Gingerbread Pear Trifle

adapted from sunset magazine 12/07

These are the ingredients for the entire dessert. Make sure you read the directions for each section, as the ingredient listed may be split between the components.

4 Tbsp. butter, softened

1 1/2 cups flour

1 Tbsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. salt

1 1/4 c. sugar

4 large eggs

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup molasses

1 Tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

3 Bosc Pears (I used 6 and have used D'anjou)

2 Tbsp. light brown sugar

2 1/2 cups half and half (I used 1% milk)

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup whipping cream (I used lite cool whip!)

2 tbsp. powdered sugar (omit, if using cool whip)

crystallized ginger, finely chopped (optional)

For gingerbread:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8 x 8 baking pan. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground ginger, cloves and 1/2 tsp. salt. In a large bowl, whisk 3/4 c. sugar with 1 egg until thick and pale. Stir in applesauce, molasses, 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, oil and 1/4 cup hot water. Stir in flour mixture. Pour into pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and let cool. Cut into 1 inch cubes.

Cook pears: Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add pears that are peeled, cored and sliced. Cook, stirring until soft. Stir in brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger and 1/4 tsp. salt

For custard: In a pan over medium heat, whisk milk, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, 1/4 tsp. salt until thickened, about 10 minutes. Take off heat. Stir in vanilla and 2 Tbsp. butter.

Whip cream with powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger (or substitute with cool whip).

Assemble trifle: Put 1/2 of the gingerbread cubes in a glass dish; Spoon 1/2 of the pears with liquid over the gingerbread. Pour 1/2 of the custard over the pears. Top with 1/2 of the cream and 1/2 crystallized ginger (optional). Repeat layers. Serve immediately or chill up to 1 day.

Corn Salad (Anne Seal)

Ingredients:
2 cans of whole kernel corn (drained)
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups of shredded cheese
1/2 c. green bell peppers, chopped
1/2 c. red onion, chopped

Directions:
Mix all ingredients and chill. Mix in chili cheese Frito's when you are ready to serve, 9 oz bag crushed.

2009 Wrap Up

We had a very successful first year together as a recipe club. Here's the re-cap of theme's:

April- Italian, Kristen Borg's
May- Mexican, Megan's
June-European, Amy's
July- Hawaiian, Angela's
August- Grill, Stacy's
September-Asian, Alix's
October- Soup & Salad, Kim's
November- Comfort Food, Chele's

Chicken Tacos with Sour Cream Salsa

1 lb. chicken, cut in thin strips
olive oil
3/4 t. kosher salt
1 green or yellow pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
6" tortillas (I used corn to be more healthy, but you could also do this as a lettuce wrap and omit)
1 head lettuce, washed and separated

Toss chicken in mixture of crushed red pepper, ground black pepper, ground cumin, onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt and garlic powder to taste. In large skillet, coat with olive oil and cook chicken until done. Remove chicken from skillet and add peppers; cook for 3 minutes then return chicken to pan.

Sour Cream Salsa
1/2 c. sour cream (I used light)
lime zest and lime juice from one lime
3 T. cilantro, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

In a small bowl stir together sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, tomatoes, and remaining salt.

To serve, line tortillas with lettuce, then top with chicken and pepper mixture; serve with sour cream salsa.

Tres Leches "Three Milk" Cake

adapted from the original recipe by April Felix

1 yellow cake mix, baked as directed

mix together:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 can milk

mix together for the topping:

1 box vanilla pudding mix

1 container cool whip

1 cup milk

When the cake is right out of the oven, poke holes in the cake with a toothpick. Pour the 3 milk mixture over the warm cake and let it soak into the cake. Frost with the pudding/cool whip mixture. Serve warm or cold

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2-3 cooked and shredded chicken breasts (or rotisserie chicken was delicious)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1-1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 large can green chilis

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

8-10 corn tortillas, torn into large pieces

2-3 cups cheese, cheddar, Mexican blend....anything

Saute onions and garlic in a few tbs. oil until onions are translucent. Add green chilis, soup, sour cream and heat through. Add 1/2 cup or so of milk to sauce if it seems really thick. Put a small layer of sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish to prevent sticking, then a layer of torn tortillas, chicken, sauce and cheese, then tortillas, chicken, sauce & cheese (on top). Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. Garnish with salsa, guacamole, sour cream.

Ronald McDonald House Dinner

A big thank you to everyone who contributed time, money, planning, recipes, and their hard work to make the Ronald McDonald House dinner a success!

Several of the people staying at the house enjoyed the dishes so much that they requested the recipes! We promised to post everything on the blog for them so please post or email your recipes soon.

Happy Holidays everyone!