Cooking - for a new lifestyle (Our Test Kitchen)

Growing up this was a recipe that Mum always brought to pot lucks every where we went. As I got older I made this for different occasions. I know of two people that if left alone with it and a spoon, they would eat the entire thing with no problem.One of them even passed on the habit to his daughter. Ingredients Lime jello powder (large package) 8oz cream cheese 1tsp vanilla 2Tbsp sugar 1 1/2cup boiling water Small can of crushed pineapple 8oz of lemon/lime pop  I've used one of those mini cans before, less waste. Directions Dissolve jello in hot water. Add softened cream cheese & beat with mixer. Drain liquid from pineapple can before adding. Add remainder of ingredients and set over night. **So you know, there is a very good chance there will be more than will fit in the jello mold container.

One of the recipes that we used in the recipe swap. So moist. And if you don't have a 9x13 baking sheet, tin foil will work wonders to make the proper size and just put it onto the larger baking sheet. Found on Allrecipes.com originally. Ingredients 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 1 cup pumpkin puree 3 eggs 1 teaspoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup confectioners' sugar Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. 2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in pumpkin puree, eggs, and lemon juice. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spread the mixture evenly. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes. 3. Lay a damp linen towel on the counter, sprink...

Prep time 20 minutes Cook time 10 minutes Portion size 6 to 8 Ingredients 1/3 cup (75 mL) butter 1/4 cup (60 mL) pine nuts 12 fresh sage leaves 2  cups (500 mL) roasted pumpkin purée or roasted squash purée, (see Perfect Puree, below) 1/2 cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan cheese 1 egg 1 tsp (5 mL) salt 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg 3 cups (750 mL) all-purpose flour , (approx) Preparation In large bowl, stir together pumpkin purée, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt and nutmeg. Using wooden spoon, stir in 2 cups (500 mL) of the flour. Stir in enough of the remaining flour, 1/4 cup (60 mL) at a time, to make soft, sticky dough that pulls away from bowl but still sticks to spoon and fingers. On well-floured surface and with floured hands, roll dough into log; divide into quarters. Gently roll and shape each quarter i...

4 Layer Pumpkin Dessert Total Time: 30 mins Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins First Layer 1/2 cup butter , melted 1 cup flour Second Layer 8 ounces cream cheese 1 cup powdered sugar 1 cup Cool Whip Third Layer 2 cups whole milk, cold 2 (3 ounce) boxes instant vanilla pudding 1 cup fresh pumpkin 2 teaspoons cinnamon Fourth Layer 4 ounces Cool Whip  (remainder from 8oz container ) Directions: First layer: Mix all 1st layer ingredients together, press in 9x13 dish. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Cool. Second layer: Gently mix together all 2nd layer ingredients. Place on 1st layer and refrigerate. Third layer: Mix all together all 3rd layer ingredients and spread over second layer. Cool until set. Fourth layer: Spread remaining cool whip over top. Refrigerate overnight.

I played with all kinds of words like filling, curd, topping, jam....and this is exactly what I meant.  A compote is an easy fruit topping that can go over waffles (hmmmmm) cake, ice cream.....whatever. It has an exquisite sweetness and bulk of the berry. Almost jam, but not quite so thick. Takes only 20 minutes! 3/4 cup orange juice 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch  2 cups frozen blackberries  1/2 cup sugar  Pinch cinnamon  Pinch ground cloves In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the orange juice with the cornstarch. Set aside. Put the blackberries in a small saucepan with the sugar, the remaining orange juice, the cinnamon and cloves. Bring to a simmer over low heat and continue simmering 1 minute. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the compote. Simmer, stirring from the bottom until thickened, or about 3 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. We served this after a pasta dinner over lemon poppyseed cake with fresh wh...

1. Clean the seeds. The annoying-but-necessary task is that you have to meticulously clean the seeds until there are no signs of pumpkin guts. After picking off the strands, give them a GOOD rinse with water in a colander. Some say that sugar pumpkin seeds yield much crispier seeds than carving pumpkins. 2. Boil for 10 minutes in salt water. I added the pumpkin seeds to a medium-sized pot of water along with 1 tsp salt. Bring it to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes over low-medium heat. This method helps make the pumpkin seeds easier to digest and produces a crispy outer shell during roasting. 3. Drain the seeds in a colander and dry lightly with a paper towel or tea towel. The seeds will stick to the towel, but just rub them off with your fingers. Don’t worry, they don’t have to be bone dry – just a light pat down. 4. Spread seeds onto a baking sheet and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (I only needed to use about 1/2-1 tsp). Massage oi...

Well, when you think of a side dish does celery come to mind??? Not for me. This is an item reserved for recipes and salads (and cheese whiz!) As my previous posts have done this week, I am using up bits and pieces of leftovers in my fridge, freezer and baking cupboards! So I was happy to find yet another recipe for this week that would accomplish doing this. 1/4 cup margarine 2 medium / large carrots chopped 1 cup frozen corn 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock 1 tsp garlic powder Sautee slowly until carrots are tender. Covered. **Add 1/4 cup of liquid if more is needed. 1 cup chopped onion 3 cups celery (mine was pretty beat up...the tail end of a head of celery) Add to the pan. Continue to sautee until celery is tender. Covered. 1 package of  sweetener **no sugar so I used a substitute (1/2 tsp sugar) 1/4 tsp thyme (we used italian spice) 1 tsp salt (omitted) 1/2 can of diced tomatoes (or 2 large tomatoes diced)some juice r...