Cherry Streusel Bars

Look at how ooey gooey that looks.

Couldn't you just stare at it forever?

Okay... maybe not forever but long enough for it to cool before shoving it in your mouth. 

Don't do it while it's still hot.

Just.

Don't do it. 

It's very burny when it's hot. 

However, once it has cooled, feel free to gobble it up. All that shortbread-ish, cherry pie, crunchy streusel and almond drizzle will have you running back to the store to buy more ingredients so you can make it over and over again!

Cherry Streusel Bar

Ingredients

Base

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

generous pinch salt

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Filling

2 cans (21 oz each) cherry pie filling

Glaze

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 - 2 Tbsp milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 X 13 pan with parchment paper, lightly spray with cooking spray, set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in salt, eggs, and extracts. Add in flour and baking powder and mix until just combined. 

Scoop out a heaping cup of the batter and set it aside. 

Press the remaining dough firmly into the prepared 9 X 13 pan.

Spread the cherry pie filling over top.

Mix the slivered almonds into the reserved batter. 

Sprinkle the reserved batter with the almonds over the top of the cherry pie filling.

Bake at 350 until top is golden brown - about 50 - 65 minutes. Keep an eye on it. 

Remove from oven to wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.

Use the parchment paper to remove the bar from the pan. Set onto wire rack.

Prepare glaze - whisk together icing sugar, milk, and almond extract until smooth. Consistency should be thin enough to drizzle with a spoon but thick enough to still coat the spoon.

Drizzle over the warm bar.

Let cool completely before slicing. (If you cut it while it is warm, the cherry pie filling will not have set and the bar will fall apart a bit.)

Revel in how pretty it is.

Seriously.

And then, feel free to eat as much as you like.

The cherry pie filling and almond flavor goes very well together, I imagine you could use any pie filling for this bar.Maybe blueberry pie filling with the almond OR lemon pie filling with a coconut extract/shredded coconut, or pumpkin pie filling with some pecans and cinnamon.

Lots of options to try!!

Be sure to visit these fun blogs for tons of great links - Simple Life of a Fire Wife, Lou Lou Girls, New Mrs Adventures, Carole's Chatter

Cheesy Bacon & Egg Breakfast Muffins

Looking for a breakfast idea that is hearty and tasty and is sure to fill up the person eating it?

Have we got a deal for you.

This recipe, as written, makes 4 LARGE muffins but can easily be doubled. 

You can make these a day ahead and keep them in the fridge but, unfortunately, you can't make them up ahead of time and freeze them. The egg goes weird if you freeze them. 

They are definitely filling.

And delicious.

So much cheese and bacon and egg and onion-y goodness. 

Plus...the egg inside is a cool surprise. Your guests will be all like, "Woooooooow, how did you do that?". 

Tell them you are magic. 

Cheesy Bacon & Egg Breakfast Muffins

(Slightly adapted from Recipe Tin Eats) 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried parsley

8 pieces bacon, cooked and diced 

1/3 cup green onion, diced

1 cup shredded, aged cheddar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 Tbsp Greek yogurt

2 Tbsp oil

1 egg

4 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line 4 ramekins with a strip of parchment paper or spray lightly with cooking spray. (You can also use extra large muffin tins) Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, garlic powder, parsley, bacon, onion, and cheese. 

In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, Greek yogurt, oil, and 1 egg.

Stir together the dry ingredients until combined. Whisk together the wet ingredients.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix. Divide batter into 4 equal sections.

Place half of one section into the bottom of a ramekin. Shape a "well" into the middle of the batter for the egg to sit in.

Gently crack in an egg.

Take the remaining half of the section of batter and flatten it in your hand a bit. Gently place it on top of the egg, Very lightly press the edges of the batter down - but not the center!!

Repeat with the remaining 3 ramekins and eggs.

Bake at 350 until tops are puffy, look dry, and are golden brown - about 20 - 30 minutes.

Let cool about 5 - 8 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the ramekin to loosen the muffin. 

Remove from the ramekin and serve warm.

You may be able to see some of the egg white peeking out in some of the muffins.

You can serve them whole OR slice them in half to showcase the surprise inside!

Ooooh....fancy schmancy....

Close up time!!

The size of the egg will make a difference to the presentation.

See that pic below? That's a smaller egg.

It still will work but it's not quite as dramatic. 

FYI - The muffins are quite large. A regular muffin tin won't work because it is too small. 

Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even lunch. Take them on a picnic or hike for a great snack. 

Remember to store them in the fridge if they aren't eaten up fairly soon. 

We're sharing at Carole's Chatter. Be sure to pop by and say Hi! 

Greek Dinner (3 Recipes)

Today we will be sharing 3 recipes on the blog.

One for Donairs, one for Greek salad, and one for Greek Rice. 

It is fairly easy to whip up these recipes and enjoy a fantastic Greek inspired meal. Of course, you don't have to make all 3, they are fantabulous on their own as well. 

I had never made donairs before and was worried they would be difficult. Nope. Turns out I worried for nothing. They are actually a lot of fun to make. Definitely give them a try if you haven't yet!

First up: Donairs.

Donairs

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp flour

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp Greek seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Sauce

1 (12oz) can of evaporated milk

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp garlic powder

4 - 5 tsp white vinegar

Also

 pita bread

tomato, chopped

onion, chopped

lettuce, shredded

feta, crumbled 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line a broiler pan (or cookie sheet if you don't have a broiler pan) with tinfoil, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef and spices. 

**Now comes the fun part**

Once mixed, pick up the meat and throw down with force 20 times, kneading it after each throw. 

Form into a rectangular loaf (as per photo below):

*Note - there is 2 loaves pictured as I doubled the recipe. As written above, the recipe only makes 1 loaf.*

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, flip the loaf over, then bake for another 40 or so minutes. (Flipping the loaf over ensures even cooking.) 

The meat will cut much better if you chill it overnight so you should make this the day before you want to have your meal!

Prepare sauce - In a bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, sugar, and garlic powder. Slowly whisk in vinegar, 1 tsp at a time, until thickened to your desired consistency. (I used 5 tsp)

Chill sauce until ready to use.

When ready to prepare donairs - Slice the meat into very thin slices.

Warm the meat in a pan until heated through. Serve on pitas (warming the pita is optional), with lettuce, onion, tomato, and feta. Drizzle with some of the sauce.

Next up: Greek Rice

Greek Rice

Ingredients

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cups Jasmine rice

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup shredded carrot

1 tsp Greek seasoning

2 stalks celery, diced fine

1 tsp dried parsley

Directions

In a large pot, bring chicken broth and lemon juice to a boil, add in the rice and stir. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until rice is done - about 20 minutes.

In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add in the onion, garlic, carrot, Greek seasoning, celery, and parsley.

Cook and stir until vegetables have softened - about 8 or so minutes.

Stir in the cooked rice. Cook and stir until rice has dried a little and is less sticky.

Serve hot.

And, lastly, the Greek Salad

Greek Salad

Ingredients

1 cucumber, diced

1 tomato, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 orange pepper, diced

1/4 medium onion, sliced

1/2 cup - 3/4 cup feta, crumbled

Dressing

Greek salad dressing

(You can use one of our recipes HERE or store bought)

Directions

Toss together veggies, onion, and feta. Drizzle with some dressing and toss to combine.

Sprinkle with more feta, if desired.

Serve all three recipes together for a lovely Greek inspired meal.

All those colors look so pretty on a plate, am I right?

I made the donair meat up the night before so all I had to do was heat it in a pan while cooking the rice. I made the salad up in the afternoon and didn't dress it until I was ready to serve it. 

When dinner time came around it was easy peasy to put everything together. 

Great meal idea to cut down your kitchen time when dinner is being served. You can do most of the prep before hand so you can spend more time with your dinner guests. 

 

We're sharing at these fab linky parties - Joy Love Food, Memories By The Mile, Hun...What's For Dinner?,  New Mrs Adventures, Simple Life of a Fire Wife, Carole's Chatter

 

Magic Cauliflower "Potato" Salad

Okay, so it's not really "magic" salad. It can't cut a woman in half or do a card trick.

However...

It is really, really cool.

Look at the pictures. 

LOOK!

Totally thought it was potato salad, am I right?

Nope. Not a potato in sight. 

That, my friends, is cauliflower.

*BOOM*

Magic.

Cauliflower "Potato" Salad

Ingredients

2 medium heads cauliflower

1/2 cup frozen peas

3 stalks of celery

1/2 medium purple onion

5 slices bacon

5 eggs, hard boiled

Dressing

1/2 cup 0 fat Greek yogurt, plain

1/2 cup light mayo

1/4 tsp dry mustard

dash of garlic powder

salt & pepper

Topping

sprinkle of paprika

Directions

Chop the cauliflower into bite sized pieces.

Boil the cauliflower in water until fork tender, about 10 - 15 minutes. Keep checking, you don't want to over cook it. Throw the frozen peas into the water and let sit for a minute before you drain it.

Drain the cauliflower and peas in a colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside. 

Chop the celery, onion, and bacon into small pieces. 

Chop 4 of the eggs into small pieces.

Place drained cauliflower into a bowl and add the chopped celery, onion, bacon, and eggs.

Prepare dressing - Whisk together Greek yogurt, mayo, mustard, garlic powder, and salt & pepper. 

Stir the dressing into the ingredients until well combined.

Slice the last egg into slices and place on top.

Sprinkle with paprika.

Chill until ready to serve (at least 3 hours - you want the flavors to have a chance to blend and the salad to chill through. Overnight works well too.)

TOTALLY LOOKS LIKE POTATO SALAD....

Look.... can't even tell when it's on a dinner plate with some ribs and corn on the cob.

Guuuuuuuuuuys...

it even tastes like potato salad.

I'm not lying, I promise.

Now, my only disclaimer is that it does have a bit of a different mouth feel - ie: the texture is a bit different. I fooled my parents though. 

Until I told them, they didn't know it wasn't potato salad.

OH..YEAH....some more good news - According to Myfitnesspal the nutritional count for 1/8th of the entire recipe (about 1 cup serving) it is - 154 calories, 11 carbs, 8 fat, and 10 protein.  

Compare that to the same size serving of a "regular" full fat potato salad at 400 calories, 28 carbs, 27 fat, 9 protein. 

*Eeeeeeeeee*

So exciting. 

I know, it's sad that cauliflower salad makes me so giddy. Except that it's sooooo cool. Totally messes with your mind.

Looking for some fun links to more great food ideas? Check out Carole's Chatter