Super Nuts Biscotti

Ingredients:

1 cup shelled almonds
1 cup shelled pistachios
1/3 cup candied pineapple, chopped
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/3 cup candied cherries (I used dried craisins)
1/3 cup dried papaya
1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp real vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temp
3¼ cups all purpose flour
2¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Instructions:

1.      Preheat Oven to 350˚F.

2.    Place almonds and pistachios on an un-greased baking sheet and bake at 350˚F for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool to room temp then coarsely chop and transfer to a medium bowl.

3.    Chop your dried/candied fruit into pieces about the size of raisins. Add dried fruit to the bowl with nuts and stir to combine. This would make one fine trail mix; I tell ya what!

4.    In the bowl of your electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat together: 1 stick butter, 1 cup sugar, and 2 tsp vanilla on high speed (3 min). Add 3 eggs and beat until well combined (1 min).

5.    In a medium bowl, whisk together 3¼ cups flour, 2¼ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix (with the paddle attachment) until combined. Stir in nuts and fruit with a spatula, mixing until dispersed.

6.    Divide the dough into three equal pieces and shape each piece into a 12″long by 2″ wide by ¾” thick. They can be longer or wider but be sure you stay under 1″ in thickness for even baking. Arrange on a large greased baking sheet, at least 1″ apart. Bake at 350˚F for 25-28 min or until starting to turn golden (they shouldn’t be fully cooked at this point).

7.    Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, use a serrated knife to carefully slice each log into individual biscotti about 1″ wide. Add a little more grease to the same baking pan(s), arrange cookies evenly over the top and bake 15-18 min or until golden and firm. Biscotti cookies will harden more as they cool.

 

Enjoy it!

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Coconut Cream Pie

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
3 cups half-and-half
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake it, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, combine the half-and-half, eggs, sugar, flour and salt and mix well. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly.

Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut and the vanilla extract.

Reserve the remaining coconut to top the pie.

 Pour the filling into the pie shell and chill until firm, about 4 hours.

Top with whipped topping and with the reserved coconut.

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Fried Rice

4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

·         3 Tbsp. butter, divided

·         2 eggs, whisked

·         2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

·         1 small white onion, diced

·         1/2 cup frozen peas

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         salt and pepper

·         4 cups cooked and chilled rice

·         3 green onions, thinly sliced

·         3-4 Tbsp. soy sauce, or more to taste

·         2 tsp. oyster sauce (optional)

·         1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

INSRUCTIONS:

Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add egg, and cook until scrambled, stirring occasionally. Remove egg, and transfer to a separate plate.

Add an additional 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add carrots, onion, peas and garlic, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the onion and carrots are soft. Increase heat to high, add in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and stir until melted. Immediately add the rice, green onions, soy sauce and oyster sauce (if using), and stir until combined. Continue stirring for an additional 3 minutes to fry the rice. Then add in the eggs and stir to combine. Add the sesame oil, stir to combine, and remove from heat.

Serve warm.

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Avocado Bacon Egg Rolls

Ingredients

·         Oil

·         2 large avocados; perfectly ripe, peeled, pitted, and sliced

·         ½ lime

·         Salt

·         6-7 slices pepperjack cheese

·         12-14 bacon slices, cooked

·         12-14 egg roll wrappers

·         1 tablespoon flour

·         Water

Instructions

1.    Heat about 2" of oil to 350 degrees F in a large frying pan.

2.    Place avocado slices on a place or large bowl. Drizzle with lime and then sprinkle with salt as desired. Place flour in a small bowl and add water to make into a watery/thin paste.

3.    Place one egg roll wrapper on your work surface, with one corner pointing towards you, forming a diamond on your surface. Lay ½ of a slice of cheese in the middle. Lay 1 slice of avocado on top of cheese, and then one slice of bacon, broken in half. Finish with another slice of avocado.

4.    Fold the part of the wrapper pointing towards you over the stack of avocado, etc. Fold the left and right points over the middle and roll up egg roll nearly all the way, taking care to fold tightly with no openings for ingredients to fall or leak out. With finger tip, dab a bit of the flour mixture on the remaining corner at the top and then seal this corner onto the egg roll to close it.

5.    Repeat steps with remaining ingredients. Carefully place a few egg rolls into hot oil and cook until golden brown, turning them over once during the frying. Remove from oil and allow to drain and cool on a place lined with paper towels or napkins. Serve whole or cut in half at an angle with dip of your choice (if you wish).

*I don’t recommend making these too far in advance. I generally create them just before the party and then cut them in half right before serving.

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Awesome Ways to Eat Eggs for Breakfast

Scrambled eggs are fast, they’re filling, and they’re infinitely customizable, which is why I find myself eating them at least twice every week. Because I keep an arsenal of ideas on hand, I never get sick of them. Check out my favorite ways to make a scramble, and you never will, either. 

1. Feta and Dill
Pull the eggs off the heat just before they finish cooking, and add crumbled feta cheese and chopped fresh dill. The cheese will melt slightly (while still leaving a few pockets of extra-gooey goodness), and the dill lightens and freshens things up. This is most excellent with pita or piled on toast.

2. Bacon Grease and Cheddar
I always keep a jar of bacon grease around because I’m that kind of gal. It’s a great substitute for butter or oil when cooking scrambled eggs—not to mention a nice way to add bacon flavor when you’re out of bacon. If you’ve got the real stuff on hand, all the better. Whatever cheddar you use, buy it in brick or block form and grate it yourself; that pre-grated stuff just ain’t right.

3. Garlic and Onion
This one takes a little bit more work, but it’s worth it. Sauté half a chopped onion and a minced garlic clove or two until soft and fragrant, then add in the eggs. If there’s any scent better than garlic and onions on the stovetop, I haven’t discovered it yet. A generous splash of Sriracha wouldn’t be the worst finisher in the world, here.

4. Spinach and Parmesan
This recipe for scrambled eggs with spinach and parmesan is one of my favorite. A walloping three cups of spinach goes into the mix (it cooks down considerably), making me feel just a bit more virtuous about the shower of Parm I also stir in. Bonus points for red chile flakes.

5. Miso and Scallion
I always keep a tub of brown rice or barley miso in my fridge, and most often find myself stirring a tablespoon of it into cooked scrambled eggs. It adds a salty, funky, and fermented note that’s great with chopped scallion greens. Be sure to add the miso in after the eggs have come off the heat; cooking it will kill all of the good-for-you probiotics. Don’t have miso? A drizzle of tamari or soy sauce would be great, too.

6. Migas-Style Tortillas
Two words for you: Fried tortillas. Sauté a torn corn tortilla or two in your skillet, and once it gets good and golden, add in your eggs and scramble them, letting them coat and cling to the tortilla bits. Add in cheese and hot sauce, and all you need is a cup of coffee. Pro tip: This is also most excellent paired with beer at dinner.

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