May 17, 2013

Orange Carrot Less-Drip Ice Pops (and Ice Pop Cookbook Giveaway Part Two)

Excerpted from 150 Best Ice Pop Recipes by Andrew Chase © 2013 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca May not be reprinted without publisher permission
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As promised, I'm back with another frozen treat from the cookbook in the giveaway announced earlier this week with a recipe for Raspberry Meringue Ice Pops.
Excerpted from 150 Best Ice Pop Recipes by Andrew Chase © 2013 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca May not be reprinted without publisher permission

Orange Carrot Less-Drip Ice Pops. I love the idea of these "less-drip" ice pops. Not only are they perfect for the summer days ahead, they are espcially great for little ones trying to get into the frozen fun before their treat melts away. There is an entire section devoted to these kind of ice pops (Strawberry Pudding, Milk Chocolate, and Green Grape to name a few). We're planning on trying most of them, starting with these Orange Carrot ones.

May 15, 2013

Raspberry Meringue Ice Pops and (200 Best Ice Pop Recipes Cookbook Giveaway)

Excerpted from 150 Best Ice Pop Recipes by Andrew Chase © 2013 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca May not be reprinted without publisher permission.

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School's just about out, summer is knocking on the door, and I think it's time to start preparing for those warm sunshine filled days! The kids will be out running through sprinklers, kicking soccer balls, riding their bikes, and raiding the freezer for ice cold treats. At least that's what I am suspecting at my house.  "Mom, can we have a Popsicle?" Sound about right to you?  Why not impress your kids with homemade ice pops? These creamy raspberry are sure to do the trick! (Keep reading, there's a giveaway for a fabulous cookbook with 199 more tasty ice pop recipes below.)

May 13, 2013

Telegraph Bars {Lunchroom Bars, O'Henry Bars, and possibly my favorite, Gackle Bars}

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By now there is probably little question of why Crazy is part of my blog title. And if there is, this post is sure to clear things up a little. Many of you may already know that my husband doesn't really have a sweet tooth. There are a few simple treats that he enjoys, rice krispie treats, chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, Oreos, and Caramel Chex Mix. Oh and cheesecake,  how could I forget cheesecake? He's really not big on cake, brownies, or pie. And he doesn't think nuts and chocolate mix which I will never understand. Every year around this time (we just celebrated his Birthday) I struggle finding the perfect dessert to make for him. He used to talk about these dessert bars that he enjoyed as a child - they were made by the lunch ladies from his school cafeteria. I had him describe them for me and couldn't find any recipes that sounded close to his description. He was from a small, like 500 people small, town in North Dakota called Gackle. I thought maybe his Grandma Eva, would be able to point me in the right direction. She gave me some good hints, but her suggestions included raisins, and as strong as he feels about nuts and chocolate never mixing, he feels even stronger about raisins. Period. What did I do? I called the school. I totally called my husband's elementary school.

May 6, 2013

Double Stuff Brownies {Cousins To The Oreo}

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My family is crazy about Oreo cookies,  not only my kids and husband, but cousins, aunts, and uncles. I don't know about you, but my favorites are the Double Stuf and Cool Mint ones ~now those are heaven. The cream is actually my favorite part, unless I have a cold tall glass of milk to dunk them in. Honestly, without a glass of milk I really don't care for them that much. I may be crazy, but something magical happens when you dunk an Oreo cookie into a tall glass of cold milk. Are you a dunker or do you like them straight up? I know they are my hubby's favorite midnight snack. He's been know to indulge in some Oreo action once everyone else has gone to sleep. I buy the ones covered in White Fudge for him sometimes as a special treat. We all have those moments. The ones where we sneak in a little of our favorite treat hoping to go unnoticed and therefore un-shared... maybe in the pantry, maybe in the closet, or even behind the unsuspecting bathroom door. By now, most of you know that I have a weakness for brownies.  And these babies are no exception! They are kin to Oreos, like a cousin maybe. They start with a fudgy layer of brownies that have chunks of mini Oreos baked right inside of them. Then they are topped with a layer of Oreo cream frosting, enough to be considered doubly stuffed, for sure. And if that weren't enough, next comes a smooth rich and creamy chocolate glaze. Double the cream, double, or even triple the chocolate (if you count the Oreos hidden inside the brownies), and therefore we have Double Stuff  Oreo Brownies. Cookies and cream heaven! I'm not claiming they taste just like Oreos, because they aren't supposed to. They are better. Definitely reminiscent of their cookie cousin and completely dunkable, but able to stand alone, too. They are ridiculously insanely delicious. We're talking serious yum!

May 1, 2013

Grilled Shrimp with Avocado Butter and 200 Easy Mexican Recipe Cookbook Giveaway

Excerpted from 200 Easy Mexican Recipes by Kelley Cleary Coffeen © 2013 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca May not be reprinted without publisher permission.
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Happy Cinco De Mayo ~ well in a couple of days! But since it's almost here, I thought we'd begin our celebration with an easy Mexican recipe. Honestly, they had me at Avocado Butter!!! However, I love grilled shrimp, so I couldn't really go wrong. I'd love to grill a batch of these shrimp and serve them just as pictured, with a bucket of ice cold beer (at least for my husband, since I really don't like beer) and of course chips and salsa! Don't forget the chips and salsa! When we have dinner at any Mexican restaurant, they are my favorite part of the meal ~ the icing on the cake if you will. That might change once I taste this Avocado Butter though. I might have to trade my salsa for Avocado Butter! Which brings us to this fabulous cookbook.
Excerpted from 200 Easy Mexican Recipes by Kelley Cleary Coffeen © 2013 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca May not be reprinted without publisher permission.
I love this book because not only is it filled with easy recipes, for the most part it uses fresh ingredients. And by real I mean minimally processed without lots of things I can hardly pronounce. But it also gives suggestions for how to use quick ingredients, like prepared enchilada sauce, instead of making your own, if quick and easy is what you need. And we all have those times! I love the versatility this brings to the recipes. The other thing I love about this cookbooks is that it deconstructs, if you will, most of my favorite Mexican recipes. This means you have recipes for all the basics: tortillas, sopapillas, fillings, sauces, and salsas, and shows you how to put them back together into your favorite combinations. There are endless combinations for tacos, tamales, burritos, chimichangas, flautas, tostadas, enchiladas.... I think you get the point. There are even dessert recipes, like the Sopapillas de Fruit, my goodness, they look like heaven! So now you know how difficult it was to choose which recipe to share with you. I know my husband would have picked the Carne Asada, or Beef Fajitas, but like I said before, that darn Avocado Butter sealed the deal for me.

Grilled Shrimp with Avocado Butter, page 161
Excerpted from 200 Easy Mexican Recipes by Kelley Cleary Coffeen © 2013 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca May not be reprinted without publisher permission.

Makes 4 servings

Lightly marinated shrimp are simple but amazingly flavorful. Rich avocado butter adds a balance in texture and taste.

Tip: I like using a blend of spices to shorten my ingredient list. Creole seasoning has a combination of onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, oregano, salt and pepper. There are many good blends on the market, so you can find a favorite.

·        Barbecue grill
·        Food processor
·        Four 10- to 12-inch (25 to 30 cm) flat metal skewers

Avocado Butter
3          avocados, cut in quarters or into chunks 3
2          clove garlic, minced  2
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 30 mL
2 tbsp olive oil 30 mL
            Kosher or sea salt

            Juice of 2 limes (about 1⁄4 cup/60 mL)
1          clove garlic, minced 1
1 tbsp Creole seasoning (see Tip, left) 15 mL
1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper 2 mL
2 tbsp olive oil  30 mL
16        jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined 16

1.         Avocado Butter: In a food processor, combine avocados, garlic, lime juice and olive oil and process until smooth. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or for up to 2 hours.
2.         In a medium bowl, whisk lime juice, garlic, Creole seasoning, cayenne and oil until well blended. Add shrimp and toss gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 2 hours.
3.         Meanwhile, preheat barbecue grill to medium-high.
4.         Remove shrimp from marinade and discard marinade. Thread 4 shrimp on each skewer.
5.         Grill shrimp, turning once, until shrimp are pink and opaque, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter. Gently remove from skewers and serve with Avocado Butter. 

Would you like to win a copy for yourself? We're trying something new this week. Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter this giveaway. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway opens immediately (US and Canada only, please) and closes at 12:00 AM on May 9th. Winner will be announced here, and contacted by email and has 48 hours to claim their prize by responding with their mailing information or another winner will be drawn. Good luck:)! 
If you want to forgo this whole giveaway and purchase the cookbook for yourself, click here.
 
Do you remember the 150 Best Desserts in a Jar, cookbook giveaway? 

Congratulations to
I love using jars to decorate for the seasons and holidays...filling them with colorful beads,flowers, ribbons, and such. Now for desserts...yummy idea!

Congratulations, Christina! Enjoy your new book!
*Disclaimer, I received no monetary compensation for this giveaway. I did receive a cookbook for review, and all opinions remain my own. The link for purchase, does include an affiliate link.
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