Mini Strawberry Trifles

Sometimes you get whims and hankerings for a home-cooked goodness that reminds of you of happy times. I was having one of those moments yesterday when I was craving a good-ole-fashioned English Trifle. I first had one of these marvels in Ireland, almost 20 years ago. They are one of those decadent desserts that are SO good, but just don't get made that often.

We were having friends over for dinner...and they were bringing the "main dish" with them, which left me in charge of making dessert. Without needing to spend my afternoon cooking for two armies, I had some time to devote to the grand finale of the meal. So I decided that it would be fun to make Trifle, but with a twist...luscious mini versions. Clear cups made them look, not only beautiful, but made clean-up a cinch! And, oh...they were so good!

I started my making a homemade vanilla custard for the base. The difference between pudding and custard is that custard has eggs mixed into the base to create a richer texture and flavor. I doubled the recipe I used from: http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/vanillapudding.html to start my dessert. Licking the pan was no burden either. I set it aside to cool while I hulled and slice the large strawberries and pound cake from Costco.

A couple of large boxes of instant vanilla Jello pudding would have worked--but I was wanting the "homemade" flavors of vanilla extract and salty butter in the sweet and creamy pudding. And when you have the time...it is worth the effort!

To assemble: I put two large dollops of pudding in the bottom of each cup and then layered with cubes of pound cake, sliced strawberries, and more pudding. I tapped the bottom of each cup on the counter to move the pudding into the hollows between the cake and berries. I topped each trifle with a shot of real whipped cream and half a strawberry. Easy! Delicious! And definitely worth the stroll down memory lane.

Next time we are going to some variations that are sure to please, like: bananas, chocolate syrup, and pineapple for a Banana Split Trifle; and some strawberry syrup with our fruit. Cake layered with caramel, chocolate, and nuts would be divine as well. I truly think that the possibilities are endless. The Hillbilly Homemaker even has a recipe for Caramel Pudding. That might send this creation out of this world! Enjoy.

Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Roast

Sunday Dinner. It's the best dinner of the week...most of the time--unless we have something simply stupendous on Wednesday, or Tuesday, or Friday...you get the picture? But, tonight was pretty stellar, if I say so myself. I made Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Roast, and served it with garlic and parsley roasted red potatoes and a vegetable medley of squash, carrots, and broccoli.


The recipe I have calls for pork loin...but they tend to be pretty temperamental when you are using a crock pot. (I have learned from many a sad and dry pork loin in the past!) So I picked up a couple of small tender pork roasts and used my handy-dandy crock pot to free up my Sunday afternoon without sacrificing the big dinner flavor. Prep time for everything=20 minutes, but tasted like at least 2-3 hours of work! I LOVE crock pots!!

Maple and Brown Sugar Pork Roast

2-4lbs pork roast
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1 clove of minced garlic--(I cheat and use about 1-2 tsp of the store bought stuff that's in the jar ready-to-go)
4 Tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 T Balsamic vinegar (can substitute cider vinegar, but the Balsamic is tastier)
1/2 tsp dried /crumbled Thyme
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (shhh...so, I used 2 T of Mrs Butterworth's...and it was still delicious ;)

I mixed everything together with a whisk right inside the crock pot and the put the pork roasts in. I like to drizzle them with some of the sauce before I put the lid on and call it good for 3-4 hours. I got off to a late start today and didn't start the crock pot until 3pm, so I set it on High. It was fork tender in 3 hours.

I doubled the sauce ingredients because I had 2 pork roasts. The roasts always seem to reduce in size and I wanted to make sure I had enough for the feast. Before I cut the meat into slices, I thickened the sauce with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of cold water. The sauce is a little tangy and sweet...and very delicious. The kids slid their potatoes through the sauce to make sure that they didn't leave any on the plate. Clean plates are a sure sign of a winner!

For the roasted potatoes: I cut about 2 1/2lbs of baby reds in half and doused them with about 1/3 cup of olive oil. Then I added a heaping spoonful of the store-bought minced garlic, a spoonful of dried parsley, and a tsp of sea salt. I stirred it all up in a bowl, before pouring them onto a baking sheet. They roasted up perfectly at 375 degrees for one hour. These beauts are so easy to make and compliment any mouth-watering meat recipe.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Crepes

We had a heavenly dinner tonight! Chicken Cordon Bleu Crepes...with a side of buttered broccoli. It was so noteworthy, in fact, that it is blog-worthy! The kids know that they have to stop eating and put their forks down when the camera comes to the dinner table. I didn't have very many photo opportunities before it was inhaled and gone.

For the last six years, I've been hosting and assembling recipes for Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) nights that mass-produce freezer meals in one grand feat. It's incredible to assemble and create enough meals to feed any family for 2-4 weeks--all in a short 3-4 hours of time. I generally pick a Friday night during the month and send out an invitation for all that are interested to come and create dinners from the selections I provide. I offer between 12-15 menu selections and have between 7-15 people come. Once, in a month we did a selection of 20 marinades, I had 33 people that signed up to come. So I dividied the group in half and hosted a day and a night assembling party.

Working moms are my most faithful attenders, quickly followed by moms with 4 or more kids. Freezer meals are LiFeSaVeRs for busy and chaotic lives. For every meal in the freezer that is already to cook and eat--you save one HOUR of time during the week, per meal. OAMC "buys" you time from your own schedule that is used doing what you are already doing--but now you don't have to figure out what's for dinner inbetween the all the running and activities. It also means you save, not only time, but money because we tend to eat more processed and fast foods when we are busier. Store-bought meals also contain loads more sodium and preservatives---which is not so great for your bodies. So this is the ultimate "fast food" because it's homemade and ready to go! (Can you tell that I'm a "pastor" for my passions? Preaching to the choir, right? I usually do my best sermons in the kitchen, wielding a fork.)

This month, I offered 15 dinner options, which included: soups, casseroles, marinades, and entrees. The chicken crepes were requested by one of my ladies that comes faithfully every month. They are a little more labor-intensive then I usually like to get for mass-production, but so worth it in the end! Because of the price of crepes in the grocery stores, I opt to make them from scratch. I had 14 orders for this entree...which meant I needed 112 crepes. I make them on a large griddle, two at a time, using a basic crepe recipes. It took several hours to make the crepes, and thankfully, this was the last meal assembled--with the last crepe coming off the griddle just in the nick of time.

This is one of the recipes that I added to the repertoire last year...and it's an absolute favorite amongst dozens of families now. And it received five stars and pleas to be made again very soon by my own family tonight. So here's the recipe for the great and wonderful Chicken Cordon Bleu Crepes!

Basic Crepes:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons melted butter

Whisk or blend everything except the flour together. Put the flour in a mixing bowl and mix in the wet ingredients gradually, until you have a thin and smooth batter. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or fry pan over medium to high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle--between 1/4-1/2 cup, depending on how large you would like your crepe. I tried to keep mine at a uniform size of 7-8 inches in diameter. I spread the batter into a level circular shape with the back of a spoon. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes and turn when barely starting to brown.

To make the quantity of crepes that we needed, I took this recipe and multiplied it by 6 to make each set of batter--of which we did four batches. Twenty four cups of flour, 4 dozen eggs, a pound of butter, a gallon of milk...it went a long ways! By the way--because this is a basic recipe, it would work fabulously for delicious dessert concoctions! Fill them with apple pie filling, fresh strawberries, cream cheese and berries, or just with butter and cinnamon sugar. Yum! But back to making a wonderful dinner....

Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 tsp chicken bouillon powder or cube (crushed)

1 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese

In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add in the flour and mashed bouillon cube. Stir and let cook for about 1 minute to incorporate the butter and flour together. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring this to a boil, constantly stirring to avoid scorching. It will thicken and have a nice smooth texture. Add the grated cheese and stir until it melts.

Crepe Filling:

2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1/2 cup chopped ham--cut into bitty-size pieces
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese or 1 slice of Swiss cheese

For this night, I purchased the Swiss cheese slices. So the ham and chicken were mixed together and divided between 8 crepes. A slice of cheese was added to each crepe and then rolled and placed seam down in a greased baking dish. The sauce was poured over the crepes to complete the assembling. For the OAMC purpose--they are then placed in the freezer to use anytime during the month for a delicious, homemade meal. Just pull them out in the morning to thaw--baking at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until heated through. I inadvertantly cooked mine for 40 minutes and they were still perfecto!

Next time I will make enough for leftovers! With kids licking the pan and their plates, we didn't have a single bite left to savor. And just for kicks--the filling can be added to and adjusted to fit any tastes. I think that mushrooms, broccoli, and any variety of onions would be delicious as well. The cheese sauce is the great enhancer to anything you have on hand. I think that these would be so classy served with roasted aspargus and candid carrots. Enjoy!!

Chicken Florentine Soup

It's Sunday in December and nothing is better on a dark winter day than a hot bowl of soup and homemade rolls. There are some soups that are old favorites and always delicious, but I wanted to try something different today--which turned out to be amazing and possibly a new favorite!


It's called Chicken Florentine Soup. I've looked and looked to see where I got the recipe and can't find the source. I googled it and came up with a hundred recipes different than the one I used. But I'm going to stick to the recipe that I have because it turned out so well. In fact, I tripled it, so that we'd have leftovers and some to share. Glad I did that because it was an instant hit with the kids!

Chicken Florentine Soup

3/4 cup pasta shells--set aside

4 cups fresh spinach

1 fresh spring rosemary

½ c red peppers--finely sliced

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp pepper

3 tsp chicken bouillon

¾ cup Alfredo sauce--prepare from package or use jarred

3 T Pesto

3 cups water

2 cups cooked/cubed chicken



I started by using a store bought package of Alfredo sauce and preparing it according to the directions on the back--in a large pot. It called for a couple of tablespoons of butter and 3/4 cup of milk. It makes into a thick and flavorful sauce--which becomes your base. To that I added all the ingredients above, except the pasta, and brought it to a low, rumbling boil. Because I was in the process of making dough for the rolls, I just let it roll on a low simmer for over an hour. In a small pan, I boiled the pasta till al dente and added them to the soup about 15-20 minutes before I served it. The noodles finished cooking in the soup broth; which gave them a more finished flavored.

I know that you are supposed to serve this with grated Parmesan and a smattering of pine nuts on top--but we didn't get that far because of the numerous growling tummies...but that's the plan if you have the time. I think that a real crusty bread or garlic toast would be exceptional with this soup as well. I teamed it with homemade dinner rolls...which are delicious all by themselves!

I LOVED the hearty flavors from the pesto and the Alfredo concoction. The fresh sprig of Rosemary is a MUST when you make this recipe too! I know that some things are pretty forgiving--but follow the ingredients here because it creates the whole flavorful experience. So worth it in the end!!!!!

Homemade Turtles

The Holiday season brings out the best in our Epicurean delights.  And here is a family favorite that just goes to show you--it doesn't have to be hard to be completely delicious! Homemade Turtles are the best!!  You only need 3 ingredients to get started-pretzels, Rolo candy, and pecan halves.  And for as many as my hungry crew can go through--I like to make a few extra to hide for later..., if you know what I mean. [I have a friend, Amy, that named her favorite Pea Salad her "Costco Salad" because it was the only salad she could make where all the ingredients could be purchased at Costco.  That got me chuckling when I realized that I don't make these unless I buy everything in bulk--at Costco, no less.I should just rename these "Costco Candy" now, right?.]

You start by spreading out the pretzels onto a jelly roll pan.  Then one piece of Rolo candy goes on each pretzel.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then turn it off.  I set the pan of pretzels inside the oven for 5 minutes.  That softens the caramel and chocolate so that you can push a pecan half on top.

As the candy cools, the chocolate won't be melted anymore--and they can be easily stored in a container...if they last that long.  The salty, chewy, crunchy, sweet combination covers the entire taste spectrum in one bite--and it is a real WINNER!!

Minestrone Soup

My sister, Becky, sent me a "Make a Mix" book about 13 years ago. A lot of the recipes were once-made wonders--with beautiful flashy pictures and calling for unusual ingredients--destined to not be repeated. But it is one of my favorite cookbooks, because it has the best Minestrone soup recipe in it. I've made it several times a year over the last decade, and it has become a reliable favorite at potlucks, socials, and around the family dinner table.

Minestrone Soup

1 can kidney beans beans 4 beef bouillon cubes-crumbled
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1 lb sweet/mild Italian sausage--cooked
2 stalks celery--chopped
2 carrots--peeled and chopped
1 medium onion--chopped
1--28oz can of dice tomatoes
8 cups of water
1 cup elbow macaroni or small pasta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook and cut up sausage into bite-size pieces. Wash, peel and chop the vegetables. Place everything, except macaroni and Parmesan cheese, into a 6 quart crock pot and add 8 cups of water. [I tend to add more vegetables than the recipe calls for. Adding an extra teaspoon of bouillon and another cup of water would be fine when adding 1-2 cups more of the produce. I've also added extra tomatoes instead of water...the recipe is pretty forgiving of a few alterations--just don't add too much that will suck up all the broth and flavor.]

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add the macaroni about half an hour before serving. Serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and crusty french bread. I love it on cold and windy days--the perfect soup for Fall!

*I prepped all the ingredients for this soup last night and then turned it on before I went to bed.  It cooked all night.  I added the pasta right before lunchtime--and we had an instant meal that was very tasty...and the house smelled wonderful.
**This recipe also originally called for a 1/4 cup of green split peas. I quit adding them because I was lazy. They are really good if you want to take the time to add them.

Pumpkin Cookies

Fall is one of those times of year that there are a lot of great pumpkin recipes circulating and being made. Pumpkin rolls, breads, muffins, soup, cakes, and cookies. Out of everything--I think I love the cookies the most, because they don't require any more work then normal mixing and baking.

And for a full confession: they are a year-round favorite in our house because they are moist, soft, and utterly delicious. It's been tried and tested a hundred times without fail. And no one has ever been disappointed in this recipe either!

Pumpkin Cookies

1--29oz can of pumpkin
3 cups of white sugar
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla
Mix all these things together in a mixing bowl. Then add the following:
6 tsp baking powder
3 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts--optional

Mix well with the well ingredients until the dough is smooth and shiny.

It's a "wet" looking dough--so don't be alarmed.

Drop by the teaspoon onto cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. YES! That is twelve minutes! You don't want to over bake these--but you don't want to under bake either. The cookies rise. This recipe makes almost 10 dozen cookies. [Don't worry--there's plenty to share and pumpkin is very high in Vitamin A and fiber--if you need some justification for eating a lot of them!]

Store the cookie in an airtight container or cover with saran wrap. They will be glossy and smooth the next day--and if possible, even more delicious! Enjoy.