Eclairs

When I worked at Perkins, I loved the eclairs! I didn't eat them often, but every once in awhile it hit the spot. I saw this recipe, and knew I had to give it a try! Doing the filling was the most time consuming, and slightly frustrated part. They weren't overly clean either, but they did taste like the ones you buy in the store! I'd definitely make these again, if it wasn't so time consuming.

Eclairs

Eclairs-Adapted from The Daily Smash
Total Time: 1 hour
Makes 10 eclairs

Eclairs

• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs

Custard Filling

• 1 (4 serving size) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups milk (or as called for on pudding package)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• dash of salt

Chocolate Frosting

• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons hot water

In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter and water. Bring to a boil, stirring to melt butter.

Reduce heat to low and stir in flour and salt with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to form a stiff ball of dough.

Remove from heat and add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition to ensure they are incorporated. Work quickly, especially with the first one, to prevent it from cooking into scrambled eggs on the bottom of your warm pan.

Fill large plastic zip bag with dough, and cut off tip to be able to pipe. Pipe out dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 and bake another 20 minutes, until puffed and golden and hollow sounding when lightly tapped on the bottom. If you under cook them, they will flatten out. 

 When removed from oven, IMMEDIATELY pierce the ends almost through to the other side with a sharp knife to let steam escape and prevent any sogginess in the middle. This hole is also where you will be piping your filling into. Let cool completely before filling and icing (this will only take about half an hour).

For the Custard Filling:

Combine pudding and milk in a bowl and mix according to package directions. (Let the pudding set in the the fridge about 10 min) In a separate bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and dash of salt. Fold whipped cream into pudding. 

Scoop mixture into zip bag with hole cut at end and pipe mixture into centers of eclairs until full. 

For the Chocolate Icing:

Melt the chocolate and butter over low heat in a saucepan. Stir in  powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until icing is smooth and reaches desired consistency. Drizzle, pipe or spread over filled eclairs.

Mushroom, Corn and Poblano Tacos

Tacos are one of my favorite things to make. They're just so easy and basically a comfort food. Since I started cooking, my favorite thing about tacos is that they are so diverse. You can make chicken tacos, and chinese tacos, and tacos in a casserole. Whatever sounds good, just throw it in a tortilla!

These tacos, even though they have no meat, were so delicious and filling. There was a lot of flavor to the tacos themselves. These tacos were probably my most 'out-there' taco I've tried to date. I love mushrooms and I would make these again and again.

Mushroom, Corn and Poblano Tacos

Mushroom, Corn and Poblano Tacos-Adapted from Cooking Light's "Dinner Tonight"
Total Time: 20 Minutes
Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 poblano chile, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup salsa verde
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 flour tortillas
• 4 ounces shredded taco cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 cup black olives

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add mushrooms; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and onion, oregano, garlic, chili powder, cumin and poblano chile. Cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn and beans, cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat and stir in salsa, lime juice, hot sauce and salt.

Heat tortillas and divide vegetables among tortillas. top with cheese, cilantro, sour cream and black olives.

Shrimp Bisque

This was a great flavorful tomato soup! We ate it with the Cheesy Breadsticks, and it was so good! I love shrimp, I just wish it wasn't so expensive to cook with! This soup is so quick and easy to make and it is absolutely delicious! Just make it! (PS...yes I did realize I ended each sentence with an exclamation point.)

Shrimp Bisque

Shrimp Bisque-Adapted from Real Simple's "Dinner Tonight? Done!"
Total Time: 20 Minutes
Serves 4

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp
• 1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 2 tablespoons whiskey
• 2 cans tomato soup
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Toss the shrimp with pepper, garlic and salt until opaque throughout, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a plate.

Add the whiskey to the saucepan and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the soup and cream and simmer until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add back shrimp until heated through. Top with cheese.

Cheesy Breadsticks

This is a nice easy recipe to have as a side for some tomato soup--which is just how we had it! There's good flavor, and it's so easy and quick!

Cheesy Breadsticks

Cheesy Breadsticks-adapted from Prevention Guide's Easy Family Meals
Total Time: 12 minutes
Serves 6

• 2 refrigerated pizza crusts
• 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 cup marinara sauce, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer to a baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheese and Italian seasoning.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden. Slice into strips to serve with warm marinara sauce.

Apple Scones

A few weeks ago, I bought a bag of apples since they're in season and I needed some fruit in my life. The thing is, they weren't very good apples. So I decided to bake them! These scones weren't anything super special, but they were decent. A little dry-I probably won't make them again, but who knows!

Apple Scones

Apple Scones-Adapted from SparkRecipes
Total Time: 20 Minutes
Makes 12 Scones

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 cup butter, chilled
• 2 small apples peeled, cored, and shredded
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt into a largebowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add shredded apple, 1/4 c milk, applesauce, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Stir to form a soft dough.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently 8 - 10 times. Pat into two 6-inch round circles or drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until browned and risen. 

Apple Streusel Muffins

This recipe was part of my apple baking extravaganza! I got the recipe from a friend from high school after posting on Facebook that I had too many apples, and didn't know what to do with them. These muffins were great! I think I'll use a bit more apple next time, but these are definitely worth a try!

Apple Streusel Muffins

Apple Streusel Muffins

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Makes 12 Muffins

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chopped apples

For the Streusel

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.

In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon

In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in flour mixture. Spoon into pan.

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle on top of muffin mixture.

Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Frittata with Potato and Prosciutto

Frittatas are slowly becoming a favorite of mine-both for breakfast and dinner. They are a little bit heartier than just eggs, but not overwhelming. And you can put so much stuff in them to make them your own!

This recipe is definitely a new favorite. The potatoes turned out amazing, and the prosciutto gave it just enough salt and flavor. This is super easy and quick to make-it would be perfect for a Sunday morning when you have guests! Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

Frittata with Potato and Prosciutto

Frittata with Potato and Prosciutto-adapted from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Serves 6

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 small yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 large eggs
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried basil

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the potato, garlic, salt and pepper, and saute over medium-low heat until the potato is tender and golden, about 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, whipping cream, Parmesan cheese, prosciutto and basil. Stir the egg mixture into the skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until egg mixture is set.

Taco Pizza

I don't know why, but I've been on such a kick for taco pizza recently. It just always sounds so good. I've been meaning to make one for awhile, but haven't gotten around to it. Until now.

I have to say, I never thought of using refried beans instead of salsa for a "sauce". I love refried beans so this actually made me happy! Using crescent rolls instead of pizza dough was a nice change too. A different texture, but it was definitely yummy! Something I'll be making again! Thanks, once again, to Pinterest!

Taco Pizza

Taco Pizza-adapted from Real Mom Kitchen
Total Time: 20 Minutes
Serves 6

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 2 cans crescent rolls
• 1 can refried beans
• 2 cups shredded taco cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 4 green onions, chopped

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cook ground beef until browned; drain and return to skillet. Add taco seasoning according to package directions.

Unroll crescent rolls in squares on to foil lined baking sheet, pressing down center to make a crust on the edges. Place in over for 11-13 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

In microwave safe bowl, heat refried beans about 1 1/2 minutes. Spread beans onto crescent rolls. Evenly top with ground beef, tomatoes, black olives, green onions and cheese. Cook 3-5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted. Cut into squares and serve.

Pot Roast with Lemon

I love pot roast. It's one of those things that I grew up with. My grandma would make it all the time, in an oven bag and make the absolute best gravy! I haven't gotten up the courage to make it that way yet, but I finally tried a roast outside of the crockpot!

The original recipe calls for lamb, but I'm not that fancy, so I stuck to a beef shoulder roast. I was a little worried when I first took the roast out of the oven that it wasn't going to cook long enough as it was still bloody. I ended up leaving it in another 25 minutes, instead of 15. It probably would've been fine at 15 minutes. The lemon flavor is great, but not over powering. The roast is a little dry, as they usually tend to be. But it was great with some gravy and mashed potatoes.

I forgot a picture. But I promise it was yummy looking!

Pot Roast with Lemon-adapted from "Cook This Now" by Melissa Clark
Total Time: 2 Hours
Serves 6

• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1-3 1/2-4 pound boneless beef shoulder roast
• 1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 lemons
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cups water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season the lamb with salt, pepper, and 2 cloves of garlic; refrigerate until ready to cook. Finely grate the zest of both lemons and reserve; juice the lemons.

Heat the oil in a large, oven-safe Dutch oven until almost smoking. Sear the roast in the oil until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Pour the lemon juice over the roast, and add enough water to cover about half the roast (about 2 cups). Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat.

Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 45 minutes then turn the meat over in the pot, add remaining garlic, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in reserved lemon zest and continue to cook for 15 more minutes.

Veggie Cheese Soup

I have made a few different cheese soups since I've started cooking. They've all been fine. I thought this soup was on the verge of great! It had so much flavor and yummyness! Even though some may consider this gross, I think the diference was the Velveeta cheese. It just has so much flavor and thickness to it! You could always remove the ham from this recipe to make it vegetarian, but it does give it some extra yum!

Veggie Cheese Soup

Veggie Cheese Soup-Adapted from Taste of Home

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Serves 9

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 celer rib, chopped
• 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 3/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 3 cups frozen California-blend vegetables, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped fully cooked lean ham
• 8 ounces velveeta

In a large nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook onion and celery over medium high until tender. Stir in potatoes, water and bouillon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Return to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in condensed soup until blended.

Reduce heat; add vegetables and ham. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Stir in cheese until melted.

Lasagna

When I first started cooking for Scott, I remember him saying something along the lines of, "I'll say you're a good cook once you can make lasagna." This was definitely one of the best lasagnas I've ever made! I don't think I will ever go back to using ricotta in lasagna. The cottage cheese was just too good! It was sinful...but definitely a go to.

Lasagna

Lasagna-adapted from Cooking with Kare cookbook

Total Time: 1 hour

Serves 12

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 24-ounce carton low-fat cream cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saucepan, cook sausage over medium-high heat until no longer pink; drain fat. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil, garlic and salt. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain.

In a medium bowl combine cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese and pepper. In 13x9 inch baking pan layer 4 noodles, 1/3 sauce, 1/2 cottage cheese mixture and 1/3 sliced cheese. Repeat; end with noodles, sauce and sliced cheese. 

Bake 30-40 minutes or until bubbly all over. 

Granola

I've been wanting to try making my own granola for a long time. I don't know why-I've never bought granola from the store or anything. I think I'm just trying to be healthier and granola always seems so healthy.

This granola is definitely one that needs to be mixed with something. For me, that something is yogurt! Especially if you're just eating plain, not flavored yogurt, granola can make it so much better! This makes a lot, so if you aren't already a big granola fan, you might want to halve the recipe. I don't know that I'll make it again, but I'll definitely continue to try new recipes!

Granola

Granola-adapted from "The Brown Bag Lunch Cookbook" by Miriam Jacobs
Total Time: 25 Minutes
Makes 2 quarts

• 4 cups rolled oats (not instant)
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoon molasses
• 1 tablespoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, oat bran, almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds, cinnamon and cloves. Mix well.

In a medium bowl, mix the honey, oil, water, molasses, and almond extract. Mix well.

Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture. Spread over a large baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 7 minutes.