Tropical Donut Bread Pudding

Tropical Donut Bread Pudding
With A Hot Buttered Rum Sauce!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Great Use For Leftover Donuts!

Ingredients
4 apricot jam filled donuts, cubed
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
1 cup fresh pineapples, small dice
1 cup fresh mangoes, small dice
2 large bananas, smashed
1/4 cup almond, sliced
1/4 cup unsweetened toasted coconut shavings
2 tbsp butter melted + greasing
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Tools
4 medium size disposable loaf pans
Medium mixing bowl
Small sauce pan
Sheet pan

Directions
Preheat oven 350 Degrees F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together; evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk. eggs and vanilla extract.  Add in cubed donuts and let soak for a few minutes.  Fold in pineapple, mangoes, bananas, almond, coconut shavings and the melted butter, blend well.  Grease disposable loaf pans and evenly pour batter into the pans.  Place on sheet pan and bake in oven for 50 minutes.  Lets cool completely before slicing.  Place in serving bowls and spoon the Hot Buttered Rum Sauce on top (recipe below).
Cook's Note: I use disposable pans, so I can cut the sides of the loaf pans for easier slicing and removal.
Yields 4 loaves

Hot Buttered Rum Sauce
Ingredients
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 shot of Rum

Directions
Melt butter and sugar on medium low heat.  Do not burn the butter, but you want to cook out the milk solids.  Whisk often until all the milk solids have disappeared.  Remove from heat and add rum to the pan, taking caution not to ignite the alcohol.  Place back on low heat and simmer for additional few minutes.

 

 

Citrus Flat Iron Steak Salad

Citrus Flat Iron Steak Salad
The Perfectly Tasty Entree Salad!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 3-4 hours
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs, Flat Iron Steak
zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange
juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
pepper

Salad
8 oz. chopped kale
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, sliced
1/2 cup Gorgonzola Dolce, small chunks
1 orange, supremes


Cooking Tools
1 large mixing bowl
Indoor grill pan
Glass baking dish 

Directions
In the glass baking dish, whisk together; orange juice, lime juice, orange zest, garlic, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper.  Coat flat Iron steak with the marinade and place back in the dish and marinade in the refrigerator for several hours.  Remove from refrigerator an hour before grilling.  Grill steak 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the steak, let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. While the steak is marinading in the the refrigerator, In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients that is in the Orange Vinaigrette (recipe below).  Toss the salad ingredients except the orange supremes and coat well.  Place salad in the refrigerator, the kale will hold up to the dressing!  Once the steak is cooked, place salad in serving bowls and lay sliced steak on salad and top the the orange supremes.
serves 4

Orange Vinaigrette
Ingredients
juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt

Pumpkin Zuccettes

Pumpkin Zuccettes 
Pumpkin Recipes Are Not Just For Fall!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 bag Pumpkin Zuccettes or plain Zuccettes
1 1/2 cups frozen spinach leaves, thawed & drained
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
2 cups assorted mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
pinch ground nutmeg
salt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Cooking Tools
Stock pot
Large skillet

Directions
Boil water in a stock pot and cook the Zuccettes pasta according to directions, drain.  In a skillet, add; butter and olive oil on medium heat.  Saute garlic for a few minutes then add in the mushrooms. Cook mushroom for approximately 10 minutes.  Add into the skillet the thawed spinach, nutmeg milk and cream.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes to thicken the sauce,  Toss in cooked and drained Zuccettes, peas and tomatoes and cook for additional 5 minutes, coating the pasta.  Place in serving bowls and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.
Serves 4

Turkey & Brie Puff Pastry

Turkey & Brie Puff Pastry
A Quick And Tasty Lunch!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
1 box puff pastry sheets, thawed in refrigerator
3/4 lb deli turkey, sliced thin
1 round Brie cheese, sliced
Dijon mustard
mayonnaise
1 egg, whisked

Cooking Tools
Parchment lined sheet pan
Small mixing bowl
Pastry brush

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.  Unwrap and unfold puff pastry.  Cut along the seams in the puff pastry dough ( you will have 6 long strips total)  Spread mayonnaise and mustard on half of the pastry sheet leaving 1/4 of inch from the edge. Lay turkey and Brie on top of the mustard and mayonnaise. Place a small amount of water, apply with finger around the perimeter of the pastry dough.  Fold over the other side to cover the filling and press down the edges to encase the ingredients in the pastry.  Use fork prongs to create a seal and a decorative edge. With a sharp knife, cut 2-3 slit in the center of the pastry.  In a mixing bowl, whisk egg.  Using a pastry brush, brush some egg onto the the top of each pastry (repeat process with the other strips) and place each bundle on a sheet pan and bake in oven for approximately 25 minutes or until puffed and golden.
Yields 6

 

Roasted Cherries & Thyme Bruschetta

Roasted Cherries & Thyme Bruschetta
Serve With A Fresh Salad Or A Starter Course!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
2 lbs cherries, pitted
8 slices Italian bread (Tuscan, Ciabatta)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 cups Ricotta cheese
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup almond slices
1 tbsp olive oil + greasing

Cooking Tools
Parchment lined sheet pan
Small mixing bowl
Grill pan  

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 Degrees F.  Place pitted cherries on sheet pan and drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle thyme over the cherries.  Coat cherries well and place in oven and cook for 20 minutes then heat oven to broil and cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Remove cherries from oven and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, mix Ricotta cheese and honey, set aside.  Preheat grill pan on high heat and coat bread slices with olive oil and grill until browned on both sides. Spread Ricotta & honey cheese on grilled bread and top with roasted cherries & sliced almonds.
Serves 4

Ahi & Avocado

Ahi & Avocado 
Beautiful To Look At & Healthy To Eat!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients
1/4 lb sushi grade Ahi tuna, small cubes
1/4 cup cooked Japanese rice. heated
7 slices of avocado, sliced very thin
1/4 cup Wakame (seaweed salad) found in Japanese markets
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp ginger juice
1 tbsp mirin
1/4 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp sesame seed oil 

Cooking Tools
Small mixing bowl
3" x 2" ring mold
Small sauce pan

Directions
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together soy sauce, ginger juice, mirin, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.  Place cubed Ahi tuna into the marinade and toss lightly. Only marinade the tuna for about 5 minutes.  On your serving plate, place rice into the bottom of mold and press evenly. Place avocado slices on top of the rice evenly layering inside the ring mold.  Remove Ahi from the marinade, drain off excess liquid.  Place the tuna on top of the avocado, applying a small amount of pressure.  Top with the Wakame and slowly raise the mold up to reveal your layers!  Place small dollops of Sweet Soy Sauce (recipe below) on plate.

Serves 1

Sweet Soy Sauce
Ingredients
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar

Directions
On medium-low heat, add ingredients and cook on simmer until liquid has reduced and thickened, about 10-12 minutes.

 

Orange & Rosemary Polenta Cake

Orange & Rosemary Polenta Cake
This Orange Beauty Tastes As Good As It Looks!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 35-40 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

This recipe was found on Yahoo Foods, "21 Bright Citrus Cakes to Beat the Winter Blues"  From the cookbook,  Citrus: Sweet & Savory Sun Kissed Recipes.  The recipe below has been modified from the original recipe.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
2 blood oranges, sliced thin
2 Valencia oranges, sliced thin
2 cups flour
1/2 cup finely ground polenta
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature + greasing
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange
4 eggs

Cooking Tools
2 Medium mixing bowls
Spring form pan
Small saucepan
Handheld  mixer

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F. Generously butter sides and bottom a 10-inch spring form pan. In a saucepan, add; 1/2 cup of the sugar and the water and heat over medium-high heat. Allow the sugar to dissolve without stirring. Cook 5-8 minutes, until it starts turning golden brown. Remove from the heat, pour the syrup into the buttered pan and coat the bottom evenly.  Arrange the orange slices in concentric circles on the syrup, overlapping them and covering the bottom of the pan completely. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, polenta, baking powder, salt, rosemary and set aside. In another mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, whip together the butter and the remaining 1 cup of sugar on low speed until creamy, then add in the olive oil, vanilla extract and orange zest. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Reduce to medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well until combined.  Reduce the speed to low and add the polenta and flour mixture a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Spoon the mixture over the orange slices, gently spread the batter until evenly level and bake for 45 minutes, until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Release and remove the spring form, then invert the cake onto a serving platter and serve warm.
Serves 8