Review: Kouing-Aman From Les Madeleines in Salt Lake

These are simply delicious !!!

My mom, sister and I decided to visit restaurants in Salt Lake that had been featured on the food network channel, so we stopped at Les Madeleines on 216 East 500 South and bought one of these. They are 5.00 each, I thought that was a little pricey for a dessert but it is worth every penny!!! I wish I knew how to make these, I might give it a try next week, if it works out I'll post the recipe. I recommend if your in town you pick up one of these. I wish I had one right now!

Amy's Brushetta

This is one of my all time favorites!!!! I serve this as an appetizer and I eat it for dinner, I love it!!

1 Pkg Cream Cheese

1/2 C. Pesto

(I would only use the pesto that is refrigerated at the store.  If you get the Costco kind you can freeze what you don't use in little Ziploc baggies. If you get the bottled kind it usually tastes like crap)

2 Med Tomatoes, finely chopped

3 T Cilantro, finely chopped

2 T Green Onions, finely chopped

Crackers, or Toasted Sour Dough bread.

(whatever you use make it really crunchy)

*Optional, a blend of Romano, Parmesan, and Asiago OR just one of the cheeses listed

Mix together the cream cheese and pesto, set aside. Mix together the tomatoes, cilantro, and onions. Put a layer of the pesto mixture on the cracker then load up with the tomato mixture and top with cheese. Yummy!

I would make them right before you serve them or have people make them as they eat them.

Banana OR Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together:

½ c Butter

1 ½ c White sugar

1 Egg

Then add the following and mix together  thoroughly:

5-6 Ripe Bananas, smashed OR
 1 C. Canned Pumpkin

1 t vanilla

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

3/4 bag Chocolate chips

2 1/2c Flour

Grease cookie sheet. Bake 400 degrees for 10 min
* This comes from my sister Jennifer Hedrick

Fresh Mango Salsa

This is one of my favorite salsa's!!!

1 fresh or canned mango

5  Tomatillo's

3 T  Red onion

1  Avocado

 2 T Canned Verde Salsa

2 T Fresh Cilantro

Finely Chop all ingredients and mix together. Add Salt to taste.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

This pizza is one of my favorite dishes that I make. There are many different ways you can make it. I will write exactly how I made it last night then I will put variations to it at the bottom.

1 Pillsbury dough pizza crust

1 C. Mozzarella Cheese, grated

1 C. Swiss Cheese, grated or cut up fine

1/2 C. Kalamata Olives, chopped (I buy a large bottle at Costco)

1 Med. Size Jar Artichoke Heart, chopped

2 Green Onions, chopped

2 T. Roasted Sun Flower Seeds

1/2 C. Fresh Mushrooms

2 t. Minced Garlic

2 Chicken Breasts, marinated in Caesar Vinaigrette and BBQ'd

1/2 C. Alfredo Sauce ( see other recipe on my blog) 

1.Preheat oven to 425.

2.Spread pizza crust out on pan and bake at 425 for 8 min.

3.While crust cooks, combine all other ingredients in a bowl and toss together.

4.When crust is done, spread sauce on top then add combined ingredients on top.

5. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until crust is brown and cheese is bubbly throughout.

Now for variations: 

Sauce: I usually use this instead,

1 stick butter melted

2 t. Minced Garlic

2 t. Italian Seasoning

2 t. Onion Powder

Toppings:

Toasted Pine Nuts, I love these but right now they cost 2 million dollars a piece!

Bacon, 

Red onions,
Zucchini.

1 C. Feta Cheese, instead of Mozzarella,

Better Than Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

I got this recipe from food.com I just changed it a little

5 T. Butter

  5 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 C. Heavy Cream

1/2 t. White Pepper

1 Chicken Bullion Cube

1/2 t. Black Pepper

1/2 t. Salt

1/2 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese

3/4 C. Grated Mozzarella Cheese

1. Melt butter in pan

2.Add garlic, cream, white pepper, chicken bullion,black pepper , and salt

3.Bring mixture to a simmer, stir often.

4.Add Parmesan and simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened and is smooth, stirring frequently

5.When sauce has thickened add Mozzarella and stir until smooth.

I served this over angel hair with sauteed mushrooms and Grilled Chicken. Delicious!!!

Review Of Some Frozen Foods

I didn't have time to cook the other night so I decided to try some P.F.Chang's Frozen Orange Chicken. This looked tolerable at the store but sadly it is disgusting.  If you really want some orange chicken and don't want to make it, Costco's (I can't remember the brand) frozen orange chicken was pretty good.
I also tried Marie Calendars Steamers. I have had several different varieties of these before and I was pretty impressed by them. They are way more delicious than the regular Marie Calendars frozen foods, which are ok. So I highly recommend these. This penne garlic chicken was really delicious.

Spicy Noodles

I made this recipe up one day after watching "Anthony Bourdain No Reservations" on the Travel Channel.

He went somewhere (I can't remember where) but they had all these street vendors selling delicious looking bowls of noodles. I knew I couldn't compare with there's but this satisfies my cravings and it is pretty tasty and EASY.

1 Pkg. Chicken Flavored Ramen Noodles

2 T. Lemon Juice 

1/4 t. Ginger Powder, or fresh if you have it.

Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, to taste (this is sold in the ethnic food section at Walmart)

2 T. Fresh Cilantro, optional

Cook Ramen according to the package, do not drain the water. After it is cooked add all other ingredients. With the chili sauce I would start very small, maybe 1/4 t. then add more, depending on how hot you want it. The cilantro is not necessary but adds an extra yummyness to it.

Chili Sauce

Ginger, Nutmeg, & Cinnamon Pancakes w/ Banana Foster Syrup

Here is the recipe for the pancakes:
1 C. Flour
2 T. Sugar
2 t. Baking powder
1/4 t. Salt
2 Eggs, Beaten
1 C. Milk
2 T. Cooking Oil
3 T. Sour Cream
2 t. Ginger Powder
1 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Nutmeg

I don't like lumpy batter and there never seems to be a sure way of getting rid of them, but this method works most of the time for me.
1. Add all of the dry ingredients together.
2. Slowly pour in about 1/4 c milk and stir until it becomes a big blob, then add another 1/4 c milk and stir vigorously until lumps are almost gone about 1 minute then slowly add in the rest of the milk. If you have a better method please let me know.
3. Add eggs, oil and sour cream.
4. Add a little butter to pan cook on med heat and cook as usual.
These will not be your big fluffy pancakes, I hate those, these will be light but flat, just the way I like them. If you like more flavor add more of the spices.
Alternate: Use a pancake mix and add extra egg, sour cream, and spices.

Banana Foster Syrup ( This comes from my sister Jennifer Hedrick)
2 Sticks Margarine
(don't use real butter it hates this recipe!)
1/3 C. Brown Sugar
2 Bananas cut up
1 T. Vanilla

Put all ingredients  EXCEPT vanilla into a small pot and bring to a boil on medium heat, let boil for about 3-5 minutes until bananas are nice and soft , take off heat and add vanilla. Serve over pancakes.
Alternate: This is also good without the bananas.

Super Duper Delicious Baked Potatoes

I know your probably thinking to yourself , " Self, I already know how to make baked potatoes". But read on anyway. This is a very simple way to make your otherwise plain baked potatoes into the best baked potatoes ever! You simply put a pat of butter and some Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning (or any other delicious spice you like but I have found this spice to be the best one and I stopped trying others) onto your tin foil, place potato on top, wrap up the potato, put it in the oven, SEAM SIDE UP or it will drip onto the bottom of your oven making it smoke and you will curse the day you read my blog. Bake at 450 degrees for 60 minutes, longer if they are giant potatoes. There you have it. I like to top mine with butter, cheese, bacon, sour cream, and cauliflower. Yes this is completely low fat and you will lose weight just eating it. Also I have had cottage cheese and a lot of salt on top and that is pretty delicious also.

Banana Bread Pudding With Vanilla Sauce

Banana Bread Pudding

2 C. Milk

2 C. Heavy Cream

1 C. + 3T. Sugar

7 Whole Eggs, Beaten

1 t. cinnamon

4T. Butter,

3-4 Bananas, Sliced

5 C. Bread cubed, White or whatever you want to use

1.In a 9x13 pan layer bread then layer of banana then layer of bread.
2.Mix together sugar and cinnamon first.
3.Mix together: milk, cream, sugar, cinnamon & beaten eggs.
4.Pour mixture over bread until 3/4 the way full.
5.Push bread down into liquid to prevent drying out.
6.Add Butter pats on top.
7.Bake 300 degrees for about 1 1/2 hour until knife comes out clean and browned on top.
8.Serve with vanilla sauce on top.

Vanilla Sauce:

3 C. Heavy Cream

1 1/2 C. Milk

1 1/2 t. Vanilla

1/2 C + 1T. Sugar

2 T. Cornstarch

6 Egg Yolks

1. Heat milk, vanilla, heavy cream, & sugar.
2. Combine cornstarch with yolks
3.Once liquid boils temper some liquid into yolks. Stir vigorously. Return tempered liquid into pot.
4. Turn off heat & stir continuously until well combined & thickened.
5. Transfer sauce into a bowl, put in refrigerator.

We had this dessert at Disneyland a long time ago it was so good I came right home and found the recipe online somewhere. So Enjoy!!!