Grandma's Stained Glass Jello Salad

I seem to post more prep shots than finished product.
But maybe it's because I like the prep part best?
And it is usually for someone else, so I'm not always present when it's ready for service...This recipe is immensely popular in our family, and we aren't even from Utah.
My grandma is basically required to make it every time we all get together.
My cousin's have argued for years -
"this should be called Scott's Jello Salad"
or "this should be called Michael's Jello Salad" etc.
For the record, if it comes down to naming it after a cousin,
I'd side with Scott.
Oh, and there is always an argument over who gets the last portion.
I don't think I've ever gotten seconds.

Ingredients

5 small boxes of different flavors of Jello (it's best to get 5 different colors too - don't get lemon for this part)1 large box (or two small ones) of lemon Jello
1 small tub of Cool Whip

Instructions

Prepare the 5 flavors of Jello per the box's instructions. Allow to set completely.
Once the 5 flavors are set, prepare the lemon flavor (it's best to do prepare the lemon in a large bowl) with 3 cups boiling water - and that's it. Allow it to set until it reaches the consistency like that of an egg yolk (this will happen sitting out on the counter or in the fridge - but watch it carefully if you are using the fridge). Once it's yolk-like, mix with the mixer (I use my hand mixer) for three minutes and then fold in the Cool Whip with a spoon or spatula. Cut up the 5 Jello flavors into little cubes and add to the lemon mix. Mix it all up, pour into a casserole dish and allow to set (about 4 hours.)

It's so yummy. And if you use sugar-free Jello, it's not too bad for you. It could be a salad, a side or a dessert.

Glazed Peach Pie

Please make this pie while the peaches are in season, it is fantastic! This recipe was a big hit at our house, and my boys usually hate pie so that is saying something, Many thanks to Catherine for sharing it!

Glazed Peach Pie

3 cups sliced FRESH peaches
1 Tbsp. lemon Juice
3/4 cup sugar, divided
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1 frozen pie crust, baked as per box directions (or you could make your own crust)

Add lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar to sliced peaches. Let stand for 1 hour. Drain peaches well, reserving syrup in a one cup liquid measuring cup. Add enough water to yield one cup. Blend remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add syrup liquid gradually, blending well. Bring mixture to a boil and boil for 3 minutes; stirring until clear. Remove from heat and blend butter, salt, and almond extract. Add peaches and pour mixture into a baked pastry shell. Top with whipped cream.

My modifications:
While this pie tasted divine, I had trouble making it look divine when I sliced and served it. In the future I will try this recipe using individual tarts, instead of one big pie. I also think that this same filling would be really good over shortbread, pound cake, or even angel food cake.

My Mother's Peanut Butter Cup Bars

In the Thompson home there were a few qualifications for a dessert that would work for us. This one exemplifies the rule: it can be made with chocolate and without chocolate (for those who don't know, I've been allergic to chocolate since I was about 2 years old.) I liked this one especially because if those prepared with out chocolate ran out first, I could easily pop the chocolate top off and eat the lower layer. Yum, yum.


Ingredients

*1 c butter, either room temp (my preference) or melted
*12 oz peanut butter (though I use a 16 oz jar since I can't find 12 oz. Also, I've only used creamy, but I bet it would be yummy with crunchy too)
*1 lb powdered sugar (if you also use a 16 oz jar, I add one extra cup of sugar)
*1 c crushed graham crackers (this is about one sleeve worth, though again, if using 16 oz PB, use a little extra crumbs too)
*1 bag chocolate chips (you can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate - whatever you prefer. Having never eaten chocolate, I don't know the difference - though I made them with milk on Friday for some friends and with semi-sweet on Saturday for other friends and they both received compliments.)

Instructions

Mix the butter and peanut butter until totally smooth. Add the graham cracker crumbs until again totally smooth. Add the powdered sugar and mix until it's seems like it's a bit dry, the mixture is kind of crumbly, if that makes sense. That's when you know you added enough sugar.

Spread the mixture into a cookie sheet or a 9"x13" cake pan depending on the thickness and the quantity of the bars you want out of the recipe.

Melt the chocolate chips. I use a double boiler, but everyone has their method that they like best. Spread the chocolate over the PB mixture (don't forget to leave some w/o chocolate for me).

Allow them to cool in the fridge, or if the season permits, in the garage on top of the car like my mother did.

Once the chocolate has cooled and hardened, cut up the individual bars (I use a pizza cutter), and serve.

(They don't have to be stored in the fridge, but it doesn't hurt.)

Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
*3 TBS. cocoa
* 3 eggs
* 2 cups white sugar
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups grated zucchini
* 1 cup chopped pecans
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 tablespoon orange zest
* Whipped cream, for serving
* Zucchini ribbons, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove loaves from pans and cool. Chill before slicing. Serve with whipped cream and ribbons of zucchini.

Chocolate Cluster Peanut Butter Cake

This is DE-LI-CIOUS

Prep Time: 20 min Total Time: 1 hr 20 min Makes: 16 servings

What You Need

1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix

1 cup cold milk

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup Dry Roasted Peanuts

2 squares Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted ( I just use chocolate chips!)

1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare and bake cake mix as directed on package in 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Cool 10 min.; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks. Meanwhile, beat milk and pudding mix with whisk 2 min. Add peanut butter; beat well. Refrigerate until ready to use.

MIX peanuts and melted chocolate; stir until evenly coated. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Refrigerate 10 min. or until firm.

PLACE 1 of the cake layers on cake platter; spread with 1 cup pudding mixture. Cover with remaining cake layer. Gently stir COOL WHIP into remaining pudding mixture. Spread over top and side of cake. Decorate with chocolate peanut clusters. Refrigerate leftovers.

Candy Chicken

I LOVE this chicken. It is super easy and although the ingredients sound weird, they make a delicious sauce! PS I'm not sure why it's called Candy Chicken because it doesn't taste like candy.... :)

YOU NEED:

a few chicken breasts, or tenders or whatever chicken you like cut into strips
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c mustard
1/2 c ketchup
1 tbsp worchestire sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 c minced onion
1 tsp salt
bread crumbs
2 beaten eggs

TO DO:

Bread the chicken using the dip in egg then dip in bread crumbs method. Lay the breaded chickens in a 9x13 dish. In a saucepan over medium heat mix the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour the sauce over the breaded chickens. Stick in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Serve over rice!

Tips: This is an easy recipe to feed a crowd because you can just use as much chicken as you want and easily double the sauce. It's a pretty forgiving recipe meaning you don't have to add onions if you don't want to, more brown sugar = a little sweeter etc. Play around and enjoy!

Charred Chile Relleno with Green Rice

Ok, so the picture is only of the mess I make when I make the rice.
But i'ts SOOO good and SOOO worth it

I got this recipe from Rachel Ray 30 minutes meals show. I don't know about you, by I guess I tell time differently than Rachel does, plus I don't get commercial breaks. Nothing I cook of hers ever takes only 30 minutes... but this one is worth the maybe hour that it did take. Oh, and here's a photo of the meal prepared by Rachel so that my mess doesn't scare you away...

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Ingredients

Rice:

4 c chicken or vegetable stock, divided

1 bay leaf

2 c white rice

½ c fresh cilantro leaves

½ lb spinach leaves, deveined and coarsely chopped

4 scallions, coarsely chopped

2 limes, zested, juiced

1 c shredded Chihuahua cheese, Asadero or Monterey Jack

Chile Relleno:

4 large poblano peppers

6 ears corn on the cob or 3 c frozen corn kernels

3T corn, peanut or vegetable oil, divided

1 red onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (15 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained well

1 ½T ground cumin, ½ palm full

½ t dried oregano, eyeball it in your palm

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat broiler or grill pan to high.

Heat about 3 ½ c stock in a sauce pot with a bay leaf to boiling. Add rice, cover pot reduce heat to low and simmer 18 minutes until tender.

Place poblanos under broiler or on hot grill and char evenly all over, 15 minutes.

While peppers and rice are working, scrape the corn off the cobs or defrost frozen corn and dry by spreading out on clean kitchen towel. Heat 2T light oil in a skillet over high heat. When the oil smokes or ripples add corn, onion, jalapenos and toss until the vegetables char at edges and onions are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high and add in garlic, fire roasted tomatoes and season with cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook another minute or 2 then turn pan off.

Place the cilantro, spinach, scallions, lime zest, half a c of stock and a T of oil in food processor and process into coarse green paste. Stir into your rice pot in the last 3 to 4 minutes of its cooking time.

Sprinkle the lime juice over the corn mixture.

Split the charred peppers open but not in half with small sharp knife then scoop out the seeds with a small spoon. Place peppers in a shallow baking dish and stuff each split pepper with lots of the corn mix, top each pepper with ¼ c cheese and place back under broiler to melt and char the cheese.

Serve peppers on beds of green rice.

Baked Egg Puffs

I love the cook book Deceptively Delicious. Like others on here- My husband is a picky eater esp. when it comes to his veggies so this cook book has been great for us. We had this little treat for breakfast the other day. It turned out pretty yummy.
** I took a picture of it but for some reason it wouldn't load onto my computer so you will just have to trust me that I really made them and they turned out good :)

nonstick cooking spray
2 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1/2 c. yellow squash or butternut squash puree
2 tbs. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
2 tbs. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

1. preheat the oven to 400 degrees. coat 4 (1/2 c.) ramekins or coffee cups, or 2 (1 c.) coffee cups, with cooking spray and set on a baking sheet.

2. in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, squash puree, cheese, flour, baking powder and salt until combined. divide the mixture among the cups and bake until the tops are puffed up and the eggs are no longer runny in the center when pierced with the tip of a knife (13-15 min.) serve immediately.

** I only used 2 larger coffee cups and which made it perfect for my husband and i. We put a little salsa on top and it was great.

Pan-Fried Chicken

I'm so excited to be part of the wonderful world of, Eat Your Veggies, Peas! I love cooking and finding new recipes as well as sharing what fun things I come across. Hope you enjoy!

1 c. Italian breadcrumbs

2 tbs. chopped fresh basil

1 c. buttermilk (I used soy milk)

1/2 c. flour

6 chicken tenders or 4 large chicken breads

Salt and Pepper

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1. In a shallow dish, stir together the breadcrumbs and 2 tbs. basil. In a separate shallow dish, add the buttermilk; in a third dish, add the flour. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Working with 1 piece at a time, coat the chicken in the flour, then dip into the buttermilk and coat with the breadcrumbs, shaking to remove any excess.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 c. olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown (about 5 minutes) drain on paper towel.

I thought the chicken could use a little something extra so I squeezed 1 lemon over all the chicken after it was cooked.

Best Five: ways to spice up a dish.

Best Five: ways to spice up a dish.

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