Strawberries & Cream Mile-High Pie

If you are wanting to please Dad (or anyone else at any particular time) this Father's day, here's a dessert for you! My hubby requests this dessert more than any other one we make! It's a winner! (And for those of you who are gluten free eaters, there is a variation for this too!)

This is an old family recipe. I got it from my mother in-law, who got it from her mother. And I don't know where she got it. But I do know why it's stayed in the family for these 3 generations. And that's because it's so delicious and fun to eat. If I were to explain why I think it's called mile-high pie, it would be because it looks so big and high sitting on your plate, and after you've eaten a piece it's almost disappointing it's gone. The ingredients are so light and fluffy you'll hardly notice you ate it! So if you want to eat the whole pan than you probably could! And if you are one who tries to not eat too many sweets than you can get away with eating a big piece and not feel like you've consumed 1,000 calories!

The base of this dish is frozen strawberries, egg whites, sugar, a little lemon juice and a touch of cream! This is what my husband has almost always requested for his birthday since we've been married. And we have it at several family birthday parties each year on my husbands side of the family! So it's a favorite to all!

I've included some step-by-step pictures and instructions so you can see how this comes together (and the full recipe and printable version are listed below). It's not hard to make, just make sure you follow the steps and it will turn out perfect!

Enjoy!

Place 1.5 sleeves of graham crackers in a zip top bag and roll
with a rolling pin until they are evenly crushed.

Pour all but about 3/4 cup of the crumbs in the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan or glass casserole dish

NEXT follow these 9 pictures in the collage 

1.  Place egg whites, sugar and lemon juice in a stand mixer (it needs a lid) BOSCH works great. 

2. Let the frozen strawberries thaw for 5-15 minutes or until you can crush the berry under the pressure of your fingers 

3. Add the berries to the egg whites/sugar/lemon juice and begin to whip on high speed. Don't whip before this step. 

4. Whip for 5-10 minutes or until mixture is full and fat (it grows 4-5 times the size it began with. 

5. Whip 1 cup of whipping cream

6. Fold the cream and berry mixture together, taking care to do it gently, you don't want to lose all the air you just made with all that whipping.  

7. Make sure you have the bottom of your 9x13 pan coated with graham cracker crumbs. 

8. Spread the berry/cream mixture gently over the graham crackers, 

9. Top with the remaining graham cracker crumbs until it's completely covered.  

*See gluten-free option below

Strawberries & Cream Mile-High Pie

PRINTABLE VERSION {CLICK HERE}

Ingredients:

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2 large egg whites

⅔ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice (bottled or fresh)

10 ounces frozen strawberries, slightly thawed - see notes below (we prefer garden fresh that we freeze ourselves for a richer flavor)

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1 cup whipping cream

1 ½ sleeves of graham crackers, separated (gluten free option, is using crushed rice chex cereal or gluten free graham cracker substitute

Directions:

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In a gallon size zip top bag place 1 ½ sleeves of graham crackers and zip closed.  Roll with a rolling pin until the crackers are crushed as evenly as possible.  Pour all but ¾ cup onto the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan (with lid) or a glass casserole dish and spread evenly.  Reserve the ¾ cup for the top of the pie.

Get strawberries out of freezer and set on the counter for about 5 minutes, when they have softened enough so that you could pinch one and it would crush it then it’s just right.  It will still be partially frozen.

Attach whips to a large stand mixer (such as a BOSCH) and place egg whites, sugar, lemon juice, and slightly thawed strawberries, make sure your mixer lid is on.  It is important to mix these ingredients together and NOT separately! Mix on high speed for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is stiff, fat and full. It will fill up your entire bowl after it has mixed this long.  Carefully scrape this mixture into an extra large mixing bowl. In the same mixer whip whipping cream until peaks form (about 2-3 minutes).  Scrape whipped cream into the large mixing bowl with the strawberry mixture.  Gently fold the whipping cream into the strawberry mixture until it is mixed well.  Do not over mix or you will lose some of the air and fluff of the mixture.  If there are small streaks of white cream it’s just fine!

Pile this mixture high on the graham cracker crumb crust taking care not to handle it too much (save the fluff).  Top with remaining graham cracker crumbs and cover with lid or plastic  wrap and freeze for 12-24 hours before serving.  You want it nice and firm before serving, and it thaws really fast!

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: my mother in-law, Maureen G. who got it from Grandma Jensen, it's an old family recipe!

Original Picture from 6/15/12

Baked Oatmeal with Fruit

Do you have a breakfast meal planned for Dad this father's day? If not, this recipe would be a great solution. We were on a quest for a yummy baked oatmeal, and this recipe from annies-eats.com was the result of our quest. We first tried this recipe mid-April and have made it at about 6 times since. It's actually appeared on our table at dinner time only so far, along with a yummy omelet, fruit, and juice.

Before I get into talking about this recipe. I want to talk about oats first. Do you know how many varieties of oats there are? I don't know a number, but in my research I've found a lot. The four common varieties of oats I see in recipes are 1) quick oats, 2) regular rolled oats (also referred to as regular oats), 3) old-fashioned oats, and 4) steel-cut oats! Now there is a big difference in all of these varieties and when a recipe calls for a certain kind of oat, you should probably follow the guideline . If it's truly a good recipe the kind of oat you use will make a difference in the quality and taste of your dish.

So you can see the difference in these 4 kinds of oats, I took a picture!

Regular-Rolled Oats and Old-Fashioned Oats really look similar, but you can tell from this picture that the Old-Fashioned Oats are a lot thicker!

Now I hate soggy oatmeal. The amount of water vs oatmeal you use determines the soggy-ness of the oatmeal, but quick oats are so thin that they generally produce a softer, less-textured oatmeal. I don't like quick oats for oatmeal. Regular rolled oats will give you more texture. For me old-fashioned is really the best quick(er) oatmeal to make. It doesn't cook as quick as quick oats and that's because it isn't rolled as thin. Now steel-cut oats are the best kind of oatmeal when it comes to quality and nutritional value, but they take about 30 minutes to cook, so they aren't quick. Steel-cut oats basically are an oat berry cut in half. If you haven't seen an oat berry it looks similar to a wheat berry or grain of wheat. They are marvelous!


Maybe that's enough blabbing about oats. This recipe calls for old-fashioned oats. I definitely wouldn't use regular or quick oats in this recipe because those two oat varieties won't soak up as much of the moisture and then you'll be left with a soggy oatmeal. The reason I LOVE, and my husband LOVES, and my 19-month old daughter LOVES this baked oatmeal is that it is rich, full of texture and flavor, and it is very un-soggy. It's not dry either, it's the perfect consistency!

From this amount of blabbing I'm sure you've come to decide that I am an oatmeal snob! So if I think it's good and you like oatmeal, then you'll be sure to love it!

**One last note....This recipe calls for bananas and blueberries (which compliment each other very nicely if you ask me). I'm anxious for raspberry and peach season because I think those two flavors will also be stellar in this recipe!

Baked Oatmeal with Fruit
Printable Version

Ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned oats
¼-½ cup chopped pecans or almonds, divided
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash or two of salt
¼ cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted or canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick ( or peaches 1-1½ cups)
1-1 ½ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen), divided ( or raspberries 1-1½ cups)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish or 8x8 glass pan.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the oats, half of the nuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, mix to incorporate. In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine the maple syrup, milk, egg, butter/oil, and vanilla.

Evenly distribute the sliced bananas/(peaches) in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the blueberries/(raspberries). Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer and then pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the top of that. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and berries over the top.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with more maple syrup on top if you like or just plain, it has great flavor without the added syrup!

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: lightly adapted from annies-eats.com

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

I made these cookies a couple of years ago and Jeff has been asking me to make them again ever since.  I finally got around to it this week.  Not sure why I waited so long.  When we were finishing them off last night, Jeff said they were his favorite cookie--which is kind of a big deal.  We are serious about our cookies here.  This is a perfect cookie for spring and summer since it's flavors are light and fresh and it is reminiscent of delicious dreamsicles.  I'm not sure I would go as far as Jeff and say they are my favorite, but they are pretty dreamy.  Make them.  You won't be disappointed.

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

Printable Version

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons orange zest (for me that was the zest of 2 oranges)

2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Stir in orange zest and white chocolate chips.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Do not flatten cookies; it will make them dry. Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Do not overcook! Cookies will be plump. Cool for several minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container. 

Recipe Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Chicago Chopped Salad

My friend, Tiffany made this salad for us last summer at a get-together.  It is the perfect summer dinner.  I'm usually the kind of person that eats salad because it's good for me, not because I love salad.  BUT, I love this salad.  Probably because with the bacon and the yummy dressing it's not all that good for me anymore, but that is beside the point.  It made me, a non-salad-lover, love a green salad.  The best part about this recipe is that there are no specific measurements, so if you like a lot of pasta--add a lot of pasta and if you're going for a lighter salad for a side dish go easy on the pasta and heavy on the Romaine.  Just make it yours--I promise you can't mess it up.  And don't even think about leaving out the blue cheese--it's what puts this salad over the top.  (I know a lot of people don't like blue cheese, but just a couple of crumbles give it tons of flavor, so promise me you'll try it? Pretty please?)  If you want everyone at a potluck to love you, make this.  Or, you can be like me and make it and hoard it in your fridge and eat it for lunch and dinner for 3 consecutive days...   

P.S. This dressing also makes a fabulous dipping sauce for chicken tenders!

Chicago Chopped Salad

Printable Version

Ingredients: 

Romaine hearts, chopped into bite-sized pieces

Tomatoes

Green onions

Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Grilled chicken 

Ditalini pasta; cooked, drained, and rinsed in cold water

Blue cheese

For the Dressing:

Ranch Dressing (your favorite kind--we happen to like the Hidden Valley Ranch packets)

Honey mustard dressing (your favorite kind--Ken’s is great, but I also like the Great Value one)

Dijon mustard to taste

Directions:

I like to start off by grilling the chicken and baking the bacon--that way you can do lots of chopping while you’re waiting on those babies.    

For the dressing, combine equal parts of ranch and honey mustard dressings.  Add dijon mustard to taste.  (I added about 1 Tablespoon per cup of ranch).  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Combine as much or as little as you like, of each of the first 7 ingredients listed.  Toss the dressing with the salad and serve immediately.  If you are anticipating leftovers or don’t intend to eat it all in one day, dress each serving individually and the salad will keep for a couple of days in the fridge without the dressing.  

Recipe Source: My friend, Tiffany J., who got the recipe from a friend in Chicago.

Mango, Corn, and Black Bean Salsa

With Cinco de Mayo approaching, mangoes are on sale here this week and I can't get enough.  Do I really know much about Cinco de Mayo? No.  But for me, as every holiday is, it is an excuse to have a party and eat yummy food! So to make myself feel a little less guilty for the pigging out that I'm sure I'll do on Saturday, I did a little research.  So, in case you are wondering too, here is a little tidbit on Cinco de Mayo: It is often confused with Mexican Independence day, which is the 16th of September.  Rather, Cinco de Mayo is the anniversary of the Battle of the Puebla, which was fought between the French and the Mexicans in 1862.  The Mexicans were definitely the underdog in the situation.  Their forces were dramatically outnumbered, but they managed to come out on top after only a 4-hour battle.  So there you have it.  The underdogs won and that right there is reason enough for me to celebrate!  

Back to the food...

Mangoes have always been one of my most favorite fruits.  I was trying to think of something to go with some enchiladas that I made and I thought this would be perfect.  And it was.  It totally hit the spot.  I love the freshness, the sweetness, and the color that this salsa added to our meal.  I sometimes struggle with what to serve as a side when we eat Mexican food.  Yesterday we served it with chips, but it also makes a fabulous Latin-style side dish.  Forget the authenticity of rice and beans, this is superb just served as a salad--and easily tossed with a little brown rice or quinoa.  Too bad there were no leftovers...      

 

Mango, Corn, and Black Bean Salsa/Salad
Printable Version


Ingredients: 


2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 large mango, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen sweet corn, rinsed
1-15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper


Directions:


Combine all ingredients in bowl.  Refrigerate salsa for at least 3 hours before devouring.   

Chicken Fajitas {My Way}

 

I love me some chicken fajitas!  About a month ago, my husband and I discovered our preferred way to have guacamole, and it, along with this fajita seasoning makes these chicken fajitas beyond fabulous! I'm addicted to say the least. We had these on the menu for 3 weeks in a row before I decided to back off a little and make them every other week for a little more variety!  :)

Seriously, the fajita seasoning really gives the chicken and peppers the perfect flavor!  Served on top of a flour tortillas piled with cheddar cheese, green onions, fresh cilantro, sour cream and a dollop (or two, or three) of guacamole these are just it! I'm writing this right before bed and I'm tempted to go make them now! The picture is making me salivate!  

Okay, I'll stop, if you promise to try them! I just know you'll love them too!

P.S. If you haven't planned your Cinco de Mayo meal check out these other recipes for some ideas of what to make. 

Sides/Appetizers

Restaurant Style Salsa
Guacamole {Easy Squeezy & Tasty}

Fresh Salsa 

Mexican Creamed Corn

Main Dish

Taco Salad

Super Nachos

Chicken Fajitas (this post)  (with this Fajita Seasoning)

Taco Soup

Dessert

Tres Leches Cake

Flan

Seasonings 

Taco Seasoning

Fajita Seasoning

Chicken Fajitas {My Way}
Printable Version
Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breasts
½ medium yellow onion, sliced in half moons
½ green pepper, sliced in long strips
½ red pepper, sliced in long strips
2-3 tablespoons fajita seasoning (see recipe on this blog)
2 tablespoons olive oil, separated

Directions:
In a large non-stick skillet add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Over medium-high heat cook onion 1-2 minutes until partially translucent. Add red and green peppers and continue to cook 5-8 minutes until onions and peppers are bite tender.  Remove onion/pepper mixture from skillet and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and place chicken breast(s) in skillet, cover and cook on medium (or medium-low) until partially cooked on one side, flip and partially cook on the other side.  Remove chicken from pan and place on a cutting board. Cut chicken into strips and place back in the pan and cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. 

Add the peppers back to the pan with the chicken. Add ⅓ cup water and 2-3 tablespoons of fajita seasoning to taste. Let simmer 1-2 minutes until thick and seasoning is evenly distributed. 

Serve fajita mix inside of warm tortillas with cheese, green onion, cilantro, guacamole, and sour cream. 

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: Lu, from this blog! :)

Fajita Seasoning Mix

 

I've mentioned before in my post about our homemade taco seasoning that we outlawed buying packaged taco seasoning......this is now true for fajita seasoning too!  We like it so much more then the packets you find in the grocery store, and the best thing is that I always have all these seasonings on hand. I usually make a few batches of this recipe and keep it in a storage contained in the cupboard with the rest of my spices.  

It's a cinch to whip up even if you don't have some sitting in the cupboard ready to use.   It literally only takes a few minutes. 

I hope you enjoy this flavor with your fajitas as much as we do!  

Stay tuned this week for my favorite way to make chicken fajitas! They go great with homemade guacamole!   Happy Cinco de Mayo this weekend!


Fajita Seasoning Mix
Printable Version
Yield: about 10 teaspoons
Ingredients: 
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon cumin

Directions:
Combine the above ingredients in a small bowl or container and use as needed in recipes that call for fajita seasoning.

Recipe Source:  lightly adapted from food.com