Peanut butter pie

This is a very good easy pie.  I’ve made it several times and everyone likes it.

  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts

Beat together cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells; cover, and freeze until firm.

© 2019 Allrecipes.com

Valentine’s Day dinner 2019

 

 

 

 

All of the recipes were new this year:

Jicama, Carrot, and Green Apple Slaw

2 cups shredded napa cabbage
1/2 of one jicama, peeled and shaved (I used a carrot peeler to shave it, just so the jicama would look different from the daikon)
1 cup shredded daikon radish (more or less, daikon is pretty wet by itself)
1 Granny Smith apple – peeled, cored and chopped
2 (or more) large carrots, shredded
1 firm pear, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
sea salt and pepper to taste

Place the cabbage, jicama, radish, apple, carrot, pear, and cilantro into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with olive oil, orange juice, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Toss until evenly blended and serve.

Carrot Soup with Lime and Chiles

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 pound peeled baby carrots
1/2 cup instant brown rice
28 oz. reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 small can chopped green chile peppers
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and cook for a few minutes, then add the garlic, and saute for 1 more minutes. Add the carrots, rice, chicken broth, water and salt to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, loosely covered for about 20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender. Stir in the green chilies and lime juice. Set aside to cool slightly.

Puree the soup using a hand immersion blender. Serve warm.

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Vegetables and Herbs

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 pound chicken breast tenders
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 or 8 new white and purple potatoes, cut into quarters
8 ounces fresh baby carrots, green tops trimmed to 1-inch long
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Stir the flour, black pepper and paprika on a plate. Coat the chicken with the flour mixture.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on all sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet. Pour off any fat.

Add the onions and potatoes to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots, stock, lemon juice and oregano and heat to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet. Cover the skillet.

Roast for 25 minutes. Uncover the skillet.

Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with the thyme, if desired.

Carrot Pecan Crunch Pie

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
4 cups carrots, cut into pieces
2 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

To Make Topping: In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, melted butter or margarine, and chopped pecans. Mix well and set aside.

To Make Carrot Custard: Steam carrots until tender. Drain and cool. Puree cooled carrots with hand immersion blender, and add eggs, condensed milk, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour carrot mixture into pie shell. Sprinkle with pecan topping.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

And we also had purple carrots, which made one carrot girl very happy:

Red Witch cheese

The raw cow’s milk comes from Switzerland and has a creamy paste with a rich, nutty and addicting flavor. I think this will be a great go-to melting cheese. This would definitely classify as a “smelly” cheese for some.

Mrs. Zuehlke, a cheese lover, is behind the creation of the Red Witch. In February when people celebrate the carnival, dress up (like on Halloween) she thought that a cheese that goes well with wine or beer or spirits would be nice for the long evenings. So she contacted acclaimed cheese maker Christian Oberli, and they met in the restaurant of the main train station of the capital Berne to discuss proceedings.
He created the recipe, and with the cayenne peppery red rind as well as the “scary” label with the witch on her broom a visually attractive cheese was born. Made from raw whole milk the paste is creamy, easy melting, and relatively mild. But for Quality Cheese he increased the aging in his cellars from 5 to 8, 9 months when the Red Witch gets aromatic and nutty.

sfgate article

 

Ice Cream Tour of Alamance County

We went to three ice cream establishments (so far):

Muffins Ice Cream Shoppe of Mebane using milk from Maple View Farms of Hillsborough.  We also got some of their butter which was very good;  109 N. 4th Street, Mebane, NC.  We got carolina crunch, among other flavors.

Smitty’s Ice Cream of Burlington; 107 E.  Front St, Burlington, NC.  We got their popular brown sugar and oatmeal ice cream, which was very good, and also their amaretto cherry ice cream.  We went to their Elon store; 130 N. Williamson AveElon, NC, and got cookie dough ice cream and butter pecan ice cream.  There is also a store in Graham;  300 N. Main Street, Graham, NC, but it was closed when we got there.

In the past we’ve gone to Homeland Creamery south of town; 6506 Bowman Dairy Road Julian, NC.  The shop was on the farm.  I think we got some ground pork there also.

Halloween 2018

Halloween in 2018 was very nice, the weather was just right.

There were some small guests at first:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of witches were there:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And they were brewing their mix:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I drew a runway on the driveway, but noone knew what it was:

 

 

Telbaneer real Armenian string cheese

Our traditional Armenian braided string cheese, called also Fine Tresses, Angel Hair or Mshallaleh, is the real Armenian string cheese handmade according to genuine traditions with nigella seeds (also known as black cumin or black caraway).

It is fine braided following the traditional Armenian string cheese production methods.

Karlacti String Cheese comes in the form of a knotted endless loop of fine string braids due to the way it is hand pulled.

Byblos angel hair cheese

We got some Angel Hair Cheese from Thomas Market in Laurel.

Angel hair cheese
Laurel md
Whole milk
Black nigella seeds
Pinch of salt
Thomas market $7.99
90 calories per ounce
13% sodium
Hand braided
Byblos brand

 

Peanut Butter Ice Cream in Kitchenaid

possible coffee ice cream
picture may be of coffee ice cream

2 cups 1/2 and 1/2
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup

Bring to boil.

Add:
1/2 jar Skippy peanut butter – about 1 cup

Cool and add:
1 tsp tapioca in 2 TBS cold milk
1 tsp vanilla

Used trickling spring organic half and half and organic heavy cream. Seemed to make. 5 cups

Coffee Ice cream also used the organic milk, and it seemed thicker than cheaper milk slurries. 5 cups is just enough mixture for the kitchenaid.