Dulce de leche Flan

     I really like to try new recipes. It gets my family to try new recipes and expand their palate. Also, it is cheaper to try a lot of foods at home then out to eat. Plus, what if we order something new and then don't like it? My husband will not share his plate. My oldest daughter will reluctantly share her food. It depends on my oldest son's mood if he will share. 

     Last year, I made dulce de leche for the first time and my youngest daughter loves it. So, I decided to make flan with dulce de leche. This custard is really good. I made them individual size so we each could have our own.

Dulce de leche Flan
1 1/2 cup dulce de leche
3 eggs
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
2. Coat the bottom and the sides of 5 small ramekins (about 5.5 oz) with 1 cup of dulce de lech.  
3. Place the ramekins into a large glass baking dish. 
4. In a large bowl, whisked the eggs.
5. Add the condensed milk, milk, and vanilla extract to the whisked eggs until smooth.
6. Pour the egg mixture evenly into the ramekins.
7. Carefully pour the boiling water into the glass dish to make a water bath. Make sure no water splashes into the egg mixture.
8. Bake the flan for about 45 minutes. The flan should be set.
9. Remove the individual ramekins from the water bath and allow to cool completely.
10. Run a knife around the edges of each ramekins and invest the flan onto individual dishes (or to save dishes serve in the ramekins).
11. Drizzle additional dulce de leche over the flan before serving.

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com.

One year ago..................I made Olive Garden Salad.

Did you already know....
-A savory flan was served by Ancient Romans.
-One Ancient Romans savory flan was eel flan.
-Early recipes of a sweet flan was made with honey instead of sugar.

Graduation Cap Cupcakes

Do you have someone graduating? Maybe from grade school, junior high, high school, or college? When I graduated, I didn't want a big party just something small. When my daughter graduated, I threw a nice party. One of the dishes I made was these cupcakes. They are pretty easy to make and fun to assemble.

Graduation Cap Cupcakes
12 cupcakes
12 oz. mini semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of frosting
12 pieces of Twizzlers, cut into small strips (may have to flatten)
12 brown mini M&M's candies

Directions:

1. Line parchment paper on the back of a cookie sheet.
2. Spread the melted chocolate over the parchment paper in a thin layer. Allow to cool in the refrigerator for about 3 minutes.
3. Remove the chocolate from the refrigerator and cut into 3 inch squares.
4. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the chocolate.
5. Place another cookie sheet on top of the parchment paper to flatten the chocolate. 
6. Refrigerate the chocolate for at least 10 minutes so the chocolate hardens.
7. Remove the harden chocolate from the refrigerator.
8. Take a cupcake and turn it over so the base is facing up.
9. Frost the base of the cupcake.
10. Place a piece of the harden chocolate square on top of the cupcake.
11. In the center of the chocolate square, place a dab of frosting. 
12. Place the edges of two different color small strips of the Twizzlers.
13. Cover the two edges of the Twizzler which are in the frosting with a dab of frosting. 
14. Place a brown mini M&M piece on top and press down to seal. (Make sure the M is facing downwards.)
15. Make sure the graduate receives a cake before others. 

Recipe adapted from Beth from Hungry Happenings.

One year ago...........................I made PB & J Bars.

Did you already know.............
-Normally, the high school graduate's tassel is the school colors.
-A college graduate's tassel may be the color of their represented field.
-The tassel color for a business degree would be drab (dull brown).

Spicy Honey Chicken Wrap

I love meals that I can make into two meals. I made this chicken for supper and served it with rice and a vegetable. Then I was able use the left over chicken for a wrap. I will admit I love wraps. They are in their own convenient to go edible wrapper. Also, the best part is saving some money on groceries especially on meals that we like.

Spicy Honey Chicken Wrap
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 coriander 
1/2 tsp cumin 
1/8 tsp cayenne powder
6 chicken breast
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 cup mixed greens
1/2 cup of  tomatoes, chopped
4 tortilla wraps
Dressing, if desired

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder, coriander, cumin, and cayenne powder.
2. Coat the chicken with the spices.
3. Spray a grill or a inside grill pan with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Heat over medium heat.
5. In a small bowl, microwave the honey for about 30 seconds.
6. Add the cider vinegar to the honey and combine well.Remove about 1/8 cup of the mixture and reserve.
7. Add the chicken to the grill and brush on the honey mixture.
8. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes and flip it over.
9. Brush the other side with the honey mixture.
10. Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
11. Remove and with a clean brush coat with the reserved honey mixture.
12. Serve 1/2 the chicken for supper and allow the remaining chicken to cool.
13. In the middle of the tortilla wraps, add 1/2 cup of mixed greens with a couple of tomatoes and some cooled chicken. Add dressing if desired.
14. Wrap the tortilla up like an envelope and serve.

Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything.
 
One year ago....................I made Taco Seasoning.

Did you already know......
-In 1897, the first charcoal grill was patented in the U.S. by Ellsworth B.A. Zwoyer.
-In 1952, George Stephen began selling his Weber grill created from cutting a metal buoy in half and adding a grate. 
-In the 1960s, the gas grill was invented by William G. Wepfer with Melton Lancaster as a new way to sell natural gas. 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

My husband is the first person to rally against vegetables. Maybe you have seen him in our front yard with a sign shouting "No more vegetables! No more vegetables!" So, it surprises me when he kept ordering broccoli soup in restaurants the past couple of weeks. I asked him if he would just want me to make some for him. He told me it would be nice. My oldest daughter told me this is the best broccoli soup she has ever had.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
2 lbs. broccoli
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp butter
1 shallot (about 1 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups milk (I used skim milk)
4 oz. fontina cheese, grated
8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
4 cups chicken broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Arrange the broccoli on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil.
3. Season the broccoli with salt and pepper.
4. Broil for 5 minutes and remove. 
5. Turn the broccoli pieces over and broil for another 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the broccoli. Set aside to cool.
6. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
7. Add the shallot and stir for about 1 minutes.
8. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute.
9. Whisk in the the milk.
10. Add the cheese and stir until melted.
11. Stir in the chicken broth and turn down the heat to low. 
12. Add the roasted broccoli pieces and stir. 
13. Allow the soup to simmer for 10 minutes and serve.

Recipe adapted from Katy's Kitchen.

One year ago.....................I made Lemon Tassies.

Did you already know...................
-Broccoli belongs to the cabbage family.
-The word broccoli derives from the Latin word (brachium) and Italian word (braccio) that means arm.
-1 cup of broccoli has the same amount of Vitamin C as 1 orange.

Chewy Brownies

I am partial to box brownies. I have tried many homemade versions of brownies and they are good but still not the same. I will admit these brownies do not taste like box brownies. They are so much better. It doesn't mean I won't still buy box brownies but if you want a bakery style brownie then you need to make this recipe. My family agreed this is the best brownie I have ever made including the box brownies. Oh, they are so good!

Chewy Brownies
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp boiling water
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, sliced into cubes
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate , chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line the bottom of the baking pan with parchment paper. (I used a 4 qt. glass pan.) Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, the chopped unsweetened chocolate, and water.
Add the butter and stir until the butter has melted.
Add the oil and mix well.
Add the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
Mix in the sugar.
Add the flour and sea salt. Mix until combined.
Fold in the bittersweet chocolate.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. An inserted toothpick will be a little moist.
Allow the brownies to cool for 10 minutes before removing the brownies from the pan and placing on a wire rack to continue to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Project Domestication.

One year ago.........................I made Apple Cinnamon loaves.

Did you already know............
-Some dictionaries list a brownie as a cookie as others list it as a cake.
-One of the first brownie recipes published was the Bangor Brownie.
-The Bangor Brownie is suppose to have been created by a frugal housewife from Bangor, Maine.