It's been too long . . . so I hope this Peanut Butter Pie makes up for it!

Hello, Strangers!

Sorry for my absence, it's been far too long and I have no excuse except that I keep forgetting to take pictures of what I am eating and then feel really bad that I can't post about it!

So, I'm making up for it tonight!  After originally saying I was making chile-lime salmon with asian sides, the Bomb Dude and I agreed that we just weren't feeling it so we made Italian Sausages, Peppers & Onions on the grill with risotto and steamed green beans.  Here's a few pictures of the main course:

The sausages were just store bought and we cut up onions, red and yellow peppers.  The husband then mixed the veggies with olive oil and italian seasoning.  I swear I almost didn't want him to cook them, but these were even better once he added a touch of butter and put them on the grill.  Yum!

The risotto is from Giada DeLaurentis's Everyday Italian.  I'll be making this next week for Father's Day with a Braciole, so tune in then for the recipe!  The green beans were steamed in the bag and then I sauteed them in a little Land O'Lakes Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt, along with more olive oil and some Italian Dressing Seasoning.  Pinterest is such a lovely thing!

Finally I made dessert.  Actually I made it earlier in the day, and it was the first thing I have made with my New (to me) Kitchenaid Mixer!  OMG, I love this thing and have to thank my mother-in-law by way of my sister-in-law for allowing me to keep this in the family!  The dessert I made was  -

PEANUT BUTTER PIE!  I could wear this it was so good!  I got the recipe from the Dinosaur Barbeque cookbook. Dinosaur BBQ is a roadhouse style BBQ restaurant in Western NY - Rochester & Syracuse.  My sister-in-law lived in Rochester for a few years and we loved visiting and going to the Finger Lakes Wine country, as well as this rocking restaurant.  When she moved back home I was worried I would never have the BBQ again, but found this cookbook in the local Wegmans and have made great use of the recipes.

The Peanut Butter Pie is very easy, and here's what I did:

The Crust - I cheated, I admit it.  I can't keep Oreo's in the house and didn't want the temptation so I bought a chocolate crumb pie crust.  Tasted good to me, so won't complain.

The Filling - this is the good part anyway!

1 c. heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
1 1/4 c. smooth peanut butter
1 cup confectioners's sugar

Put the cream, vanilla, cream cheese, peanut butter, and confectioners' sugar in mixer bowl.  Mix on low for 1 minute, until blended, then gradually increased the speed to high.  Whip until light and fluffy, about one more minute.

Spoon the filling into the chilled pie shell.  Even off the top and sprinkle with peanuts (if you want - I skipped this and didn't miss it too much).  Pop into the fridge and let it chill until set, about 4 hours.  Serve chilled and cut into wedges.  Don't leave it out at room temperature for too long because it will soften too much.

I put some chocolate sauce on top to serve, but honestly it was plenty good on its own!

Well, the girls are chomping at the bit to go to a sleepover so I need to run, but thanks for sticking with me and I promise I'll remember to take more pictures and update more!

Have a great week!!

Sunday Jambalaya on Tuesday in My New Dutch Oven

Hello again!

This was going to be my Sunday post, but our plans fell through on Sunday, so we had to delay Sunday dinner a few days.  It all works out because my husband and older daughter, Sara, were out of town a field hockey tournament.  Jambalaya is one of my family's favorite meals so they were able to have some rather than smelling the yummy onions, peppers and sausages that go into the Jambalaya.

The fun part of the night was using my brand new, porcelain-lined, RED Lodge Dutch Oven!  Normally I have a great Bialetti pan that I use for dishes like this, but I was dying to try this out.  It was awesome!  If you live in the Louisville area Kroger's has them on sale $10 off until March 24.

Back to the food!  I found this recipe in Emeril Lagasse's Louisiana Real & Rustic back when everyone was just starting to scream "Bam!" when cooking.  This is one of those dishes that take a little bit of prep work (a LOT of chopping), but when those flavors come together I swear even my dad can smell that aroma 30 miles away.

The recipe is the Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya and can be found either in the Real & Rustic cookbook, or on the Food Network Site.  Here is your link:  Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya, and here is the finished product, in my brand new dutch oven:

I use long grain rice, so instead of the water they list in the recipe I use 4.5 cups.  I also omit the 1/4 tsp of cayenne if I'm using the andouille otherwise it could make you sweat.  It's still tasty, but not everyone can handle the heat!

This is great served with a white wine, but I personally prefer a nice cold beer!

Have a great week, and thanks again for reading!!

Alicia

Cookie Dough & Taco Dips at Trivia Night!

Hello again, everyone!

Last night was the 17th Annual FOP Trivia Night for the Louisville Area Special Olympics.  It's always a great time, and our team tied for 3rd!

We always make dips and snacks for the table and this year I decided to make two.  I use the "steam table" aluminum pans you can find at Kroger or Costco as these tend to be taken to places where I can't clean up and it's just easier that way.

Layered Taco Dip
The first is my usual standby - only because it's constantly requested.  It's also a fairly healthy dip.

I've made this for years, so no real recipe, but here's an approximation.  It's a layered dip so I'll start at the bottom:

1.  1 can of nonfat refried beans mixed with chopped jalepenos (to taste.  My husband likes this spicy so I put a few spoonfuls in).
2.  Guacamole (you can make this or buy it.  I like the Wholly Guacamole).
3.  1 pint of reduced fat sour cream combined with one package reduced sodium taco seasoning.
4.  Cheese (you can use reduced fat, but I figured we've saved enough to use the real stuff!).
5.  Chopped roma or cherry tomatoes, sprinkled on the top.
6.  Sliced jalepenos - this is strictly optional and depends on how much heat you like.  I'll refer you back to my comment on item #1.

Layer those in the order above and put in the fridge for an hour or so.  Serve with any kind of corn chips, preferably ones that are thicker.

Cookie Dough Dip
My second dip (which the Husband has labeled a gateway drug) is the Cookie Dough Dip as found on Pinterest.  I cannot rave enough about this, only to say it almost didn't make it out of the house!  I love cookie dough raw, and this is a safe version without eggs (and maybe a good idea for those with egg allergies?).

Here is the link to the recipe:  Cookie Dough Dip

We also thought this would be a great filling for cannoli!

Also, most of these are linked in my Pinterest - just look for Alicia Wilder.

Thanks again for reading, and "see you soon"!

WilderMom

Outback Steakhouse Recipe Links

Happy Weekend everyone!  I promised in my first post I would put some of the recipes online from last week's "Outback" meal at home.

First is the Outback Ranch:  Outback Ranch
This is at Food.Com and is a great recipe.  I found it was a little thick after chilling for a few hours, but adding a little more buttermilk when you make it seemed to help it out.  It just depends on your tastes.  As is it is a great ranch dip as well!

Next, the Baked Potato: Outback Baked Potatoes
This is so easy, I was almost embarrassed to say I looked it up, but I am a recipe girl so here you go!

And finally, the Alice Springs Chicken (including that glorious Honey Mustard):  Alice Springs Chicken
I added a little more honey to the Honey Mustard, but it's just incredible.  I also only put mushrooms on mine, as my husband and children don't seem to care for that umami goodness!

Thanks for following and good luck!

Hello and welcome to my new blog!

Why do I need a blog you might ask?  I love to cook-almost as much as I love to eat.  I started getting new recipes and after multiple dinners where I wanted to share what I was finding, I decided to start this blog so I could share what I was making along with any adjustments.

I love savory foods, with a few sweets thrown in.  I'm a recipe nut and am always gathering them, which is why I honestly feel Pinterest was made for people like me!

For example, here is dinner I made on Sunday night - it was an Outback meal!  I made Alice Springs Chicken (mushrooms on mine only), an Outback baked potato and a salad with the Outback ranch dressing.  Yummy!  I also had a glass of Cupcake Savignon Blanc.  I'll post links to recipes later, but wanted to get this started!

I hope you'll join me as I move through this blog world and share any ideas/suggestions with me!

Thanks!