Papaya Chia Seed Smoothie

Mmmm.... papaya. A little thick around the middle, it makes excellent juice, if you've never tried it. Stephen and I had a lot of papaya juice on our honeymoon in Costa Rica!  This smoothie recipe is sure to delight you, and hopefully your kids, too. I've made it a few ways. Let me share them with you:

Version 1: More Acceptable to Adults

-1/4 papaya sliced into pieces

-1 c. greek yogurt (strawberry flavored)

-1 c. orange juice

-2 tbsp. chia seeds

-1 c. frozen blueberries

-1 handful (4-5 pieces) ice

To prepare, slice in half, and scoop out papaya seeds. Slice papaya into pieces for easier blending. Put everything in a blender or vitamix and press start. Let it complete the smoothie cycle, pour into a glass or cup, and enjoy!

Version 2 (more acceptable to my children--- ask me how I know!!)

-skip chia seeds

-1-2 bananas

-1 c. frozen blueberries or frozen strawberries

-1 c. strawberry greek yogurt

-1-2 c. orange juice

-1/4 a papaya, sliced into pieces

-1 handful (4-5 pieces) ice

Papaya can have an odd flavor. However, it makes the tang of the blueberries more mild and creates a more flavorful smoothie overall in this particular mixture.

Enjoy!

Spicy Tilapia

4 tilapia fillets

1 1/2 tsp. old bay

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

2 small pats butter

I’ve tasted enough bland tilapia in my day to know that when I eat a good piece of fish, I will gladly and willingly shovel two or three pieces of it down my gullet.  This happens to fall into the latter, non-bland variety. When such a delicious piece of fish comes along, I am happy to share it with you, dear friends!

I like to cook fish, and like Julia Child’s recipe for boeuf bourgignon, you should pat your defrosted fish (only defrost under cold running water) with a clean paper towel so that it isn’t dripping wet. The water will interfere with cooking a cook piece of fish.

Add a pat of butter to a hot pan, let it start to sizzle. Lay four tilapia fillets and cover the top side of your fish with seasoning. Let the underside of the fish get hot, but don’t wait for it to cook or you won’t have seasoning cooked in on that side. Once it gets hot, flip the seasoned side over and cook for about 4 minutes on high heat. Check it and if it is white and a little browned in spots (like grilled chicken), it is ready to be flipped. After applying the rest of your seasoning to the other side, flip it and cook another 4-5 minutes until reverse side is white with browned spots, as well.

The great thing about this combination of spices, I think, is that the spice is spicy without being too hot, the ginger tempers the Old Bay and makes it more rounded out (less of the plain salt hitting your tastebuds), and the butter makes the finish rich. I think this recipe could be taken up even a few more notches with real garlic, minced or pressed.;)

Enjoy!!!

Banana Bread

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 beaten eggs

1 1/2 c. smashed bananas

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. oil or butter (melted)

(recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens;)

1. Grease two loaf pans. Combine dry ingredients.

2. Combine eggs, bananas, sugar, and oil.

3. Add wet to dry.

4. Stir until just combined. Lumpy is ok.

5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-55 min.

Baird's Coffee Cake

2 sticks butter

1 1/2 c. supgar

3 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1 tsp. baking powder

2 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. almond flavoring

1 c. brown sugar

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. pecans

creamed butter, sugar, add eggs, add sour cream and flour alternately

grease pans, sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar on top

Bake 25 min. at 350.

To double it:

2 sticks of butter

3. c. sugar

4 eggs

2 c. sour cream

4 tsp vanilla

4 c. flour

2 tsp baking powder 

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1c. chopped pecans

Delicious Strawberry Cupcakes... that I'll probably bake again ;)

These cupcakes were delicious and best served warm or right out of the oven. Of course, fan them (like they do on my fave, "The Great British Baking Show"), so that the frosting doesn't melt off.  These recipes have been tweaked, but are all inspired by another great show, "Cupcake Wars."

For the Cupcakes:

3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 c. strawberry yogurt
1/4-1/2 c. sour cream
1 tsp. baking pow.
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Add dry to wet. Bake at 350 for 15-18 min.

For the Strawberry Compote Filling:

1/2 c. strawberries
1 tbsp. pow. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. water

Cook down about 10 min. Scoop out centers by cutting in a circle with a knife. Use a small spoon to fill cupcakes.

For the Buttercream Frosting:

3-31/2 c. pow. sugar
1 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. milk

Use beaters and make sure the butter is softened but only a little. 

This recipe was perfect- it bakes up nicely, and I will definitely do the compote filling again. So yummy and a win with all of my kiddos and Molly's friends. ;)

An Aldi Christmas Feast

You can totally feast on food that costs a total of under $40. Don't believe me?  We made it happen this year by shopping at Aldi. It was totally yummy! I'm saving all of my recipes so that we can repeat this again next year.

Courses:

1st Course (Brunch- 10:30)
Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Casserole
Hashbrown Casserole
Grapes

Mid-day Snack (1pm)
Upside Down Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
Egg nog

2nd Course (Dinner- 6pm)
Cornish Game Hen
Leftover Hashbrown Casserole

End the day with egg nog and Christmas goodies


To make...

Sausage Egg and Cheese Casserole

1 lb sausage
6 eggs
1 tsp. onion
2 c. milk
1 tsp. salt and pepper
1 c. cheese
4 slices bread (or croutons)

grease pan. beat eggs, add ingredients.
pour into greased pan
Let it sit 20 min.
Bake on 350 for 30-40 min.

Hashbrown Casserole

1 large pkg. hashbrowns, thawed
1/2 c. onion*
2 c. cheese
1 container lite sour cream
1 1/2 c. roux (with butter, flour, milk, and salt)
1 c. crushed corn flakes
1/2 c. butter melted

grease pan. bake on 350 for 45 min.
at the end, add crushed corn flakes and pour 1/2 c. melted butter over top.
continue baking last 10-15 min.

Cornish Game Hen

I made one and it fed two people.  This was fine- the kids actually didn't eat it this year. Next year, I should probably buy 2-3 game hens, as they are pretty small (almost 3/4 the size of a roast chicken).

Coat with butter and salt and pepper.
Roast at 375 for about 45 minutes.

Sticky buns~ my Mom's recipe!
Similar

Candy Cane Hot Cocoa

Recipe for Candy Cane Hot Cocoa:

3 candy canes, crushed

1 cup nonfat dry milk

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/4 cup Hershey's cocoa powder

1/4 cup chocolate chips, chopped

Mix and store in an airtight container.

Add 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup boiling water