Yogurt Fruit Soup ala ~DKBB~

I recently had the pleasure of enjoying a wonderful lunch at Sweetwater in Jackson, WY, with one of my dearest friends. We both tried the Cold Pineapple Soup and were blown away! I asked the waitress if the chef shared the recipe; she laughed and said, "No, but if we could get him to sell it we'd make a fortune!" So when I got back home I launched an online search, to no avail. The only thing that came close to what my friend and I thought we tasted in that soup was a Yogurt Fruit Soup recipe. I copied it down and then set to work massaging it into what I thought it should be. I have a feeling this recipe will evolve a lot over time, but this is what I've come up with so far:

Yogurt Fruit Soup ala ~DKBB~

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Greek or regular vanilla or plain yogurt
• 2 cups fruit juice (if possible, use 1 cup juice of the fruit you are using, and 1 cup orange juice for best results; use 2 cups orange juice in a pinch)
• ½ to 1 cup cream
• ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ to 1 Tablespoon honey
• 2 dashes cinnamon (to taste)
• 2 dashes nutmeg (to taste)
• fresh fruit or berries (whatever is in season: apples, bananas, oranges, plums, pineapple, peaches, dates, etc.)

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, whisk together yogurt, juices, lemon juice, cream, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. 
2. If you are using large fruit (like pineapple), cut it into smaller pieces.
3. On low speed, blend soup mixture and fresh fruit. You do not want to puree the fruit...you want some chunkies left in the soup.
4. Chill for 2 to 4 (or more) hours.
5. Add cut (or whole) fruit as garnish on each bowl served (optional)

While this is a delicious cold fruit soup, it also serves as a great breakfast dish!

New Places, New Ingredients

We recently relocated from northwestern Nebraska to western Wyoming...back to the Wyoming mountains we love and the State we were both born in. This is the view from our back deck:

© 2013 ~DKBB~

There is a Farmer's Market each Thursday afternoon/evening in the town nearest us. The first 2 times I went, every stall had an overabundance of garlic scapes. (Garlic scapes are the shoots that curl up out of the garlic bulb as it grows; you cut them off once they have curled up.) These were something new to me...we asked folks what they were used for, and most folks said they could be used like garlic. I bought a few and used them in my Butter Garlic Green Beans and they really made the dish pop! I was so impressed, that I next used them in my homemade goulash (should have sauted them first, though).

The next time I went to the Farmer's Market, I bought a boatload of garlic scapes. I sliced them small, blanched them, and froze small packages to be used in veggies dishes, soups, and casseroles over the coming winter months.

I love trying new things, and I am so lovin' livin' in this (new) mountain paradise!

Big Bacon Breakfast Cups ala ~DKBB~

This makes a perfect Sunday breakfast or brunch entree.

Big Bacon Breakfast Cups ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Karen Burkett in the April/May 2013
edition of Taste of Home magazine)

6 to 12 slices of thick-sliced pepper bacon, cut in half

1 ½ cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

3 eggs

3 tsp. milk

Dash salt and pepper

3 tsp. butter

Shredded pepper jack cheese

Chopped green onion and fresh parsley (optional)

• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• In large 6-cup muffin ban, line muffin cups with bacon pieces, criss-crossing them in each cup.
• Loosely crumble pieces of tin foil (4 inch strips) and place 1 each in bacon-filled cups to keep bacon from sliding.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes (the longer you cook it, the crisper the bacon will be).
• While bacon is cooking, cook potatoes according to package directions.
• In a small bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper.
• In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat and pour in egg mixture; cook and stir until eggs are thickened and no liquid egg remains.
• When the bacon cups are done, transfer* them to a backing sheet; remove foil from each cup.
• Spoon hash browns into each cup; spoon egg mixture on top of hash browns; sprinkle cheese on top of each cup.
• Broil the full cups for 3 to 5 minutes (until cheese is melted).
• Top each cup with chopped green onions and fresh parsley, if desired.

*You can leave the bacon cups in the muffin pan, fill them, and broil them, but the result will be a bit greasier than if you remove the bacon cups from the muffin pan and place them on a baking sheet to complete.

Everybody's Favorite Peanut Butter Brownies

Everybody’s Favorite Peanut Butter Brownie Bars

(original recipe from a zillion different ranch wives and church ladies)

1 pkg. of your favorite brownie mix, prepared as directions state and cooled

Peanut Butter Topping:

1 c. creamy peanut butter

½ c. butter (softened)

3 c. powdered sugar

4 to 6 Tbsp. half n’ half -or- milk

• Mix all topping ingredients together on low speed.
• Spread on top of cooled brownies.
• Chill for 2 hours, then cut and serve.

Variations:

• Add some melted milk chocolate to the topping and mix well before spreading on cooled brownies.
• Drizzle chocolate syrup over chilled brownies before serving.
• Cover the topping with chopped peanuts.

Chicken with Sweet Jalapeno Sauce ala ~DKBB~

Chicken with Sweet Jalapeno Sauce ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Jay-Lynn Baublitz in the 2013 Feb/Mar edition of Simple & Delicious magazine)

4 boneless chicken breast halves

Salt & pepper

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 small onion, diced

1 celery rib, diced

½ cup chicken broth

3 Tbsp. orange juice

¼ tsp. dried thyme leaves

½ cup jalapeno* pepper jelly (regular or fruit)

1 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. dried parsley

• Flatten chicken to ¼-inch thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Cook chicken in canola oil in large skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until meat is no longer pink.
• Remove cooked chicken from skillet and keep warm.
•  Sauté onion and celery in the same pan in the chicken leavings until crisp-tender.
• Add the chicken broth, orange juice, and thyme; bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced by half.
• Stir in the pepper jelly (regular or a fruit-based jalapeno pepper jelly) until melted.
• Stir in butter and parsley, stirring until butter is melted.
• Add chicken back into pan, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
• Serve sauce over chicken.

*You could also use a habanero-pepper jelly.

Spaghetti Pie ala ~DKBB~

Spaghetti Pie ala ~DKBB~

(based on an original recipe for Spinach-Beef Spaghetti Pie by Carol Hicks from www.tasteofhome.com)

 6 oz. uncooked  angel-hair pasta

2 eggs, slightly beaten

⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheesed

½ lb. ground beef

½ lb. Italian sausage

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup diced green pepper

1 jar (14 oz.) meatless spaghetti sauce

1 tsp. Creole seasoning

¾ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. dried oregano

8 oz. whipped cream cheese

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Cook pasta; drain.
• Mix eggs and Parmesan cheese together, then mix in with drained pasta.
• Press pasta into the bottom of a greased  deep-dish 10-inch pie dish (or divide into 2 smaller pie plates).
• Bake for 10 minutes.

• Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown hamburger, sausage, onion, and green pepper; drain well.
• Stir in spaghetti sauce, seasonings, and whipped cream cheese.
• Heat thoroughly.

• Place a layer of the spinach on the cooked spaghetti crust(s).
• Top with meat mixture.
• Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake at 350° F for 25 minutes.

Crockpot Asian Ribs ala ~DKBB~

Crockpot Asian Ribs ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Julie Ko, in the Feb/Mar 2013 edition of Simple & Delicious magazine)

6 lbs. (boneless) pork baby back ribs, cut into serving-size pieces
1⅓ cups packed brown sugar 
1 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce 
¼ cup rice vinegar 
¼ cup sesame oil (or vegetable oil) 
¼ cup minced fresh gingerroot 
6 cloves garlic, minced 
1 to 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 
¼ cup cornstarch 
¼ cup water 
Fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks 
½ to 1 can water chestnuts, diced 
Thinly sliced green onions 
Sesame seeds (optional)

• Place ribs in 6-qt. crockpot.
• Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, minced gingerroot, garlic, and pepper flakes in small bowl and mix well.
• Pour mixture over ribs and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
• Remove meat to covered dish while you create the sauce.
• Skim the fat off the sauce remaining in the crockpot and transfer skimmed sauce to saucepan.
• Add diced water chestnuts and pineapple chunks; bring to a boil.
• Combine cornstarch and water in jar; shake very well; add mixture gradually to saucepan. 
• Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened.
• Serve ribs on a bed of rice, covering all with sauce. Garnish with green onion slices and sesame seeds, if desired.

 (You can cut this recipe in half and have more than enough to feed 2.)