Strawberry Cheesecake Trifle

Oh My Gosh....This is HEAVEN! I made this for mother's day weekend and there were no leftovers (we did share it with my sister's family)! This will definitely be a Mother's day tradition at our house!

Ingredients:
2 qts. strawberries, sliced
1 c. sugar, divided
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. lime juice (fresh squeezed is better if you can)
3 c. whipped, whipping cream (be sure to whip it before you mix it with the cream cheese mixture)
1 loaf (10 oz.) pound cake cubed (Sara Lee in the freezer section works great)
1 large chocolate bar grated, divided
Chocolate swirls and strawberries to garnish.

Directions:
1. Toss strawberries with 1/2 c. sugar. Allow to chill in refrigerator until juicy (for about an hour).
2. Cream together the lime juice, cream cheese and the remainder of the sugar. Add whip cream and blend until creamy (make sure you blend the cream cheese, lime juice and sugar first, or the acid will curdle the whipped cream.).
3. Drain juice off the strawberries and drizzle onto the cake cubes.
4. Layer in trifle bowl as follows:
1/2 cake cube on bottom
1/3 cream cheese mixture
1/2 strawberry mixture
chocolate shavings

the rest of the cake cubes
1/3 cream cheese mixture
the rest of the strawberry mixture
chocolate shavings

the rest of the cream cheese mixture
chocolate shavings
Strawberries to garnish.

And serve! This awesome recipe is from KSL's Studio 5 website.

Cafe Rio; Pork

4-5 pound Roast

2 c. brown sugar

1 (14 oz.) jar salsa

1 (12 oz.) can of coke

Optional things to serve with:

Black beans

Pinto beans

Grated Cheese

Romaine lettuce

Salsa

Avocados

Place the roast in a slow cooker. Mix the brown sugar, salsa and coke in a blender and and pour over the roast. Cook on low for about 9 hours. Remove meat and shred and discard fat. Put meat back into the slow cooker, mix and serve.

Serve with Cafe Rio Ranch dressing and Cafe Rio Rice, other recipes on this blog.

This recipe is from Jen.

*You can freeze the excess meat.

Cafe Rio; Rice

6 c. water

4 Tbsp. chicken bouillon mix (or 2 cubes)

4 Tbsp. garlic

1/2 bunch of cilantro

1 can green chili's

3/4 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. butter

1/2 c. onions

3 c. uncooked rice

Boil the water and dissolve cubes. Blend the garlic, cilantro, green chilis, salt, butter and onions in a blender. Then add blended mixture in with the water and add rice. Bring everything back up to a boil and then let simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked through.

Make with Cafe Rio Pork and Cafe Rio Ranch Dressing, recipes that you can find on this blog.

This recipe is from my friend Jen, very good.

*You can also double the blender batch and freeze 1/2 of it for the next time that you want to make it, so it's easier the next time you want to make it.

Cafe Rio; Ranch Dressing

1 Ranch packet

1 c. butter milk

1 c. heaping cup mayonnaise

1 (7 oz.) can of salsa verde

1/4 bunch cilantro

1 clove garlic

juice of one lime

1 jalapeno (without the seeds)

Blend all of the above in a blender and chill in the refrigerator. This is really good with veggies, crackers or on salads when you have leftovers.

Serve with Cafe Rio Pork and Cafe Rio; Rice, recipes on this blog.

This recipe is from from my friend Jen. Super good.

*You can make your own buttermilk by mixing 1 Tbsp. of vinegar with 1 c. of milk and let it set for 5 minutes.

*If you love it so much you can double the batch from the salsa down, blend altogether and then divide in half and freeze half of the fresh mix for another time.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken with Prosciutto

Tastes better than it looks.
Ingredients:
Extra-vigin oil
4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
Leaves from 2 small sprigs fresh rosemary
1 whole chicken, quartered (about 3 pounds)
Salt and pepper
3/4 c. chicken stock
1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Warm your dutch oven or cast iron skillet in the oven to get it nice and hot. Drizzle the pan with a 3-count of oil. Add the prosciutto and rosemary and cook, stirring, until the prosciutto is crisp and lightly browned, 3-4 minutes. Push to one side of the pan. Season the chicken on both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper and add it to the hot pan, skin side down, in a single layer. Cook for about 5 minutes until the skin begins to set and crisp. Turn and cook 3 more minutes. Turn the chicken again, stick the pan in the oven and roast until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 30 more minutes (I put the lid on my dutch oven while it cooked).
Take the pan out of the oven. Remove the chicken onto platter and sprinkle prosciutto on top of the chicken, keep warm while you prepare the pan sauce. Pour out all but about 1 Tbsp. of the rendered chicken fat and return the pan to the stove top. Stir in the stock and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, scraping the flavors stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until reduced to a syrup, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the pan sauce over the chicken and serve.
This recipe is from the food network.
Sounds complicated but it was super easy and tasty.

Broccoli Cheese Soup even better!

1 can chicken broth (~ 1 3/4 c. of broth)
1 small onion, diced or to taste

1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
Pepper to taste

2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (the sharper the better for flavor)
1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese
2 1/2 to 3 c. of broccoli florets, cut then steamed (if you don't like a lot of broccoli you can add less).

Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered sauce pan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. Ina separate medium size stockpot, melt butter then add flour and pepper. Cook together for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until soup starts to thicken. Next add chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and stir until smooth. Add steamed broccoli and serve.
This recipe is from http://sowethinkwecancook.com , it is the best with the fresh sharp cheddar cheese and Swiss cheese. My kids LOVE it, and it's a great way to get them to eat their veggies!

Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce

1 bunch fresh asparagus
cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1-2 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Snap ends off of washed asparagus and place on baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12 minutes or until tender. Melt the butter and stir in soy sauce and Balsamic vinegar. Pour over asparagus and serve.
This recipe is from http://sowethinkwecancook.com

Fun Marshmallow Bars

1 package, Devil's food cake mix
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. water
1 egg
3 c. miniature marshmallows
1 c. milk chocolate M&M's
1/2 c. peanuts

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, water and egg. Press into a greased 13 inch by 9 inch pan. Bake @ 375 for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Sprinkle with marshmallows, M&M's and peanuts. Bake 2-3 minutes longer or until the marshmallows just barely begin to melt. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.
This recipe is from Taste of Home; great American cookout edition. It is a great magazine.
*I let mine stay in the oven a little bit longer than I should have the marshmallows melted a little too much and the M&M's cracked but they were yummy.

Herbed Cheese Dip

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. milk
1 Tbsp. sour cream
1 Tbsp. minced parsley
1 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. butter, softened
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1/8 tsp. dill weed

Fresh veggies
Crackers
Mix everything but the veggies together. Make sure you take the dip out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving so it has time to thaw out a little bit (due to the cream cheese that wants to harden).
Yields: 1 1/2 cups.
This recipe is from Taste of Home; great American cookout edition (magazine). It was really good.

Vanilla Popcorn

*This is super easy, fast (only about 10 minutes). A great after school snack.
3 quarts of popped popcorn
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. light corn syrup (I used Karo syrup)
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Place popped popcorn in a large bowl; set aside. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir until mixture is golden. about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popcorn and toss to coat. Cool slightly; break apart while warm. Store in an airtight container (it never lasts that long to do).
*This recipe is from Taste of Home; great American cookout edition.

Monica's Easy Chicken Casadias

Ingredients:

tortillas

butter

Chicken (raw chicken cut up small)

Salsa (1/2 of a regular size jar)

shredded cheese

Optional:

sour cream

Rice

*You can serve with rice (minute rice if you want to make it fast) in it or on the side.

Directions:

Cook Chicken with a little bit of butter. Cook until white. Add salsa and simmer for a few minutes. While you are letting your Chicken simmer, heat up your griddle and butter one side of a tortilla. Place the buttered side down on the griddle and sprinkle cheese over it to melt. Then add some chicken and wait until the tortilla is slightly crispy. Top with sour cream, fold over in half and serve.

This recipe is from my friend Monica. It's super fast and tasty.

Taco Soup

*Of course you can't see it because I smoothered it with cheese but it's yummy and fast!
1/2 pound (or less) extra lean ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 (28 oz.) can tomatoes, slightly blended

1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, undrained

1 (17 oz.) can corn, undrained

2-3 tablespoons of taco seasoning mix

2 cups water

Optional toppings:

sour cream

tortilla chips

avocados

cilantro

shredded cheese

Brown beef and onion together. Drain well Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 15 minutes. Ladle into a bowl and add your toppings.

I got this recipe from Set for Life cook book (health conscious). It's really good and you can freeze it too.

Black Pepper New York Strip Steaks with Horseradish Sauce

Sauce:

3/4 c. sour cream

2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Mix all the above ingredients and refrigerate while you grill your steaks.

*This sauce goes well with any red meat, pork and on potatoes. My husband loves this sauce!

Steaks:

4 New York strip steaks, 10 to 12 oz. each and about an inch thick.

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Brush steaks on both sides with the olive oil and then smear the mustard on both sides of the steaks. Season evenly with salt and pepper. Let steaks sit at room temp. for about 20 minutes before grilling. Grill and enjoy.

This tasty recipe is from Weber's Charcoal Grilling book that I have.

*I made the sauce recipe with a pork tenderloin, so I don't have a picture of the steak just yet (maybe over father's day weekend).

PB & J Pancakes and Syrup

Ingredients:

1 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg
1 c. plus 2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter (melted)
2 Tbsp. oil

Whisk dry ingredients all together then add the rest and let sit for 5 minutes. Grease griddle or pan and cook your pancakes.

Black Berry syrup ingredients:

2 pints fresh black berries
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 lemon, zested

cook on medium heat and bring to a boil. Stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until liquid is reduced to a syrupy consistency (about 10 minutes). Use a wooden spoon to break up the berries as they cook. Strain the syrup to remove the seeds and serve warm. Makes about 1 cup.
This recipe is from the food network. I liked it because it has protein from the peanut butter.
I didn't have the berries for the syrup (I wouldn't recommend regular syrup with these, it doesn't taste very good.), so next time I make it I'll make the berry syrup to go with.

Sour Cream Orange Rolls

*I made these over Easter Weekend and didn't take a picture.

Dough:
1 package (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. warm water
1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 c. sour cream, divided
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. flour

Directions:
Add yeast to lukewarm water and a tsp. sugar and let rest for about 10 minutes, until it becomes frothy. Beat in 1/3 cup sugar, beaten eggs, sour cream, softened butter and salt. Add 2 cups flour and beat well. Gradually add enough more flour to make a soft dough (but not sticky). Knead 15 times. Allow dough to rest 10 minutes while preparing the filling.

Filling ingredients:

1 fresh orange
1/3 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
finely grate or zest peel of an orange; set aside. Measure 2 Tbsp. zest into small mixing bowl; add sugar and mix well.

Filling directions:
Divide dough in half; roll out each portion on a lightly floured surface into a 12 inch circle. Spread each circle with 1 Tbsp. softened butter. Sprinkle circles equally with prepared orange sugar. Cut circles into 12 wedges. Starting at wide the wide end of each wedge, roll up each wedge crescent roll fashion and place onto a buttered 9 by 13 baking pan. Cover and allow rolls to rise until double in size.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls 20 minutes or until lightly browned; remove from the oven and spread with glaze.

Glaze ingredients:

1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice (I use the same orange that I got the zest from).

Glaze directions:

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Stirring, over medium heat, bring to a boil; boil for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Pour glaze over warm rolls.

Strawberry Bread

3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 c. fresh, sliced strawberries

Directions:
Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, oil and strawberries and mix just until moistened. Spoon into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake @ 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool in the pans for several minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
This recipe is from the ksl.com (studio 5 page). It was good especially the cinnamon but I think next time I'll blend the strawberries in the blender for a smoother texture. Yummy.

Aunt Amy's Delicious Pork Tenderloin

*This really is DELICIOUS! I will never use another marinade for this!
2 to 3 pork tenderloins
Marinade:
1 1/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. dry mustard
1 Tbsp. pepper
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. parsley
1/3 c. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms

Blend the above marinade ingredients in a blender. Pour over tenderloins and marinate for 3 to 4 hours. Grill pork on the barbecue at medium heat for about 20 minutes, turning and basting occasionally. Add mushrooms to remaining marinade and heat. Slice tenderloins and pour marinade over top to serve.
This recipe is from the Ivory Home cook book. It really is so good. You can use the same marinade with pork chops.

Supreme Bagel Pizzas

2 plain bagels, split
1/2 c. pizza sauce
20 pepperoni slices
3/4 c. diced fully cooked ham
1/4 c. real bacon bits
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Place bagels on a baking sheet. Spread with pizza sauce. Arrange five slices of pepperoni on each, covering the bagel hole with one slice. Top each with ham, bacon, green pepper and cheese. Bake @ 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
This recipe come from Taste of Home their fun friendly edition.
*I left out a few things that I knew my kids wouldn't like on it.

Ham and Cheese Pizza's

1/4 c. refrigerated Alfredo sauce
4 pita breads (6 in.)
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese
1 3/4 c. cubed fully cooked ham
1/2 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella Cheese
1 Tbsp. minced chives

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread Alfredo sauce over pitas. Top with cheeses, ham and chives. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
My kids don't really like anything green so I skipped that part on theirs.
This recipe came from Taste of Home their fun food edition.

Fresh Peasant Bread

*I'm not exactly sure if this is how it supposed to look, so I'll try it out again to find out. It seems like it more of a flat bread. It really was tasty.

1 package of dry yeast

2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

4 c. flour

oil

corn meal

melted butter

*side note if you have a wheat grinder you can make corn meal with popcorn seeds (plain).

Place yeast, water, and sugar and salt in warm bowl and stir until dissolved. Add flour and stir until blended. Do not knead. Cover and let rise one hour or until doubled in size. Flour hands, remove dough from the bowl and place in 2 rounds on an oiled cookie sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Let rise an additional hour. Brush the top with melted butter and bake @425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush again with butter. Serve warm.

This recipe is from the Ivory Homes cook book. It goes great with soups and salads.