Pistachio Bread

Pistachio Bread
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
2 small pkgs. instant pistachio pudding mix
4 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/8 cup water (may omit--but I always use it)
1 cup sour cream
pecans, optional

Mix all ingredients together on low with electric mixer. The mixture will be very thick & sticky. Grease the bottom of two loaf pans, then cinnamon & sugar them. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. You can also do this in one bundt pan or in mini loaf pans or cupcake liners--bake until they're golden and cooked in the center.

Banana Pumpkin Bread...

This is a recipe that I found in a Midwest Living magazine... it's amazing. Not too pumpkin... not too banana... :) It's "just right"! Enjoy...

Banana Pumpkin Bread

2 c. Sugar
2/3 c. cooking oil
4 eggs
3 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsps. baking soda
1 1/2 tsps. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2/3 c. water
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1/2 c. mashed ripe banana (1 large)
3/4 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350* and grease the bottom and 1/2" up the sides of TWO 9x5x3 loaf pans.
In a large mixing bowl beat sugar and oil with electric mixer on medium speed until combined.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; set aside.
In another large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger.
Alternately add flour mixture and water to the sugar mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
Beat in pumpkin and banana. Stir in pecans. Spoon batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.

Mexican Lasagna

I found this on the Pioneer Woman's blog, but when I made that version I had WAY more fillings than my lasagna dish could hold. So here's my modified version. Wilson said it was like a party in his mouth! LOL!

2 cups rice
3 cups chicken broth
3 tomatoes
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 lb beef
2 8 oz bags shredded Mexican cheese
2 cans corn (drained)
1 can black beans (optional)
2 16 oz jars salsa verde
1 8 oz jar enchilada sauce
1 1/2 - 2 pkgs taco seasoning
12 (or so) tortillas
cilantro
sour cream
butter

Prepare rice using chicken broth.
Chop tomatoes, onions and garlic, and saute with 1 tablespoon butter.
Add 1/2 or 1 package of taco seasoning (or make your own seasoning with chili powder, paprika and cumin to taste).
Add black beans
Combine rice and tomato/onion/garlic mixture.
Brown beef and add taco seasoning.

Spread one container of salsa verde in the bottom of the casserole dish.
Layer on tortillas covering the salsa verde. (Some overlapping is expected.)
Spread 1/2 of rice mixture on top of tortillas.
Spread one bag of shredded cheese on top of rice.
Next add another tortilla layer.
Spread enchilada sauce on the tortillas.
Next is a layer of the ground beef.
Then add 1 1/2 - 2 cans of corn.
Spread the remaining rice mixture onto the corn.
Then add the remaining salsa verde.
Top with second bag of shredded cheese.

Bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes
Serve with sour cream and cilantro garnish

and you and you...You're Gonna Love Me.

Trust me, you'll be singing Jennifer Hudson too when I give you this recipe.
Carrie sent an email late last week and I knew immediately I would share it here. I have NOT tried this myself but I'm anxious to..and now I'll need to try to make the rye croutons. Yummers.
Anyway--Carrie said she made a few adjustments but I assume those changes are reflected there.

You're welcome.
: )


Upstream’s Smoked Gouda Cheese Soup

½ onion diced
2 garlic cloves pressed
1 cup corn (I used frozen corn cut from the husk last summer… the creamy sweetness made the soup!)
½ red bell pepper (pureed in processor)
¾ cup carrots (pureed in processor)
2 bottles of Ale (I used one Blue Moon and one Boulevard Pale Ale)
2 cans chicken stock
2 cups chopped red potatoes
4 cups heavy cream
1 ½ lbs smoked Gouda cheese (shredded)
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 teaspoons Beau Monde seasoning
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp (give or take) sea salt
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper

In 2 Tbsp olive oil sauté onion until clear (I used a 7 ¼ qt Le Creuset). Add garlic stir in for one minute. Add pepper and carrot puree, and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with beer. Add stock, stir and add potatoes. Bring to boil and then simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

Reduce heat to low, stirring constantly, add cream. Sprinkle cornstarch over cheese, toss to mix (starch will somewhat lightly coat cheese). Add cheese mixture in SMALL batches into soup stirring to melt. Do not overheat.

At this point use an emulsion blender to CAREFULLY puree potatoes and any large onion pieces that have yet to cook down.

If soup is too thick, add more beer. Next add Beau Monde, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

ENJOY!!!