I did leave out the vanilla only because I forget to add it but really, I didn’t miss it.

Now, after living in Hawaii, I’ve heard all the tricks on finding a ripe pineapple. All I do is smell the bottom of the pineapple. If it smells like pineapple, it’s ripe. If there are any soft spots or the bottom doesn’t smell at all, I pass it up.

Pineapple Compote

1 large, ripe fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 pint ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced thinly
1 tsp vanilla

Combine the pineapple pieces and the maple syrup in a medium saucepan and cook, covered, over medium-low heat until pineapple is almost tender ~ about 10-12 minutes. Uncover the pan, increase heat to medium and cook until liquid has thickened slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Mine did not seem to thicken much so I let it go a little longer and it never really got thick at all but it worked with the rest of the recipe.  Cool mixture. This can be done ahead of time. Cover and chill in the refrigerator.

At serving time, mix in the strawberries, kiwi, and vanilla and toss gently.

Makes 4-6 servings

Adapted from From the Heart of Plainfield

Happy Cooking!

The recipe is very easy to make.  It calls for a whole diced onion and a whole diced red bell pepper but I used about half of each which was perfect for us.  Otherwise, I made as posted in the recipe.

The recipe can be found at this link ~ Potato Hash  I hope you try it ~ it’s delicious!!

Happy Cooking!

Today is Cinco de Mayo and this recipe is easy and perfect to serve today or any day.  This is the second chicken enchilada recipe I have posted here hence the #2.

One of my dogs has pancreatitus and is on a chicken and rice diet so I have been roasting chickens and have quite a bit of cooked chicken that I can use for recipes.  I was looking around for a Mexican-type recipe to use some of it up and cam across this recipe on the Betty Crocker website.  It’s easy and delicious!!

I used taco cheese instead of plain cheddar and I had some leftover avocado salad dressing so I put that over my enchilada but left it off Mr. Meat Eater’s since he hates avocados.

Chicken Enchiladas #2

1 (19 0z) can enchilada sauce
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies ~ I used fire roasted
1 pkg burrito size flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ~ I used taco cheese

Heat oven to 350º Spray a 13×9 glass baking dish with Pam and spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of the pan.

In a bowl, mix the chicken, Jack cheese, sour cream, and chili. Spoon 1/3 cup down the middle of each tortilla and roll up. Place in baking dish seam side down.

Top enchiladas with the rest of the can of enchilada sauce and sprinkle with the cheddar.

Spray a sheet of foil with Pam and cover the enchiladas with the foil, sprayed side down so the cheese won’t stick.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Remove foil and continue to bake for 5 or 10 minutes longer or until the enchiladas are hot and the cheese is melted.

Top with your favorites like avocado, green onions, sour cream, tomatoes, etc.

Makes 8 enchiladas.

Adapted from the Betty Crocker website.

Happy Cooking!

I love, love, love my Keurig!  We’ve had one for several years and I don’t know why we waited so long to get one.

I usually have one cup of coffee in the morning and one after dinner.  I have tea, hot or iced, in the afternoon and I use my Keurig for all of them.  We’ve also used it for hot chocolate and hot apple cider.  I never liked using our drip coffeemaker for one cup of coffee ~ it just never tasted right to me.  I can have whatever flavor of coffee I want at the moment and so can Mr. Meat Eater.  He likes the dark roast and the stronger the better (shocking, right?).  I like plain old regular coffee.  Neither one of us like flavored coffees.   It works great for us.  I can’t imagine that we will ever NOT have one!

Now, we did have a problem with our first Keurig.  I called Keurig and they sent us a brand new machine at no cost.  That’s great customer service in my book!

Since I already have a Keurig, Staples sent me 2 boxes of K Cups to try out.  I don’t know how they managed it, but the K Cups they sent were a perfect match to us.  I tried the Breakfast Blend which is a great morning wake-up for me.  Actually, I have had several cups today because I like it so much.  Mr. Meat Eater tried Dark Magic which is perfect for him.  He drinks it black and the stronger the better.  I think he found a new favorite in Dark Magic!

Now for the AWESOME giveaway:

I was contacted a week or so ago by Staples to see if I wanted to give away a Keurig and K cups on my blog!  Of course I jumped at the chance!

With your comment, you will be entered in a giveaway for this Keurig:

Info about this Keurig worth $99.99!

Now for the giveaway:

1.  Giveaway is open to U.S. Residents ONLY

2.  Winner will receive ONE Keurig (above) and choose ONE box of K Cups from this link ~ Choose One!

3.  Giveaway will last until NOON on May 10, 2013

4.  The Keurig and K cups will be sent from Staples so after the winner provides me with their mailing address, I will forward it to Staples.  The Keurig and K Cups may arrive at different times. 

5.  One comment per person and you will be entered!  Comment with your favorite type of coffee

6.  Share, share, share this giveaway!

7.  Reminder ~ you will be sent ONE Keurig and ONE box of K Cups (your choice) if you are the WINNER!

Full disclosure: Staples provided me with these items for review. The thoughts and opinions expressed are strictly my own. Feel free to shop their entire line of Keurig Coffee Makers and K-Cups online.

Happy Cooking!

Top Row, Left to Right:

Guacamole Nachos

Easy Mexican Rice

Stacked Chicken Quesadillas

Middle Row, Left to Right:

Cheese Stuffed Chipotle Burgers

Chicken Enchiladas (and a sangria recipe)

Grilled Nachos

Bottom Row, Left to Right:

Huevos Rancheros from Simply Recipes

Mix-Your-Own Taco Spice

Fiesta Chicken Tacos

Happy Cooking!

Mr. Meat Eater hates bacon in recipes so I had to leave it out.  To compensate, I used a bit more horseradish.  The hardest thing about making these potatoes, is boiling and mashing the potatoes.  They are perfect for steak or roasts.

He~Man Potatoes

6-10 red potatoes
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup bacon bits
1 tsp horseradish
dash each of salt and pepper, use more if you like
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

Boil potatoes until tender. Mash with skins left on and leave chunky, not smooth.

Stir in milk, sour cream, and butter. Add bacon bits, horseradish and salt and pepper.

Place in servings dish and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Adapted from Favorite Recipes of the Shenandoah First Responders Family and Friends

Happy Cooking!

Don’t forget to that I’m giving away one copy of Gooseberry Patch’s Game Day Fan Fare.  To enter the giveaway, comment on THIS POST.

You can have 3 chances to win!

This is the last recipe that I tried from this cookbook.  I chose it because I LOVE Boston Cream Pie and the cake in this recipe is from scratch which I like so much better than a mix.  I think you could make the cream from scratch as well instead of using pudding mix.  All in all, it’s a delicious recipe!

Boston Cream Pie
Submitted by Flo Burnett, Gage, OK

5 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
4 1/2 tsps fresh lemon juice
2 tbsps water
1 cup cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3.4 oz pkg cook & serve vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/8 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp butter
2 (1 oz) sqs unsweetened baking chocolate
1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together zest, juice, and water. Gradually beat zest mixture into yolk mixture until fluffy. Fold in flour until completely blended. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Beat remaining sugar into egg whites until combined. Gently fold egg white mixture into yolk mixture until fully combined. Divide batter between 2 lightly greased 9 inch round cake pans. Bake at 350º for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks.

Meanwhile, prepare pudding mix according to package directions using milk. Refrigerate until well chilled; fold in whipping cream and vanilla. Set aside.

Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler (I used the microwave). Remove from heat; whisk in powdered sugar until smooth.

Assembly: Place one cake layer on a cake plate. Spread with all the pudding filling. Top filling with the remaining cake layer. Pour chocolate mixture over the top and spread to cover top of cake.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Happy Cooking!

To enter the giveaway, go to THIS POST and follow the directions to enter.   The giveaway ends on April 25.

One of the recipes I tried for this giveaway are these chicken wings.  They are super easy to make and taste wonderful!  They are very sticky so be forewarned!  They are really not that spicy so don’t be afraid to use all the hot sauce.  If you like things spicy, just add some more sauce!

Spicy BBQ Chicken Wings
Submitted by Julie Saifullah, Lexington, KY

2 1/2 lbs chicken drumettes or wings ~ I used drumettes
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup hot pepper sauce

Preheat oven to 400º.

Place wings in a lightly greased 13×9 baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and drain liquid from pan. Flip wings and bake for another 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the barbecue sauce and hot sauce in a bowl. Add sauce to wings in the pan, stir the wings in the sauce in the pan until covered. Bake for another 30 minutes or until wings are cooked through and sauce is thick.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Happy cooking!

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Yup!  A brand spanking new Gooseberry Patch cookbook giveaway.  I’ll be giving away one copy of the new GP cookbook Game Day Fan Fare Cookbook.  The book is full of delicious recipes perfect for tailgating or sitting at home watching your favorite team!  Scroll down past the recipe for all the contest particulars!

I absolutely LOVE teriyaki burgers.  When we lived in Hawaii, I ordered them all the time in restaurants so I am a bit particular about my teri burgers.  That being said, I loved this recipe.  The flavor is out of this world good and it’s very easy to put together with no weird ingredients.

I did make the mayo/soy sauce mixture as directed in the recipe but I didn’t use it.  Mr. Meat Eater did and he gave it two thumbs up.  I run hot and cold on mayo-based sauces on my burgers so I just left it off.  We grilled pineapple slices from a can (you can use fresh) and added a slice to each burger.  I poured a little bottled low sodium teriyaki sauce in the hole in the pineapple slice.  If you like the Banzai burger at Red Robin, this one is very, very similar.  Just add lettuce and tomato if you want.

Teriyaki Burgers
Submitted by Connie McKone, Fort Atkinson, IA

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 lbs ground beef (I use 85%)
1/8 salt
1/8 pepper
6 hamburger buns, split ~ I toast on the grill

In a large bowl, stir together the soy, honey garlic, and ginger. Place 2 tbsps of this mixture in a small bowl and add the mayo and stir until well mixed and put in the fridge until ready to use.

Add the meat, salt and pepper to the large bowl with the rest of the sauce mixture and mix until well combined.

Shape into 6 patties. Press down in the middle of each burger to make a dent so that when they grill, they won’t get that annoying hump. Grill over medium heat until no pink remains in the middle.

Spread the mayo mixture on the bottom bun and top with a patty,

Makes 6 burgers.

GIVEAWAY

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!

This giveaway will run for the next 10 days ~ 4/15 through midnight on 4/25.  I will pick a winner on 4/26 and notify the winner by email.

You can have 3 chances to win ~ if you can, please put your 3 answers in 3 separate posts:
1. Comment with your favorite sports team(s) or if you don’t like sports, say so ~ still counts
2. Like Gooseberry Patch’s Facebook Page If you already have, just say so ~ still counts.
3. Like A Recipe A Day on Facebook If you already have, just say so ~ still counts.

If you have any questions, contact me at girard.nancy at yahoo dot com.

To see other Early Bird Reviews and recipes from this cookbook (some of the giveaways on these blogs are over) ~ take a look at these blogs:
Old House Homestead
The Country Cook
Goodeness Gracious
Well Seasoned Life
Girl with Blog
Two Maids a Milking

Happy Cooking!

This “recipe” is really a method I guess.  There isn’t much to it but it took me forever to hit on it so I thought that there may be others who haven’t thought of it yet.

My favorite tortilla chips are the new Tostito’s Thin and Crispy chips.  They taste just like the kind you get in Mexican restaurant.  Very, very good.  You will have to be careful with these chips since they break easy.  Use your favorite homemade guacamole recipe ~ here’s mine ~ Easy Guacamole.  However, I used Calvado Pico de Gallo Guacamole on these particular nachos.  Wholly Guacamole also makes really good guacamole.  I usually use taco cheese if I have it or sharp cheddar.

Guacamole Nachos

Tortilla chips
1 recipe guacamole ~ homemade or purchased
Taco or cheddar cheese, shredded
Sliced jalapenos, optional

Heat oven to 350º. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Place chips on sheet. Place about a tbsp of guacamole on each chip. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and chips crisp.

Before servings, add a slice of jalapeno on the top.

Makes as many as you want.

Happy Cooking!