Strawberry-Coconut-Banana Tres Leches Trifle

Hello.  My name is Sarah, and I'm addicted to Pampered Chef.

This is not my trifle, but it's prettier
than mine, so I borrowed it.

If you've been to a PC party, you may recognize their quarterly recipe/idea mini catalog, "Season's Best" (or, if you read my post last week... the Chocolate Banana Cream Trifle, also from the Season's Best minilog.)  This recipe is several seasons old, but that's given me time to 'tweak' it (and you know I've tweaked.)  It's absolutely, positively yum.

As before, I can't give you the exact recipe, but I'll tell you what the layers are.

Layer one:  Lady fingers (or pound cake) soaked in a mixture of sour cream, coconut milk, and sweetened condensed milk.

Layer two:  Fresh strawberries and bananas

Layer three: A mixture of pudding (I prefer banana cream), whipped cream, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut milk.

Top:  Whipped cream and a lovely strawberry garnish.

A-MAY-ZING recipe!!  I highly recommend it!  :)

Have you made this recipe before??  What changes have you made to improve it?

~ Sarah

Chocolate Banana Cream Trifle

Oooooh.... doesn't the name just make your ears perk up? 

I tried this Pampered Chef recipe at a party a couple of weeks ago, and made it for a family gathering on Labor Day.  I can't post the actual recipe here, as it's in the Season's Best catalog (which the consultants sell).  But I'll tell you what the layers are, just to whet your appetite.  ;)

Layer 1: Graham Crackers

Layer 2: Bananas

Layer 3: Chocolate ganache

Layer 4: Banana pudding / cool whip

(Repeat)

Just writing about it is making me hungry for Chocolate Banana Cream Trifle!  It's fairly easy (though, as with many PC recipes, you do use a number of dishes), and what's more, it looks positively beautiful! 

~ Sarah

Strawberry Lemonade

It's a new week!

Well, I had a good weekend.  I did some experimenting, some birthday partying, some sewing, a little sleeping, and zero laundry/cleaning.  But despite doing zero chores, I still considered it a successful weekend!  I helped at one event, booked another, and came out of my studio with two new dresses and a skirt!  :)

But that's not all I made!  I also came up with this lemonade on Friday night, and perfected it on Saturday... I had to share.  It's phenomenal, and very, very easy.

What you will need:

1. Pink Lemonade mix (like Country Time)
2. Sugar
3. Fresh strawberries
4. Fresh lemons

To start, mix your lemonade as directed, and be sure to leave a lot of room at the top.  Set aside.

Next, wash and slice your strawberries.  I used my deluxe egg slicer from Pampered Chef - it saved time. 

Put your strawberries into a microwave-safe bowl.  Add sugar to the strawberries and microwave for about 30 seconds.  (Best guess - I cut about half a pint of strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar for 2 quarts of lemonade.)  Once the strawberries and sugar have 'glazed' a little, mix them together.  (The first time I made this, I pureed the strawberries, but the second time, I only mixed them a little.  I liked the second way better, but my husband liked the strawberry pulp.  So you do what you prefer.)

Wash and slice the lemons.  (I cut 2-3 for 2 quarts).

Add your strawberries and lemons to your lemonade.

Serve.

It's delish!!  I made it for a birthday party, and we went through 8 quarts in 20 minutes.  : ) 

Certainly, fresh-squeezed lemonade is better, and I know of several better recipes, but if you're mixing for a party and want something quick but 'dressed up', it's a perfect solution.  It was my go-go juice while I was on the move all weekend.

Cheers!

~ Sarah  

Additional suggestion, if you will be serving a small group by the glass:

*  Before filling, rub a lemon slice along the top of each glass, then dip in sugar.  After filling, you can place a half-slice of lemon along the edge of each glass.  (So it isn't mistaken for a margarita.)

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Morning!!

It's the middle of the week, so let me take you to a much more pleasant place: Saturday mornings in my house. 

Have you glanced at my 'about me' section?  Does it exhaust you just reading about my schedule?  Me, too!  That being said, busy people always have the most time, which means that I am always available on Saturday mornings for laziness.  I take my dear old time getting out of bed, wander around in my pajamas, and, if the weather's nice, I lounge on the back deck with the puppy and listen to my (more motivated) neighbors mow their lawns.  Husband has usually been up for some time, and when he takes a break from his busy morning, I always make home-made Cinnamon rolls.  :)

This is a Pampered Chef recipe that is only possible using a PC spice: Sweet Caramel Sprinkles.  :-)  {If you want to order it, click on "Pampered Chef" under my favorite people gadget.}

What you will need:

1. A can of Pillsbury crescent rolls
2. Pampered Chef Sweet Caramel Sprinkles
3. Butter
4. Powdered Sugar
5. Cream

Preheat your oven to 375.

First, unroll the crescent rolls until they are flat.  If there are any holes (since most of them come perforated), gently push them together wth your fingers, or use a roller to flatten them.

This is the PC stone bar pan.

Brush the surface with butter, and sprinkle the sweet caramel evenly over top.

PC silicone brush

Starting at one end, re-roll the dough.  One you have a long 'tube', slice the roll to preferred thickness.  I made 8 this time, which is a lot (usually I make 3 enormous rolls - one for each of us, and one to split.)

Bake for 10 minutes (or as directed on the crescent roll directions).

While this is baking, you can begin your glaze.  Using several scoops of powdered sugar, (very!) slowly add the milk or cream, mixing thoroughly.  If you've worked with powdered sugar before, you'll appreciate that it doesn't take much to completely saturate. 

When your cinnamon rolls are done, drizzle the glaze overtop.  I prefer to do this immediately so that it melts into the roll crevices and mixes with the flavors.  (Are you drooling?)

I'm very sorry to tell you this, but the rolls do not age well.  This means that they MUST go when they're hot (oh, the drudgery).  :-)

Sending Saturday vibes your way!!  <3

~ Sarah

PS -- Some different ideas for these cinnamon rolls: 

1. You can flavor the glaze!  Add orange juice instead of milk to give it the feel of an orange danish.
2. If you're serving kids, try adding food coloring to the glaze.  Green eggs and ham -- why not green cinnamon rolls?  ;)

Christmas Morning Casserole

Happy Tuesday!! 

First, let me assure all of you that I survived yesterday's crisis (of leaving my phone at home).  There were some difficult moments, but I pulled through surprisingly well.  I appreciate those of you who sent sympathy cards and flowers.   :-)

So, as promised, I'll be sharing several things this week (refer to yesterday's commercial).  I had to do an "eenie-meenie-miny-moe" to decide which one to post first, and .... (drum roll, please).... Christmas Morning Casserole won! 

Now, before you get the wrong idea, let me put to rest all of your anxiety about making something with the title 'Christmas' in any month except December.  It's perfectly safe - the Christmas police haven't arrested me yet. 

This recipe is a 'family' recipe, more or less.  My Aunt found it in a magazine years ago, and after passing it to many of her friends and making modifications of her own, it's now something entirely different.  It's not even the same as it was when she gave it to me!  I made my own modifications.  (Maybe it's come full circle and now looks the way it actually started.)  Neither here nor there, really.  Even though I don't follow her directions exactly, I always pull her recipe card out so I think of her.

Her directions say that you must refridgerate over night before baking, but I rarely plan that far ahead.  I literally cook or mix each layer as I need it, then toss it right in the oven with no setting whatsoever. 

What you will need (for approximately 4 servings):

1. Four eggs
2. Cheese of your choice (I choose Cracker Barrel sharp white cheddar without fail)
3. 1/2 pound Jimmy Dean Sausage (whatever kind you prefer - I like Sage)
4. Stuffing mix (chicken, Italian, or whatever flavor you like)
5. 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
6. milk or cream
7. white pepper
8. dry mustard

My husband walked into the room, spotted me taking
this photograph, and said, "Uh oh, I sense a blog!"

First and foremost, pre-heat your oven to 350.

Next, cook the sausage. 

You can use whatever pan you like, but I tend to favor this 8 x 8" glass Pyrex square.  Greese the bottom.

Coat the bottom of the pan with a layer of stuffing.  I used a little more than half of the package, and it may have been just a tad too much.  Next time I plan to try exactly half.

Layer your cheese over the stuffing.  I have a cheese grater which is helpful since I always use a brick, but if you want to save yourself time, buy any pre-grated or pre-sliced cheese.



To my husband, "add cheese to taste"
means that you use the whole brick. 



 

Yes, the cheese grater is Pampered Chef.  :-)







When the sausage is beautiful, spread it over the cheese.  Perfect timing, of course, would be when the sausage is still piping hot and will cause the cheese to melt.  Yumminess.



Next, beat together your eggs, cream or milk (to taste), white pepper and mustard.  (If you've read my blogs before you know I'm not into exact measuring, but I'd estimate that I used about 1/2 teaspoon each of the white pepper and mustard, and about 1/4 cup cream.)  Pour the mixture evenly over the sausage. 

*  Note - I happened to have heavy cream on hand, and was very happy with the consistency.  However, I normally use half n' half or milk (just make sure the milk is 2% or whole).

Now for the topping!  Mix the cream of mushroom soup with milk until it's a bit soupy.  Again, I don't use measurements, but I used approximately 1/4 - 1/2 cup.  I just keep adding until it looks right.  Drizzle over the casserole, and spread evenly with a fork.

 Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  (If you are nervous about the eggs being thoroughly cooked, add another 5-10 minutes.)

The result?  A delicious, tangy, gorgeous casserole.

Naturally, my hubby adds grated Parmesan over the whole thing.

Make sure you're hungry when you make this.  "Ladylike" portions go out the window.  Happy Christmas!!!

~ Sarah

Pasta Primavera

Wow, this has been a busy week at LWYH!  And by busy, I mean that your humble blogger has had a lot to share... are your eyes tired?

Well, finally, we have come to a post that is similar to one that came before it: cooking!!  I love to cook.  I love recipes that surprise you with things you would never, ever think to put together, but even more, I love recipes that use the good ingredients.  I love when you have to actually smoosh the fresh cherry tomatoes rather than open a can of diced.  I prefer to make a thick, delicious sauce from locatelli cheese, cream and butter, rather than open store-bought alfredo.  You would think such a busy woman would be a fast food person.  But no.  Cooking is up there on my priorities list.  I love it, even if I'm falling asleep at the stove.

I have a close friend who is a Pampered Chef consultant, and to her great delight, I am a PC addict.  {They don't have support groups for us yet.}  I own crazy gadgets, useful dishes, and, of course, a few entertainment pieces.  Because Pampered Chef has made old cooking ways completely obsolete, when I pass recipes on to friends I have to transpose them from the quick, easy "PC way" to the old-fashioned way first.  I will try to do that with this one.

Please note that I am not trying to sell Pampered Chef, but it may come across that way.  I do love it, you know.  (Of course, should you wish to order anything, click here and they'll hook ya up.)  ;-)

First, a word about the dish I used.  It's called the Deep Covered Baker. 

This puppy is made of stone, with a ceramic glaze on the outside.  That means it's microwave safe.  Microwave.  Yes, you cook dinner in this thing in the microwave.  I use it all the time.  Truly!  It doesn't even have its own special spot in my cabinet!  It moves from the drying rack (because PC stones must be washed by hand with no soap) to the 'prep' area.  It never gets a break, poor thing. 

PC recently came out with a must-have: the recipe book specifically designed for my cranberry friend.  Perhaps some day they'll sell these as a set, but for now, they're separate. 

Note the cover photograph -- none other than the Primavera!



I'm not an expert on copyright laws, but I'm pretty sure I'd lose my "VIP Customer" status if I showed you a picture of the recipe itself.  So to be fair, I'm going to talk about the ingredients, but I will not be putting the exact measurements here.  I hope I don't get myself in trouble.

You will need:

1. Linguine
2. Chicken Broth
3. Cream Cheese
4. Heavy Cream
5. Lemon pepper rub (I didn't have any, so I popped to the store and picked up a McCormick substitute)
6. Carrots
7. Snap Peas
8. Broccoli
9. Mushrooms
10. Red Pepper
11. Garlic
12. Onions
13. Chicken (optional!)

To begin, add the chicken broth, pasta, garlic, cream cheese, and heavy cream to the covered baker, along with some of the lemon pepper spice.  Cover and microwave until the noodles are soft and the sauce is thick.  Stir occasionally.

If you are making this the old-fashioned way, cook your noodles separately from your sauce.  You can combine the broth, garlic, cream cheese, heavy cream and lemon pepper in a saucepan, on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until thick.

If you're using chicken, cut into small pieces and cook with garlic, lemon pepper spice, and onions.  Remove from heat.

Cut your vegetables into preferred sizes.  For me, this means I sliced my carrots and diced my peppers.  I also sprinkled a little lemon spice on these, so they didn't feel left out.

Once your noodles are soft and beautiful, stir in your vegetables and chicken. 

If you do not have the covered baker (and I'm sorry if you don't!), use a large pot, or serving bowl, that will hold all of your ingredients, and carefully stir together. 

Husband prefers for nothing to be crunchy, so I always microwave it another minute, then let it sit, so the vegetables can get a little soft.  Personally, I'd eat it crunchy and enjoy the heck out of it, anyways.  This recipe is simply Delish!! 

Good eats!

~ Sarah