31.1.18

Peach Pie

Peach Topping:
1/2 C water
3 T cornstarch
2 large peaches, peeled and smashed up
1 C sugar
1/2 t almond extract
2 T butter
8 peaches, peeled and sliced

Crust:- or just buy one?
3 C graham cracker crumbs (about 2 packages)
7 T butter, melted
1/2 C sugar
1/8 t cinnamon
dash salt

Filling:
2   8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1   16 oz cool whip
2 C powdered sugar
2 t vanilla
dash salt

PEACH TOPPING
1. Place your cornstarch into a small bowl. Pour the 1/2 C water over the top and stir it around until it's all combined.
2. In a separate bowl smash up the 2 peaches.
3. Put your smashed peaches, sugar, almond extract, butter and cornstarch mixture into a medium sized sauce pan. Stir it all up.
4. Heat up the mixture over medium high. Let it come to a boil while you stir it. Let it cook for about 2 minutes or until it's nice and thick. Set it aside to cool. Give your self a high five.

CRUST
1. Put all crust ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Stir them around until well combined.
2. Divide the mixture in half. Press each half into a 9 inch pie tin. I like to use a measuring cup to press it in.

FILLING
1. With electric beaters (or with your stand mixer) beat the cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add the sugar, vanilla, dash of salt, and beat until nice and smooth....again with the smooth.
3. Add your cool whip....and get the old girl rolling. Blend it up until it's fluffy-ish. Wow. That's technical.
4. Put half of the filling into each crust. Spread it out evenly with a knife.
5. Add the rest of your fresh peaches to the your cooled topping glaze. Stir until combined and pour over the top of each pie. Wrap each pie with plastic wrap and let it chill out in the fridge for at least an hour.


Fried Apples & Honey

Makes 1.5 cups fried apples in about 15 minutes

2 large apples
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Core the apples, and cut into small cubes.  If you’re using organic apples, you can leave the skin on.  Otherwise, peel and discard the skin.

Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat.  Add in diced apples, and saute for 10 minutes.  Add more butter if the apples start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Drizzle on honey and sprinkle cinnamon, then stir to evenly distribute.  Continue cooking an additional 5 minutes.


Dump & Bake Chicken

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package uncooked rotini pasta
1 (22 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce (about 2 ½ cups)
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups diced rotisserie chicken (or other diced cooked chicken)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (4 ounce) jar diced roasted red peppers, drained (about ½ cup)
½ cup minced sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup shredded mozzarella (or Italian blend) cheese
Optional: Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped herbs (such as basil, oregano, and parsley) for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large 13 x 9-inch baking dish, stir together uncooked pasta, Alfredo sauce, chicken broth, chicken, garlic, red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.
Uncover; stir. At this point you should check the pasta to make sure that it is al dente (firm but just about finished cooking). If it’s still too hard, cover the dish and return to the oven until pasta is al dente. Then move on to the next step.
Once pasta is al dente, stir in the fresh spinach. The spinach will wilt almost instantly as you stir it into the hot pasta. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top. Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes (or until cheese is melted and pasta is tender).
Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan or fresh chopped herbs, if desired



Slow Cooker Cuban Vaca Frita

Slow Cooker Cuban Vaca Frita

Prep time: 20-30 minutes
Cook time: 8 - 12 hours

Ingredients for Slow Cooker
  • 3-4 lb grass-fed beef (brisketchuck roast, or flank steak)
  • 4-6 roma tomatoes
  • 2 onions (any color)
  • 2-3 bell peppers (any color)
  • 1 head garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 3-4 dried bay leaves
  • 2-3 tsp spice mix ("Sazon" substitute, recipe below)
  • filtered/purified water for cooking
"Sazon" spice mix (to avoid MSG and excessive refined salt in the pre-packaged kind
  • 1 part garlic powder
  • 1 part dried coriander (substitute dried parsley if for some reason you can't find it)
  • 1 part paprika powder
  • 1 part ground cumin
  • 1/2 part unrefined sea or Himalayan salt
Marinade ingredients
  • 1 heaping Tbsp fresh pressed or minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp unrefined sea or Himalayan salt
  • Juice of 1-2 limes (depending on how juicy they are)
Ingredients for Frying
  • Shredded marinated beef
  • several Tbsp cooking fat (lardpalm shortening, or tallow -- NOT coconut oil
  • 1 onion, sliced or chopped
  • 1-2 limes, quartered
Cooking Directions
  1. Thaw roast in fridge about 2 days before you want to cook it.
  2. Gather all ingredients for the slow cooker. Place thawed roast in your slow cooker's crock. Coarsely chop all vegetables (onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes) and add them. Peel garlic and crush each clove using the heel of your hand or the broad side of a chef's knife and add to crock.
  3. Make "Sazon" spice mix. To make just enough for this recipe, use 1/2 tsp each of the garlic powder, dried culantro or parsley, paprika powder, and ground cumin and 1/4 tsp of salt. Or, make a larger batch to use in other recipes. It's a great all-purpose Latin seasoning. Sprinkle over ingredients in crock and then add filtered/purified water to cover ingredients.
  4. Set slow cooker to low and cook for 8-12 hours, or until meat is falling apart tender (able to shred with a fork).
  5. Carefully remove roast from your slow cooker and place it on a large plate or platter to cool. Strain broth and freeze for a soup or other recipe (don't throw it away!). Discard vegetables.
  6. While you wait for the roast to cool, make the marinade. Press or mince the garlic into a small bowl and mix with salt and fresh-squeezed lime juice.
  7. Once roast is cool enough to handle, use 2 forks to shred the meat. Place shredded meat in a large non-reactive bowl, then pour marinade on top and mix well with the meat. Make additional marinade if necessary. Cover bowl with an air-tight lid and place in refrigerator overnight (about 24 hours). Note: If you made a large roast and will be eating leftovers for a few days, do not worry about leaving the beef in the marinade.
  8. Work in small batches. Heat about 2 Tbsp of your fat of choice over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Spread out meat to cover about 1/2 to 3/4 of the surface area of the pan, and space the pieces out (as pictured). Let it sizzle and fry for several minutes on each side. As it is cooking, I like to use 2 forks to pull apart the meat into even smaller pieces that get crispier. DO NOT crowd the beef in the pan or else it will steam rather than fry and the texture will not turn out correctly.
  9. After about 5-8 minutes of cooking, add 1/3 or 1/2 of a chopped onion. Continue to stir frequently and fry until the onion is softened, about 3-5 minutes. I recommend using a stainless steel spatula so you can scrape up any crunch bits that try to stick to the bottom of the pan. Add additional fat as needed to keep everything well oiled. Total cooking time should be between 10 and 15 minutes, and the end result should be darkened, crispy beef and soft onions (see photo).
  10. If you are just cooking for one, you're done! If not, set aside and cook up additional batches as needed. Before serving, add all the beef and onions back to the pan and let them cook over medium heat for several minutes, stirring frequently, so everything is piping hot. Squeeze some fresh lime juice on top just before serving and garnish with an additional lime wedge. Enjoy!