thai lettuce wraps.

photo credit

Thai Lettuce Wraps from Brittany brought by Shauna:

1/2 c. coconut

1 T. oil

1/2 c. shallots chopped

1/8 to 1/4 c. fresh ginger

2 T. chopped garlic

1 lb. ground pork (I use 1/2 ground turkey and 1/2 ground sausage)

juice of one lime (I used about 1/2 of the lime for juice)

3 to 4 T. diced green chiles

2 to 3 T. soy sauce

peanuts

Stir coconut over medium heat until golden and crisp. Remove and set aside. Add oil to pan and place over medium heat. Add shallots, ginger, garlic and meat. Stir until no longer pink. Add lime juice, peanuts, coconut, chiles and soy sauce to taste. Can also add fresh mint.

roasted red pepper dip.

photo credit

Roasted Red Pepper Dip from Shauna:

1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red peppers (about 1 cup diced)
3/4 cup mayonnaise (low-fat works great)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened (low-fat works great)
2 Tbsp minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
12 ounces shredded pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using bottled peppers, remove them from the jar and blot the excess water with paper towels, a lot of excess moisture will affect the texture of the dip. Dice the peppers and set aside. Combine the mayonnaise, cream cheese, onion, garlic, and Dijon mustard. Add in the shredded cheese and the diced peppers. Place in an 8x8-inch (or smaller size) dish like a pie plate. At this point, you can cover it and refrigerate the uncooked dip for up to 2-3 days. Place in the oven and cook for 30-45 minutes. baking time depends on the size of the dish used. Remove from the oven when the dip is golden and bubbly on top. Serve immediately.

the best blueberry muffins.

photo credit

The Best Blueberry Muffins from Shauna:

book: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Ingredients:

Lemon-Sugar Topping:

1/3 cup sugar

zest from one lemon

Muffins:

2 cups frozen blueberries (or two cups fresh)

1 1/8 cups (8 ounces) plus 1 tsp sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 large eggs

4 T butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola)

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

For the topping, stir together sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.

For the muffins, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Rinse one cup frozen berries under cold water and spread on a double layer or paper towels to dry well. Bring remaining one cup berries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with a spoon several times and stirring frequently, until the berries have broken down and the mixture is thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Toss the berries that have dried on the paper towels in with the flour mixture. Whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together in a medium bowl until thick, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in the butter and oil until combined. Whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into flour mixture  into flour mixture until just moistened. The batter will be lumpy with a few dry spots of flour - don't overmix. This is the key to moist and tender muffins.

Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill the muffin cups until they are about 3/4 full. Spoon a teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into the center or each mound of batter. Using a skewer, gently swirl the berry filling into the better using a figure eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins.

Bake until the top of the muffins are golden and just firm, 17-18 minutes. Cool muffins in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe via Mels Kitchen Cafe
adapted from Cook's Illustrated

lentil soup.

photo credit

Lentil Soup from Shauna:

Celebrity: Aunt Bee from the Andy Griffith Show

1 lb smoked sausage

1 lb lentils

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/2 cup sliced carrot

1/8 tsp garlic salt

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

8 cups water

1 (20 ounce) can tomatoes

In a large stock pot, combine all of the ingredients except the tomatoes.

Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes

Add the tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes.

peanut butter baked oatmeal.

photo credit

Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal from Shauna:
*via pinterest/lynnskitchenadventures.com

3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup brown sugar (can use 1/4 cup with good results)
1 cup milk
2 T butter, melted
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter

Mix all ingredients together and stir well. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. If you like it a little crunchy on top cook for a few minutes longer.

Can serve with butter, or with milk, fruit etc poured over top. Also good to pack in lunches.
If you wanted to dress it up you could add chocolate chips, nuts, etc.

Chocolate Pie.

photo credit

Chocolate Pie from Shauna Gillespie:

1 pre-cooked pie shell
1 cube butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Nestle Semi-sweet chocolate Chips
4 eggs

Melt chocolate chips and allow to cool to room temperature. Combine butter and powdered sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and cooled chocolate chips. Mix well. Add eggs one at a time beating several minutes after each addition (this is a crucial step!)

Pour chocolate filling into pie shell. Freeze three hours, place in fridge one hour before serving. Top with whip cream and chocolate shavings.

Chicken Cucumber Teriyaki Wraps {Winner!}

photo credit

Chicken Cucumber Teriyaki Wraps from Shauna:

2 chicken breast

1 red or yellow pepper

1 cucumber

Rice

Tortillas

Cut chicken in strips and cook in Teriyaki sauce. Cook rice. Cut cucumbers and peppers in strips. Add chicken, rice, cucumbers and peppers to tortillas. Wrap up and enjoy.

chocolate almond muffins.

photo credit

Chocolate Almond Muffins from Shauna:

1 cup almond butter

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1 T. 70% dark chocolate

Mix and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

vegetable dip.

photo credit

Vegetable Dip from Shauna:

1 cup sour cream

1 T. dill weed

2 T. minced onion

1 cup mayonnaise

2 T. parsley flakes

2 tsp. Lawry's seasoned salt

Blend and serve with carrots, radishes, celery sticks or any vegetables you like!

Sweet Potato Casserole.

photo credit

Sweet Potato Casserole from Shauna:

3 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (yams are actually better)

3/4 stick butter or margarine

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Mix with mixer until smooth. Put in greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Make topping and spread on casserole. Return to oven and bake for 10 more minutes.

Topping:

3/4 cup crushed corn flakes

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 stick margarine/butter melted

Harvest Salad.

photo credit: skinny menny

Fall Harvest Salad from Shauna:

Lettuce

Mozzarella Cheese

Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Bacon

Craisins or Golden Raisins

Apples

Sugared Almonds

Dressing:

1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar

1 tsp. Dry Mustard

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup red onion

1 cup oil

Mix in blender or processor. Then add 1 cup oil. Half the dressing if you are making it for your family.