Spinach Apple Salad

Have you ever seen an almost two year old scarf down spinach?  No lie, we ate this for dinner tonight... My little one ate two adult sized helpings of it.  She wanted this salad over the Pizza that we had.  I got this recipe from my aunt a couple of weeks ago.  I've made it at least 3 times a week since I got it.  I don't know what it is about the dressing, but its addictive. 

One confession... I don't spend the time to fry up the bacon. I just buy the already cooked and chopped stuff for this salad. It makes it quick and easy to throw together. 

If you use the honey roasted slivered almonds, it gives it an even better flavor!  I also make a double batch of the dressing and keep it in the fridge for a week or two. Depending on the color of your purple onion, some dressings will be really pink and others will be more white. 

Spinach Apple Salad 

1 (10-oz) bag fresh baby spinach

1 med. Granny Smith apple, cored, and diced

1/2 lb. crumbled, fried bacon

3/4 C toasted, slivered almonds

Dressing:

1/4 C granulated sugar

1/3 C oil

1/4 tsp. salt

3T. cider vinegar

1/8 small red onion

Toss salad ingredients together. For dressing, place ingredients in blender. Blend until onion is very fine and mixture is well blended. Dress salad and serve immediately. Garnish with apple slices.

Not sure how to measure 1/8 of an onion... easiest way... cut it in half, then that half in half, then that half in half. There you have it.

Gingerbread Pancakes

Hi Mommy's Kitchen Creations daily readers! I'm Megan, from Pickle Boat Recipes. I'm honored to be a guest blogger on my dear friend, Jennie's blog. It's so great to have a friend who shares the love of amazing foods! That way, every get together can center around what we get to eat! Or, if our husbands plan it, it centers around what they get to shoot... which I suppose relates to what we get to eat. Hopefully, right? Luckily for the Bambi lovers more faint of stomach, I will not be featuring anything related to hunting, shooting, or really anything man-related (although your man will definitely LOVE this dish!).

Instead, we will focus more on a sweet and flavorful breakfast dish: Gingerbread Pancakes! If you've ever had the chance to visit my blog, you know I am a lover of all things breakfast-y. This is a family favorite, usually made during the Holiday season, but we also make it many times throughout the year. There are three parts, but don't be intimidated. We take a few shortcuts and it ends up looking like you put a lot more work into it than you really did. Plus it tastes amazing!

Gingerbread Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups buttermilk pancake mix

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon ginger

1/2 cup Molasses

1 1/2 cup water

3 cups unsweetened applesauce

1-2 peeled apples, cut into 1/2" chunks

1/4 cup red hots candies

1/4 cup water

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Pancakes:

Preheat griddle or skillet on medium heat.

Combine pancake mix, cinnamon, and ginger in a medium bowl. Add Molasses and water. Stir together just until combined. Lightly grease griddle and pour 1/4 cupfuls of pancake batter onto the griddle. Cook until edges are slightly dry looking and top begins to bubble. Flip with a spatula and cook until other side is lightly browned and pancake is cooked through. Continue with remaining dough.

Applesauce Topping:

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat (we're feeling rather medium today!) heat applesauce, apples, red hots, and water. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until apple chunks are soft; approximately 20 minutes. This step can be done ahead of time and reheated just before serving.

Maple Cream Topping:

In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment (or in a regular bowl with a hand mixer) add heavy cream and syrup. Mix until slightly stiff - whipped cream texture.

Top warm pancakes with applesauce topping and then whipped cream. You can also garnish it with some leftover red hots for fun!



Rocky Road Fudge

Today's recipe came from my mother. It's super easy! It only takes a couple of minutes to make.  I apologize for not having a picture.  I made it so many times over the holidays and for some reason, never took a picture! But I guess no picture is better than no post right? 

When I first made this, I was thinking the chocolate would melt the marshmellows a little but,  It doesn't. This is a very chunky fudge.  But super yummy! Enjoy!

Rocky Road Fudge

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips 12 oz pkg

1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups mini marshmellows

1 ½ cups coarsely chopped nuts (almonds )

Line 13x9 baking pan with foil and grease lightly

Microwave chips and milk in a large microwave safe bowl (uncovered)

On high for 1 minute. Stir. Chips may retain shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10-15 secind intervals, stirring until smooth.  Stir in vanilla. Fold in marshmallows and nuts

Press mixture into prepared baking pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Lift from pan. Remove foil. Cut into pieces.

Strawberry Carrot Smoothie

Smoothie's have been a huge hit in our house lately.  It has been a great way to load up on fruits and veggies.  We also got a really awesome blender from Costco. It's the Ninja Professional one. It's the next step down from the Blend Tech and the Vita Mix, and way cheaper!

Turning raw fruits and veggies into smoothies is way better for you than just juicing.  When you juice, you lose the fiber. This way you are still getting the raw fruits and vegetables. If you have a rough time with the texture, you can always steam the fruits and veggies and it will help them to be less grainy and more creamy.  You can lose some nutrients that way, but it's better than most juices and smoothies.  Also, add in the leftover juices from steaming and that will add some flavor and nutrients back in. (substitute that for milk or other liquid)

Strawberry Carrot Smoothie

25 frozen Strawberries

2 carrots peeled and cubed

2 cups liquid (I used 1 cup milk and 1 cup water)

1/2 C sugar (or to taste)

Toss all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.

Tip: if you are steaming the strawberries and carrots... you may want to add in ice to thicken it up and get it cold again.  You may also need less liquid

World's Best Caramels

My mother in law shared this caramel recipe with me a few years ago. It has been a yearly Plastow tradition to make these puppies.  They are so delicious.  I have never tasted anything better.

The first thing you need to do before starting this recipe, is pull out a good book or put on a good movie, cause you'll be at the stove for a while.  They key to making these shine, is the slow process.  Plan on anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on your stove.  Trust me, it's worth it!

The Most important thing to remember...Each pan and thermometer is different, so you'll need to test it out a little to make sure the right temperature to get it to. The best way to check is to drop the mixture into a bowl of ice water and let it sit for a couple seconds until cooled.  Then pull it out and check it's consistency. Too runny, keep it boiling,  just right... it's done, too hard... take it right off the stove and tell them it's supposed to be that way :)

The Worlds Best Caramels

2 c. Sugar

2 C. Whipping cream, not whipped

2 C. Dark Karo Syrup

1 Square unsalted butter

Mix sugar, syrup and 1 c. cream. Stir constantly and boil until it reaches 260 degrees. Set off stove and add 1 cup cream. Stir cream in and boil again but do NOT stir anymore. Get back up to 260 degrees. Take off stove and stir in butter. Pour into buttered cake size pan and let cool. For dipping caramels, you can use the same recipe and steps only stop at 230 degrees at both points instead of 260.

(My pot seems to work better at about 250 degrees instead of 260)

Easy Egg Salad

I think this is the first thing I'd ever made without a recipe.  It's no Creme Brule but hey I was 16!  I used to work for a place called the Flight Deck Cafe.  One day the owner told me to make a batch of egg salad.  He told me what went in it, but no measurements, and left me at it. So I created my very own version. Everyone said that mine was way better than any other. I had one customer that would come in faithfully and order a bowl of egg salad.  She said it didn't need any bread it was so good.  She would just eat it with a spoon.  If that doesn't make a teenage girl feel like a million bucks, I don't know what does.

Easy Egg Salad

5 Eggs (hard boiled and smashed with a fork)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve on bread or eat with a spoon.

Mama Mia’s Minestrone Soup

I was first exposed to Minestrone soup when I tried it on a whim at Olive Garden a couple of years ago. I really enjoyed it. I came across this recipe about a year ago and fell in love with it!  The bacon really adds a delicious flavor. 

I adapted this recipe from Real Mom Kitchen.  I just use a good Italian seasoning instead of the different amounts of each herb. Make sure that it contains thyme, oregano and basil in it.  I got a good one from Costco.

Mama Mia’s Minestrone Soup



1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup celery chopped

Saute the onion and celery in bacon grease until tender.

2 cans Petite Diced Tomatoes

2 cans beef broth

2 small cans tomato juice

1 can northern white beans, drained and rinsed

1 can green beans, UNDRAINED

3 carrots, cut into chunks

2 cups shredded cabbage (not the pre-cut coleslaw mix, it’s too stringy when cooked)

2 cups of water

2 tsp Italian seasoning (make it a good one)

Bring the above ingredients to a boil, then reduce to simmer.  Simmer until vegetables are tender.  Then add:

1 cup of macaroni (rotini or shells work well)

Cook until macaroni is tender.  Top each bowl with Parmesan cheese to serve.