Doesn’t this look divine? This was the recipe we made for Cross Country Bakers last month. It’s a French dessert made with apple custard-like filling. Mmmmm… I thought it was about time I posted a recipe for you all, so try this one out for your next dessert (or have it for breakfast like we did!). Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Clafoutis

Ingredients:

* About 3 or 4 apples
* 2 large eggs + 1 yolk
* 1/2 cup blond cane sugar
* 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
* 3 Tbsp. all purpose flour
* 1 cup whole milk, cold
* 1 vanilla, seeds removed (I didn’t have vanilla seeds so I used 1 tsp. vanilla)
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* ground cinnamon

Steps:

* Preheat your oven at 350ºF.
* Peel the apples and cut into cubes or slices whatever you feel is best for the oven dish you are using (I used ramekins)
* Beat the eggs and yolk with the sugar.
* Add the vanilla seeds and mix.
* Dilute the cornstarch in the cold milk.
* Add the flour and cornstarch to the previous preparation, with the cream. Mix well until homogeneous. Add ground cinnamon to your liking.
* Grease small ramekins (or a larger dish) and sprinkle with sugar. Remove the excess.
* Divide the apples  between them and pour the cream over.
* Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and place in the oven for 40 to 45 min, until golden. Remove. Eat warm or cold.

Original recipe from Jungle Frog Cooking.

This is a winter tradition of ours that my sister and I make chocolate truffles every year. We’ve experimented with different flavors, like orange and almond, but we’ve found that our favorite by far (and the most popular among others) is the peppermint. Chocolate and peppermint seem to have been made to go together! Try these out and you’ll see why.

Peppermint Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:
1 8-oz.(eight ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 1/2 tsp. pure peppermint extract (or extract of your choice, such as vanilla, orange, almond)
Crushed peppermints for rolling, optional

Instructions:

1. Beat cream cheese until smooth in a large bowl. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until well blended.

2. Stir in melted chocolate until no streaks remain. Mix in peppermint extract. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in crushed peppermints. Store in parchment-lined candy tins in a cool place. Makes about 60 truffles.

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Something we have enjoyed lately are watermelon slushis. These are super easy to make and very co-o-o-ld to cool you down on a hot day. This is a recipe we really just make up as we go, so there are no real measurements.

Cut up watermelon into cubes. Most watermelons are seedless nowadays but if you have one with seeds, make sure you get those out. Put your watermelon in your blender. If you are looking for amounts, probably 1/3 full is good. Then add some ice. We start with a bit less than the amount of watermelon we put in. Blend that together. Continue to add more ice until you have reached a thick slushi consistency (no longer runny). Spoon into glasses and enjoy! Oh, and a word of caution – it’s a good idea to scoop instead of pour the slushi into the glasses… take it from me, you will end up with a mess on your counter if you don’t.

Though we haven’t tried it this way yet, you could experiment with flavors too – add a little lemon or orange juice to give it some zing, or maybe mint?

Soooo… I’m wondering if anyone reading this has any good starch-free recipes, specifically main dishes, though sides are helpful too. If you do, PLEASE leave a comment with your recipe!

And here’s how to make it!

Ingredients:
approx. 6 flour tortillas

and….

Filling:
1 large head cauliflower
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard (I love dijon mustard, so sometimes I add more… )
1/2 to 3/4 cup Almond Spread (recipe follows – you can also use mayonnaise, but the almond spread is really good!)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt

Cut the cauliflower into chunks and steam until very soft – about 15 minutes from the time there is actually steam. Meantime, make your almond spread. Drain the cauliflower if necessary and mash it with the remaining ingredients (I like to mix the remaining ingredients together first, and then add to the cauliflower). Set aside.

Almond Spread:
about 1/3 cup raw almonds
about 1/3 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, pressed (optional – my sister thinks it’s too sharp with the garlic raw)
pepper or cayenne pepper if desired

Boil about 2 cups of water (separate from the 1/3 cup). Place the almonds in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let them sit for about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water to cool and then squeeze the almonds to pop them out of the skins (fun for little kids who want to help ). Place the almonds in a blender with the 1/3 cup of water and blend well. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until creamy, about 2 minutes.
(This will make more than you need for the wraps – you can save the excess as use as a healthy substitute for mayo on sandwiches, etc.)

Toppings:
1 to 2 tomatoes, chopped
lettuce leaves, torn
1 grated carrots
1/4 cup black olives, sliced (optional)
(you can add any other toppings you like)

Spoon cauliflower filling into tortillas and top with veggies. You can serve this warm or chilled. Fold up and enjoy!
Serves 3 to 4.

Nov. 26 update: For Miss Jocelyn and the rest of you who would like to taste this fabulous bread for yourselves:

Mrs. C.’s Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:
4 cups flour, plus more for kneading
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup raisins
2 Tbsp. caraway seeds (optional)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1½ cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan

Instructions:Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a baking sheet.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, raisins, caraway seeds, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs and 2 Tbsp. butter. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients to form a dough.
Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 4 minutes; add more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Form dough into a 9-inch round; place on prepared baking sheet. Brush loaf with remaining Tbsp. of butter. Using a sharp knife, score an X on top of loaf.
Bake until skewer inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on wire rack before serving. Enjoy!

This is one of my absolute favorite breads! It mixes up pretty quickly and has a sweet flavor – sometimes we like to sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar (or other “large chunk” sugar) before baking. YUM!

Instructions:
Combine the soup and water. Pour half into crock pot. Place the fillets on top, and put potatoes on top of the fillets. Pour the rest of the soup/water mixture over the top.
Mix cheese and herbs and sprinkle over the other ingredients in the crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 1 to 2 hours, being care to not overcook the fish.
Serve with lemon wedges if desired (squeezing lemon over the top really enhances the flavor).
Great served with acorn squash!
Serves 4.

Apple Raisin Lamb Chops
Ingredients:
6 lamb chops
2 apples, chopped
2 onions, sliced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:
Place chops in crockpot. Top with onion slices, apples & raisins. Mix water, salt, brown sugar and cinnamon together. Pour over top. Cook on high about 4 to 6 hours or until meat is tender. Enjoy!

Cox Family!

Baked Potato Soup
8 potatoes, baked as usual
18 Tbsp butter
1 and 1/3 cup flour
12 cups milk
1 lb cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1 16-oz package sour cream
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 bunch green onions (optional)

Take baked potatoes and scoop out the pulp; set aside. In a LARGE saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir until mixed completely. Slowly add milk while stirring constantly. Heat to a boil, stirring often! (It’s important to keep stirring to keep the milk from burning). Heat until mixture is thickened. Add cheddar cheese and salt. Mash the potato pulp and add to the batch, stir to combine until all the cheese is melted. Take the soup off the heat. Add the sour cream and stir to incorporate. Serve in a bread bowl or regular bowl. Can top/garnish with bacon and onions, if desired.

Enjoy!:-)

Congrats and please email your mailing address to email(at)maidensofvirtue(dot)com so we can send you your copy of the 28-page The Hope Chest Record Book! (Please email within 7 days or we will have to pick a different winner).

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest… it was a tough decision to pick the winner!

The deadline for this contest has been extended to December 15th, 2007. Winner will be announced here on December 17th.

Southwest Layer Salad
Serves approx. 6 to 8 people

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup salsa (chunky works well)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
2 to 3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion OR thinly sliced green onion (with tops)
12 to 16 oz. (or about 10 cups) iceberg lettuce salad mix
1 to 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced black olives

Instructions:
In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and salsa. Mix well and set aside.
After preparing the vegetables, layer the beans, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and lettuce in a large bowl (shallow is better). Evenly spread the sour cream/salsa mixture over the top and sprinkle on the cheese. Top with the black olives and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Note: Because of the layered nature of this salad, it is easiest to serve it with a large flat spatula, as you would serve lasagna. If you prefer, you can toss it all together instead of layering it.

Miss Kathryn’s Pasta Salad
Serves approx. 6 people

Ingredients:
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/3 cup Italian salad dressing
3 cups penne pasta (or other pasta), uncooked
20 pitted black olives
16 cherry tomatoes
1 medium cucumber
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
In a small bowl, whisk together mustard and basil. Gradually stir in dressing and whisk until smooth. Set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain in colander. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Place pasta in large bowl.
While pasta is cooking, cut olives and cherry tomatoes in half. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise, peel, and remove seeds if desired. Cut cucumber halves crosswise into slices. Add olives, tomatoes, and cucumbers to pasta in the large bowl. Pour dressing over pasta mixture and mix lightly. Add Parmesan cheese and toss. Cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes, and serve.