Strawberry Refrigerator Cake vs. Strawberry Icebox Cake

 Strawberry Refrigerator Cake

Ingredients

• 1 Duncan Hines Supreme Strawberry Cake Mix
• Ingredients Listed on Back of Cake Box (egg, water, oil)
• 2 (10 oz) boxes of Frozen Strawberries in Syrup
• 1 cup of cold milk
• 1 (3.5 oz ) box of Vanilla Instant Pudding
• 1 (8 oz) container of Cool Whip, thawed
• 1 pint strawberries (with tops removed and strawberries cut in half), thawed
• ⅓ c chopped pecans (totally optional, but you'll be glad you did)

Instructions

1. Make the boxed cake mix according to the directions on the back.
2. Pour the cake batter into a greased 9x13 cake pan and bake according to the box directions.
3. When it is done take it out of the oven and let it cool 100%.
4. Once it is cool, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke rows and rows of holes in the cake.
5. Add the thawed strawberries with syrup into a food processor or blender.
6. Pulse until it is a slushy consistency.
7. Pour the strawberry puree mixture over the cake and spread it out evenly.Let it soak in.
8. While you are letting the strawberry puree soak in, put 1 cup of cold milk and the instant vanilla pudding mix into a bowl and mix until it thickens.The box of instant pudding says to use 2 cups of milk, but we are only going to use 1 cup.
9. Fold in the thawed Cool Whip.
10. Once the pudding and Cool Whip are well combined, spread it evenly over the top of the cake.
11. Take the fresh strawberry halves and place them on top of the cake frosting.I placed the strawberries in row, do what you like best.
12. Sprinkle on the optional chopped pecans.
13. Now, pop it in the fridge for 4 hours.
14. When you are ready to serve, slice it up and devour.

Notes

The Pillsbury version of the Strawberry cake mix works as well.

FROM Crystal & Co.

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Strawberry Icebox Cake

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 cups heavy cream 

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar 

1/2 cup strawberry preserves or jelly

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

About 16 graham crackers (from 2 sleeves) 
2 pounds strawberries, trimmed and sliced 


Directions
Put the cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft. Add the cream, confectioners' sugar, preserves, lemon juice and vanilla, and beat until it just holds stiff peaks.

Arrange about a third of the graham crackers on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (or a loaf pan plus an 8-inch square baking dish), fitting in as many as possible without overlapping. Spoon a third of the cream mixture on top and smooth evenly with an offset spatula. Arrange a third of the strawberries on top in a single layer. Repeat to make three layers of each. Put the remaining graham cracker in a resealable plastic bag and crush it to make crumbs. Sprinkle the crumbs all over the cake. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the cookies soften, at least 4 hours but preferably overnight. 

FROM;  Foodnetwork.com

Baked Mac and Cheese

 

When you find something that's wonderful, you tend to cook it often.  This recipe is special.  ~Shelly

Ingredients

Macaroni:

 8 oz macaroni (elbow pasta)
1 tbsp unsalted butter (or 2 tsp oil)

Topping:

2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (Note 1)
2 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
1/4 tsp salt

Sauce:

4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup flour , plain / all purpose
3 cups milk , warmed (low or full fat)
2 cups freshly shredded cheese, gruyere best (followed by cheddar and Colby) (Note 2)
1 cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese , or more other cheese of choice (Note 2)
3/4 tsp salt

Seasonings (optional):

1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp mustard powder

Instructions

Pasta:

• Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add macaroni and cook per packet directions MINUS 1 minute.
• Drain, return pasta to pot, add butter and toss until melted. Set aside to cool while making the Sauce (Optional - Note 3).

Topping:

• Mix together Topping. Set aside.

Sauce:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large saucepan or in an ovenproof skillet (I use my 9" Lodge cast iron skillet), melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Add about 1 cup of the milk and mix to dissolve the paste into the milk. Then add remaining milk and mix until lump free (use whisk if required).
• Mix in salt and Seasonings if using.
• Cook, stirring/whisking regularly, for 5 - 8 minutes until thickened to a cream consistency. When the Sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon, you should be able to draw a path with your finger.
• Remove from stove, add cheese and stir - cheese doesn't need to melt.
• Adjust salt to taste.

Assembling:

• Pour Sauce into pot with Macaroni. Stir quickly, then pour back into the skillet (I did this) or a baking dish (Note 4). Sprinkle with breadcrumb topping.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until top is light golden. Don't bake too long otherwise you'll bake away the Sauce!
• Serve immediately! I sprinkled mine with a bit of fresh parsley.
  
  

Notes

1. Panko breadcrumbs are larger pieces than normal breadcrumbs which creates a really nice extra crunchy topping. Can sub with normal breadcrumbs.

2. Cheese

• Main Cheese (2 cups) - my favourite is gruyere, for flavor and melting quality. Can use any flavored melting cheese. Other cheeses I like for this include: cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby, provolone. 
• I like to use mozzarella for the 2nd cheese (1 cup). It melts really well into the sauce, has that nice stretch, and isn't as oily like other cheese can tend to be. However, you can just use more of the Main Cheese. 
• Always grate your own cheese for cheese sauces. Store bought shredded cheese have anti caking agents which don't melt so can give the sauce a slight powdery texture.
  
  

3. Tossing pasta with butter provides a light coating that helps prevent it from bloating while baking in the sauce. This is also the reason why I let the pasta cool before mixing in with the sauce. Optional step - can skip it.

4. Baking dish size - 2.5 Qt  (10 cup) baking dish. A 9 x 13" / 23 x 33 dish is perfect for a double batch, a little too big for a single batch (spreads too thinly, you want more depth).

5. PREPARE AHEAD: Mac and Cheese is best made fresh but if you need to make ahead, this is the best way: Cook pasta and toss in butter, cool. Make cheese sauce per recipe, then cool with LID ON (important, to avoid evaporation). Make topping. Store all components separately in the fridge until required. Mix sauce and pasta, top with topping then bake per recipe.

REHEATING LEFTOVERS: Best way is to microwave to make warm then spray top with oil (or butter) and crisp under grill/broiler.

6. Nutrition per serving. 6 servings as a generous side - you will be surprised how far 8oz stretches with a load of cheese sauce! Will serve 4 generously as a main.
This recipe comes from; RecipeTinEatsFollow the link for step by step directions.

Classic Irish Shepherds Pie

 The Best Classic Shepherd's Pie - AKA Shepards Pie or Cottage Pie. Ground Beef (or lamb) with vegetables in a rich gravy, topped with cheesy mashed potatoes and baked.

Ingredients

Meat Filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 lb. 90% lean ground beef -or ground lamb
2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves -minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
1 cup frozen mixed peas & carrots*
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

Potato Topping:

1 1/2 - 2 lb. russet potatoes -about 2 large potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
8 tablespoons unsalted butter -1 stick
1/3 cup half & half
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Make the Meat Filling.

• Add the oil to a large skillet and place it over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the ground beef (or ground lamb) to the skillet and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and and pepper. Stir well. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the meat is browned, stirring occasionally.
• Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps of tomato paste remain.
• Add the broth, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Set the meat mixture aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the potato topping.

• Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, 10-15 minutes.
• Drain the potatoes in a colander. Return the potatoes to the hot pot. Let the potatoes rest in the hot pot for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining liquid.
• Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.
• Add the parmesan cheese to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.

Assemble the casserole.

• Pour the meat mixture into a 9x9 (or 7x11) inch baking dish. Spread it out into an even layer. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat. Carefully spread into an even layer.
• If the baking dish looks very full, place it on a rimmed baking sheet so that the filling doesn’t bubble over into your oven. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.** Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

*If you can’t find frozen mixed peas and carrots, you could use 1/2 cup frozen peas and 1/2 cup frozen sliced carrots.

**Bake at 400° F.  Start preheating the oven after you make the meat mixture (listed in step 6).
FROM:  The Wholesome Dish

Corned Beef (Flats) and Cabbage - a St. Patrick’s Day Tradition?

Corned Beef and Cabbage is one of my family’s favorite one-pot meals. The dish is decidedly Irish, and was first prepared in the United States by the Irish immigrants who settled in New England. Hence, the dish is also known as New England Boiled Dinner.

Many people serve Corned Beef and Cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day, thinking they are observing the holiday just like the Irish do in Ireland. However, St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland is a serious religious holiday and is celebrated by attending mass and serving special festive holiday dishes, never something as ordinary as Corned Beef and Cabbage. To the Irish, serving Corned Beef and Cabbage for their St. Patrick’s Day celebration would be tantamount to Christians serving tuna noodle casserole for Christmas dinner!

Corned Beef and Cabbage is a great dish to serve for non-special occasions, however, including busy weeknights. In fact, it is a quick and easy meal requiring minimal hands-on time.

In anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day, corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes are featured sale items at almost every grocery store during the month of March (including Harter House Supermarkets), which is reason enough to prepare this simple one-pot meal several times during March.

If you haven’t made corned beef and cabbage before, now is the perfect time to do so. Just make sure if you do serve it on St. Patrick’s Day, don't pass it off to your guests as something the Irish are serving on March 17th!

Easy Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned beef comes in several varieties; flats and points are the most popular and are readily available in grocery stores.

8 Servings

3 to 4 pounds Corned Beef Flats

6 medium potatoes, quartered

1 head green cabbage, cut in wedges

Wash the corned beef and place it in a slow cooker; cover with water and cook on low at least 8 hours or on high 3 hours then low 1 or 2 more hours.

When the corned beef is tender, pour the liquid into a large saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until almost tender. Add the cabbage wedges and cook until crisp tender.

OR, add the potatoes to the slow cooker two hours before the corned beef is done; add the cabbage to the slow cooker about 30 minutes before serving.

To serve, slice the corned beef across the grain and serve with the potatoes and cabbage and lots of real butter.

Glazed Corned Beef (points), Sauteed Cabbage

St. Paddy's Day Dinner Revisited: Glazed Corned Beef, Cabbage and Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes)

It all starts with a slow cooker.  I gathered together all of the ingredients for a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner and prepared it in my crockpot.  After that I separated the components and made three separate dishes with them.  My Corned Beef was baked in a delicious apricot-spicy mustard glaze.  With some of the cabbage, onion and potatoes, I made Colcannon enhanced with nice thick bacon, purchased from Harter House Supermarket.  Then I used the rest of the cabbage and sauteed  it with more bacon!

The great thing about this dinner is that most ingredients are already cooked in the slow cooker once, so preparing the individual dishes hardly takes any time at all.  You can even do it all in advance and refrigerate until you are ready to make the individual recipes. Also, you can cook all the bacon for the Cabbage Saute and the Colcannon at once and divide it for each dish.

Tricked Out St. Patrick's Day Dinner

Apricot-Mustard Glazed Corn Beef

Ingredients

1 large sweet Onion

4 Medium Potatoes

1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups water

Garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

2 Tbl sugar

2 Tbl Apple cider vinegar

1 (3 lb.) Corned beef brisket point

1 large or 2 small heads of cabbage, cored, cut into wedges

For the Glaze

• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

Directions

Place the onions and potatoes in a 5-Qt slow cooker.  Combine broth, water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar and pour over vegetables.  Top with Brisket and cabbage.  Cover and cook on Low for 8-9 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Carefully remove corned beef from the slow cooker and place in a shallow roasting pan.

Mix all glaze ingredients together in a bowl.  Pour over corned beef.  Bake 30-40 minutes, until glaze is nice and bubbly.

Slice corned beef on a diagonal and serve.

Sauteed Cabbage
4-5 Slices thick cut bacon
1/2 of the reserved cabbage from the slow cooker, sliced into strips
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 TBL Cider Vinegar
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to tast

Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly browned.  Place on a plate lined with paper towels and cut up into small pieces.  Set aside.
  

In about 2 TBL of the reserved bacon drippings, (save the rest for later) Saute the onion until very soft.  Add cabbage and the rest of the ingredients and saute until liquid is absorbed and all is heated through.  Serve.

Colcannon  (Irish Mashed Potatoes)
Ingredients
Reserved potatoes from slow cooker
1/2 of the reserved cabbage, cut into small chunks
4 strips of bacon
1 large sweet onion
1/2 Cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 TBLs butter

Directions
Place potatoes in a large bowl. Smash them up a bit and set aside.
Place bacon in a large deep skillet.  Cook over medium high heat until evenly browned.  Drain, reserving drippings and set aside.  In the reserved drippings, saute onion until very soft.  Add the cabbage for the last few minutes and continue to saute so the cabbage absorbs some bacon flavor.

Mix the half and half into the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Fold in the bacon, cabbage, and onions, then transfer the mixture to a large serving bowl.  Make a well in the center, and top with butter.
Serve immediately.

Strawberry Pound Cake

 

My friend, Judy, made this Pound Cake this past weekend and shared it with me.

It was very dense and really yummy.  

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon teaspoon strawberry extract
1/2 teaspoon teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream 
3/4 cup chopped fresh strawberries, plus more for serving.

GLAZE 
1 stick of butter, softened
4 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
3-4 tablespoons milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 1 Bundt pan. 
Using an electric mixer, beat butter at medium speed until creamy.
Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in extracts.
In a small bowl, combine flour and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until combined.
Stir in sour cream and mashed strawberries. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 60 - 80 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove cake from oven and invert pan on platter, until cake drops out.

Prepare Glaze and spoon over warm cake, let stand 1 hour; 

For serving, slice and add additional sweetened strawberries on the top.

Carolina Pulled Pork Sliders with Mustard

Sometimes, I give you my tried and true recipes, and sometimes I run across a recipe that sounds wonderful and I want to share it, before I've had a chance to try it.  This is one of those recipes.  It looks awesome.  The process is very similar to what I've done in the past.  I'm definitely going to give this one a try! 

~Shelly

This will work great with a Pork Shoulder or a Rolled Boston Pork Roast. 

FOR THE RUB

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 garlic powder

1 teaspoons teaspoon onion powder

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 Boston butt Roast

FOR THE MOP SAUCE

2 cups distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

FOR SERVING

24 small buns

6 tablespoons butter (optional), melted

Thinly sliced sweet or dill pickles

Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix. Sprinkle the rub all over the pork, patting it onto the meat with your fingertips. Let the pork cure at room temperature while you make the mop sauce.

Make the mop sauce. Combine the vinegar, mustard, water, salt and pepper in a large nonreactive mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup of water, and whisk until the salt dissolves.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium-low. If using a gas grill, place all the wood chips or chunks in a smoker box or smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium-low. If using a charcoal grill, place a large drip pan in the center, preheat the grill to medium-low, then toss 1 cup of the wood chips or chunks on the coals.

When ready to cook, place the pork, skin side up, if there is one, in the center of the hot grate over the drip pan and away from the heat. Cover the grill. Cook the pork until darkly browned on the outside and very tender inside, 4 to 6 hours. To test for doneness, use an instant-read meat thermometer: The internal temperature of the pork should be about 195 degrees F. If the pork starts to brown too much (and it probably will), cover it loosely with aluminum foil, but remember that the browned bits are good, too. Every hour for the first 4 hours, swab the pork with some of the mop sauce, using a barbecue mop or basting brush. If using a charcoal grill, every hour you’ll need to add 12 fresh coals and 1/2 cup of wood chips or chunks to each side.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board, cover it loosely with aluminum foil, and let it rest for 20 minutes before pulling or chopping. Place the pork slices in an aluminum foil pan. If you are not quite ready to serve, cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it on a warm—not hot—grill or in a low oven.

If desired, brush the buns with the melted butter and lightly toast them on the grill. Load each bun with pork and slather with South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce. Top with pickle slices and serve.

South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce

1 tablespoon butter

1 small onion, finely chopped        

1 clove garlic, minced        

1 cup Dijon mustard        

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar        

3/4 cup distilled white vinegar        

1 tablespoon hot sauce (preferably Crystal), or more to taste        

Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, and hot sauce and add 1/2

cup of water. Let the sauce simmer, uncovered, until thick and richly flavored, 6 to 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more hot sauce as necessary and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce cool to room temperature before serving. In the unlikely case you have any mustard sauce left, store it in a clean jar in the refrigerator. It will keep for at least a week; bring it to room temperature before using.

TIP

You could use a different sweetener, substituting honey or molasses for the brown sugar. Use 3/4 of a cup of honey. If substituting molasses, start with 3/4 of a cup, but taste for sweetness—you may need to add a little more, since molasses is not as sweet as brown sugar.