Kudos to Kiki!

I have been busy with finals and with my hubby traveling a lot for work I have had no desire to cook anything lately . . . although as a stress reliever I did crank out a few batches of strawberry freezer jam . . . but I have to give Kudos to my little sister Kiki for her darling cake decorating skills! My niece turned 1 last week and we celebrated with a lady bug themed birthday party! I think the cake and cupcakes turned out darling! You have mad skills K! Way to go! And happy birthday to you today! Are you really 23? Getting up there babe!

Strawberry Ice Cream Chocolate Cake Roll

This cake roll is awesome! It is also awesome to give away to some great people! The cake is super spongy, moist and delish and this ice cream recipe is the best! I could eat it all before it even freezes it is sooooo good! Plus this looks like a light spring dessert (well, before covering it in chocolate sauce . . .) All that I can say is that I am sold on ice cream cake rolls now!Chocolate Cake Roll

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa or HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups Ice Cream(any flavor)slightly softened
Powdered sugar(optional)

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 15-1/2x10-1/2x1-inch jelly-roll pan with vegetable cooking spray. Line with wax paper; spray again.

2. Sift together flour, cocoa and baking powder. Beat eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla in small bowl until pale in color, about 5 minutes. Fold in cocoa mixture; spread batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly in center. Invert cake onto clean towel; remove wax paper. Roll up cake with powder sugar sprinkled towel from short side. Cool completely on wire rack.

4. Unroll cake; spread with ice cream. Reroll cake without towel; press seam-side down. Cover; freeze until firm. Sprinkle top lightly with powdered sugar, if desired. Cover; freeze leftover cake roll. 8 servings.

Asian Kebabs, Toasted Coconut Rice and Mango Cucumber Salad

An amazing family in my ward is getting ready to welcome a new arrival to their clan on Monday, so I was excited to roll up my sleeves and spend a little time in the kitchen making dinner for them! It was a treat for our family too since I tried out a few new dishes which my hubby agreed will now grace our favorites list! The sauce for the kebabs is the kicker here! It is soooo good! I made the kebabs yesterday with pork and today with chicken (they were that good and I made enough sauce to accommodate both meals). Try these kebabs! You will NOT regret it!
Asian Pork Kebabs
Recipe by: Robin Miller

Apricot Mayo
1 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Apricot Preserves
1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Ginger

1. Whisk all of the apricot mayo ingredients together and set aside 1/3 cup of mayo to baste skewers with.

Kebabs
1 1/4 lb Pork tenderloin cut into 1 inch cubes (or chicken)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2 inch pieces
Metal or Wooden Skewers
Salt
Pepper

1. Alternate pork pieces and red pepper pieces on the skewers. Season with salt and pepper and then brush with reserved apricot mayo mixture. Place the skewers on a hot grill pan or in a 350 degree oven. Turn repeatedly cooking for 7-10 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with the reserved apricot mayonnaise mixture.

Toasted Coconut Rice (2 ways)
I am a major fan of basmati and jasmine rice so I made regular (not instant) rice for my coconut rice, but Robin's recipe calls for instant rice . . . so use whatever you have on hand.

Robin's Recipe:
1/4 cup Shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup Instant Rice
1 14 oz can unsweetened light coconut milk

Toast the coconut in a dry medium pan over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until lightly toasted. Add the rice and coconut milk. Increase the heat to medium high, bring to a simmer, cover, and let simmer fro 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Em's Coconut Rice:
1 1/3 cup Jasmine Rice (Or regular white rice)
1 can Regular coconut Milk (or lite)
1/2 cup Sweetened Coconut
pinch of salt

1. Pour the coconut milk into a measuring pitcher, add enough water to the pitcher to total 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Set aside.
2.Toast the coconut in a medium pan over medium heat until lightly browned, set aside 2 tbsp of the toasted coconut.
3. Add the coconut milk/water mixture, rice and pinch of salt to the toasted coconut in the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce the heat to low-medium low, simmering mixture for 20-25 minutes, until rice is cooked and tender. Remove from heat, garnish with reserved toasted coconut and enjoy!

(You may need more water depending on what type of coconut milk you use, lite milk is more watery whereas regular may need more water.)

I am obsessed with mango's lately! They are just so good and are great to add to so many things . . . hence they have made another appearance at my table! This salad is very refreshing and is a nice and light addition to any meal! I love it!
Cucumber Mango Salad
Recipe by: Emily

1 Mango, peeled and diced
1 Cucumber, stripe peeled, slice in half length wise and then thinly sliced
1/2 Tbsp Finely sliced red onion
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Vinegar
1-2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Chopped Parsley
1/3 tsp Chives
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, parsley, salt, pepper, and chives. Pour dressing over the diced mango, red onion, and sliced cucumbers, mix well and serve chilled. Enjoy!

"Guerken Salat" Cucumber Salad

I think too many people dismiss cucumbers before even giving them a chance (I can see some of my fam rolling their eyes now . . .). I have to admit that I have not always been a cucumber fan . . . but now I am a total cucumber addict! I eat them plain, on sam's, in salads, as a snack, for breakfast on toast, I have even had them in soup and they delish! All you need is a good cucumber . . . I love the English ones or smaller cucumber's that don't have big tough seeds. The best cucumber I have ever had came from my Uncle Don's garden (gotta love home grown goods!). They were smaller and just crisp and refreshing. So as a salute to cucumbers and in turn a salute to Germany and Austria, where I came to eat MANY and grew to love them, here is a cucumber salad that is delish! I served it with Schnitzel to offset the heaviness. So good! I LOVE schnitzel too and it is now so easy for me to make . . . try it . . . you will LOVE it! Here are some other German FAVORITES!!!
Cucumber Salad
Recipe by: Emily

1 cucumber, stripe peeled and sliced very thin
1 Tbsp Red Onion, sliced in very thin small strips
1 Tbsp Sour Cream
2 Tbsp Vinegar, Apple cider or regular White Vinegar
1-2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Chives (I used dried)
1/4 tsp Dry Dill weed
1 Tbsp fresh Parsley
Pinch of Salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper

1. To make the dressing mix the vinegar and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Add the herbs, salt and pepper. Last, stir in the sour cream until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
2. Add the cucumbers and red onion to the dressing and coat evenly. Refrigerate or serve immediately. (The longer it sits the stronger the flavor and the more liquid will come out of the cucumbers, so if you are going to refrigerate it you may want to add more cucumber.)

Sweetly Angry Crispy Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

Miss Prudy from Prudence Pennywise shared an awesome story the other day that brought an experience from many years ago to my mind! The day MY sister brought her hubby home to eat with our family! What a day! This certain sisters' (I have 4) dating experience in High School was my most valuable teacher growing up . . . so much drama! I learned what to avoid through and through and decided before I had even reached 16 what I was NOT going to deal with . . . anyways that is another story . . . so the day that my Bro. in law came over was on a Sunday . . . he was invited for brunch. So our big family crowded around the table and low and behold another of my sisters male friends decided to drop by . . . long story short he was in my opinion . . . not very nice boy and he apparently was very slow at taking hints from my sis. So anyways there we were 9 of us sitting around the table (My Bro was on his mission . . . it would have been MUCH more interesting had he been their I am sure!) anywho it was SO interesting watching the new boy (B.I.L) and the guy that just couldn't take a hint sitting on either side of my sister . . . of course six pairs of eyes were watching everything with apt attention . . . my Bro. in law played it smooth and actually was very chill getting along great with our fam and obviously won the girl in the end . . . but what a crazy brunch that was! I am amazed that the kid stayed for brunch! I am sure many can relate to girl drama! It was always certainly crazy at our house and I have always felt VERY protective of my sisters! Frankly it is amazing that the kid walked out alive (he was a toad through and through! Fam we all know this!) . . . but moving on . . . the story has a happy ending and I now have 3 adorable nephews as a result of an electrifying family brunch! Okay onto some food . . .

I LOVE fish and shrimp tacos! Whenever we head down south a bit I love to stop and get a fish taco at one of my favorite places . . . The Parrot Head! They are so loaded with yummy goodness that they tend fall apart sometimes when we eat them! (The best way to eat them!) These tacos really do not take a lot of time to make . . . in fact by the time you pull the shrimp out of the oven you can have everything else prepped and ready . . . well worth it! I promise!
Sweetly Crispy Angry Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
Recipe by: Emily

Bite Size Breaded Shrimp (Or bread your own)
Shredded Cabbage or Coleslaw mix
Tomatoes, diced
Shredded Cheese
Lime Wedges
1-2 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce (The spicy Asian style!)
Corn tortilla's

1. To assemble taco's bake or fry shrimp according to package instructions until crispy. Coat shrimp lightly with the sweet chili sauce in a bowl and toss to coat evenly. (This gives the tacos a nice "kick"!)
2. To assemble tacos; warm corn tortilla's and then spread a thin layer of the creamy sauce on the bottom.(This helps hold things in . . .) Top with 5-6 chili sauce coated shrimp, then layer on cabbage, diced tomatoes, cheese, mango salsa, and a drizzle more of sauce. Serve tacos with lime wedges to squeeze over before eating! Enjoy!
(We LOVED these! They are awesome with fish too!)

Creamy Sauce

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Vinegar
2 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Paprika
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper

1. Mix together and serve on top of shrimp or fish tacos!

Mango Salsa
Recipe by: Emily

1 Mango, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 Cucumber, stripe peeled, seeded, and diced
2 Tbsp Red Onion, diced
1 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped
2 tsp Lime Juice
1/4-1/2 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and diced small
1/2-1 tsp Sugar
Dash of Salt
Dash of Pepper

1. Mix all of the ingredients together, taste, season again if desired and serve!

BBQ Bacon Wrapped Chicken Wraps

I can hardly believe that March is nearly over already! With today's lovely snowfall I have wondered if spring is ever going to come . . . it is chilly outside and I am not looking forward to braving the wind for my math class! Nothing like logarithms, ellipses, and parabola's to make for an exciting evening!
I had every intention of grabbing a DC w/lime when I ran to get flour at the grocery store but totally spaced it! I was distracted by a giant bag of my favorite brand of gummy worms on sale! (The chewier the better!) Today I also figured that I had better take advantage of the fact that I actually have bacon in my home . . . so I made a killer wrap that I am definitely going to have to make for my hubby someday! This recipe is an amazing example that sometimes the simplest creations are the best! Speaking of my handsome hubby . . . my exciting news from a few days ago was that he got a new job and we are both excited! However he loved working at Iron Springs Elementary and T.U.R.N, so here is a huge thank you to the amazing faculty members and staff that made each day so terrific for him and who check out my blog to see what we are up to! Take care all and thank you so much! He will miss you greatly!
BBQ Bacon Wrapped Chicken Wraps
Recipe by: Emaline
Chicken Tenders
Bacon
Lettuce, torn and washed
Tomatoes, sliced
Red Onion, thinly sliced
Shredded Cheddar Cheese or Shredded Cheese Blend
BBQ Sauce
Mayonnaise
Tortilla's or favorite flavored wrap

1. Wrap each chicken tender in one strip of bacon. Cook over medium heat in a skillet until the bacon is crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
2. Mix 1 part mayo to 1/2 part BBQ sauce. Warm up tortillas and spread BBQ/Mayo sauce on each. Layer sauce, cheese, tomato slices, lettuce, red onion and then bacon wrapped chicken tenders on top of tortilla. (Two chicken tenders per wrap is plenty!) Drizzle with additional sauce if desired. Roll up and enjoy!

Homemade Mushroom Ravioli with Sun dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce

Yesterday some of my gals and I had a little dinner and a movie party, (YES we watched Twilight)! It was a fun girls night out and I made nutella ravioli and chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing for dessert, so I had some extra wonton wrappers from the ravioli and opted to make mushroom ravioli for dinner tonight.
I LOVE mushrooms but alas my handsome hubby does not . . . so when I am doing dinner stag I love to utilize mushrooms. I discovered how easy breezy making homemade ravioli is and swear to never buy store bought again! (Yeah I say that now . . .) Anywho I am now addicted so who knows what will come of it!
When I make my famous stuffed mushrooms I add clams to the stuffing . . . so I added them to my ravioli this time too, but that is TOTALLY optional but I think it is amazing. Anywho my sun dried tomato addiction paid off big time with the sauce too! This dish was simply (to sum up in one word) SUPERB! It was really not killer heavy and the ravioli were awesome even without the sauce and are fast and easy to make and cook!
Mushroom Ravioli
Recipe by: Emily

2 cups Mushrooms, cleaned and chopped, use your fave!
1 can Chopped Clams (Optional)
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
1/4 Mozzarella cheese, shredded, or Italian blend
1/4 cup Onion, diced
1-2 Tbsp Chopped Parsley
1-2 Tbsp Dry Bread Crumbs
3 Tbsp SDT Alfredo Sauce
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Salt

1. Saute the onions in a pan over medium heat until they begin to brown, (if adding clams pour the clam juice in to deglaze the pan)add the mushrooms and cook until tender, if using clams add them and warm through. Add enough bread crumbs to sop up most of the juice left in the pan. Remove from heat and add the Alfredo sauce, cheeses, parsley, and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings.
2.Spoon rounded tablespoons full of mushroom mixture into the center of wonton wrappers. Brush the edges of the wontons with water and seal ravioli by placing another wonton sheet on top of topping topped piece and press water brushed edges to seal. Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil and cook ravioli for a few minutes on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve hot! (Make sure the water is no at a hard boil of the pasta filling may come out.)Serve with favorite sauce or as is. Enjoy!

(Sun dried Tomato) Alfredo SauceRecipe by: Julie Smith
1/2 cup Butter
8 oz Cream cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
1 cup Milk or Cream (Plus more for thinning if desired)
1/4 cup Sun dried Tomatoes in oil, pureed
2 cloves Roasted Garlic, pureed
Salt

1. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium low heat then add the cream cheese and Parmesan cheese stirring until melted. Add the Pureed sun dried tomatoes and pureed garlic. Stir, add the milk and cook until it begins to thicken and has a creamy consistency. Taste and add salt if desired and more milk if you want a thinner consistency. Serve over pasta!

I used my sisters recipe as my Alfredo base and then simply added Sun dried tom's and roasted garlic. This is also AWESOME with caramelized onions!

Hawaiian French Toast with Coconut Syrup and Caramelized Pineapple

Last night a recipe came into my head that came to existence at the break of day today . . . Hawaiian bread french toast with coconut syrup! I must have been seriously inspired to get up early this morning and make breakfast for my handsome hubby because today just became a day of celebration!I will have to share more later but no I am not expecting and no I am not graduating yet (got a lovely e-mail a little while back that said that they miss calculated my classes and I need 1, yes 1 more! . . . story of my life!) Life it great though! What can I say! This tropical twist on french toast was something awesome too! Next time I am definately going to make bacon to serve alongside it because it was something sweet in the end! But oh so good! I especially love the syrup! Yum-E!Hawaiian French Toast with Coconut Syrup and Caramelized Pineapple
Recipe by: Emily

4-5 Slices of Hawaiian Bread (Kings is best! or homemade!)
3 eggs
1/4 cup Coconut Milk
Pinch of Salt

1. Wisk eggs, milk and salt together. Dip the slices of bread into egg mixture on each side to coat. Cook bread slices in a buttered frying pan over medium heat until browned on both sides.
2. Pour 3 tablespoons of pineapple juice or water into the frying pan and add 1/4 cup brown sugar and then pineapple slices. Allow the pineapple to warm through and caramelize in the sugar.
Serve with butter, pineapple slices and coconut syrup. Enjoy!

Coconut Syrup
Recipe by: Emily

1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Water
1/2 tsp Coconut Extract
1/2 cup Coconut Milk

1. Pour the sugar, corn syrup, and water into a sauce pan, stir and bring mixture to a boil. Allow to continue boiling for 3-4 minutes, until the sugar is completely disolved and the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat add coconut extract and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before wisking in coconut milk. Serve over french toast, pancakes, poundcake etc. Enjoy!

This syrup would be great to baste cakes with to keep them moist!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

If you have never tried sweet potato fries you have been missing out my friend! My hubby and I LOVE these and order them whenever we see them! Sweet potatoes are so good for you too and are loaded with dietary fiber, beta carotene, and vitamins A, C and B6! I am determined to incorporate more of them into my menu!
They are also awesome as chips and bake up nice and crispy! They are seriously one of my favorite veggies to eat! I especially love them with my sour horse sauce (which gets its name from the sour cream and horseradish used in it). It tastes good on anything . . . in fact tonight I was dipping baby carrots in it! (So good!)

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Recipe by: Emily

2 large Sweet Potatoes
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Seasoning Salt
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Parsley
1/8 tsp Cinnamon

1. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch strips. Toss the potato strips in a bowl with the oil.
2. Mix the seasonings together and sprinkle over the potato strips, tossing well to coat.
3. Spread the potato strips out evenly on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, stir fries and then bake for 15-20 minutes more or until lightly crisped. Enjoy with Sour Horse sauce!

Sour Horse Sauce
Recipe by: Emily

1/2 cup Sour Cream
2 1/2 tsp Prepared Horseradish
2 1/2 tsp Ketchup or Cocktail sauce
1/2 tsp Seasoning salt
Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Paprika
1 tsp fresh of dried Chives

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate until use!

This sauce is a little spicy and oh so good for dipping anything in!