Raisen Cream Pie

This is a family favorite. Mmmm... Rich and creamy, I promise you wont be disappointed! Try it!

Directions:

1 Cup Raisins

1 1/2 Cup water

Rinse and drain raisins; boil slowly in water 10 min.

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

Blend; stir into boiling raisins; cook and stir until clear and thick. Remove from heat.

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp butter

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Stir in; turn into prepared pie crust and cover with top pastry. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool. Cut and serve with Whipped Cream.

Sweet Potato (Yam) Casserole

Filling:
4 Beauregard Sweet Potatoes
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt.
2 eggs

Topping:
2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour


Cooking instructions:

Peal sweet potatoes, steam or bake until soft. Mash potatoes and mix in remaining filling ingredients. Place in casserole dish.

Meaure topping ingredients in Ziploc bag (butter must be melted). Shake well to combine.
Add to casserole top and bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Ceviche de Camaron (Shrimp Ceviche)

This is a pretty simple recipe for ceviche, but very tasty! When I was little we lived in the coast so we always got to enjoy really good sea food dishes, this one was of course one of my favorites. I remember my dad once made it with "marlin" also known as sword fish, it was so long ago I don't remember the taste...I just remember I liked. Anyway, this dish is marinated and cooked using lime juice (no heat needed) and typically served over tostadas or in cocktail bowls. There are many variations, so this is one of many.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs Shrimp: peeled, washed and chopped in smaller pieces

1 Red onion: chopped

4-5 tomatoes: finely diced

2-3 cucumbers: chopped

limes (you'll need lots)

salt and pepper

tostadas

avocados

Optional:

Clamato: Tomato cocktail...see note below

crab meat

***

In a bowl combine the shrimp, onion and lime juice. You will need to let this marinate/cook for several hours. The smaller the shrimp, the faster it will cook. You will know when it's ready because the shrimp will change color to an orangie tone (I think you can see on the picture below, pieces that have a different color).

Mix cucumber and tomatoes together, and when the shrimp is ready add that whole mixture to the mix.Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also add diced avocado at this point or just add some to the served ceviche at the end. You might want to let it sit for a bit longer just so that the tomatoes and cucumbers can soak up some of the flavor. Serve over tostadasI have a friend who likes to add tomato cocktail to hers to make it more soupy and to get some more tomato and clam taste to it. Either way is good.

Sugar Cookies

I first tried these cookies a couple years ago during a potluck at work. They were so good, I had to get the recipe. My co-worker was so nice that she shared her mother's recipe with me! Yay! So much time has passed and I just barely made them for the first time. They are delicious, I can't believe I hadn't made them before....ok maybe I know why...cause they are so good, you eat them right away.

p.s. The day I made them...I realized I didn't have any sour cream so I used strawberry yougurt. They turned out great, so you can make them with either sour cream or yougurt. Also, I halved the recipe and I ended up making like 4 dozen cookies.

INGREDIENTS:


2 C sugar

1 C butter

3 eggs

Mixed: 1 C sour cream and 1tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

5-6 C flour



Mix everything together except for flour...that's last. Add 5-6C flour (dough should be sticky, not dry). Roll out on floured counter with a floured rolling pin until it’s about ¼” thick. Be gentle with the dough when rolling it out, you can “bruise” it--and try not to handle it too much, it makes the dough tough. (I usually cut out my shapes and set the scraps to the side until the end—then I gently mush all the scraps together at the end and do another batch. It helps keep the dough fresh and soft for the first 3 or 4 batches.)

Bake at 350 for 8-10 min. Cookies will be slightly brown on the bottom.



Butter Cream Frosting:

1 stick softened butter

2 or 3C powdered sugar

A little bit of milk

1tsp or so of vanilla



Mix. Add powdered sugar as needed.

Tostadas De Pollo (Chicken Tostadas)

INGREDIENTS:

Tostadas (store bought or make your own by deep-frying corn tortillas)
Cooked chicken (shredded)
4 tomatoes, diced
1 white/yellow onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
salt and pepper
Refried beans
shredded lettuce
sour cream
cheese
favorite salsa
red onion, cut in thin slices
2 limes, juiced




Sautee onion in a skillet and then add tomatoes, jalapenos and the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.

Grab a tostada and smear refried beans

Add chicken, lettuce, salsa, cheese, sour cream and red onions (read below how to prepare the red onions). In a plastic container (w/ a lid), put the red onions, lime juice and salt, cover. Shake the container every so often to make sure the onions are evenly covered with the juice and salt. The lime juice will cook the onions.

Here's the finished product! You can also add avocado slices on the top.

Ok, if you feel lazy or don't have time to make salsa, you can use this sauce. It comes in a yellow can and I believe the other side has a picture of a duck(pato). The salsa is pretty good for tostadas.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

I made this for dinner tonight and my family LOVED it. My picky 5 year old daughter even asked for seconds!


*Plan Ahead: the recipe calls for cooked chicken so use leftovers or plan enough time to cook the chicken beforehand.

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4-ounce can diced green chilies
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 (19-oz) can green chili enchilada sauce (I used mild)
2/3 cup red enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1 can sliced black olives
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
12-16 oz. penne pasta (Depending on how "saucy" you want the pasta)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, until pepper is barely tender. Add the cooked chicken, green chilies, spices, enchilada sauces and olives. Let the sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese and heat through, until the cheese is melted (but don't boil!). Pour the sauce over the hot pasta. Garnish with extra sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, green onions or crushed tortilla chips. Serves 6-8.


Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe (http://www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/)

Ultimate "M&M's" Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c (2 sticks) butter softened
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 12oz pkg "M&M's" semi-sweet or milk chocolate mini baking bits
3/4 c chopped nuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. blend in creamed mixture. Stir in "M&M's" mini baking bits adn nuts. If using. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-13 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Do not overbake. Cool one minute on cookie sheet; cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container.