Saturday, March 2, 2019

Sweet potato casserole

Casserole with Butter Pecan Crumble Topping

This is an easy recipe to make and preassemble before baking it off if you’re cooking it for a holiday meal. The sweet potatoes are so tender, creamy, and fluffy while the crumbly, streusel topping adds a buttery, brown sugary crunch thanks to the pecans. The brown sugar caramelizes in the oven with the butter and the topping is irresistible.
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INGREDIENTS:

Filling
  • 4 pounds raw sweet potatoes, diced into large chunks and boiled
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used unsweetened cashewmilk)
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Topping
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1 cup Fisher Pecan Halves

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Filling – To a large stockpot, add the sweet potato chunks, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until sweet potatoes are fork tender. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
  2. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 2.5 to 3-quart baking dish or a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
  3. To the large bowl with the sweet potatoes, add the eggs, butter, milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, optional nutmeg, optional cinnamon, and beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until combined and fluffy. Turn out into baking dish, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula; set aside.
  4. Topping – To a large microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
  5. Add the brown sugar, flour, salt, and toss with a fork or your fingers until moist crumbs form.
  6. Add the pecans and toss to incorporate.
  7. Evenly turn topping out over filling and bake for about 45 minutes (or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours if you’re prepping it in advance), or until top is lightly golden browned, set on the edges, and mostly set in the center. Mine took 50 minutes because I started with it cold from the fridge because I prepped it the night before. Baking time will vary based on pan used (glass or ceramic baking dishes will bake for longer than metal pans), oven, climate, ingredient variances, etc. Start checking at 30 minutes. Serve immediately. Extra will keep airtight for up to 1 week in the fridge.

S’more bars

golden graham s’mores bars

  • author: inspired by tyler, recipe by betty crocker
  • prep time: 15 mins
  • cook time: 1 hour
  • total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • yield: 12-16 1x

DESCRIPTION

These easy Golden Grahams s’mores bars are made with Golden Grahams cereal. I cannot believe how simple and addicting these are!

SCALE 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 bag (10.5 oz) miniature marshmallows (5 1/2 cups)
  • 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips (9 oz)
  • 5 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 box (13 oz) Golden Grahams cereal (8 cups)


INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Grease 13×9-inch pan with butter. Reserve 1 cup of the marshmallows. In a large saucepan, melt the chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup and remaining marshmallows over low heat. Stir until completely melted. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
  2. Pour cereal into saucepan. Stir until coated with the melted chocolate mixture. Stir in remaining 1 cup marshmallows.
  3. With buttered back of spoon, press mixture in pan. Cool at least 1 hour or until firm. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Instant pot sweet pulled pork

stant Pot Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 8 -16 servings
Author Si Foster, A Bountiful Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 4-7 lbs boneless pork shoulder butt or boneless pork rib meat*, cut into large chunks, large visible chunks of fat removed
  • Menudo spice mix or make your own (see post for instructions)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups cold water
  • for sauce
  • 3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar light or dark to taste
  • 1 - 16 oz can red enchilada sauce*
  • 1 4 oz can chopped green chiles not drained
  • 1 12 oz can Coke Pepsi or Dr Pepper

Bountiful kitchen

Instructions

  1. Place 3 tablespoons spice mix in a large gallon size Ziplock bag. Shake until meat is coated.
  2. Turn Instant Pot to Saute mode.
  3. Add one tablespoon olive oil.
  4. Place meat in pot when hot and brown on both sides. If you are in a hurry, skip this step and omit the oil in the pot.
  5. When meat is browned on both sides, Add water around sides of meat.
  6. Place the lid on the top of the pot (make sure the sealing ring is in place inside of the lid) and lock into sealing position. Turn the setting to Manual or High Pressure and set the timer for 50 minutes. Make sure the lid is set to the Sealing position.
  7. After the timer goes off, allow the pot to manually release the pressure for at least 45 minutes.
  8. Carefully remove the lid from the pot when all of the pressure is released.
  9. Remove the meat and set on a cutting board. Allow to cool for a few minutes. When cool enough, pull any remaining visible fat off of meat and set aside. Discard any fat. Shred meat with a fork.
  10. Remove the remaining juice from the pan and place in a small bowl.
  11. Whisk the enchilada sauce, chopped green chiles, brown sugar and one can of soda together in the Instant Pot. . Place the shredded meat back into the Instant Pot and turn the setting to Saute. Heat just until sauce boils and the meat is heated through, then turn the setting to keep warm mode.
  12. If you would like to thicken the sauce a bit, whisk one tablespoon of cornstarch into a cup of the liquid removed from pan after the meat was cooked and add back to the Instant Pot with meat and enchilada sauce. Continue to heat up until thickened.
  13. Serve on top of tortilla chips, tortillas, or a bed of rice. All Cafe Rio style recipes listed and linked on post.

Recipe Notes

-If using Boston butt, or pork butt, count on about 1/2 of the total pounds before cooking being discarded (after cooking). The fat will need to be picked off and thrown away.
-I use both homemade and canned red enchilada sauce for this recipe. I believe homemade is best, but it's very difficult to taste the difference between homemade and canned when the brown sugar and green chiles are added! The link for my homemade sauce is on this post under the last paragraph "secret tips from former employees". It takes about 5 minutes to make.
-As stated in the post, I did not marinate the pork in the sauce before cooking. My slow cooked method posted previously recommends marinating, but this recipe does not.

pretzel chicken

From Carlsbad craving 


PretzEL CHICKEN & Potatoes bursting with irresistible crunchy chicken, melt-in-your-mouth potatoes and the Honey Mustard Sauce is perfection! The pretzel crusted chicken tenders are first coated in irresistible honey mustard sauce then rolled in crushed pretzels for a crunchy outside, tender inside that is addicting all over.
    ServingsPrep Time
    4-6 servings25minutes
    Cook Time
    25minutes
    ServingsPrep Time
    4-6 servings25minutes
    Cook Time
    25minutes
    pretzel crusted chicken
    Ingredients
    Chicken
    • 8 chicken tendersmore or less to fit pan lengthwise
    • 1 egg
    •  nonstick cooking spray
    Honey Mustard Sauce
    • 3/4cup mayonnaise(I use light)
    • 1/4cup honey
    • 2tablespoons yellow mustard
    • 2tablespoons Dijon mustard
    • 1tablespoon cider vinegar
    • 1-2teaspoon hot sauce
    Potatoes
    • 3cups chopped red potatoes(1/2” cubes)
    • 1tablespoon olive oil
    • 1/4teaspoon salt
    • 1/8teaspoon pepper
    • 1tablespoon Honey Dijon Sauce(in directions)
    Pretzel Coating
    • 2cups crushed salted pretzels
    • 1/2teaspoon dried parsley
    • 1/4teaspoon EACH onion pwdr, garlic pwder, paprika, salt, pepper

    Instructions
    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. 
    2. Whisk together the Honey Mustard Sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Remove 1/4 cup Sauce to a small bowl and whisk in one egg (this becomes your “Honey Mustard Egg Wash”). Set aside.
    3. To prepared pan, add potatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1 tablespoon Honey Mustard Sauce. Toss until evenly coated then spread potatoes out evenly. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F.
    4. Meanwhile, whisk together Pretzel Coating ingredients in a shallow dish. Pat chicken very dry with paper towels. Dredge chicken in Honey Mustard Egg Wash with one hand, letting excess drip off then dredge in Pretzel Coating with the opposite hand, pressing crumbs firmly into chicken so they stick. Set chicken on oven baking rack to rest if your potatoes aren’t out of the oven yet. 
    5. Once potatoes have cooked for 10 minutes, stir and push potatoes to one side of pan. Add chicken in a vertical row as pictured and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 12-18 more minutes at 400 degrees F – just until chicken is cooked through. If potatoes aren’t done cooking for whatever reason, then remove chicken from pan and continue to cook until potatoes until tender.