, we're staring today. And today/this week's ingredient is...

Wait for it...

Wait for it.

I said wait for it!

Okay. Calm down! Sheesh.
This week's ingredient is...

CREAM CHEESE! 

Ah! Did you expect anything else? It is, after all, our favorite ingredient :)

SO..now is the time for you to email us your favorite cream cheese recipe! It can be anything that uses cream cheese. Dessert, main dish, side dish..whatever! And it can be any kind of cream cheese, too (you know..because there are those flavored Philadelphia ones). And we will choose one to post next Friday! 

We are excited. Are you excited? Don't be too cool. Send us your recipes! We will rant and rave about how wonderful you and your blog are, and then we will give you all the credit for supplying us with a new fab recipe and everyone will print it and love it and share it with their friends and family and you will basically be famous. Are you really willing to pass that up? Yes, you. I'm talking to YOU! It is going to be great!

And besides, if nobody sends us a recipe, we will feel totally lame. And then we'll have to cancel Foodie Followers Featured on Friday and we'll feel even more lame for our idea going kerplunk. Oh, and you won't be famous. Sooo do it! Send your fave cream cheese recipe to howetocook@gmail.com and we will love you forever!

The end.

PS, We love you! Thanks for following us and reading our blog! Oh, and we have a sa-weet giveaway planned for when we get to 200 followers. So spread. the. word!

"Frank's" Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are fondly referred to as "Frank's Cookies" among our family. I got this recipe while in my Masters program from a guy named, yep you guessed it, Frank! His wife had invented this recipe and he was reluctant to share, but we were so glad he did! These are by far my most favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe!  I hope you like them too!

 (image found here)

1 C. butter (softened)

1 C. sugar

1 C. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

3 C. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 pkg. chocolate chips 

(Frank INSISTS they must be Ghiradelli or Guittard!)

**Cream together butter, sugars, vanilla, and eggs.  Add dry ingredients and mix well. Then add chocolate chips. Bake at 350* for 11 minutes. (Do NOT overcook!)

Cookie Salad

Oh, Cookie Salad! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!  

Here is another party favorite and it's PERFECT for any summer BBQ! I never take this little salad anywhere without someone wanting to know how to make it. Of course it contains one of my favorite ingredients, which surprisingly enough (this time) isn't cream cheese! Nope, it's Cool Whip! My friend Chrisann (Oh, how I love and miss her smiling face!) would ask every time we were going to have a little faculty luncheon at the school we taught at together, what I would be bringing that contained Cool Whip! She was certain I could create my own recipe book on 101 recipes to use Cool Whip! I quite possibly could and I'm sure you all would buy it!  Anyway, on to the recipe for this little salad that has often been referred to as a dessert. :)

(image found here)

2 sm. pkg. instant vanilla pudding

2 C. buttermilk

16 oz. Cool Whip

2 cans Mandarin Oranges

1 can Pineapple Chunks

1 pkg. Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookies

**In a large bowl whisk together pudding powder and buttermilk. Then fold in Cool Whip. Stir in drained fruit. Break cookies into bite-sized pieces and stir in just before serving (so they don't get soggy). I promise you, this will be a hit!!

Chicken & Black Bean Tostada with Avocado-Cilantro Pesto!

I have the cutest neighbor, Krista, with an amazing cooking blog: Budget Gourmet Mom! Maybe you've heard of it before! While perusing her delectable recipes one day I came upon this deliciousness and couldn't wait to try it out! We decided to make it at my mom's so that we could all try it together and it was a HUGE hit with all of us--and our husbands!  You'll just have to try it for yourself and see if you agree!!

 (I even borrowed her image, thanks Krista!)

3 cups Tyson Grilled Chicken Strips

(We just grilled our own chicken breast and chopped it up!)

Cayenne pepper (optional)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup water

Avocado-Cilantro Pesto (recipe here)

6 Tbs. queso fresco

1 mango, diced

1 tomato, diced

3 cups romaine, chopped

6 corn tortillas

oil for frying

and last but not least......

the Avocado-Cilantro Pesto--visit Budget Gourmet Mom for the recipe!!

**Grill your chicken or reheat the chicken strips according to the package directions.  

Sprinkle with as much or as little cayenne pepper as you like, dice into cubes, and set aside.

In a small saucepan heat the black beans with water and season with salt and pepper.  

Roughly mash with a fork and keep on low, stirring often to heat through.

Make the pesto, if you haven't yet.

In a small skillet heat a 1/4″ of oil over medium- high heat. 

 Fry each tortilla for a minute or until crisp.  Place on a plate lined with paper towels.  

Now create an assembly line.  Spread each tortilla with a couple of tablespoons of mashed black beans, 1 tablespoon of pesto, a handful of romaine, a handful of chicken, diced tomatoes, diced mango, and sprinkle with queso fresco.

Thanks again, Budget Gourmet Mom for letting us post one of your fabulous recipes over here on Howe to Cook!!!

Vanilla Ice Cream

Remember that friend of mine, Marnie, that I mentioned in my cheesecake post? Well, thanks to her wonderful, sweet, amazing mom (Carla) we get this recipe for the most divine homemade vanilla ice cream on the planet! Seriously! Whenever they have a birthday in their family Carla and Dan will make this deliciousness and I always hope I'm nearby to be invited to the family festivities--I'm practically family after all. :)  For the past couple of Memorial Day BBQ's we've been whipping up a batch of this heaven, it's SOO good we rarely even mix anything in it, we just enjoy the delicious vanilla flavor. Try it for yourselves and let us know what you think!

Here's my favorite part of this recipe, it calls for Junkets. When I first heard that I was like, "What the junk is a Junket?" I soon found out they are found in the gelatin aisle of your local supermarket, I haven't seen them at Walmart, but Macey's has always had them when I've needed them.



Combine and set aside:
7 Junkets
7 Tbs. water

In a large pan mix:
1 can Evaporated Milk
8 C. milk
1 Qt. whipping cream
3 1/2 C. sugar
5-6 tsp. vanilla
**Heat to warm, but not hot.
Add junket & water mixture
Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes.
Pour into ice cream freezer, add ice and salt and let 'er go!