Cheesecake in a Jar Recipe I’m fairly certain that I’ve discussed my lack of love for the great outdoors, so it’s safe to say you’ll never hear me writing about long hikes in the woods or camping anywhere other than on a deck chair at a five star resort (Hey, I can dream, right?). Not to say that I am not fond of the fresh air and scenery, I just like to keep a screen between me and the bugs. Needless to say, I don’t last long at picnics in the park or anywhere outdoors for that matter. Problem is, I am a big pan of picnic food. Then, a couple of friends came up with the idea of a virtual picnic. The Nature Conservancy has a website that is devoted to Picnic for the Planet. Eat Smart Be proactive, know where your food comes from and who it impacts. Eat Local Take advantage of your farmer’s market. Eat Sustainably Eat sustainable seafood — one of the only things that we eat that we still get from the wild. Eat Green Eat more fruits and vegetables — it’s good for your health and the planet’s Eat Out
S'mores Cake in a Jar Oh friends. Hi. How are you? Judging from the above picture, you can assume I’m doing well. I’m not going hungry, that’s for sure. Guess what? S’mores jar cakes clearly top dinner recipes. Let’s talk mason jars. More on mason jars? Just so we’re clear, s’mores jar cakes have buttery graham crusts covered with fluffy double chocolate chip cake and pillowy marshmallow toppings that are so perfectly browned and bubbly you can taste the campfire and smell the midnight July breeze. Need more convincing? S’mores Cake in a Jar makes 4 16-ounce mason jar cakes for crust: 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/2 stick butter pinch of salt Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and mix in graham crumbs and salt. for cake: (from peanut butter hot fudge cupcakes) 1 1/8 cups all purpose flour 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 tablespoons sour cream for topping:
Cherry Crisp in a Jar from My Baking Addiction I’m starting to get the feeling that, when my surgeon told me my recovery from surgery would be 6-8 weeks, he wasn’t joking! I am doing quite well, all things considered… And, I am gradually feeling better each day, but there is still quite a long road in front of me! So, I am feeling especially blessed by all of my great blogger friends who are stopping by here to help me out with all of these guest posts. I’m sure I don’t need to introduce Jamie from My Baking Addiction… If you are anything like me, you probably visit her site regularly and just stare at her gorgeous photos and stunning desserts! While it’s hard to pick just a few, some of my favorites are her Thin Mint Pie and Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars! Jamie, thanks so much for stopping by with these fabulous cherry crisps! As you may know from Jen’s recent blog post, she had surgery last week and is taking a bit of time away to recover from her procedure. Looking for more cherry recipes? Ingredients Preparation
a mason jar meal (my 6th PFB challenge) UPDATE: You can VOTE FOR ME HERE, if you’re so inclined. I love mason jars. They are perfectly portioned, retro, convenient, and reusable. They are affordable, accessible, versatile and stylish. They contain, shake, serve and store. And they travel. Here is what I served: I wanted a meal that tasted freshly made, even after sitting for hours in a jar. Put dressings and heavy items on the bottom, foods to stay crisp and fresh at the top. chickpea and chicken salad: Rinse and drain a can of chick peas. homemade bagel chips: Slice several bagels in half. pesto pasta: Cook penne pasta and drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the water. white wine sangria (adapted from this Martha Stewart recipe): In a saucepan, combine and heat 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup honey, the zest and juice of a lemon, six whole cloves, and two cinnamon sticks over medium heat to a simmer. The beauty of mason jars is the pretty package. To test the freshness, I prepared my mason jar meal in the morning and we dined in the evening.
Pie Favors in a Jar {Recipes} Just like “on a stick”, everything gets infinitely cuter when layered inside a mason jar and tied with a simple ribbon or tag. Favors are no exception! So make these delicious fruity pies in mini mason jars (or regular size!) then sit back and listen to your guests “ooh” and “aah” over how darn cute you are! Pie Crust Dough 2 12 oz. cans of cherry, apple or your favorite pie filling (Or mix blueberry and cherry!) 6 4 oz. mason jars, cleaned with lids and labels removed 1 baking sheet Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Fill your jars with your filling. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until pie dough is golden brown. image via: Related Watermelon Cake in Mason Jars: Perfect Summer Dessert Watermelon Cake If there is one food synonymous with summer in my opinion, it’s watermelon!
Mini Paleo Pizzas My guess is that most of you would call these bun-less burgers. OK, I’ll give you that, but they are nice paleo, protein-packed alternatives to the classic English Muffin Pizza. When I am out and about running errands, I can guarantee at some point my blood sugar is going to bottom out and I will need to get food in me stat, therefore I am trying to create more “small plate” on the go meals, snacks, and even recovery meals. Hey Ellen, these are great recovery meals! My kids do not want to be paleo, they remind us of that at almost every meal. When I placed these in front of them they yelled, “Hey, these are paleo!” Notes on Un-cured meats and being Paleo: I found a nice organic un-cured pepperoni at my Whole Foods. Two pizzas stack perfectly in an 8 ounce wide-mouth Kerr mason jar for on-the-go-blood-sugar-dump emergencies. Who can pass up a lunch that looks like this? Even the lids get a workout here in BRK! Mini Paleo Pizzas Author: Robin Sue Joss, Big Red Kitchen LLC Prep time:
Wok Wednesdays: chinese burmese chili chicken Have you ever made a recipe that made you want to run out in your front yard and yell “I just made the best lunch ever!”? That happened when I made this stir-fry yesterday. My friend Rob invited me to join him on a new culinary journey with a group of folks cooking their way through Grace Young’s Stir-frying to the Sky’s Edge on Wok Wednesdays. I am very excited to be a part of this group since it lines up wonderfully with the paleo lifestyle. This week’s recipe is hosted on Cathy’s site My Culinary Mission. mason mise en place MASON JAR TIP for STIR-FRYING– Although quick to cook, stir-fries are a pain to prep. Place your fish sauce, oil, extra salt, extra kuzu, and chili powder bottle on the counter to add to recipe when stated. Paleo Changes to the RecipeAvocado Oil- in place of the peanut or vegetable oil, I chose to go with avocado oil, one of the healthy oils of the paleo lifestyle. Kuzu- Kuzu is a starch from the root of the kuzu plant used in Asian cooking for over 2000 years.
The Secret to Leaving Home: A mother’s getaway plan Mason Jar Meal Tip #3: Design beautiful mason jar meal options for your family before leaving town. Feed them. That’s the secret. It took about 90 minutes to prepare the bulk of the items, the brownies had been done the day before, and the Pastiera pulled from the freezer, but the payoff was full lunch boxes, fully bellies, and a happy family. Top Shelf 1/3 pound each raw pastured hamburger patties One pound organic un-cured bacon PastaChili Homemade Rotisserie Chicken- pulled Options: Bacon Cheeseburgers, bacon and eggs, bacon butties, chili mac, chili nachos, my kids even like buttered pasta. Second ShelfLazy LasagnaKale SaladPastiera di Pepperoni- pulled a few from the freezerPhilly Cheesesteaks- cut rolls to length of 1/2 pint mason jar and fill with meat. Options: These options were for the lunch box and quick snacks. Botton Shelf 4 ounce un-sweetened organic apple sauce snack cups sprinkled with cinnamon. Notes:1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Other tips…Tip #1Tip #2
My Favorite Kale Salad There is this little Deli by Himself’s office we like to go for lunch once in a great while, mostly because it is close and we can walk there. My favorite dish that they offer is the Kale Salad with a touch of toasted sesame oil that makes you forget you are eating very healthy super greens. It is the one dish that made me finally like Kale, and I mean really like it. With the kale lightly blanched and tossed with this flavorful dressing, with a few bits of yellow or red pepper, and crunchy strips of red onion, this dish is very refreshing on a hot summer day- or any day at that. Kale Salad Ingredients: One bunch kale 1/4 red onion thinly sliced 1/2 red, yellow or orange pepper, thinly slices 1/4 avocado oil or your favorite salad oil 1 T. coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar 2 tsp. Instructions: 1. **Coconut Aminos is a soy-free flavoring sauce that takes the place of soy sauce in the paleo diet.